Art of Travis Louie

Merry Karnowsky Gallery Opening

2011-11-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Karnowsky Gallery Opening

Saturday Nov 12th 8-11pm

I'm exciting about these new artworks featuring characters with their unusual pets and their unusual circumstances. I"ll have a few of my new Uncle Six Eyes busts there as well.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, come down and take a gander.

gallery is located at

170 S La Brea Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Some details below

Wilbur and His Hypnotic Gaze

(Detail)

14 x 11” Acrylic on board

Caldwell had a bulldog namedWilbur who possessed a hypnotic gaze that increased perception as well ascausing slight bouts of madness. When Caldwell spent too much of his timestaring at his dog, he went into a trance-like state, where he was able to seemore than one dimension. He could see the spirits of the recently departed aswell as visions of a possible future. Henever made the connection that it was only through his dog’s gaze that hemanaged to see his visions. Convinced that it was his one eye that allowed forthe “sight”, he took out an ad in the newspaper. He became an advocate formonocular vision and attracted a cult-like following.

Hermanand Morris

20x15 acrylic on board

Herman found his prized huntsmanspider in the basement of his parents’ house. It followed him where ever hewent for most of his adult life. He named it Morris because it reminded him ofhis Uncle Morris, who had long spindly legs and a strange gait that oftenconfused people as to which direction he was about to step in.

Although it was common to havelarge insects as pets in this town, it was frowned upon to have an arachnid asa pet. When they would go for a strollor take in a show at the theatre, Morris would hide in Herman's stovepipe hatand watch through tiny holes near the top of the hat band. Herman could evenhear him clapping at the close of the each performance. It made him laugh outloud every time.

Hermanand Morris(Detail 1)

Hermanand Morris(Detail 2)

Oscarand the Truth Toad(Ted)

20x16 acrylic on board

In 1895, a large toadbroke into Oscar's house. This was not an uncommon occurrence for Devonshire inthe summer of 1895. Fore there had been a plague of toads that season, thoughtto be brought on by a curse. There was always some curse or misplaced talismancausing mayhem in that town. This incident, however, was very unusual in thatthe toad was enormous. It was the size of pig and seemed to speak a kind ofgibberish that sounded like a child trying to mimic a foreign language. It heldOscar hostage in his kitchen for several hours while it appeared to be tryingto tell him something. As Oscar attempted to make his escape, the toad would“speak” louder and raise its slimy hands in fist-like gestures and a curiousmotion resembling throat slashing. As the sun started to come up, the toadthrew its hands up as if in disgust and made itself a home in the study of thehouse. Oscar was both terrified and mesmerized by the experience and decided tokeep the toad, . . .or more or less let it go about its business as he had nocontrol over what it had in mind. He started to call it Ted because it seemedto utter that name at the end of every “sentence”.

As months passed, Oscarstarted to decipher the strange language that his toad was speaking. He alsodiscovered that Ted had a very special talent. His presence compelled people tospeak the truth. Oscar, who was not very trusting of people, began to carry Tedaround on his head so that no one would be able to lie to him. From a distanceit appeared that Oscar was wearing a large turban and passersby would bestartled when the toad would suddenly snatch a bird in flight with its tongue.At first, Oscar was empowered by his new found ability to keep people honestand learn their secrets. It wasn’t long before Oscar became very lonely as histoad made everyone uncomfortable. Remorseful and tired of carrying around sucha heavy load on his head, he convinced the toad to go back from whence it came,or so he thought. Ted was actually quite frustrated with Oscar and wanted toleave anyway. Ted was never heard from again and Oscar had to undergo a year ofspeech therapy to undo the strange gibberish that he acquired.

Smoking Krampus

2011-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Chesterton

The Smoking Krampus

During the off season he works as a part-time henchman and fry cook.

During the busy season, he likes to crash corporate holiday parties; consume all food and drink and snatch his victims away in a large sack that he drags through the bumpiest streets he can find. Once back at his lair, he dangles them over an open fire while thumping them with a rolled up newspaper or phone book, shouting "Bad, Bad!!"

Strange Factory images

2011-06-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Norman
acrylic on board
5"x7"
oval frame convex glass
(sold)

He came out of the ground in 1886 to look for his friends.

They had all passed on except for his barber; who when approached

by Norman was so frightened by his decaying body he tried to run away.

