Right Some Good

Gee Whiz

2011-01-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

This blog hasnt been active in ages yet it keeps getting new followers. I will ATTEMPT to start it up again- in the meantime you can also follow the Roq La Rue News Blog here!

Random Tidbits

2010-04-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

Mark Ryden is opening his new show at Paul Kasmin Gallery in NY next week and I'll be there schmoozing it up and taking pics for Hi Fructose. This little piece might actually be my fave out of the whole show! You can see more images here. He will be exhibiting some large paintings, some graphite/watercolors, and a bunch of drawings.

Wow!

And then there is this amazing new piece by James Jean. His work continually hits me like a punch in the heart. This is called "Pestilence".

Sad Lambs

2010-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here are more examples of artists inspired by the same image in their works. This one is the "Lamb of God" image. I hate this image with a passion actually. I suppose it's to be looked as an allegory about Christ but it it also makes me think about man's cruelty to the creatures of the world. I suppose my repulsion also fascinates me...

Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664) "Agnus Dei"

and then a couple of contemporary works:

Michael Hussar "Lamb of God" 2002

Glenn Brown "Spearmint Rhino" 2009

Pretty horrible, eh? Let's imagine that the lamb went to a happier place...

Lori Earley "The Wish"

Nicola Verlato

2010-04-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I'll see paintings that just make me exclaim "Jesus!" out loud when I first see them...I mean that in a good way, in that I'm shocked and delighted how powerfully and masterfully they are created. I don't love all his works, but when Nicola Verlato nails it, he has no rival.

Jane Kenoyer

2010-04-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

Last year I gave a lecture in Reno and met Jane Kenoyer, a young artist who subsequently came and interned for me at Roq La Rue for several months. At the time she was doing beachy paintings that looked like old vacation stills on blown out and faded film. After her submergence into the Pop Surrealism scene her work has taken an edgier, more fantastical feel. She has a solo show in Reno. I think her new work looks really terrific.

Jessica Joslin

2010-04-02T00:26:00.001-07:00

I don't think it can really be categorized as rogue taxidermy, but I sure love Jessica Joslin's steam-goth (sorry, I had to) sculptures made of bone and metal. It's amazing to me that she can build a metal skeleton out of found metal parts and have it have the same shape as a real skeleton but also capture the fluidity of the creature in motion. She has a new show at Lisa Sette Gallery and I seriously covet the hornbill pieces.

Jean Pierre Roy

2010-04-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Just a little update about painter Jean Pierre Roy- he is exhibiting in a group show in New York- his gorgeously and ambiguously apocalyptic landscapes are starting to generate some serious buzz. I had a solo with him in 2008...but unfortunately I nuked my old site so the show is not online. You can see it on his site however (The Soletta Show)...

Mark Ryden at Work

2010-04-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Ryden- he's just posted a time lapse of the creation of his painting, "Incarnation". Dig it.

New Hi Fructose Coming Soon!

2010-04-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Hi There!
I haven't posted for a zillion years, maybe I'll get back into it. I've just had other things going on but I do miss the old blog. Anyway- first order of business is that the new Hi Fructose is coming out, with the effervescent James Jean on the cover. I have a pretty low profile this issue- my interview with one of my favorite artists, Chris Conn, got expanded and pushed to the next issue...but I do have a mini-interview with Mark Ryden discussing his new show at Paul Kasmin at the end of the month. I'll be there, will you?

Kate McGwire

2009-08-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Kate McGwire "Sluice"

Just came across Kate McGwire's darkly beautiful and powerful work today...this piece struck me as just perfect for how I was feeling. I got some unhappy family news that is making me think a lot about mortality and what the way of nature and the world really is vs our perception of it, and I found this to be an apt representation for the un-wordable.

Kate McGwire "Heave"

Will Cotton

2009-08-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Will Cotton is another one of those painters that I've seen for awhile and then something in my brain just clicks and I REALLY see it all of a sudden. Cotton paints sumptuous and decadent portraits of candy and baked goods, sometimes nudes with candy and baked goods. What more could you want in life? They are so soft they seem to be painted out of colored air.

Ann Carrington

2009-08-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

I seriously covet the work of Ann Carrington. She makes works using general everyday detritus, safety pins, pearl buttons, coconut shells, to make intricate and gorgeous artworks. I especially like her series of glamour-punk portraits of the Queen and Union Jacks, but her other work is just as bewitching. I am contemplating smashing all my piggybanks and seeing what's there. I do love these so.

Lori Earley new show

2009-07-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

Here is an image from Lori Earley's upcoming show at Opera Gallery in London. Love. More info later....

What The Hell Am I Talking About?

2009-07-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here's is a nice and mildly humorous glossary of terms trotted out by arty know it alls:

Heade's Hummingbirds

2009-07-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

The other day Kenny and I were walking through a forested part of a nearby park when we heard an unusual but distinctive chorus of abrupt teeny clicking chirps...hummingbirds! A whole mess of them were zooming around and yelling at each other through the trees. I was reminded of the lovely paintings of Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904) who painted many paintings of hummingbirds in almost primordial, jungly landscapes. Let's look at some shall we? I find them just very refreshing to look at...I like how they exude an exotic humidity.
I would love a whole room full of these.

Update:
My Dad just emailed me this tidbit- he and my stepmom bought a colonial inn in Fredricksburg, Virginia years ago and with the inn they inherited this portrait painted by Heade! That's pretty fun. Too bad it wasn't a hummingbird painting...then I could swipe it.

"Lady Kenmore" by M.J. Heade

Matthew Kirscht

2009-07-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

As sort of an amuse-bouche for your eyes, check out Matthew Kirscht's paintings inspired by vintage Halloween imagery. Some of these are pretty demented, but I like the the sort of unself-conscious sincerity they exude nonetheless.

Dali and Disney

2009-07-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is neat.

From I Heart Chaos:
"In 1946, surrealist Salvador Dali formed an unlikely friendship with Walt Disney and they spent a short time collaborating on a short film called "Destino". Unfortunately, only 18 seconds of Destino were ever shot, but in 1999, Roy Disney reconstructed the entire short using computer rendering and hand-drawn imagery based on the original sketches and storyboards.
The piece was supposed to have been part of Fantasia 2000, but didn't make the cut and hasn't ever seen release anywhere else. So far, the Disney lawyers haven't come after this YouTube video, so cross your fingers that it still works when you click on the play button. And if you want to know where the original footage, is, look for the two weird turtle monsters at around 5:22."

"Five O'Clock Shadows in Dali-Disney Land" by Todd Schorr

Hi Fructose 12

2009-07-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

The new Hi Fructose is coming out soon, with loads of great new stuff, and including two big articles (I just about killed myself over) with Todd Schorr and Michael Hussar! You can see some preview pages here.

