Video: MOCAtv Artists Talk with David Choe

"Decked out with a game room, a radio station, and a remote control tire swing, David Choe's Los Angeles warehouse studio is a testimony to the "bonus level" that he has reached in the art world. As a wildly popular and widely recognized international artist, Choe is also known for his reality TV show, the art he made while detained in a Japanese prison, and the mural hepainted for Facebook, valued at over $200 million in Facebook shares. Inside his studio, the painter, muralist, and graffiti writer talks frankly with Alia Shawkat(Arrested Development’s Maeby Fünke) about the new freedoms and challenges he's facing at this new stage in his practice. "

Produced and Directed by Lance Bangs

Edited by Aubree Bernier-Clarke

Show Opening: WK Interact – “WK 360 A 25 Year Survey” @ Jonathan Levine Gallery Pop-up NYC, March 8 2013

Show card

“In a fine art universe where the sum of pictures all comes down to a kind of nature morte, WK is about the life still unfolding rather than the still life. Considered in relation to his studio work, where violence, sexuality, fetish, terror and the devolutionary descent of dehumanization lurk in passages of brutal irony that edge towards sarcasm, the benevolence so evident in WK’s public art must be viewed as coming from a position where creativity constitutes a kind of critique. WK’s romance with the city is not the abiding comfort of an old lover but the frisson of new flirtation constructed of a constantly rejuvenating sense of discovery.” — Carlo McCormick

Show card inside

Last Friday New York‘s long time French representative, artist WK Interact, opened his latest show in conjunction with Jonathan Levine Gallery at a pop-up location on 557 West 23rd street. Simply titled WK 360 the show acts as a mid-career survey of WK's work, celebrating the last 25 years of the artist's dynamic career.  Included in the show are a series of works on cardboard, paper and panels, canvases, large multi-paneled collages, wheat pasted doors, skate boards, classic WK espionage gear and even pillows that are all rendered in WK's signature stark palette. Memorabilia and photographs are also on display and serve to document his early years and evolution as a street artist.

WK Installation outside the pop-up location

Often with artists who are associated with the street art movement gallery shows can lose something in the move to a clean and crisp gallery environment, I’m happy to say that while WK’s work is so successful because of the way it is presented on the streets and interacts with the urban environment, it is equally captivating and full of motion in this setting. This is in part because  the collection is quite impressive when housed in one large location and has been put together with much love and attention to detail.  As a long-time fan of WK’s work the show satisfied my senses beyond any expectations, and expectations were indeed high. 

NY fans wait in line, in the snow,  to be able to get a limited edition signed print.

Always the first-class person that he is WK gifted the first 100 attendees with one of three limited and signed edition screen prints and was more than happy to discuss his work with anyone who approached him or asked to take a photo.

Make sure to make it over to get a look at the work first-hand if you are in NY anytime from now till March 30th when the show closes. WK himself is often at the location snapping photos of  people enjoying the show just as enthusiastically as those shooting his work, who knows maybe you might get lucky and be immortalized in one of the artist’s wheat pastes in the future!

WK Interact - WK 360 A 25 year Survey @ Jonathan Levine Gallery NYC March 8, 2013 - slideshows

Show Opening: James Jean – “Parallel Lives” @ Tilton Gallery NYC, January 9 2013

This week my friend Mark Frangos and I attended the latest show from James Jean, which marked the NY follow up to the artists last show at Jonathan Levine Gallery entitled Kindling in January of 09. I thought it was only right that Mark pen the story as he has been a fan of Jean's work longer than I have and would see things differently than me coming from comics rather than my introduction to the artist via the fine art world… 

It’s been 11 years since James Jean broke out as a cover artist for Vertigo’s successful Fables comic series. After seven years and winning numerous industry awards, Jean left the world of commercial projects to focus on painting where his star has continued to rise.

