The Royal Loyals is a collaboration (or duet) between two artists – Monika Krol, a jeweler, and Danielle Murray, a painter. Eclectix first happened upon their work when we found the portrait (below), featured as the profile picture for the Eclectix interview with Judith Schaechter.

The idea behind this shared vision is wonderful and unique, an interesting way to present a dialogue between two artists. Together they create paintings and jewelry inspired by one common muse or mentor and the love all things vintage. These have evolved into a series which comprises The Royal Loyals.

Beginning with the inspiration,  Danielle will create a painting and Monika will design jewelry. There is an obvious back and forth between them – each series and indeed each piece, reflects the evolution and execution of the final end result. This approach enables each artist to create their own separate work, unlike other collaborations which involves both artists in producing one piece.

For example: the earrings (below) are worn by Judith in the portrait, are presented as a separate work and are inspired by Judith’s love of cats.  She is also wearing a brooch and holding a necklace designed by Monika (not shown.)  The paintings within the jewelry pieces are varnished oil on masonite.

Eclectix asked Danielle and Monika a few questions, they had this to share:

What was the spark for this idea? 

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The strong women of Afarin Sajedi are real and heroic, pulling no punches and bouncing back. We love her textured skin tones with their pink spots, smeared makeup, freckles and blustered blemishes. Embracing all things which give a woman character, from bloodshot eyes to wounded pride – Afarin shows us it is all beautiful. Even when they are being speared by symbolic utensils of traditional domestic roles. Her women are the long-necked swans of hard-edged toughness, daring the viewer to (as Pat Benatar sang) “Hit me with your best shot.”

Afarin Sajedi was born in 1979 in Shiraz. She has been highly influenced by Heinrich Boll’s Clown and by Gustav Klimt.

LINK: To Afarin Sajedi’s Website

“I believe in strong women. I believe in the woman who is able to stand up for herself. I believe in the woman who doesn’t need to hide behind her husband’s back. I believe that if you have problems, as a woman you deal with them, you don’t play victim, you don’t make yourself look pitiful, you don’t point fingers. You stand and you deal. You face the world with a head held high and you carry the universe in your heart.”

Quote: C. JoyBell C.

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Mark Ryden has a new book that was just released, full of art from his last show. As is usual with Ryden releases, it is elegantly designed, with attention to detail and quality. The special edition of the Gay 90′s Exhibition Book collects sixty pieces from Mark Ryden’s “Gay 90’s” solo exhibition, which debuted at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York City in 2010 and will open at Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles later this year.

Each signed and numbered special edition book comes in a handmade clamshell box covered in fine book cloth. The edition also comes with a bookmark and a special 9″ x 12″ signed and numbered digital pigment ink print.

LINK: To more information and to purchase the book.

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Bowled over by a painting of Timothy Cummings (below) which we saw at the artMRKT  preview, we snooped around a bit and found lots more glorious art from him. Surreal, narrative and somewhat visionary – his works are colorful and iconic twists of fate. They’ve a strong impact and a beautifully dominating presence, when viewed in the flesh.

Timothy was raised in New Mexico and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1993. He renders exquisitely crafted portrait paintings which defy his lack of formal training. Elements of folk art influence from his New Mexico days float through his retablo-like images.  The subjects of his work are often children and adolescents struggling with issues of sexual identity, stereotypes and the conflicting nightmares of an adult world.

LINK: To Timothy’s Website

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Eclectix was captivated by a collage work of Lola Dupre’s, on view this weekend at ArtPadSF, in CES Contemporary Gallery’s “room”.  Titled Dancing Lady, (above) it is a small collage, full of hundreds of tiny pieces, melded together in painstaking perfection.

Below is a detail we shot, showing the complexity and planning she puts into her works. Lola has a wealth of wonderful art on her site – some color, some much more abstracted, geometric and exploded views. We were partial to the distorted black and white (more dark gray and light gray), surreal works we’ve featured here.

Enjoy!

Lola works between several locations in Scotland and her main studio is in Glasgow. The collages are handmade with paper, scissors and glue on wood panels. No digital or computer manipulation is involved in her works.

LINK: To Lola’s Website

I use multiple prints of the same image, printed on (typically) A4 and A3 paper. And I also generally print a few different crops of the same image, so that when they are combined in one piece you have several sizes which can be manipulated together. The process itself of mapping out, and sticking down each individual piece does take a long time, I guess my average working time would be between 20 and 30 hours per image. – Via Fecal Face

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The other art fair in town – artMRKT 2013, has quite a bit to see as usual – a huge venue, this time right down on our beautiful San Francisco Bay at Fort Mason. We guiltily skirted the picketers outside and wandered for an hour or two till our feet gave out. (Not sure how all those ladies in the black miniskirts and stilettos fared, not sure I want to…) Last night was a busy night at all the art fair previews!

Tons of superb art to be seen and we selected some extra special ones here for you…  Once again, way too much good art to share, which is certainly better than the other way around! Some of the photographs here are detail shots of larger pieces. This art fair runs through this weekend, ending May 19th.

LINK: To artMRKT 2013 Information

LINK: To the Eclectix Instagram, for more artMRKT 2013 art

Kim Cogan, oil on canvas, Hespe Gallery

Timothy Cummings, Catharine Clark Gallery

James Kennedy

Hung Liu, (this is a woven tapestry!)

Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, mixed media video sculpture, Muriel Guepin Gallery

Rachell Sumpter, (this was tiny!)

Normunds Braslins

Hyon Gyon Park, (a gigantic piece)

Joe DeCamillis, (a series of book based artworks), Red Truck Gallery

Bryan Cunningham, Red Truck Gallery

Yossi Govrin and Krista Augius, Timothy Yarger Gallery

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Sandra Chevrier – Mirus Gallery

This weekend – the art fair, ArtPadSF 2013 is bursting with stunning art of all kinds at the ever-so-groovy Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin. A retro setting, once you are poolside in the Phoenix’s courtyard, you will lose all awareness of the hood outside.

It is a wonderfully unique place for an art fair – hip and tropical, swinging with sculpture and updated vintage vibes. This is their third fair at the hotel and Eclectix has been able to enjoy each one.

(For more images and our 2011 feature, click here.)

Poolside at the Phoenix Hotel

One of the best aspects about ArtPadSF is it’s manageable size, just enough art display space so that one feels satiated – but not an overwhelming amount making your feet ache and your eyes go jiggy. Each gallery has its own hotel room – converted into a mini gallery, even the bathrooms. There is a restaurant and bar, palm trees and a gorgeous pool, sparkling in the sunlight to kick back and relax by, in-between room hopping.

We’ve shared just a tiny tidbit of the impressive art on exhibit – way too many great artists and art to cover here – just enough to tickle your fancy and get you on down to ArtPad’s happening scene. Many of our photos are detail shots, some are from familiar favorites  and others are fresh new discoveries. (Upcoming features on the latter are in the works!)

May 16 – 19th, Phoenix Hotel, 601 Eddy St., San Francisco, CA

LINK: To ArtPadSF Information

LINK: To the Eclectix Instagram, for more ArtPad art

Naja Conrad-Hansen, Mirus Gallery

Nathan Ota, Bash Contemporary

David Stoupakis, Bash Contemporary

Oscar Camilo, Paul Mahder Gallery

Lisa Pisa, Gauntlet Gallery

Alec Huxley, Gauntlet Gallery

Wall of art by Dave Eggers (yes, the author), Electric Works

Alessandra Maria, Spoke Art

Ebony Patterson, Monique Meloche Gallery

Paul Mavrides, Steven Wolf Fine Arts

Claire Burbridge, Toomey Tourell Gallery

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Alexandra Manukyan paints surreal figurative works, some with involved narrative tableaus and others as set-up, posed portraits. They have a classic old master approach with vintage garb or fanciful head dresses, contrasting with contemporary tattoos and dominance inspired garb. Steampunk masks, bondage cuffs, nun hats, Victorian corsets and punk tattoos find their way across her canvas. Her women are real – strong, fragile and complicated, reacting to and presenting defiance to symbols of traditional romantic roles.

From Last Rites Gallery, which recently hosted her solo show, Sine Qua Non, (without which nothing – an indispensable condition, element, or factor):

The title suggests that each female must face the inevitable or perhaps, that risk, pain and conflict are all vital components that cannot be undermined in love. It is that dichotomy that ignites the passions; the internal psyches and subconscious desires that are our true driving forces that will either forge something new or destroy us altogether.

My favorite art memory from my childhood is …

When my father would take me to the museums and he would explain each painting in detail. I was surprised and fascinated to realize how much information one could get from each line and brush stroke.

My interest in art/painting/sculpture started …

When I developed enough painting and drawing skills to freely and precisely express my ideas.

I am often inspired and motivated by …

By my models.

If I could spend the day with any artist (dead or alive) it would be …

Definitely, it would be Rembrandt. I would really wanted to know what magic he possessed to put so much soul in to his paintings.

The tip or art technique (a specific tidbit of craft, advice or mechanical expertise) that has helped me the most is ….

The tip or art technique that has helped me the most is the utilizing different underpainting techniques to achieve different effects.

 If I could own one piece of art, out of the world’s collections, it would be …

One of the Rembrandt’s self portraits.

My current favorite piece of my own art is …

For the Jar of Hearts, (above)  Because …  I think conceptually and technically I accomplished a lot in this piece.

What are you currently working on? 

I’m currently working on the new series for my upcoming solo exhibit that will be held on October 12th, 2013 at Distinction Gallery.

The last book I couldn’t put down was …

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s, The Power of Intention.

One of my favorite words is …  Sweetie.

One of my favorite smells is …  Lavender

I can’t live without …  My two sons, they are the meaning of my life.

My favorite motto (or quote)  is …

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

― Oscar Wilde

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

 Florence, Italy. So much culture, and inspiration.

How would you say your training in fashion and graphic design influences your art?

It gave me the sensibility in textures, styles and fabrics that I otherwise wouldn’t have.

We noticed you like nun hats, masks and head dresses, why?

Nun’s hats  represent the symbol of faith towards something, it can be love, it can be anything in the given subject matter. They don’t have any religious connotation, at least not in my paintings. They also have very beautiful shapes, are very stylish and add beautifully to the composition.

Masks conceal the true emotions, ‘true face’ and intentions of the person…

You have said that individual models really influence the direction of each painting. How do you chose your models? Are they friends? Professionals?

Most of the models I paint are professionals. I choose them simply by their specific look or by the way they convey a specific attitude that is needed for my subject matter.

Some of them seem to have Renaissance features, not the typical “pretty” face, but very real, individual and strong women.  Any thoughts on this? 

The more real they look, the more honest my art looks.

FIN

LINK: Alexandra’a Website

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Coming up at Varnish Fine Arts is an exhibition not to missed – Dan Quintana, Zero Instruments, a solo show of his works. We have long admired Dan’s dynamite painting skills and his newer works have evolved into more involved compositions, superbly surreal masterpieces. We could go on (and on and on…)  here, but you really must see the virtuoso works in person. Words are just words – his images make any verbal description weak in comparison. This exhibition showcases his oil paintings and charcoal drawings, featuring the bold figures set in allegorical landscapes that he is known for.

We’ve posted a few newer and older pieces here, some of which you may have seen on Eclectix before.  Enjoy – ‘Cause Dan Is The Man.

Opening Reception: Saturday May 25th, 2013, from 6-9 PM.

Zero Instruments…

These (musical) devices will serve as an allegory… Our hearts and minds are a concerto of one. In this case, zero. The essence has and will always remain. Savage.

 – Dan Quintana

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Entranced by the cover of Olaf Hajek’s newest book , we delved into his portfolio and fell in love. He has an abundance of stunning artworks – trying to edit this post down to just these seven pieces was incredibly difficult. So be sure to check out his other work on his site ( link below.)

Olaf creates a world of surreal fantasy and melancholic beauty – full of flora, fauna and fanciful headdresses juxtaposed with the human condition. We love his strong African beauties, sadly – all too often, rare images found in contemporary art. Influenced by 1960’s African studio photography, renaissance perspective and the Dutch still lifes of the 1600′s, his work is underpinned by the color and texture of folkloric imagery. He also works as an illustrator and his lyrical sense of design comes through loud and clear.

Olaf’s book - Black Antoinette, produced with Gestalten Space, is a collection of the artist’s most recent pieces for both editorial contracts and commercial portraits.  Each work is formed by hand as the artist relies on brushes, paints and natural surfaces to create his artworks.