Charlie Immer

2009-07-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

I am really liking the work of Charlie Immer- more so now that I saw one in person recently at a friends house and could see the lovely rendering and luminous color in person. Some of his newer work could be characterized as gummy bear horror...lots of gelatinous type creatures in pale jello colors, with skeletonized features. I think it's pretty great and fresh to look at.

Tigers in art

2009-06-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

(The one on the top is telling the one on the bottom he's adopted.)

I have a fascination with tigers in art for some reason. Some of my favorite depictions are in Korean art...the have a wonderful sort of demented cartoon quality tempering their fierceness, and the tiger is a central figure in Korean folklore and therefore a common theme in artworks.

See what I'm sayin'? I dig those googly eyes.

This is not a Korean tiger but is by artist Chris Conn- I thought it had similar qualities.

The Vigilant Tiger by Martin Hsu

Walton Ford's Tiger (Thanks Chris!)

Titus Kaphar

2009-06-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

Ok seriously go over and check out this Titus Kaphar site. It's ok, I'll wait.
Isn't it great? I'm a little slow to get on the bandwagon on this one but I am a huge fan of this artists work.

"Contemporary artist Titus Kaphar makes oil-on-canvas copies of European and American portrait paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries and reconfigures them in strategic ways to create a dialogue about race, art and representation. His work is at once beautiful and halting as he dances between fictional narrative and history.

A graduate of Yale University, Kaphar makes work that is a timely display of what he sees as an alternative history. He sees his work as "the first sentence in a longer paragraph that the viewer completes." Engaging history through 18th- to 20th-century European and American paintings by noted figures including Édouard Manet and William Blake, Titus places race and social issues front and center."

-From The Seattle Art Museum's website

Chris Berens- White Ones

2009-06-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Chris Berens has a show up in Amsterdam called "The White Ones". On my way to Kenya last month we had a layover in Amsterdam so we scooted over to Chris' new studio to see what he was working on. It is really nice to have your expectations exceeded and Chris certainly did that with this show. You can see it here.

Tiffany Bozic

2009-06-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, HI! Long time no see. Sorry about that. I'm going to TRY to keep up the old blog, but the break was well needed.
Anyway- here is a beautiful image by Tiffany Bozic who I've mentioned before. It is entitled "The Raft" and is being released by Joshua Liner Gallery as a print so if you love it that's where you can get it.

James Jean

2009-04-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

James Jean "Excavate"

It is so exciting to see a new painting that cause that weird visceral thrill- like the one I had looking at this new painting by James Jean. This would definitely go on my Top 5 Paintings On A Desert Island List.

Is Being An Artist For You?

2009-03-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

"I don't feel like talking to you right now, I'm an artist."
Thanks Richard!!!

**** (Jungle Law)

2009-03-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

The title above is my favorite Love and Rockets song- in which the singer ranks on a music critic. In the art movement I'm a part of, there are lots of art writers but a big lack of critics covering it. This has been good in some ways because I think in a way it has allowed the scene to incubate pretty safely and allowed for the imagination to roam free without too much fear of getting critically hammered. (I should add in the early days any good Lowbrow artist worth his salt could care less about what an art critic thought). On the other hand, and I've said this before, a lot of garbage gets through that gets labeled as "Pop Surrealism" when it isn't, or is just a poor derivative of it. This means critics who deign to cast a glance at it can get sloppy and just think this whole scene is about "bloodied little girls and headless teddy bears"*, ignoring the (and forgive me for using this word) important artists who are making some pretty spectacular work. It's lazy and annoying, but at the same time I also see why that belief has come about. I have to say...as someone who's been watching this scene from earlier than most, it's amazing what it's become, and it's been interesting to watch new people come on the scene who have helped changed the definition of what this "movement" is. Frankly...I do feel a sense of unease amongst many of the artists identified with this genre- and a rumbling that indicates some would rather splinter off (because of the "lumping" aspect). Part of this is because there are no outside voices to put a label on what is or isn't a component on what this scene is about. Any art blog or magazine that caters to this scene gives equal coverage to Pop Surrealism as well as Street Art (and frankly that kinda baffles me). But it's how this scene is morphing, regardless. I'm not really sure what I feel about it. I try to look at it from multiple ways. For the gallery- I stick to what I love and feel passionate about, which is technically well executed, imaginative figurative work. As someone who looks at this scene in with a historian's eye...I know change is inevitable and I can't wait to see what happens next as this scene unravels and reweaves itself.

* I actually did hear this from someone once.

Look Smart

2009-03-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you are an artist or gallerist (or want to be one) this is a great article about the art world. Probably one of the best I've read. It's more about the art world than art making, which I usually have filed away in two separate categories in my own mind. It really addresses the reality as well as the illusion of what the art world is like. I know people definitely have some wrong perceptions about what MY life is like- and I'm just there on the fringe. It truly seems to be one of the more bizarre things you can do for a living.

Hi Fructose Vol 11

2009-03-06T09:48:00.002-08:00

The new Hi Fructose is out next month and features an article about Mark Ryden that yours truly here wrote. I have to say it was one of the hardest things I've ever written, and I talk a lot about the symbolism in his work. Reading other articles about Mark I noticed no one really talks in depth about his use of imagery other than what it is (bunnies, bees, ya da da) so I wanted to talk a bit about the potential deeper meanings. Probably one reason no one does is that Mark himself is reticent to let on what he is using each image for. (I talk about why he's like this as well.) I'm totally fascinated by what I think is going on in Mark's work, and when I gave a lecture about the symbolism in his work at the "Wondertoonel" exhibit at the Frye Museum several years back he said I was fairly on it, so I have some confidence I'm on the right track. At any rate I hope it ads a new dimension to looking at and talking about Mark's work (not that he needs any help from me) and I hope everyone enjoys reading it.

More Creepy Paintings

2009-03-05T22:11:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post more scary paintings after my last Creepy Peepers post, here are just a few I thought of...as I said in the other post, it's hard to paint creepy without also being inadvertently hilarious. I think these pass the test...these are all creepy because they have a dark, supernatural element.

You thought waking up to find a spider on you was bad. In this painting "The Night" by Ferdinand Hodler, a man wakes up to find an apparition or something worse squatting on him. For some reason this is not sexy but completely scary. Anyone whose woken up at night in a pitch black room and seen "shapes" knows what I mean. The hunched over pose of the apparition adds to the "wrongness" of what is happening and adds a spectral, demonic seeming element.

Speaking of wrong, check out this Jesus. Painted by an anonymous Flemish painter in the 1500's, this is one of those paintings that really fascinate me, on one hand I hate it and on the other I love it. Meant to depict the Trinity, something that should be sublime and holy, the two eyes that almost look normal combined with the three lower faces is somewhat upsetting, off putting, and uncomfortable. But mesmerizing.

