Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
New Mark Ryden Vinyl Arts
News from the Mark Ryden site:
On Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 8:00 am PDT, Porterhouse Fine Art Editions will be offering the following item:
"YHWH - Red, Gold and Blue Edition" are vinyl figures created in conjunction with Necessaries Toy Foundation after the central figure in Mark's painting of the same name. The figures are cast in Red, Gold and Blue vinyl with inset, high-quality eyes, and each comes in an elaborately designed, gold-embossed box. Also included is a certificate of authenticity and a special, numbered mini print.
YHWH - Red, Gold and Blue Edition figures are available individually for $200 each or as a set of all three for the discounted price of $500.
Edition Size: 100
Size: 16.5" x 9" x 1.75"
Box Size: 16" x 4" x 4"
Porterhouse Item Number: P066-RGC
Individual Price: $200
Set Price: $500
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Irresistibly Idiosyncratic at Distinction Gallery
Eclectix was able to visit Distinction Gallery on a recent trip to San Diego for a benefit. Their current exhibit is titled Irresistibly Idiosyncratic and it runs through April 7th. It is a group show of three artists, a complementary mix of styles including the artists Dan Barry, Joka and Mike Bell.
Dan's work (above) featured anthropomorphic botanicals with a beautiful mixed media approach. Layers, spills and drips contrast with tight, fine pen and ink.
Joka's work (above) is all incredibly detailed pointillism, painted with just a toothpick! They are pop images with a twisted sense of humor and a snapshot feel.
Mike's work comprised many tiny, pencil portraits of pop icons, on matchbook covers. We've run across other artists who work on matchbooks - most notably Jason D'Aquino. The memorable trait of Mike's work is his great sense of personality he injects into the actual matchsticks themselves. Each portrait had the perfect gesture, feel and/or addition for the particular subject. Check out the posture of Mick's hands (above) - so perfect!
(There is a lot more to Distinction Gallery which Eclectix will cover in a future post.)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Judith Schaechter Is Doin' Time in Philly
Judith Schaechter’s killer new series, The Battle of Carnival and Lent, are being exhibited at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. It consists of 17 stained glass windows - inspired by the prison’s dark past and installed in historic skylights throughout Cellblocks 8, 11, and 14.
The Battle of Carnival and Lent responds to the penitentiary’s narrow skylights and arched windows. The imagery, which Ms. Schaechter describes as “addressing in a non-religious way the psychological border territory between ‘spiritual aspiration’ and human suffering,” is evocative of theology but secular in purpose. The figures depicted are literally confined by the unnaturally tall and skinny apertures of the window frames – squished, cropped, straining, and reaching – as a representation of the types of incarceration that are basic to the human experience. Ms. Schaechter balances them with more traditional, cathedral-esque stained glass windows. Her intention is to draw an association between the prison’s original purpose – to provide an environment conducive to self-reflection and, ultimately, penance – and the harsh realities of solitary confinement.
Ms. Schaechter’s past work has almost entirely been installed in museums and galleries as panels over lightboxes. The Battle of Carnival and Lent is unique for both its response to a specific environment as well as for its use of full-spectrum light to illuminate the windows.
Ms. Schaechter is often asked which architectural setting she sees as ideal for her work, and her response is always the same… Eastern State Penitentiary. Explains Ms. Schaechter, “ESP is precious to me. It’s my hometown. It’s my place.”
The installation will be on view from April 1st through November 30, 2012, with a reception on May 11th. We sure wish we go!
Featured Artist: Kelly Reemtsen
We just love the juxtapositions in Kelly’s paintings, the good girl meets hardware. Her background in fashion design is obvious with the 1950’s and 60’s era puffy dresses. But the way she pairs these fabulous dresses with other objects is the clincher. Well mannered women posing with tools, hardware and clipping shears. Threatening the viewer with vacuum cleaners and mops, she twists the image of women’s work in a wonderful way. Her latest ladies just seem to be falling, helplessly fashionable, to their demise. ARTIST LINK
Oleg Dou’s Beautifully Creepy Digitals
“I am looking for something bordering between the beautiful and the repulsive. I want to attain the feeing of presence one can get when walking by a plastic manikin...”
This was originally published on the homepage of Eclectix,
in the "Pretty In Pink" issue, March. 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sue Coe: Double Parked On The Highway of Life
Born in Britain, Sue Coe moved to the US in 1972 and immediately began work as an illustrator for the op-ed page of the New York Times. Coe has an unerring instinct for anticipating significant issues, her works are dark, intense and harken back to German Expressionism. Moving images usually of a political and shocking nature - the defense of animals in industry, racism, poverty, women’s rights, environmental and class struggles. Her dedication to animal rights began early- she grew up in a house adjacent to a slaughterhouse, with all of its associated sights and smells. Her book How to Commit Suicide in South Africa —about the death of Stephen Biko and other student organizers in South African prisons—became an anti-apartheid organizing tool used on college campuses to persuade investors to divest themselves of South African stock. Her most recent book, Sheep of Fools, details the horrific conditions of the sheep industry. Sue describes herself as "double parked on the highway of life."
LINK - To some great images of Coe’s work she did for The X Files, TV show.
Sources - DavidWintonBellGallery, KatarinaThorsenArtBlog,
LINK - To Sue Coe’s art site, books and prints
This was originally published on the homepage of Eclectix,
in the "Pretty In Pink" issue, March. 2012
For the "Pretty In Pink" online exhibit, click here.
Todd Schorr's Neverlasting Miracles
Another must-see show opening in LA, is Todd Schorr's Neverlasting Miracles. His eclectic imagery is a barrage of highly detailed surreal characters - from comics, fables, toys, pop culture and/or politics. Large scaled works which involve the viewer in narratives of countless shenanigans - Todd's flawless technique pulls the compositions together in mind blowing ways. At Merry Karnowsky Gallery, the show opens on March 17th and runs thru April 14th.
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