Jana Brike (times two) with Dan Barry at Pulse Contemporary Art Fair

What makes for an exciting day in the world of Wind-up Dreams & Vinyl Nightmares?

Easy! Sneak peek images from some of my favorite artists arriving in my email like a tidy bundle of visual satisfaction. And when I really, really like the art (and the artists in question happen to be friends of mine), it is with great excitement that I hurry to my keyboard to write up a quick hey-you’ve-gotta-see-this blog post.

Hey! You’ve gotta see this!

This coming weekend will see the opening of two exhibits, on opposite sides of the country, featuring Latvian artist Jana Brike; one of which includes some amazing new collaborative work with Austin-based artist Dan Barry.

Jana Brike at Distinction

The pool of the moment at the edge of the world — Jana Brike

First up, opening this Saturday night at Distinction Gallery in Escondido, is Songs of Purity, a solo show featuring a broad collection of fantastic new paintings and drawings, including the amazing oil on the right, which I saw live and in person a couple of weekends back at Art Walk.

The show opened to the public yesterday afternoon and will be further celebrated this coming Saturday night, May 11th, with an opening reception from 6 to 10 PM. Count me in on the attendees!

Jana Brike and Dan Barry at Pulse Contemporary Art Fair

And if one Jana Brike exhibition isn’t enough (or, if you are east coast, rather than west coast, biased) you have a second opportunity to check out her work, this time at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair in New York.  Over the past couple of years Jana has been collaborating with my good friend Dan Barry on a series of intimate mixed media pieces, created with graphite and colored pencil on found notebook paper. With Dan living in Texas, and Jana operating from Latvia, this has been a true long distance effort, with creative exchanges spanning the globe, and work emerging from lengthy drawing sessions as the two artists have crossed paths at art events here and overseas.

And what happens when two artists, whose work — on the surface — would not seem to share similar styles and techniques — get together to produce singular works of creativity?

Really cool stuff!!

The work Dan and Jana have created is emblematic of their individual styles, yet works seamlessly as a cohesive narrative. It’s really strong work and definitely worth checking out!

Jana and Dan’s work will be on display in Stephen Romano’s booth at Pulse, which opens today (yes, today!) and runs through Sunday May 12th at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th street in New York.

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Los Angeles Gallery Blitz — Part Two

Yes, there was far too much art during my quick trip to LA to squeeze into a single blog post. So here we are at Part Two, with lots of pics and commentary to cover a single completely and totally incredible collection of work.

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me at CoproGallery

What happens when you mix two of my very favorite things? You get a really great art exhibit about the best TV show in history! Okay, technically, the exhibit on display at Santa Monica’s CoproGallery pays homage to the 20th anniversary of the 1992 film, Fire Walk With Me, released following the cancellation of Twin Peaks after its weird and wonderful two year run. The TV show was honored with a very successful exhibit of its own at Clifton’s Brookdale in 2011, and it seemed only right that the movie would get a similarly artistic treatment.

Fire Walk With Me — Martin Wittfooth

I was very much looking forward to seeing this exhibit, as Twin Peaks was most certainly one of my two favorite television shows (the other being the original Japanese version of Iron Chef), and the roster of artists submitting work included many of my favorite contemporary artists. The show is very impressive with a miniature version of the “red room” with clips of the film playing on a television, and music from the soundtrack piped into the gallery as you soak in various interpretations of the film’s characters, themes, and notable scenes.

There were tons of impressive pieces in the show, but I’ll try to touch on my favorites, one of which is Martin Wittfooth’s impressive title piece on the right, which perfectly captures a scene from the film’s title credits of a bird perched in peaceful contemplation between two distant mountain peaks. The subject matter was a perfect match for Martin’s style, and a great way to welcome visitors to the gallery.

Something In The Room — Glenn Barr

The exhibit is spread throughout the gallery space, from the entrance foyer to Copro’s two main exhibit halls. My favorite pieces were in the larger of the spaces, with new work from Chris Mars, Glenn Barr, Shag, Chris Berens, and much more. My very favorite piece was a large, ornately framed painting of Laura Palmer from Glenn Barr. I’ve always really, really liked Glenn’s work and would rate this piece amongst his very best. He does a superb job capturing the tormented spirt of the character at the center the film.