"Toutes Les Lumieres" by Paul Delvaux. Delvaux always kind of creeps me out- but this one in particular. Though it actually is somewhat peaceful and has a touch of the Procession about it, the lighting makes it very hallucinogetic. The characters seem to be moving very stiffly and adds to the unnatural, ghostly quality. This reminds me of dreams where it's very weird and beautiful and you are trying to convince yourself it's good, but then something awful comes creeping into the picture to your sheer horror. Um, or maybe that's just me.

This one should be sort of funny since at first glance it's some kind of pterasaur/nazgul steed making off with a ladies glove in impish glee. However, the story changes when coupled with the title of the painting "The Abduction" (alternately known as "The Rape" and "The End of the Dream")
which is part of a series of etchings called "The Glove" by our pal Max Klinger, and the anguished hands bursting through the glass window in a vain effort to catch the ghastly manifestation. Something about those hands makes this etching not funny, but very disturbing.

"Fata Morgana" Group Show

2009-03-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Madeline Von Foerster "Alchemical Wedding"

Pam Grossman of Phantasmaphile fame is curating a show called "Fata Morgana" and features some of today's leading female "Fantasist" painters. The show is at Dabora Gallery and opens March 14th!

When the creative impulse gets perverted

2009-03-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

This happens. Oh Cindy, you poor long suffering poodle...

Ryan Heshka

2009-03-05T14:54:00.001-08:00

My pal Ryan Heshka is giving up the goods this month at Harold Golen Gallery. I love Ryan's inventive mix of imagery from sci fi's "golden age" and his juicy color palette. He'll be showing at the Roq this fall with a bunch of larger works. Can't wait!

Camille Rose Garcia

2009-03-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

Camille has some beautiful new paintings at the Scope art fair at Jonathan Levine's booth. I love her recent peacock color palette.

Mia Arujo

2009-03-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

Mia is another young artist who sort of popped out of nowhere when a pretty distinctive style. Her work is very fairytale oriented and features a central figure with the rest of the narrative swirling around. I find I seem to be drawn to really darkly decadent, opulent work lately, and that will culminated with a show I am curating in May called "Lush Life" in which I get to indulge my passion for the Pop Surrealists working in this vein. In fact, this aspect is what drew me to Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow in the first place...I'm happy many artists are still working like this when the trend is for street art which I'm not really interested in for Roq la Rue.

Brian Viveros

2009-03-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Brian is an artist I've had my eye on for a long time. He has been working in the scene for a long time. His work is very punk and features bad ass dames causing mischief, but just recently his work has jumped up a notch technically. I think it is beyond gorgeous. I am heartbroken I could not get the painting above.

2009-03-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

Painter Jean Pierre Roy has a new painting that he is exhibiting at SCOPE in NY next week- breathtaking!

Neo Rauch

2009-03-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

When I interviewed Marion Peck a while ago she had mentioned being influenced by a German painter named Neo Rauch. I sort of took note, had a vague idea of his work, and basically forgot about it. Today I was at the Frye Art Museum and picked up a catalog of his work. I have to say it doesn't hit me personally in the gut like other work does, but it's clearly "important" and intriguing.

Rachell Sumpter

2009-02-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

As Ive said before I'm obnoxiously jaded and it not that often that I see new work that really gets me excited. Today I saw a post about Rachell Sumpter's new show at Richard Heller Gallery and I have that wonderful giddy feeling that seeing amazing new art causes. It must be a chemical thing. Anyway, the work is mysterious, mystical, and gorgeous. Check it out!

CL Martin

2009-01-31T09:27:00.000-08:00

I can't really find yoo much info on this artist on their Deviantart page- but they have some very nice drawings and I like this life sized sculpture entitled "Broken Girl"...which I assume is a tribute of sorts to doomed Warhol muse Edie Sedgewick.

Danielle Dax

2009-01-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

Badass.

I was looking through old goth stuff on YouTube today and was reminded of the beautiful and awesome Danielle Dax. Part gothy/part wave-y, Danielle stood out for her remarkable musicianship and her flair for the dramatic. Sometimes she looked as bizarre as Nina Hagen but had a softer voice and a more grounded presence. Unfortunately she was one of those really talented people who just never quite got the success and accolades she was due. I think she is an interior designer now.

Natalia Fabia

2009-01-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

It took me awhile to warm up to Natalia Fabia's painting- but this one is divine. I can't wait to see the rest of the work from her upcoming show at Corey Helford Gallery.

Grammy Art Show

2009-01-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

When I first heard about the "World On Fire" art show featuring pop surrealist artists painting grammy nominees I was kinda "meh" about it. But you can see some of the work online and a few pieces are pretty cool- these are my favorites, Madonna by Lori Earley and Nas by Henry Lewis.

Winter

2009-01-13T11:35:00.001-08:00

Our friend Frank is over in Montana making some horse saddles...he sent over a few pics of the ranch he is on and I thought they were too beautiful not to share.

Croched Coral Reef

2009-01-13T11:01:00.001-08:00

Wow- I find this to be completely amazing and wonderful...a croched coral reef! Curated by Margaret and Christine Wertheim, the show is currently at Track 16 gallery in LA. I'm really bummed I can't see this in person. Wouldn't it be great to have a room in your house that looked like this?
Press release here, amazing images here.

Spotted first on Daily Du Jour, from whom I also shamelessly yoinked the image from.

It reminds me a bit of the work of Mandy Greer- whom I wrote about in the current issue of Hi Fructose. Mandy also works with flora and fauna imagery- but her work is less "environmental" and more about evoking a poetic examination of life with archetypal and fairytale imagery.

from her installation "Dare Alla Luce"

adorable franken-owl sentry sitting on a crystal star from "Dare Alla Luce"

Mandy also does amazing costume work...this is a banana slug queen.

Yakity Yak, Ryden's Back

2009-01-12T14:28:00.001-08:00

"Heaven"

Here are a few images from Mark Ryden's upcoming Tokyo show entitled "The Snow Yak Show". Obviously Ryden is working with a new pale color palette and imagery that started off with the "Yoshi" painting Ryden exhibited in 2007. The images below are most likely the smaller simpler paintings...I saw a picture of a larger, more complex image but can't find it online. Kenny and I are heading out there to see it in person- I'll be sure to post about it!

"Fur Girl"

"Snow Yak"

Below are images of a painting Ryden exhibited at the Art Basel fair- but I think it's part of this exhibition.

images yoinked from Arrested Motion blog.

Pretty, pretty pictures

2008-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

When I was young I drew all the time. I drew at school, and then I came home and drew in the evenings. The thing I liked to draw best were women. I drew women and goddesses from the greek myths I read, then I drew superhero women like Wonder Woman and Catwoman, then I drew women like the ones I saw in magazines. Sometimes I thought I should draw guys just so I could learn to do it well, but I'd get bored. Partly it was a way of self expression, and I would draw the kind of women I wanted to be, but also for some reason it's just a delight to draw the feminine form. I was just thinking about this the other day and it inspired me to post some images of women throughout history that I have found particularly interesting.

