Cause Attaboy Sez- You Might Be A Monster!

Attaboy has a great new book out "You Might Be A Monster", a perfect hip gift for yourself or some kids in need of inspired imagination. Not to mention it may make all those "monsters" seem a little less scary. He is hosting a number of book signings around town and points yonder in the near future.

8/6/11: The Escapist 

3090 Claremont Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705

Book Release and Attaboy Reads and Signs at Berkeley’s amazing new book store.

8/7/11: SFMOMA 

151 Third St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Book Release and Attaboy Reads and Signs at the SFMOMA! This will be a reading followed by a signing, as part of their family activities day. 

"Attaboy's creepy cool monsters are an insane delight. They'll leap off the page, squirm through your optic nerve, and haunt your brain forever. And that's a good thing." 

- Mark Fraunfelder, founder of Boing Boing

Link for a look inside at all the beautifully fun imagery.

Link to the future signing dates and locations.

Scott Marr’s Pigmented Pyrography

Australian artist Scott Marr has a unique technique of drawing using pyrography (the art of using a heated tip to burn or scorch designs onto wood) and painting with natural pigments, predominantly from the bush. His works just blew us away- beautiful creatures and anthropomorphic mixtures - full of poetic tiny details, tribal decor and emotional imaginings.

“By the time Scott sits down at the easel, his works of art are already well underway. A large part of Scott’s artistic practice is comprised of the identification, collection and preparation of an astounding range of natural pigments. His bush pigments are unpredictable by nature, ensuring that each work of art is imbued with a genuine uniqueness. The variable palette reflects the dynamic and seasonal character of the natural world, where no two days or places are the same. Scott says, “Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with the extraction and application of natural pigments. I now feel my experimentation has become my applied practice. This confidence together with the discovery of new colors has opened up new dimensions for my art”.” - Via KatoomaFineArt

For Scott’s art blog, click here.

For a look/listen at Osunlade's new album "Pyrography", for which Scott did all the incredible art, click here. 

(Originally posted in the Eclectix "BURN" Issue, July 2011,

 along with the permanent online exhibit of fire-related art, LINK HERE.)

Outlandish Art - in Walnut Creek!

"Outlandish" is the current exhibit at the Bedford Gallery and it is very worth seeing. Full of favorite locals we are familiar with and some new artists - it is a beautiful show in a great gallery space. Large, classy, brightly lit, very well hung and presented with lots of room to move and view. Some of the pieces were a bit too esoteric for my taste but overall it is a well thought out and curated show with tons of local flavor and different mediums. From their website:

"Outlandish: Contemporary Depictions of Nature — a two part exhibition that features both a juried section and an invitational... twenty-eight contemporary artists that explore themes of nature — from micro to the macro — ranging from a tiny speck of a garden to a global view of the world. This intriguing exhibition looks at over-the-top depictions of landscape from a variety of vantage points and in a range of media." 

Scrolling down are our picks from the exhibition.

 A dynamic, two-faced sculpture (in the alcove outside the front of the gallery) by John Casey & Derek Weisberg is the first piece, don't miss it - kinda easy to walk right by.

Gary Brewer

Yvette Molina

Detail from above

Tiffany Bozic

Crystal Morey

Detail from above piece

Arthur Bell

Dan Lydersen

Dan Lydersen, detail from above

Dan Lydersen

Jean Shifflet

Michael Hall

Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds, detail

Teresa Cunniff, resin sculptures

Jennifer Nelson

James Allison

James Allison, detail

Tim Armstrong, documentary photograph

Nicki Bernacchi

Nicki Bernacchi, detail

Tony Bellaver

Tiffany Bozic

Charlene Doiron Reinhart

Charlene Doiron Reinhart, beautiful detail from top of left head

Josh Keyes

Josh Keyes, detail

Paul Moschell’s Matchbox Personas

Most galleries always seem to want larger works but smaller, even tiny works like these matchbox paintings hold a special place in my heart. Imagine creating these miniature paintings, the brushstrokes must be the size of a pin! 

Paul has a fun little animated website with a Tim Burtonesque feel, chock full of his wonderful larger paintings as well. (HERE) 

Originally posted in the Eclectix "BURN" Issue, July 2011,

 along with the permanent online exhibit of fire-related art, LINK HERE.

Tinted by Tar & THC, the Sepia Collages of Cliff Maynard

Talk about recycling! 

Eclectix featured artist - Cliff Maynard uses the paper from roaches to compose his artworks. Tiny little frail pieces from roaches are taken and flattened, sorted according to color and then carefully arranged and glued into the final image. Each piece of paper resembles a watercolor brushstroke in the completed works, with the layering adding a textured and mottled depth. The process is slow and methodical, with images taking hundreds of pieces to complete. The results are beautiful, subtle colorations of sepia, ranging from the darkest almost-black browns to light pale tans and golds.

“I was studying mosaics in school” recalls Cliff. “I just remember sort of making this connection in my head between the tiles and roach papers.”

Cliff's Website Link

Originally posted in the Eclectix BURN Issue, July 2011,

 along with the permanent online exhibit of fire-related art, LINK HERE.