Sneak Details and Preview Of "That Was Then, This is Now" at 111 MInna

Eclectix popped into 111 Minna Gallery this week and caught the new exhibit before it's opening reception tonight. One of our favorite artists, the esteemed Nathan Ota has all new works here in a collaboration. From the Minna site:

Tonight, 111 Minna Gallery proudly presents, “That Was Then, This Is Now.” The first major collaborative exhibition by Kelly Graval and Nathan Ota, aka RISK and COOZ, reunites these artists whose friendship began before they would respectfully become graffiti legends in the streets and revered artists in galleries and museums across the globe.

Took some photos of the works below - some are very cropped to show the fantastic detail and glow of the works. For all the complete images - go to the Minna site HERE.

New Eclectix Interview With Sean Chappell

We just posted a new interview with surrealist artist Sean Chappell...

Sean was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the first first-generation Canadian to be born to English immigrants. He now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Sean’s work is a surreal and fantastic trip through his imagination. Warped and globular pieces of brain matter float and twist themselves into various scenarios and landscapes of the mind. Pumpkins, anatomy, monsters, organic life forms and fantastic explosions of color unfold in shadowed desert tableaus.  

We first discovered Sean’s work while searching for artists for our Halloween “Dementions” exhibit and were blown away by the scope of his dementia ( a good thing)  and his excellent painterly skills. His most recent works are based on alcoholism and the dehumanizing effects of addiction. His work is strong, opinionated and hard hitting, a welcome oasis in the current oatmeal art catalog of semi-nude, pretty little girls. Intense and emotional works that drive thought and contemplation of our humanity....

LINK for the entire interview.

LINK for the current issue of Eclectix, "BURN", art-related to fire, an online gallery of images and weekly posts.

Jonathan Darby and Adam Caldwell at White Walls

Jonathan Darby

Dropped in to see the "Intersection" show at White Walls gallery, a moving and politically charged look at two very different yet similar social realities.

In the front half of the gallery, Adam Caldwell's work takes a colder, calculated look at American lifestyles and advertising, juxtaposing it with images of poverty. Some famous images are painted in, advertising slogans and female models, symbolic monuments and world landmarks.

Adam Caldwell

Adam Caldwell

Adam Caldwell

This painted transition wall (above) between the two bodies of work was painted by Adam, really loved the looseness and Depression era feel. Simpler than his canvases yet just as moving, if not more so. 

Jonathan Darby

Detail from above piece

In contrast - Jonathan Darby's works focus on the poverty and humanity of the street children living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The artist has built a very involved "shanty town" in which to display his works, dark and tucked away in "alleys", in the back half of the gallery. This was a very moving installation and group of paintings, beautifully rendered faces, heart breaking in their plight - with lots of textural elements and found objects. Children's laundry was strung up on clotheslines in between worn plywood walls and broken windows. Then a huge beautifully somber, child's face peering at you from the dark, with collaged photos and symbolic advertising clips layered in. From the artists statement:

"Some of the children that have been painted in this show have lived and perished in extremely violent circumstances. Roney was one of them. All proceeds from the 'Roney, 2008" print run will be donated to the Children at Risk Foundation, CARF." 

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Jonathan Darby

Detail from above piece, showing chest and shoulders


Jonathan's Site LINK

Adam's Site LINK

New Work Updates: Aunia Kahn

Nearby Words of Aporia

Aunia Kahn

BURN: Jason D’Aquino’s Matchbook Art

Remember when you got matches at every restaurant or venue? They are a lost art nowadays but Jason’s art makes them immortal. He creates tiny works on found surfaces, such as matchbooks, old vellums and antique ledgers. Small, tightly rendered little wonderments, graphites with highlights. His collection on matchbooks came as a desire to easily demonstrate the detail in his works, so that people would be able to compare it in scale, to a common object. Jason is a fantastic tattoo artist as well and is the owner of Leviathan in upstate New York.

From an interview in MetalInk- 

“MI: ...you were influenced by your mother, who was also an artist?

Jason: When I was really young, I used to hassle her to draw this, draw that. It amazed me the way she could pull something out of thin air. It was the closest thing I’d ever seen to magic. Pencil instead of a wand but just a few flicks of the wrist and you have something out of nowhere, and it affected me. I wanted to be able to do what she was able to do. I didn’t want to be a fireman, or a policeman like other kids.” 

