Wanda Exhibit, New Works by Kurtis Rykovich at Kaleid Gallery, San Jose

Made it down to San Jose's Kaleid Gallery to see Kurtis Rykovich's new works, "Wanda". A heartfelt homage to his mother and the victims of breast cancer, this was a personal and emotional exhibit. I was very, very moved by the artworks and scrawled notations on the walls next to each painting. Kurtis's work had one dedicated wall in the gallery space which he painted it a loose pastel green, complete with roller paths and drips. It gave a nice contrasting edge to the primarily pink and white palette of his works. The works themselves were wonderful, sad but beautifully haunting with happy memories.
From Kurtis:
" I hope that when these paintings are viewed that they are not blunt about the disease but show a beauty and respect for those that might be going or have gone through this war."
His goal was achieved and then some; the care, tenderness and thought behind the art is obvious. These beautiful women and symbolic cures float graceful and strong in their netherworlds of hope.

The "Wanda" show is up thru April 30th, try to get down to see it. Take a gurlfriend or your mom. :)
Kaleid Gallery
Kurtis has shown in a number of Eclectix exhibits, as well a solo show "Delicate". For more of his works, visit the site here: Eclectix Available Art

National Record Album Day! Today!

Yup, that's right folks, today is National Record Album Day. First I've heard of it but hey, a great excuse to re-visit some vintage rock and roll album covers and other related music art. It was SO HARD to pick just a few to feature, so much great art out there in vinyl land. Just Bowie's or the Dead's covers are enough to fill a quality art book by themselves!
Apparently, small record stores everywhere are having special events, so check out your area. There are links at the bottom of this post for more info and local stores. Take some time to support your local indie record store this week-end, buy that record you've always wanted! Or think ahead and get your mom a groovy disk for Mother's day.

David Bowie "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars"

The cover photograph was taken outside furriers, K. West, at 23 Heddon Street London, W1. The rear cover of the original vinyl album bore the instruction "TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME", however this was omitted from the EMI 1999 re-release. In interviews, Bowie has said that the real-life inspiration for Ziggy was chiefly Vince Taylor, though the lyrics hint at Jimi Hendrix ("played it left hand ... jiving us that we were voodoo") and the character was likely a composite. Bowie claimed that the name came from a tailor's shop in London called Ziggy's. "Stardust" comes from one of Bowie's labelmates, a country singer named Norman Carl Odam, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.  - from Wikipedia

Grateful Dead "American Beauty", Cover art by Mouse-Kelly Studios

The title wording on the front cover is an ambigram; it can also be read as "American Reality". From NY Times: Artist of the 1960s Rock Counterculture

Patti Smith "Horses" by Robert Mapplethorpe
Some info on the cover photography and an interview with Patti, here: Robert Mapplethorpe

Nirvana "In Utero", Cover art by Robert Fisher
The title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that "[Cobain] would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'" In the US, retail chain stores Wal-Mart and Kmart refused to sell the album. According to The New York Times, Wal-Mart claimed it did not carry the album due to lack of consumer demand, while Kmart representatives explained that the album "didn't fit within our merchandise mix". In truth, both chains feared that customers would be offended by the artwork on the album's back cover. DGC issued a new version of the album with reworked packaging to the stores in March 1994. 

This version featured edited album artwork (took out the fetuses), and listed the name of "Rape Me" as "Waif Me". A spokesperson for Nirvana explained that the band decided to edit the packaging because as kids Cobain and Novoselic were only able to buy music from the two chain stores; as a result they "really want to make their music available to kids who don't have the opportunity to go to mom-and-pop stores".      - from Wikipedia

Los Lobos "La Pistola Y El Corazon" by George Yepes
Absolutely one of my favorite paintings of all time... Wouldn't you know it - this original is owned by Sean Penn and Madonna, great taste on this one! What other goodies do you two have on your walls?
More of Yepes art here: www.georgeyepes.com