Francesco Melzi "Flora"
I mainly am enchanted by the whimsical joy on her face...

Cosme Tura "Spring"
Love the regal composition and the folds of her dress are amazing. I like that she is sitting "like a man" rather than in a daintier pose.

John August Dominique Ingres "The Countess of Haussonville"
The blue satin and the red ribbon look lovely with her sassy but friendly countenance.

Charles-August Mengin "Sappho"
The goth in me digs this...

Jonathan Viner "A Pale Girl in a Pale Camo"
I adore this painting. I love her awkward pose and the bruise on her leg.

Lori Earley "Drained"
My favorite Earley painting by far. I think it's the lighting...

Audrey Kawasaki "Blue Girls"
or anything by Kawasaki. It's like an eyeball massage to look at the art nouveau linework and delicate precise shading against the wood grain...

The economy versus art

2008-12-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Arrested Motion blog has a post about how the economic downturn is affecting art galleries. There have been many closures and it sounds like some galleries lost their shirt at Art Basel. In my own little section of the art world- I think this is a good thing. NOT because I want galleries to close (although I will readily admit I'm sick of hearing about a new Pop Surrealism/Street Art gallery opening every other freaking week)...but rather anyone familiar with this scene knows that the huge explosion of popularity and interest in this scene has lead to a lot of derivative crap being exhibited. I think the outcome of wallets tightening means collectors are going to be a lot more picky about what they buy, meaning artists are going to really have to step up their game or get left behind. I think and hope this is a great impetus for artists and I'm really hoping we start seeing the same stellar quality works amongst the younger artists, that the top tier artists in this "movement" have been creating for some time. I also think there is going to be a big schism, with many of the greater artists leaving behind the gallery rotation everyone seems to do, and settling in with just a few good galleries, Pop Surrealism focused or not. This means the galleries will also have to really step it up (me included). This will be great for everyone and most especially the legacy Pop Surrealism leaves behind.

My favorite Christmas song

2008-12-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

I dont really go in big time for Christmas- but I like some of the little family traditions my family observed anyway. One of them was listening to Missa Luba- a mass sung in a traditional Congolese style. Here is a particularly lovely version of "Kyrie". The outpouring of joy in the beautiful voices in this song sounds like a waterfall. It always makes me feel happy.

Kristine Moran

2008-12-15T16:04:00.001-08:00

I just discovered Kristine Moran's sensually messy paintings that combine a tension-inducing hyper-speed blur effect and the most delectably vibrant color palette I've seen in a long time.

From her site:
"Kristine Moran draws on the immediate world around her as inspiration for the chaotic beauty of her car crash paintings. "It's something I feel living in the city," she says from her Toronto studio, "how hectic it is, the sensory overload." She also lifts ideas from action and sci-fi movies. - The Fifth Element is a favourite - from Japanese anime, videogame Websites and from the most reliable source for anyone on the lookout for disaster, the daily news.

"I'm attracted to the choreographed violence in the media and to the intense colour, surround sound and fast-moving images of action movies. It becomes pure aesthetics and it takes away any emotional connection we might have to the actual tragedy. That melodramatic action is what I am trying to portray in my paintings."

Laurie Hogin

2008-12-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Because I have been too busy I totally flaked on posting Laurie Hogin's new show at Littlejohn Gallery in New York, where she has several large scale, allegorical and decadently psychedelic wildlife tableaus. I love it. That's really all I have to say about it. The combinations of color, form, and tension is to die for.

Daniel Martin Diaz

2008-12-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

I really like Daniel Martin Diaz's work, which is redolent of Mexican folk art and heavy on the catholic references, with the splash of gothic morbidity and the teeniest pinch of a punkish irreverence. He has a show up at Billy Shire which I think is one of his best.

Dutch Treats

2008-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Femke Hiemstra
"Marie Antoinette"
hand embellished giclee (white gold leaf border), edition of 100

Ok- that was bad. But my life right now is the upcoming Chris Berens show, and getting ready to release a brand spanking new Femke Hiemstra print- and both artists are from Amsterdam. There must be something awesome in the water over there that makes such excellent artists.
Anyway- here are some sneak peeks!

Chris Berens
"Darkest Hour Before Dawn"

Chris Berens
" The Gift"

Chris Berens
" Half Way There"

Art Break

2008-11-25T19:37:00.001-08:00

For the past week Kenny and I have been taking a break and visiting our family in Hawaii. Let me bore you with some pics...

Kailua Beach!

Portugese Man of War...these are all over Kailua Beach lately.

Coconut and Macadamia Nut Pancakes.

It's kinda pretty here.

The place is lousy with lizards

Me and Charlie. He only tried to bite my finger off once this time- a record!

Miriam Makeba ~ The Lioness Sleeps Tonight

2008-11-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Growing up, for some inexplicable reason Miriam Makeba's music was a staple in our house. As kids, my Mom would put "The Click Song" and we'd all jump up and down trying to sing along to it. I still listen to Miriam's records all the time. Her voice is utterly amazing, powerful and soothing at the same time. To really get a feel for her you should try listening to good recordings of " Kilimanjaro", " Mbube" (aka "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"- her version will make your hair stand up) or "The Click Song "(in this clip she also gives you a breakdown on the Xhosa language). Here is a clip of her singing Kilimanjaro in 1966...

RIP Miriam.

Charles Krafft

2008-11-12T00:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a really great video profiling one of the NW's greatest contemporary artists, the ever-controversial Charles Krafft.

Charles Krafft from Patricia O'Brien on Vimeo.

Election Day

2008-11-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry again for being incommunicado folks. I'm working on a zillion things as usual. Anyway- in honor of tomorrow's historic vote, allow me to gift you with this...possibly THE worst video ever made.

Arcadia's "Election Day". Pull your shirt off and pray.

Mijn Schatje

2008-10-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying digital artist Mijn Schatje's mermaid themed new show at Ad Hoc Art in NY. I really dig the image above of the wierdo jellyfish baby. It's like a piece of candy. Her work normally is of big eyed girls in soft pastel colors. They have simple compositions but are very pleasing I think. Mijn also has a show in Portland at Compound Gallery coming up.

Chris Berens interview

2008-10-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

So Kenny and I made a video of our visit to Chris Berens studio in Amsterdam. It's on Hi Fructose and Boing Boing which is exciting- especially as it's our first video we've made! Kenny taught himself to edit and he's done amazing for his first try I think! We were really nervous because we are perfectionists and we know it's not perfect, but people have been kind and given us a good response. We'll be posting part 2 soon, and hopefully starting on a series of artist interviews.

