Illustration Friday: WIDE

Abigail's mouth is open WIDE and Oliver is enjoying the RIDE. I made a rhyme for you on Illustration Friday. Happy Friday!

Pharmaka Gallery Goes Green

I wanted to let you know some good news----Pharmaka Gallery in L.A.'s Gallery Row and where I have had work in a group show just went GREEN! Isn't that great? I think about businesses and homes going green, but I didn't stop to think about galleries. They did it as a collaboration with the Discovery Channel's show "Alter Eco". They replaced lights, and an air circulation system. Now, they boast that it has reduced their annual energy consumption by 90%. Kinda makes you want to go green too, eh? You can watch this make-over on the Discovery Channel in late July 2008.

Clemente Susini's Wax Anatomy Sculptures

Clemente Susini's almost life like anatomy sculptures are amazing. What's more amazing is that they were done in the late 18th - early 19th century before surgery was widely practiced and the human body was still a mystery. They are still fascinating and it's still a wonder to see what lies inside us. Check out more of the collection which is at the University of Calagri in Italy.

Duncan Trussell to the Rescue: Spreading Happiness at the Steve Allen Theater

Have you ever wondered why some people are happy and some are not? Is it genetic? Do some people know what it takes and some don't? Well, Duncan Trussell is going to try to answer some of those perplexing questions in his show, Duncan Trussell Saves the World. He's also going to make you feel good. The press release about the show says, "If you don't leave feeling better about your life, then you probably don't have a soul." That sounds almost like a guarantee and what better way to spend your Monday evening. Before the show there will be puppy petting. Sounds good to me. For more details, visit the Steve Allen Theater website, or click here.

A Contest to Get You Noticed by Art Directors

The exclusive Art Director's Club of New York City is now calling for Young Artists (30 years or younger) to show off their work and to compete for awards. They are calling this competition Young Guns and it is the 6th time they have held it.

They include advertising, animation, architecture, environmental design, fashion, film and video, graphic design, illustration, interactive media, object design, packaging, photography, publishing, typography, and web design. In the FAQ's, they ask you to email them if your work doesn't fit into any of these categories, because it still may qualify for the competition.

You must provide proof of your age, submit 6-10 pieces of professional work in any medium,category or year, and have worked professionally either freelancing or full-time for at least 2 years. The deadline is June 2,2008 and the entry fee is $125.00. It's steep, but this is your chance to get in front of your desired audience---Art Directors! More details are at this link.

Designer Karim Rashid Tells You How to Be Like Him

Prolific and fantastic designer Karim Rashid has a few wonderful words about how to be a great designer, like himself, of course. I have found them inspiring and thought them well worth sharing. They don't necessarily have to be about design. They could be applied to just living a wonderful life.

"Normal is not good."

"Never say, 'I could have done that' because you didn't."

"There are three types of beings---those who create culture, those who buy culture and those who don't give a shit about culture. Move between the first two."

"Experience is the most important part of living, and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is. Space and objects can encourage increased experiences or distract from our experiences."

One of the Wonders of the World HERE in L.A.

I don't know about you, but I feel awful lucky to live in the Los Angeles area and have the opportunity to see so many amazing things, like Egyptian mummies, Dali Paintings and Warhol Prints to name a few. Add to that list the Terra Cotta Warriors who guarded the First Emperor of China in his tomb. Starting May 18th,2008, at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, you will have the amazing chance to see 14 life sized Terra cotta warriors which is the largest loan from China to ever travel the U.S.A. Thousands of these handmade statues guarded the tomb. Each one is unique and has different facial expressions. When they were uncovered in 1974, they were considered the 8th Wonder of the World. Don't miss this opportunity. For more details, click here.

Suggestions for Your Tax Rebate from Gallery 1988

This was too good of a suggestion to pass up sharing it with you. Gallery 1988 is suggesting you buy some of their groovy, low-brow art with your tax rebate from Pres. George Bush. They also stick it to him a little, as you can read in their little promo picture above. Furthermore, if you don't want to spend it on art, they suggest donating it to the "Iraqi Veteran's Against the War". I swear, this is real. Go to the website and see it for yourself. So once again, art and politics collide. Whatever you do with your tax rebate, have fun.

