Skinit, Inc., the global leader in on-demand personalization technology, today announced it will preview the company’s new line of National Football League electronics cases at the 10th Annual National Football League Consumer Products Summit, taking place March 5-6 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

The NFL Retail Summit provides an opportunity for retail buyers to learn more about NFL licensee products. Featuring various NFL teams and players, Skinit’s new line of NFL electronics cases offer state of the art design and protection that is unrivaled within the industry. The cases will be available for major phone models and tablets and will be available in Spring 2012.

The NFL Consumer Products Summit provides an opportunity for NFL licensees to display new products, existing products and make retail connections with the attending NFL retail buyers. The summit consists of presentations about NFL licensing process and products as well as networking receptions. This event is not open to the public.

To learn more about Skinit’s newest line of NFL electronics cases and receive a free customized skin from Skinit, attendees can visit the Skinit booth #160-161.

Related articles

• Skinit Announces Top Ten NFL Skins (prweb.com)
• Skinit Raises $60M (xconomy.com)
• The NFL Isn’t Going Anywhere, Despite What Tony Kornheiser Says (rantsports.com)

This year’s Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 highlighted supply chain transformation projects that have had a significant impact on the implementing companies. Through an online submission process, information was collected about Skinit’s supply chain transformation projects, including information on the objectives, scope, timeline and results of the project.

Skinit was featured on the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 list because of their work with Fortune 500 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to drive sales velocity and increase margins for mass market and limited edition projects. Skinit has developed innovative on-demand technology that can support multiple materials and pass stringent commercial environmental testing. Skinit has been able to integrate their partners into a complex supply chain to minimize delays and costs while optimizing turn around time.

“We are thrilled to be featured in the 2012 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100,”  said Billy Crotty, the Executive Vice President of global operations at Skinit.  “The work our team has put in to implementing the Skinit on-demand platform has allowed us to manage a new proprietary print and paint technology that supports rapid turnaround of personalized product for our partners consumer electronics. We’re very excited that hard work is being recognized.”

The Supply & Demand Chain Executive editorial staff selected the Executive 100 based on scope of the project, creative application of technologies/solutions/services used, extent of the business results/impact and clarity of submission.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage. Visit us on the Web at www.SDCExec.com.

Related articles

• Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine Awards Spend Radar with Seven ‘Pros to Know’ (prweb.com)
• Arkieva Named to 2012 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 (sys-con.com)

No matter what district you’re from, The Hunger Games skins are the ultimate way to show support for your favorite competitor while protecting your electronics at the same time.

While the skins are only displayed here on the iPhone 4S and iPad, don’t fret, we have The Hunger Games skins available for thousands of different devices. Get yours today, and “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Related articles

• The Hunger Games (teensreadinplano.wordpress.com)
• Hunger Games Mania (lolaredblog.com)
• It’s Finally Happening: Let the Hunger Games Begin [Video] (jezebel.com)

Gregg Visintainer, aka Viz, is a self taught artist. At age 18, after a pretty severe car accident that required 2 back surgerys, Viz moved from the Bay area to San Diego to be near his family. Following the accident, Visintainer stopped creating art for nearly six years as he struggled to overcome his own personal demons, which included drug and alcohol abuse, and getting kicked out of community college. Around age 24, a sequence of unfortunate events occurred that inspired him to turn his life around and really focus on his passion, drawing.

Viz’s artwork is hand drawn, using only pen and ink. His style is incredibly unique and meticulously detailed. Every drawing is made up of various hidden pictures, words, and messages – giving each piece their own distinctive meaning. Viz is inspired by his own personal life experiences, and by individuals who make a difference and are willing to take risks.

After going through some difficult times, you created your piece, “Lonely World.” There are far too many individual objects within the piece to identify them all, but as a whole, what does this particular work of art mean to you?