Madeline von Foerster

2008-09-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

I just came across the work of Madeline von Foerster and I'm pretty spellbound by it. Obviously influenced by the old Flemish masters, she adds a touch of 18th/19th century occult weirdness and contemporary issues such as the eradication of species. She has a new show coming up in Berlin.
Here is a clip from an interview with her on her site:

In your early development as an artist, who/what inspired you?

Although as a child different things attracted me than do at the present, my aesthetic sensibility has actually been rather consistent. I have always appreciated things that looked old and slightly arcane. I loved the beauty inherent in mystery...I used to spend a lot of time looking for secret passages in the flat where I grew up! During my childhood, there were three artistic discoveries which had great influence: the Carravaggio painting of Christ being lowered into the tomb, which I saw in the fifth grade when the Vatican Collection toured this country; the Helga Pictures which I saw at the same museum two years later; and a tiny book of Hieronymous Bosch which some intuitive adult gave to me when I was about seven years old, which sits on my bookshelf to this day.

What about recent sources of inspirations?

I'm afraid that's difficult to narrow down! But here are a few of them: All the fifteenth century Flemish Masters, with van Eyck and Memling as particular favorites, but also David, Van der Weyden, Van der Goes, and several others. Bosch, Brueghel, Durer, and Grunewald. And all of the alchemical illustrators, whether engravers or manuscript illuminators. Most of them are unfortunately anonymous. I also have a passion for certain Surrealist artists: namely, Leonor Fini, Remedios Varos, Leonora Carrington, Hans Bellmer, and Ernst Fuchs.

"Landscapes"

2008-09-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

I don't normally show "landscape" art. I have shown Jean Pierre Roy in the past, and I have an upcoming show with Jeremy Bennett in October who will be my second foray into the genre. I decided to do a quick and dirty post about a few landscapes that intrigue me. Now, I know some of these aren't traditional landscapes as many also features figures, but oh well. I picked works I liked in which the environment was a crucial part of the painting.

Marion Peck "Landscape with Submerged Deer" oil on panel

Jean Pierre Roy " The Black Damp " oil on canvas

Jean Pierre Roy "Farsang" oil on canvas

Ronald Kurniawan "O" acrylic on panel

Ronald Kurniawan "D" acrylic on panel

Mala Iqbal " Lupine Lake" acrylic on canvas

Mala Iqbal "Swamp" acrylic on canvas

Rebecka Woodward

2008-09-27T08:55:00.001-07:00

Normally I'm just not really a fan of collage (with the exception of Francesca Berrini)...it's rare to see it done really well and it can all too easily end up looking like craft projects/bad surrealism. I got a little flyer for a local show with Rebecka Woodward's imagery and Myspace address on it so I checked it out. It's kind of "fashion-y" but I find it very appealing and well done. These two are my favorites.

Excellent new blog

2008-09-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

The art aficionados over at Arrested Motion have a fantastic new blog up!
Check it out here.

Most Cathartic 80's Video Ever

2008-09-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

If you were a alienated teenage new wave art freak in the 80's like I was odds are you remember Blancmange. This is my favorite video...footage of them just throwing a tantrum and trashing a house.

Art and Fashion

2008-09-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

Parisian jewelry artist Lydia Courtielle enlisted digital artist Natalie Shau to create images for her assorted lines of breathtakingly cool jewelry. Artists and designers have a history of working together (Dali and Schiaparelli come to mind, and even recently James Jean and Prada) but you don't see to much truly innovative work these days in terms of advertising. I love this. I wish there was more of this type of thing. How cool would it be to open a magazine and see a Lori Earley painting of an elongated dress, or an Esao Andrews girl wearing Marc Jacobs as her head explodes into flame. Totally brilliant.
I like Natalie Shau's works mainly because it feels like she is having a total blast creating them. It's endearing.

Taken from Paintalicious blog

Roq La New

2008-09-17T23:36:00.002-07:00

Oh- did I mention- Roq la Rue has a new website! That's a big part of why I have neglected this blog- been busy doing content for the new site as well as fixing up the gallery space...

Max Klinger

2008-09-17T23:36:00.001-07:00

Another one of those Symbolist artists I harp on and on about, is Max Klinger (1857-1920)(No, not him.)
Klinger was a German artist skilled in various media, mainly etching, painting, and sculpture.
Klinger "was cited by many artists (notably Giorgio de Chirico) as being a major link between the Symbolist movement of the 19th century and the start of the metaphysical and Surrealist movements of the 20th century."
What I find compelling about his work is the overall sheer weirdness of his imagery- mainly in his etchings. They have a formalness to them that is at odds with the chaotic, morbid dream imagery happening within. I get a strange sort of gut dropping feeling from them, like seeing a fight on a street, the moment just before you suddenly realize what you are seeing...like he's tapped into something I'd rather not know about.

What on earth is going on here? I dont know, but I like it!

"The Dead Mother" Oh dear.

"The Plague" Pretty straightforward for Klinger, actually.

Yeah, I Know.

2008-09-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Victor Castillo

Sorry for being lame and not posting much lately- I am really under the gun getting the gallery interior done and my brand spanking new gallery website completed. I have zero free time right now. I did get a kick ass intern/assistant so that will help once we get the new show opened. I am working on a great "Creepy Paintings" sequel for you!

The Merry Prankster

2008-09-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jim Blanchard sent out this email commemorating the 15th anniversary of an art prank he was involved in. "The Hammering Man" is an iconic giant sculpture outside the Seattle Art Museum which is a tribute to the working man or some such (I'm not a fan personally). Jason Sprinkle and his band of Merry Men made a huge ball and chain and attached it to the Hammering Man's leg, and creating one of Seattle's most memorable art pranks in recent history.

My second favorite art prank was when the Sculpture Park opened in Seattle- a crew of art hooligans that go by the name PDL were inspired by Calder's "Eagle" and made a nest of "Eaglets" and dropped it off in the park on night.

Adorable. I wish I owned this.

More Chris Berens

2008-09-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Commandax over at Erratic Phenomena just posted an incredible piece about artist Chris Berens, with lots of mouthwatering imagery.

Going Dutch

2008-08-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from our trip to Amsterdam. What an amazing city- we had heard some negative stuff from people we knew who had gone there but we had a pretty magical time (and no, we didn't partake in the "coffeeshops"- I saw enough Cat in the Hat fashion in the early 90's thanks). We went to visit artist Chris Berens and his dealer and our new friend Robbert van Ham from Jaski Gallery, who graciously put us up in an amazing little apartment over looking the Keizergracht...this meant we were pretty centrally located and we could walk almost everywhere. We visited with our gal Femke Hiemstra which is always great, found some rare old art books in a decrepit (in the nicest way) second hand bookstore, went out every night with artists and dealers for dinners. We went to the Rijksmuseum and saw Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" (which they sure love in Amsterdam) as well as Vermeer's "The Milk Maid", which is another one of those situations where you've seen that painting in books your entire life and feel pretty ho-hum about it, and then you see it in person and it's jaw dropping.
I really can't say enough good things about the city- we'll be back for sure.

