The  international non-profit organization, PangeaSeed (based in Japan), kicks off it’s shark-saving art tour in the United States with “The Great West Coast Migration - A Benefit for Sharks and Oceans”

The show theme addresses one the biggest threats facing the world’s oceans today, the rapid mass depletion of sharks by the brutal fishing tactic known as “finning.”

Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins

PangeaSeed, is spreading its message by embarking on a series of art exhibitions held at a variety of forward-looking, socially-conscious galleries located along the United States’ west coast.

Seattle – July 13 – 15: Roq la Rue
Portland – July 20 – 22: Grass Hut Co.
San Francisco – July 27 – 28: Spoke Art
Los Angeles – August 2 – 4: LeBasse Projects
Costa Mesa – August 10 – 12: The ARTery
San Diego – August 18 – 19: Space 4 Art

Follow PangeaSeed on their Facebook page and fine out more info on the West Coast Migration page.

In addition, PangeaSeed is collaborating with the acclaimed Beneath the Waves Film Festival to screen a series of award-winning short films on specially selected evenings at select stop of the tour.

Danny Miller

The list of participating artists includes luminaries like Greg Simkins, Skinner, Caitlin Hackett, Adam Wallacavage, Jeremy Pruitt, Shark Toof, Serge Gay Jr., Brett Amory, Mario Wagner, Frank Gonzales, Dave Kinsey, Sylvia Ji, and Eric Otto. If this years’s show is anything like last year’s, it will be highly memorable.

Derek Nobbs

Gale Hart

Kelly Allen

Koji Harman

In the cruel process of shark finning, primarily practiced in Asia but also in other parts of the world, sharks are killed solely for their fins to satisfy an unsustainable appetite for shark fin soup. The shark is hooked and brought aboard the boat where its fins are then cut off and the still alive but limbless animal is tossed back into the sea to drown.

James Morgan

Laura Ball

Mario Wagner

Max Dalton

Close to 200 sharks are killed PER MINUTE, adding up to an astonishing 73 million deaths each year. Scientists estimate that global fish stocks will be in full collapse by 2048 if current consumption and destructive fishing practices continue. But even more shocking is the concern that the majority of the ocean’s shark species could be extinct within the next 10-20 years.

Ransom & Mitchell

Remo Camerota

Robert Bowen

Scott Hove

Samuel Rodriguez

Tatiana Saurez

Toshikazu Nozaka

Yoh Nagao

PangeaSeed is an international grassroots organization founded in Tokyo, Japan dedicated to educating and raising global awareness on the plight of sharks and the destruction of their habitat. Through volunteer activism, research, and the various mediums of art, music, film, and photography, PangeaSeed aims to create an open dialog with the global community to develop an understanding of the need to preserve and protect sharks and the oceans. PangeaSeed is the first organization in Japan to raise public awareness regarding shark conservation and preservation. They rely on the generosity of their supporters.

Mad props to Tre’ L. Packard, managing director of PangeaSeed (and everyone else) for all the hard work it has taken to put this together!

“Cloud Theory” Solo Exhibit
Merry Karnowski Gallery
April 21 – May 19, 2012
Opening Reception – Saturday, April 21st from 8-11PM

170 S. La Brea Ave
LA, CA 90036
323.933.4408
info@mkgallery.com

Below are a series of details from the painting shown on the flier above. Words are not necessary to describe the brilliance. (courtesy of Juxtapoz)

Juxtapoz created this short video that reveals some of Simkins’ techniques. It’s a short, fascinating glimpse into his working style.

Despite my gandious descriptions of his staggering talents, Simkins is an extraordinarily grounded, approachable and dare I say “normal” person. When speaking with him about his inspirations and work habits they are not dissimilar from many of us, family, childhood and a desire to just work hard and have an honest ethic. What makes Simkins truly special is how he incorporates his own personal experience into highly unexpected scenarios that are beyond what many would ever dream up, yet anyone can understand completly.

Studio portraits by Rafael Ortega.