“Lonely World” was sort of my  “enough is enough” moment. I was on this downward spiral and my girlfriend (at the time), and I had recently broken up. Amidst the break up she kind of pointed out my flaws and was like, ‘you never finish anything you start!’ That’s when my art really took off. I cooped myself up for 3 months after we broke up and just drew. I finally realized what I wanted to do all my life was always right in front of me. 

Which of your artwork pieces is your favorite?

Well, “Lonely World” will always have the most meaning to me because it’s the one that got me back into my art, but Yosemite Falls is my most current one and my newest ones are always my favorite.

How do you feel when people interpret your artwork differently? Do you want people to interpret it in their own way, even though your vision/creation for it may have been founded on something completely different?

The frustrating thing about my art is that people don’t always understand all of the details. Everyone interprets things differently, if they want to see something in one of my drawings that isn’t really there I will never tell someone it’s not there. I let everyone interpret things their own way. The people that I dislike are the art critics who will come in and try and say what (I) or another artist was thinking or try to create a meaning that isn’t the real meaning.

One of your artworks that Skinit has available as a skin, is “Angela’s Bouquet.” In comparison to a lot of your other work, Angela’s Bouquet has a much ‘softer’ vibe, and in addition, isn’t as abstract as some of your other pieces. It is clearly a bouquet of flowers. What inspired this piece and what is the meaning behind it?

Angela is my grandmother. The sweetest, most amazing, loving woman you will ever meet in your entire life. Angela’s Bouquet is actually the first greeting card I ever drew.  She (Angela), is the reason why I even have greeting cards.  She  cut out a bouquet of flowers from the newspaper and gave it to me and said she wanted a picture like that drawn by me. She gave me a list of colors she wanted and everything, and she would always ask about how I was doing on it. So finally I made it for her for Christmas and turned them into greeting cards, because she also loves writing. Alex Gerard is the ‘original’ artist who drew a similar bouquet. All of the hidden items within the drawing are things about her – love, friendship, watering vase, a dove- which represents her spirituality, various animals and birds- because she loves animals, a cross – to represent her religious faith, and so on.

 Do you think you will ever step outside of using gel pens to do your art? Are there any other mediums you use to create your art?

I will never switch from gel pens because then it wouldn’t be true to me. I literally do it all with pens because it’s therapeutic. It’s my way to get things out and clear my mind. Getting on a computer doesn’t excite me, and painting isn’t the same. With pens I have full line control… but the only place I mess up is with the spelling, and I will have to turn it into a design or something else so that it becomes undetectable. I just wouldn’t be doing it for me if I had to switch mediums.

What has been your favorite project to date?

DC shoes was my favorite project. They were my favorite company growing up – my shoes growing up were always DC, my first snowboard was DC. I just love their company, what they stand for, the look of the company, and how they sort of  ‘took me in.’ I feel really blessed to have gotten that opportunity.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

“Lonely World” – It represents getting past that stage of my life and getting past the bullshit and moving on. It was a time that was really made up of licking my own wounds, recognizing my own faults and flaws, and wanting to change that aspect of my life, find my passion, and just go after it.

Growing up, drawing and doodling started out as a hobby for you. Beyond just being something to distract you and fill your spare time, were you ever inspired or influenced by any artists or movements in particular?

No. I wasn’t interested in any of that as a child. Now, I’m obviously more aware. Shepherd Ferry is an artist who I admire and who inspires me. He changed the game in the art industry and didn’t have anyone point him in a certain direction, he just did it all on his own. I have a lot of respect for him because he did everything in his own way and on his own terms and not because he was handed everything with a golden spoon. He is making a living off of what he loves and what is natural to him. He’s who made me realize that I could do this as a living.

What is your biggest challenge personally as it pertains to making your work?

Time is always the biggest obstacle. I’ve lost a lot of projects because I haven’t gotten to do everything that I’ve wanted to do with it because there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. An artists lifestyle is hard. You don’t get regular paychecks, you’ve gotta keep working harder and hustle to make sure you can eat next week. Don’t get me wrong, they are good challenges, they are things that keep me going.

