There are two shows happening this Saturday night that matter a lot to me personally. Here's a bit on both:

First, Corey Helford Gallery's Multi-Plane group show. Every artist was given one solid piece of masonite and two pieces of glass to paint on and create into a singular piece. I'm really looking forward to seeing what all of the other artists produced.  The roster is pretty tough boasting work from Todd Schorr, Jeff Soto, Travis Louie, Lola, Kent Williams, and 30 or so more artists all creating a new experimental type of piece on three layers. Mine is a tribute to the late Irving Penn. I called it 'Farewell, Irving', see below:

Please email rs@coreyhelfordgallery.com if interested in buying art from the show. 

Secondly, a close friend of mine from growing up, Benny Diar, was in a terrible car accident almost 2 years ago. Thankfully he survived and is now one of the most inspirational pals I have. This dude will not take 'no' for an answer. He's super positive and motivated and has improved more than even the doctors initially thought was possible. Here's a pic of Ben (nicknamed the Death Cheater by his homies) and me from last year:

Benny and I met through graffiti more than ten years ago. We used to paint together. But, the accident left him paralyzed and unable to use his hands to make art. However, that hasn't stopped him at all and he is now painting with his mouth and improving his skills tenfold. It's pretty awesome to witness. Here's a link to his blog: http://www.cloutonline.com/deathcheater

That said, if you watch the news or have had a family member without health insurance get sick you know how tough it is to afford quality medical assistance and seeing that Benny can't use his fingers (not yet anyway..) he needs a lot of help. But, he can still manage to punch me in the arm when I talk shit, haha. He's a great pal. So, a bunch of amazing friends I used to do a lot of graffiti with in my younger days are hosting a benefit art auction to help cover his therapy costs among other things this Saturday night in San Jose. A roster of graffiti rock stars have contributed their art in Benny's honor and any and all profits made from the show go to help Ben continue to get the help he needs. I don't think the work is all online yet but what doesn't sell Sat in San Jose will surely be available via online auction after the show. Work by Ryan Bubnis, Paco Excel, Huge KYT, Fate MSK, Steve Faustina, and King 157 among others. See the ad below for the enormous list of contributing artists and show details:

So, if you're in LA I'll see you at Corey Helford Gallery this Sat night. And, if you're in San Jose, you better be at the Death Cheater benefit!

Have a good week everybody. 

on twitter: www.twitter.com/joshuapetker 

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