So Fecal Face has been posting some wonderful articles (please click the links here : Fecal Face Feature 1, Fecal Face Feature 2) about my journey to Japan for the residency project I was invited to create at Spes-Lab in Tokyo’s Ebisu neighborhood.  It has been a truly monumental life changing journey thus far and it is only two weeks in at this point.  I have been to five different areas, I have eaten some of the most amazing foods in existence, I have meditated with a Buddhist Shingon Monk in an energy field on Koyasan Mountain, I have worked diligently, intelligently, and hard with my Japanese Collaborator known as MON, I have met some amazing people, and made some lasting relationships with them and a country that is truly a different, and brilliant inspiring world to me.  I am truly a “Genki” man right now so to speak.  So with out too many words to bog you down I will let the images fuel your mind and imagination and narrative of my journey in this place…many more to come…-Felix (Also big thanks to Rachel Ralph and John Trippe at Fecal Face for the love on the coverage of this project.)

Koyasan Mountain…One of Many Temple Inns

Bishamonten Statue at the Giant Daibutsen in Nara

The stairs of Jojakko-Ji in Kyoto.

Koyasan Onouin Graveyard.

Henjoko-in Monk on Koyasan Mountain.

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2013 has really been the best and most intense I could have ever imagined…art, travels, love, work, and more…keep up with me here and at the blog http://johnfelixarnoldiii.wordpress.com-John Felix Arnold III

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On April 12th, 2013, four weeks from writing this post I, John Felix Arnold III will be setting foot in Tokyo, Japan, to begin my first ever Residency Program at the amazing Spes-Lab ( who has hosted the talents of Usugrow, Gravity Free, and more…) in Tokyo’s Ebisu Prefecture!!!  The first week will be a six day meditation journey through a series of Temples in Kyoto, Osaka, Koyasan Mountain, Nara, and possibly Mt.Fuji.  On this journey I will be drawing the visions I see in my meditations as well as daily life, architecture, nature, people, the view from trains, cityscapes, wild dogs (lol), food, you name it.  Then on April 19th I will return to Tokyo and begin three weeks of intense art making with Mon (the heart of Spes-Lab Gallery), living and working at the Gallery in Tokyo.  And on May 10th we will open the world we have created to the public and have a huge reception and party!  I return from Tokyo on May 17th and will then be installing the first set of a year long exhibition program at the SFMOMA!  It will open June 8th as part of the Yerba Buena Alliance Art Walk and will have a reception at 111 Minna Gallery.  The world is big and my projects are off and running and things are running along like  a beautiful Hurricane of creation.  From June 8th on I will be bringing you a year of SFMOMA exhibitions so stay tuned…

Stormy Weather Revisited as Painted byt he Scribe of Unstoppable Tomorrow as Painted by John Felix Arnold III for SFMOMA : 2013 : 4′x8′ Mixed Media on Wood Panel.

This Bay Area based artist explores a variety of social and environmental questions and concepts through painting, drawing, print making, installation, performance, and sound work. His exhibitions create visual, aural, tactile, and conceptual environments that are equivalent to walking inside of a giant graphic novel.  He is deconstructing the traditional idea of the graphic novel and narrative and re assembling it into an interactive, multi faceted environment.  Inside, one experiences a future wherein humans are no longer the dominant species, and humanity’s creations have evolved into their own harbingers of destruction and consumption.  The work evokes and communicates a sense of gratitude for life, living, and the promise of today in the face of forces beyond the control of its subjects, while exploring their own personal narratives through a multitude of media.  Within this architecture the work addresses present day connections and interactions allowing him a moment of reflection away from the chaos and hyper-speed of the everyday that surrounds to create and give praise through his own art making.

Japan was amazing.  Absolutely thrilling and life changing.  I would like to thank Ken South Rock immensely for extending their invitation to me to rock out with them, as well as DJ I-Am-Jesse for making the painting commission happen.  ”Should I Stay or Should I Go?” at Old Crow is officially down, and now I am resting, gathering my energy for the upcoming year of projects and shows.  It’s going to be a major year.  I have some pretty serious endeavors on the stove.  The first one is a two man show with the awesome Christopher Burch at the new Book and Job Gallery in SF near White Walls.  There looks to be a trip back to Japan in the spring and then next fall a big solo exhibition with some pretty amazing coordinators that I have been working with.  I am really excited and trying to get back up to production speed within the next couple of weeks.  I will be posting some pretty awesome content on my blog site in the next couple of weeks as well so please check in there.  And as always my Tumblr is a great place to catch the exploits of my alter ego, Big Sheikhy Deluxe (Everywhere he walks is summer).  I will also finally be updating the work area of the site to show you guys all the pieces that were in my latest endeavors as well as photos of the shows I have been involved in since “The Love of All Above”. Thanks for tuning in.-John Felix Arnold III

Link to the official press release Should I Stay or Should I Go Press Release Final