As an artist what do you feel the internet has done for you, both in a positive and negative sense?

Well, I only travel on the west coast, so the internet has opened up a much wider audience for me. Being able to have an online shopping cart as well as being able to connect with people directly through the use of social media and other forums, has allowed me to do a lot of stuff online that I would’ve otherwise had to drive around or run around for.

The negative thing about the internet is the fact that because my work is so detailed, it’s hard to see online. Sometimes people don’t really know what’s going on or understand what it’s all about because they can’t really see every single detail that goes into it. Seeing my work in person has a totally different impact than seeing it online, especially for the first time.

What are some of the most memorable responses have you had to your work?

The most memorable responses I’ve received were for “American Heroes.” People tear up when I go in to explain it. Mostly people who have lost people in war, etc. At the Carlsbad show a year ago, a dad told me it was the first military related piece that he and his wife had gotten to commemorate their son who had died 6 months prior in Iraq. Another guy bought a custom matted piece and told me that piece was going to hang in his office in the Pentagon. It made my year. It honestly gave me chills, I’m very patriotic. If I didn’t have my 2 back surgery’s I would’ve gone into the military…my brother is in the military.

What question do you hate being constantly asked about your work?

Everyone wants to put a label on my art, like it’s street art or fine art, etc. I don’t want to be categorized. I just look at it as my work, that’s it. I don’t care about the names, or labels, or genres, I just draw. I couldn’t spend 60-80 hours on something that I didn’t want to do, or something that everyone else is telling me to do. I have to do it the way that I want to.

Describe an insecurity you deal with in making art.

I won’t do journals or life stories about myself in my art work anymore.  I don’t want everyone to know everything still. It’s kind of like, been there done that. I guess I am a little insecure about the way I think, because I feel like I view things differently than other people. But for the most part I don’t really have anything that is going to stop me or hold me back. I’m pretty much an open book.

Looking ahead, what are some things you hope to accomplish?

Well, professionally, I want to create my own pen line one day to make more colors. There isn’t a huge selection of pen and ink colors out there, and sometimes I need a particular color but it doesn’t exist. For instance, I can never use yellow because yellow pens do not turn out “yellow” on paper. I also really want to do an underwater piece, but I just have to wait until I find something that really inspires me to sit down and do it. I want to do all of the major cities too, but again, I just have to wait until I visit them and get inspired by them. It’ll happen.. one day..

***

Visintainer is not only a successful artist but also a motivational speaker. Every week he lectures for two classes at San Diego State University (SDSU) where he motivates youth to pursue their dreams, goals and artistic capabilities.

If you live in the San Diego area you can meet Viz, and check out some of his amazing work, in person, on Wednesdays at the Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market, and Thursdays at the Oceanside Sunset Market. You can also find him at the Huntington Beach Art-A-Faire.

Related articles

• SBTG x DC Shoes “Enter the Dragon” Plate Set (hypebeast.com)
• Hallmark Announces Winners in the “Watch What You Say … Again!” Greeting Card Contest (prweb.com)

“We are honored to be listed by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies,” says Skinit CEO, Bob King. “Skinit has successfully driven market results for Fortune 500 consumer electronics companies through our patented platform for on-demand mass customization and continue to develop new technologies for permanent decorations on first surfaces through our global supply chain facilities. Our direct-to-consumer web business continues to innovate with new products to personalize and protect.”

With corporate offices in San Diego, California, Skinit first introduced skins as a personalized protective solution for consumer electronic devices.  Now with nearly 200 employees, Skinit’s consumer and B2B business continue to reach new heights.  Skinit.com, their e-Commerce business, was recently awarded Internet Retailer 2012 Hot 100 e-Retailer.

“Sizing up younger, privately held companies is hard: Their fortunes can change very quickly and there’s a dearth of public data,” says Forbes Executive Editor Brett Nelson. “We took a more comprehensive approach to evaluate their health and potential.”