The chase lasted for several blocks before the old barber gave up and collapsed.

He explained to Norman how long he had been buried and gave him a shave, a

haircut, and a mustache waxing for old time’s sake.

Upcoming Show

2011-03-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

November 12th at Merry Karnowsky Gallery

GERMS

2011-02-25T22:22:00.000-08:00

Germ # 28

graphite and chalk on toned paper

what I'm working on now

2011-01-06T03:27:00.001-08:00

The "Bull" Patterson

father of 5, purveyor of dime literature,

and eater of biscuits.

sketch for a portrait commission

(Sold)

Gentleman Cthulu

concept sketch for painting

(Sold)

Fuzzer,

the finder of "lost" lint

concept sketch for a story I'm working on

involving lint of course.

(Sold)

Sketches

2010-12-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ffolkes

(Sold)

Mermin

(sold)

Henry Twice

(Sold)

These small sketches are priced special for the holidays

contact me through the inquiry section of my website for details

Drawing Show at Gallery 1988, Los Angeles

2010-12-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Jimmy On Top

30 x 40"

graphite and nero on illustration board

The Impossible Girl

15"x15"

acrylic and graphite on board

Wendel Dreamed of Mermaids

24 x 36

graphite & nero on paper

The Victorian Hypno Doll

9.5"x 15.5"

graphite & nero on paper

Dragoncon

2010-09-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

So I ventured down to Atlanta for Dragoncon

I brought some drawings and a custom with me.

We keep painting

2010-08-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not so sure I stay connected to my youth through my paintings or that they keep me "forever young", but I do like to try and capture the feeling of wonder I got from when I was a boy watching those atomic age sci-fi and horror films. If anything, the act of painting keeps me grounded and maybe has a kind of "Rip Van Winkle effect". Time seems to stop, when I'm working on my pieces. I feel like I should always try and have a healthy, almost playful, enthusiasm about making my paintings and I hope some of that translates to the people viewing the work at exhibitions.

This art-making is a tricky business.

coming up next

2010-04-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

My next show is about the strange myths my characters believe in;

the myth of floaters, the origin of the "bad hair", the myth of the "others", . . . all this and more coming to New York in July

Hope to see you there.

My painting in the LUSH LIFE 2 Show at Roq La Rue Gallery

2010-03-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

My new painting is

"the Ghost of Laura from the Reeds"

acrylic on board

16" x 20"

convex glass, antique frame.

$6500.00

contact me directly travislouie@yahoo.com or

the gallery at kirsten@roqlarue.com

she is on display at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle along with the preliminary drawing for the painting. I had a fun time painting the hair and the details in the hands and eyes.

random thoughts

2010-03-01T06:13:00.001-08:00

I Painted this tune-up painting for Joshua Liner Gallery
I have a show coming up there in July.
I'm very excited about the prospect of a showing in my hometown and working with such a nice gallery.

http://www.formspring.me/TravisLouie

Did someone say Hello Kitty?

2009-11-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

so there is this show at Royal T in Culver City involving the 35th anniversary of Sanrio character, Hello Kitty, . . .it was a lot of fun to make this piece.
The show is up for a couple of weeks still, . . .if you are in the area, . . .

if you want to follow me on Twitter, HERE http://twitter.com/travislouie

I'll be at San Diego Comicon

2009-07-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

My Schedule at the Comicon

THURSDAY
At 4pm I'll be signing exclusive prints and the special Comicon edition of
my new book at the Hi Fructose booth #4939

FRIDAY
At 12pm I'll be signing at the Baby Tattoo Books booth #601
At 3pm I'll be at the Sketch Theatre booth #5363

SATURDAY
At 12pm I'll be signing at the Hi Fructose Magazine booth #4939

SUNDAY
At 12pm I'll be signing at the Last Gasp booth #1616

Upcoming Events

2009-05-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

My book will be coming out in a couple of months
Hopefully in time for my show at Roq La Rue Gallery in August

after curating an art show at Copro Gallery I'll be at Comicon in San Diego

Copro Nason Gallery Exhibit

2009-05-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the link to a preview for tonight's show at Copro Gallery.

http://travislouiegalleryexhibits.blogspot.com/

Lush Life Show at Roq La Rue

2009-05-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the Lush Life Show opening this Friday at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle

World On Fire Exhibit

2009-01-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

So the secret is out.
I'm slated to paint a portrait of Trent Reznor
for the "World On Fire" exhibition
curated by Will I. Am, Kris Lewis, and Justin Giarla

The show consists of portraits of grammy nominees featuring artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Gary Baseman, Shawn Barber, Kris Lewis, Lori Earley, . . .and many more.
Gallery Exhibition will run daily from Feb.2-8 from 11am-6pm.

