Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Tim Biskup - "The Artist In You"


As you may have seen on multiple blogs by now, artist Tim Biskup is releasing a book in conjunction with his new show at Jonathan Levine. I'm not going to talk too much about it here as I may write about it for Hi Fructose, but basically it is a series of rants, observations, and ruminations about the nature of art and it's creation.
However, I did very much enjoy this diatribe about the art "intelligencia". I like that Tim had the balls to say this, being in the position he is in as one of the more successful Lowbrow/Pop Surrealists. Mainly I found a few of the essays very cathartic as I feel what I do and this movement in general is dismissed by certain art critics here locally. Honestly- if I hear the word "kitsch" trotted out one more time...talk about boring and misinformed.

Here is a particularly vitrolic rant by Tim:

"Fuck you art intelligencia. Weak fuckers. You can all get in circle and talk about how art is dead and in need of re-contextualization, but it is your art that is dead. Your fake meaning and questions have spiraled into a post-art wasteland. Your need to control the situation and fear of risk and truth is what got you here. You must continue with your high art jack off if you want to maintain your relevance. It is only in the flimsy context that you and the other pathetic vampires have put forward as important that you retain a shred of meaning. Faced with time tested professional artistic ability and deep conscious personal truth you will wither and die. Put me in context and I will stomp your fucking head into pulp. Your greed has created a blood sucking, soul shattering beast that is growing full and sick and purple with the blood of the weak and brilliant. You can’t be like us and you don’t want to do what it takes to get to that point because you are so full of pain, evil, denial, mountains of bullshit, miles of rocky path and insurmountable passages. When the brave return they are battered and strong. If you control them, then who will doubt your power?

They may be strong, but your shame is stronger. Hear this: there is no elephant in the room. It is far worse. There is a crippled and shaking old theorist taking their last breath. We are coming. We are here." - Tim Biskup from "The Artist In You"

Text yoinked off of Kitsune Noir's blog

Fuco Ueda and Esao Andrews


Esao Andrews "Virile Influenza"


Fuco Ueda "Dream Passage"
Click images to enlarge


I just can't help myself, I have to post a couple more from the upcoming show on Friday May 9th. I'm particularly interested in Esao's painting shown above, normally his paintings feature a solitary figure...I like this new direction....
And of course Fuco is really incredible. Sometimes it's hard to sell this work when I want it all! But I guess that means I'm doing something right if I love everything AND collectors are buying it all.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A Good Car Commercial

One thing I hate with extreme prejudice is car commercials. God I hate them. Whether it's the sexed up chicks trying to sell you on how "peppy" the car handles in traffic (barf) or asking if your car turns YOU on (really?), to the shots of the dealerships where the "dealers" are running around like chickens with their heads cut off only to breathlessly stop and blurt out whatever they are extorting to the camera and then run off because so many people are buying their cars omg! - they completely annoy me with how horrible they are. Especially the "This Is 'Merica" ones. Completely tacky.
THIS however, is a fine car commercial.


via Neatorama

Jeff Soto



It's no secret Jeff Soto is one of the biggest talents in the "Pop Surrealism"/Street Art scene (honestly not even I know what to call stuff half the time). I just saw this piece on a collector messageboard (it's from an art fair that his gallery Kinsey/DesForges were in) and it totally knocked me out. If I were to get a Soto this is the painting I would want.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Paintings of Ophelia

Shakespeare's tragic character "Ophelia" from Hamlet is a very popular subject for artists. Besides it being probably pretty fun to paint an insane, beautiful girl who throws herself in a river to drown, most people can relate to those melodramatic feelings after being rejected. If you want to see more Ophelia paintings there are some here and here...


Ernest Hebert "Ophelia"


James Sant "Ophelia"


John Severn "Ophelia"


John William Waterhouse "Ophelia"


The Drowning of Ophelia by W.G. Simmons

This one below is not technically Ophelia, but it makes me think of her anyway...


"The Young Martyr" by Paul Delaroche

Friday, April 25, 2008

Joshua Hoffine



As everyday is Halloween around my house, I had fun checking out Joshua Hoffine's site devoted to his gruesome and funny horror photography. Not much subtlety, but looking at the site is like seeing the pivotal creep out moments in multiple horror flicks.
Thanks Bo!