Jason's Site

Current Exhibitions:

Castellani Museum

Niagara Falls, NY

Thru Sept. 18th, 2011

1988 Gallery

Los Angeles, CA

"Crazy 4 Cult" book release and exhibit

July 7th - 9th, 2011

Originally posted in the Eclectix BURN Issue, June 2011,

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

Wonderland Art in Los Angeles

Wonderland Gallery is Kat Von D's latest venture, which she opened in 2010 right next door to the LA Ink space. For those of you who don't know who Kat is - she is an incredible tattoo artist and has become quite a celebrity. Watching some of the LA Ink TV show will give you a better feel for her presence than any words or slick, airbrushed photographs can portray. Adept at realistic rendering, Kat's portraits on flesh are excellent as well as her design sense - she can merge a new image within previous tattoos very gracefully and cleanly. She has a very engaging way about her, a friendly and warm manner, enthusiastic about great art, fashion and music. She is very young to have so much success and the shallow pressures of the cosmetic Hollywood image are taking their toll on her. I hope she can rise about it all and concentrate on what really matters in life, retaining the attitude and integrity that made her unique, a kick-ass woman in a tattoo art world previously dominated by men. 

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

Tattoo by Kat Von D

"Lady Kat Von D" by Patrushka

The current exhibit at Wonderland is Kevin Llewellyn's - "The Unsaid", which Eclectix previously posted about (link here.) This excellent exhibit has been up for a very, very long time and there doesn't seem to be any news on their site about future shows. Disappointing, as I have been secretly cheering Kat on - to kick some newbrow ass into the LA art world.  The exterior has great circus-like signage (top foto) which looks like it came from an old amusement park, right out of the neon boneyard. The gallery itself is a nice space, decorated in Victorian-vintage-Goth-salon style. Beautiful and lush antique furnishings with incredible frames on all Kevin's  art. A small shop area in the front contains a solid selection of art books, fierce glittering platform heels, taxidermy relics and other one-of-a-kind accessories for the tragically hip.  

The whole ambiance of the space was right up my alley - lots of red and black, velvets, carved gold and interesting, creepy fringe items. We had 4-5 questions about the art and merchandise while we visited - sadly, none of the employees could answer any of them and didn't offer to refer us to someone who could. Wonderland obviously has a creative and imaginative vision behind it, the window displays were a funky and surreal treat and the overall experience was chock full of arty inspiration. Just one last question- Kat, when and what is the next show?

Window display, Wonderland Gallery

Window display, Wonderland Gallery
We ducked into LA Ink next door to check out all the fantastic art on their walls. A veritable gallery itself, the folks were nice enough to let us wander around the tattoo area to eyeball the abundant imagery, lots of great originals by some of our favorite artists. Really loved the "The Four Agreements" text (bottom image) that was gorgeously framed on the wall - wonderfully perfect words to live by!

BURN - Volume 8, Eclectix (Fire related art)

Card art by Neville D'Souza

The new issue is up with art related to fire, smoke and all things hot! Burning Man is coming! 

For the ever-changing weekly posts, featured artists (this week it's Jason D'Aquino and his matchbook art) and exhibit listings go here.

For the permanent online gallery of fire-related art go here.

Dino Muradian

Jason D'Aquino

Charred wood sculpture in Germany of Nelson Mandela

The Exquisite Miz Elsa Mora

Eclectix stumbled on Elsa (or Elsita) Mora while researching paper cut art and we are so happy to have her work on the exhibit card (below). 

She seems to be a one-woman dynamo, creating exquisite, impeccably beautiful art while managing  a family, an Etsy Shop and 5 blogs. The blogs are artworks in themselves, cleanly designed, well photographed with incredible, large close-up details of every work. Elsa also creates miniature books and art dolls. Her “The HeArt of Papercuts” is a wonderful place to get lost, we highly recommend viewing it. 

This is a detail from one of her rings - for your fingers!

Links below for more Mora...

  Elsa’s Etsy Shop LINK

Elsa Mora’s Main Blog

Miniature Artists’ Books

The Hidden Seed: Personal style

Elsa’s Handmade Doll Blog

Originally posted in the Eclectix Paper & Arts Issue, June 2011 along with the online exhibit of paper arts - LINK