Prior to this show I had only seen a painting by Charmaine in person one time, at Spoke Art Gallery, however I missed the show she participated in there alongside Tatiana Suarez, Handiedan, and Craww. I was interested in how Charmaine would use the entire space over at Shooting Gallery for this new show, and was blown away at how she not only used the space in order to create a new world for this show, but completely owned the space. There was so much to be seen, so many details and tiny elements that all culminated together to allow the viewer to understand and feel the mythological beings the artist created. Since there was so much to see, I not only took more photos than I usually do, but also made a longer video than normal. I hope the video gives an idea of what seeing this show in person was like.

Aside from the amount of visuals the show had, I was really drawn in to the way that Charmaine painted the largest works. The colors used for the skin tones, and the ghostly skeletal imagery that was found on each painting was amazing. I especially like the way that the paint in the background was thicker and helped to create this texture that enveloped the figures. There was also a good amount of drippy oil textures, that really helped to add the surreal, mystical feel of the works. One could almost image the black paint was smoke, or a dense fog that the figures were emerging from.

Along with the smaller painted works and oil portraits, were these silhouette paintings made with india ink on paper, one of which was inspired by Medusa. I have always been intrigued by the myth of Medusa so I was happy to see it in the show. Looking at Charmaine’s online shop I noticed that this Medusa painting is also available as a limited edition print, as are a couple of other silhouette editions. The print that was given away during the night of the reception is also available in the shop just in case you missed it.

I have never walked away from an art show disappointed. There is always something good to be found. On the other hand, It is rare that I walk away from a show and spend the rest of the day thinking about the art, wondering if I took enough photos, and if the video will be good enough as I was with Charmaine Olivia’s Ritual. The show was just that good, and I am excited to see what Charmaine comes up with next. Keep your eye on her Homepage, Flickr, and Tumblr for more art and news.

So a few weeks ago I received an email about an invite only show coming up at Exhibit A Gallery here in Los Angeles. It was for a show entitled Obey Your Master and was going to be a group show with artists paying tribute to one of the greatest metal bands of all time, Metallica. The list of participating artists was a who’s who of the current art scene. You had everyone from Travis Louie to Shawn Barber and Sylvia Ji to Shepard Fairey all with pieces re-interpreting some Metallica songs into art. I was obviously very stoked to be able to attend this show, and it did not disappoint at all.

The Gallery/Space, Exhibit A Gallery, was next to the Tony Alva Skate shop here in Los Angeles on South Fairfax. The turnout of course was tremendous with a wait in line of about 20 minutes just to get inside. Once inside it was shoulder to shoulder with people the entire time. Which is why I guess i’m a little lucky that I got the pictures that I did of a majority of the artwork for this show.The gallery itself wasn’t really that small, it was more that the number of people in the building was past capacity. This being Los Angeles there was a handful of celebrities in attendance along with most of the artists in the house. Some of the members of Metallica were in attendance, such as Lars, James and Robert..No Kirk though.

The pieces that I absolutely loved were of course by Travis Louie, is art always makes my jaw drop. I also really liked Chad Michael Wards submission, it was very gritty and for some reason made me wanna go listen to Ministry — I know wrong band but sorry thats what i got when i looked at it. Of course Shawn Barbers piece was amazing as always, does this man ever make stuff that isn’t amazing? The Slyvia Ji painting was also quite amazing and she is coming fresh off her show at Corey Helford Gallery. All in All it was a pretty spectacular show and i was very thankful that i replied back to the email i received getting my special invite. The show opens to the public on Monday January 23rd. I would recommend taking yourself down to exhibit a gallery and checking it out before its over.

I was first alerted to Serge’s work from a previous job I had in Berekely doing t-shirt design. Serge was one of the artists that created unique designs for the store before I came along, and I was often asked to remake or alter the designs he created. Each time I was asked I would let them know I was far less skilled, and they should be happy with the design Serge made. I looked his site up at work one day and was also happy to see that not only did he do some apparel design, but painted as well. I saw one his works in a group show at Spoke Art, and once I learned of the solo show he was going to have I made sure I checked it out.

While a few pieces int he show had some collage elements to them, Serge works primarily in acrylics. He told me that he uses little mediums and mainly just water, light washes are applied until the paint is built up. The amazing thing about the paintings is that they have the same punch and exciting color that oil paintings often have. To fully appreciate the level of detail and colors in these works is to see them up close. I also liked the fact that even though the paintings are filled with detail, he is also very loose and energetic with many of the brush-strokes.

For a short while Serge, myself, and another patron, talked about politics and specifically the painting he made of President Obama. He talked about the idea of three sides, as you can see in the painting an african mask, skull, and the man himself. Just to the left of this painting was a diptych piece of Michelle Bachmann’s husband, Marcus Bachmann entitled Mark. The painting plays on the rumors about Marcus trying to cure homosexuals, while many think he could be gay. Overall it’s a very good show, filled with exceptionally skilled paintings, some fun, some with pop culture references, and a few with political and social messages in them. If you have a chance head on over and check out the show, it’s up until December 31st, otherwise head on over to Spoke Art now to see the rest of the show.