Our place in Amsterdam thanks to Robbert at Jaski Gallery. Not too shabby at all! It was full of great art we longed to steal.

View of the canal out our window. All of Amsterdam seems to look like this- not just a couple of blocks.

These lil guys were in our apartment, by Les Deux Garcons.

The Rijksmuseum, most of which was closed for renovation.

Lots of stores have cats hanging around to deal with mice and rats. This guy hung out at a flower stall on one of the canal bridges. I became very fond of him quite quickly.

More street views

So pretty.

EVERYONE rides a bike in Amsterdam- in fact it becomes a bit exhausting always dodging them. Here comes Femke to meet us for dinner!

Also- lots of girls ride in heels. Here Femke and artist Angelique Houtcamp show off their amazing shoes. I was quite jealous of Femke's green boots with the cat head buckles. Fashion is pretty subdued in Amsterdam- but everyone is very tidy and groomed, no sweat pants. They settle for being tall, slim, and gorgeous instead.

One of the highlights was getting to spend time with artist Chris Berens and see his studio. He was working on the Roq la Rue show and I was blown away. I've never seen anything like his technique before. This is part of a new painting he was working on. Kenny and I filmed an interview and I took a ton of pictures- I will save that for Hi Fructose, will let you know when it goes up...

A shot of Chris' studio...high up in a little warren overlooking a canal. Pretty nice!

Saratoga Sake

2008-08-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

I popped by Suite 100 Gallery which is near my gallery in Belltown. I was very taken by the work in their new show by Saratoga Sake...great paintings and drawings, and INSANELY affordable. I picked up the drawing above for $200. (She has a little glare but is lovely in person). You should definitely check it out.

Roq News

2008-08-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

The gallery has been closed this month, because I wanted to remodel the space a bit, and also to have a bit of a break. Of course I'm not really have that much of a break because we are giving the gallery a big overhaul, I have three articles due for Hi Fructose, a new show to prepare for in September (Brian Despain and Victor Castillo!), shipping out the old show, I'm leaving for Amsterdam in a couple of days to meet up with some artists and galleries, and lastly, create all the new content for my brand spanking new website that launches in September. I also have a new art project in the works that I have to work on...I "can't talk about it yet" because it's not carved in stone but if it works out it will be very cool and I think everyone who likes the art on this site will dig it. I'll post it here first if it pans out. So it's all very exciting and I'm not complaining in the slightest, but I notice I'm not getting any of my own personal creative stuff done. Rather, when I have a free moment I'm usually found sitting half slumped on the couch with a glazed donut expression watching reruns of CSI and web surfing botched celebrity plastic surgery horrors (I like to multi-task even when I'm slacking.)

This painting is "Flaming June" by Fredric Lord Leighton. I posted it because A. it's a beautiful painting of someone getting a nap in, and B. it has a fascinating story!

Break It Down

2008-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

You know how you read in artist interviews and reviews about how they paint with an "old masters" technique or how the Flemish or Netherlandish painters influenced their style- and you just kinda nodded and smiled? Here is a great tutorial on what painting in that style is and how to do it!

You too can paint like this is just a few easy steps!
Well, not like THIS.

Swirling Witches!

2008-08-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

Luis Ricardo Falero "The Vision of Faust"

Here are a couple of crazy paintings of maelstom-y witches for you...one is by Luis Ricardo Falero (1851-1896) and the other is by contemporary painter Nicola Verlato. I love the movement and chaos captured in both of these paintings. Both also have incredible lighting that evoke the mood of a storm, while using totally different colors.

Nicola Verlato "There's No Place Like Home"

Handiedan

2008-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hanneke Treffers is an Amsterdam artist who goes by the name Handiedan. She creates great mixed media works- it reminds me a bit of my beloved Mexican artist Dr. Lakra, but these are a bit gentler. Just as fun though!

Nimit Malavia

2008-08-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

Nimit Malavia is a young artist on the scene. I first found out about him through Beau at Project Gallery. He's only 20, but his drawings have an incredible power and weight to them. I'm curious to see where he takes his paintings.
There is an interview with him over at Erratic Phenomenon blog.

Viktor Safonkin's New Painting

2008-08-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Viktor's rep Gary just send over this stunning image of Viktor's newest painting, entitled "The Oath"- pretty amazing! Be sure to check his gorgeous new website!

My Foster Kid

2008-08-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Sinya!

The gallery and I myself donate money to the amazing David Sheldrick Wildlike Trust. They have an elephant sanctuary near Nairobi in Kenya, including an orphaned elephant nursery. A a result of donating a certain amount of money I was given a certificate that stated I was a foster parent to this little darling, Sinya, who's had a pretty rough time of it, but is now in caring hands.
I occasionally get a little shit for being so nerdly "into" elephants, but I can't help myself. I adore all creatures, but elephants are seriously wondrous creatures, majestic, powerful, very intelligent, and kind (unless you cross them). I first became involved with elephants starting with the fantastic Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee as well as trying to get a local zoo elephant named Bamboo transferred to that sameSanctuary a few years ago. That was sparked off when I watched a documentary about them on TV. In the show, a baby elephant had just seen its entire family killed by poachers, and it was running in terror through the brush alone, tears (yes, I said tears) streaming down its face. The wild desperation and fear emanating from this little creature was so palatable I could almost taste it through the TV. That terrible moment etched itself into my heart and that was it. I started to do a little research on them and have found nothing but wonder and amazement and terrible sorrow for the state they are in, both from being poached like CRAZY, to being confined in teeny zoos that have no clue or care as to take care of them best, not to mention the disgusting spectacle of circuses.
The funny thing is, as devoted as I am to them, I have never seen a wild elephant, nor ever touched one. I hope I can change that soon. (And goes to show that not all TV is a bad thing!)
The other thing I'll say about my involvement in this cause is that while I've gotten to do some pretty amazing things in my life, to me, being able to give money to these people for the elephants was one of the things that gives me the most joy. It's highly rewarding to give the finger in whatever way you can to people who plunder the earth.

And no, I don't collect elephant figurines.

Deang Buasan

2008-08-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge!

I was scrolling through a Thai art blog when I saw this image by Thai painter and sculptor Deang Buasan. Unfortunately I couldn't find out too much about him via a quick google- other than his work is A. gorgeous and B. very melancholy (his work seems to reference things like the drowning death of his brother and the sadness of homeless street kids).
The Dalihouse art blog had a very interesting write up about the painting, comparing it to the works of legendary illustrator Edmund Dulac. Which is interesting to me as I often get Dulac and Arthur Rackham mixed up, and I always thought that contemporary illustrator James Jean had elements that reminded me of Rackham, and when I first saw this Buasan piece I wondered if it was by Jean until I found out who the artist was.