On Wednesday, January 9, Jean made his triumphant return to the New York art scene with Parallel Lines, a solo exhibition of paintings and drawings. The Tilton Gallery on 8 East 76th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues will house the exhibition through February 16. 

If you are unable to visit the gallery, Pressure Printing released the catalogue documenting Parallel Lives in an edition of 1000 that’s signed and numbered for $38.

James Jean – “Wave (Buried)” 2012 Archival inkjet print mounted on aluminum 44 inches diameter

The core of Jean’s work lies in his detailed linear pen and ink drawings that fill countless notebooks and inform virtually all of his creative output. His larger drawings suggest personal fairy tales that merge with decorative abstractions, whereas his paintings capture individual narrative moments and comment on contemporary life. Even in these, abstract drips of paint or grids of dots overlaid on the image draw the painting back into an imaginary dream world where nothing is as stable as it appears. This duality is also emphasized in a few paintings that were created as diptychs, pairings of representational rectangular paintings with digitally produced images of crashing waves.

“These images represent separate realities, but there is a relationship and tension between the images when they are paired together,” Jean explained.

James Jean - "Pagoda" 2012 Apraypaint, acrylic, & ink on 84 wood panels 112 x 192 inches.

Jean’s work has been influenced by diverse sources such as Chinese scroll painting, Japanese woodblock prints, Northern Renaissance art and Durer etchings. It evokes the worlds of M.C. Escher, Aubrey Beardsley and Hieronymous Bosch as well as psychedelic artists of the sixties. "Pagoda" which takes up an entire wall at 112 x 192" exemplifies this best. 

One of the pieces on display was a print of the art Jean provided for rapper Talib Kweli’s new album Prisoner of Conscious. Jean’s intricate, colorful stylings serve as a mask which contrast with the figure’s haunting eyes. 

James Jean - "Talib Kweli" 2012 Archival inkjet print mounted on aluminum 23 x 20 inches.

Jean was on hand at the opening and available for his legions of fans that span from different periods of his career. He happily posed for photos and answered any questions about his work and the show.

Jean was born in Taiwain in 1979 and moved with his parents to New Jersey where he grew up. He received his B. F. A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York and has been living and working in Los Angeles since 2003.

 

James Jean - Parallel Lives - January 9 2013, Tilton Gallery NYC - slideshow dvd

Show Opening: Jeremy Geddes - "Exhale" / Ashley Wood - "Machine Sabbath" Jonathan Levine Gallery October 20 2012 NYC

Yesterday evening saw the opening of two highly anticipated shows at New York’s Jonathan Levine Gallery, a one-two punch featuring two of Australia’s hottest contemporary artists, Ashley Wood and Jeremy Geddes. Both living and working in Australia isn’t the only thing these artists have in common as they both are also known for their comic book work. Woods’ work can be seen in Ghost Rider, Spawn and The X-men amongst other well known titles and Geddes’ illustrations have appeared in Star Trek and Zombies! Eclipse of the Undead books to name but a few. The two artists have also worked in the video game industry respectively having worked with Konami in Woods’ case and Activision in Geddes’. So needless to say it made sense to have a joint showing as the work complemented each other’s quite well. On a personal note I can say I had been anticipating this opening for a very long time, well over a year to be more precise, and by the sheer number of people in attendance I presume I was not alone in the countdown to the October 20^th opening.

Ashley Wood - "Happiness 3" Oil and Acrylic on linen 36 x 72 inches.

and their surrounding environments are partially masked and disjointed by extreme contrasts in light and shadow. Woods' dynamic painting technique combines multiple layers of oil, acrylic and glazes, resulting in a painterly quality and high-gloss, drippy aesthetic. 

In addition to works on panel and canvas, the exhibition also featured two mixed media collages consisting of photographic Polaroid images as well as two sculptures of shapely right legs wearing strappy high-heeled sandals, each decked out with paintings of nudes on the outer calf. In the artist's words, Machine Sabbath is an inquiry into the ambiguity of silent suburban backyards, the conversations that take place between the denizens of those private spaces and the machines that think for us.”

