Art I Heart — Edwin Ushiro

"The Lifting and the Releasing." You have to see this one up close!

I just got home from taking myself out on a daytime date. I impressed myself with my schnazzy outfit and my rapier wit, fed myself some chicken cornbread pie from The Pie Hole and introduced myself to a new favorite artist.

Edwin Ushiro has several pieces up in the Japanese American National Museum's new "Supernatural" exhibit. The other two featured artists were a blur because I was sucked in by the Hawaiian-born artist. His work — mixed media on lucite, mostly, as well as, some unidentified canvas that resembled fruit leather — was so lush and haunting. Each piece had a real cinematic quality and I was floored by how he plays with light on his moody, dark backgrounds. Even the inky black & white sketches in his personal journals that were on display made me 'tsk' myself for not taking my own doodling more seriously.

"Foundation of Pre-empted Lingering"

I was glad I was the only person in the gallery, so I could stare, squint, scribble notes and sigh without feeling self-conscious about it (my date totally didn't mind).

The exhibit's only open through March 17. Admissions free every Thursday from 5-8p and every third Thursday of the month (that's Feb. 21, folks).