daniel elson

more meeses

2010-09-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

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

le buffoon

2010-05-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

oil on canvas

11'' x 14''

the somnolence

2010-05-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

the duet

2010-05-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

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.

recent gifts...

2009-12-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

watercolor on bristol plate in antique locket

acrylic and enamel on wood and metal, string
4.5in tall

tis the season...

2009-12-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

acrylic and enamel on wood and metal
about 8in tall, i think

merry holidays everyone.

paper pushers show

2009-12-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

the portamento, or the bending of the note
graphite on vellum bristol
6'' x 10'' unframed, 12.5'' x 17'' framed

gallery 1988sf's annual work on paper show opens dec. 11th, from 7-10pm in san francisco. unfortunately because of my show schedule i only had time to make one piece, but there are a lot of great artists in this show. so if you can, check it out.

web store.....

2009-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

is up. look for the inventory to change frequently. http://danielelson.bigcartel.com

just some news...

2009-11-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

two quick things before i forget:

1. artist friend ana bagayan is having an auction right now to raise money for her lunchbunch. some very great pieces by some very great artists (including three by me, 2 come as a set). place your bids here.

2. theres a recent interview with me at just another art blog. click here. its not very interesting, but dont feel bad if you think it is - lots of people have bad taste.

vivisect playset vi: the final playset

2009-11-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

meese #23, vivisect meese w/ mask accessory

acrylic and enamel on wood and metal

3'' x 1.5'' x 1''

(all meese have their chronological number engraved on the back)

the death of luke chueh's annual curated show, vivisect playset, opens on black friday, nov. 27th, at gallery 1988 in los angeles. opening runs from 7 - 10pm, and i will be in attendance.

"pushing the spaces" preview

2009-11-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

this is the preview for my solo at black maria gallery's project wall this saturday the 21st. i have spent the last few months developing this series, that i began over a year ago, mostly focusing on some very old forms of print making.

please contact black maria for sales.

please note that these are one-of-a-kind prints; all have been reworked after printing. there are no editions available at this time. should black maria and i choose to make editions available, they will more than likely be limited to less than five, as i do not relish the idea of cheapening my work by making it hackneyed.

below i've included definitions of print terminology to help explain the processes used.

after the playing stopped
acylic on canvas
28'' x 20'' unframed, 32'' x 24'' framed

the resting place
acrylic on board
4.25'' x 6.25'' unframed, 8'' x 10'' framed

the persistence, artist's proof
solarplate photogravure on copperplate paper
9.5'' x 7.5'' unframed, 20'' x 20'' framed

the acquaintances, artist's proof
solarplate photogravure on copperplate paper
5.25'' x 8'' unframed, 16'' x 20'' framed

the collection, 1/1
drypoint on copperplate paper
7'' x 5.5'' unframed, 17.5'' x 18'' framed

the rehearsal, artist's proof
lithograph on rives bfk heavyweight
7'' x 12'' unframed, 17.5'' x 24'' framed

the path, artist's proof
lithograph on rives bfk heavyweight
6'' x 9'' unframed, 17'' x 22'' framed

the commencement, artist's proof
cliche verre on ilford matte paper
6.5'' x 5'' unframed, 13.5'' x 12.5'' frame

all frames (with the exception of the resting place) were designed and built by me out of poplar. the prints are float mounted on acid free black matboard and recessed 5/8'' behind plexiglass.

list of terms:

- intaglio - printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, known as the matrix or plate. to print an intaglio plate, ink is applied to the surface and then rubbed with tarlatan cloth to remove most of the excess. the final smooth wipe is often done with newspaper or old public phone book pages, leaving ink only in the incisions. a damp piece of paper is placed on top and the plate and paper are run through a printing press that, through pressure, transfers the ink from the recesses of the plate to the paper. wikipedia

- solarplate photogravure - an intaglio printmaking process in which photographic images are printed using forms of mechanised etching of light sensative platic plates then developed in water.

- drypoint - a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a copper plate (or "matrix") with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. wikipedia

- lithography - a method for printing using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface. in modern times, the image is made of polymer applied to anodized aluminium plates. The smooth surface is divided into hydrophilic regions which accept a film or water and while damp, these areas reject ink and hydrophobic (water repelling) regions which accept ink because the surface tension is higher on the greasier image area which remains dry because the water will part and run off the greasy image. This process is quite different to gravure or intaglio printing where a plate is engraved, etched or stippled to make cavities to contain the printing ink. wikipedia

- cliche verre - a method of etching on a ground-coated transparent material, or painting and drawing on a transparent surface, such as glass in this case, and printing the resulting image on a light sensitive paper. wikipedia

- i would like at this point to express my thanks to columbus college of art and design and their print department for their assistance, especially students mathew clark and jennifer sands.

who framed yetti spaghetti?