Ashley was in attendance and was only too happy to sign works and discuss his craft with the very long line of comic book fans and fine art aficionados alike.

Jeremy Geddes - "Begin Again" Detail. Oil on Board 28.75 x 25.375 x 1.75 inches, framed.

Jeremy Geddes has really had an exceptional 24 plus months in the contemporary art world having really exploded these last couple of years, Again like Woods, Exhale marked the debut solo exhibition in the United States for the artist and the man most certainly came correct with a series of 17 paintings rendered in painstaking detail. Geddes’ work, an arduous process that combines scrupulous study, fine brushwork and delicate layers of glaze, combines a tension between man-made environments in flux and the vulnerability of the human body. Many of the works in the exhibition depict figures suspended in barren urban landscapes or splintered environments that are in the process of falling apart. Think of bullet time special effects as seen in Hollywood films like The Matrix and you will get a good picture of the drama rendered on these panels.  The complex works are contrasted by a series of five paintings titled "Misèrere" (Italian for have mercy), each featuring a single subject isolated in a solid black plane—alternating birds and a failing Apollo Command Service Module. This series is accompanied by four paintings with solitary human figures, titled "Misère" (French for poverty or destitution). Although there are recurring motifs in the paintings, Geddes prefers to leave his subject matter open to interpretation rather than attach a specific narrative to his work, thus allowing individual viewers to connect disparate elements into a structure that resonates with them personally.

Jeremy Geddes - "Acedia" Oil on Panel 29.75 x 51 x 2.25 inches, framed.

Needless to say the limited amount of works on show had sold out for Geddes before the show even opened, having been on the list myself before the show was yet publicly announced a good year and a half ago wasn’t even enough to secure a coveted painting by the artist. Woods’ work was also just about sold out on the night of the opening and I suspect by the end of the show will all find their way onto the walls of collectors. Even the limited edition prints had waiting lists and were all claimed at a rapid pace so make sure you make it down to the gallery before the shows close on November 17^th to get a increasingly rare opportunity to see works from these two exceptional artists in person.

Jeremy Geddes/Ashley Wood Jonathan Levine Gallery October 20 2012 NYC - free slideshow

Show Opening :Mi Ju - "Gaia" @ Freight + Volume, NYC

I’ve been a fan of Mi Ju, a young, very gifted painter from South Korea since she was studying in college, in fact I purchased a piece of hers during her second solo show almost three years ago at Fecal Face Gallery in SF, I’m glad I did because they aren’t the easiest things to come by, even as, or perhaps  because of her rising star. Mi Ju’s latest solo show marks her fourth overall (her first was in 2006) and first in New York.

Entitled Gaia, referring to the Greek earth mother goddess, the latest collection of paintings is housed at New York’s Freight + Volume Gallery in Chelsea and showcases 10 new paintings, 3 black and white sketches and an instillation that transform her 2-d characters in the tangible 3d works .  The artist’s trademark colorful creatures are always a feat for the eyes resembling characters one might associate with a videogame or a Chinese street festival dragon.  The artist has said that symbolism is imbedded in dream and fantasy as a means to interpret her upbringing in - and emigration from – a divided country.  She connects her past and her present via a blend of traditional Korean motif and mythology along with current political and personal subject matter.  

Mi Ju - "Wind", 2011 Acrylic on canvas & cut out paper 54 x 78 inches

Born in South Korea, her father ran a textile factory and mother was a florist for a Buddhist temple. Massive rolls of fabric were always around her during her childhood, their colorful patterns and diverse textures affecting her visual expression. The intricate natural ornaments and bizarre creatures filling Buddhist temples also fed the artist’s imagination. She writes,

“Studying in Australia, San Francisco, and New York has given me insight into the various perspectives people have about nature. Native American totem poles, Aboriginal topographical art, and the complexity of psychedelic art all influence my artistic process. I look to scientific theories on the origin of life, emergence patterns, and swarm behavior to introduce more intricacy and narrative into my work.”

