#THE EYES OF ARA SPACE PAINTING FULL#

Whether on paper, your face, or in pixels, On her portfolio website, Jo’s personal bio takes the form of a poem: I remember we got a new plunger at Rock Papers Scissors, and she bedazzled it.” “Her clothes, her makeup, her hair, her hair cutting - every single thing. “Everything Ara did was art,” longtime friend Tina Marie says. According to Pendergrass, Jo intended to leave her day job to pursue tattoo art full-time. At the Ghost Ship event, Jo was giving $5 bang trims to guests alongside her close friend, nail artist Kiyomi Tanouye.

She also sold art supplies at The Ink Stone, a printing and graphics business in Berkeley, and played keyboard in the band HGS.

#THE EYES OF ARA SPACE PAINTING FULL#

Jo slept in an adorable treehouse-like loft in a home full of close friends, where she frequently hosted themed dinner parties, craft nights, and late-night karaoke sessions (she was an expert singer). For many years, she was also a key organizer of the East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest, which annually features the work of over 60 self-publishing individuals and collectives. There, she would spiritedly host and help organize small music shows, art exhibitions, zine readings, and flea markets, often with multiple events happening in the same week. Slightly more than a year ago, Jo founded a DIY venue in Emeryville called Sgraffito, which quickly became one of the art scene’s most popular gathering places. Ara Jo (right) with close friend Kiyomi Tanouye. “And in any way she could, she would support you in making it come to fruition.”Īnother friend recalled that Jo would allow bands to practice in her living room at any hour of the day without hesitation, often dancing along as she cooked or worked. “If you shared an idea with Ara, she would ask you all about it, brainstorm it with you, and co-imagine how amazing it would be,” Pendergrass says. Ara Jo (Courtesy of Facebook)īest friend Peter Pendergrass recalled Jo’s incredible talent for genuine encouragement. She also played a major part in supporting the First Friday Street Fair when it was just getting off the ground. There, she served many roles, including gallery manager. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Oakland about a decade ago, and became a member of local DIY art hub Rock Paper Scissors Collective in 2009. Jo, 29, was a visual and tattoo artist, musician, curator, and community builder. Her presence was so immensely magnetic - her exuberance so bright - that she deeply touched even those who knew her only in passing. But it doesn’t even begin to match the amount of love that Jo, my personal friend, brought to her work and those around her throughout her lifetime. The outpouring of love for Ara Christina Jo on social media and in gatherings across the country since the Oakland warehouse fire has been abundant enough to fill an ocean.

The eyes of ara space painting