Eric Pow ·
These stickers I made were originally for my Boston roots. Growing up in north, schooling in, and “adulting” south of Boston, my life has mostly been in Massachusetts. So I created stickers to celebrate and make fellow Bostonians laugh as well. Whether it’s commentary on our aging transportation services or human behavior I have a sticker for it. Also stickers for my friends in Rhode Island and for the Asian community.
More can be found at https://www.ericpow.com/stickers
Eric Pow ·
A $2 print? You can get this postcard sized print that will be sent in an envelope and if you want to send it to someone else you can as a postcard. Each print will benefit the postal service in the form of postage and at least a dollar will go to an artist relief fund. This is not a charity and will be used to give back by supporting local (New England) artists. Artists have been affected by the pandemic due to most of our selling events being cancelled and will not open until Phase 4 (MA). Most of the income comes from these in-person shows and have been upended.
So how it will the bonus giveaway work is that when you purchase the postcard you will also be put on a list. When the fund reaches an amount enough to purchase a small works art including shipping I will send it by randomly picking a recipient from the list (follow @ericpowpaper on Instagram). The postcards will be sent every Friday. The price of $2 includes the print, postage, expenses for paper and envelope then the $1 to artist relief.
So who wants a postcard print of Totoro dreaming of Ghibli?
For full details and limitations go to my website in profile.
Giveaway Notice:
Some exclusions apply. This is currently available for US customers only, as far one US stamp will take it. For full details and disclaimers go to the listing or my website (www.ericpow.com). Giveaway promotion can end at anytime or until 12/31/20 and could be extended at my discretion. At conclusion of promotion any remaining funds will be donated to a charity or food bank. Your purchases are NOT tax deductible. Shipment postcard will be sent every Friday via USPS.
Eric Pow ·
Limited Edition Artwork
In the past I picked the lovely month of October (birthday bias) to donate a portion of my sales to donorschoose.org which is like a GoFundMe for teacher/student projects. I always made a donation, but it always felt a little paltry. For 2019, I decided to create crossover (POWPAPER and POWINK) pieces that are also limited to a run of ten pieces. I will be selling them for $100 with $50 will be donated to a project on the charity’s website; preferably an ART project. I will update this blog as I make donations.
DONATIONS:
June 2019: $50 to Ms. Fournier of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in New Bedford, MA.
See the full description of the project by clicking this project link.
Eric Pow ·
I always wanted to to do art that paid homage to my Chinese heritage while connecting it to my American upbringing. Creating art out of paper with western influences allowed me to do just that. Although I love and will continue my paper art I do have other styles I want to express that paper as a medium cannot portray as well as ink as a medium. Often found in the early works of Asian art paintings using ink and water were the mainstays of origins of art in Asia. I wanted to create something similar with the boldness of original coloring of black and red without the tonal difference as those ancient arts. Using modern and ancient techniques POW INK will display the boldness of ink.
Eric Pow ·
I listen to a lot of music, a wide range of artists from many genres. From electronic dance music to rock and pop, I listen to most of it all. You can determine a hit song by just how the rhythm and melody can grab you. Every time you hear that one song it pulls you out of subconscious listening. There is a certain special element that makes a song, no matter how long it is, to pull you in and affect you. Even if the words were inaudible mouth sounds it still should have the same effect.
I recently heard a song come up on my Pandora playlist that was related because the song had electronic music coupled with a talented singer. This song is Die Young by Sylvan Esso. Lyrics aside the song has a grab that brings you in if you like electronic music and if you like pop singers.
What I found fascinating was the remake of the song, usually from non-electronic to electronic remix, with a heavy focus on string and brass instruments, backup vocalists instead of a voice loop. Its a great remix without losing the core melody that make the song what it is.
Eric Pow ·
I always find inspiration from works of art that progress over months and years. The time it takes to hone one’s skill and the artwork that is being developed and redeveloped. Keith Loutit spent years photographing construction of the modern Singapore skyline as it grows over time. The fading of each photo is a time lapse in almost animation with a glimpse of the past in a brief second.
Watch the video below and let me know what you think.
Eric Pow ·
What can I say, I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies and other creations of Hayao Miyazaki movies. Japanese Anime is 5 star animation even before Disney reached its high status among animated productions. These movies have the detail, music, and quality you find in highly funded non-animated Hollywood movies. The stories that have been told are held in the heart by many and myself as well.
Spirited Away was one of my favorites with its amazing music we follow a young girl grow into maturity with courage and adventure. With friends to support her yet every door they opened she had to bravely step through.
Click on link or photo for more pictures.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is another story about a girl who sets off to start her own journey in life. In a new city with new people she need to start a small business and be part of a larger community than the one she left.
Click on link or photo for more pictures.
Ponyo tells a love story about a fish girl and a young boy. Magic and Love will bring balance to the world as long as we work together to respect the Earth rather than pollute it.
Click on link or photo for more pictures.
A woman adventures into dangerous and unknown territories to find someone that can break the curse that was placed on her by a witch. Amongst a war between two nations with mages caught in between a mysterious past can be the only answer min Howl’s Moving Castle.
Click on link or photo for more pictures.
In a world that faces mankind’s domination over it and its taming of nature the people of Princess Mononoke must face the turning point where nature reaches its point of no return to its virgin past. The worlds of man and nature must converge and transform together or balance will be forever changed.
Click on link or photo for more pictures.
