Rob Sato

McSweeney’s 82 is coming soon and to get ready we’re having a palindrome sale. Laugh in the face of nearly unprecedented price increases, and get four issues of McSweeney’s Quarterly for the shockingly affordable and hypnotic price of $72.27, all weekend long. Link in bio to subscribe. Our latest issue comes to you housed inside an M-shaped, accordion-style, joined-at-the-back double-hardcover, folding and unfolding with art by Rob Sato and features new fiction by Alejandro Zambra, Kenan Orhan, Deb Olin Unferth, and Hannah Kingsley-Ma; letters by Halle Butler, John Wray, and Massoud Hayoun; an Odyssean, toad-centric, natural-wine-drunk novella by Tom Bubul; a twelve-page, two-book-wide fever dream of a comic by Matt Panuska that can be read only if and when both books are open at once; a twenty-four-page booklet of additional drawings by Sato; and so so much more. Subscribe now.

The Tunnel, 2025. Another dream drawing. While visiting family we were driving around the island and heard on the radio that “The Tunnel” was open again. “What tunnel?” I asked. No clear answer was forthcoming though everyone seemed excited. I was totally outside of what everyone else seemed to understand intrinsically. This is not an uncommon feeling. We abandoned all previous plans and changed course to go see this tunnel. We parked, joining several other cars lining up along a back road. There it was, a big tunnel in the side of a cliff covered in foliage with red earth spilling from its mouth like a huge, grainy tongue. Some people around us were headed in, some apparently were not. Some were moving things into the tunnel. Loads of seemingly random material. Photo albums and framed art, dish sets, books and records, clothing and furniture, knick knacks of all kinds. It seemed agreed upon without anyone saying a thing that Ako and I were going in there. Family said their goodbyes to us, escorting us to the mouth, handed us each some boxes and bags, and wished us well. “Yay tunnel!” said our niece, smiling hugely while giving a mock salute. Then they all turned and walked back to the car and we turned and went into the dark, baffled but game.

NEW PRINT “Islands Gathering” is now a print. It’s a nice big one, 18”x24”, beautifully printed on archival heavyweight paper. They can be found at the link in my profile

Meet Rob Sato @robsato , an LA–based artist and illustrator whose vibrant, surreal works are featured in the exhibition Line, Smudge, Shade: Contemporary Drawing in Our Los Angeles 🌀 Rob’s art has been exhibited at the Japanese American National Museum in LA and the Oakland Museum of California. He also works occasionally in animation, designing for such shows as The Midnight Gospel and Beavis and Butthead. For Rob, drawing is a ritual. About seven years ago, he started a drawing practice where he ran a pencil back and forth in descending lines over paper, the pencil pressure changing with each breath. What began as a grounding exercise evolved into a new method of drawing, creating layers of texture on paper. These drawings manifest in various forms, from ghostly landscapes and figures “through a kind of metaphysical sonar” to a rubbing against an invisible stone. Read more about his relationship to drawing and Los Angeles by visiting the exhibition page at the link in bio. Then check out his drawings in Line, Smudge, Shade, on view now until January 4, 2026. Photo 1: Sara Lois Kaplan @saralois Photos 2-6: courtesy of the artist #BentonMuseumOfArt #LineSmudgeShade #RobSato #Drawing

Opening tonight! I drew all these and they’ll be in a show packed with figure drawings at @heavymannerslibrary that were drawn during figure drawing sessions at Heavy Manners Library by many HM drawing regulars. Makes so much sense. Curated by @kellan_jett and @grace_poole I may not be attending because I’ve been sick with some gross thing all week and it’s not really going away

Have you seen these out there? I lent my hand to the latest packaging design of @lebongarcon ‘s caramels and only recently saw how the boxes came out in person. Owner and chef Justin Chao wanted to include more of his personal story in the new designs, looking for a way to incorporate the imagery of his family’s heirloom Jingdezhen porcelain enamelware and mix that with growing up in California and LA’s Chinatown. This project was way out of my usual style zone, but Graphic Designer Richard Lange @rl_rg and @stephaniebkeane approached me to see what we could come up with. The main challenge was how to bring something new to these familiar designs and not simply make them look like the ceramics except on a box, searching instead for something warmer and more handmade. I tweaked and re-interpreted the designs through watercolors and I redesigned most of the flowers into California wildflowers. There are stylized California poppies included alongside the traditional fleur-de-lis on the those deep red boxes, and I planted lupines, milkweed, fuchsia, California bluebells, baby blue eyes, ceanothus, California wild roses, and more poppies in the design for the yellow boxes.