The new book shows my work of the last 4 years. in the last years I focused more and more on my art work and gallery shows. So, a big part of the books is focused on this field of my work. Of course my illustration work is presented as well. I feel that my personal
work is becoming more and more an influence of my commercial work. I hope this new monograph is able to show this.

 LINK to Olaf’s Website

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Masquerader

Fatima Ronquillo’s paintings are a wonderfully eclectic combination of many styles – old masters, folk art, classical European portraiture and surrealism. We love the roundness and friendliness of her subjects, especially when combined with the added surprise of surreal elements and sarcasm. Like little cherub dolls, they sit for us – unpretentious and a little melancholy. Or as innocent children with something a little naughty or serious, hidden within.

Ronquillo was born in the Philippines and is self-taught. She began making paintings in the style of the European masters she saw in books and has absorbed elements of magical realism. She created a series of precious little eye paintings in 2011-2012, which really caught our fancy – some quotes below about them…

“The surreal aspect of an isolated ‘lover’s eye’ attracts me tremendously, the idea of physical dismemberment which is symbolic of a removal or estrangement of a loved one. For anyone who has ever been in love or had a crush on someone, the photograph of the beloved is treasured. It reminds me of the Mexican milagros―little charms of different body parts used to aid in praying for the healing of broken arms or hearts, or even eyes.”

“Compositionally speaking, the framed ornamental eye gives context and a reason for a floating third or fourth eye in a painting. It’s a device of conceit: a portrait within a portrait.”

LINK: Fatima’s Website

I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts

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Kate Zambrano paints pretty pictures of pretty models with pretty intense attitudes.

Staring you down, giving you the evil eye or just that “come hither” look – smoldering with dare and rebellion. Some have the goth/punk thing going on, while others are haunted, sullen or disturbed and downright dangerous.

She leaves just enough areas of the painted surface, suggested or unfinished  - which contrasts with the saturated focal point, making for an impactful and dramatic image. Loose and smooth gesture flows in her adept brush strokes. We love these works and look forward to more fierceness from Kate.

LINK: to Kate’s website

Below, some true words from Kate, via Tumblr - solsticeretouch-

Before you found this world, what did you do prior to that lead you to discover that you were good at it?

Well, I work my ass off everyday. I have no social life. I sit in the studio and try to push myself to be better. I didn’t crawl out of the womb drawing portraits. Natural talent is a falsity. I had to learn and still am learning about art. If you do something for hours a day everyday, you can’t get worse at it.

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Jose Maria Rodriguez Madoz, better known as Chema Madoz, is a Spanish photographer. He has a witty and clever approach to his imagery, carefully thinking out beforehand his concept, using chosen objects with a pun or a twisted illusion. Manipulated and strange still-lives - at first glance they seem like a viable reality. He then executes the photograph with a classic surreal vision, professional studio skills and very clean compositions – usually printed in black and white or sepia tones. We think Man Ray would have been a fan. He currently uses a Hasselblad camera to take his photos.

If you live in Madrid, an exhibition of his work opens today, May 7th, at the Faculty of Fine Arts , Complutense University, C / El Greco, 2 , 28040 – MADRID

Here is a link to the Google translation of Chema’s website.

His beautiful book, Chema Madoz: Objetos 1990–1999 (below) contains many of these unreal fantasies throughout it’s 330 pages, published by Actar/Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Aldeasa. It must be out of print, due to the hefty price tags on the used ones from Amazon, here. We love the design of the book – the front and back covers are fun graphic transpositions of his name.

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Steven Daily has a deft artist’s hand, a vivid imagination and just enough twisted visions to keep it interesting.  We love his crying queen sketch, Porcelain (below) just as much as the finished painting (above). with his mad skills, he rocks droplets and shiny gem stones like no one else. A fun Instagrammer to follow, Steven posts many ridiculously good sketches as he completes them, providing a glimpse into his creative process. We’ve posted just a few favorites of Steven’s wonderful art to share, check out his website link (below) for current exhibit news and his portfolio.

Human vision only picks up part of the whole. The way we see the world is a mélange of memory and new input stoking the visual cortex. As children, we see the world in brighter hues and ethereal auras. As we grow older, we focus on detail. We ignore the gleam of a chromed surface and highlight the patch of rust, perhaps so we can find a way back to this moment of memory. – Via Steven’s Website (LINK)

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Our eyes are grateful for the great gloom of Anton Semenov projected in his fierce art. Anton’s alias name is Gloom82 and his portfolio is quite full of impending doom and gorgeous gloom. Wonderfully grim and full of texture, his art is a desperate peek into and from the dark. Working mostly in digital media, his palette is limited to grays and sepias which contrast incredibly with the occasional brilliant and bloody punch of red or gold. Swaddled baby monsters scream out from their mummy wrappings, alien beings grin in threatening terror and empty black spaces glimmer with a hint at subconscious fear.

Anton was born and lives in Russia and his surreal work speaks for itself. Incredible attention to detail, exposed raw emotion and captured moodiness – we love it!

LINK – to Anton’s website on Behance

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We are head over heels for Emma Overman, her paintings have a wonderful naive quality, full of fantasy woodlands and fairy tale animals. There are often happy or pensive girls or lovey-dovey couples who look very childlike. Innocent good vibes permeate most her works, pastoral fields where friends frolic and young women imagine.

Emma’s works reminded me of an illustrator I loved as a little girl, Joan Walsh Anglund – with their huge round cheeks and mouth-less faces. Her characters have less of a sticky sweetness to them, (thankfully) and with their slanted eyes, call to mind the dancing mushrooms in the Disney Fantasia movie. Even her “darker” works have a light-hearted playfulness about them, full of lovely wood textures and strokes. The finished works are framed in complementary and detailed frames, putting some beautiful vintage icing on the cake!

LINK to Emma’s Website

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Francesco Romoli’s, Imaginary Towns

Italian artist Francesco Romoli creates mysterious dioramas out of cardboard, incorporating light and shadow to produce a dramatic cityscape. Each diorama is constructed specifically to be photographed. Like filmmaking, all staging and lighting is done looking through the lens. Once photographed, the dioramas are then digitally manipulated to add solitary figures wandering through these desolate, eerie landscapes.

Francesco was born in Pisa in 1977. Always interested in expressive forms of any type, at age 14 he began to study guitar and music theory. He fell in love with computers in 1998 and started to work on hacking and net-art. He graduated in 2004 in Pisa in computer science. In 2010 begins to use photoshop for his creations, halfway between graphic design and photography.

 Romoli’s capacity for self-effacement is one of the secrets of his art. Speaking about his work he says,

“I am nobody, I don’t exist. I love using my imagination and my Canon 1000D.”

LINK – to Francesco’s Website

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BookNook

We were able to drop into KRK Ryden’s book signing for his new book Double Talk, at Varnish Fine Arts over the weekend. Not only was KRK signing, but he was very busy drawing full-on illustrations in the front of each book, adeptly and graciously. We were able to capture the ease and flow with which he drew the bratty little girl from The Bad Seed (below).

Double Talk is a book of wonderfully  illustrated homographs from KRK. The hard-bound, 114-page book—KRK’s first—features 51 black-and-white illustrations and a short essay about the artist.

Fun and comic-based, it has just enough hidden adult innuendos to enable a perfect cross over between adult and children alike. We’ve featured some sample pages of the book, below – to give you an idea of his whimsical approach to illustrating homographs. And if you don’t know what a homograph is, there is even an explanation.

You may order the books here, through Last Gasp, Varnish or Porterhouse.

LINK: to KRK’s website

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Redd Walitzki’s painting (above) for the upcoming exhibit at Modern Eden knocked our socks off and we had to investigate further. She has gorgeous works, reminescent of Art Nouveau with their decorative swirling patterns and laser cut framing. Mostly alluring young women, some seductive, but all with an appealing secretive history. Fashionable and beautiful they contrast with added elements of dripping organic decay. Coral grows out of a cranium, mascara runs, beetles crawl and rats linger – Redd’s works comment on the transience of youth and cosmetic beauty. Her color palette is wonderful, ranging form Easter eggs pastels to rusty brown earth tones. Flowing gracefully within their realms, these nymphs project a spiritual strength deeper than the perfected skin they’re in.

Redd Walitzki is a working artist from Germany; now living in Pioneer Square (Seattle’s artist district). She graduated from Cornish College of the Arts with her BFA in 2007 with a concentration in Painting, Video Animation and Printmaking.

LINK: to Redd’s website

You may see the piece above (and many other fantastic floral inspired works) in The Language of Flowers, a group show which opens in SF, May 11th, 2013 at Modern Eden.

Artists! – For those of you who would like to pursue the laser cut prints with your own works, we snooped around and found a source – here at Bellevue Fine Art. 

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Richard Butler’s Hatful of Rain is currently on exhibit at Freight & Volume in NYC.

Best known as the lead singer of the wonderful 1980′s band The Psychedelic Furs (on our stereo in heavy rotation for a long time…) - Richard is also a painter. Many artists cross over to different artistic pursuits and many rockers double as visual artists, most having no trouble getting gallery shows or sales (due to their fame). And honestly, most of them should just stick to music.

Richard is an exception, creating dynamic and skilled portrait-based works, with a bit of  surreal thrown in the mix. He has a nice loose, wet brushstroke deftly applied – you can see he has done his homework and loves doing it. Some are straight-ahead portraits while others interact with occasional flowers and geometric or puzzle-like shapes.  Most of the subjects are looking down or to the side, rarely into the eyes of the viewer. It lends the image a thoughtful, gentle and reflective manner, with an appealing vulnerability.

“I’m more a painter who sings, than a singer who paints…”

The above quote is from His Majesty of Modesty, a nice Vimeo interview with Richard in his studio. He talks unpretentiously and honestly about his art and his love of the process. There are also a few sweet artworks that we didn’t find on his website.

LINK: to Richard’s website

(We do wish he would post some detail shots on his site, the images are all a bit on the small side.)

The exhibit is up thru May 25th, 2013,  at Freight + Volume, 530 W. 24th St., New York

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Words escape us when  it comes to the art of Denis Forkas Kostromitin. It’s best to just let your eyes do the talking. His works are magical, dark escapes into some surreal dreamland.  Haunting and full of mysterious encounters with-  Lucifer, hidden meanings, ritualistic veils and unknown places.

We really enjoyed his biography, shared below.

Denis Forkas Kostromitin was born in 1977 in the town of Kamyshin on the river Volga, Russia into a military officer’s family. The nature of his father’s profession implied extensive travelling to remote regions of the Soviet empire. Such nomadic existence stood in the way of receiving proper artistic education and Denis had to resort to self-study. What the wastelands lacked in creature comforts they made up for in epiphanies: long nights, extreme cold and isolation ensured numerous sensory deprivation experiences. The young artist’s attempts to capture narcoleptic visions through his draughtsman’s talent defined a pattern for all his future endeavours. As the austere Soviet environment had little to offer in terms of esoteric literature Denis eagerly plunged into the world of Greek and Egyptian mythology and mysticism. Upon the iron curtain’s collapse in 1991 the great information deluge delivered translations of works by Levi and Crowley along with anonymous treatises on alchemy and ceremonial magic, which contained precious bits of insight into matters like energy management, will, balance and intent.

The purgatory of Russian military service in the mid-nineties had Denis revise his approach to esotericism and brought him to the gates of Western philosophy. In the wake of the new century’s economic boom Denis frequently visited China as a qualified interpreter, a journalist and a commercial representative. He was lucky to have met several native painting masters and was eventually granted a chance to study Eastern painting tradition first hand. Almost three years of heavy practice, which included mastering gongbi and xieyi techniques, helped Denis determine his true vocation and inspired him to take on the path of a professional artist. Before leaving China Forkas developed the principles of his Eglantine Breath philosophy. The approach – aimed at balancing the Apollonian and the Dionysian impulses and reviving the ancient spirit of harmony in a work of art – merged ceremonial magic, meditation and technical prowess in a single current.  - Via Denis’s Website

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The posters of Laurent Durieux are perfected treatments of vintage style with a modern clean feel. The typography, illustration, layout and execution of each subject is impeccable, taking one back in time to the golden era of super-saturated screen prints with luscious depth. He works exclusively in Photoshop after a rough pencil sketch.