Simkins describes his thought process for his latest show, “Cloud Theory”:

As a child I used to play a game, which involved nothing more than lying on my back, staring at the sky. As the clouds formed and floated by, my imagination inserted characters into the story unfolding before my eyes. These clouds became the catalyst for what would become a lifelong compulsion to daydream and slip into other worlds merely by being outside.

While working out ideas for this exhibit, it became clear that clouds would be the foundation for each piece. By taking them out of the background and making them the framework for my ideas, I quickly discovered how “The Outside”—this world that I have created for myself—has consumed my subconscious. After years spent buried in books, learning about animals and oddities, heroes and villains, truth and fiction, “The Outside” has become an assortment of bizarre morphing creatures, winged observers, antique odds and ends, and tentacled heroes who have become my friends over the years. Simultaneously, “The Outside” has illuminated my secret desire of escaping this world with its politics, its trappings, and its stresses. These pieces serve as an intermission from the struggles of our world and bring back the heart of a kid, lying on his back, interpreting what he sees in the clouds, completely and utterly carefree.

Stuck Outside, 2012  (courtesy of Arrested Motion)

I have been a long time fan of Simkins’ work and have written about him before, including the exceptional group show INLE that he curated in 2011. I am constantly inspired that someone as extraordinarily talented as he is also on a constant quest to challenge himself and find new ways to tell his highly personalized stories that are so uniquely “Craola.”

In With The Tide, 2012 (courtesy of Daily Du Jour)

The Gangs All Here, (courtesy of Hi-Fructose)

A unique installation made by Simkins for his show.

Calm Before the Storm, (via Craola’s tumblr)

Warmest congratulations Greg for your ongoing success and thanks to Merry Karnowsky Gallery for sharing these new works with the world.

Varnish Fine Art
16 Jessie St., #C120
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-433-4400

On view September 8th – October 27th, 2012
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 6pm
Gallery Contact: Jennifer Rogers – jen@varnishfineart.com

As the author of this blog, I am honored  Varnish Fine Art in San Francisco has debuted “Ransom & Mitchell - Smoke & Mirrors” which encompasses more than a years worth of work I created with my partner Jason Mitchell. We are exhibiting two unique bodies of work, consisting of fourteen cinematically themed tableaus, twenty seven artist portraits and two short films.

For our portraiture, we sought to tell personalized stories about each artist and filled their scenes with clues about their inner truths.

portrait of artist Scott Musgrove / 2012

portrait of artist Greg “Craola” Simkins / 2012

portrait of artist Charmaine Olivia / 2011

For our narrative pieces, we combined epic scenes of lush grandeur with uncomfortable emotional themes that address issues of obsession, consumption and longing.

Wreckage, 2012

The Truth Lies Within, 2012

Nos Fiere Quad Seminat / 2011

Elegant Extraction, 2012

Much more can be seen in my feature post about the show including behind the scenes photos, more show artwork, installation photos and film stills.

If you are in the San Francisco area this month, I hope you will stop by.

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The participating artists have been hand picked for their natural disposition towards the strange and deranged. This exhibition will showcase over 50 artists’ interpretations of “Anomalies” and sideshow/carny culture. There will be paintings, drawings and sculptures of subjects that will deviate, distort and mystify. Human oddities, anatomical wonders, freaks, geeks & gaffs. Step right up and peek inside the beinArt Collective’s cabinet of curiosities!

Christian Rex Van Minnen / Harbinger / 2012

Participating artists include: Travis Louie, Esao Andrews, Chris Mars, David Stoupakis, Chet Zar, Christian Van Minnen, Scott Scheidly, Jessica Joslin, Turf One (Jean Labourdette), Naoto Hattori, Gregory Jacobsen, David Choquette, Brendan Danielson, Sandra Yagi, Tom Bagshaw, Pamela Wilson, Scott G Brooks, Peter Gric, Dietmar Gross, Heidi Taillefer, John Brophy, Richard A Kirk, Mia Araujo, Santiago Caruso, Tom Kuebler, Karl Persson, Jana Brike, Beau White, Heather Nevay, Erik Thorsandberg, Jason Montinola, Stephanie Henderson, Jennybird Alcantara, Jessica Ward, Jeff Christensen, Macsorro, Matt Dangler, Leslie Ditto, Lee Roswell, Sarina Brewer, Jennifer Knaus, Tim French, Agostino Arrivabene, Caitlin Hackett, Cliff Wallace, Mark Elliott, Brian Smith, Hector Javier Ramirez, Larkin, Murielle Belin, Erik Alos, Mark Gleason & Robert Steven Connett.