And from Rolling Stone's great archives of portrait illustrations-

Bjork by Mark Ryden for Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan by Skip Liepke for Rolling Stone

Ray Charles by Philip Burke for Rolling Stone

And from Britain's Royal Mail, a series of postal stamps they issued with album cover art... pretty cool.

http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Wilco, MGMT, Hole Announce Record Store Day Exclusives : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily
San Francisco:

Amoeba Music
Aquarius Records
Creative Music Emporium
Force of Habit Records
Medium Rare Music
Streetlight Records
The Music Store
East Bay:

Amoeba Music (Berkeley)

Rasputin Music (Berkeley)
Down Home Music (El Cerrito)
Mod Lang (El Cerrito)
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (Oakland)

Jeff Gillette: "Dismayland" Awakes Our Apathyland

Jeff's art is the kind of home grown surreal imagery that touches the soul of this OC outcast. Along with other OC captives-turned-artists, Camille Rose Garcia, No Doubt and Social Distortion, he captures the wasteland that inspires rebellious commentary and attitude. I first became acquainted with his art thru his wife's wonderful assemblages. Won't bust their privacy here by mentioning names but they are an artist couple to be contended with, both are equally talented and fantastically creative originals in very different realms.

Part futuristic predictions of the Anaheim to come, part social commentary on the disparity between poverty and "having fun" behind the Orange Curtain, Jeff's work paints the panoramas only the real desperate housewives can relate to. He reminds us that our American  pursuits and commercialism are only enabled by the shanty town workforces in other countries. This juxtaposition of imagery drives home the results this consumerism may have in our future, a science fiction that's not too far from a non-fiction reality. With another twist, the fun and familiar cartoon images of our youth, sprinkled among the ruins, spark a warm note of nostalgia.

If I was in SoCal now I would be shaking my butt down to see this show before it's taken down. It will be up until May 1st, 2010 for all you folks in the vicinity.

Link To Gallery:

http://www.copronason.com/exhibitionsCurrent.html

Link to Jeff's Art Slant site

Eclectix Interview With Artist Kmye Chan

A little gallery of Kmye Chan's heart filled art and the Eclectix interview with her. From France with love...

Interview Link

Last Gasp Kickin' Ass Art at Their 40th Anniversary Exhibit, at 111 Minna Gallery in SF

Doggie Greeters

Great scene happening at the opening and celebration last night of Last Gasp's anniversary party. If you don't know who Last Gasp is - briefly they have been responsible for supporting and publishing many counter culture artists, cutting edge writers and poets and fringe musicians, here in San Francisco. Many who have gone on to fame and fortune, breaking ground in our cultural landscape.

Ed Hardy

The line up of artists is a veritable whose-who of pop-surrealism and kustom kulture - Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup Glenn Barr, Robert Crumb, Richard Corben, Guy Colwell, Ron English, Tony Fitzpatrick, Christopher Felver, Camille Rose Garcia, Justin Green, Bill Griffith, Rick Griffin, Ed Hardy, Frank Kozik, Joe Ledbetter, Carol Lay, Adrian Lee, Michael Manning, Chris Mars, Scott Musgrove, Junko Mizuno, Liz McGrath, Laurenn McCubbin, Mitch O’Connell, Annie Owens, The Pizz, Mark Ryden, Michael Rosen, Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Dori Seda, Winston Smith, Eric White, Robert Williams, Attaboy, Aye Jay, and many more.

Chris Mars

Camille Rose Garcia

The crowd was a wonderful mish-mash of colorful artsy types. Lots of snappy dressers, friendly familiar faces, wierdos, usual art groupies, and freaks, just my kind of crowd. At one point there was some out-of-control, attention-sucking woman who kept flailing around in some sexy? dance on a bench, eventually hitting people around her, including artist Isabel Samaras who got it in the face. The place was nicely crowded and every 5 or so people there was a strong whiff of fresh herb, the pockets must have been packing it. Then there seemed to be a cadre of older women in leopard/cheetah spotted faux fur coats, not together- but they would have made a great photo if there had been room to herd them up.