To truly appreciate the finite detail within each image, go to his website and click on the poster. A very large version will pop up, enabling the viewer a great inspection. We have posted a detail of one of the helicopters from his Felix poster, below, just to get you started…

Most of Durieux’s images, whether they are based on movie monsters, Charlie Brown characters, or streamlined emerald skyscrapers in the Land of Oz, begin as pencil sketches. “Once I’m satisfied with the general idea,” he says, “I start drawing on the computer. I used to do everything by hand, but I couldn’t get the sort of details and nuances I get working in digital. Once the digital drawing is finished, I do the shadings and, most importantly, I get rid of all the black outlines. When you get rid of that outline, the comic-book feel, of which I’m so enamored, disappears, and the image suddenly becomes something else.” – Via Collectors Weekly

LINK – to Laurent’s website

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Nikos Gyftakis creates portraits that are swirly masses of colorful dizzying goodness. Moving, flowing and dripping over the subject’s features they accent and involve the viewer, a topographic map of a person. Somewhat like Van Gogh’s Starry Night - meets the human face.

The self portraits on his site are the most contorted, there was obviously a freedom to push the envelope with his own face. (Two self portraits are featured here – above and the very bottom image.)

Nikos was born in Athens, Greece and he now lives and works between Athens and Stockholm. He works in oils and oil pastels on canvas.

LINK – to Nikos Website

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Artist Toyin Odutola works it – in ball point pen, ink and markers, creating strong black portraits with textured flashes of color. Their appearance reminds us of strobe lights in a disco, beautifully projected and woven onto women and men of color. High impact, no-nonsense and gorgeous in-your-face portraits.

Nigerian-born Toyin  grew up mostly in Alabama, receiving her BA from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She recently finished her MFA in painting and drawing at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco.

She has a solo show coming up in New York at the Jack Shainman Gallery, on May 16th.

“Where some may see flat, static narratives, I see a spectrum of tonal gradations and realities. What I am creating is literally black portraiture with ballpoint pen ink. I’m looking for that in-between state in an individual where the overarching definition is lost. Skin as geography is the terrain I expand by emphasizing the specificity of blackness, where an individual’s subjectivity, various realities and experiences can be drawn onto the diverse topography of the epidermis. From there, the possibilities of portraying a fully-fledged person are endless.”

The detail (above) is cropped from the piece directly below…

LINK – to Toyin’s website.

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Fallen

Just received news that some new Ray Caesar works are available and had to pass on the good word. There’s nothing like a new Ray to put some sunshine in your day! You can buy the limited edition prints by the ever so surreal and fun Ray here, at Gallery House. 

Ray Caesar was born in 1958 in London. At an early age, his family moved to Toronto, Canada, where he currently resides. He attended Ontario College of Art, followed by 17 years working in the art & photography department of the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, documenting disturbing cases of child abuse, surgical reconstruction, psychology, and animal research. Coupled with inspiration from surrealists Kahlo and Dali, Caesar’s experiences at the hospital continue to influence his artwork. His haunting imagery is created digitally using 3D modeling software called Maya, mastered while working in digital animation for television and film industries.

These works are currently on exhibit at Corey Helford Circa Gallery in Los Angeles, thru May 11th 2013, Ray Caesar Retrospective, LINK

Six new works and three studies, plus a catalogue of works reflecting his evolution. “As a retrospective, I wanted to show a selection of work from the different stages of the past and definitely show work that hasn’t been seen on the West Coast before,” says Caesar. When asked to describe his aesthetic, the artist replies, “Pretty pictures with a little pinch of pain and putridity portraying the past of a person with more than a few peculiar problems.”

DarkGuardian

Mother and Child

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Artitecture: Jim Kazanjian’s crazy houses are digital collages of abodes on hills or rocks or turbulent oceans – rising above dark destructions in a wonderful way. Some have smoke or waterfalls erupting from them, some become whole cities and some are desolate haunts, singularly creepy eclectic mounds. We first found them while putting together the Places exhibit and wanted to feature more of these fantastic and ramshackle monoliths.

My images are digitally manipulated composites built from photographs I find online. The technique I use could be considered “hyper-collage”. I cobble together pieces from photos I find interesting and feed them into Photoshop. Through a palimpsest-like layering process of adding and subtracting, I gradually blend the various parts together. I am basically manipulating and assembling a disparate array of multiple photographic elements (sometimes more than 50) to produce a single homogenized image. I do not use a camera at any stage in the process.

LINK to Jim Kazanjian’s Website

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We were awestruck by the serene beauty and composition of the above piece and very gratified that we looked up more of Moki and her artworks. This graceful geisha rising out of the grassy hills seems like a spirit protector or goddess. That comb shadow reaching down her neck like a monster’s clawed hand is just perfection! Her recent works are a limited palette on wood but we were partial to her older, more colorful canvas works.

She paints serene and lush woodlands, some with anime-like monsters or unidentifiable critters from her imagination. The human element is often merged into various elements of nature, using the landscape as a surreal blanket or clothing.

Moki lives and works in Hamburg, where she studied at the Hamburg Academy of Arts. She also creates animation, comics, performance art, and toys and is active in international art collectives and the Street Art scene.

LINK to Moki’s website

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We had the chance to see the wonderful photography of Jennifer B. Hudson recently at Corden Potts Gallery in San Francisco. Her series, titled Medic, stood out from all the other photography in the many galleries we viewed that day.

Staged tableaux with a gorgeous sepia, vintage patina, Jennifer’s works feature what appear to be patients in a mental institution, getting mysterious treatments from even more mysterious machines. Some are being consoled or attended to by others. Each image is shot in a cell-like room, stark and barren except for the people and the fabricated equipment within. Some have minimal beds, strange apparatus and a sole desk or chair. The ambiance is a mix of Steampunk, Victorian and theater-like stage scenery. With a meditative and almost spiritual quality to the human poses and interactions, they beg you to ask what is happening here? Are they getting medical treatments? Are they praying, grieving or doing penance? These are intimate and serious glimpses into some private worlds. Voyeuristic and strongly intriguing images which allow to the viewer to imply their own reality in a disconcerting way.

LINK – To all the Medic photographs and Jennifer’s site

Medic is a sensitive, intricate glimpse into human relationships during times of need and recovery, and a heartfelt exploration of sacrificial love. The work began wholly on one sentence whispered by my husband while we endured a deeply unsettling time together. He held my hand, lay close to me and said softly “I just wish I could take the pain from your body, and put it into mine.” I have been fortunate to know incredible love all my life, but at that moment I became suddenly and intensely aware of the magnificent power that exists between people who care for one another. When I was anxious and fighting to fall asleep each night, I began to invent miracle machines; contraptions that heal, deliver hope, legacy, remedy, and redemption. Each image from Medic is a thoughtful invention, strange and tender, revealing facets of the delicate human heart. In ten isolated chambers we are witnesses to emotional happenings, exchanges, confrontations, and life decisions.

I became particularly fascinated with illustrating the depth of a love relationship by portraying only the individual in many images, exploring the weight of partnership, the sacrificial life perspective, and the burdened, selfless decision-maker. In some chambers, we witness life changing moments; mercy, healing, humbling choices, memories recorded and legacies written. In others we see an exchange; affection, tenderness, and sacrifice. In the making of this work, I sought to begin to understand some of the most rare and beautiful relationships in the world, to expose their most frail, vulnerable moments, times of great intensity, and most cherished inner workings. - Via Jennifer

While browsing her portfolio, we were also very taken with another series of photos by Jennifer, titled Flora. Two images are featured here, below.

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Graphic designer Shannon Lattin created this very useful How-Many Guide infographic for mixing it up and converting measurements. My whole life I have been confused in the kitchen when it comes to this subject. Just how many cups are there in a gallon, again? And now this smart lady has created an impressive poster that makes it easy – in a beautifully thought out and elegantly designed presentation.

Shannon has the How-Many Guide for sale as posters, stickers and as a convenient tea towel - here at her shop. This is a no brainer gift for anyone with a kitchen!

If your kitchen drawers are anything like ours, you never have the right measuring implement for the recipe you’re tackling. Keep this chart on hand, and the next time you find yourself asking “How many…” you’ll know just what to do. - Via Shannon’s Website

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We spotted Jason Edmiston’s Game of Thrones masterpiece  portrait and were instantly enthralled. A beautiful painting of the mystical Khaleesi character, Daenerys Targaryen, complete with her dragon babies. We are big fans of the TV show Game of Thrones for many reasons – it is well written, well acted and beautifully photographed with great special effects for the medieval-fantasy elements. The Daenerys character is played by Emilia Clarke, besides beings arrestingly beautiful, she is a good actress as well. (Imagine that!)

About the only bone we have to pick with the series is the gratuitous female nudity in almost every episode. In such a well done show, it only serves to cheapen it. Granted, many of the women look real – they don’t have the usual Hollywood bodies, thank you for that. But if indeed the nudity is so important, why not even it up with some male nudity as well – they have to get naked to have sex too, right?

That being said, the wonderful women characters in this series are strong warriors, full of wit, leadership, cunning and strength. We are completely hooked. Jason’s iconic and realistic rendering of Daenerys is gorgeous, capturing her beauty as well as her wounded soul. Not to mention the excellent execution of her  multi-colored dragon offspring. It is extra special that he chose to gracefully obscure her with the fairy dusted misty clouds – tasteful and discreet.

A commercial illustrator since 1996, Jason is a traditional artist, painting in acrylic on watercolour paper or wood panel. His style ranges from realism to exaggeration, usually emphasizing the figure, and a certain degree of humour or caricature.  His fondness for pop culture, especially movies and toys often creep into his work. Below, are some other sweet artworks we especially liked, by Jason.

LINK – Jason’s Website

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John Wentz, Foto: Morgan Riccili Slade

John Wentz has an incredible painterly style – full of swashy gesture and beautiful layered blocks of color. Hinting at some parts of an image with abstracted unfinished areas and nailing others with astute representation. He gives the viewer just enough, no overkill. When we first saw his Burroughs portrait (below) we halted dead in our tracks for a good long stare. An outstanding piece of work – William would have been quite proud!  It’s nice to see a painter develop such a strong stroke to his works nowadays – there seems to be so much emphasis on tedious realism, at the expense of feeling movement and expression within the pigment. Even John’s graphite and charcoal drawings contain the free feel his paintings present.

Can you share a little of your background and process with us?

I was born and raised in Fremont, CA. Although I’ve traveled quite a bit, I could never leave the Bay Area completely. San Francisco was my home for many years during and after art school. I now live and work in Vallejo, CA. My studio is in my backyard so I have a really short commute to work. I paint every day for a minimum of 8 hours… most days are an average of 12. I prefer to work in oils…. not because of the slow drying time, but because of how the finished result looks. Nothing beats it. However, I do work in acrylics quite a bit and am experimenting with mixed-media. My process changes with each body of work and I hope to continue that method.

My favorite art memory from my childhood is …

Stumbling across Bob Ross on TV.

I was so amazed at what he could do with a palette knife. I knew the paintings were corny, but man…just a couple of ninja-like swings from that palette knife and there was a damned happy little fence.

My interest in art/painting started …

With my first comic book. It was Spiderman and I knew then that I wanted to be a comic book artist. Unfortunately, Spiderman was really hard to draw because of all the webs on his suit. I still have one of the drawings! (see above).

When I came across Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight” it came together better. Not that drawing Batman was easy, but his bold style and simplified outfit was easier to copy. I never became a comic book artist though.

I am often inspired and motivated by …

Music. I played music for a long time and am obsessed with it. Listening to music, reading about my favorite musicians… these keep me going. I’m always comparing music with a painting in my head.

I started off playing guitar. Then, I switched to bass because everybody wanted a bass player and there were ten million guitar players. After awhile, I realized that I loved bass anyhow. I haven’t played in a very long time though. I spent a long time playing in bands and touring here and there while at the same time doing art. At some point I felt like I had to choose, so I went with art.

Tom Waits is at the top of my list. But on any given day I’ll be listening to: Black Cobra, Pink Floyd, High on Fire, Behemoth, Ramones, Misfits, Tigerlillies and PJ Harvey. Man, there’s tons more!

If I could spend the day with any artist (dead or alive) it would be …

Michelangelo.

And we would …  Probably just sit around and stare at each other because we couldn’t verbally communicate. I’d probably just gesture to ask if I could look through his drawings and watch him work. I think his drawings are among the best ever produced.

The tip or art technique (a specific tidbit of craft, advice or mechanical expertise) that has helped me the most is ….