Another favorite was An Old Woman and Her Grandson by Shag, which sets two scenes from the movie in a forest of chopped trees. On the right are two of the more enigmatic characters from the film, an old woman who appears along with her grandson who wears a papier-mâché mask. On the left is classic imagery from the mysterious and otherworldly red room with Laura Palmer seated between Agent Dale Cooper and a Grecian statue. Shag has done a thoughtful job in choosing to pair these two scenes in a single painting, as there’s always been much Phd-level speculation in fan circles about the significance of these two scenes in relationship to one another.

An Old Woman and Her Grandson — Shag

One nice treat of seeing the exhibit in person is to finally get the opportunity to see the work of  Chris Berens in person. I’ve followed Berens’ for many years after first being exposed to his work via online previews of his many exhibits at Seattle’s Roq la Rue Gallery, but I’d never had the opportunity to experience his ethereal layering of paint and cut paper strips up close. The technique is very impressive and brings an edgy sense of immediacy to the work that is pretty much impossible to replicate with a JPEG. I liked it lots!

Pale Moon Over Black Lake — Chris Berens

Other favorites included Chris Mars’s engaging portrait of David Lynch as Agent Gordon Cole (complete with requisite headset and cigarette), Esao Andrews’ White Horse, Nicoletta Ceccoli’s tiny acrylic demon, Lori Earley’s excellent venture into digital art, Annie Owens’ portrait of Audrey Horne, Dan Quitana’s Red Room, and Chris Buzelli’s faceless creep-out on heroin addiction, Laura.

This was one of the better group shows I’ve seen in ages, with work that has remained in my mind long after leaving Bergamot Station and heading back to San Diego. The show continues through May 12th, so if you’re anywhere at all in southern California you should head out to Santa Monica and see the show. And, of course, while you’re there, stop by the Bergamot Cafe and enjoy a steaming cup of coffee. And maybe a slice of pie.

Walk With Bob — Tim Biskup

White Horse — Esao Andrews

Laura — Chris Buzelli

Untitled — Owen Smith

Ingrained — Keith Weesner

Red Room — Dan Quintana

An Old Woman and Her Grandson (detail) — Shag

The Train (sculpture) — Bruce Bickford

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Los Angeles Gallery Blitz — Part One

Every now and then I like to venture away from my studio and head up to Los Angeles for a couple of days of pop culture immersion (record stores, art galleries, and rock concerts) and driving frustration (all the time in-between). Such was the case last week when I headed up to LA to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at “the dump that jumps” otherwise known as the Los Angeles Sports Arena. It was a super fun time, and rest assured that I’ll have a complete concert round-up posted in the next couple of days. With the concerts consuming only three or four hours of sweaty exuberance each night, that left tons of time during the day to wander around the city visiting bookstores, music shops, and—of course—art galleries!

I took in a bunch of exhibits on this trip from Hollywood to Santa Monica, and I’m pleased to report that every stop was a feast for the eyes and an electric shock to the imagination.

Joe Sorren at La Luz de Jesus

Brothers — Joe Sorren, 2011

My first stop, as it usually is on an “art day,” was La Luz de Jesus on Hollywood Blvd, where two pretty awesome solo exhibits were on view during their closing week. The main attraction was When the Rain Comes, the latest spectacular show from Joe Sorren. Though small in total number of paintings, the half dozen or so pieces on display continue the legacy in oil that Joe has been building for the past dozen or so years. To the right is Brothers, my favorite of the new paintings and—of course—sold, as indicated by the little red dot in the corner of my photo, which sadly doesn’t do proper justice to the work. Joe’s paintings really have to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. I like the way that good gallery lighting plays off his layers of paint and glaze, so that each piece shimmers and glistens with life as you pass from one piece to the next. It’s a pretty awesome experience!

Scott Hove at La Luz de Jesus

Also at La Luz was the latest display of surreal bakery confections from the studio kitchen of Scott Hove. His latest show is titled My Own Private Apocalypse, and it’s a one room culinary school of seriously twisted cake decorations to hang on your walls and frighten parents dropping off the kiddies for a birthday party.

