Richmond Artshow Thursday November 12th

Join me next Thursday, November 12 at Harney Sushi Oceanside - 301 Mission Ave
(between Cleveland St & Tremont St)
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 967-1820

7pm to 10pm
Brand New Art!
Sushi and Sake!

Art Opening at THE LOFT SPA / GALLERY

Last Thursday, January 15th was the grand opening of THE LOFT SPA in Beverly Hills

Not only did I represent some of my greatest pieces, but there were some great artists involved as well.

There was a great crowd at hand, many models and servers wore our clothing, seen here to the left.

Japanese Tattoo Art on display in Beverly Hills

Beginning Thursday January 15th, Mark Richmond's art will be on display and for sale at the LOFT SPA & Gallery in Beverly Hills at the corner of Wilshire & Doheny streets.

If you're a fan of Ukiyo-e or Japanese Tattoo art, this is a must see! Also check out the same art on clothing! Mark has teamed up with the crew from Diego Mondano Clothing to produce his art on limited edition T-shirts.

For more information check out http://www.skidone.com/ or http://www.diegomondano.com/

A little history on Ukiyo-e, skidone perspective

Here's a brief history on Japanese Tattoo Art as it is taken from Ukiyo-e art, the influence is such a big part of my art. The clean black line and subtle fills, combigned with emotion, and textured colors, as well as the addition of poetry and story, allows my skill set to come about at its utmost within the canvas.

For more information about Mark Richmond's Japanese Tattoo style / Ukiyo-e style art visit www.skidone.com

JAPANESE TATTOO ART

Brief History of the Japanese Tattoo
As the power of the common people and working classes of Japan grew in the latter half of the Edo period (circa 18th century) horimono, or traditional Japanese tattoos, began to flourish as art form. Using images from traditional water colour paintings, woodcuts and picture books of the time as designs, the ultimate reward for the patience and endurance of pain would be a tattoo of immense beauty. To experience and enjoy Japanese horimono tattoos it is important to understand their history and background, and it is also important to continue to preserve the traditions behind them.
The origins of traditional Japanese tattoos can be traced back to the latter years of the Edo period in Japanese history.In 1603, the then ruler of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, centralised his shogunate government in Edo, what is now Tokyo. In the 200 years following this, the established feudal system began to stagnate, and in opposition to the martial upper classes, the common people of Edo began to develop their own separate, unique culture for themselves.
Rejecting the centuries-old strict ethics and morality of the Confucian beliefs of the samurai and taking up themes based on duty, ninjo (human experiences and feeling), fashion and comedy the townspeople of Edo increasingly began to enjoy novels, drama, comic tanka songs and theatre. Books such as kokusenyagassen by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Honchohsuikohden and Satomihakkenden by Takisawa Bakin and many other publications, along with picture books and artwork all combined to develop into a system that became a massive outlet of cultural expression for the ordinary people of Edo.

Shimada Kunihiro, Japan Tattoo InstituteTranslated by Adam Guy

For further reading...

http://keibunsha.com/hst_jt.html

japanese tattoo art

This is the first of many blogs about the history of Japanese tattoo art and its influence on my own artwork, studio shots, and daily progress of art projects
Check out www.skidone.com to view my art.