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Taking Flight in 2013!
4 open studios, 7 Dragon Boys, 22 artshows, 40+ original paintings sold, and tons of new friends later we've come to the end of an incredible year!
Graciously, all the planting and nurturing from 2012 came to fruition in 2013.
My sincere gratitude for your continued support in validating my decision to become an independent artist and designer.
Please allow me to share with you some special moments and events from a great year! Cheers!
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January:
1. Vilcek Foundation Artist Interview
With incredible honor, 2013 started off with a personal interview with the Vilcek Foundation titled Between Sanrio and Disney.
It was a privilege to talk about growing up in America as an immigrant and its tremendous influence on art and life, including the birth of Dragon Boy!
"Today, Hsu has learned not only to accept, but to embrace, those aspects of
himself that set him outside of the norm, including "an underbite, high cheekbones,
and a big forehead"- coincidentally, the same features found on
the infectiously cute, high-energy Dragon Boy, an original character by Hsu
that is inspired by "the concept of a little boy in a foreign land."
Thank you, Vilcek Foundation!
Read full interview "Between Sanrio and Disney" on Vilcek.org
2. The Cintiq Lives!
The Wacom Cintiq is a massive tablet for anyone to work digitally and has enabled me to take on bigger projects with clients like Amazon, Google, Hasbro, Disney, and Nickelodeon in 2013.
It has also allowed me to quickly rough out ideas and color comps for original paintings.
(Where the Wild Things Are, POP Santa Fe Gallery) Additionally, such creative freedom has inspired more digital illustrations: - Hsu Shine, a series of comics documenting my new life in San Francisco
- What's CRAKEN?, an encyclopedia of cuddly critters called CRAKENS
- Dragon Tales, a glimpse into the World of Dragon Boy!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- February:
1. Totoro House Visit
I went to Totoro's house! A dream come true during my brief stay in Japan
"Walking into Satsuki and Mei's house felt like walking into a dream in real life. Due to countless times of Totoro screenings, the house seemed extremely familiar as if I've been there before. Walking through it brought back favorite moments and chattering between the characters. Opening up their cabinets and unfolding their clothes felt slightly intrusive, but incredibly surreal. I was more than convinced that people lived there."
Major dork out moment... my little write-up got my face on Kotaku!
2. Chinese New Year! 
My annual trip back to Taiwan for Chinese New Year was as loving and inspiring as always. I gained 10 lbs from consuming everything in sight and family road trips consisted of 20+ members strong were priceless. Grandpa and I went on a hike to a nearby park one day. This great dragon at the age of 95 not only made it to the top by himself, but looked flawlessly in doing so.  I am a young grasshopper :) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- March:
Go Go Dragon Boy! Off to his new homes! 
Since his humble prototype days back in 2011, official production of Dragon Boy vinyl figure finally concluded in 2013 including all colorway editions. Rejoice! 
It was an incredible feeling when shipping began. Especially rewarding as members of the Dragon Boy family started posting pictures of their new homes! 
(photos courtesy of Dragon Boy collectors) Huge thanks to everyone out there for being patient and believing in our little guy in dragon suit. I hope his smile was worth the wait. The sky is the limit for Dragon Boy... come take flight with us! 
(photo taken by Dragon Boy collector Christian) See all photos of the making of Dragon Boy here! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
April:
1. Martin Hsu Art & Design Open Studios Officially opened my studio doors for the first time during the Spring 2013 Art Walk in San Francisco Mission District! 
It's wonderful to finally have a space to host art camps for kids... 
Show original paintings and designs to collectors...  And entertain friends visitings from all over the world! 
Martin Hsu Art and Design 3150 18th St. Ste. 420, SF, CA Come visit! See photos of Martin Hsu studio in SF here! 2. New Art for New Galleries Had the opportunity to start showing original artwork in three new galleries: Art Grist, Archimedes, and Last Rites Gallery 
(Sol / Luna, Art Grist Gallery, LA) Giclee prints available here 
(Shelter / Passage, Archimedes Gallery, OR) Giclee prints available here 
(Toxoplasma, Last Rites, NY) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- May: 1. Young Art Taipei
Honored to participate in my first international art exhibition in Asia represented by Wingrow Gallery in Taiwan Young Art Taipei Art Fair, featuring works by emerging artists under the age of 45 from around the world 
It was incredible bringing my art back to the place which has inspired it 
Including Dragon Boys of all sizes! 
