Tag Archives: los angeles

John Monn’s Warped Use of Standard Childhood Nostalgia

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A major thread in my work is the use of exotic materials or shrouds to mask and encapsulate nostalgic objects from a typical suburban childhood.

 

Sweet! Canvas works from Los Angeles artist John Monn. Using epoxy to group and re-contextualize toy soldiers, BB pellets, and other miscellaneous objects, Monn’s work makes you re-think the mundane and familiar. I love the unique textures he’s able to conjure by throwing a bunch of random things together. But his works definitely don’t come off as “random”. There’s clearly a strong intent behind each piece that comes through really nicely. By using objects that are associated with childhood and nostalgia within very contemporary compositions, Monn controls the context in which we think back to simpler times. More from the artist after the jump.

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Andrew Hall’s Photographs of Liquid in Motion

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Cool series from Los Angeles photographer Andrew Hall. Dubbed “Liquids in Motion”, these pictures take a whole lot of motion and capture it forever in one fluxed-out moment in time. He experiments with all kinds of colors and types of liquid in the photos, from thick, viscous greens, to inky, watery blacks. I want to see a large print of quite a few of these. More “Liquids in Motion” after the jump. (via)

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INSIDEOUT- Solo Exhibition from Cali Psych Pop Artist Steven Harrington

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California artist/designer/illustrator Steven Harrington recently opened a large solo show at Known Gallery in L.A. Harrington is known for steezy, vibed out psychedelic characters and patterns. He’s worked on a slew of projects, including collabs with Nike and Arkitip mag, to bring his singular aesthetic to the masses. This show, entitled INSIDEOUT, is still up until September 1st. But in case you don’t have the chance to check it out in person, catch some installation shots after the jump. The “You&I” sculpture (above) is especially nice.

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A Traveling Installation Series Inspired by Famous Works of Architecture

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French artist Xavier Veilhan is staging a series of site-specific sculptural installations in various international, architecturally significant structures as part of a project entitled Architectones. To kick off the series, the artist is presenting works at the Richard Neutra VDL Research House in L.A. The works on view at the Neutra VDL Research House (exhibit closes September 16th) are inspired by modernity, Richard Neutra, and the house itself, where the artist stayed with his family while completing each piece in the show; an echo of Neutra’s family life. Curated by Francois Perrin, the exhibit features models of cars and boats, a metal flag, and more.

Over the next year, the VDL project will be followed by Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #21 (1958); the roof of Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse, Marseille (1952), (set for spring 2013); St. Bernadette du Banlay Church (1966) by Claude Parent and Paul Virilio, Nevers, France; and the Melnikov House (1929) in Moscow. After the jump, more pictures of the show. (Photographs by Joshua White).

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Video Watch: Fashion Designer Jeff Staple Interviews James Jean

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James Jean is interviewed by NYC fashion designer Jeff Staple in this really nice video from a few months back that runs about 11 and a half minutes. Jean, the fairly prominent Los Angeles based illustrator and fine artist, opens up about his work and his time at SVA. Apparently, to get as good as Jean, you have to work pretty hard. Who knew?

Catch the full interview after the jump.

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Peter Wu- Segmented Reality

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Wait- we haven’t featured Peter Wu on the blog yet?! Dude’s even from L.A!  Showpaper in NYC hipped me to the artist a couple months back, when they illustrated a cover with one of his segmented, semi-schizophrenic mixed media works, and my brain muscles are still tingling. Looks like he’s been doing a lot of sculpture lately and has a solo coming up at Greene Exhibitions fairly soon. A few images after the jump, but be sure to check out his website for more.

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The Bad Ass Illustrations of Mark Todd

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moonwalker-mark-todd-illustration

Mark Todd is an illustrator based out of Los Angeles who’s revered as a mystical figure in the world of zines. His booths are always the most presentable and his work has this well-balanced dichotomy of childlike proportions and lucid clarity, which makes for a fun finished product. When he draws people, like he did in his book BAD ASSES, they not only look like perfect personifications of their originals, but also give off this nostalgic vibe as well. It’s like he’s able to channel the innocent energy of the kid in grade school who was the best artist in the class, while also being able to back it up with a vicious stealth attack. I mean, you try drawing someone random like Geraldo Rivera, getting a stranger to recognize it without giving them any hints, and then repeating it with others — so now the strangers not only recognize your subjects, but also your own style as an artist as well. Mark is a busy guy and when he isn’t influencing the crap out of young minds at Art Center or working on a commercial project, he and his wife, Esther Pearl Watson, run the publishing company Fun Chicken.

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Michelle Jane Lee: A Labor of Love

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I feel like most people dream of falling in love one day, but what if that day turns into a year – and then another?  What if the act of falling in love becomes an all-consuming force that necessitates the creation of your own color-coded language?  What if your name is Michelle Jane Lee, and this series of ‘what ifs’ has actually been your life for the last three years?   The end result of that experience might resemble a thirty-foot love letter and a mountain of other drawings representing your unmentionable thoughts and desires for a woman that would ultimately come to reject you.  A hard pill to swallow for most, but Lee seems undeterred in her pursuit of the unattainable.  After all, true obsession is captivating – for both artist and audience in this case.  Her work is incredibly personal, absolutely honest, and exceptionally beautiful.  If you are in or around Los Angeles on April 7th - I recommend that you attend the opening reception of her most recent solo exhibition at Gallery 3209.

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