Haunted Murals of Kara Walker at UCLA's Hammer Museum

While at the Hammer Museum last week, I also had the opportunity to view the Kara Walker exhibition, "My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love". The first thing I felt when I walked into the great oval room surrounded by black and white gigantic silhouettes was haunted. Scenes of humor, violence and atrocities were equal parts eerie and beautiful. The larger than life figures were so real. I could almost hear their laughter and cries. The delicate details of dress and facial features told all. They were ghost tales.

There were more than these engulfing shadows and ghosts. I was happy to discover Kara Walker's progression to the silhouette. Collages, charcoals, ink sketches, paintings and writings lead a path to her discovery of her final known & chosen medium. All of it was angry and fascinated with the sexual deviant and the issue of race and gender in American history. She also had a few videos of her shadow/silhouette puppets. Their subjects were no less disturbing.

Go see this if you want to be moved, shocked and pummeled with feeling. It is not for the faint of heart and you cannot leave it without being disturbed. It continues until June 8th, 2008. I recommend going on a Thursday when it's free. They also have extended hours that evening, until 9PM.

Sketches from My Journal

As you may have guessed, I love to write and draw. That's a no brainer, right? When I write the old fashioned way with a pen and a blank book, I also draw. These are some of my uncensored treasures, but minus the words. Thanks to the miracle of technology and through photoshop I can share my drawings, but not my secret thoughts and writings. Enjoy. Happy Monday!

Andrea Fraser, Performance Artist's Lecture at UCLA: A Snore!

Last night at UCLA's Hammer Museum, Andrea Fraser, a performance artist who creates pieces which criticize the institutions which exhibit art, gave a lecture on her body of work. She has used her body in provocative and shocking ways to perform these works of art. Some have even called it prostitution. Nevertheless, she has riled up the art masses enough to be considered a legitimate player in this fine art game and enough to be invited to be an artist lecturer at UCLA.

In talking about her work, I did not feel like I understood it better or that what she was doing was a valid or necessary art creation and criticism. It came off as a bunch of gargled art and academic jargon which only built another wall around the accessibility of fine art. Sure some of her work was amusing, but was it really helping to break down the high throne of art institutions? And I almost felt like she had gotten tangled up or lost in her own web of art jargon and criticism. Hadn't her method of criticism only talked in circles? It explained nothing, and turned in on itself again and again and again. Or did I just miss the point?

Half way through, I and my party had enough of her muddled and confusing talk. I was waiting for her to tell us this lecture was just an art performance to convey how boring art lectures can be. I wanted a punch line to a talk that was not a joke. My friend fled by jumping over a chair. I escaped a little more subtly, but I still had to squeeze through other listeners' knees to gain passage to the exit. Before I left, I saw a hand-full of others leave. Maybe, they felt the same way.

4 Wins and Counting: Print Magazine Wins Again

Print Magazine is the winner---AGAIN---for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in the under-100,000 circulation category. Is it any surprise? They've been nominated 10 times and this is their 4th time winning. I'm sure they'll win again. They are always on the cutting edge of design and how it intersects with contemporary life. They give style to issues like Being Green, and Social Awareness. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should at least check out their site and judge it for yourself. Do you agree with the American Society of Magazine Editors? Does it deserve another design award or not?

To view what other magazines have won awards this year, click here.

Tuesday Night Fun in Los Angeles: May 13, 2008

If you're one of those week night party animals, ArtSeen has the event for you this coming Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Get ready for tons of art, food, street performances and lots of people watching. All of this is being done in the name of AIDS research. So don't feel guilty for enjoying yourself---it's for a good cause. Downtown L.A.'s Gallery Row(between Spring, Main, 4th and 5th Streets, L.A. 90013)will host the block party from 6-10PM. But the party doesn't stop there. It continues at the Standard Hotel (550 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90071)until midnight. There is rumored to be celebrities out and about at this event, so bring your cameras and get ready for a good time. More details are at this link.