Chen Ke

2008-08-04T00:07:00.001-07:00

Out of the group of young artists emerging out of China- one of my favorites is Chen Ke. Her work is simple in structure and influenced by cartoon imagery, but has a great sense of something much deeper going on beneath. The color palettes (shades of subtle porcelains and neon brights) she uses drive me wild.

Be A Peeping Tom-Guilt Free!

2008-07-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is a new fun site that documents the homes and interiors of assorted artists and creative types. This image is from artist Adam Wallacavage's house...

Marion Peck

2008-07-27T17:37:00.001-07:00

Oh my! This is a new Marion Peck painting at Sloan Fine Art as part of their summer salon.

Josh Keyes/ Tiffany Bozic

2008-07-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Josh Keyes

Both Josh Keyes and Tiffany Bozic are really incredible skilled painters who paint unlikely combinations of, and interactions between, animals. Considering my "thing" for animals and artistic technical excellence I'd have thought I'd be more savvy to them before now- I was aware of them (and by the way they are separate artists- I only posted them together because of their similarity in subject matter) but I've only now really, really looked at their work and I'm just astonished.

Tiffany Bosic

William Hand

2008-07-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

My pal Jason D'Aquino just told me to get it together and look up the work of painter William Hand and I'm glad I did. His paintings evoke a Giger/Bosch-ian mash up, with a strangely sweet twist. This is my favorite, called "The Birthday Guest". It's pretty adorable.
He has a show up at Last Rites Gallery in NY.

Joe Vaux

2008-07-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Joe Vaux has one of the most fervent imaginations in the Pop Surrealism scene. I seriously wonder what his dreams must be like (probably full of hilarious monsters!) He has a new show at Gallery 1988 (along side our bud Travis Louie) and his work is fantastic!

Art Weekend

2008-07-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a non stop art freakout. Friday was Roq La Rue's 10th Anniversary. The opening went great, loads of people came by, and I scored many a bottle of booze. Saturday morning Kenny and I got up early and flew to Los Angeles to go to the Hi Fructose 3rd Anniversary group show at Copro Nason. Sunday we drove to Laguna Beach to check out the Juxtapoz art exhibition at the Laguna Museum (which yes, was amazing.)
Enjoy this image heavy post....

Seattle: Brian Despain and Brom

Seattle: Scott Musgrove

Seattle: Yumiko Kayukawa and friend/rep Gabriela

Los Angeles: Dinner with Mark Ryden and Marion Peck...

and Annie and Attaboy of Hi Fructose!

Los Angeles: at Copro Nason

Los Angeles: Tessar Lo and friend

Los Angeles: Kenny with a painting by Mark Covell (ours now!)

Los Angeles: Chet Zar and me

Los Angeles: at Copro...

Los Angeles: Copro director Gary Pressman and myself

Los Angeles: Oh hi, me again. Ran into Billy Shire at the Laguna Art Museum. I did take any more pictures because the museum asked us not to.

Madora Frey

2008-07-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

"Sweet Barbarians"

Tonight I was listening to the Handsome Family and I started thinking about swamps and woods and peoples relationships with them. They are both sources of delight and tranquility, but there is something creepy and dark about them as well. For people who live in or near woods, their proximity pervades everything, as if it were a godlike, enveloping presence. People get up to interesting things when hidden in the woods.
This made me think of the paintings of Madora Frey. I love they way there is obviously something really messed up happening but you can't really tell what it is. Madora painted one of my most favorite paintings ever, "Wilding"- and I really regret not buying it when I had the chance. People reactions were mixed, some saw it sexually, some saw it morbidly.
This is it below:

" Wilding "

"Swamp Girl"

Hey Kids! Remember the 80's?

2008-07-07T22:02:00.001-07:00

So I was a teenager in the 80's. I was obsessed with anything counter-cultural and weird, and adored anyone who looked like a new wave/avant-garde freak (ok, ok, I still do). Because I was too young to go do anything interesting I spent a lot of time renting and watching movies from the "cult" section of the video store. One of my favorites was Liquid Sky, a really terrible yet also kinda awesome flick about a drugged up androgynous model who communicated with space aliens, who fed off her endorphins released during sex, which ended up murdering her seedy partners of various sexes. I'm not sure why I was able to rent this when I was 14, but anyway...revel in the fabulous new wave cheesy glamour:

Hi Fructose Group Show

2008-07-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Xiaoqing Ding "Clouds and Rain"

This Saturday, July 12th, Hi Fructose magazine celebrates it's 3rd year by hosting a group show at Copro Nason Gallery in LA. There is a sneak peek here. I'll be there!

10th Anniversary Sneek Peek

2008-07-02T15:54:00.001-07:00

My life for the next week will be this show that opens on July 11th- it's shaping up amazingly! Here is a sneak peek on an amazing new Ryan Heshka...it's large and I think it's really amazing.
It's called "Humants".
(ALL images are somewhat cropped-sorry)

Creepy Peepers!

2008-06-29T20:22:00.001-07:00

Today I decided to do a post about some fabulously creepy paintings. The thing that ties these particular paintings together is the element of the "malevolent stare". I would imagine painting something that creates an aura of fear without being totally corny would be quite difficult. These are fun but also just a bit scary.

This one is the quintessential "creepy painting", Henry Fuseli's "The Nightmare" (this is one of several versions).

While the swooning lady is wonderfully overwrought, the sheer terribleness of the squatting homunculous thing (Who incidentally has the same repugnant look on his face as this old woman on the bus I take into work who gets bent out of shape when anyone tries to sit next to her) and that messed up horse complete the gothic spectacle.

Then we have Henri Rousseau's "The Snake Charmer"...this painting impressed itself upon my childhood brain as many of Rousseau's paintings did...this one is unnerving because of the unnatural darkness of the character in the sunlight. That element along with the magical weirdness of the snakes (why is she calling them?) and forest created an palatably sinister aura (and it always made me think of a sasquatch, frankly).

What's hard to see in this image is the white eyes set into an almost featureless face...

Yikes.

This is a painting of our old pal, "Lucifer" by Franz Von Stuck. I find this image to be particularly unsettling because I'll have nightmares occasionally in which I sudden happen across some malicious demon creature peering at me intently and it often looks similar to this. I like this concept of "the devil" because it's much more frightening than some little red goat dude with a pitchfork. THIS guy looks formidable and evil.

And finally, we have "Calm Sea" by Arnold Bocklin. This one is great because it has that sassy red-headed mermaid rolling seductively around a rock, which is nice until you notice her underwater companion! Not as attractive as his lady friend. Once again- creepy staring!