Two things - The first is technical: value is the most important thing in painting. It’s always first because that’s what the human brain processes first…value then edges. That little tidbit has helped me in so many ways.

The second a quote from Chuck Close: “Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.”

If I could own one piece of art, out of the world’s collections, it would be …  Seriously?! There are far too many. However, if I had to pick something I’d say anything from Degas… preferably a drawing.

My current favorite piece of my own art is …

“The Ever Changing Spectrum of Light”, (below)

Because …

It’s just one of those paintings that came together from start to finish. That doesn’t happen often for me. I’m really striving to achieve some kind of emotive quality in my paintings. I feel like I achieved it with this piece, just a bit.

My ultimate project or fantasy is …

To just keep painting full-time. But I don’t want to get stuck on just one thing. My dream would be to have the freedom to experiment. There’s things I want to do in printmaking, different styles of painting, mixed media and photography. To just have the opportunity to keep creating.

What are you currently working on?

For my newest show “Spectra” (opening April 13th) at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco, I took a very different approach from what I’m used to. Almost all photo references for the paintings were put together from found photos I discovered on the internet. I spend hours looking at images, mostly vintage war, and am completely fascinated and enthralled at what we choose to capture and how it just seems to float nebulously in this grand ether we call the internet.

After collecting tons of images, I pull them into Photoshop and begin collaging. This part of the process is quite fun because you can create this interesting narratives that never existed before. You can change the meaning of the images by their interaction with one another and the new context you create. After I’m done with a collage, I draw it out and play with the composition, distort and exaggerate figures and refine and make adjustments. Then I do color studies to try and find a mood for each piece. After that, it’s on to the finished piece. I also don’t use conventional sizes and prefer to create my own rectangles. Because of this, I have to cut and make my own stretcher bars. I really like being involved in as many aspects of the process as I can. I also mix most of my own paints from pigments.

The last song I choose to listen to was …

“Jockey Full of Bourbon” by Tom Waits.

The last book I couldn’t put down was …

“After the End of Art” by Arthur Danto.

One of my favorite words is …

“Dude”.  I use it way too much.

One of my favorite smells is …

 Onions grilling.

I can’t live without …

Painting. Corny, but true.

It’s not hip, but I really love ….

to be square.

My favorite motto (or quote) is …

“As the spirit wanes the form appears.” – Charles Bukowski

Your painting style is gorgeous. What did you do to “get there”?

I try to change things with every body of work. With each passage, its linear, one painting leads to the next. With the “Spectra” series, I became very interested in abstract art. I’ve always been a fan, but only recently have I been really trying to study abstract paintings and understand what they were doing. I think that really affects the style of the paintings.  I’m thinking how it would be represented “abstractly”. And with that, I think it’s not just in regards to the form, but the quality and approach to the paint itself. So I think about solid color vs broken color, transparent vs opaque, thick vs impasto and varieties of texture. I’m not an abstract painter by any means, so it’s really really hard for me.  But, to get there…. I painted as much as I possibly could. Since June of 2012, I’ve been painting an average of 12 hours a day… with a few breaks here and there. I really think most development comes with doing vs thinking. One of my favorite sayings is “art is a verb”. Just do it and things will fall into place. Another thing that has helped in the last year is that I actually stopped looking at a lot of art. I mostly look at abstract. I can’t explain why it helped so much, but it did.

An “unfinished” piece, we had to include…

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

Italy. No contest.

 I don’t think I’d stay in one place. Italy is far too beautiful to remain stagnant. However, I could see myself having Rome as a home base. Then travel like a vagabond for some time, return and then paint. I’d like to live in something small. I don’t need a lot.

If you had to name a hero or heroine, an iconic famous person in your lifetime, who would that be and why? 

The first that comes to mind would be Bill Hicks. Firstly, I admire how he kept to his craft as a standup comedian. Comedy was and is a stepping stone for so many to get into movies, your own talk show, etc. He had a message and knew that stand up was his vehicle. It wasn’t an easy road by any means, but he stuck to it. Secondly was his no compromise attitude. That gets harder and harder the older you get. He didn’t give a shit about the politics, the “right” and “wrong” way to do things and would never ever stoop down to things like product advertising and what not. And he was damned funny!

Upcoming Exhibition

Spectra, Solo Exhibition

Concurrent with Deconstruct, (a group show curated by John)

Opening: Saturday, April 13th – On exhibit through May 4th, 2013

LINK: Modern Eden Gallery, 403 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA

LINK: To John’s Website

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A new exhibition, Travis Louie’s Monsters On Their Day Off  opens this Friday in Seattle. Travis is a master at creating creepy-cool works often with surreal humor, in Victorian finished perfection. An Eclectix fave – this show is not to be missed if you find yourself up Seattle way.

Travis Louie’s hypnotic “portraiture” is compelling for its blend of the hyper realistic with the blatantly unreal. Fantastical creatures gaze out from paintings so technically refined (using transparent layers of acrylic paint over a tight graphite drawing on a smooth flat surface) that they look uncannily like old photographs.  Often in his work Louie seeks to create mythological ancestors… long-lost “relatives” captured in Victorian cabinet card/ tint type images.

His own interest in Noir imagery, German Expressionism, personal dream imagery, (not to mention B movie monsters!), as well as his recent discovery of old photographs – all combined in this latest series of works. This particular series focuses on what monsters do when they are not “monstering”, what they do on their days off and what their endearing hobbies might be. Each painting comes with a story about each character written by Travis.

Opening Reception: Friday April 12th, 6-9 pm

Show runs through May 4th, 2013

LINK: Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle

LINK: To Travis’ Website

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Joram Roukes surrealist mashups of various images are like a painted collage with fantastic and deft painting skills. Very strong, expressionist portraits of the human beast within. Part animal, part human and part object – skewed and torn, with added extra limbs or consumer commodities. Traces of the McDonalds clown and Mickey Mouse can be found, juxtaposed with an angry bear or a solemn bird. He currently works from his studio in Groningen, the Netherlands.

LINK – Joram’s Website

You’ve spent time in Groningen and New York, how has each different place effected you? How has your art changed as a result of each experience?

Groningen is my hometown. It’s a quiet, relatively small city with friendly people in the North part of the Netherlands. The rent here is reasonably affordable as opposed to cities like Amsterdam, so that allows me to work on my artwork fulltime without having to do shitty jobs on the side. In regards to my work, Groningen itself isn’t the most inspiring of all places. However, my work often refers to the kind of banal excesses of modern society, which is well present in our small country and community. Be it in a much more futile way than say New York City. But the folky and often narrow-minded way many people tend to behave here in the Netherlands is something I find both fascinating and inspiring. Having worked in New York for sometime however put me right in the middle of excessive society. I like these little western phenomena that seem to get taken for granted and go unnoticed. Especially in places like that where nobody seems to be aware of how irrational this urge for everything big and over the top actually is. There are tons of themes to be drawn from that and even more ways to work with them. - An Empty Kingdom interview 

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 Lorenzo (Renzo) Mongiardino (1916 –1998) was an Italian architect, interior designer and production designer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction. The images here are representative of his work and some are of his fantastic personal residence.

Italy’s grand illusionist raised atmosphere to an art form

… A house by Renzo Mongiardino was a miracle of stage-set trickery. Floors were paved in marble that was not marble; walls were paneled with Neoclassical boiseries that had been conjured out of paint and shadows; sofas and chairs were upholstered in sumptuous velvets skillfully aged by an artisan who then scribbled on them with colored pens from an office-supply store. “Illusion comes into being as part of the pleasure,” he wrote in Roomscapes, a treatise on his specialty, which he preferred to call “decorative architecture.” The same painters, carpenters, gilders and model makers who manufactured Mongiardino’s sets for stage and screen worked on the maestro’s interiors as well (including Lila de Nobili, a painter and designer whose work in the Italian theater world was every bit as revered as his own). - Via Architectural Digest

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We’ve been entranced with Miriam Wosk’s art for years and years, her mixed media paintings and intricate collages are mesmerizingly beautiful and thought inspiring. Full of fabric textures, glistening gemstones, vintage flora and fauna, graceful skeletons and sumptuous color. So we highly recommend that you get out to see the retrospective exhibition - Abundance and Devotion, at the Santa Monica Museum of Art currently on view through April 20th, 2013.

While doing a little research for this feature, we were curious to see why her website hasn’t been updated since 2008. After some digging we are very saddened to learn that Miriam died in 2010, at 65 after a long bout with breast cancer. However, she came from a wealthy family, was successful with her art (without compromise) – so the life she lived seems to have been a wonderful one. She was buried in Hawaii, according to her wishes.

Miriam created the art for the very first issue of Ms. Magazine in 1972.  The cover depicted a modern version of the Hindu goddess Kali, tears streaming down her face while she uses eight blue arms to juggle an overabundance of work and household tasks.

“My paintings reflected the light, the joyous, uplifting attitude of being in California,” she said in 2006 in Venice magazine. “I started putting jewels in the work right away. Brightly colored, highly patterned, more exuberant, that’s how the atmosphere made me feel.”

Working in paint, pastel and collage on paper, Wosk often began with an anatomical image that she smothered “in veil upon veil of floral ornament and pattern, creating a sort of gothic, hyper-decorative Surrealism that is as invigorating for the imagination as it is for the eye,” according to a 2006 Times review of the show “Sequins and Skeletons” at the now-defunct Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery in Culver City. – Via The Los Angeles Times

Miriam lived in Santa Monica where she worked from her incredible home studio (below). The huge vintage Spanish style residence was re-vamped and custom designed to host parties, hold her extensive art collections and her art studio. An artist’s dream home, guaranteed to make one drool, it is currently on the market for a mere $12,500,000. To see more pictures of this fantastic home, full of Miriam’s artful eye, click here.

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We stopped into the new home of Shooting Gallery and White Walls to see their current exhibition, Mike Shine’s Flotsam’s Harvest. This is a wonderful show full of Shine’s trademark graphic-heavy works, flavored with a street-meets-old-tyme circus style. We love his sense of color and design, saturated orange reds contrast beautifully with Art Deco pastel greens. Mike manages to combine line art, painting, stencil work, collage and typography into one final punch of an image.  Painted against all manner of wood grains, bead board, found elements and the walls of the gallery space – a transformation into one big top carnival of art.

Link to Mike Shine’s Website

Detail, from above piece

This new space at 886 Geary combines the two galleries – White Walls and Shooting Gallery – under one roof and they plan to keep both names and websites. Both galleries are owned by Justin Giarla, as well as another, 941 Geary. They will be not be using the 941 Geary name any longer. Currently, there is no signage on the front of the new space, just lots of fresh clean glass and some unfinished wall construction. When asked what the new space would be named, we were told they aren’t sure yet but hope to combine both White Walls and Shooting Gallery into one identity.

The show is up through April 6th, 2013 - LINK

New home of White Walls and Shooting Gallery

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Just saw the new Mark Ryden album cover for Wolf, a new release from the rapper Tyler, The Creator. The cover art is classic Mark Ryden, a simple image of Tyler as a boy on a bike in the woods, with a little signature baby head on a tree trunk in the corner. It is interesting that a rapper (with the reputation that Tyler has) to be portrayed in such a vulnerable and innocent way. And since Tyler is only 22 years old, maybe the boyhood imagery is a statement on letting his former youthful transgressions be bygones and starting out afresh.

It is scheduled to be released today and will feature three different cover designs. The deluxe edition version of the album features a fold-out poster of the full album cover art designed by Ryden, a limited embroidered patch, a Wolf calendar and a 24-page booklet featuring lyrics and artwork.

Criticized in the past for lyrics with imagery depicting rampant drug use, systemic violence against women, and any number of other distasteful things – apparently Tyler is (thankfully) taking a new direction.

“Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn’t interest me anymore… What interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. With Wolf, I’ll brag a little more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I’ll be a smart-ass about it. People who wanted the first album again, I can’t do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I’m hanging out with my idols. I can’t rap about the same shit.” - Tyler, The Creator, quote Via Hypebeast

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Joe Kowalczyk, Photo by Sean Donnelly

Joe Kowalczyk (Ko-väl-chick) is a local artist whose works we discovered while browsing galleries recently in Oakland. Co-founder/director of FM Gallery, he runs his own kiln repair business (Kiln Specialist), restoring kilns throughout Northern California and also works as a ceramics instructor at the Creative Growth Art Center. A man of many hats – it’s a wonder he has any time to spend in his own studio!