Robert Connett / Feast of the Have Nots

Jessica Joslin / Typhon / 2012

Jennybird Alcantara / Strange Fruit

Caitlin Hackett / cirque du laboratoire

Macsorro Julius / The Monkeyman

Scott Scheidly / Weirdo

Naoto Hattori / Life Generator

Tom Bagshaw / Final Act

Pamela Wilson / Metempsychosis – Ginger Snapped

Sarina Brewer / untitled

Chris Mars / A Gathering at Witch’s Bend

Peter Gric / Cocoon

Che Zar / Flat Top

It was formed to increase public awareness of strange figurative art, in galleries, online and in print. Each artist has been selected for their ability to express themselves imaginatively with exceptional technique and uncompromising individuality. The beinArt Collective is testimony to a huge international movement of figurative artists who have resisted current trends in the art world and remained true to their artistic vision. beinArt Collective: http://beinart.org

Garro is one of the top surrealist painters of our day who’s meticulously detailed imaginative works constantly push the boundaries of time, space and gravity. His new paintings are complicated swirls of impossibly magical and spellbinding scenarios – each one resplendent with sumptous textures, details and metaphors.

Give the Fish it’s Jungle Back

Copro Gallery – Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5
Santa Monica , CA 90404
310/829-2156
art inquiries: CoproGallery@live.com
Opening Reception, Saturday, October 13th, 8pm – 11:30pm

Atoms’s Eve -

“Oracle serpent seeks gardens bounty

She may never leave

Don’t take things for granted, a common pet peeve

Distant valleys flood, real world bobs and weaves

Better head for the hills approaching atom’s eve”

Atom’s Eve – detail

One could fall headlong into his immersive paintings and discover new objects, beings and vistas along every square inch. Garro’s most breathtaking skill is is how he effortlessly morphs one texture to the next creating a wondrous world that exists solely in the mind of this unique artist.

Atom’s Eve – detail 2

Atom’s Eve – even closer

To say I am smitten with his impeccable renditions of sublime beauty, submersion and expansiveness is an understatement.

Soaked

“Citrus fish hides with landscape lures and sponge hails a cab
The Hunters patience takes a turn when Bobs not feelin’ fab”

Soaked – detail

Carpool

“Basin of nostalgia
Holds fish, part scale and chrome
Mutant greenhouse landscape
Reflects the place we once called home”

Carpool – detail

A special additon to this show is that many of Mark’s sketch paintings and character studes are available for purchase too.

Carpool – character study sketch

I encourage you to look at the rest of the pieces in the show in Copro’s preview gallery and to follow this talented artist on Facebook so you may stay abreast of all his updates.

Congratulations Mark Garro on this breathtaking new body of work!

Varnish Fine Art
16 Jessie St., #C120
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-433-4400

My partner, Jason Mitchell, a director-photographer, and myself Stacey Ransom, a set designer and photo-illustrator, create abundant, highly-detailed photo illustrations. Our work is narrative in nature and draws upon the darker undercurrent that exists within all aspects of society.


Portrait of artist Scott Musgrove, “The Last Good Man” / 2012

Through a combination of cinematic lighting, theatrically-designed sets, and an illustrative approach that is inspired by the Italian and Dutch Master painters, we aim to create worlds that cannot exist (and quite possibly shouldn’t).


“My Heart is Where My Head Was” / 2009

Stills from the accompanying short film that will be on display, “My Head is Where My Heart Was” / 2009

We hope our images blur the lines between traditional photography and classical painting so our viewers will be unsure as to what is “real” and what we created either as sets & props or as digital painting.

