more meeses

so gallery 1988sf is doing a second crazy for cult show this year specifically for dimensional work. heres what i made for it. the show opens sept 4th. enjoy.

ignatz meese

for the WWA gallery's off the strip show, in culver city, i went with George Herriman's Ignatz mouse from his Krazy Kat strip. Herriman was one of the original inspirations i had taken from for my meese series.

incidentally, this show is a showstopper featured in juxtapoz magazine.

star meese

these little guys, meeses 27 and 28, are for this years crazy 4 cult at gallery 1988 in LA.

acrylic and enamel on wood and metal, lightsaber is hand pulled neodymium glass

the paladin

opening tonight at gallery 1988 in los angeles is Another Dimension:art inspired by the most influential science-fiction television show of all time (bit of a long title). unfortunately, i'm not going to be there, but i did make another 2-inch oil painting for it. placed in a civil war period tintype case, the painting is based off an episode called paladin of the lost hour.

feature with arizona state university

so, i forgot, a couple weeks ago arizona state university's online literary magazine, superstition review, featured me with some other artists and writers and poets. click here to view the issue.

the dream and the dreamer

these are solarplate photogravure intaglio artist's proofs for my show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery.

whats that? whats a "solarplate photograve intagla-ma-thingy?" now that i've briefly explained how to make a drypoint print (here), i can sort of explain what a solarplate photogravure is:

basically, way back when (1830's), i guy named henry fox talbot (really famous photographer) came up with a way to make prints of his photos. simply put, he would use a bunch of chemicals (gelatin, potassium dichromate, ferric chloride) to etch an image into a copper plate. then he could print his photos by inking the plate and running them through a press. this process is called photogravure, and it is a huge pain in the ass to do.

so in modern times (about 10 years ago i think), someone came up with a much less toxic process - although, still a pain in the ass, slightly less so - the solarplate. you began with an image. the process was specifically designed for photographs, but i, however, use a drawing (why? because its crazy). after scanning the drawing i print it on a high quality film transparency. now it starts to get a little complicated...

solarplates (not the ones that hemp-necklace wearing people put on their roofs) are orange light-sensitive plastic plates with a metal backing. the plastic is soft and delicate until exposed to light which hardens it, so you have to keep them in the dark. working in a darkroom, i put the transparent drawing on film upside down (reversed) on the solarplate. i then expose it to light (the amount of time is predetermined by testing smaller areas). where the light is blocked out by the linework and shading the plastic stays soft.

the plate is now put in a tray of water and gently brushed by hand. this rubs the plastic away where it wasnt hardened by light. so now you have an image etched into the plate, and you exposed it to some more light to harden it completely. at this point the plate can be inked up and run through a press the same way i print my drypoints.

i cant imagine that there are more than a handful of people in the world right now who go through the trouble to reproduce a drawing this way, but the final image is much more beautiful and rich than the original. as with my previous solarplates i've yet to make an edition run, and probably never will.

the mustache meeting

this is a collaborative painting i did with my friend, los angeles-based artist mark bodnar, for my solo show, recomposing the spaces. we plan on eventually having prints made, but for now contact rivet gallery for the original's availability.

sustaining the note

this is the largest of the paintings for my solo show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery.

le buffoon

oil on canvas

11'' x 14''

the somnolence

drypoint

3'' x 9''

so what is drypoint? well, its a really old form of printmaking like etching and engraving (called intaglio). how does it work? well, like this:

first, you wanna get yourself a copper plate. without getting too anal about the details, you prep the plate by sanding, filing, and polishing until its nice and smooth. then you need a really sharp scratching tool. steel needles were traditionally used, but i have a diamond-tipped needle attached to a wooden stylus (fancy word for stick).

you basically draw your image by directly scratching it onto the plate. this is pretty tricky to get the hang of at first because you cant really see what youre doing. it takes thousands of little scratches to shade an area in, and until you make a test print you wont be sure how dark an area will be. the problem with making a lot of test prints is that every time a plate is run through a press it wears the image out a little bit. this is why printers began numbering their print editions. the earlier the print, the better the image. drypoint plates wear out the fastest, so this print has only two artist's proofs (sometimes labeled test prints) and one final print.

to make a print you have to ink up the plate. first, though, you have to mix up your ink to the desired color and add some wiping compound and linseed oil. then you delicately apply the ink with a tarlatan (fancy word for crusty cheese cloth). if you rub too hard you will damage the plate. different hand-wiping techniques can greatly add to the unique characteristics of every individual print.

now your ready to print. wet and blot your paper, place it on the plate, and run it through an etching press. and thats it in a nut shell. also, please ignore the girl in the photos, i promised her i wouldnt use them.

some press in the sunday paper

heres an article in the Columbus Dispatch on Rivet Gallery and my show, recomposing the spaces - click me to read.

the duet

oil painting in an antique frame for my current show, recomposing the spaces, at Rivet Gallery. click here for the full show and availability.

oil on board

24'' x 16''

the philosopher and the poet

these are two of the smallest paintings i've ever done. they are 1.5'' x 2'' and encased in tintype cases from the mid to late 1800's. they are part of my recomposing the spaces show at rivet gallery. click here to see the show.

floating and drifting

these are two small paintings for my show, recomposing the spaces, at rivet gallery. click here for the whole show, details, and availability.

the sermon

this is the first of many posts for my upcoming show, recomposing the spaces, may 1st at rivet gallery (please contact them for any inquiries about availability). i've made the switch to oil paints for the exhibition.

this painting is additionally for the blog super punch's tarot card deck celebrating their 3rd anniversary. information about the deck is posted here (the full deck should be posted there by the end of april).

oil on canvas

26'' x 36''

t-shirt

a while ago trenton m studios organized a shirt with me and british artists okkle and greg abbott. proceeds are donated to the mazza museum (children's book museum). its only $10, and its only available on march 8th.

open-hearted

this sculpture is only available on valentine's day at my store. he's made out of south american purpleheart wood. it is not a stain. over the next few months the fresh cut wood will bloom and become more chromatic and intense. the eyes are wood burned. the base is cut and polished pink alabaster. dimensions (including base) are 3.75'' x 4.5'' x 5''.

the separation

strychnin gallery's 7th anniversary show, "the 7 year itch," opens friday, feb. 12th in berlin, germany. over 60 artists from all over the world, should be an amazing show.

the separation
acrylic on board
7.25in x 28.25in unframed; 11in x 32in framed

(click for larger image)

über cute preview

four person show with okkle, heidi kenney, bukubuku at rivet gallery opening feb. 6th, 7 -10pm. this is my stuff for it. click here for the entire show and details of my pieces.

he-meese

meese #24 (number engraved on ear)

acrylic and enamel on wood and metal

4'' x 4'' x 1''

mattel helps present gallery 1988's under the influence: he-man and the masters of the universe opening in hollywood on friday, january 8th. apparently there's gonna be a full size castle grayskull installation. fun.