Sponsored by Gen-Arts, Juxtapoz Magazine, and the Pea Pod Foundation

Open to the Public.

Location:
Pacific Electric Lofts
610 S.
Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

2009-01-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Some say she was from Yorkshire, . . . but she was really from Wales.
She was blamed for all the bad hair in that region.
In 1897, she was forced to leave her country on a steam boat
bound for New York. By the time the ship had reached the harbor,
all of the passengers on board had acquired her " Bad Hair"
They were not amused.

I've had a busy last couple of months.
After my show at Merry Karnowsky Berlin with KillPixie, I painted "Molly Bad Hair"
for The Shooting Gallery. It was exhibited at The Aqua Art Fair in Miami during Art Basel.

The Shooting Gallery

2008-10-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

I have 7 new paintings going up at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco
the opening from 7-11pm
October 11th 2008

you can view the preview here http://www.shootinggallerysf.com/gallery.php?artist_id=current#

I'll be attending

Crazy For Cult show

2008-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Gallery 1988
Hosts the second Crazy For Cult show on Friday August 22nd
doors open at 7 pm

should be lots of fun

The Bride of Stan

2008-08-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the Pressure Printing Blog for a complete description of how the print was created.
They did a wonderful job with the printing.
http://pressureprinting.blogspot.com

The Bride of Stan is now available exclusively through Hi-Fructose magazine's website
http://www.hifructose.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&Itemid=75

I'll be at the San Diego Comic-Con

2008-07-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'll be releasing a new print through Hi-Fructose Magazine and Pressure Printing
I think they did a wonderful job, . . . it's an hand-pressed Intaglio print
an edition size of 50
each print is signed numbered and framed in a reproduction frame with convex glass

I'll be signing small prints exclusively for the show at the Hi-Fructose table Saturday July 26th at 1:30pm

for a complete list of artist signings at Hi-Fructose check the website
http://www.hifructose.com/

The Great Gugga Mugga

2008-06-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Discovered in South America at the turn of the last century, this rare Krampus had been in hiding since the great nostril incident at Stockholm in 1895.
During the holiday season, he would punish the wicked by inserting his thumb and index finger into the nostrils and lifting his victims off the ground several times.
The after effects are a harsh facial disfigurement with super-sized nostrils.

New Works in Shows this July

2008-06-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

At Roq La Rue Gallery the 10th Anniversary Show July 11th
www.roqlarue.com

At Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica the Hi Fructose Show July 12th
www.copronason.com

At Gallery 1988 in San Francisco a 4 person show with artists Joe Vaux, Brandt Peters and Scott Scheidly opening July 18th
http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/

Prints now available through Circus Posterus

2008-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

These signed and numbered limited editions are available through
www.circusposterus.com

Roq La Rue Show

2008-03-13T08:59:00.001-07:00

The Great Woolly Krampus

He sneaks up on his victims and surprises them with a passionate kiss on the lips.
This is no small feat, since he stands at almost 3 meters in height.
Once his lips make contact, a quick hair-growing affliction ensues, usually covering their entire body with hair (much like "cousin It" on the Addams Family)
During the holiday season, large balls of hair roll through Bavarian towns like tumbleweeds.

Opening up on April 11th,
I'll be sharing a double-headliner at the mighty Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle
with artist Femke Heimstra and her remarkable acrylic paintings.

I'm very excited about this show, . . .It will be the largest collection of my paintings on display ever.
I'll be attending.

Sneak Peek from the next exhibition

2008-01-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

I've been binge-painting again, . . . not much sleep, . . . but happy with the results thus far. I thought I'd post one of the paintings going to the next exhibition.

He is Sad Mr Grimace

I wanted to show a subtle sadness to his expression and also maintain the level of kindness in his face that I like to imply in most of the characters that I paint.

He's part of a family of underground dwellers that usually live under old oak trees.
They usually don't like to pose for photographs because the flash makes their hair stand up.