Joe’s work comprises beautiful clay sculptures – deities, animals and skulls; as well as detailed and poetic pen and ink tree-based drawings. His ceramic work has a spiritual side to it, reminding us of totems or animal gods from days long past. There is a primitive and emotional feel to many of them and at the same time a concerned sadness for modern day disregard of wildlife. Some are so full of love that it makes our heart ache and others stand strongly protective of what is within.

Can you share a little background with us?  It was just north of Chicago in Niles, Illinois where I spent my adolescence following my passion for drawing. In high school my heart raced when I discovered ceramics and I remember taking to it naturally. Nothing was more exciting than ceramic sculpture week, but ceramics seemed impossible to practice outside of school, so I turned my attention back towards drawing and music. After high school I was advised to pursue a more lucrative career, which I did. After a year or so my heart confessed; I could not pursue a path in life as a computer technician after realizing my true love for sculpting. I quit my nice job and dropped out of tech school; I never looked back. In Spring of 2006, after three years of formative training under John DeFazio, Arthur Gonzalez, Craig Petey, and John Toki, I received my BFA from the California College of the Arts (formerly The California College of Arts and Crafts).

What are you currently working on?   I’ve been working on a series of “guardians” for the last year or so. They’re usually very empowered and dominating, but sometimes they’re just children in disguise. In my sculptures I’ll use wood, fiber, or metal, but mainly work with clay. Everything is hand built using coil or slab method, often using live models, photos, or my own drawings as references. I start out with a concept drawing to get an idea for direction, then dive into the sculpting process. Sometimes I plan out all the details in drawing, other times I rely on spontaneity and let the sculpture guide me. Within the “guardian” series I’ve been trying to step away from my own comforts and push myself into the unfamiliar, that is, adding new imagery and trying different glaze techniques. I’ve been happy with this series, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

My favorite art memory from my childhood is …  When I was a young boy I used to build little dwellings in order to lure cicadas and collect their shells. The dwellings were actually more like little shrines, and there was no real reason for me to think these dwellings would lure cicadas. I tried to build them as alluring as possible anyway (for the cicadas), and I enjoyed making them. One day I was building a dwelling along side the base of a tree and some girl on a bike began asking questions about what I was doing. She just stood there yammering and asking questions as I worked. I was kinda annoyed and just wanted her to go away. The next day I came back to check on the days catch and found the same girl standing there! She brought her friend, and they were talking about how cool they thought the little dwelling was. I heard one say she wished she was small enough to go inside. I was too shy to approach them (because they were girls) and instead, ran away, and hid until they left. I was really happy they liked the dwellings though.

My interest in art/painting/sculpture started …  I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon. Drawing, sculpting, fixing/making stuff has always been a huge part of my life. But my interest in the history of art didn’t begin until I was 14 or 15, sometime in early high school (thanks to Mr. Kim and Mr. Mastrolonardo). The pursuit of art as a life path didn’t happen until my late teens/early twenties, when I learned how important it is to pursue the things you love.

Photo by Kate Cameron

I am often inspired and motivated by …  Life situations and dilemmas. People and their strange personality quirks often inspire a lot of these masked works with hidden personalities. that I’ve been making the last few years.

If I could spend the day with any artist (dead or alive) it would be …  Bill Watterson And we would …  We would go sledding. Then we’d go for some hot chocolate and discuss politics, art, and the difficulties of being a parent while simultaneously keeping a regular studio practice. Maybe he can shed some light on that.

The tip or art technique (a specific tidbit of craft, advice or mechanical expertise) that has helped me the most is ….  Don’t think too much as you’re making… don’t think too much beforehand either. Just go for it! I f you fuck up, it’s ok, just start again. But if you over-think, the work can become stale. There’s a freshness or rawness in work that’s executed without too much thought. The energy you put into a piece is often what comes out.

Photo by Paul Kuroda

If I could own one piece of art, out of the world’s collections, it would be …   Any Rube Goldberg or Jean Tinguely. Then I would need a big enough house to put it in and then I might feel guilty about keeping it for myself…

My current favorite piece of my own art is …  A landscape drawing of Gillson Beach I made in 2001. (below)  Because …  I used to seek refuge there back in 2000/2001. That was when I quit my job as a computer tech to pursue art. I used to just sit there by myself all day drawing landscapes and brainstorming cartoons. That landscape I own was one of the first significant ones I did at that time. I learned a lot from that drawing, and it’s still one of my favorites.

My ultimate project or fantasy is …  To work with a team of artists on something. I don’t know what, but I’ve always had this desire to create something amazing utilizing different skills of others. I know that’s vague, yet it’s been a lingering desire for quite some time.

Can you give us a little insight about your current works, the guardians?  The guardians are symbols of protection (strong and weak).  This subject is what prompted me to question my own fears, which in turn, brought me to recollect my earliest memories of fear.  When creating this series I kept asking myself why I’ve become so fascinated with this idea of protection and guardianship, seeing as how my work used to be so happy and lighthearted.  I’ve come to realize it’s because I identify with being someone who protects.  I see it in my daily life.  Working at Creative Growth and looking after every ones well being.  Fixing artists’ kilns, replacing damaged components and preventing further damage.  Managing a studio/gallery.  The possibility of becoming a father.  I feel this inherent need to protect and look over the well being of the people around me.  That’s why these figures have manifested into my work.  What are these guardians protecting?  I would say most of them are protecting themselves.  But from what?  I don’t know.

Photo by Paul Kuroda

The last song I choose to listen to was … Granada by Carlos Montoya… so beautiful.

The last book I couldn’t put down was …  I’ve recently reread Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

One of my favorite words is …  broccolini.

One of my favorite smells is …  Liquid Wrench (that garage smell…)

I can’t live without … my studio time.

It’s not hip, but I really love …. Howl’s Moving Castle

Photo by Paul Kuroda

My favorite motto (or quote) is … “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” –Hillel

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be? Japan, I guess. But I honestly have to say I love living in the Bay Area, and I have a hard time seeing myself living anywhere else.

If you had to name a hero or heroine, an iconic person in your lifetime, who would that be and why?  George Carlin. He often presents a perspective changing view that’s right on point, plus his delivery is hilarious. Sometimes I wish I was like that.

FIN

Link - to Joe’s Website

Upcoming Exhibits

3rd Annual Totems & Plates,  Blue Line Gallery
April 18th -May 11th, 2013; Opening reception:  Saturday, April 20th,  6 – 9pm
405 Vernon St. #100 Roseville, CA. 95678
www.rosevillearts.org

Imaginarium, group show, Arc Gallery
June 1st – 29th, 2013; Opening reception:  Saturday, June 1st,  7 – 10pm
1246 Folsom Street. San Francisco, CA. 94103
www.arc-sf.com

Photo by Paul Kuroda

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The following excerpts are from an interview we found, at Pull The Metal. We have re-worded a few phrases which seemed awkward due to the language translations.

Your imagination plays between childhood and cruel creatures, could you talk about it?  A year ago I met a little girl and let her talk while she was drawing.  She drew a lot of big heads with scars, and said: “They all get hurt because their heads are too big, so they bump together.”  And then she drew some tiny people inside a big head and said: “These tiny people live in here, the big head is their room.” Although the image she presented was rough and not scary, I could imagine that if those ideas were painted realistically, the image would be pretty creepy and scary. Children’s minds are so pure, even it’s cruel or evil. It’s very important for me to create work honestly like a child and make my work sincere in its intentions.

You paint your girls with porcelain faces and glass eyes like dolls, what is your personal connection with dolls?  I love the physicality and the metaphysical nature of children. Dolls enhance the proportions of children (like mini sized children), so that a little kid can take care of them, be their little mommy or daddy or friend. I like the relationship between children and dolls. In my childhood, I did believe my doll could actually hear my words and I could hear her too. After growing up, I imagine them more like real kids, walking around in my stories.

Link to Hsiao’s Website

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We are pleased to see that Marion Peck’s Animals exhibition opens March 30th in Los Angeles at a new offshoot of the Michael Kohn Gallery. This is a recent series of work by Marion – featuring her soulfully cute animals, softly surreal and Renaissance flavored. The Michael Kohn Gallery has hosted many fantastic shows in the past – including the art of Camille Rose Garcia and Mark Ryden.

Michael Kohn Projects opens with an incredible pop-up exhibition of recent paintings by contemporary pop surrealist, Marion Peck. This special project space, which is located within blocks of the Michael Kohn Gallery, features eleven new works that highlight the artist’s talent for meticulously painted narrative imagery. This particular body of work explores solitary animal figures placed in various situations and often anthropomorphized to reflect human emotion and mental states. These luscious paintings play with the kitschy stylization of animals while underscoring Peck’s faithfulness to Northern Renaissance realism in her treatment of landscape, flora, and the particularly stoic expressions of her subject matter. – Via Michael Kohn Gallery

Exhibition Dates: March 30 – April 27, 2013
Opening: March 30, 6-8pm

Link: to Michael Kohn Gallery

Link: to Marion Peck’s Website

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Making record albums on X-Rays, just how cool is that? We love anything X-ray related and the marriage of music with bones is a slam dunk.  Not to mention the uber cool old radio tower logo emitting lightening vibes. A new record by Jack White is pressed and printed directly onto old medical X-rays. It is produced by Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers. These 7-inch glimpses into the lives of another body have been cleverly dubbed “Flex-Ray Discs“.

Another day, another unequivocally cool side project from Jack White and his boutique record label, Third Man Records—the place where vinyl fetishists can find things like tri-colored vinyl, black-and-white Flat Duo Jets reissues, and Carl Sagan seven-inches etched with Voyager Record illustrations to rub all over their pale, ramen-fed bodies. - Via Motherboard

The pairing of song and bone isn’t quite as nonsensical as it might seem at first. Andy Cush from Animal notes that during the Cold War, American music fiends would have to smuggle their beloved contraband back to the USSR, and the records would often be printed onto old x-rays. - Via Gizmodo

Below: Images of two Soviet X-ray records, Fred Astaire’s “Cheek to Cheek” printed on an x-ray of a pelvis (why not a cheekbone?) and W.C. Hardy’s “St. Louis Blues,” printed on the x-ray of a skull .

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Artist Kurtis Rykovich’s Immortals is his newest series of paintings.

They comprise a number of young women with pouting lips and eye glasses or partial glasses. And yes, we do love girls with glasses! They are finely feathered, full of swirling hair, ruffles and birds of a many feather. We’ve always enjoyed Kurtis’s art, exhibiting it in many past shows at Eclectix and these pieces demonstrate he can keep on bringing it.

Kurtis grew up in the small mining town of Ely, NV. There was never much culture or art in the area but his family and mentors always encouraged him to pull from his creativity and create a world far better then his own. Kurtis then attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he studied Fine Art which he completed in 2006. Currently located in Palm Springs, Kurtis has always had a fascination with fashion, history, and beauty.

“ I am not so much inspired by the history you learn in textbooks, but I am more drawn to the history of an individual, maybe never documented, and how that history has created such a beautiful or slightly eerie being.”

Link to Kurtis’s Website

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We had to share the great upcoming news of Camille Rose Garcia at the Walt Disney Museum, in San Francisco. She will be showing her series of paintings and drawings of Alice in Wonderland from her recent book, Down The Rabbit Hole. If you didn’t get a chance to see the exhibit in Los Angeles, now is a great time to lay your eyes on some of her original works, there is just nothing like them!

A current special exhibition (thru April 14th) also at the museum is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic- which celebrates the 75th anniversary of Walt Disney’s first feature-length animated film.

“With more than 200 works of art including conceptual drawings, early character studies, detailed story sketches, and animation drawings. Also featured are delicate thumbnail layout watercolors, meticulously rendered pencil layouts, rare watercolor backgrounds, colorful cels, and vintage posters all illustrating how Walt Disney advanced the creation of an entirely new art form.”  – Via Walt Disney Museum

Exhibition Dates: May 9th – Nov. 3rd, 2013

Camille will be signing her book and hosting an artist’ talk at the museum on May 11th, so get your tickets now folks, link here.

Link - to Camille’s website

The exhibition will also showcase some of the original art for the Disney movie by Mary Blair (below), one of our favorite Disney artists and a groundbreaker for women in the commercial art world. Animator Marc Davis, who put Blair’s exciting use of color on a par with Matisse, recalled, “She brought modern art to Walt in a way that no one else did. He was so excited about her work.”