Each artist submitted 11 works, 22 in total. One of the nice details about the show is that they kept the photos and paintings a consistent size. So each painting and photo is roughly 11″ x 14″ and framed in a similar manner. Starting on the left side of the gallery you start with Sunrise by Joanne and Beginning by Dan, as you follow the trail around the gallery the show ends with Sunset by Joanne and The End by Dan. I loved the fact that they started the show out the same basic imagery that they ended the show with. In between these two points you have striking photos of flowers and insects, and right next to them the dark and fantastical oil renderings Dan saw in each photo.

In some cases the painting is very faithful to the original photo, such as Cicada and Molt (seen below), and then you have paintings that are dripping with imagination with whole new characters and environments filling the scene. Each one of the photos is no more than $160 and the paintings are around $400-450 each, and there is also a discount if you happen to buy the photo/painting set. I can see this show satisfying those that love photography and those that love paintings that verge on the darkly surreal. Dan has also added some photos on his Facebook profile that show the works side by side with some extra details (here) If you can check out the show in person, or head on over to the Articulated Gallery for the full list of works.

Articulated Gallery

I have visited Modern Eden a few times now, once before to see a new series of works by Michael Ryan (featured). The gallery was started by Bay Area artist Bradley Platz, so not only can you see work by many of the artists that are shown monthly, but Platz as well. The layout of the gallery allows for a large amount of work to be shown, and while I have not been there on a reception night, I imagine the space allows for a good amount of people to fit comfortably. For the Sandra Yagi show, there was enough space so that each style of work had its own area, such as the bondage skeletal paintings. These were actually hung in an alcove that allowed the light to give the works a secluded feel.

I was very impressed with the skill level that Sandra Yagi has, and will surely be watching her website for more works. The show is now over, but the gallery will be hosting a constant stream of impressive shows in the coming months. Make sure you stop by and see what they have in store.

Modern Eden Gallery

Just a few of the benefits of visiting the Articulated Gallery, aside from seeing some amazing art, is the ability to check out the Loved to Death storefront, and take advantage of some of the restaurants in the area. There’s nothing quite like spending a day looking at art, grabbing a slice of pizza, or sandwich from Say Cheese right around the corner. It was raining off and on for a bit when we arrived at the gallery, so this gave us a chance to check out the art and film a walkthrough without too many people in the gallery.

The gallery space is pretty small as you can see by the video, but unless it’s packed like a reception night, each show seems to have the right amount of work in it. There is enough to make it a successful group show, and not too much that it becomes overwhelming. The show has some outstanding artist in it such as Jennybird Alcantara, KuKula, Edith LeBeau, Liza Corbett, Jeremy Hush, Paul Romano, Kristen Ferrell, Elizabeth Levesque, Monique Ligons, Karyn Crisis, Caitlin Hackett, Jessica Ward, Buddy Nestor, and many more. I liked the idea that not every piece was made to look like a Ouija Board, such as the works by Monique Ligons and Buddy Nestor. Here you are instead seeing a figure use the Ouija Board, and in the case of Ligons piece In Search of Zozo, conjuring up some pretty nasty looking creatures (seen below).

Out of the Ouija Board styled pieces, I really enjoyed the works by Liza Corbett, Paul Romano, and Jessica Ward (seen in video). Jennybird Alcantra created this amazing multi-layered work that was breathtaking. Her style is very powerful and has the ability to stand out no matter what type of work it is shown alongside. Edith Lebeau and Elizabeth Levesque both focused on the planchette in their works, and with the very painterly style they both have it was a good choice. The show runs until the end of November, so you still have some time to check out the show. The works should be online soon as well.

Entitled “Semiprecious”, this new series of works deals with the idea of being left, having a feeling of being flawed, and that something out there besides you is more precious than you are. The works are inspired by “grave robbing and underground mining; two subjects that darkly probe the depths of both the physical and spiritual worlds.” In a few of the works, such as Vanadium, and Luster I (shown below), amid the bands of light that stretch across the surface of the gem, there are also lines that could stand for fractures. After you eye dances around the darks and lights that make up the precious stones, you see that there is a beautifully rendered figure trapped inside. Or perhaps it is meant that the viewer is peering through this stone, and it acts as a filter between the viewer and the figure which still gives the idea of something in between you, and someone who should be more precious than the gems that highlight them.

I have always been attracted to figurative works, so I was especially taken in with the way that Sam handled the media in which the works were comprised of. He said that he chooses what materials he is going to use based on what effect he wants. So if the goal is a particularly moody piece, such as Alex (shown below), he will use graphite on paper and really build up that sfumato. The drawings have this amazing smokey quality to them, you will find no harsh lines in these works. I don’t want to say the way in which he applied the graphite is painterly, it seems more related to photography, in which the works have this grainy feel to them and almost a vignette around the border.