What's next

2008-01-08T05:38:00.000-08:00

I'm gearing up for my next show at Roq La Rue gallery in Seattle, . . .it will be the largest exhibition of my work to date, . . .and I'm really excited! The other artist exhibiting there that month, is Femke Hiemstra. Her work is remarkable, . . .I may have to buy one of her pieces before she gets too big.

It will be in the month of April 2008.

Back from Art Basel

2007-12-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

After a long weekend in Miami, I decided to
take today off from painting. I got about halfway to the mall when I found out that there was a fire at Harold Golen's gallery. Luckily, the 2 paintings I had on display were only slightly smoke-damaged.

I hope he had insurance.

this is "Sluggo, the Big Big Monkey Man"

Sam the Krampus

2007-11-28T05:49:00.001-08:00

It's that season again,
Krampus' will be descending upon the wicked and selfish, . . .

Sam likes to sneak up on his victims and cover their eyes. He is only 3 feet tall, so he carries a folding stepladder with him. Once he has his hands over the person's eyes he whispers in a very convincing woman's voice, when they turn around, they usually are frightened into unconsciousness.
At which time, he cross-dresses his victims, . . . affixing crooked wigs to their heads and miss-matched high heels to their feet (usually 2 left feet), and places them in uncomfortable locations where they might be seen by the most people, like train stations or bus terminals.

painting will be on display at Art Basel

Ultra-Chimp

2007-11-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is Maxo The Ultra-Chimp

I've been asked list 5 random facts about myself

1. I love to cook, and not just Chinese food
2. When I worked at an art supply store in NY, my name tag said "O'Malley"
because I got tired of people asking me what country I came from.(I look about as Irish as Charlie Chan)
3. I thought my kindergarten teacher looked like Richard Nixon in drag
4. I'm really into fine writing instruments.
5. I don't like circus clowns

The Show Room in NYC

2007-11-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Jack Longfellow was destined for something big, . . .or so he thought. He really didn't want to be a collector of souls(like his father), . . . instead, he wanted to be a pirate and sail the seas with reckless abandon. When he grew up, he settled for assignment as a Naval recruiting officer during the Civil War(it was a great place for him to harvest souls, the young recruits usually had no idea what kinds of documents they were signing). Sometime at the turn of the 20th century, intense boredom forced him to acquire a post at the US Patent office. He took great pleasure in giving patents to products and inventions that were prone to causing fatalities.
He now lives in Westfield, New Jersey, spending most of his time causing "road-rage"

This painting is on display at the Showroom Gallery space the show is titled “The Beast Within,” curated by Jamie O’Shea, opening October 31st at the East Village’s SHOWROOM NYC GALLERY in conjunction with Tristan Eaton’s Thunderdog Studios. Featuring introspective monster art reflecting the participant’s personal demons (hence the title), the show features new & original work by over 65 artists including Pushead, Phil Frost, Stephan Jay Rayon (Hysteric Glamour), Doze Green, Eric White, Ron English, Louie Cordero, Tristan Eaton, Andy Cruz/House Industries, Mars-1, Steve Bliss, Shepard Fairey, D*Face, REAS (Todd James), Travis Louie, Rhode Montijo, Friends With You, Nathan Cabrera, Tim Biskup, Eric Elms, Kelsey Brookes, Jim Woodring, Mark Dean Veca, Erik Foss, Gary Baseman, Slick, Nathan Jurevicius, James Jean, Usugrow, Glenn Barr, Mike Moon, Gomez Bueno, Pete Fowler, Rick Griffin, Nate Van Dyke, Stanley Mouse, Andrew Brandou, Makoto Kobiyashi, Miran Kim, Peter Taylor, Scott Campbell, Jordin Isip, Melinda Beck, Joel Dugan, Jeff Soto, Elizabeth Huey, Jacaeber Kastor, Mark Smith, Carl Dunn, Junko Mizuno, Mike Sutfin, Rich Jacobs, Taylor McKimens, WK Interact, 123 Klan, Filth, Calma, and many more.