Mi Ju -"Waves", 2012 Mixed media installation

Mi explores the significance of Gaia pictorially, as it relates to today’s ecological challenges celebrating and paying homage to the elements in all their glory by examining both microcosms and macrocosms in nature.

“I perceive nature as flat, crowded, and infinite. Often times, the world is too large to comprehend, too crowded to find a focus. Countless living organisms are packed layer by layer, interconnected with each other. My compositions develop from the contemplation of opposing concepts: ephemeral and eternal, uncensored and restrained, improvised and strategic. The work often combines both cuteness and violence. By understanding natural elements from micro to macro, fractals to flocks, and ants to people, I reflect mixed perceptions of nature through my work. Nature could be seen as controllable, appealing, and delightful, yet from a different perspective, natural elements can become overwhelming and destructive.”

Of course Mi Ju herself was in attendance and made time to discuss her work with anyone who approached her with much enthusiasm and grace even in the very packed space that was filled with both eager diehard fans and new comers alike.

If you are in the New York area make sure you make it over to the gallery while the show is up for the next month plus and ending on November 3^rd.

Mi Ju - "Gaia" @ Freight + Volume, NYC September 27, 2012 - slideshow dvd

Video: Go West, David Ellis & Kris Kuksi (Curated by Joshua Liner)

While we weren’t able to attend the opening of Go West, the MarkMoore Gallery show as curated by Joshua Liner taking place on the left coast right now, we did manage to get this video featuring the two artists who are being highlighted. Both David Ellis and Kris Kuksi have been featured on the site before and it’s a real treat to hear from them first hand in regards to their process and the experience. The show makes for Ellis' third solo exhibition in Los Angeles, while shock; it’s only Kuksi's first local solo presentation of new work in the land known for movies and models.  If you are in the Los Angles area be sure to check out the stellar works up for viewing until its closing date of August 25th.

Preview: Shawn Barber @ Joshua Liner Gallery, NYC

Shawn barber – “Hannah Aitchison Hands Study 1”  2012, (oil on panel) 24" x 18"

Shawn Barber is gearing up for his next solo show at JoshuaLiner Gallery in NYC, "Memoir: The Tattooed Portraits Series,” and we have some video footage and photography to share with you before the June 28th opening. I’m a big fan of Shawn’s tattoo portraits and am always excited when a new collection of work is readying to launch. I was lucky enough to get an early preview some months back on the then almost completed paintings that feature some of the tattoo worlds biggest and most loved figures. With new portraits of legends like Ed Hardy to cult hero’s like Grime and one time tv personality, Hanna Aitchison, there is no shortage of breath taking oil work to be had. Barber also went very big with this show featuring some of the painters’ largest pieces to date. Check out the video below (beats provided by Aesop Rock) and make sure to pass by the gallery once the show opens to see the real thing if you live in or are around the NYC area. 

Video: Kehinde Wiley – “The World Stage: Israel

We got a short documentary film detailing New York- based portrait painter Kehinde Wiley's travel’s to Israel for the latest addition to his "The World Stage" series, "The World Stage: Israel".  I’ve been trying to make it over to the Jewish Museum in New York where the collection of works is currently on display through July 29, 2012 but haven’t had the chance yet.  The 9 minute video focuses on Kihinde’s interaction with local Israeli youth, the apparent connection with African American culture, specifically hip hop, and Diasporic identities of Ethiopian Jews. Kehinde is a master painter so it’s a treat to be able to get a peak at his thought process and inspiration, enjoy….

Kehinde Wiley - “Mukat Brhan” 2011, oil and Gold Enamel on Canvas.

Nudes in famous paintings re-imagined for today’s model-skinny “standards”

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus as madeover by the artist Anna Utopia Giordano.

Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano has been experimenting with altering classic Renaissance nudes on her computer to reduce waistlines to meet the demands of modern day weight standards in the fashion world. The results, online HERE, are both fascinating and provocative offering a unique look at our unhealthy standards of beauty and body image.

The original Botticelli Birth of Venus. Photograph: Uffizi Gallery in Florence/Corbis

Video: Time Lapse of Tara McPherson Painting "Safety of Water"

Tara McPherson recently released a Giclee for her painting "Safety of Water". Originally the image was used as a screen print for a Faith No More show on the Williamsburg water front here in NY, then we got to see the original painting at her solo show "Bunny In the Moon" at the Jonathan Levine Gallery. Now we get a large size art print free of text with an edition of 100 pieces at 24 x 30”. The original painting is oil on linen, stretched over panel and measures 60 x 48 inches and you can see a cool time lapse video of its creation below…

20" x 26" image size
24" x 30" paper size
Edition of 100
Signed and Numbered
Giclee on Velvet Fine Art Paper
Printed with Archival Inks 

Available for $100 HERE.

Video: Henry Lewis & Lango Oliveira –“ Neon Knights”

Renowned tattoo artists, Lango Oliveira and Henry Lewis from San Francisco ink studio, Skull & Sword, have created an epic and powerful body of work for their latest exhibition, "Neon Knights", which opened to a packed house of wowed viewers on March 2nd at 111 Minna Gallery. There are still some of their works available so drop by the gallery or view the work in the art shop before it’s all gone by weeks end. Oh and check the great promotional video below...

Show Opening: Kris Kuksi – “Triumph" @ Joshua Liner Gallery, NYC

Kansas based artist Kris Kuksi opened his latest show, Triumph, at Joshua Liner Gallery last night to a large crowd of very excited fans. Kris is probably most well known these days for his mixed-media sculpture, and large-scale installations although traditionally Kris would call himself a painter having first established himself in the medium of canvas and brush. Triumph is Kuksi’s third solo outing with the gallery and the most diverse presentation of his work to date.

I really can’t accurately describe how amazing Kris’s work is in person, probably the closest choice of words would be breath taking but even that doesn’t quite describe the feeling you get when you first see one of Kris’s works first hand. For my own part I have been eagerly anticipating this show for a very long while now and it still managed to exceed all my expectations.

Kris Kuksi - "Capricorn Rising" Mixed media assemblage 2012 80 x 72 x 22 in.

I got to the gallery a good 30 minutes before the show officially opened to the public, Josh Liner, friendly as ever, proclaimed with a genuine level of excitement that I was going to be the first person to see the show complete. Without wasting any time I pulled out the camera and started to get as many shots in as I could before the masses were due to arrive, only problem was I kept on getting lost in each piece for long periods of time, new details revealing themselves with each angle I shot from. When it was all said and done I spent over 2 hours taking photos of 9 pieces of which two pieces captured my immediate undivided attention. The large scale show stoppers are two of Kris’s finest works if not the finest period,  "Triumph" centers around a woman and prehistoric looking crocodile and the second, "Capricorn Rising," centered around what I believe to be a goat. Each piece was 7 to 8 feet high, 250 pounds in weight and mind blowing in every sense of the word.

“With its cautionary title, Triumph skewers the hubris and folly of human ambition. This cavalcade of epic works references mythology, the occult, and organized religion, and uses age-old techniques of visual storytelling to voice personal angst.”

Kris is the master of depicting epic themes paired with extravagant embellishments, his convergence of small, mass-produced materials, referred to as “kit bashing” traditionally, (although it should be noted that Kris goes way beyond this idea with his compositions) are intrinsically narrative, with an obsessive excess of detail that the viewer could get lost in for hours at a time.

Kris Kuksi -  "Hercules vs. Diana" Mixed media assemblage 2011 28 x 26 x 10 in.