2009-11-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

a monster mystery gallery show opening sat., nov. 14th at genuine artikle gallery in new york. the show was curated by trevor zammit, so if you're confused by the show (we all were) blame him.

this is teddy spaghetti the bear. he's not really a monster, just a really ugly bear.

SMart: artwork inspired by kevin smith and scott mosier's SModcast

2009-10-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

this is a one night event at gallery 1988, friday oct. 23rd from 7-11pm to celebrate kevin and scott's book release of their podcasts in script form. several artists, including myself, were assigned a podcast to create a piece from. my painting will make more sense if you click here and download SModcast 10: do ckickens have souls? or you can listen to any of the countless other podcasts. its free. oh, and they are very dirty. both kevin and scott will be present.

kevin smith re-evaluates everything while a chicken ponders his life.
acrylic on board
10 x 20in

the path

2009-09-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

acrylic on masonite
6'' x 9''

this is a commissioned painting for someone whos been very supportive of my career, so thanks (and thanks for being so patient). i've uploaded a rather large version in case you've never had the chance to see one of my paintings in person.

heavy hearts

2009-08-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

limited edition of ten solid pewter cast hearts for Dragon Con are available only through Rivet Gallery. each heart was hand forged by myself in a pewter alloy consisting of 92% tin, 7.75% antimony, and .25% copper. they weigh just under 1 lbs. each and are 2.75''h x 2.5''w x .75''d. each one has an edition number lightly etched on his back.

read on for more information about them and how they were made:

this is the original sculpt. it was made like most of my sculptures out of poplar wood and williams rod.

and heres the little guy ready for the first half of the mold.

you can see pour spouts have been added as well as "spruing," or air vents made with thin copper wire. this will lessen the chance that air will be trapped in the arms and legs. he's boxed up in a wax based clay called plastilina. the bolt heads and negative slots make a locking system for the two halfs of the mold to fit nicely together.

the mold is an rtv silicone designed to withstand the 500+ temperature of molten pewter. before each side was poured, it had to be vaccum pumped, for even small air bubbles in the mold when heated to the working temperature will cause distortions. a few additives are then applyed to the surface of the mold to help with surface tension and mold preservation; without them, you will get horrible deformations and pock marks.

the pewter is poured from a crucible into the mold and takes about an hour before it can be demolded. heres a couple hearts cooling on the window sill next to my blow torch.

heres one playing on my shelf.
at this point, the pour spouts are removed with a bandsaw and then filed. after the spruing and chasing is filed too, they are buffed out on a wheel.

molten metal tends to do whatever molten metal wants to do resulting in each heart having its own unique surface characteristics. to bring those out, they were given a patina consisting of hydrochloric acid, silver nitrate, copper sulfate, and other things that caused burns on my arms. they were then ever so gently buffed and rubbed finish.

i probably acquired several new forms of cancer from making these, so i hope you enjoy them.

dapper apple and williamson

2009-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

"yummy!" gallery show opening friday, aug. 14th from 6pm - midnight at junctionviw studios in their matchbox gallery space. the show will be up until sept. 13th. a portion of the proceeds go to the mid-ohio foodbank. for more information, go to yummyartshow.blogspot.com.

the birthday bat

2009-08-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

the extremely rare, and highly flamable, birthday bat makes an appearance for laura kuenzli, the owner of rivet gallery. thanks for all the support laura, and happy birthday. i probably wont be making too many of these little f-ers.

mighty meese and danger meese

2009-07-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

new meeses for a cartoon themed show i co-curated with rivet gallery. "we'll be right back... after these messages" opens saturday, august 1st. i will be present for the opening. click on the links for more info.

meese and silent meese

2009-07-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

jay and silent bob meese (with exclusive boombox accessory) available at Crazy 4 Cult 3d. show opens at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, Thursday, July 16th, 7 - 11pm with special guests: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier, Pete Wentz & Ashlee Simpson, Jonah Hill, Michael Rappaport and Jason Biggs. see you there if you can make it. more information here - http://nineteeneightyeight.com/

stolen paintings

2009-07-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

these paintings were very dear to me and one other person. they have been stolen. if anyone ever sees them, please notify me. i pray someone will put them back exactly where they found them along with everything else.

biggy smalls exhibition 7/11 7pm-12am

2009-07-07T07:21:00.001-07:00

this painting will be available and on view at http://junctionviewstudios.com/. the piece is about 7.75'' x 7.75''. it you are interested, please contact biggiesmallsart@gmail.com or myself, or just come to the opening. for more information try here - www.myspace.com/biggiesmallsart

t-shirts coming soon...

2009-07-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

exclusive Rivet Gallery t-shirts will be available soon. If you are interested, please contact http://rivetgallery.com/.