As Garcia stated in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2010,

“The original John Tenniel illustrations were always some of my favorites and those were definitely lodged in my head. I wanted to stay true to his vision but I’m so influenced by Disney. I loved the backgrounds in their early movies (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio) so I watched a lot of those films to try to get more of a color feel. They were all done in the 1930s with watercolor, which has that very classic touch. Using watercolors referred back to the Tenniel work, but I added a little bit of a modern gothic touch as well. That was my vision for the work.”

To see more on Camille’s book, click here.

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Fulvio Bonavia’s A Matter of Taste series is a feast in fashion. A crimson purse made out of raspberries, a hat of artichoke petals and a silvery, shiny sardine belt – bring food, fashion and art to a whole new level. His tools are: mad Photoshop and photography skills, gorgeous natural lighting and a super-creative vision.

Scent of Flower, another series by Fulvio - unites botanicals and fashion in a similar way – a moss encrusted handbag, a cactus clog and Bougainvillea earmuffs. Impeccably executed, they are fun and frivolous beauties of fantasy. Fierce fashion looks for any artistically inclined fashionista out there.

While browsing his website, we were also very taken with some beautiful black and white photographs he took of the Venice Carnival, here.

Fulvio Bonavia is an award-winning advertising and editorial photographer known for his uniquely inventive imagery. He has used food to create haute couture apparel inspired by designers such as Alexander McQueen and Prada; crafted jewelry, accessories, handbags, and shoes out of edible elements for his book A Matter of Taste. Born in Italy, Fulvio started out as a graphic designer and illustrator of film posters before devoting his energies to photography. As a photographer, he brings his artistic and design sensibilities to each and every one of his pictures, doing all of post production himself so that his photographs are infused with his vision from start to finish. – Via Fulvio’s website

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After reading of his death, we were inspired and moved to share the words of wisdom imparted by Shannon Larratt’s art of living. His recent suicide was preceded by a well-written and insightful farewell blog post – full of his thoughts on life, death and dying. A few of the issues he touches upon are important in today’s mess of a medical system and the politics of dying a pain free death. And his personal tributes and remembrances are heart felt, raw honesty that almost everyone can relate to.

Tattoos and body modifications are an art form in themselves, personal expressions using human flesh as a canvas or sculpture. Some you may cringe from and some you may love. Shannon gave this art a visual forum when he founded BMEzine and his blog – ModBlog.

Shannon was the creator and former editor and publisher of BMEzine. It is the oldest and largest body modification website on the internet, as well as the companion online community site IAM.BMEzine.com. He also published several books, including ModCon: The Secret World Of Extreme Body Modification. He was an established online author, artist, computer programmer, film producer, and business owner. – Via Wikipedia

Some exceptional paragraphs from Shannon’s final post -

“If I knew my life was going to be this short, I would have pushed harder, not frittered so much of it away. I wish I’d seized every single opportunity, not just “many of them”, thinking “I can do that next year.”

“But I do believe that there were fundamental shortcomings in the way both my condition and my pain was treated, and that the last few years could have been much more pleasant if the pain had been more aggressively managed. I believe this was in part because of the prejudice of multiple doctors due to my appearance causing them to stereotype me as drug seeking (and the simple reality is that it can be hard to tell, and we are so cruel as to prefer to “punish” the sick than to “reward” the mentally ill). I wish there was some way to make those doctors understand the cruelty they enacted. A patient should have the right to a pain free life, even if that comes with some risk. I understand that doctors are pressured due to our “war on drugs” mentality, but I don’t think all the blame should go on the politicians.”

“The last medical thing I want to mention is that I want to strongly advocate for “right to die” legislation. Canada currently has no such thing. It is my strong believe that if I had known that there was a “safe”, pain-free way for me to go at a time of my choosing, hopefully at home surrouded by love, it would have brought me not just enormous peace, but I believe would have given me strength to fight this even longer than I have. As Isaac Asimov said, “No decent human being would allow an animal to suffer without putting it out of its misery. It is only to human beings that human beings are so cruel as to allow them to live on in pain, in hopelessness, in living death, without moving a muscle to help them.”

“Last minute reflections and bits of advice… seize every opportunity that’s in front of you and live life to the fullest. Even with everything I’ve done, there is so much more I wish I’d squeezed in. Don’t let a single day (well, maybe a single day) be idle. Have every adventure you can, and explore every street — although treat the one-way streets with caution. Don’t fritter you life away into television, random browsing, and pointless substance abuse (I have at times been guilty of all of these) — although remember there are valid uses for them, both for growth and entertainment. Have passion about the future, and in the present. Especially if you’re young, push your education and your skills to their limits on every level. Don’t just graduate high school, get a degree, get a doctorate if you can. I know these things aren’t for everyone, they are for most, and they also open doors to some of the most special adventures. Even if you can’t afford proper schooling there are many, many ways to learn, free courses to volunteering, and so on. Value your health, and the health of our planet, and strive beyond its borders. We have such a glorious future, but never forget that your part in that future could end at any moment, so live a life that you can be pround of. And of course love and treat each other well.”

Link to Shannon’s “Finita, la commedia” post

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On Instagram last week, we spotted this new Mark Ryden painting.

She is titled Queen Bee and Mark commented that he had just finished her. Of course we had to share her immediately, with all you Ryden fans out there! She will be sold in a benefit auction for the World Wildlife Fund. We love her beehive and her pensive sadness – is she possibly mourning for the bees us humans have managed to kill off?  Or maybe inspired by Brothers Grimm tale “The Queen Bee”… here.  Of course, bees feature prominently in a many of Ryden’s works, they are loaded with symbolism and sacred meanings and Mark’s Porterhouse store logo is also a bee.

And that frame ain’t too shabby either. Heck, the frame alone could hang on our walls and we’d be happy. If we remember correctly, Mark designs his frames and then has them hand carved by some wonderful artisan in Thailand. He also shared two nice detail shots of Queen Bee, posted here, below.

Link to Mark Ryden’s website

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Revelation #1

Danny Galieote paints everyday secrets and little fantasy moments in a big way, capturing the thoughts behind the action with a voyeuristic vision. Danny was was born and raised in Los Angeles, California where he has been working out of his studio. He paints scenes of everyday lite in America with mastery of the human figure and the environment in which they inhabit. His work is inspired by the American Steno painters, the Regionalists and WPA artists it the 1930′s and 40′s. However, the aim in his work is not pure nostalgia, but rather, is in pursuit of universal, timeless themes of human nature.

Link to Danny’s Website

Here’s My Number, Asshole

I love the idea of painting peoples’ secrets or secret thoughts. I think we all have thoughts that we may/may not say aloud or have thoughts which are acted out in some way. Of course, these “intrusive thoughts”, as they are called by psychologists, remain only thoughts that no one ever hears about and remain with the person as secrets. With my paintings, I try to touch this nerve that everyone can relate to in some way. So, they arenʼt necessarily about ʻgirl powerʼ or any kind of political statement, but rather the meaning hopefully exists in the viewers mind, and that will vary from person to person. I feel that is where the ʻartʼ exists. (By the way, I wonʼt mind if the paintings connote ʻgirl powerʼ or some political statement inadvertently.) – Via Pastimesinc.com

The Epiphany

Max’s Day Out

Strictly Business

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A new exhibition opening up at SR2 Gallery is Patrushka’s Muses and Madness. Her imagery features an eclectic group – of artists, musicians, walking wounded, myth inspired characters, Day of the Dead, celebrities and mugshots.

The show opens Saturday, March 16th, 2013   Reception: 7pm – 9pm

On display through April 28th

Link to SR2 Gallery, Berkeley, CA

Muses focuses on artists, musicians, friends, cultural icons, causes and celebrities that Patrushka admires. Whether it be their artworks, their songs, their image or their happenstance in life – all have inspired and moved Patrushka to capture them in paint. Madness is used in a literal and a generalized way and focuses on the dark and sometimes violent side of mankind, and the many gradations of insanity – whether it be in the way we treat our environment or in the way we treat those who dare to be different. Violent criminals, threatened species, abused women, emotive portraits and misfit personas whose “madness” has consumed them, all have found a place in Patrushka’s world. The body of work crosses the boundaries of the human condition, celebrating the wonderful and the weird, embracing the whole oddity that is humanity. - Via SR2 Gallery

Link to Patrushka’s website

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“Material/Maternal Dilemma” –  At: Artlab Studios, 3536 Adams Ave (Normal Heights), San Diego

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Katie McCann at work in her home studio.

Eclectix asked Katie McCann to answer some questions for our interview about her art and life. And since today is International Women’s Day, it is only fitting that we throw some webshine onto a woman artist, whose work we love. Katie is a local Berkeley artist who creates collage creatures of a very mixed heritage – Victorian women, bird and skeletal parts, botanical elements and various insect parts – often in fancy, flowery and fashionable attire. The final images find themselves assembled on eclectic surfaces, from old book covers and cast-off china pottery to found elements of usual and unusual natures. The end results are wonderful characters with an individual attitude; sometimes sassy and sometimes uncomfortable, in finery and mismatched limbs. 

Can you give us a little personal history and a description of your artistic style?  I was born in England and spent my childhood in Windsor (famous for its castle). I moved to London when I was 18, where I studied fashion journalism, illustration and styling at The London College of Fashion. I also worked for Liberty of London and Gucci. I moved to the USA in 2000 with my family and we now reside in Berkeley. I have my studio at home. I create collages of strange hybrid creatures made up of insects, birds, shells, human bones, plants and fashion couture. They are part science fiction and part fairy story. I work with paper mainly but also embellish some of my art with lace, beads and fabric.

My favorite art memory from my childhood is….  doing a portrait of King Lear in oils for my grandpa’s birthday. I was about 11 years old and I had received an oil painting set for Christmas. I set about painting the piece on my bedroom floor. I made a big mess since I had no idea how to use oils, but the portrait turned out okay and my grandpa loved it. It truly was experimental in that child like way. I wish I could be that free now when I work.

My interest in art/painting started…  when I was quite young. My dad would bring home old television scripts from the BBC where he worked and give them to me to draw on. I would spend hours doodling, sketching and coloring on the backs of these scripts with felt tip pens.

I am often inspired and motivated by…  I am inspired by fashion, especially haute couture, and nature. Putting the two together is like making strange paper dolls. I can see a lady in a bird hat, wearing a cut up Alexander McQueen dress, with a lobster claw arm and spindly, deer legs. Somehow the juxtaposition of beautifully beaded couture dresses and bony, bird like creatures is inspiring. I sometimes spend a while just looking at dresses in my old Vogue magazines and imagining how I can transform them into a living thing.

If I could spend the day with any artist (dead or alive) it would be…  Charles Altamont Doyle.  And we would… probably have a cup of tea and cucumber sandwiches in a Victorian front parlor and talk about the weather, whilst sketching fairies and giant birds.

The tip or art technique (a specific tidbit of craft, advice or mechanical expertise) that has helped me the most is….  wear an apron at all times and also use cuticle scissors to cut out the tiniest pieces for my collages. They are great for those details like beetle legs, tiny leaves and flower petals.

If I could own one piece of art, out of the world’s collections, it would be…  ’Birthday’ by Marc Chagall. (below)  I saw an exhibition of his when I was 15 at The Royal Academy in London and I was so inspired by his art. ‘Birthday’ stood out because of the ‘flying’ figures, the girl’s dress and the simple, romantic celebration in a comfortable setting.

My favorite piece of my own art is… I don’t think I have one yet. Maybe I’m still waiting to make the perfect creature in the perfect dress.

My ultimate project or fantasy is…  to create 3-D versions of my collages. I’m not sure how I would do it but I would love to create life size models of my lady monsters. I’m sure it would involve making paper dresses which is another fantasy of mine.

The last song I choose to listen to was… ’A Song For You’ by Donny Hathaway.

The last book I couldn’t put down was …. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. He captured the dog voice so well. I look at my dog, Jimmy, in a different way since reading it. I now feel like he understands every word I say.

My favorite word is… Fairy

I can’t live without… Books, scissors, tea and hi-top sneakers.

It’s not hip, but I really love…. Toast and Marmite (at least once a day)  Marmite is an English spread made from yeast extract. It is savory and amazing on toast!! They do sell tiny pots of it here but it is very expensive so my dad always brings me a large pot when he visits.