Roq La Rue is Ten!!

2008-06-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

image by Femke Hiemstra

Way back in 1998 I opened Roq La Rue. I can't believe it's been ten years. It seems both like yesterday that I opened and then at the same time is seems like forever ago. Back in the "olden days" I think there were like 5 galleries that regularly showed work like this- not there are zillions. It's quite amazing. Back then I knew the Lowbrow genre was special- but I don't think any one thought for sure it'd be the juggernaught it is today.
I'm having a special anniversary show to celebrate- then I'm closed for a month to do some gallery remodeling and have a freakin' vacation!

Roq la Rue's Tenth Anniversary Show
Featuring: Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Femke Hiemstra, Brian Despain, Travis Louie, Scott Musgrove, Lisa Petrucci, Shag, Liz McGrath, Andrew Hem, Glenn Barr, John Brophy, Viktor Safonkin, Anthony Pontius, Tin, Kay Tuttle, Ronald Kurniawan, Chris Crites, Johnny Bergeron, Mia Araujo, Mike Leavitt, Gabe Marquez...

Juxtapoz Museum Show/ Todd Schorr

2008-06-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

I've been interviewed many times and I always get asked the same questions- mostly "what got you into this style of art?", meaning Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism. I always mention how I was turned on to it by picking up Juxtapoz magazine. For many years the magazine was almost indescribably important to me, and many other dealers, artists, and art fans. The magazine has changed it's format over the last few years, and while I hear its financially doing better than ever, it has left behind the elements that made it so important for so many people back in the "good old days". Change is inevitable, but it's still a little sad for people like me, because we no longer feel it's "our" magazine, in the way we used to. I suppose it has importance to a younger, more street art oriented group now. Anyway- a museum exhibition based on that "Juxtapoz aesthetic" that you probably already know about opened in Laguna Museum the other day, and frankly, it looks fantastic. I was planning on going but obviously I had other more pressing matters to attend to. I'm sorry I missed it! Jamie at Supertouch was the editor at Jux for 10 years, and he has a good photo recap on his site. One of the stars of the show (besides Ryden's "Creatrix"),the giant mouthwatering Todd Schorr ode to King Kong. I think Todd is one of the greatest of the Pop Surrealist artists, no question. If I ever win the lottery, first order of business is getting a huge Schorr painting.

oh muh gawd.

Dinosaurs and giant apes, two great tastes that taste great together. Put your art snobbery aside and just give into the awesome.

images by Sketchypad's Flickr, yoinked off Supertouch

Darren Waterston Part 2

2008-06-23T20:12:00.001-07:00

I've blogged before about one of my very favorite painters, Darren Waterston. Today I got a notice that he has a bunch of watercolors available at Greg Kucera Gallery in order to raise some dough to fund the creation of a "cycle of 26 large paintings about St. Francis, titled "Bay of Weepers" for a proposed museum exhibition." If you've thought about picking up a Waterston now is a good time, there are some fantastic pieces in the new series. A couple are a little too "pretty" for my tastes, but most have what I call a "beautiful-rotting-jungle-in-the-moonlight" vibe that Waterston is a master of.

Hating the Game, and Maybe the Playa Too

2008-06-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

Jamie over at Supertouch blog has a very, very interesting blog about an huge "art show" happening in LA. The gist being that the "artist" followed the careers of mega hype magnets such as Banksy and then decided to be an artist himself. Is it parody or is it not very good art? Is the art world so screwed that this guy REALLY just made half a mil? I have to say mostly I was impressed with what Jamie wrote, I have a soft spot for anyone who calls bullshit on stuff, especially the amorphous world of art economics.
Check it out and feel free to let me know what you think!

From the show. By the way- the other thing I hate as much as car commercials are "Pop Art Marilyns". I hate them so much I almost get a headache just thinking about it. Not even Leonard Nimoy can save it.

Beloved

2008-06-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

I always hate it when blogs I like don't update regularly. Like this one. However- I just wanted to check in and say I have not abandoned this blog- I've just spent a week in Victoria BC with my family, as my grandmother just died. Margot Hanington was so, so dear to all of us, in addition to being the matriarch of the family, and we are all stunned and full of sorrow at her sudden death. She hung on after her heart essentially exploded, just enough for us all to rally lightning speed from all over the globe to say our tearful goodbyes (I blubbered like a baby at her bedside, a fact I'm slightly sad about because I know she would have wanted to comfort me and was not able to- but then again, I'm glad because I got to say the things I really wanted her to know, and that is much more important).
She then went out without a fuss- exactly as she would have wanted. The frailty of life, the love of family, and the hope of new adventures once one makes that final exit has my brain in a bit of a spin. I'll update this blog soon.

Zallinger's "Age of Reptiles" Mural

2008-06-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

If you were a nerdly, dinosaur-crazed child in the 70's odds are you remember this:

This is an image of the world famous "Age Of Reptiles" mural painted by Rudolf Zallinger for the Peabody Museum in the 1940's. Looking at it now, the creatures, although still totally majestic (and well, awesome), look oddly stilted. That vintage T Rex looks mighty stumpy. At the time though, this was the top of the line conceptualization of dinosaurs.
Here's a pic of more of the mural:

"In April 1942, before beginning on the actual mural, Zallinger undertook 6 months of studies with Yale and Harvard scientists, and then 18 months of preliminary art work. Zallinger painted The Age of Reptiles mural from 1943 to 1947. For this magnificent achievement he received a Pulitzer Award for Painting in 1949."

Even though we have more realistic, souped up versions of dinosaurs these days, it's easy to see the magic these murals contained, igniting wonder about the prehistoric world in a million young squirming minds. You can see what an updated, more scientifically correct mural would look like now. (While cool "art wise" I have to say I prefer the look Zallinger's! The colors on the new one make me think of an extreme sports drink.)

Chris Reccardi/Chris Crites Show

2008-06-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Chris Reccardi "Ravenswood"

I have a big show coming up with LA artist/animator Chris Reccardi, and Seattle painter Chris Crites this Friday , partly why I've been incommunicado lately. I have a little stack of neat stuff to post soon...in the meantime here is a little sneak peek from the new shows.

Chris Crites "Uzi"

Ted Zourntos

2008-06-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sloan Fine Art has a show with Ted Zourntos. This show- all in black and white- features abstract paintings that are a mix of oil, enamel, acrylic and silicone. I think they are ultra fantastic, and love the images they evoke in my brain almost Mandelbrot style.

Bethany Marchman

2008-06-03T10:35:00.001-07:00

I just love this sweet little painting by Bethany Marchman, entitled "Stitches". I like that it has a sort of "Bride of Frankenstein" feel. I also like it because it makes me think about my sister who had brain surgery and took it all in remarkable stride, joking that her giant stitched incision made her look "like a moccassin".