To conduct their search for America’s Most Promising Companies, FORBES teamed up with CB Insights, a Manhattan-based research firm that tracks investment in high-growth private companies. After extensive research, they honed the list down to 100 privately held up-and-comers with compelling business models, strong management teams, notable customers, strategic partners and precious investment capital.

“We are looking forward to continued growth and success in 2012, driven by our management team licensing our personalization technologies and patented platforms to strategic partners across every sector,” says King. “Our consumer goal is to continue to offer the most comprehensive products for consumer electronic devices, while increasing both our revenue growth and market share as the industry leader in personalization, customization and protection.”

About Skinit Inc.

Skinit, Inc. is the pioneer and industry leader in on-demand personalization technology, including the manufacturing and distribution of customized products for electronic devices. Skinit’s award winning e-Commerce business offers mass customization tools that allow consumers to create branded, designed, and personalized protective cases, covers and skins for mobile consumer devices.  Skinit products are available to customers on www.skinit.com and through top retailers.  Skinit offers Fortune 500 companies mass customization technologies through patented on-demand personalization platforms as turnkey solutions in the supply chain with software as a solution. Skinit continues to lead advancements in mass customization with patented solutions in multi-layered first surface permanent decoration and on demand vinyl technologies.

Related articles

• Forbes names Skinit one of America’s Most Promising Companies (promoblog.skinit.com)
• Forbes names Skinit.com #25 in Top 100 Up and Coming Businesses (promoblog.skinit.com)

Internet Retailer’s editors recognized Skinit’s innovations on the mobile device protection, vinyl wall poster and car decal markets through style and customization.  Skinit also provides enterprise technology and data solutions of mass customization to Fortune 500 consumer electronics companies.

“It represents the judgments of our editors about which e-commerce sites have broken new ground in the past year in ways that other e-retailers can learn from,” says Internet Retailer’s Editor Don Davis.

With corporate offices in San Diego, California, Skinit first introduced skins as a personalized protective solution for consumer electronic devices.  Skinit has successfully taken personalization down to the device and on a one to one level through their Customizer™ tool.  Through the Customizer™, consumers can take any image and create custom protective covers that fit perfectly to thousands of devices from mobile phones, laptops, gaming systems, tablets to medical devices.

“Skinit has invested heavily in the e-Commerce infrastructure and business model of driving mass customization on a one to one level through Skinit.com,” says Skinit CEO, Bob King. “We will continue to enhance and drive innovation through our Customizer™ and leverage similar patented technologies and platforms for Fortune 500 consumer electronics companies.”

“Skinit.com’s Customizer™ and rich catalog of designs truly allows anyone to choose a case, cover or skin that fits their personality – the design options are nearly limitless,” says Lewis Chang, Skinit’s VP of e-Commerce and Marketing.  “Our 2012 goal is to continue to offer the most comprehensive products for consumer electronic devices, while increasing our growth and market share as the industry leader in personalization, customization and protection.”

About Skinit, Inc.

Skinit, Inc. is the pioneer and industry leader in on-demand personalization technology, including the manufacturing and distribution of customized products for electronic devices. Skinit’s award winning e-Commerce business offers mass customization tools that allow consumers to create branded, designed, and personalized protective cases, covers and skins for mobile consumer devices.  Skinit products are available to customers on www.skinit.com and through top retailers.  Skinit offers Fortune 500 companies mass customization technologies through patented on-demand personalization platforms as turnkey solutions in the supply chain with software as a solution. Skinit continues to lead advancements in mass customization with patented solutions in multi-layered first surface permanent decoration and on demand vinyl technologies.

Related articles

• Forbes names Skinit one of America’s Most Promising Companies (promoblog.skinit.com)
• Skinit Raises $60M (xconomy.com)

BUY 1 GET 1 FREE!

Related articles

• Buy one Skinit skin, get one free (news.cnet.com)
• YOUniquely You. (skinit.com)

You’ve had quite the journey, and your personal story is quite inspiring. What has kept  you continually inspired and always positive throughout all of life’s ordeals?