“Nos Fiere Quod Seminat (we become what is sown)” / 2011

In our show “Smoke & Mirrors,” we are presenting two unique bodies of work, consisting of fourteen cinematically themed tableaus, twenty seven artist portraits and two short films. For our narrative pieces, we have combined epic scenes of lush grandeur with uncomfortable emotional themes that address issue of obsession, consumption and longing.

“Her Burdens are Her Pleasures” / 2012

For our portraiture, we have sought to tell personalized stories about each artist and filled their scenes with clues about their inner truths.

Portrait of artist Greg “Craola” Simkins, “The Alchemist” / 2012

Portrait of artist Mike Davis, “The Nobelman” / 2011

Portrait of jewelry designer (Bloodmilk) & curator Jess Schnabel, “Between Worlds” / 2012

Portrait of artist Charmaine Olivia, “Ritual” / 2011

Stills from the motion portrait of artist Charmaine Olivia that will be on display, “Ritual” / 2011

Portrait of artist Alex Pardee, “Monster Hunter” / 2011

Portrait of artist 100taur (pronounced Centaur) aka: Nicolas Giraud, “Funky Fresh Pee Pea” / 2011

We feel the tie that binds all of this work together is our disregard for reality and a constant desire to find a visual and conceptual balance between dreams and nightmares.

“Wreckage”" / 2012

For this show at Varnish Fine Art gallery, we decided to create an installation within the gallery that incorporated the five foot rose I made for our most recent series of work, “Elegant Extraction.” (below)

“Elegant Extraction, part one : Elegant Inception” / 2012

The centerpiece rose suspended above the gallery is part of a a strange decaying home that provides a sumptuous, yet contradictory setting for our work.

We also wanted to create special one-of a kind frames for all of the work in the show. All the frames have been hand-painted and many (when appropriate) were stained with ‘blood’ to further their emotional narrative.

Photo of a few of  the 40+ hand painted frames for our show via my instagram @hld4ransom

Jason & I also believe knowledge, passion and inspiration should never be hoarded and are always appreciative when people we admire share with others. We created a website called Fake Believe that is devoted to sharing step-by-step breakdowns of how we do our work.

Photos from our Fake Believe blog showing step by step how I made Alex Pardee’s monster and the set for his portrait shoot.

You can also check out some of behind-the-scenes photos published online in Hi-Fructose and Juxtapoz of our shoots with artists Mike Davis, Scott Musgrove & Craola. All of the photos in these articles were shot by the uber talented documentary photographer, Shaun Roberts. A brief selection of Shaun’s photos are below.

Make-up artist Jihyun Kim applying the final touches of blood to artist Scott Musgrove’s face.

Jason & I look on to set as Costume Designer, Margaret Hasley adjusts the model’s robe during artist Mike Davis’ portrait shoot.

Jason giving direction to Artist Greg Simkins on how high to hold his magical water pitcher.

Jason and I are both active on Instagram  - you may follow us at @hld4ransom (me) and @impureacts (Jason). You may also follow us on our new Facebook page “Ransom & Mitchell” where we have begun posting images from this show and photos of the sets & prop I make for our shoots.

A selection of photos from my Instagram account – I mainly post process photos of my set and prop creations, photos of other artists and their work, and on occasion I post photos of the Jason & I looking ridiculous. (Worth noting, the lobster-hand, skull child in the bottom row is the creation of artist Scott D. Wilson who was featured on Boing Boing and who’s portrait will also be in our show.)

Saving the best for last, I Jason & I will be giving away 100 small photo prints of our self-portrait, “Orthros Sapien” at our opening from 6-9pm as a thank you to all who come out to support our show and our wonderful gallery Varnish Fine Art. (One print per person. Must be in attendance to receive print.)

Self portrait of artists Ransom & Mitchell “Orthros Sapien” / 2011

A huge thank you goes out to the many cast & crew members who have helped us realize our wild flights of fancy. Below is a (mostly) complete list of every person who helped create the photos and films that we are displaying in our show.