My favorite motto (or quote) is…. ”I have known such a creature”. (Charles Altamont Doyle describing his pen and ink study of a ‘cat-girl’).

I apply this quote to every collage I do.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?  Palma de Mallorca.

Palma de Mallorca is the capital city of the island of Mallorca. Mallorca is one of the three Balearic Islands off the coast of Barcelona.  It is a beautiful city – quite small. Art is everywhere from tiny galleries hidden up the narrow streets to street artists painting on the sidewalks and many of the old private houses have become museums. My mother moved to Mallorca when I was 18 and she now lives with my dad just outside of Palma. I have spent almost every summer vacation there so it feels like home. I love the weather, the cafes, the Mediterranean Sea, the mountains and the tranquil life.

Link To Katie’s Website

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For those of you who are fans of Chrystal Chan’s art, she has just released a new print of her ”Contemplating Destined Coordinates” painting. Just in time for spring – some wonderful bunny rabbit love!

A limited Edition of 100 with 2 proofs retained by Artist and Publisher. This is a numbered limited run print accompanied by an Artist signed certificate. Printed on Woodstock Cotton Rag stock, in close collaboration with the Artist. 310 x 390mm approx 12 x 15″

The prints can be purchased through Fine Grime, Here.

 For the Eclectix Interview with Chrystal, click here.

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We stumbled upon the beautiful, mythic art of Kelly Louise Judd and knew we just had to “go there”. Owls, suspended little girls, dancing rabbits – what’s not to like? Mix in a little Victoriana, botanical specimens, somber expressions and some fairy dust and you’ve got the recipe for her fantastic vision.

Kelly lives in Kansas City with her hubby and two pets – aptly named Wynsome and Hildegarde (what else?). - “I have a small forest in my yard with a secret garden, and windows that look onto my overgrown cottage garden and potager garden; I will spend hours staring into these for inspiration.”  She loves folklore, ghost stories, Victorian literature and art, psychology, Northern Renaissance art, animals, and nature.

“As a child, I was always working on art or some type of craft making. It was one of the few things that had the ability to hold my attention for long periods of time and calm my anxiousness. I don’t think I could ever not be an artist in some form; if I try not to think about making things, a new idea will usually follow shortly.” – Via Etsy

LINK – to Kelly’s Website

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Last night Eclectix dropped into the dual opening of Mike Davis and Henry Lewis at Varnish Fine Arts, in San Francisco. A packed event – it was full of great art and art lovers. Both artists have their roots in the local tattoo culture and over the years have gone through many transitions in their own personal fine art.

Both artists complement each other – presenting a throughly enjoyable exhibition with an outstanding body of work. We’ve posted mostly detail shots and close-ups here, for the full works and images go to the Varnish site. The exhibition is up through April 16th, 2013.

Mike Davis is our very own modern-day Brueghel with tightly rendered and consummately lit surreal scapes. He hand crafted his own beautiful wood frames for each painting which reminded us of a combo medieval and Frank Lloyd Wright construction.

For the Eclectix interview with Mike and a look at his killer portfolio click here.

Mike Davis, sporting the 70′s English rocker in a great way.

Mike Davis, a sample of one of handmade frames

Mike Davis

Mike Davis

Mike Davis

Mike Davis

Henry Lewis is leaning towards mixing his realism with looser, more street-wise styles. There are personal raw emotions and  warrior-esque expressive gestures, flavored with tribal Basquiat. In-your-face humanity strongly erupts from each piece, portraits full of love, struggle and respect. Henry’s website appears to be down at the moment, but for a lot-of-things-Henry – check out a great post at Ransom Notes here.

Henry Lewis

Henry Lewis

Henry Lewis

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While researching our prior birthday David Bowie post, we also discovered a book of photography - Station To Station,  by Geoff MacCormack - a mate of Bowie’s from back in the day. A long-time friend of Bowie since their schooldays in Bromley, Warren Peace (initially as GA MacCormack) contributed backing vocals to a number of albums, beginning with Aladdin Sane in 1973 and continuing through to Station to Station in 1976. Below is a photo of Geoff and Bowie, who looks to be in costume for filming The Man Who Fell To Earth.

The book, aptly titled Station To Station,  is full of great candid snapshots from their travels as well as scrapbook mementos and related texts.  Approximately 200 photographs and items of memorabilia including tour programs, tickets and letters, from the author’s personal archives, nearly all of which are being published for the first time. This is a limited edition book, signed by both Bowie and MacCormack, bound in Italian leather – hence a hefty £295 price tag.

LINK to preview and/or purchase Station To Station

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Opening reception:  Saturday, March 2, from 6 – 9 PM -  Exhibits until April 15th

At: Luna Rienne Gallery, 3318 22nd Street (near Valencia) in San Francisco

LINK to Jenn’s Website

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Shintaro Ohata creates works that are paintings and 3D sculptures combined into one final installation. They have a cheerful and childlike quality, taking one through travels of everyday life and experiences. Usually a little girl is portrayed – doing things like walking on a fence, dancing, riding a merry-go-round or a bike. The environments range from fast food joints to city scenes; the actions are normal realities – playing your iPod, petting a cat or enjoying a sunset.

He says that it all started from when he wondered - “If I could present the atmosphere or dynamism of my paintings in a more different way – if I place sculptures in front of paintings”. 

Shintaro’s moody lighting is impeccable, capturing the beautiful warmth of a sunset or the sterile coldness of a McDonald’s, depending on the subject. Up close, the tactile paper mache-like quality of the sculptures begs to be played with. (See the detail of the cat below). They are sculpted from polystyrene while the backgrounds are traditional paintings. They leave one feeling happy and young again, back in touch with your inner child, when it was so easy to just “be”.

LINK – to Shintaro’s Website

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Kevyn Aucoin was Hollywood’s maestro of the painted face. He created a series of fantastic make-over-makeup jobs, transforming today’s celebrities into former screen idols. See the pictures above?  On the left is Gwyneth Paltrow and on the right is the real deal – Faye Dunaway in Bonnie & Clyde. Pretty good, right?

It may not be the traditional thing we think of as art – yet it is. Any woman (or drag queen)  out there, knows there is a real artistry to applying makeup and Kevyn had it down. Before his early death in 2002 (of an overdose) he produced two books full of his tips and expertise, Making Faces and Face Forward, along with many of his reinvented painted ladies.

Perfection is boring. If a face doesn’t have mistakes, it’s nothing.  - Kevyn Aucoin

“It was as if he could tap into your spirit and transform you into your dream.” - Model Amber Valletta

From Winona Ryder as Elizabeth Taylor – to Martha Stewart as Veronica Lake (yes, Martha Stewart! ),  the  flawless images below speak for themselves.

Martha Stewart as Veronica Lake

Isabella Rosselini as Alla Nazimova

Calista Flockhart as Audrey Hepburn

Gena Rowlands as Ava Gardner

Courtney Love as Jean Harlow

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Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) – Cate Rangel

This being the week before the Oscars and all, we couldn’t resist sharing some fine art of various Hollywood entities with you all. Celebrity art, portraits of characters from the movies and the people who make the films – have inspired artists for decades. There is a lot ( and we mean a lot! ) of excellent digital or PhotoShop-based works out there – but we opted for the real deal – as in: paint, brushes, pencils or fingers …

Cate Rangel (top)  A self-taught artist from Los Angeles, painter Cate Rangel creates work that is full of personal meaning. With a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she easily transfers her own emotions into her feminine subjects. They are not images of her physical self, but psychological mirrors that are a mix of boldness and fragility, and highlight the power and beauty of the female figure. – Via Cate Rangel

LINK - For the Eclectix Interview with Cate ( Our very first… )

Sydney Pollack – Peter Lloyd

Peter Lloyd  

I like to think of myself as a bit of an eclectic artist. My day job gives me the luxury of not having to paint for the wider audience of consumers so I can try different subjects, styles, mediums etc. Depending on my mood at the time I alternate between portraiture, the human figure, still life and Australian landscapes. Sprinkled here and there are some frivolous works like “Over Imbibed” or “Minstrels by Moonlight”.

- Via Peter Lloyd (LINK)

The Bride of Frankenstein – Isabel Samaras

Isabel Samaras

“ … It’s idiotic to have to keep re-inventing the wheel- knowledge and skills should be shared…  Being generous with yourself is free and easy.” - Via Isabel Samaras

Isabel is a wonderfully welcoming and out spoken artist, full of pluck, verve and vigor. She loves to disco, eat chocolate and absorb art, of any kind. A regular girl in da’ hood with an inherent talent for twisting cultural icons of our time, into something just a little more special.

LINK – The Eclectix Interview

Al Pacino – Dave MacDowell

Dave MacDowell

David MacDowell is a self-taught artist living in Virginia. He incorporates media culture, and social themes into brilliant and controversial satirical paintings. Working primarily with acrylics on canvas, David is not afraid of tapping into the dark side of American media worship. He tops off celebrity renderings sprinkled with crying babies, candy colored nightmares, and a hilariously acidic sense of humor. Some have called his work a virtual “Disneyland on acid”.

- Via Dave MacDowell (LINK)

Blue Velvet (Isabella Rossellini) – Rosaria Battiloro

Rosaria Battiloro

Graduated in 2008 at Fine Arts College in Naples, Italy, with a thesis on Pop Art and neo-Pop movement. Devouring art, comics, books, music, movies, fashion and every other aspect of modern visual culture since 1984.

- Via Rosaria Battiloro (LINK)

Frank Sinatra – Drew Friedman

Drew Friedman

“I never wanted to go out and work. All I wanted to do was watch the Three Stooges and Soupy Sales.” — DF

Drew is an award-winning illustrator whose work regularly appears in dozens of major publications. For years he was renowned for his “stippling” style of caricature, employing thousands of pen-marks to achieve photographic verisimilitude, but in recent years Friedman has switched to painting.

- Via Drew Friedman (LINK)

Audrey (Twin Peaks) – Stella Im Hultberg

Stella Im Hultberg

Stella’s portraits of women are rendered in easy, flowing lines with soft hues that transcend the typical critiques of feminine beauty, inherent in today’s self conscious society. Hultberg originally studied Industrial Design at CSU, which naturally segued into work as a toy designer early on in her career. Work in the design industry serendipitously led to her building on her natural talents as an artist and a career as a self-taught painter soon followed. – Via Thinkspace

LINK - Stella Im Hultberg

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It’s not often that we post videos here at Eclectix – most of them seem to lack the imagination and artistic merit that we look for. This video – Cirrus by Bonobo is a real exception – a visual treat, graphically entrancing and clever in so many ways. Incredibly detailed, full of kaleidoscopic collage, surreal robots and retro imagery. It is set to Bonobo’s new single and perfectly synced with the music. Nice club beats that will be added to my workout playlist, pronto.

The video is produced by a UK company - Cyriak and it uses clips from a 1962 film about the wonders of consumerism. Hence, the wonderful vintage feel mixed with todays beats.  Do yourself a favor and check out this wonderfully trippy video…

LINK –  to the Cirrus video on Vimeo.

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Osaka-based artist Yasuaki Onishi is an installation artist, creating sculptures and site specific environments. Currently working with found materials and (in the past) LED lights to create forms and shapes. The pieces pictured here, which are titled - Reversal of Volume, is an installation created using “the negative space of stacked objects”. Everyday materials such as glue, fishing wire and plastic sheeting are used to create billowing forms. Yasuaki drips copious amounts of hot glue, creating long drips of spiderweb-like rain which attach to various parts of the shapes, joining floating clouds of mountainous plastic. They have an organic feel – almost like you are walking within a microscopic world of chemical structures and internal biology. Peaceful and beautifully otherworldly…

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We culled through the web maze of artist portfolios to find a few outstanding artworks  for this Valentine’s Day. Pop surrealists, narratives, traditional and assemblage – a mixed bag of goodies. Some sweet heart art for you – whether they be anatomical hearts, bleeding hearts or lovingly symbolic – they are all heartastic!

David Bowers’ painting (above) is titled Heart Throb and it does just that… Outrageously rendered, emotive and engaging – bravo!

“Poetry and painting are done in the same way you make love; it’s an exchange of blood, a total embrace – without caution, without any thought of protecting yourself.”
Joan Miro

 

Intrepidation, “Phases de la lune” – Melissa Hartley

Art Dolls by Beth Robinson

Winter Heart – Jennybird Alcantara

For The Love Of Honey – Patrushka

Anatomical Heart Collage #2 – Alicia Caudle

Essentia Exaltata – Madeline von Foerster

“Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding.”
Diane Arbus

To see our prior collection of love-related artwork, “Heartbeats”, click here.

