Vhils In Venice

While art browsing all along the Abbot Kinney Blvd. area in Venice (CA), we were blessed by the visage of a street work by Vhils (Alexandre Farto). It was a large woman's face etched into the side of a brick wall, I think it was on the side of Post No Bills Gallery. On close inspection, it looked like a layer of plaster had been applied and the image was created by chipping away the plaster, in some areas down to the brick. In other areas just down to raw cement and some form of paint or dye was dripped and smeared on it as well. It is a wonderful art attack and when I checked out his website, I was astounded by all the crumbling, faded and beauteous faces of humanity Alexandre (or Vhils) has created all over the world. 

Please check them out for yourself here -  LINK, you will be glad you did.

American Iconomics at Shooting Gallery, WeekEnd Pick

The works of Akira Beard and James Charles are up at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco thru June 4th. This is a sold show with two interesting and talented artists, well worth  a visit this holiday weekend. The show is aptly titled "American Iconomics" and features faces of America, some famous and some not.

Akira's works have been featured here before on Eclectix - they are deftly painted and drawn portraits, many with writing, on journal paper, complete with wrinkles and tears. The frames have been wonderfully splashed with dripping paint adding to the grunge feel of  his works. A gritty and moving ambiance saturates Akira's works with a very human compassion and appreciation. I have seen many, many portraits of Keith Richards over the years and Akira's is by far the best of the lot. He really captures the weathered skin and character with a masterful result. These pieces really need to be viewed in person, the rubbed and smudged skin tones and the bleeding watercolors are just fantastic.

James Charles - overview of just a few...

James Charles works are witty, satirical and sometimes irreverent portraits drawn and painted on actual US currency. The title of the subject/image is hand lettered at the bottom of each bill, meticulously crafted in the same font style as the original lettering. For instance - the lettering on one of Bush read "War Criminal". He has many images in this show, do to their smaller size, a lot can be packed onto one wall without being over crowded. They are fun and interesting works within a really creative platform.

My favorites were the Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop and the Tin Man as "Heavy Metal". There was even one there of the curator himself,  Justin Giarla. Most of the portraits are monochrome matching the dollar color scheme but a few have added touches of brilliant color. Nice collection and exhibit. For all the images at the gallery's website click here.

artMRKT San Francisco 2011 Review

Detail - Sean Cheetham

Wonderful lady atop her fabulous tent dress at the artMRKT entrance.

It was a big weekend in SF for art, lots of art fairs going on. Eclectix visited two, the artMRKT and the ArtPadSF. ArtPad was our favorite for reasons (saved for a later review and post), however artMRKT was really rewarding and worthwhile. It was held at the Concourse Exhibition Center in downtown San Francisco, a gigantic space with a ton of great art. There were many familiar artists whose work we love and have reviewed in the past plus many new. We have featured images of most, concentrating on our favorite picks of the newer (to us) artists. Many of the images are large and cropped to allow the detail to show. Our apologies for not getting the names of all the artists, all the fantastic art affected our brain functions a little. (Plus the art fairs all have bars just like at opening receptions, after many hours it all adds up!) If you do know the name of the uncredited ones, please comment and we will update the posts. If you decide to go next year and are pressed for cash, search around the web for free tickets, they are easily obtainable. But try to support the fairs if you can. Enjoy the art, we sure did!

Chris Antemann

Chris Antemann

Need the artist's name...

Need the artist's name...

Love the textures in these portraits - Need the artist's name...

Great white faced, little black girl with cotton flowered hair - Need the artist's name...

David Michael Bowers

Talk about realism! - (Detail of above) - David Michael Bowers

Detail of a Mark Ryden

Chester Arnold

Shin-Young An

Detail,  Shin-Young An

Jason Walker

Jason Walker

Scott Yeskel

Joe Brubaker

Joe Brubaker

Need artist's name...