Totoro…what can I say more than My Neighbor Totoro?
Eric Pow ·
I get many comments about whether my abstractions are topographical maps of certain locations. Locations that the viewer may have a connection to or not. Maybe I chose to create a location using bright colors; which is an idea for future pieces as impressionistic art. A chance for someone to enter the world of POWPAPER with points of reference so that the travelers have a real world map. Possibly, but my abstractions come from another place and create a different world.
Walking through artist studios I stumbled across the used wooden and disposable paper palettes of painters. These remnants of ideas and experiments in color, theories from the minds of creators of worlds. The foundations for masterpieces and amateur art are built on paint palettes before the main structure is built on canvas. Colors line up and begin to dance and mingle as the mind of the painter begins to work and solve dilemmas. These foundations became the basis of my abstractions in paper form. The swirl and mixing of paint to transform into new colors, the abandoned trials, and the abstract computations.
This series is available on the Shop Page.
Eric Pow ·
When it comes to inspiration I need to look to other creators and designers. Seeing what they create, how they create, and what makes up the core of their creations. The core or what makes that creation 'work' or its uniqueness. I look to how others achieve their greatness and their greatness can inspire you in many ways.
About 2 years ago I stumbled upon a video about a music machine created by a man in a band. His creation is the Wintergatan Marble Machine. This machine was created from wood and Legos (Technic) using a trial and error building technique. It's a giant music box that uses gears and cranks that moves marbles that drop onto instruments to make music. It was created by one person who had an idea and fell into the narrow eyed artist/creationist focus.
The original machine video: Wintergatan Marble Machine. Blog continues below.
Get the audio track "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan: https://wintergatan.bandcamp.com/track/marble-machine Marble Machine built and composed by Martin Molin Video filmed and edited by Hannes Knutsson Costume designed by Angelique Nagtegaal See Sommarfågel music video by Wintergatan: https://youtu.be/SBK2AF-NdVA See Starmachine2000 music video by Wintergatan: https://youtu.be/rEeiRXOlWUE Swedish band Wintergatan will play live concerts starting from summer 2016.
2 years later Wintergatan is now creating a new and improved version called the Marble Machine X. He is using CAD modeling with 3D printers and CNC machining to improve his machine to the next level. Trial and Error has been replaced with prototyping and cooperation with experts from around the world has polished the original design.
Seeing the process of how this creator is completing his work gives a glimpse of what thought he is putting in this next version of his creation.
Eric Pow ·
As said in Part 1, I'm not trying to be political, but we do need to reflect on our own society about the issues we have today. These issues affect all of us yet most are effected more severely than the small percentage of the wealthy. All countries have a wealth gap and most will find during the development of their country is when that gap widened. Although in the United States of America we removed some legal barriers that prevented the hoarding of cash by CEOs in the 30s and 40s. About 100 years ago CEOs made slightly higher than the employees that worked for them and some cases less. Now they make millions while many of their employees don't make enough to live and support their families. The rich don't face the issues that the lower income families have to deal with every day. The poor can't fight or else they will lose their job or retaliated in some other way. Our country was given away to corporations and those same corporation exploit tax loop holes and hoard their earnings rather than supporting our people, widening the gap.
Eric Pow ·
After spending years as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator I started creating my paper art. With my background my pieces started with a heavy focus on design. Alongside my design style I tended to use an abundance of bright colors. Many of my earlier paper art piece tended to have my aesthetic using bright colors. The use of bright colors was to reflect my style, though not appealing to the broader audience.
Recently, after giving in to the numerous requests for a traditional palette I have created a mini series of a limited color palette. I looked into what else used limited colors effectively and found traditional Asian ink paintings to be highly effective. So to bring some of my culture to my portfolio of work I began creating a small series of work in tribute to the past. So I started with the general imagery with red accents.
Horse and Hummingbird pieces were created while mimicking the varying intensities of ink and ink absorption into a paper canvas. The Koi, Bonsai, and Pagoda pieces use the accents of red to make a bold statement. These are several of the many pieces I have created in 2018. Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Eric Pow ·
Reflecting our culture in the American Flag.
Reflections in the American Flag of issues its society are dealing with.
Reflections in the American Flag of issues its society are dealing with.
Reflections in the American Flag of issues its society are dealing with.
Throughout history artists have been creating and speaking out on political issues using their art. They had an easy outlet to speak out. An easy way for viewers to absorb that message. Nowadays we have social media and the easy transmission of political and social views. I'm not saying I'm one of these political pioneers of art, but I want to share my thoughts about our society. Ideas not to bash or spread hatred. Ideas to show what our society has become as a call to our communities that we have problems that need fixing. The more that people keep talking about these issues, without violence, we can improve ourselves.
Gun Violence, Eric Pow, 16x20", paper, 2018. Blood pours onto our streets, offices, schools, and US soil from domestic acts of violence. Yet our society has become desensitized to mass shootings and we don't react as strongly anymore. We have accepted that gun violence is what makes America, America. So this piece reflects our attributes we assigned to our society.
The smoke rises from empty shell casings as the white stripes while the red stripes are the blood fro shooting victims. The blue a bulletproof vest, the metal plates, the protection we give our members of this society to protect themselves rather than protection from laws. Bullet holes line the blue as our stars; the victims that stand out until we forget.
All is paper, as paper can be strong when great laws are written on paper, but weak as all laws can be influenced by organizations with great wealth.