I’m bringing this new riso print of “The Audience” to the Barnsdall Friday Art Night with @heavymannerslibrary tomorrow night from 5 - 8 pm. I’ll have some other things in tow as well. Come and see and talk to me and enjoy the good company of many local artists and orgs.

Books, drawers and forgotten places got opened and now a lot of my drawings are at the Benton Museum in the “Line, Smudge, Shade” show. The selection gives a varied look into my more personal drawing life over the years, ranging from early 2000s to the present. @akocastuera (Claremont’s own! Born in a house right up the street from where the museum is now!) has an amazing new piece in this show as well, and there’s a collaborative drawing made by the two of us at last year’s drawing jam event at the Benton. Great drawings to see from some of LA’s great drawing people. The opening reception is this Saturday, Sept 6, 5-7 PM RSVP at the link in my profile to attend We plan to be there, come say hi! The exhibition celebrates 16 artists who see drawing as an integral part of their studio practice. United by their ties to LA, the artists in this exhibition make their marks on ranges of work including traditional drawings, artists’ sketchbooks, experimental media, and other works on paper Line, Smudge, Shade is on view from August 21, 2025 to January 4, 2026. Jessica Taylor Bellamy @jbellzamy Ako Castuera @akocastuera Pui Tiffany Chow @7iffy Lauren Faigeles @faigeles Carly França @carlyluiza Joel Freeman Brittany Kiertzner @brittanykiertznerfineart Carly Lake @sea.lake Grace Eunchong Lee @eunchongie Kayla Mattes @kaylamattes Stas Orlovski @stasorlovski Rob Sato @robsato Mercedes Teixido @mercedesteixido Elizabeth Tremante @elizabethtremante Hana Ward @hanaisdrawing Sterling Wells @sterlingpastel Organized by Solomon Salim Moore @thekingofjazz , academic curator, and HeeSoo Alice Lee @heesoo.lee , curatorial assistant

The fantasy potluck watercolor for the @nikkeprogressives ‘ Belly Like Drum cookbook cover and the final graphite sketch on slide 2. Warts and all here in pre-digital cleanup warmth

I’ve been helping bring this cookbook from @nikkeiprogressives into being for over 2 years. Now it be! Belly Like Drum includes all kinds of artwork, stories, interviews, poetry, and original food related jokes written and illustrated by one funny kid. The jokes are all bangers, nearly every image in this book was lovingly made by hand and everything is intertwined with personal and community history. I did the book design and layout, made many illustrations, including the cover image, and drew portraits of each person who submitted a recipe, made art for the book, or contributed. Some great artist friends helped make the book a visual feast. Illustrations by @wongartk , @chaufacetime , @alysoniwamotoceramics , Aiko Iwamoto Kaoosji, @lilyputtputt , @rogerodaart , @val_on_food , @akocastuera and myself accompany the recipes, memories and other writings from NP members and family. Shout out to the members of the Oishii committee—Alyson Iwamoto, @peachesmomkm , @tonyosumi , and Ako Castuera—whose collective brainstorms seeded and grew Belly Like Drum. So far these are the places where you might be able to find the book: online and in person at @shopjanmstore , @nellitascraft , and there may be a few copies in person at the Sooki Supply store at @sooki__studio and at the DTLA @pineandcrane

“Archipelago” @akocastuera has been hand processing, hand dyeing, and working with climate beneficial wool to make beautiful things. We’ve been wanting to make something in wool together for awhile. She chose one of my zoomorphic island drawings to play with. It wasn’t even a finished drawing. The transitional, unfinished aspect of that original sketch lent itself to open collaboration as well as to themes found throughout the overall Earthquake Country show—these living, resting/ restlessly transforming forms. Today is the last day to visit this piece. Show closes today! @subliminalprojects is open from 10am - 3pm

Dream Sheet Indigoferra discharge dye 38 1/2 x 43 1/2 in I put a bunch of my dream drawings together and @yesgraham hand printed them beautifully on a nice big piece of cotton. Bring this one home and take a nap under it. There’s only 3 days left to visit Earthquake Country. Show closes this Saturday, July 26th