Participating Artists: Scott Musgrove, Greg “Craola” Simkins, Jess Schnabel, Craww, David Pescovitz, 100taur (Nicolas Giraud), Alex Pardee, Robert Bowen, Wednesday Kirwan, Charmaine Olivia, Mike Davis, Scott D Wilson, John Casey, Ulorin Vex and Ozlo Mitchell

Models: Alexis Hutt, Ukushu, Grace Gabbana, Rachel Sutton, Hattie Jane, Heather Hayes, Tiana Hunter, Lindsay Gardner, Brittany Cervantes, Jennifer Jones, J M Stewart

Key Art Assit – scenic painting & set decor: Edward Rachel Nichols

Wardrobe Design, Costume Creation and Styling: Margaret Hasley, Christina Molcillo, Ali Cohen, Melisande Innes-Brown, Tom Banwell, Chrissy Sixx, Eirik Aswang

Hair & make-up design: Jihyun Kim, Lisa Zomer, Mil Ranon, Alicia Marie Campbell

Special FX Make-up: Margaret Caragan

Gaffers: Charles Griswald, Joe Mendoza, Darrel Flowers, Cody Flowers

Camera Assist Motion: Aaron Meister, Jesse Dana, Jonathan Bowerbank

Camera Assist Still: Samuel Herndon

Set Construction: Jesse Roadkill Wilson, Mike Boyd Williams

We hope you will be able to stop by our opening at Varnish Fine Art, Saturday, Sept 8th so we can express our gratitude in person.

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111 Minna Gallery

111 Minna Street,

San Francisco, CA 94105

415.974.1719

Aug 3 – Sept 8

Opening Reception, Friday Aug 3rd, 5pm – late featuring DJ Captain Kerf

Here is a link to a great overview of the artists by Empty Kingdom: EK Exclusive: Lethal Injection @111 Minna gallery.

“Lethal Injection” will display the severe imagery and extensive work ethics of two local San Francisco artists, Robert Bowen and Isaac Pierro as well as the tediously dedicated, Nicolas Giraud, who hails from Toulouse, France. Although these three artists practice a variety of artistic mediums successfully, they will primarily be focusing on and delivering paintings for the Lethal Injection exhibition, but special guest artist, Philip Lawson will display his handmade weapons of light.

His work is a strange, swirling brew of colorful contradiction that is not easy to define or even understand, but that seems quite the point. Throughout his body of work, Bowen takes familiar iconography and handily corkscrews it with his own unique brand of humor and distinct painting style. Bowen’s ability to reappropriate contradictory symbols into unsettling situations puts him in league with greats like Ron English, and Andy Warhol. He continues to walk the line between charming humor and blasphemous sarcasm with symbolic imagery that leaves the viewer both curious and confused.

Lucky Strike 8 – We Are Superior Pollinators

Lucky Strike 6 – Turbulence

A Magnificent Shame

Bowen had a terrific feature in the August Issue of Juxtapoz Magazine. If you can’t fine it on your newsstand, back issues can still be ordered.

From my @hld4ransom Instagram feed. “‘Congrats to Bowen for his 10 page feature in Juxtapoz Mag !! Jason Mitchell & I had a blast shooting his portrait. Most of the splatter was on a set wall but a few were created by Bowen & we added them to the image later. This canvas is one of my favorite photo shoot souvenirs!”

Below are a few photos of Bowen’s studio to show the richness of his work space.

Lastly, here is a shot I snuck of Bowen speaking at the artist talk while I was on stage. He’s charming, well-spoken AND talented. What a nice combination.