The back had a print that was digitally colored with the original drawing next to it. It was good to see that Sam is also quite skilled with digital means of art as well, which shouldn’t be surprising after seeing the list of clients he has done work for: Playboy, Hasbro, Evil Ink Comics, and more. The other side of the wall had 9 8.5″ x 11″ sketches that were done after Sam arrived in San Francisco. Each one is graphite and silver ink on a toned piece of paper. I like that the decision was made as the show was being hung to add some more pieces, which also allowed fans to to check out the looser style of drawing Sam has when doing sketches.

The show is now down, and “Bad Dads” Round 2 will be opening on October 29th, but I am pretty sure this is not the last we will be seeing of Sam Wolfe Connelly at Spoke Art. The show looked fantastic and for a debut solo show, I am now wondering what the next show will be liek if this is just the beginning.

Check out Sam’s homepage and make sure to check out his Tumblr while your there. Sam Wolfe Connelly

One of the many things I like about the Shooting Gallery, beside the habit they have of showing top-notch work, is that they often have the artist embellish the walls. Skinner really did an amazing job of transforming the gallery walls into a new world. At first I thought it would be a bit much, and distract your eyes away from the intricacies of the works, but it turns out that his paintings are intense and dripping with color in person. So it was very easy to see the works, and take your time getting lost in all the details and textures.

Each painting had a blend of geometric shapes, and random, splattery chaos that fit so well together. The color palette he uses is amazing, and I often stood there thinking about how he got all of those colors to sit on the painting and feel harmonious. If you were able to see the show in person, then you definitely saw an outstanding exhibition. I hope that Skinner becomes one of the artists that keeps coming back to the Shooting Gallery. Check out the video above, and the photos from the show below.

This week while on a trip to Seattle I got a chance to stop in Roq La Rue Gallery to check out the ‘The Blab! show’. This is a group show featuring artists interpretations of the Krampus. This being my first time seeing Roq La Rue Gallery I have to say its a very nice space. The owners have done a very nice job with how the whole gallery is laid out. For this show , which was curated by Monte Beauchamp , there were the normal heavy hitters in the art world contributing pieces for this show. Travis Louie, Ana Bagayan and Shag all have pieces in this show. Of course all three of those pieces were amazing but some of my favorites were Derek Nobbs ‘The Ancient Mystic Order of Krampus’ which brought a very masonic/odd fellows feel to his piece. One of my other favorites of this show was by Travis Lampe who’s ‘Krampus in the Woods’ piece reminded me of those childhood looney tunes where the character got into the wrong thing and went on a bad acid trip. Travis’s piece was the one in the show I kept coming back to multiple times to look at again. Finally, the last piece I really enjoyed was by Mark Garro entitled ‘Krampus Takes a Holiday’. This piece was extremely detailed and I had to really get in close to catch all the little details. The custom Metal Devil frame also made this piece pretty incredible. If you are in Seattle this month do yourself a favor and stop in Roq La Rue and check out ‘The Blab! Show’ its up until the 3rd of September. After your done at Roq La Rue Stop by Shortys right down the street for some carnival themed / pinball heaven dive bar action…

The gallery is just big enough to hold the 11 painting comfortably, and allow the viewer to focus in on each one. The one thing that I was having a hard time with was the lighting, since the sun was pouring in quite heavy into the gallery. This isn’t usually a problem but since the paintings were all oil, the glare on some of them took you out of mindset to get lost in the painting. However, sitting down for a minute to wait for the sun to mellow out was a good idea. Seeing the show in the reception night alleviates the issues with the sun, but I’m sure it adds issues with space. I would rather have the gallery to myself to not only take in the works, but to photograph and film them.

The most striking aspect of these works in Shawn’s application of paint. The dripping, splattery, almost palette knife feel of some of the marks gave your eye enough information to happily dance around the surface of the painting for days. In the larger works, reading left to right, you see a dolls head that in 3 extra steps turns into a skull. These works were not only massive in size, and very impressive to look at in one take, but they held the most exciting brush marks and at some times even became sculptural. It was these works that I spent the most time with, not only because the sheer size draws you in, but because I am a huge fan of energetic styles of painting and these shows the best of what Shawn is capable of and more.

The smaller paintings were not to be missed, and while they were 1/5 of the size of the larger ones, they were just as exciting. I especially like “Jezebel” (above), with the red skin tone that was so intense it seemed electric, and “Plastered” (below) which had the most amazing textures and for me really showed the idea that Shawn wanted with “Youth of Today” in that “the “individual” personalities are saturated with a common ground- repetitive sadness fueled by the projected facade of synthetic surreality.” The idea of decay, neglect, and an overall foreboding feel permeated through these works. I couldn’t help but find each and every one of them exquisite. I hope it is not too long until Shawn shows in San Francisco again.