“My Own Private Apocalypse” exhibit — Scott Hove

What’s not to like about a cake to celebrate the…

Zombie Apocalypse — Scott Hove

Nice!

Though you’d really be hard pressed to tell the difference, Scott doesn’t really use sugary frosting to concoct his sculptured creations. The bases are made from wood and polyurethane foam, then painted with acrylics and embellished with other mixed media materials. The net effect, though, is that of a seriously disturbed baker luring unsuspecting prey in for the (last) meal of a lifetime! It’s really cool stuff!

Greg “Craola” Simkins and Johnny “KMNDZ” Rodriguez at Merry Karnowsky Gallery

Next stop on my gallery tour was the Merry Karnowsky Gallery on La Brea where I saw new solo shows from Greg Simkins and Johnny Rodriguez (sorry for using your proper names there guys… I have a moratorium on the number of quote symbols I can type in a single sentence). Both of these are strong shows, and well worth a trip into the art and furniture district for a visit. Simkins’ show Cloud Theory, in particular is very strong, with most of the work sold and, frankly, amazing. This was my first opportunity to see his elaborate paintings in person and I came away very impressed! Pretty much every piece in the show is thoughtfully composed, expertly painted, and purposefully conceived with consistent themes and clever motifs. Best, they just look really good! The paintings exhibit an inviting depth of color, and the drawings are expertly rendered. It’s no wonder at all that the show is mostly sold out (though a few do remain, so give the gallery a call!).

My favorites piece was Once They Arrive, pictured below. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of the framed pieces in the gallery, as in the past I’ve been politely asked by gallery personnel to not take photos in the gallery (though opening night photos have always been allowed). In any case, I left the camera in my bag, so here are a couple of images from the gallery site for your enjoyment.

First, the 5 foot by 7 foot centerpiece of the show:

Gather Around — Greg Simkins

And… my personal favorite, Once They Arrive (16″ x 42″).

Once They Arrive — Greg Simkins

Also worth seeing at Merry Karnowsky is One Step Beyond, the solo show from Johnny Rodriguez. I enjoyed his collection of acrylic, ink, and mixed media pieces in the Square Gallery. Two pieces in particular were quite nice: Little Boy and Fat Man, which bookended one of the exhibit’s larger pieces, both of which are displayed below.

And, with that, it looks like I saw far too much art to fit into a a single post, so we’ll save the best for a post of its very own: Twin Peaks — Fire Walk With Me at Copro. Next time; so tune in!!

Little Boy — Johnny Rodriguez

Fat Man — Johnny Rodriguez

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A priest, a nun, and a bunch of my photos walk into a bar…

August is turning out to be a very busy month, with my Baby Haley photo set to appear in “Break a Leg: An Homage to the Theater” at Distinction Gallery from August 13 through September 3. This is a charity show with all proceeds going to scholarships at Palomar College, and all pieces are going to be sold auction style, with bids starting at the bargain price of a hundred bucks. Come on by the opening reception on August 12th (yep, the day before the set start date, just to make things extra fancy) and be ready to bid!

Also in August, I’ve been invited to participate in “Making Mischief: Humor in Art” at the Irvine Fine Art Center featuring the work of 7 artists who interject levity into their work as a means of drawing the viewer into more serious visual dialog. I’ll have 8 to 10 pieces on display along with a small collection of video animations playing in an adjacent projection space. It should be a really fun show, and I promise to have at least a couple of never-before-exhibited pieces on display along with several choice selections from my vast archives. The opening reception is set for August 13 from 5 to 8PM at the Fine Arts Center Gallery in Heritage Park. If you’re in or around Orange County, come on by!

One cool aspect of the show is its focus on humor and how that particular device can be used to engage people into a work of art, much in the same way that a musician can draw the listener into a catchy song, oftentimes unconscious to the fact that the song’s lyrics carry a much deeper message. Years ago I recall reading Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn writing about Bruce Springteen’s Born In The USA album and how Springsteen had successfully built an album of very deep social commentary around really, really good uptempo rock songs. That’s what I try to do with my photos—create something that is visually pleasing and whimsically reminiscent of times past to pull the viewer into the frame… then hit ‘em with something they don’t expect to drive home the underlying narrative.