Every life has chapters. One night I went to sleep normal and woke up abnormal. My brain started to bleed from a lesion unbeknownst to me. I lost my sense of balance, my eyes crossed, I lost hearing in my left side, I got lockjaw and the left side of my face was numb. Basically, happy hour without the happy.

The neurosurgeon told me I was at risk of blindness, paralysis, coma and death, but the little voice in my head said “oh, no no no no no!” From the time I came out of surgery to today, I told myself I could beat the odds. Luckily with therapy, my first fix was getting the cross eyes to go back in place since I was not digging that look. And I’ve been working with a personal trainer to get my balance back. My hearing returned and I can get a fork in my mouth now. And the silver lining…I was able to work 2 months after surgery. Sitting in front of my computer designing and dreaming, leaving the world of ugly; hospitals, medicine and sadness and entering my world of beauty, art and happy. If I had had any other career I would probably still be laying in bed. My work brought me back to life and now I’m ready for the next chapter.

In addition to the brand Robin Zingone, you have three character brands: Cocomimilulu®, loveMe™ robinzingone®, and Girlygirl™ robin zingone®. What was the inspiration behind each one, and how do they define Robin Zingone as a whole?

Clients kept asking for more and more drawings of women. Women shopping. Women bathing. Women dining. Women dancing. With all the women drawings, I thought it could make a great licensed brand. I dressed them all in black and white patterned clothes and kept the color palette simple, but something was missing. It still did not feel cohesive. My designer Lydia suggested I create one face for all the girls. So back to the drawing table to find THE face. What do you think of this Lydia? No.  What do you think of this Lydia? No. What do you think of this Lydia? Yes…thats it! And so Girlygirl™ robin zingone® was
conceived.

My beige cat Mayer has a funny flat head and in profile he almost looks like a straight line with a tiny bump for a nose.  I started drawing cats to mimic him and designed them to be kawaii cute with a pastel palette. From my goofy cat to the drawing board was the inspiration for the loveMe™ robin zingone® collection.

Cocomimilulu® was developed on a whim. An illustration assignment to draw a girl riding a bike, a girl eating ice cream and a girl swimming made me start to think while I was doodling. What if I draw the girls to be hip enough for kids, but sweet enough for mom’s! Why don’t I make being smart cool! What if I fashion Coco after Claudia’s daughter who sports the chic bob! And design a cute curly haired girl like her sister Carly!  I’ll have Nancy’s red-headed twins as the fabulous friends! And they’ll all have different careers! Cool careers! Chanteuse. ballerina, filmmaker, perfumier, swimmer, environmentalist, veterinarian, fashion designer, foreign correspondent! Scary but true…this is how my mind works.

What is the most unusual place you’ve found inspiration for one of your designs?

The colors of rocks on the beach, the pattern of leaves on a boxwood, the twist of a croissant, the architecture of a high heeled shoe, the hues in a bowl of jellybeans, the shadows on snow, the texture of cat fur, the sparkle of a diamond…

If you had to choose, what is your favorite design that you’ve created?

That question is like asking who your favorite child is…cannot go there.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

Being a morning person, after the java kicks in, I start replying to emails around 7am. My studio is in my home so next, feed the dogs, sit back at the computer and design, let the dogs out, sit back at the computer and dream, let the dogs in, sit back at the computer and draw, let the dogs out, go up to the second floor messy studio and paint or design jewelry or sew or make collages or…let the dogs in again.

You’ve done ad campaigns for American Express, Absolut Vodka, worked on Mattel Barbie styleguides, done illustrations in Vanity Fair and Seventeen Magazine..the list goes on. What has been your most exciting/memorable project to date?

This will probably sound predictable but the most exciting project for me is always the one I am working on at the moment. That said, I have had many memorable projects throughout my career.