The subject matter of the show fits nicely into Kris’s existing body of work, further exploring religion, allegory, war and the mythological archetypes of man and woman’s shift of balance in the paradigm of life as we know it today. One such piece entitled "David’ With Pride" centered around the story of David and Goliath, Kris took some time to tell me about the piece saying that when creating it he imagined a world where David had developed an ego over his defeat of Goliath almost becoming what he had defeated in the first place leaving others to follow the same fate.

Also featured is the tenth installment in Kuksi’s trenchant Churchtank series. “These constructions suggest an “unholy” resonance between the pious power of organized religions and the self-righteous imperialism of the military-industrial complex.” Though earlier versions have been smaller and, in the last instance, took the evocative form of a bronze edition, this latest Churchtank is a massive, ten-foot installation constructed of wood.

Kris Kuksi - "David with Pride" Mixed media assemblage 2012 31 x 23 x 11 in.

Check out the slide show below and make sure you click directly on it to get a larger view of the 100 plus detailed photos and if you live in or around the New York area make sure you make it to the show in person even if it’s the only one you go to this year.

Running from March 15 to April 7, 2012.

Kris Kuksi - "Triumph" March 15, 2012 Joshua Liner Gallery NYC - slide show

Video: "Beauty is Embarrassing" trailer - The work of Wayne White

A new documentary is coming out entitled Beauty is Embarrassing which follows the life and times of cartoonist, painter, director, sculptor, puppeteer, designer, animator, musician, etc. Wayne White.  Some know White for his concept & character design work on Pee Wee's Playhouse, others would recognize his art directorial work on classic music videos such as Peter Gabriel - Big Time & Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight.

More recently he has been re purposing old landscape lithographs & paintings by enhancing them with 3D messages that blend seamlessly into the artwork such as "Star Fucker" & "I Will Smash This Painting Over Your Fucking Head".

The movie will be debuting at this years SXSW and looks to be a good peek into White's world and an interesting exploration into the drive and personal goal of what makes artists tick.

Show Opening: David Ellis - “True Value” @ Joshua Liner Gallery NYC

With his unique blend of humor and technical invention, Brooklyn based artist David Ellis’s latest show “True Value” explores the artists love for music in a variety of art genres and media, including painting, sculpture, and video installation. 

“Animal” captures the creation of large mural works in time-lapse digital video documenting the growth of marks and strokes of pigment on walls, floors, and other surfaces creating a magical balance of sound and image changing and evolving steadily throughout.

On the other side of the gallery there is a beautiful series of paintings on panel and tobacco-stained paper. Preparing the paper himself, the artist used the natural material for pigment as it resonated with his upbringing in Cameron, North Carolina, an area dense with tobacco fields.

In the main area a series of mixed media paintings done on wood panels showcase the artist’s signature motion swirls along side several “number” paintings, one of which has a secret collaboration as the reverse side of the panel is a KR drip painting also signed and dated. Ellis also creates a series of sculptural works including a large installation created in collaboration with Roberto Lange, built of discarded paint cans and buckets that beat a syncopated rhythm, the piece won the acclaimed PULSE Prize at this years PULSE New York Art Fair.

Another series of sculptures see Ellis using album covers mounted in dense stacks on wood, the covers are “recollected” by the artist into gradient color schemes or according to other criteria. Outside of looking quite striking they also offer that added excitement of recognizing albums you might have in your own vinyl collection.

If you are in NYC make sure to pass by the Joshua Liner Gallery to see this show as Ellis’s work is truly original, True Value runs until January 14, 2012.

David Ellis - "True Values" @ Joshua Liner Gallery NYC Dec. 2011 - slideshows

True Value (Paint Fukette) from Joshua Liner Gallery on Vimeo.