Can You Spot What FAILED? A Blog to Make You Laugh

Oh man! Have I found a funny site for you to check out! FAIL blog will crack you up. Look at the pictures and see if you can spot what FAILED. Crazy, good laughs await you. I don't want to divulge too much, but man! We must talk later about what cracked you up the most. Hee, hee, hee. I'm partial to the one above.

Illustrate Short Stories at Common Ties

Common Ties is an online magazine which publishes short stories with illustrations. They call the stories JELES which is journalism jargon for a showcase story that lasts all weekend. They have a call for artists to illustrate images for these stories and they are willing to pay $50-$150 for each one. The above is an example of what they have published and what they are looking for. The stories remind me of Post Secrets because they have sort of a confessional feel to them. If Common Ties popularity increases, they may publish a book and maybe some of your artwork. Now, wouldn't that be great?! For submission guidelines, click here.

La Femme at Nucleus: Perfect Timing to Celebrate Women

You know Mother's Day is this Sunday, right? Well, Saturday at Nucleus Gallery in Alhambra, they are beginning the celebration early. Their La Femme Show is an all female artist group show. All mothers who come to the opening reception, May 10th, 2008 from 7-11PM, will receive flowers. All others will get a peek at women from women's perspective. Will any of it turn you on, turn your mind in a new direction, turn you off, or turn up the heat? Maybe, maybe. They promise everything from the serious to the serious cute. Of course, it wouldn't be at Nucleus if it wasn't Low Brow Art. So you'll find a lot of figurative work that could be narrative in a surreal world. Could be a fun show. More details are at this link.

Pop Pollution Show at Lab 101 Gallery

The new group show, Pop Pollution, at Lab 101 Gallery in Culver City says it all to me. Yes, we we are over-run with Popular Culture which is literally polluting our air and metaphysically our souls. Will this show actually critique and dissect pop cultures' excessive and poisoning nature or will it glorify it? That remains to be seen. Like all pop surrealism, it's fun to look at---eye candy---but it doesn't always turn a sarcastic eye on all this pop imagery. To see what message artists Isaac Bushkin, Matt Stallings & Jacob McClure are sending to the public, go to the artist's reception this Saturday, May 10, 2008, 6-10PM.

Paperworks Juried Art Show in NY

As illustrators, many of us do our best work on paper, so this juried show might be the one for you. It's in New York at the B.J. Spoke Gallery. They are looking for, "Drawings, graphics, sculpture, 3D, bound books. No paintings or photographs". The judge and curator of the show is Samantha Rippner, Associate Curator, Dept. of Drawings and Prints, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Deadline is May 31st, 2008. In other words, she knows works on paper. If you're interested, you can view submission requirements at this link.

Look Out: Japanese Culture Tsunami Hitting U.S. Right Now

The tsunami is here. Which one? Where? It's the Japanese Pop Culture one. Have you noticed it? You should. Every grocery store carries sushi. Manga graphic novels are at all book stores. Cute, fun and playful anime characters are on clothing, handbags and in movies. Entrepreneurs are betting on what hits big in Japan will hit big in the U.S.A. In San Francisco, they are building a J-Pop Mall which will be the first in the U.S.A. and which will feature a Japanese-only theater, bookstore and boutiques. To read more about the insurgence and entrepreneurs' plans, click here.

Reading that J-Pop is taking over the U.S. doesn't surprise me. I've seen its popularity grow little by little. But it makes me wonder if it will have an impact on the field of illustration. Japanese culture seems to be interwoven with imaginary characters, bubble gum & candy colors, and far out worlds that must be illustrated. Do you think this will create a renewed interest in illustration? Do you think it will have an affect on the field? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Phauxshow Online Gallery Wants YOU!

You're an artist, you're hip and everyone should see your great art. So why not get it promoted for free at Phauxshow, an online gallery? They have an open call for "sketches, drawings, paintings, photography, henna, graffiti, comics, graphic novels, computer art, video art, handwriting, typography and illustrated poetry & prose". The creators wanted to help promote artist---that's always a good cause---and to get artists and patrons together. With all this good will and happiness, you have to take advantage of it. For submission guidelines, click here.