My husband Peter and I visited the QVC headquarters in Pennsylvania, to check out a mural I had designed for them. When we arrived we discovered the only way to see it was to go on the guided tour. Finally reaching the mural the tour guide turned to the entire crowd and announced that I was the artist. Everyone turned, stared and started clapping. Red face. Oh yea.

During an Absolut vodka photo shoot, my brother co-ordinated with the photographer to have a male stripper dressed as a cop arrive for my birthday. Luckily for me, the clients enjoyed it even more than me! And the shoot went on without a hitch… just everything smelled of musk oil the rest of the day.

Sweet & Sassy is a chain of salons for girls. They hired me to create a fun image for their logo and signage thruout the store. It was a great job that I did years ago. So when I was watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey I couldn’t believe it when Gia climbed into the limousine sporting my logo! Wow! Then the following week, The Real Housewives of

Beverly Hills featured a birthday party with Barbie necklaces as the party favors. Guess who drew the Barbie silhouette! Lucky for me I like junk tv, or I never would have seen my fifteen minutes of fame!

What are your greatest challenges in terms of your job?

The challenge of my job is to answer the questions what, when, why, how and where. Every assignment needs a foundation to build from, and once the framework is done, the rest is a fun ride.

Who are some of your favorite designers and artists?

Rex Ray, Stuart Davis, David Hockney, Jim Flora, Jimi Hendricks, Helmut Newton, Giorgio Armani, Matisse, Richard Avedon, Egon Schiele, Andy Warhol, Jil Sander, Raymond Loewy, Francesco Clemente, Bjork, John D. MacDonald, Richard Neutra, Paul Rand, Vladimir Nabakov, Stan Getz,  Mies van de Rohe, Joan Miro, Paul Cezanne, Ludwig Bemelmanns, Billie Holiday. Issey Miyake, Eva Zeisel, Mark Rothko, Stanley Kubrick, Alexander Calder…

We ask this to all of our designers, so it’s only right to ask you as well… It’s the year  2020, where are you and what are you doing?

In Recoleta doing the tango in the street, on a mountain top in Lugano sipping merlot from a clay cup, on a subway in New York swinging from the strap, swimming in the turquoise waters of Bora Bora, painting in my studio while listening to Miles Davis, eating a cheese crepe on Bou’ Miche, shoe shopping in Milan, and on my bed surrounded by my cats and dogs.

Click to view slideshow.

Related articles

• 2008 Fashion Rocks: Lydia Hearst (fabsugar.com)
• Absolut Vodka – Color Make it Gorgeous (haeinlee0812.wordpress.com)

You’ve been painting for most of your life. Growing up, were there any particular artists that inspired you or whose style you sought to emulate?

I grew up surfing in South Carolina as a young kid in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The art that I saw in surf magazines back then was really cool. Though I didn’t know who the artists were at the time, they were a strong influence on me; guys like Rick Griffin and Bill Ogden.

(Photo courtesy of Jason Wallis)

What has been your favorite project to date?

Whether I’m painting an 8’ fiberglass eagle in Canada or spray painting vans for Escape, they’re all fun.   It’s hard to choose the best one – maybe my next?

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

Being able to create a life where my family and my business and surfing are all one. We travel together, work together, hang together.

Do you believe artistic creativity is innate, generally and personally?

I believe artists think differently.  They see things that others don’t see and then through art, they show others.

What is the message you hope to convey through your artwork?

That life is to be enjoyed.  I want to inspire people to do what they are good at and be happy doing what they’re doing. Don’t do something just to make money; do it because you love it.

Your works, “Volcano,” “Dragon Skull,” and “Tattoo,” are in black and white. This is a drastic step away from the usual bright and vibrant energy that your artwork has come to be known for. What inspired these paintings and what is the meaning behind them?

Every one of my paintings starts out as a pencil sketch.  The three you mentioned were pencil sketches of ideas that I had, and I liked them so much I kept them like that.

What is your biggest challenge personally as it pertains to making your work?