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend, but my lovely cousins did!  See all photos from Martin Hsu at Young Art Taipei 2013 2. Kidrobot San Francisco Live Painting While Dragon Boy was making a big splash at Young Art Taipei, I was painting up a storm at Kidrobot SF during the same time! 
Huge thanks to Kidrobot SF for hosting me and to my super art buddy, Debbie Jue for painting with me! An amazing event collaborating with artists of all ages! 
Together, we created the SF Munny King! Completed with Chrome messenger bag hand-sewn by Korena of Kidrobot SF! A true bay area rebel! 
See all photos from Martin Hsu at Kidrobot SF Live Painting here! Aside from Kidrobot figures, 2013 was also the year I painted on all kinds of things including wooden, resin, Xbox One controller, and a 30" tall Power Ranger! 
Billya, hand-painted wooden figure available here! Thunder Paw, hand-painted 30" tall Power Ranger available here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- June:
22nd Anniversary of Dragon Boy in USA! June 28th, 2013 marked my 22nd year in America upon initial arrival back in 1991. Dragon Boy was created and inspired by this personal experience on growing up in a land seemingly foreign and exotic. To anyone who's ever felt a little lost in a new place, may BIG SMILES show us the way! Cheers!  Explore the World of Dragon Boy on Facebook here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- July: 1. San Diego Comic Con 2013! What!? My 8th year exhibiting at Comic Con! Imagine that!  So incredibly thankful for all the amazing people I've met throughout the years. Our little art familia just keeps growing! 
2. Kinfolk Among all the exclusive offerings, really proud to have released my third art book titled Kinfolk, a collection of recent paintings 
"A compilation of peonyscapes, undercurrents, and kindred spirits. An expression of my respect and gratitude for those seemingly frail, yet larger than life. A celebration of unspoken messages where love is left unsaid, but understood. A reminder of the forgotten... and that life is brighter than we think." 
66 pages of dreams and memories... Kinfolk now available here 3. Big Bang Cats Additionally, had the incredible opportunity to create an original painting for WB's The Big Bang Theory at SDCC 2013 Couldn't resist in making the main cast into cats :) 
Ironically, the painting was much easier than the interview! 
Comic Con 2013 was as amazing as ever Ever so lucky to have met fans who become friends throughout the years A little sketch sure goes a long way (hi Jessica!)  See all photos from San Diego Comic Con 2013 here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- August: 1. Stories at Giant Robot Why is GR2 my favorite gallery to show art at? Because it's always a family event! 
(Photo of Boss Robot Eric's birthday) Stories, a group show which opened on August 18th with my buddies Sean Chao, Jeni Yang, Edwin Ushiro, Tessar Lo, and Jen Tong 
New paintings exploring folk art and auspicious design 
Did I mention it was a family event?! Feel the love! 
See all photos from opening of Stories at GR2 here! 2. Hello Iceland! Dragon Boy landing in beautiful Iceland! 
An unforgettable trip to an exotic land not covered in ice, but spectacular sceneries, untouched landscapes, beautiful people, and free range sheep! Also got to personally deliver a Dragon Boy to my new buddy Axel who took us in with open arms! 
We shall be back! 
See all photos from Iceland here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- September:
Dragon Boy Slopestyle! With incredible honor, Dragon Boy became one of the official sponsors for our pal Perry Moon in becoming the first Taiwanese Olympian in Slopestyle snowboarding! 
Flying high and smiling big! Go Go Perry! 
In celebration, here's a painting of the boys soaring through the sky! 
Dragon Boy and Monkey King painting available at QPOP! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- October:
New York Comic Con 2013!