Nicolas Giraud aka: 100TAUR

Monstas Défénitif

100Taur is an extrodinarily talented, diverse artists who handily masters painting, drawing, sculpture and graffiti. I have followed his work for a very long time and I wrote about him a few years ago. Through the years, I’ve had the pleasure of becoming his friend. I have had this to say about his work:

“100TAUR’s work mixes popular culture into a delicious cocktail of savagery and wry humor. The span of work is an impressive compendium of street art, paintings, drawings, sculpture and installations. I am enraptured by the complex details even as my heart tightens at their grotesque assemblage. He seamlessly weaves nostalgia with nightmares… [viewing his work] is a glimpse into a ferociously, clever mind that will surely scratch a pleasing oily mar upon your eyes.”

dead polar bear with butterflywings

dead mutant sponge

centaur megaloblaste / giclee-print limited edition print available at the show

échec et mat mon fils / mixed media

The following pieces are not in the show at 111 Minna, but I wanted to include them to show some of the sculptural works 100TAUR has created in the recent years.

japanese fisherman, 2011

limace mise en situation, 2010

arachno au sol, 2010

… and lastly, here is a shot of 100taur on stage during the artist talk for the Lethal Injection show and a sketch he did at my studio to post on his instagram @100taur

Philip Lawson

“My reasoning behind the series “Weapons of Light” is not to glorify the gun but use it’s form as a vehicle to communicate an idea. Weapons of Light are a conceptual series representing peaceful solutions to resolving conflicts.”

Larson photos courtesy of Nastia Voynovskaya of Hi-Fructose.

Isaac Pierro

“Most of my work is story based with themes of love, heartbreak, drugs and music. Even the character portraits I do usually have a specific story behind them. Most of my inspiration comes from emotions I have about experiences in the past, present, and also aspirations for the future. My work has a heavy tattoo influence as I am also a tattoo artist.”

Ransom & Mitchell

Jason and I were honored to be invited to show our portraits of Robert Bowen and 100TAUR at the show. We have an ongoing artist portrait series where we take photographs of the artists we admire and try to tell a personal story that resonates with their work. We work closely with the artists to craft the concept and then usually custom build sets so that the scenes can be highly personalized.

If you’ve made your peace than the nosebleed is really a Rainbow / Portrait of Robert Bowen, 2011

Jason and I take our work very seriously and most of our imagery is rather dark and deals with heavier issues, but we always have fun on set and never take ourselves too seriously. We have an on-going tradition of shooting what we call Karma Shots. This is a goofy photo of everyone who was on set that day. It has become a superstition now. It seems every time we do it, we love the final images, when we don’t, something often seems to be missing. As Ricky Ricardo said, “can’t splain it.”

Karma shot from on-set with Robert Bowen. That’s milk, folks. Only unicorns drool rainbows.

This portrait isn’t in the show, but we love it so much I thought I’d share it in this post.

BFFs / portrait of Robert Bowen, 2011

Funky Fresh Pee Pea / Portrait of artist 100TAUR, 2011

The karma shot with Jason Mitchell and Nicolas Giraud.

Below is the set that I created with Nicolas. It is somewhat rare for me to be able to actually build a set with whatever artist Jason & I are shooting with since many of the artists do not live locally. But in this case, Nico was able to come into town early and we worked on the set together.  I truly enjoyed this day of the two of us collaborating.

When it came time to take the set apart, I was so sad to think that it would be destroyed, I carefully pealed the facade off and reinstalled it in the office Jason & I share.

This is a shot from my Instagram feed (@hld4ransom) of Nicolas standing in my studio office standing next to a part of the wall. It was really nice to have him come back to our studio and be able to show him this permanent installation.

For both portraits, we thought it would be a nice touch to customize the frames for this show. Below is a picture from my Instagram feed of me working on the frames.

On a side note… Jason & I are thrilled to also announce we will be debuting our solo show of our portraits and fine art work with Varnish Fine Art, in San Francisco, Sept 8th, 2012. Along with showing many new works, we will be creating a special installation and are very happy for this opportunity.

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So in closing….. this show “Lethal Injection” at 111 Minna rocks and if you are in San Francisco, I hope you will be able to stop by this show. Thank you to curator, Micah LeBrun and all the artists.

Robber of Graves, 18″x24″

Upper Playground / Fifty 24PDX Gallery
23 NW 5th Avenue Portland, OR 97209
503.548.4835

Opening Reception Auguest 2nd, 6-9pm
Show on display through Sept 30th.