Best Darn Shirts In The Place!

Jennybird Alcantara

Junko Mizuno

Dudes With An Agenda Of Some Sort

Reverend Levba

Winston Smith and Isabel Samaras

Mitch O"Connell

Striped Dude and Red Headed Tee Shirt Seller

The venue was 111 Minna, a bar, club and gallery. The past shows I had been to there, were poorly lit. Much of the art was stuck on temporary wall dividers in the middle of the space and you could barely see it. However, for this event, I was happy to see things were much cleaner. The dividers were gone, all the art was respectfully on the actual walls and it was all lit very well. The gurl DJ spun some great stuff including the Ramones, which always seem to cheer me up, along with a darn tasty margarita.

So much outstanding, eclectic art and eye candy, a very good vibe and friends meeting up again -  good time, great show, all around! 

http://www.lastgasp.com/
http://www.111minnagallery.com/

The Magical World of M.C. Escher, Boca Raton Museum of Art

Although I've seen Escher's works countless times in many exhibits over the years, this was far and away the most interesting, informative and comprehensive view I've seen. He was one of the first artists I had a print by, as a child, and I think most artists in the newbrow art world would agree- his work still astounds, in spite of the familiarity.

This huge exhibit at the Boca Raton Museum of Art has everything Escher - from all his famous woodcuts and lithographs to smaller, earlier commercial works like bookplates. Models, furniture, books, personal items, actual wood blocks and stones and working materials. There are a number of breathtaking renderings, in chalk and pencil, of Italian landscapes from his eleven years spent there. 

The twisted hills, contrasting cactus leaves, geometry of the architecture and rolling shadows, all hinted towards influence in his later works.
Best known for impossible scenarios, optical illusions and eye play in his art, Escher was born in the Netherlands. His father was a civil engineer which surely must have influenced Escher's eye.

One of the  fascinating treats of the exhibit was a dissected look at the evolution of the piece titled "Three Worlds". (above)
On display is the original litho stone, the detailed, preliminary rough sketches and a multitude of prints he experimented with before the final image was chosen. He tried different angles, different numbers of trees and numbers of fish, different densities in the reflection and finally completely flipped the placement of the trees vertically. All but 10 of his stones were destroyed following printing - he would cancel them by scratching an X in the stone so his work couldn't be reproduced. 
Another room contained a really fun exhibit of his works which were pirated and reproduced into psychedelic day-glow posters from the 1960's and 70's.

The entire room was lit only by black lights, offering optimum viewing of these classic head shop staples. The "Dragon" poster I remember owning was here, among countless others, glowing in neon magenta, orange, violet and chartreuse.

 "The hippies of San Francisco continue to print my work illegally," Escher wrote in 1969. A smart move on his part might have been reproduction of his own works in this vein, then he could have reaped the profits, instead of others. Altho he did not appreciate these interpretations, multitudes of others certainly did and still do. 

Even if you think you've seen it all before, if you find yourself in Florida, go visit! It is well worth any travel time and provides much more insight into Escher's art and the process behind many artistic creations, to see all this in person.


Boca Raton Museum of Art, Thru April 11, 2010.
http://www.bocamuseum.org/index.php?submenu=exib_current&src=gendocs&ref=Current%20Exhibitions&category=Exhibitions

R.I.P. Jim Marshall, Long Lives Rock and Roll

Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, 1967


Another great artist passes, this time renown chronicler of rock and roll in the 1960's and 1970's, photographer Jim Marshall. He died in his sleep, one couldn't ask for a better way to go....

Great photographs of all the greats, some shots so famous they are practically art icons. Like the one of Jimi Hendrix here. Or Bobby Dylan, (above) kicking the tire, 1963.

“I have no kids,” Marshall said. “My photographs are my children.”

 Thanks, Jim, for leaving so much behind for us all.

Woodstock, 1969

Johnny Cash, San Quentin, 1969


http://www.marshallphoto.com/