Yves Laroche Gallery in Montreal

2007-11-01T06:51:00.001-07:00

"Monty's Day Of The Dead"

Every year, Monty begrudgingly pulls himself out of the ground to dance with the "Day of the Dead" revelers and charm the ladies, . . . it makes him anxious and he is happy that no one can see him sweat.

this painting is on display at the Yves Laroche Gallery in Montreal for their "Sweet Calaveras Show"

Article in current issue of Tattoo Society Magazine

2007-10-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

My work is in 2 different publications this month, . . . I have 2 paintings in the 18th edition of Blab! magazine and there is a six page article about me in the current issue of Tattoo Society Magazine.

Shooting Gallery Show

2007-09-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

Miss Bunny

Los Angeles Trip

2007-09-12T05:43:00.001-07:00

So I fly out to California and spend a few days making the rounds at the different galleries, . . .leading up to the Blab Show at Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica.

I stopped by Gallery 1988 for Luke Chueh's show, talked with Anthony Ausgang, and I spent a day with Chet Zar. We visited La Luz De Jesus gallery for Miles Thompson's show on Friday night
and stopped in at Merry Karnowsky's Gallery and had a brief conversation with Kent Williams, who I haven't seen in almost 20 years, he had some beautiful paintings up.

Visited Gary Pressman and saw a great collection of art.

Spent the next day with Dave Chung, Dim Sum in Chinatown, a visit to Thinkspace gallery, Billy Shire Fine Arts, a brief conversation with Billy Shire, and dinner with Miles Teves and his wife Malena and the very talented Bill Basso. both Miles and Bill had pieces in the Blab Show.
The Blab Show on Saturday night was packed, . . . I got there late, . . .but I managed to meet Robert Williams and his wife, Gary Baseman, Natalia Fabia, Fred Stonehouse, Ryan Heshka, and Long Gone John.

The Shooting Gallery

2007-08-17T05:40:00.001-07:00

This painting is for the upcoming October Show at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco
I'm very excited to heading out there, . . .

"The Vamp Circa 1873"
16"x20" acrylic on board
She calls herself Eva, . . .she has been around since the 1820's.
Originally known as Margaret McCambridge, she left Scotland after numerous reports of missing persons began to spread across the countryside.
She reappeared some years later in New York sometime during the Civil War.

The Smacking Krampus

2007-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch for my next piece

After much deliberation, . . .the Smacking Krampus, raises it's hand as if to ask a question, . . . and then smacks down his victims until they relent. His over-sized right hand is as wide as the average frying pan.

Hi Fructose Magazine

2007-07-28T04:54:00.000-07:00

There's a feature article about my work in the current issue of Hi Fructose magazine
I'm very excited to be in such a fine publication! The other artists in the issue are fabulous, . . . so I'm in good company.
Also in that issue are Brendan Danielsson(a good friend), Lori Earley, James Jean, Cover Artist Amy Sol, Parskid, Mars-1(wildly imaginative), and David Stoupakis

FUSE GALLERY OPENING

2007-07-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last night was the opening of the FUSE Gallery group show "Revelation" featuring artists, . . .
Jason D'Aquino, Chet Zar, Vincent Castiglia, David Stoupakis, Jordin Isip, Eric White,
Ron English, . . .and many others including myself, . . . I've posted my image here.
It's called "The Stack of Demons a k a, Mike, Sam, & Alex" 8x10 acrylic on board.

The Next Gen Show

2007-07-15T04:50:00.001-07:00

I Finished this piece last week for last night's opening at the Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica.
It's called "Meet the Grimaces"
18x24 acrylic on board
The Grimaces are subterranean dwellers who only come out at night. They have an unusual reaction to bright light. Their hair stands on end and their eyes recede into their sockets.

The Uncle

2007-06-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

There's something to be said about being a "Monkey's Uncle"
This piece is available through Gallery 1988

Ophelia, Another Queen of the Sea Monkeys

2007-06-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

After much consideration,
I decided to paint the original sketch I had for the Sea Monkey Queen

The Choker

2007-06-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

After a long holiday season of punishing the "misbehaved" by choking or squeezing them, . . . this Krampus spends the "off" season gardening and landscaping. They can be seen at a Home Depot or Lowe's buying lumber and shrubs.
However, . . .many of them are still open to be employed as chokers or stranglers, . . .their services can be acquired for a nominal fee that usually includes lunch.