So count on that at both of the August shows. Hopefully, by then I’ll have come up with the punchline to the joke in the subject line.

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Lucid Dreams in Little Italy

Last night I attended the opening reception of Lucid Dreams, the tremendous new group show curated by local art impresario and all around good guy, Mark Murphy. You’ll remember Mark as the driving force behind last summer’s Survey Select exhibition and event at the Wonder Bread Factory in the East Village. This year, Mark has invited many of the same artists, plus an influx of bright new talent to take on the subject of “lucid dreams” (wonderful dichotomy there!), and has moved the venue to Noel-Baza Fine Art in Little Italy.

While Mark curated the show around a specific theme, there’s lots of additional work on hand from the fine stable of artists who show regularly at Noel-Baza. These pieces mix with great cohesion, as there is definitely a shared aesthetic between the gallery and the show’s primary theme. Even better, the quality of the work from piece-to-piece is maintained and heightened by the eclectic mix.

I was at the gallery for several hours chatting with artists, collectors, and gallery folks, and observed a constant flow of people moving through the space, most staying for quite some time to admire the art and socialize. What I noticed, though—and this is important for anyone out there thinking of curating their own art shows or opening their own gallery—the focus was entirely on the art, with refreshments and other distractions kept out of the way and at a minimum. The art on the walls was easily approachable, invited discussion, and throughout the evening I noticed that most of the people in the gallery were actually facing the walls and looking at the art. Isn’t that what an exhibition of art is supposed to be an about? Well, yeah, duh! Kudos, San Diego art lovers!

::: ranting lecture mode to San Diego gallery owners ON :::

Many of the art openings I attend in San Diego (especially the small galleries that should be promoting upcoming artists) seem to lose sight of the purpose of exhibiting art. That being, showing and promoting art and artists to people who enjoy, buy and collect art. That may seem obvious, but… all too often it seems as though the opening reception is really just an excuse to throw a party, with the art nothing more than wall decor behind the bar, hors d’oerves, or live band. How do you expect a collector with a big fat patron-sized wallet to get close enough to connect to a piece he or she may want to take home; thereby supporting the success of the gallery, the artist, and the San Diego art scene?!?!

::: ranting lecture mode to San Diego gallery owners OFF :::

In any case, the event at Noel-Baza was first rate, and there was a constant flow of people moving through the gallery all evening with several red dots popping up on the walls beside worthy pieces of art.  And one of those red dots belonged to me, as I purchased a super cool painting by Chilean artist Jorge Catoni. Take a look!

Trastorno - Jorge Catoni, 2011, 18x18"

I was complete new to Catoni’s work, but found myself enthralled by this piece not long after coming across it in the corner of the gallery. Mark Murphy gave me a little background on the artist, who has only recently branched out into the fine art world. I’m very excited to be adding this cool little painting to my collection!

Just think… Had there been a big plate of stuffed mushrooms and a bowl of spiked mystery punch blocking my approach to the piece, I’d likely have just stuffed my face and left into the night…

While this ended up being the painting I bought, there were plenty of other pieces that piqued my interest as a collector. The Marc Burckhardt painting, Kindred, featured on the exhibit card is a remarkable piece. The photo I took (see the slideshow below) really doesn’t do it justice. The piece is truly exceptionally, and the artist took great care to make it appear as though the painting was created in another time and place. Nice job!

The painting by Irene Hardwicke Olivieri is another highlight, appearing on the exhibition’s title wall along with collected series of small, ominous sculptures by Bonnie Marie Smith. Both pieces serve as an excellent introduction to the rest of the show.

I’m realizing, now, that’s its really not fair to highlight only a few pieces, because I’ll surely leave out work that deserves strong mention.  In any case, very, very high marks to Marc Bell, Hugo Crosthwaite, Tashs Kusama, Joel Nakamura, Kevin Paulsen (twice, since both his paintings are super excellent!), Souther Salazar, Jonathan Viner, and Marco Wagner. Those were my top picks (and, I’ll repeat, I’m probably missing some). How about yours? If you have a chance to see the show, feel free to post a comment.