Huge thanks to Clutter Magazine for hosting my signing event at NY Comic Con Had an incredible time meeting fans and making new friends on the East Coast and beyond! (hi Pia, Cho, and Justin!)  With tremendous honor, Dragon Boy and Puffer Puss were finalists for Best Vinyl and Best Plush for the 2013 Designer Toy Awards! Big thanks to those who voted! 
Well, we didn't walk away with trophies, but my mom's best friend Auntie Anna came to the award ceremony to cheer us on! Amazing! 
See all photos from Martin Hsu at NY Comic Con 2013 here! See you soon NY! Back to SF for Halloween! :D 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- November: Disney WonderGround Gallery Magically, I returned to Disney WonderGround Gallery for a third time! 
Presenting three new original paintings inspired by Bambi, Lilo & Stitch, and Mickey and Minnie! Prince Bambi 18" x 24" / acrylic on wood painting and prints available at 1-877-560-6477 
Lilo & Stitch's Family Gathering 16" x 20" / acrylic on wood painting and prints available at 1-877-560-6477 
Mickey and Minnie in Never Land 11" x 14" / acrylic on wood prints available at 1-877-560-6477 
Thanks for having me WonderGround Gallery! It was great seeing everyone! 
See all photos from opening and signing event at WonderGround Gallery here! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- December: 1. Martin Hsu Holiday Artshows Holiday offerings of graphite drawings and original paintings at an affordable price for my adoring and ever supportive fans! Little Blessings, original graphite drawings with gold paint / sold out 
See all photos from Little Blessings series here! Children of Folk, Holiday Edition 6" x 8" / acrylic on woodblock / sold out  See photos of Children of Folk series here! Dragon Boy Artist Series I One-of-a-kind custom figures by friends of Dragon Boy! 1. Nature of the Beast, by 64 Colors / sold 2. Early Light, by Jeremiah Ketner / sold 3. Infrared, by kaNO! / available here 4. Astro, by Mark Nagata / sold  See all photos from Dragon Boy Artist Series 1 here! 2. Dragon Boy Typhoon Relief Huge thanks to those who supported my small effort in helping our friends in the Philippines Together, we raised $1000 in a week which has been donated to Doctors Without Borders on December 6, 2013 
Giving feels nice. Let's do it again soon! :) Thus concludes Martin Hsu 2013 Year in Review! Thank you for your interest in reading about a small part of an amazing year! Couldn't have done it without your support! Cheers! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So what's coming up in 2014? Good question! As for now you can expect 3 things-
1. Dragon Dog Blacky, the vinyl figure! 
Exclusive release Spring 2014 Email info@martinhsu.com to be put on pre-order list Every dragon needs a Dragon Dog! Look out for slobber! 
2. Hiya Miya-san! Some of you might've seen these recent comics documenting my fantasy of running into Miyazaki-sensei out in public since he's retired now They make me giggle!  Martin Hsu and Big Shot Toyworks humbly present Miya-san, a mentor figure! :D 
Limited Edition, 6" resin figure Exclusive release January 2014 on www.MartinHsu.com Email info@martinhsu.com to be added to pre-order list! 3. Martin Hsu Design . com! Last, but not least, a new website for 2014! Stay tuned!  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few more words from Martin... Hi everyone! Just wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude again for your encouraging words and laughter in 2013 Also wanted to give a special shoutout to my lovely parents! 
Can't imagine life otherwise if it weren't for the sacrifices my parents made for me throughout the years. So cheers to them for giving me the opportunity to live a quality life and the privilege to be surrounded by fine folks like you... at this time or another!  Special thanks... Blogger Buddies: Bearo / Spanky Stokes / Toysrevil / Supahcute / AngryAsianMan / Vinyl Pulse / Trampt / Tomopop / Super Punch / Sweet Streets / VTSS Galleries: Dragatomi / WonderGround / Archimedes / Flabslab / G1988 / Art Grist POP Santa Fe / Last Rites / Qpop / TAG / Wingrow / Van Eaton Fans, Friends, and Family... See you in 2014! Sincerely, Martin | 