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Two new shows are coming up at Modern Eden this Saturday and they both promise to be enthralling. The group themed show this time is Venice – and oh! what a subject to make my heart sigh. Of the few cities I was fortunate enough to visit in Italy, Venice is by far my favorite. The above piece “Tempestuous” by Melissa Hartley is so breathtakingly wonderful in every way, we had to pass it along. Hope it makes your day, like it did mine…

Melissa Hartley is an artist, graphic designer, cat lover, tea drinker, Francophile, movie and music lover with a terrible sweet tooth. She desires to create images of beauty and mystery that allow the viewer to find their own personal significance in them. She lives in Sydney with her husband and two cats, Ludwig and Wolfgang. - Via Melissa’a website

Venice is a city like no other on earth with its canals, baroque architecture, and fabled history. From the early Venetian artists Titian, Bellini and Canaletto to later artists like Whistler, Monet and Sargeant,Venice has been a constant muse and inspiration. Idealized and romanticized in art and literature, traveled and adored by countless millions, Venice continues to inspire to this day. The grand decaying architecture, the reflections off the grand canal, the dramatic horrors of the Carnival and the colorful delights of the sinking city all define an otherworldly place, a place of macabre intentions, where imagination fills in the blanks of what is possible. - Via Modern Eden

Opening: Feb. 16th, 6-10 pm, showing thru March 9th, 2013

Link to Exhibition Information

The  concurrent solo show this time around is Bound, all works by the fabulous Archer Dougherty.  Brilliant colorations, waves of water and shapes, ever-symbolic swans and young women swooning with reaction – Archer’s works are beauteous compositions.

When Archer was small – smaller than she is now – she spent her time reading the Oz books, drawing, finding cicada wings her mother insisted belonged to fairies, and wending her roundabout way through private school. Aghast at suddenly finding herself grown up, and that the wings hidden in her Oz books actually do belong to cicadas, Archer’s work deals with the harsh transition from living in that imaginary world from her childhood, and the harsh reality of adulthood. Archer lives in Albuquerque with her husband and two children – some may call them dogs. She still reads the Oz books from time to time, and now tells her nephew the wings in her collection belong to real fairies. – Via Archer’s website

“Bound” became not a show title, but an experience. I became more free with my experimentation, gave myself up to exploration; I became infatuated with trying multiple surfaces and techniques, not to be ‘bound’ by one or the other. ‘Binding” relationships between characters, or the specific lack thereof, became a focal point. I have discovered so many things about myself working on this show, uncovering wells of emotion and spiritual depth, and am eager to keep moving forward on this untrodden path. – Archer’s exhibition statement

Artists featured in the Venice show are: Melissa Hartley, Shawn Kawa, Jaclyn Alderete, Zofia Bogusz, Sandra Yagi, Thea Saks, Steven Suiter, Lara Dann, Cory Benhatzel, Emilio Villalba, Bradley Platz, Lauren May, Henry Schreiber, Redd Walitzki, Helen Bayly, Debra Gardner Abarca, Mike Bell, Erica Calardo, Derek Harrison, Cayetano Valenzuela, Melanie Alves, Amy Minchew, Natalia Pierandrei, Kenneth Burris, Larisa Voynova, Kim Larson, Kurtis Rykovich, and Daisy Church.

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We have been following the exhibits at the Laguna Museum for years – they often show cutting edge and newbrow art that other museums refuse to consider. One of their new series, created by curator Grace Kook-Anderson, is “ex-pose”and it focuses on emerging artists – like this upcoming exhibit of Allison Schulnik.

PREVIEW:  Allison Schulnik in Laguna Beach at the Laguna Art Museum

Opens Feb. 24th, showing through April 28th, 2013.

Allison’s work is a gooey mess of goodness, super chunks of paint intersect with layered strokes, erupting into a final arresting image. A cacophony of pigment, reminding one of the Expressionists, full of emotional turmoil and freeform abandon. So much textured dimension that they might be considered sculptures – which make sense when you view her claymation videos. Allison’s more demented images are crazed, disturbed clowns or angst ridden humans – while others are beautiful still life captivations like the seashells below. Little hooded figures appear in many of her works – are they Klu Klux Klan, medeval priests or softie ice cream cones? Deranged frosty birthday cakes, children’s finger paintings or sculpted wall reliefs? Whatever they conjure up – they are fresh expressions and absolutely fabulous.

Link: to Allison’s website,  Link: to her Mound video (very cool!)

I know that I seem to be drawn to sad characters, the forlorn reject. Something about being on the outside. The outcast. But I also am intrigued by the super confident fool. He too is a reject. I’m not really interested in what’s accepted by people. I like the things, places and characters that have been forsaken. On both sides of the field. The happy genius fool and the pathetic misfit. I guess I like drama. – Allison Schulnik, Via Fecal Face Interview

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If you’re looking for a way to make a 3D head – either for an art project or as a fun gift, check out  Paper-Kit. It’s a simple and easy-to-use web app that lets you turn your own portrait photos into 3D heads that you print, cut out, and assemble yourself. Next Halloween you can go as your own blockhead self!

The main thing you’ll need to do is photograph a head from three different angles: one from the front and two from the sides. You then upload those photos into the app. It’ll then turn those photographs into a digital 3D model, which you can then print out as a PDF kit for €2 (~$2.60). The model is broken down into a large number of small shapes that you’ll need to cut out and put together.

Link to PaperKit

We are hoping that a few of you will do this and send in some photos to Eclectix. We would love to see the results – they would make a great post with the real vs. the paper head shots, side by side.

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We thought it was about time to revisit the work of local San Francisco artist Michael Page. He has quite a few fantastic new paintings on his site. Full of surreal swirls, morphing smears, brilliant colors and an overall ambient trance-like feel – Michael’s works are an acid trip captured on canvas. We love the distorted movement and surprising elements he pops into each piece.

You can see the mind-blowing painting (above) in person at the upcoming exhibition - Something Wicked This Way Comes, link here, at Cella Gallery in Los Angeles. There are quite a few outstanding artists in this show: Annie Owens, Christian Rex van Minnen, Christine Wu, Chrystal Chan, David Ball, Fulvio Di Piazza, Jana Brike, Jessica Ward, Judith Supine, and Michael Page. Opening: Feb. 23rd, 7-10 pm

Link to Michael’s Website

I really was not trying to have a single narrative with this body of work, but rather trying to show brief moments in time. I wanted the paintings to have more of dreamlike feel to them. That’s the concept behind all of these ideas and where these paintings are coming from. They represent moments in time, dreams, reality, deja vu, or even past lives. – Via Warholian

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Loving all things that Pamela Wilson puts her brush to – we had to give a shout out about her new solo show coming up. The exhibition - Electric Sugar – opens this Saturday, Feb. 9th (on display through March 2nd) at Distinction Gallery in Escondido.

The title is aptly pulled from a Tom Waits song and is featured on the exhibit promo - “And over in, the burnt yellow tent, by the frozen tractor, the music was like electric sugar…”

Pamela’s themes comprise circus antics, victorious lasses clad in striped stockings, clown haired urchins, pirate wenches and real women.  Her “carnivale” palette is dusty and time-worn, seen through a depression-era haze of amber golds and rusted reds. Full of posers, tragic heroes, cast offs and frolickers – Pamela’s art is delightfully sassy feminist modern mixed with Victorian steampunk.

For more about Pamela and her work, click here for the Eclectix interview with her…

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E coli, detail

UK artist Luke Jerram’s viral visions, titled Microbiology, are glass sculptures representing various harmful viruses and bacteria. We love the fact that something so infectious and scary, in Luke’s hands, are transformed into something so incredibly harmonious and beautiful…

The image (top) of Luke’s E coli, reminds us of Dale Chihuly’s tentacled glassworks – while the others call to mind fanciful dandelions, snowflake crystals, space stars, vacuum tubes and magic wands.

Papilloma

About the Glasswork

This body of glass work has been developed since 2004. Made to contemplate the global impact of each disease, the artworks were created as alternative representations of viruses to the artificially coloured imagery we receive through the media. In fact, viruses have no color as they are smaller than the wavelength of light. By extracting the color from the imagery and creating jewel like beautiful sculptures in glass, a complex tension has arisen between the artworks’ beauty and what they represent. 

The sculptures are designed in consultation with virologists from the University of Bristol, using a combination of different scientific photographs and models. – Via Luke Jerram

Link to Luke’s website

Thanks to Lost At E Minor for the tip!

HIV

E coli

Malaria

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Graphic designer Virginia Holman has created some gorgeous, vintage inspired anatomical perfume bottles which really caught our eye. You can see them all –  here at her website. We tried to find out where to purchase these to no avail. Let us know if you can find out where, we want!

Van Der Lichaam is a dutch aromatherapy company based out of Delft, Holland. I designed a set of perfume bottles along with a box of perfume vials. This set of perfume packages are inspired by the Victorian cabinet of curiosities. Each of the illustrations on the back of the label relates to the aromatherapy of the scent. The jasmine + sandalwood fragrance is to increase romance. The bottle features an anatomical heart illustration. The rosemary + bergamot fragrance is blended to improve metal clarity. The bottle features a brain illustration. The eucalyptus + lemon fragrance is blended to improve respiratory health. The bottle features an illustration of a pair of lungs.  - Via Virginia

Thanks to Street Anatomy for the tip!

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Here at Eclectix we love photographers that treat their skills as real creative artists – not just capturing an image – but doing so in a way that is painterly and original. When we stumbled upon the fantastic image (above) of Florence Welch by Nadav Kandar we couldn’t take our eyes off it. So serene and achingly immortal – she projects the aura of a modern day saint with the tactile lusciousness of 1940′s cinematic color. Florence is a musician from Florence And The Machine.

Impressed by the breadth and quality of photography on Nadav’s website, we chose a handful to share. Some of his images are famous celebrity portraits, some are editorial and landscape-based and some are surreal studio shots. All are composed with a unique and different light, a moody sparseness, a fine tuned eye and a gorgeous final outcome. His work forms part of the public collection at the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

There is such a wealth of goodness on Kander’s site that we had a very difficult time deciding which masterpieces to post here. One incredible series after another, on many different and eclectic subjects. You can feel his compassion for the human condition in all his work, whether it is photos of the Yangtze River, naked prostitutes in shoes or his series titled Bodies: 6 Women, 1 Man, (Four works of which are featured below.) Coated in white marble dust and set against the black void of the studio, each human pose is breathtaking in every way.

Link to Nadav Kander’s Website 

Below is a statement from Nadav about his Bodies series: 

Revealed yet concealed.  Shameless yet shameful.  Ease with unease. Beauty and destruction.  These paradoxes are displayed in all my work; an enquiry into what it feels like to be human.  

These naked pictures are the latest, and perhaps strongest, distillation of the themes that continue to fascinate and nourish me. My subject matters are varied, but the essence is the same.  Whether photographing on the banks of the Yangtze, or in my studio, I work with the human conditions that link us all; the vulnerability of mankind.  What it is to be alone in the world.  What it is to be human.

Popular imagery airbrushes the shadow from our lives, but of course there is no health without illness, no life without death, and no beauty without imperfection. Wherever I may be, my pictures seek to expose the shadow and vulnerability that exists in all of us, and it is this vulnerability that I find so beautiful. 

You may see these works (in London) at Flowers Gallery, currently on exhibition through Feb. 9th, 2013.

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We are loving these floating humanoid statues being carried away on their umbrellas! It is an installation inside the EBC office center in Prague, by Czech artist Michal Trpák. Titled Slight Uncertainty, they hover over the heads of visitors to the European Business Center, however “uncertain” that business may be.

Each figurine is hung individually, suspended through a narrow space from the ceiling on down. The polyester shaped pieces are finished in a concrete color contrasting well with the brightly colored umbrellas. It would be so fun to stick an all-black Mary Poppins in among the mix …

We visited Michal’s website and you should too… It greets you with an animated little video of a sculptured scenario – it is not to be missed. A fantastic little claymation!

LINK – to Michal’s website

Michal has some wonderful other works on his site – we were also taken with - What Is Happiness? (below) I think seeing a giant fly sitting on the side of the neighbor’s building, might make me happy indeed.

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