On October 8th, Spoke Art in San Francisco opened the first solo show of New York artist Sam Wolfe Connelly. Having recently graduated with a degree in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, it’s amazing that Sam already has a solo show, and a very strong one at that. He has previously shown work with Gallery Nucleus and Bold Hype, but this was his opportunity to show a series of works that will not only show his considerable talent, but the consistency, and cohesiveness. I stopped by the reception night, took a look at the works, snapped some photos, and was able to talk to Sam for a bit about his working process.
continue reading «Reviews: “Semiprecious” by Sam Wolfe Connelly @ Spoke Art»
Dean McDowell has been a little quiet for the past few months, but he’s been busy creating new work and has just released a new limited edition print. Entitled “Autumn Shimmer”, this print is 13.7″ x 13.7″ on 350 gr Hahnemuhle paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 22. It is rare that Dean releases a print, so if you have been waiting for the opportunity to score work from this artist now is the perfect time.
Dean McDowell @ Little Gallery Amsterdam
1xrun is dropping a new print by Melissa Forman this Monday, October 24, entitled “She Who Flies With Cranes”. The print is 11″ x 15″, signed and numbered in a max edition of 45. Each print also comes with a certificate of authenticity. This is a beautiful print; I can’t remember a time when I saw a painting that captured the moment snow began to fall.
Get it here: Melissa Forman @ 1xrun.com
Metro Orange Art has just released two new prints by Leslie Ditto, that were released at the NY City Comic Con that took place this past Oct 11 – 14. The first print The Big Lebowski, is 12″ x 22″ on 100% cotton rag paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 100 for $60 each. The next print up is The Princess Bride which is 14″ x 22″ on 100% cotton rag paper, signed and numbered and also in an edition of 100 for $60 each.
Get em here: Metro Orange Art
Opening tonight, October 20th, at the Joshua Liner Gallery in New York is a duo show from two outstanding artists: Chloe Earley with Feathers and Wax and Ryan McLennan with his show Abominations. In Chloe Earley’s show she is focused on the idea of flight, with the figures in the work caught in a state of suspension, they are not falling or rising. I like the idea that while the figures are suspended in motion, the brush-work and energetic splashes of color that mark Chloe’s style give a sense of movement to the paintings. Each piece is dripping with color, well balanced, and gives your eye the impression that any moment the painting will start moving and break the tension. In McLennan’s show the works will deal with “universal questions, such as speculating on the existence of God and what it means to be moral.” The shows run until November 19th, so if you can’t make the reception you have some time.
On October 6th, Gallery 1988 in Melrose opened a duo show with Alex Pardee and Skinner under the moniker of the “The Butcher Kings”. The two artists took aim at pop culture and created over 80 works of art that were not only offensive in some cases, but were quite brilliant and make this show a must see. I have always been a fan of pushing art to the edge; art should move people, make them think, make them laugh, and make them offended if need be. The works in this show feature characters from many cartoons, movies, comic books, and various pop culture icons. Some of the titles in the show feature the kind of wordplay that seems easy to come up with such as Karate Kid N’ Play, and M.C. Hammerhead, and I know quite a lot of people do this with friends and in daily situations. The idea here is that these two artists took it past joking in the halls and at work, and made a cohesive full show. It looks as though Skinner might have a bit more work on view, however Alex Pardee came up with some pieces that really defined the show such as C3PeeHole and ElephantMan-At-Arms. Head on over after the preview and take a look at the rest of the show.
Amy Sol will drop a new print tomorrow, October 19th, at a 2PM Pacific. The print is entitled Fountain’s Cusp, and is a 17″ x 21.5″ giclee, embossed, signed and numbered in an edition of 50, and each print also comes with a certificate of provenance. Thanks to Omgposters.com for the heads up.