The show continues through August 9, and if you’re coming into San Diego for Comic Con you’ll have the opportunity to attend another special event around the exhibition on Friday, July 22.

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Anicomically Correct exhibition card

We’re now a month (plus a day) away from the opening reception for Anicomically Correct, which runs from July 9 through August 6 at Distinction Gallery & Artist Studios in Escondido, California. This is going to be a really fun show! Why? Let’s see…

• There are a bunch of really great artists participating in the show…
• The title of the exhibition is one of the best I can recall in recent memory…
• The show coincides with Comic Con and will have a special reception on the 23rd for all those out-of-towners venturing out of the Gaslamp to see what else San Diego has to offer in the way of super cool art…
• I’ll have a brand new photo on display…  AND…
• My photo is featured on the exhibition postcard!!  Yay!

Front of the exhibition card

Over the past several days I’ve been blogging about the new photo and the video animation I created for the piece, so I won’t bore you with yet another posting of the image. However, I will give you a peek at the show postcard, which you can see over there, to the right.

Details for the exhibition look like this:

Anicomically Correct

Distinction Gallery & Artist Studios

July 9 through August 6

Opening Reception July 9, 6 to 10 PM

Second Reception July 23, 7 to 10 PM

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New shows… new videos

Baby Haley! (The real fame monster)

Lots of exciting news coming up this summer in the land of Wind-up Dreams! First up will be a pair of group shows, both taking place at Distinction Gallery & Artist Studios in Escondido, CA.  You’ll of course remember Distinction as the locale for my 2009 solo show Plastic Prophets of Vinyl Redemption. Distinction is a great gallery venue and they continue to present some of the best art southern California has to offer.

In July I’ll have a new photo on display in Anicomically Correct, a group show opening on July 9th, running through August 6th. If the title and dates aren’t immediately obvious… the running of the show coincides with San Diego’s annual pop culture extravaganza… COMIC CON!! This means two fun-filled receptions: the first celebrating the opening of the exhibit on July 9th (6 to 10PM – mark your calendars), and the second set for Comic Con weekend on July 23rd. Click on the show card to the right (which features the cadaverous photo I’ll have on display) to get all the details.

August will see my participation in another group show at Distinction, Break a Leg: An Homage to the Theater opening August 13th and running through September 3rd. This is a charity event with all proceeds from sales going to Palomar College scholarships. Bids start at $100, so this will be a tremendous opportunity to help a worthy cause and snap up some really cool art. On display will be  another new photo — Despite her parents’ righteous determination, Baby Haley dreamed to follow her own path. A sneak peek is at the top of this page. What? Not enough? Well, if you want to see the whole thing…

There’s video!

Yes, Baby Haley is one of two brand new videos recently posted to the Video pages and available for viewing on my YouTube channel. So what are you waiting for? Go! Go!

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Bon A Petite! — October 16 to November 6

Sweet Feast at the House of Pink Delights

I’m very excited to be exhibiting a brand new photograph at the Bon A Petite show at Copro Gallery from October 16 through November 6!  The show runs in parallel to Nouar’s much anticipated solo show, Consumed By You, which will be on display in Gallery I.  The group show (curated by Nouar) takes place in Gallery III, and collects work from a talented batch of emerging artists, all asked to create work themed around food.  The show title is a nice little double entendre (clever — that Nouar!) tossing up a delicious lexicographic recipe of puns: bon appétit = food (obviously), and petite because all the pieces in the show are small; images no larger than  8 x 8 inches.  Such ingenuity posed two incredibly fun challenges.

Challenge #1 — Food (the easy part)

Fresh off the themes introduced in Seven Signs of the Kewpie Apocalypse, I decided to create a restaurant scene where big, juicy, delicious kewpie heads were served up on silver platters by the presidents of the United States.  The resulting photo was Sweet Feast at the House of Pink Delights, which I wrote about ad nauseam (no pun intended, honest) a couple of weeks back.  Challenge number one was easy, as this was one of the most fun photos I’ve created.  Yay!

Challenge #2 — Small (what?!?! I print and frame everything big!)