Correia is a dedicated artist who’s delicate, precise line work has manifested through the years in many mediums, from graphite to acrylics and most recently oils. It is impressive to see his monsterous visions realized in so many ways. I spoke with him a few months ago about the theme behind his show and he said, “It seems most times when I sit to draw and allow my mind to be free, with little effort the monsters and demons appear.” I am grateful for this open-hearted channeling because he often finds an inner beauty, sadness and depth in his creations.

Born in a Smokeless Fire, 8″x10″

The Dreamer, 12″x12″

Sphere of Hallucination, 18″x24″

Correia is a regular at many of the cons including the renowned San Diego Comic-Con and San Francisco’s Wonder Con. For this year’s Comic-Con, his 5th compilation sketch book sold-out over 200 copies. He recently made another run of the book and they’re now available for purchase on his website (examples below).

I have long been a fan of Correia’s and I respect that he is part of the infamous artists collective, ZeroFriends which is spearheaded by artist Alex Pardee and also boasts artists Robert Bowen and Skinner as members. (ALL of which I admire and have featured in this blog.) Correia’s painting studio is in the back of the shop and many of his works can be purchased at the brick & mortar store in Oakland, CA or online.

Below are pieces Correia created for two fantastic group shows that both encapsulate his crisp skills and wicked humor.

Piece created for a group show INLE curated by Greg “Craola” Simkins

Piece created for the group show “Gag Me With A Toon 3” curated by Steven Daily, Tomi Monstre and Meltdown Comics.

In closing, I give you this chuckle’riffic photo I plucked off of his Instagram feed that summarizes the show’s theme. You can follow him an instagram at @davecorreia .

Captioned, “Loading the car with Monsters and Demons. Portland, here I come!”

If you happen to be lucky enough to be in the fair city of Portland, Oregon today, I hope you will stop by and show this talented artist some love.

Congratulations Dave, it looks great!

Motherland, 2012

Sourpuss study, 2012

CoproGallery - Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Ave. T5
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Opening Saturday, June 16, 8:00 – 11:30. Annie Ownes will be present at the opening.

Aunt May’s Hair, 2012

In addition to Owens’ deft use of watercolor & ink, she has a gift for weaving a deeper narrative into the small details of the scene….

a delicate wind lifting hair & blouse…

Happy Birthday Lorez, 2012

the anxiousness of tightly held crisscrossed toes…

Crows for Lorez, 2012

a scissor point digging into contemplative flesh…

Scissor Sister Lorez, 2012

expressive eyes that quiver with inner turmoils.

Study 1, 2012

In short, viewing Owens’ work is like witnessing the slowly burning fuse of a powder keg. A quiet, soulful journey that may lead to an overwhelming outpouring of bottled emotions.

A lovely interview was written up on Owens in Hi-Fructose. Check it our here.

It also seems that she has a few tricks up her sleeve for the show. When we spoke earlier in the week, she was feverishly working on a series of meter-high houses that would be painted matt black and hung from the gallery ceiling. She spoke with Nathan Spoor of Hi-Fructose about why these house are so meaningful to her. Below is an excerpt from the article mentioned above:

In your recent works a strong character has re-emerged – the wooden house. This is often characterized as its own entity, and might indicate some emotional moment or conceptual expression. Could you tell us about the house elements?

My houses have actually been around for as long as I’ve been making art. I put them up online. For a time, I painted and drew them obsessively… Houses are a lot like people to me. They have personalities. The opening paragraph to Algernon Blackwood’s “The Empty House” describes the nastier side… “Certain houses, like certain persons, manage somehow to proclaim at once their character for evil.” Haha of course there’s the good side too. Houses hold a weird fascination for me, always have. Right now, I’m trapped in this fascination of old shotgun houses that came out of Haiti and are all over the US.

This is one of the drawings for the show MOTHERLAND.

Mother of Tears, 2012

Below are some work-in-progress photos she shared with me. I do not feel the web-res photos do the vast amount of details justice.