Scott Musgrove sneak peek



Scott Musgrove dropped by the gallery yesterday and I got to see a little sneak peek of his upcoming show at Billy Shire. It's going to be fantastic! Scott is expanding his " unnatural history" paintings and showing wood sculptures as well as this morsel of awesome. This is an "aquarium" cabinet featuring a 3d sculpture of one of his critters. I covet it.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Amy Stein



I just got hipped to the incredible photographs of Amy Stein. She has a show up called "Domesticated" that is just amazing and heartbreaking. I find more and more I'm drawn to work that explores the interlacing of man and nature.
via Supertouch

Monday, April 21, 2008

Jeffrey Simmons



Every once in awhile I like to "cleanse the palate" so to speak and look at some abstract work. This is a painting by a great Seattle artist named Jeffrey Simmons ,who is showing at the Greg Kucera Gallery. Jeffery is someone I have known about but I only recently have developed a taste for his work, and now I'm crazy for it. I'm a little nervous about going to look at them because I'm afraid I might have to buy one. I like that this painting reminds me of both outer space as well as microscopic diatoms.

Fuco Ueda sneek peek!



Here is a painting from Fuco Ueda's upcoming show next month (alongside Esao Andrews). She paints with acrylic (thinned out to almost have a watercolor effect) and shell powder on canvas, which gives the work a chalky, dreamy effect I haven't ever seen before.

Victor Safonkin



Check out the amazing work of Czech painter Victor Safonkin. Gorgeous work. He has his own site here but it's pretty busted. The first link will take you straight to a gallery of works.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Esao Andrews sneak peek!


"Reflection" by Esao Andrews - Click to enlarge!

This is a painting in Esao's show next month at the Roq...I got several of the images and the show is going to be really amazing. I'm really excited about it.

William Blake

I was in Reno giving a lecture at the University this past week, and I picked up a great book about Fantastic art in a used book store. One of the paintings in the book was Williams Blake's "Ghost of a Flea":



You can feel the malice pouring off this thing. Apparently this charming creature was a vision Blake had, and Blake described a visitation of the spirit..."Here he is - reach me my things - I shall keep my eye on him. There he comes! his ever eager tongue whisking out of his mouth, a cup in his hands to hold blood and covered with a scaly skin of gold and green."

By the way- I recommend checking out the origins of Fantastic art (not to be confused with Fantasy) if you want to understand more about where Pop Surrealism is coming from. I consider Pop Surrealism to be a direct descendant of the Fantastic genre.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Art madness

The Roq la Rue opening last Friday for Femke Hiemstra and Travis Louie went fantastic- both artists came just shy of selling their whole shows. This whole weekend has been a whirlwind of arty activity...but will be settling down so I'll update this blog more soon. In the meantime, here's a couple of crappy shots I took at dinner with my iphone! Hopefully Hi Fructose will be posting a bunch of shots from the actual opening...


Kenny Montana and Femke Hiemstra


Travis Louie


Brian Despain looking mighty "House Of Pain"....

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Artist portraits

Ever wonder what those wierdos who create the art you crave look like? You can check out many of them at Corey Helford Galleries new exhibit"Heros and Villians". Tatiana Wills and Roman Cho took photographs of the "most notable emerging and established artists in the Underground art scene, Graffiti and Alt-Comic Book worlds." It's fun to look at.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Pat Rocha


"Remembering Mrs Smith" by Pat Rocha
I just (embarrassingly) found out about the paintings of Pat Rocha. The piece above is from a group show at the Joshua Liner Gallery just opening in NY. I think this is an exceptional painting. Really beautiful.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Brian Eno "This"



I've been listening to this song a lot on my ipod...I googled to see if there was a video and found this clip someone made of a tree going through the seasons in time lapse photography. It's pretty trippy, I started seeing things in the branches.

Jean-Pierre Roy



I was talking to a friend today and he reminded me about the fabulous work of Jean-Pierre Roy. Apocalyptic landscapes and anxiety inducing thrashed buildings painted with an incredible, haunting beauty.

Moki



Wow- sorry to leave you all having to stare at Cameo for a few days...I'm trying to get the previews ready for the upcoming Femke Hiemstra/Travis Louie show this Friday.
Anyway- here is someone I've been meaning to post about for awhile. German artist Moki works in various styles but my favorite are these dreamlike pieces featuring strange ghosts or spirits in nature. Her site is a huge hot mess but you could spend hours going through it.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Dial "L" For Low

Sometimes you have to set aside all that high falutin' art business and ask yourself...is THIS the greatest music video ever made?



The answer is: Word.
Word up.

Cutest Gallery Visitor Ever



Yesterday we got paid a rare visit by Charlie, the enormous tomcat who lives upstairs from the gallery. He wanted to visit his favorite painting, "Battlecat" by Robert Burden.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Jessica Joslin



Jessica Joslin has an amazing show opening this week at Lisa Sette Gallery. Her work is a combination of animal bones and metal...very steam-punkian.