Aaron Martin, aka Angry Woebot, usually is known for creating his vicious-looking pandas, little did he know how popular his work would become - he was even invited to paint a portrait of President-elect Barack Obama in the Manifest Hope Gallery art exhibition at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August. “That was a really big thing for me because a lot of people know me for painting the panda bears,” he says.

Martin’s work hung in a gallery with that of other internationally recognized artists such as David Choe, Andy House and San Flores. “I normally never paint humans, but when I painted (Obama’s) portrait, it was trippy. I kinda dug it, ya know?”

Check out this article from Midweek about Angry Woebot’s evolution.

Bonifacio’s birthday on November 30 is celebrated as Bonifacio Day (Filipino: Araw ni Bonifacio) and is a public holiday in the Philippines. This is the day to remember our hero, Andres Bonifacio, who led the Filipinos to fight for their freedom from the Spaniards in the late 1800s. Bonifacio Day is quite odd, because heroes — like saints — are often remembered more for their death rather than their birth. Rizal’s birthday, June 19, is a holiday in Laguna province, and the date of his execution, Dec. 30, is a national holiday known as Rizal Day. Anyone who knows Philippine history will understand why Bonifacio is remembered on his birthday, Nov. 30, rather than the date of his death, May 10, 1897. Unlike Rizal who was executed by the enemy, and other heroes who died in battle, Bonifacio was executed by fellow Filipinos.

FYI:

There are many monuments to Bonifacio across the nation, the most famous being two sculptures, one by Napoleon Abueva and the other by Guillermo Tolentino, both National Artists. Also, in current Philippine currency, he is depicted in the 10-peso bill (currently out of production) and 10-peso coin, along with fellow patriot Apolinario Mabini.

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The Brown Nation Crew was strolling through the Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles, and we came across this large mural design by Eliseo Art Silva.  He a well-known muralist with numerous works of art displayed in Seattle, California, Philadelphia, Maine and the Philippines. He is recognized for painting the largest Filipino-American mural (above) in the U.S. in commemoration of the Centennial of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, California. The mural measures 145 feet x 25 feet.

Here’s a clip of MIC3 as a special guest at the Cub World concert up in BYUH this past summer. Also, props to the backing band Tom, Marc, and Demitri from local Hawaii band Upstanding Youth. “Awesome job guys!”. Check them out online as well at http://www.upstandingyouth.com