One of two huge incredibly commanding and detailed pieces by Ian Ingram

Robert Van Vranken

John Tarahteeff

Detail - John Tarahteeff

Mike Stilkey

Great photograph! - need artist's name....

Joan Brown

Victorian Meets Peep Show, The Collages of Vahge

New York based artist Vahge creates wondrous collages, most with more than a touch of Victoriana-meets-modern-girl. Other influences invade with hints of girly magazines, steampunk, anthropomorphic critters, fashion hazards  and skeletal elements. They almost feel like historical documents,  tattered and worn snapshot tapestries. With delicate yet strong imagery, they are wise and sullen ladies who dare. Her work is all cut and paste, old style. Unlike most newer digital works, the tactile collage feel survives, popping the edges through-out her imagery.

“Vahge celebrates oddity with elegance.”

Some images cropped to show detail.

Vahge's website - LINK

Originally published in Eclectix, May 2011 with the "Paper & Art" Issue, Volume 7

Foto Fix: Elise Boularan

Suzanne Vega

Paris based photographer Elise’s portraits intrigue me. Some are fuzzy-on-purpose and abruptly cropped - leaving one to question what the heck is going on. Some remind us of the old Polaroid Instamatic shots with their vintage coloration. And some hint of crime scene documentation, mysterious, as if there is more to the picture than we see. 

“This work intends to build an interpretation, where something deaf, undefinable is very present.”

She will be showing new works in September at The Cultural Institute Of Mexico, in San Antonio (USA) Her website is here.

Eclectix Interview With Mary Jane Ansell

"Georgie" by Mary Jane Ansell

I first saw Mary Jane’s work while playing tourist in London, at the BP Awards show at the National Portrait Gallery. I was completely floored by her incredible, detailed rendering. Her latest series, “The Beauty of the Hours” is a graceful, moody and captivating group of work. She currently works from her studio in Brighton’s North Laine, after going for her morning walk on the beach. 

For the entire Eclectix interview and a gallery of her work -  click here.

"FLESH", The Art of the Body, Eclectix Volume 6

Card art by Erika Meriaux 

The new Eclectix issue is all about art related to flesh, human flesh that is - portraits, figurative works, skin art - you name it. With weekly related posts and features. 

This weeks posts include: 

- Heidi Taillefer's surreal bodies

- Sean Cheetham's gorgeous portraits

- Ron Mueck's giants

- Interview with John Seabury

- And other fun and random tidbits.

With an evolving online exhibit of the best newbrow flesh art out there, featuring: Sean Cheetham, Susan Burghart, Heidi Taillefer, Ron Mueck, Ben Heine, Mesissa Forman, Jeremy Lipking, Gary Stearly, Barnaby Whitfield, Arabella Proffer, Agnieszka Szuba, Beatriz Martin-Vidal, Rick Baker, Dean Fleming, Andy Hixon, Jared Joslin, Aaron Johnson, Tai-Shan Schierenberg, Shepard Fairey, Jason Shawn Alexander, Terry Rogers, Mary Jane Ansell, Erika Meriaux, Leilani Bustamante, Nachan, Shawn Barber, Kurtis Rykovich, Michael Hussar, Rich Salcido, Elizabeth Caffey, Annie Leibovitz, John Brophy, Cate Rangel, Marilyn Manson, Gavin Nolan, Jenn Porreca, Jane Brike, Christopher Pugliese,  Edith Lebeau, Joshua Petker, Geoff Chadsey, Julian Cash, Pamela Wilson, Patrushka, Patrick Deignan, Isabel Samaras, Owen Smith, Julie Heffernan, Dean McDowell, Shaun Downey, Andy Warhol, Kevin Llewellyn, Paul Beel, Jessica Van Hulle, Sandie Stewart, Mia Araujo, Patricia Anders,  Antonio Santin, Mark Ryden

Sean Cheetham

Heidi Taillefer

Beatriz Martin-Vidal

Jared Joslin

Christopher Pugliese

For the Eclectix main page click here.

For the "Flesh" online exhibit click here.