Creep Machine Magazine – Contemporary Art & Culture

Category: reviews

of shows, art & collectibles

  • Review: “Madonna and Horsefly” print by John Brophy

    Review: “Madonna and Horsefly” print by John Brophy

    I started out the review section in order to talk about prints and collectibles, but haven’t really had the chance to do this for far too long. I was able to get a hold of John Brophy’s “Madonna and Horsefly” print that can be found at Roq la Rue and felt it deserved a review. The print is on heavy watercolor stock, 10 3/4″ x 13 1/4″, with a paper size of 13 1/4″ x 15 3/4″. It is signed and numbered in an edition of only 10 for $150.

    The print is shipped rolled in a heavy duty tube, even with some padding on both ends to protect it. The quality of the print is outstanding. The paper is heavy/durable and has just a little bit of tooth to it that is really only noticeable if you touch it. While the image is done in the style of a Flemish underpainting, I think the choice to not print onto canvas was a good idea. As you can see in the first photo there are little touches of burnt sienna showing through, but this was taken with a flash. The photos after were taken with natural light and now you can see the print is pretty much flooded with burnt sienna. It’s a very unique effect and for me only adds to vibe of an already impressive piece of art.

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  • Photos: Paul Chatem & Mike Maxwell @ Shooting Gallery

    This past weekend, July 11th at the Shooting Gallery was “Until the Whistle Blows” with new works from Paul Chatem and Mike Maxwell. This is the second time I have seen the two artists shown at the gallery and was very excited to see the new work they came up with. I knew I would be impressed, but I had no idea how much I would have missed out had I not gone to the reception.I was able to get around 40 photos of the paintings, and even made a little video showing the way that Paul Chatem’s painting work, (Paul Chatem Video). Hit the “read more” link for the rest of the photos are well as an extended write-up.
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  • Seen: Some Kind of Wonderful @ Gallery 1988 SF

    The day after the Craola/Lister show I headed all the way back to San Francisco to enjoy the day a bit and see the “Some Kind of Wonderful” group show at Gallery 1988. The show features work by Cherri Wood, Mari Inukai, D’holbachi Yoko, Allison Sommers, Sarah Joncas and more.

    This was the first time I have seen Allison Sommers work in person, and I was impressed. She really know how to use that gouache. It was amazing how intricate she was able to get in such small works. It was also nice to finally Sarah Joncas’ work in person as well. They are just as good as I imagined. The colors were perfect, bright and vibrant, you could see the works across the room. I am also becoming a huge fan of Mari Inukai. I love the colors and the massive texture that she gets in the paintings.

    Check out the show on Gallery 1988 SF
    See the pics of the show on Creep’s Flickr



  • Seen: Anthony Lister and Craola @ Fifty24SF

    Just this past Thursday I headed down to San Francisco to check out the new shows from Craola and Anthony Lister at the Fifty24 Gallery. It was raining a bit but as we pulled up the rain stopped and we got there just before the crowds did. Anthony’s show was in the upstairs gallery, and after taking photos of the show I was able to talk to him about his work at his studio space around the corner. He had some new works on the walls (seen in pic) and was very easy to talk to. You can tell he loves what he does. I met up with him for another pic later on at the show.

    Craola’s show “Seeing Things” was in the downstairs area, and got packed super fast. He was also signing books and toys, as well as doing sketches for people. This made it hard at first to see, or even take photos of the show, but it calmed down. The new works were amazing and I was able to talk to Craola for a bit as well. He’s a super nice guy. His attitude honestly makes you love his art even more, not like it needed any help. I got a sketch from him in my little book and walked away happy I made the trip to see these shows.

    I did a writeup for the show you can read on SFWeekly.com
    And I have the rest of the show pics up on the Creep’s Flickr


  • Photos: Family First and Van Arno

    This past weekend I headed over to San Francisco to check out the latest solo show of Van Arno at Shooting Gallery, as well as the “Family First” group show right next door at White Walls. I rented car this time as to avoid the two hour bus ride for once, and be able to move around the city easier. It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be there, it must just be where I live that gets unbearably cold.

    The Van Arno show was excellent, securing me as a fan from here on out. The Family First show which featured works by Shepard Fairey, Ian Francis, Mike Giant, Sylvia Ji, Adam Flores and more, was also a blast. It was great to finally see paintings by Ian Francis and Shawn Barber in person, both of which are even more amazing in person. I took so many pictures of the works just to be able to look back at all the small details in painting held.

    You can see all the pics here: Creep on Flickr
    Read the writeup I did for both shows: SFWeekly.com
    The photos I have taken of this show have also ended up on Dailydujour.com and ArrestedMotion.com Thanks!

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  • Review: Kuksi, Louie & Helnwein at Shooting Gallery SF

    This past Saturday night the Kris Kuski, Travis Louie and Mercedes Helnwein show opened up at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco. This was one show that I wasn’t going to miss, so I hopped on the bus and spent the 2 hour trip thinking about how cool it was going to be to finally see some of these works in person.

    I go there early enough to take some unobstructed photos of the work, since my lens doesn’t allow me a lot of working room, but it is super sharp. The Travis Louie pieces were amazing, and some of my favorite works by him. I also gained a good appreciation for Mercedes Helnwein’s work, she really knows how to rock that graphite. It was Kris Kuksi’s work that had me captivated all nigh though. Seeing his work online is amazing, but you have to see it in person to truly appreciate how intricate and grand these works really are. I took a whole mess of photos and have added them to my Flickr. Head on over and take a look.

    Creep Machine on Flickr


  • SF Fetish Ball Gallery Show

    hussar_middle.jpgThe SF Fetish Ball Gallery show was great. I had to get a press pass to be able to take pictures in the show, but thanks to SFWeekly I was able to do that. I managed to pull off around 230 pictures, once I pruned them down though I ended up with 100.

    The highlight of the show was being able to see Michael Hussar’s paintings in person. The paintings were amazing, and really show why viewing paintings on the internet and in print isn’t the best way to enjoy art. “Vasoline” in particular was huge and took up a majority of the stage area. “Gummer” along with “Saliva” were also huge in size. They were both being supported by soft benches. It was great to able to see all the brush strokes and details in each one of the paintings.

    At 11 pm they had an auction. Prints were being auctioned off to help out Philip Warner who also had some work on view at the show. The “White Devil” print by Michael Hussar hit $900. I don’t think you can find that print at a cheap price anymore, but the “Hans Memling” print is still available as well as “Still Life with a Smile” both still around $350.

    If you ever have a chance try to see Michael Hussar’s work in person. I like to see any work in person, but this was a great opportunity to see the work of an artist that isn’t flooding the market with hundreds of prints and paintings. These are highly skillful and meticulously created works of art. Modern day masterpieces really.

    Check out pictures from the show on the Creep Machine flickr area: SF Fetish Ball Gallery Show
    And if you want to grab some prints by Michael Hussar, head on over before the price gets too high. Micheal Hussar prints

  • “Blood Will Tell” animated short

    alienNoText.jpgI haven’t reviewed anything for a while, so it’s great to be able to get back at it with this killer animated movie.

    “Blood Will Tell” is an animated short made by Andrew McPhillips, a British born CG Artist. He has done work on AI : Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, Shrek II & Mighty Joe Young. This 3d animated short comes in at around 6 minutes. And for those who have seen Aphex Twin’s Chris Cunningham directed short “Rubber Johnny”, you know 6 minutes is plenty.

    Andrew has a background in film & photography, it shows with the great shots this short has. The overall effect on the film looks like your watching a Victorian “tin-type” photographic process in motion. (more…)