There’s no getting around it; you have to put in the time to get the work done.  There are no shortcuts.  To do big things, you have to sit down and do it.

As an artist what do you feel the Internet has done for you, both in a positive and negative sense?

The internet is a window to the world.   It’s allowed me, and everyone else, to have a platform for all to see.  It’s given me independence. The downside? Having to keep up with technology!

One of your newest skins is named, “Tree of Life.” What inspired this particular painting, and what does it mean to you?

Tree of Life was originally a commissioned painting for a company called Hinano Tahiti.

The painting is based off of a story that Tahitian’s tell about a man who grew the bread-fruit tree to feed his family and how the Polynesians have cultivated this tree all throughout the South Pacific as one of their main sources of food.

I’ve been to Tahiti many times and I’m always impressed with the gardens filled with mangoes and taro root and coconut trees.  The place is full of life.

The Tree of Life reminds me of my time spent there.

What are the most important influences that have moved you as an artist?

Surfing around the world and being with my family and raising my son.

When you get a new project or idea, what happens next? Walk me through the creative process, from start to finish.

I start with research on the project to get ideas. Then I begin a series of sketches to come up with the best composition and layout. If it’s for a client, the hardest part is pulling out of them what they want; often they don’t know. After the sketch process, then I begin the painting.  That’s the easy part!

What is the most challenging aspect of what you do?

Running a business in today’s world.  The art is easy; it’s all the other stuff that’s hard!

If you weren’t surfing and painting, what would you be doing?

Probably hiking mountains with my wife and kid.

Click to view slideshow.

Related articles

• Today, Maria Brophy Q and A: How to Negotiate Art Licensing Deals and Commissions. Artists Join In! (artistmarketingsalon.wordpress.com)

What prompted the move to the United States in 2000, and in what ways has American culture influenced your work since then?

I moved to the US because of my marriage. I was leading a typical Japanese life, but I ended up living here! Life brings lots of surprises.

Yes, American culture has influenced me a lot. I was a traditional calligrapher most of the time, but now I try to incorporate Japanese calligraphy with colors, acrylic, canvas, graphic, and fabric — anything interesting.  When I first arrived here, I had to learn English and the culture. It was tough, but I can now say I learned a lot from that and I never gave up wanting to be an artist.

Your work primarily represents traditional Japanese calligraphy, or Kanji. What are the main differences between Chinese and Japanese Kanji?

Kanji and calligraphy originally are from China. Japan adopted both and created its own writing and reading system called hiragana and katakana, which is based on Chinese characters.  When I started to learn calligraphy professionally at university in Hiroshima, we learned Chinese calligraphy art and history. They have a beautiful and rich culture. We also learned Japanese calligraphy, too.  We share similar characters; however, pronunciation and meaning are sometimes the same and sometime different. Also, Chinese calligraphy uses only kanji characters and Japanese calligraphy uses kanji, hiragana and katakana. There are so many different forms and styles in Calligraphy. I have been doing calligraphy over 30 years, but still there are lots to learn.

In daily life, what are the types of things that inspire you personally?

Family, nature, personal experiences and feelings, photos, music and books.

What has been your biggest challenge as an artist/designer?

The biggest challenge has been learning the business side of the art world.

What would you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

My biggest accomplishments are the many performances, workshops, and exhibitions I have participated in since coming to America in 2000. My art licensing agreement with Skinit was also a big accomplishment.

Of all the skins you’ve created, which is your favorite and why?

My favorite is the Japanese kanji for “dream” because it is simple yet powerful.

Besides creating art for Skinit, what other projects are you currently working on and/or looking forward to?

I am going to be a mom in November! So, I am looking forward to creating cool baby t-shirts with my designs.

It is the year 2020. Where are you, and what are you doing?

I will be in Washington, Oregon or Japan! I am sure I will be creating more Japanese calligraphy art and more art licensing with my designs!

Related articles

• Do You Know Calligraphy? (casasugar.com)
• Rekindle: Calligraphy (masayamm.com)