Krampus

2007-06-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sketch for new Krampus piece

the great mailbox incident of 2007

2007-06-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went Williamsburg, Brooklyn to deliver some artwork for the upcoming Art Dorks show at McCaig-Welles Gallery on Roebling St and then onto Manhattan to meet up with an artist agent to discuss some work I may be doing(I just needed to see if the work was within the realm of possibility for me)
After a long day of driving in and out of NYC I get home and go to sleep. It must have been a really deep sleep, . . .because when i woke up the following day I was told that someone had gone through my neighborhood and wrecked a bunch of mailboxes and chopped down some trees. I was really surprised I slept through the damage. They had attacked my mailbox with an ax (the cut marks were clearly visible) Rotten ax-wielding kids!!
I spent my Saturday re-constructing my mailbox just like about half my neighbors had the same problem, . . .I hear it was even worse around the block.

new painting

2007-06-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first version of "Amelia, Queen of the Sea Monkeys"

it's 16"x20" acrylic on board

Curse of the Goat

2007-05-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Curse Of The Goat
8 x 10 acrylic on board

Thomas Worth was an angry man who developed a habit of kicking things when he lost his temper(which was quite often) He managed to kick most of the people in his town for one reason or another. As a result, he was always alone. (Who in their right mind would want to be around someone who might kick them?)
One day while eating an apple, he bit down hard with a rotten tooth. The pain shot through him quickly and his temper flared up as usual. He turned and saw a goat grazing in the field next to him. He rushed over to it and kicked it.
The goat stood up on its hind legs and cursed him, “ I’ll make your face just like mine!” The sight of the goat frightened him and he fainted. When he awoke a few hours later and staggered drunkenly toward home, he noticed everyone staring at him strangely. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then he stumbled on a rock and almost fell face-first into a puddle. As he righted himself, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water. A curious thing had happened, . . . somehow the goat’s curse had come true.
From that day on, he did his best to stave off his previously unmanageable temper, in the hope that his appearance might change back. It never did.

Lumpy

2007-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jim “Lumpy” Phelps
8”x10” acrylic on board

Jim was a prize winning rat-catcher and gifted phrenologist.
After spending years examining the bumps on his own head, he came to the conclusion that rat-catching was not the job he was best suited for. In 1850, he was dispatched to Brixton Prison to use his phrenology skills to examine the heads of the inmates in the hope that he might get some insight on the “criminal mind”. His studies were inconclusive, . . . but while he was there, he managed to rid the prison of its rats.

Norman and Jenkins

2007-05-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Norman And Jenkins
8 x 10 acrylic on board

Norman lived in a small cottage outside of London that he shared with his pet Weta, Jenkins,( a large cricket-like insect native to islands in and around New Zealand) Unlike ordinary insects, Jenkins had the ability to control people’s minds. Did he use that ability for good or evil?, . . .no one knew for certain, . . .but Norman lived happily with his “pet”, He did find it curious that the local townspeople often addressed him as “King Norman” or “Your Majesty”, and when the town tax collector arrived at his home to make an assessment, he cried out that his eyes were on fire and leaped into the pond.

Copro Nason Show

2007-05-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Edward "Twitchy” Jones
8”x10” acrylic on board

He was an engine driver who had an obsession with machines; particularly ones that made loud rhythmic noises.
Through most of his adult life, he operated on very little sleep. But when he did allow himself to nap, his loud, unconscious tremors would vibrate his body to such a degree, that often times, he would wake up several feet away from where he lay down to rest.

Upcoming Shows

2007-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd list some of my upcoming shows

My next show will be at
Copro Nason Gallery
in May

In October i'll be at
The Shooting Gallery showing with Kris Lewis and Kukula

The upcoming Art Dorks Collective shows will be at
Fountain and at ThinkSpace gallery in June
and McCaig-Welles Gallery also in June.

Sketches for my next paintings

2007-02-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

I just started my next round of paintings for my next show.
Sometimes, this is the most exciting part of my process; making little drawings of ideas, . . as long as I keep the lead-holder moving, the little sketches evolve into finished drawings.

Had one of those Zombie dreams again

2007-01-04T06:08:00.000-08:00

The holiday season has passed, . . .I'm a year closer to paying off my mortgage and my daughter had a wonderful Christmas. What more can I ask for?, . . .A Solution to the Zombie problem that plagues our 21st century existence
I got a neat book for Christmas "World War Z" by Max Brooks
I hope the the FX Shop that my friend works for, gets to work on the motion picture that got optioned recently.

it's back to work for now

Los Angeles

2006-12-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

I'll be at the Copro Nason Gallery 15th anniversary show tonight.
most of the artists that have shown there over the years will be exhibiting, . . . a few of them will be on hand, . . .I will have 4 pieces there, including the new piece I finished earlier in the week.