Below is a shot of one of her very early mock-ups. It was taken last year at a Halloween party hosted by Annie and her fun-loving, artist husband Attaboy. That house is being held by Annie who is wearing an amazing dress THAT SHE MADE HERSELF…. which leads me to my next thought…. what doesn’t this wonder-woman do?!

The following photos were taken of Annie’s studio when it was quite late in the evening and the lighting was far too low. As I look at these photos I can’t recall if the koo-koo-nutty blurriness was because Atta was cracking me up or if I was just a bit tipsy. I hope you can look past the quirky presentation and see the wonderfully inspirational space Annie works in every day. It’s no wonderful such clever, beauty emerges from her fingertips.

If you are lucky enough to be in LA this month, I hope you will stop by and take in this sublime show in person.

Congratulations Annie on another beautiful body of work!

Beached, 2012

Musgrove is one of my favorite artists and I have written about him before. Once again, he has woven heart tugging concepts of impermanence into idealized landscapes that boast of times when worries of global species extinction was the stuff of doomsayers.

The Hiker, 2012

In this series, Musgrove places a variety of impeccably detailed, over-sized beasts into classic landscapes that harken to pre-industrilized days when the earth was pristine and the species count was still robust. In all cases, his beasts are woefully out of place in scale, terrain and climate; each a reminder that our ecosystems are more fragile than we might imagine and that all creatures are vulnerable.

Fame, I’m Going To Live Forever
June 14th – July 20th

Dorothy Circus Gallery
via dei Pettinari 76
00185 Roma
Tel. +39 06 68805928
+39 338 9499432

inquires: a.mazzanti@dorothycircusgallery.com

Follow them on Facebook for their latest show information.

Adrift, 2012

Musgrove spoke a bit about the name of his latest show, “Fame, I’m Going To Live Forever.”

Some people think I’m somehow referring to myself here. Not the case, it’s about how people often try to get famous to make themselves somehow immortal, so they’ll be remembered after their death. But with animal species, of course, most of them are promptly forgotten after they become extinct. So the idea here is about painting portraits of them and hanging them in galleries so that they may not be forgotten. This concept is connected to my last show in NY where most of the titles of the paintings were the last words of famous people, etc.

The Searcher, 2012

Mutations, 2012

Musgrove creates frame-ready graphite sketches for most of his works. He shared some of the ones created for this show.

This one was created for a charity group show titled “Green Blood” curated by Alexandra Mazzanti (Dorothy Circus Gallery) and Tara McPherson (Cotton Candy Machine). You may read more about this show in Hi-Fructose.

Musgrove has also been working hard over the last 6 months with Metalphysic Studios in Tucson, AZ. Below are the latest of his creatures to leap from the painting into a sculpted form. Not all art is can be appropriately transformed from 2D to 3D, so it is remarkable to see Musgrove’s work translate so well.

Walktapus, Bronze 2012

Here was the work in clay.

Musgrove had this to say about working with the foundry and described a bit of the overall process:

“…working with the folks at Metalphysic has been a dream. Not only are they smart, fun and talented people, they have the same goals as I do; to make pieces of art that are also scientifically accurate. My thinking was that if I made stuff really big, then the scientific community could no longer ignore me. And still, I wait.

Anyway, I love the process of working with the foundry. We go round and round with drawing after drawing. Once I’ve come up with a pose that represents the animal properly, we turn it into a 3D model so we can make sure it will be both structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing. This also helps inform the construction of the armature that supports the sculpture. After that, I will generally head down to Tucson for a few weeks to work on the final full-size clay sculpture onsite at their foundry. Besides giving me an opportunity to work on sculptures that are too large for my studio here in Seattle, it also gives me a chance to go out and dig holes in the desert floor at night and climb those saguaro cactuses out by the airport.”

How Is The Empire, Bronze 2012

I continue to be impressed and inspired by this prolific artist’s work. If you are exceedingly lucky enough to live in (or to be visiting) Rome, I hope you will stop in and check out this talented artist’s work

Congratulations on yet another fantastic show Scott!