Enjoying the Art of Kyung Sunghyun

"세렝게티 에서는" - 2010,  Oil on Canvas,  227.3 x 181.8 cm

Korean artist Kyung Sunghyun’s work has a diverse and layered narrative. His work is created through various frameworks, with one of the main foundations being about ‘shakiness’. It’s as if the image is shaky due to an incorrect over exposure on a photograph. In fact, Kyung Sunghyun’s paintings reinvent the overexposed photographic image. However, his reinventions don’t speak specifically about the shakiness of the image, nor does he emphasize that shakiness. To Kyung, shakiness blurs the shape, at the same time revealing his subject’s true emotional and psychological state. At a closer look at his paintings, one finds that images of faces from different angles, such as frontal and side views, are superimposed upon one another. This expression exposes his desire to better reveal his subject in the portrait.

The results often capture a feeling of uneasiness, paranoia, and alienation which is what personally draws me to the work, enjoy….

"Scar Violet" - 2007 , Oil on Canvas,  75.2x54.7cm



"The Student" - 2007, Oil on Canvas , 161.5x161.5cm

Video: ACID HEAD - The Conceptual Realism Of Robert Williams

Robert Williams (born March 2, 1943) is an American painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine but you may know him as the man who designed the original art work for Guns N’ Roses’ Lp Appetite for Destruction.

Williams was part of the Zap Collective along with other underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. His mix of California car culture, cinematic apocalypticism, and film noir helped to create a new genre of psychedelic imagery that many refer to as the Lowbrow art movement, a term Williams Coined himself.

In the video below Robert reviews a very large portion of his work spanning various periods in his career. Speaking of the techniques, influences and process involved in creating some of these modern masterpieces the film is  a must for fans of his work, contemporary painting and pop culture enthusiasts.

Show Opening - Dan Witz "Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise" & Brett Amory - "Dark Light" @ Jonathan Levine Gallery NYC

Jonathan Levine and Dan Witz at the opening.

We mentioned Dan Witz earlier this week in our sneak peak for his new collection "Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise"s  showing at Jonathan Levine Gallery. Last night was the opening and Mr. Witz shared with us an impressive body of work that highlighted his mosh pit theme, a series of mixed media paintings produced over the past ten years. The hyper-realistic paintings achieve illusions of light, shadow and depth that must be seen.

Opening along side Dan was Oakland native Brett Amory's "Dark Light," a new series of paintings on panel expanding upon Brett's ongoing series of works entitled "Waiting." The breathtaking works portray studies of urban life through fragmented cityscapes and anonymous, isolated figures.  The show runs until July30th and is a must see. Enjoy the slideshow below...

Dan Witz Brett Amory Jonathan Levine Gallery June 30 2011 NYC - slideshow dvd

Sneak Peak - Dan Witz - "Mosh Pits, Human and Otherwise" Jonathan Levine Gallery NYC

70 Commercial Street

A little sneak preview of Dan Witz's new show opening tomorrow June 30th at Jonathan Levine Gallery, I've seen all the works and they are really quite impresive.

"Born in 1957 in Chicago and currently based in Brooklyn, Dan Witz attended Rhode Island School of Design from 1975-77 and came to New York in 1978 to attend Cooper Union, receiving a  BFA in 1980. In 1982, he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1992 and 2000, he received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and in 1998 he received a fellowship from the Public Art Fund. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide and featured in numerous books and publications."

Hooded Girl with Ball Gag

UPDATE! Check out our story on the opening night.

Loving Christopher St. Leger's Watrcolors

Negroni

After getting a degree in Environment Design from Miami of Ohio and then studying with the department of descriptive geometry in Budapest, Christopher St. Leger figured out his real passion was painting in watercolor and I for one am happy he did.

Tee Hee Roller



Liking the work of Kelly Allen

A Star Is A Seed

Kelly lives in San Francisco with her husband Jay. In addition to painting and drawing she is a freelance illustrator and writer and occasionally designs screen-printed apparel.

"When I’m not painting, I can be found: inventing new kinds of soup, picking through thrift stores, walking for miles around the city, watching reruns of Ren and Stimpy or nature documentaries, drinking wine and dancing to soul music (with or without the company of others)."

Won't Touch Ground

Thanks to Josh Keyes for the tip