I flew into LA on Thursday and visited Gallery 1988 for the show Luke Chueh was curating. Met Greg Simkins, Bob Dob, Thomas Han, Mark Bodnar and Joe Ledbetter , . . .that was a solid show, . . . I was impressed with the quality of the work, . . . Amy Sol and Greg Simkin's pieces were my favorites.

On Friday,
I went to Chinatown, had some breakfast/lunch, . . .and met some people at the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, . . . they helped me get some directions and asked about my artwork and the possibility of coming back to exhibit there next year, . . .
My next stop was at the Forrest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, to see the Bougereau painting "Song of the Angels"
Almost walked out of the gift shop with a few hundred dollars of jewelry, . . .the cashier accidentily handed me the bag of new merchandise she was supposed to add to the glass display case, instead of the 2 postcards I just bought. I was still so excited about seeing the painting, I almost didn't notice until I got to my car, . . .
Later, I visited La Luz De Jesus, . . . I went there to look at Scott G Brooks' paintings(always fun stuff) and also found Lesley Reppeteaux and Jason Houchen's work there( a pleasant surprise. They have a really neat store there too!

2006-12-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Norman Rockwell paintings was found behind a false wall in the home of late Donald Trachte(cartoonist and illustrator). He bought the painting from Rockwell and very carefully painted a copy of it, hiding the original behind the false wall along with other paintings he collected. I'd seen the copy, which was loaned to the Norman Rockwell Museum by the Trachte family years ago. I think we were all fooled(which is a testament to Don Trachte's skill as a painter).
The only person I can recollect to have any suspicion about the one that hung at the Norman Rockwell Museum , was my friend James Gurney
he noticed some things were little "off" from the printed version.
Trachte's sons had the painting auctioned for 15.4 million dollars.

THANKSGIVING

2006-11-23T04:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's here again, . . .
Thanksgiving, . . .an American tradition that always seemed a little weird to me, . . .being from immigrant ancestors, it's always been an odd holiday, . . .I think my grandparents only celebrated it to fit in. It centered around food , so it isn't the most difficult holiday to deal with, . . .My in-laws believe it is a religious holiday, because they are thanking God, . . .somehow, I don't think they celebrate Thanksgiving at the Vatican, . . . whatever.
I'm reminded of a Norman Rockwell story (it didn't take place on Thanksgiving day, but the theme was there)
One day, Norman Rockwell discovered that his Illustration idol, J C Leyendecker lived in the same neighborhood in New Rochelle, NY.He got up the courage to invite him and his brother Frank over to his house for dinner. He was troubled over what to feed them. He decided on a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, he thought to himself, "Who doesn't like a Thanksgiving dinner?"
He hired a cook to prepare the meal and anxiously awaited the arrival of one of his favorite living artists. After pacing back and forth, they finally arrive at his place, . . . poor Norman clams up, . . .doesn't know what to say to these guys, . . .there's all the usual polite gestures of course, but they are basically just staring at each other and Norman was getting somewhat uncomfortable, . . .he needed an "Icebreaker", . . .the dinner bell rings and the turkey is brought out. Before it can even be placed on the table, the hired help takes a fall and the turkey rolls under the table, stuffing and all. Norman and Joe Leyendecker meet under the table trying to salvage the remains of the turkey from the dining room floor. Joe takes a taste of the fallen stuffing "Chestnuts?" he mutters, . . .and then he starts talking about how difficult it is to paint the shiny, glazed surface of a cooked turkey convincingly(he had done a cover painting for the Saturday Evening Post that featured a roasted turkey) After the mishap, they talked for hours about all kinds of things, . . .they became good friends. Shortly before Frank Leyendecker passed away, he gave Rockwell the secret formula for the painting medium that he and his brother Joe used.
Well, . . . maybe it doesn't have too much to do with the holiday apart from the turkey.
Drink a toast and have great Thanksgiving!!