Framing the photo was going to be a real challenge.  The aspect ratio of the original image is very panoramic, and I’d normally print a photo like this at a size at something approaching 16 x 36” so that people could more easily examine all the detail present in the small figures that make up this perverse restaurant scene.  Sized to fit the 8 x 8” dimensions would make the image positively tiny (like, 4 x 8) and I’d have had to hand out magnifying glasses at the gallery.  Luckily, the show called for as many as 3 images by each artist, so I got the idea to take my restaurant scene and dissect it into three panels — a triptych — with each panel reflecting a different scene within the overall image.  Unfortunately, the composition of the photo did not lend itself to creating three equally wide panels, so I had to be a little more creative.  The bubbling cauldron of sweet treats and kewpie heads in the center would fill the middle panel, and the table scenes would flank to the left and right, but I really liked the idea of presenting the piece in three equally square frames.  I hit on the idea, then, of continuing the food and restaurant theme by presenting the photo as a place setting: plate in the center, fork to the left, knife and spoon to the right.

Ta da!

The result is the photo above.  The piece is framed in three equal sized blck suede lined shadow boxes, with a set of antique children’s silverware on the sides, at the ready to dig into a savory kewpie head.

Vintage Gerber baby spoon

I actually had to use two sets of silverware.  The knife and fork date, I believe, to the 1930’s.  The spoon is extra special… it’s from the 1940’s and was produced by Gerber — complete with a spooky baby head on the handle!

Oh, if only Gerber had made baby-head knives and forks…

Opening reception for Bon A Petite is Saturday, October 16 from 8 to 11:30.  Come on by and say hello!

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Seven Signs of the Kewpie Apocalypse has ended, and…

Humankind survived!

Yes, it’s true.  Despite an army of untold numbers of kewpie dolls, robots, monsters and animals descending on La Jolla this past July, the exhibit has ended.  The kewpies were relentless and put up a good fight, but in the end they were simply no match for my superior height and my ability to grab their little plastic heads and drop them into a big cardboard box.  Everything is now safely tucked away in my studio — kewpies, monks, record albums — where no doubt the kewpies are already plotting and planning their next attempt for world domination (I hear those whispers coming from the stacks of boxes in the corner… don’t think I don’t!).

Before packing everything up I managed to capture the kewpies in their native habitat, roaming the ledges of the Pannikin and standing proud atop each of the framed photos in the exhibit.  The footage is rough, but I was being pursued by a posse of the small plastic imps while I was filming, so I had to complete the video in one long tracking shot before escaping into the daylight to tell me tale of kewpie mayhem.

Either click the video above, jump directly to YouTube, or visit the new and improved video page of my site.

Have fun!

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Eve Limited Edition Print Now Available!

Unbeknownst to her Creator, Eve longed to become a cheerleader

Exciting news in Wind-up Dreams land–we are now offering Unbeknownst to her Creator, Eve longed to become a cheerleader (shown above) as a limited edition print! Unlike our other limited editions, Eve is printed on beautiful Fuji Pearl paper to give the image a brilliant, metallic-like finish (all the better to enhance Satan’s fiery gaze).  And priced at just $125, it is now our lowest-priced limited edition.  While it’s currently listed in the etsy shop, it won’t be available for shipment until Monday, July 26th because we’ll be attending Comic-Con this week. (!!!)  Reserve yours today and add some devilish fun to your world for a decidedly un-devilish price.

If you’re going to be in San Diego attending the Comic-Con convention as well, please swing by Pannikin Coffee & Tea in La Jolla and see the latest photo and slide show extravaganza, Seven Signs of the Kewpie Apocalypse.  It’s running through July 30, so you still have time to check it out.  Speaking of slide shows, have you seen the incredibly fun stop-motion animation video for the making of Eve?  Well what are you waiting for?!?!  Check it out here on our newly re-designed Videos page.  And if you can’t make it to Comic-Con, don’t feel left out!  We’ll be tweeting live, so follow @johnpurlia and/or @windupdreams on Twitter to see pics of the kookiest costumes and undoubtedly hilarious overheard conversations about Star Wars, Futurama, and loads of other geeky fun.

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