Back in September Gallery Nucleus opened a solo show from Scott C, that completely slipped our radar. The show was entitled Zombie in Love, and fits perfectly with the Halloween season. The show featuring a series of paintings that made up Scott’s latest book Zombie in Love. The reception had Scott give a book reading, a drawing demo, and fans even showed up dressed like zombies. Looks like it was quite a fun evening. The show and reception photos are online to view, and you can still grab the book from the Nucleus online store (here). Hardcover, 32 pages, and you can order it signed or unsigned.
“Zombie in Love” @ Gallery Nucleus
Opening this Friday, October 15th, to the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica is a three person show featuring the work of Chet Zar, Dan Quintana, and Mark Garro. You might remember that Chet Zar recently had a solo show, Faces of Death, at Last Rites Gallery in July. Even after a show that opened close to this one, Chet brings 13 oil paintings to this latest solo show entitled The Left Hand Path. Dan Quintana opens Tinsel, and Mark Garro brings more than 9 new works to Apocalypservice. This is an outstanding show, all three artist are insanely talented. If you have the ability to see this show in person, make sure you do. It will be up until November 5th. Copro Gallery has also released a new limited edition print by Mark Garro to coincide the show. The print is a 30″ x 26″ giclee on wood, varnished, framed, and signed and numbered in an edition of 30.
A little over a week ago I touched on the idea of the need for political art in the article; Political Art for a Much Needed Time. If you have been watching the news, or the lack thereof in most cases, the “Occupy” movement is growing bigger and spreading to cities all over the country, and in some cases has inspired movements for change in other countries [1. Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Ireland]. It’s a very exciting time and I look forward to seeing what positive changes occur. I have also been keeping my eyes open to see what role art plays in these new movements.
Popping up in various areas in San Francisco the past few days is an image made by Eddie Colla. The image (shown above) features the iconic Guy Fawkes face, currently being used by the group Anonymous and many protestors at Occupy events. The mask was made popular again via the 2006 movie V for Vendetta. It’s a great looking mask, and I think the idea of being anonymous along with a recognizable image is a smart idea. What I find interesting is the idea that this mask is owned by Time Warner, one of the largest media outlets in the world, and every time a mask is sold they are paid a licensing fee [2. Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner’s Bottom Line]. It seems to be a difficult situation, as the overall message is against corporate greed, but the mask is now a symbol of the movement. The good thing is that Eddie Colla does not help Time Warner rake in more cash, and he is giving people to ability to download high resolution images of the posters, one for each city, and paste them around. Get one here
Finally, the “Occupy Art World” movement seems to be starting as well [3. ‘Occupy Art World’ Movement Emerges on Twitter]. A new twitter account, @OccupyArtWorld, created by an anonymous source has popped up and is pushing for change in the art world. The idea that the larger art world needs to change, and artists need to make more money and be taken care of is an old fight. The account is not very old, so let’s see if it sticks around.
Opening this Thursday night, October 13th, at the Bold Hype Gallery in New York is the latest solo exhibition from Florida based artist Johannah O’Donnell. Bold Hype has shown Johannah’s work quite a few times and now is hosting her first solo show with the gallery entitled “Somewhere in Time”. She has been working on the art for this show for a fw moths now, Hi Fructose posted a studio visit back in March (here) and gave a preview of what was to come. The show features 25 works of art in a variety of sizes ranging from 4″ x 6″ to 24″ x 36″. This work in this show is very cohesive, and shows how strong her style is. I really like the juxtaposition of the monochromatic figures against the colorful backgrounds, and then each is set off against a vividly colored outline, shape, or text that surrounds the figures. The show runs until November 5th.
Godmachine is on a roll and has just released a new limited edition screen-print to his online shop. King of the Rotten is a 18″ x 25″ screen-print, printed by the artist, signed and numbered in an edition of 40 for £20.00 ($31) each. Each print also comes with a sticker. If your looking for some apparel, you might be able to dig up some Godmachien designs over at Disturbia Clothing
Get the print here: Godmachine Shop