Michael Richards

2006-11-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Talk about career suicide!
Wow! I sure didn't see that coming, . . .by now, everyone who ever watched "Seinfeld" must know about the unfortunate, disgraceful remarks that Michael Richards will regret until the day he dies. . The worst part about it for him , is that it was caught on video. Now he has no choice but to try and do as much damage control as possible. I understand he's had contact with Reverend
Jesse Jackson and tried to contact Al Sharpton. He should contact the people he insulted openly and apologize to them.
And what about those people he shouted those awful words to?, . . . it appears that two of them are doing the News show circuit with their lawyer in tow. As horrible as it may be to have racial slurs spewed at you, we all know that if it wasn't a celebrity saying such things to them, they wouldn't be after their "15 minutes". Why do they need a lawyer? Are they seeking reparations? They weren't even on camera, in that video clip I saw online.
I've had people yell racist things at me in public, . . . I didn't run to my lawyer, . . .I hope they aren't going to make a mockery of this, by asking for money as punishment for the hurtful things said to them.

New work

2006-11-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

I've been working on paintings for a couple of different shows
I just finished framing one of them this morning with some convex glass. This one is called "Uncle Six Eyes"
It's 11x14 and it will be at the 15th anniversary Copro Nason Show, opening Dec 9th.
there will be two other pieces there, . . .I'll be attending the opening.

Keeping myself honest

2006-11-21T05:31:00.000-08:00

So I go to drop off my daughter to her dance class, . . . and as a little break, I decided to go next door to this fancy antiques shop. I ask the counter person if I could look at this 19Th century am bro-type, . . . it was in pristine shape, . . .in a 24 carat gold frame, . . . then I dropped it!!!!
Being a nice guy, . . .I said I'll pay for it, . . .yikes!
She gave me a break on the price (still overpriced)
I felt good about doing the right thing. I couldn't honestly walk(run) out of there without paying for it.

The Arcanum Show

2006-11-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

I have some work up at the Strychnin Gallerie's New York space.
The show opening was the weekend before Halloween and it was lots of fun. It was a large group show and I met most of the artists in attendance that night. One of the recurring themes that evening(however unintentional), was how nobody seemed to know I was there. When I say this, . . . I mean that I just don't look like the person that would paint the images that I come up with. I toyed with the idea of hiring a model and training him to be me( only more charming). In reality, I'm about as Goth as Jackie Chan(or Charlie Chan for those of you old enough to remember)
Anyways, I was asked to paint something "dark" for the show, . . . so I figured putting some of my characters in dresses would do the trick. I used to go to a school that had a really creepy janitor, I remembered a conversation I had with my friend Bruce Dunston, . . .and how, " Al the custodian would be really creepy as a cross-dresser".
Where was I?, . . . Oh yeah, . . . anonymity, . . .
Artist Matthew Bone, thought I would be a large Samoan person. I'm still not sure where he got that from. I've had contact with most of the artists through the internet prior to the opening and the anonymity of this world made it difficult to pick out who was who. Perhaps we should have worn name tags. There was a film crew there, interviewing the artists. I didn't get interviewed(must not have looked enough like an artist). Had I known, I most definitely would have hired that model, trained him to be surly and pissed off like those celebrities, punching out cameramen and such. I did sell a painting that evening, . . .that's always a plus! Interview or not, that's the real point of an art show, to sell the work!

Timing is everything

2006-11-14T00:51:00.000-08:00

I've been making art (paintings, drawings, art objects, etc.) for most of my life, . . . professionally for the last 17 years. Along the way, I've learned a lot of things about this business. One of the most important lessons learned, is that "timing can be everything". This applies to all of the creative arts, . . . music, acting, dance, writing, etc, . . . It's not always about "How good you are, . . . or who you know, . . . it comes down to having an opportunity and making the best of it", . . . not only do you have to market your skills and allow yourself to be in situations that can present opportunities, . . .you have to be ready when one is presented to you, . . . being in the "right" place at the "right" time and having the ability to deliver.
There are so many talented individuals out there, who are never given the chance to show what they can do. It can be frustrating.
Of course, there are also plenty of mediocre people out there who simply do a "serviceable" or " a good enough" job and are successful at marketing their reliability as something better than it actually is. They can "deliver" for sure, . . . just not something great!" One must know what finished work looks like (that's a start)
That said, I consider myself fortunate to be making a living in this business.