Fall 2026 Art Schedule
My slightly (okay, completely) stressful schedule for the next few months.
I’m behind.
And I don’t mean this in an exaggerative way - I’m legit behind on a lot of projects.
Cult Crafter was supposed to be done a year ago. I’m still working on card illustrations. Sorry.
Sisters of the Dawn was supposed to be done two months ago. I’m still doing layout and finalizing campaign modules. Sorry.
I’m also running up against production deadlines for REDACTED and REDACTED, and need to get those out the door as well.
All that to say I owe people art, and of course, I have a problem saying no to opportunities, and have been invited to take part in a few group shows this Fall since it’s spooky season.
So, beyond letting y’all know where I’m going to be at the next few months, this is also to help me stay organized and not get completely overwhelmed by the things I have to do on top of the day job. I also got some new Create or Die stickers in, so if you see me at any event, ask for one and I’ll hook you up!
One thing of note is that technically all my October events are happening one weekend. This is partially coincidence, part the fact I’m in shows on both coasts, and also the fact that my other weekends that month are taken up with weddings and that sort of thing. Weird.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s my schedule for the next few months.
AUGUST
SPACEGAWD CUSTOM SHOW - Indie Toy - Alhambra, CA - Aug 14
Yes, this is tomorrow (as of publishing). I’ve been invited to take part in spaceboi’s new vinyl toy release, Spacegawd! I’ve done up a toothy monstrosity inspired by carniverous plants, and while the artist reception is from 4-8pm, the show runs for a full week. That said, Indie Toy is only open on weekends generally, so make sure to check when it’s open for viewing,
ANIME IMPULSE - Anaheim Convention Center - Anaheim, CA - Aug 22+23
This is a weird one, but I’ll be staffing the DesignerCon booth in Anime Impulse and I’ll be slinging some of my own stuff here. I’m not really sure what to bring, as I don’t really have any anime stuff, but we’ll figure something out. If I have time (unlikely), maybe I’ll do a Yor Forger transforming into an actual demon (rather than the figurative one).
STARSHIP LOTZILLA - Revenge Of - Los Angeles, CA - Aug 29
I’ll be doing a pop-up as part of LotZilla, Revenge Of’s parking lot pop-up running from 5-10pm. There will be beer, food, comics, pinball, and a handful of artists (including me!) set up selling art. Free admission!
SEPTEMBER
INDIE TOY CON - Gallery Nucleus - Alhambra, CA - Sept 12+13
Another free event (but you get to skip the max capacity line with VIP tickets), this is put on by the folks at Indie Toy, a cool little shop in Alhambra. I’ll be dropping a new micro-run of Nightmare-Chan, new customs, and I’ll be bringing some BODA stuff as well.
SEASIDE ODDITIES EXPO - Ventura County Fairgrounds - Ventura, CA - Sept 26-27
One of my favorite shows of the year - Seaside Oddities is always a fun show as there’s hourly stage entertainment and great artists and of course they’ve got the photo ops. Be sure to snag your tickets early as the price jumps at the door. I’m planning a hopefully all-new booth display for the show, so cross your fingers and pray for me.
OCTOBER
PIZZAWEEN - Studio 6 Gallery - NYC, NY - Oct 8-11
I won’t be able to make it out in person for this show (see the rest of the October schedule..GAH!), but I’ll have a new dimensional piece for this pizza x Halloween show curated by Plastic Pizza. So NYC friends, swing on by and check it out during NYCC weekend!
SON OF MONSTERPALOOZA - Burbank Marriot - Burbank, CA - Oct 9-11
Okay, I also love love love all the Monsterpalooza shows, plus I’m usually next to my buddy and phenom artist Steven Russell Black, so I always have a blast here. If you’re thinking of going, early-bird tickets end the 15th (two days!), so you’ll want to snag them ASAP.
GHOST SHIP - Gallery AF - Los Angeles, CA - Oct 10
That’s right, I’ll be vending at Monsterpalooza, and at night on Saturday I’ll be headed to an art show curated by Shane Izykowski, the mad genius behind the Leviathan Goth Night events. He’s curating a show, and I’ll have a few completely new paintings on display. The reception is 5pm-midnight, and I’ll likely be there from post-Monsterpalooza until I get too exhausted and have to sneak out.
NOVEMBER
DesignerCon - The Expo at World Market Center - Las Vegas, NV - Nov 13-15
This tires me out already. Besides helping run this show, I’ll also be tabling, and I’m organizing REDACTED for REDACTED , dropping a few pieces for the Dcon Gallery, and also likely releasing REDACTED as part of the REDACTED presence at the show.
I promise I’ll be less vague when I legally can do so. So much secret, exciting stuff that may or may not happen due to timing is really cool, but it’s also stressing me out just thinking about what needs to get done in the next three months. Anyway, early-bird tickets are still around for a few more weeks, but if you’re gonna get tickets snag them now so you can plan and get hotels and all that. ALSO, this is super hush hush, but if you want to check out the panels this year, make sure you’re there Friday AM…
Alright, so that’s what my year mostly looks like. I might have some Palmstreet shows here and there, but honestly the best way to keep track is likely on Instagram. I hate all Meta products (mainly because of Meta), but it’s the easiest and least-stressful place for me to post random updates.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you at a show soon, and hopefully I can talk more about the secret projects soon. Now back to the grind so I have stuff for these shows!
written and proofread by a human - no Gen AI was used in the creation of this newsletter.
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Rick Kitagawa is an author, artist, and creativity coach who helps humans with marginalized identities find their most authentic lives through his coaching practice, Kaiju Coaching.
He also makes lots of monster art and is based in Pasadena, CA on the lands of the Kizh / Tongva / Gabrieleno people.