The Student Award Exhibition and That’s Not All Folks went down on this past Tuesday, March 23rd. Both shows went very well and I ended up showing a few pieces in That’s Not All Folks, which was organized and put together by Eric Whitman, who deserves a lot of credit for all the work he put in. Here’s a set of shots from both shows.
A big reason I wanted to start adding more personal posts to the site was to share things that inspire me and artists that you should know about as well as studio updates. I found a couple gems on Wooster this week and thought they were definitely worth sharing.
First is C215. I’ve been following his work for a while and he’s always been really pushing the capabilities of stencils. The amount of detail he is able to get in his portraits on the street is unreal. Now, he’s really changed up his style and is pushing in a new direction that I think will bring him a lot of attention and success.
C215 - Toulouse (Blagnac)
C215 - Paris
Older piece by C215
Also, Mobstr had some fun in Newcastle. Apparently these images are from 2007, but it’s pretty funny nonetheless. Mobstr’s work is very location specific, so having a dialogue with the Newcastle City Council shouldn’t be too surprising.
This piece was started a few months ago, and was finally finished this week. I wanted to capture a lot of action in this piece in a way similar to how a photograph can freeze a single instantaneous movement.
Completed: March 17, 2010
Size: 36 in (w) x 24 in (h)
Couple of things to update on:
I have a piece showing in the San Diego State University Student Award Exhibition, which is showing right now in the SDSU Flor y Canto and Everett Gee Jackson Galleries on campus in the art building. The reception takes place on Tuesday, March 23rd from 5-6pm, come by and say hi.
WRHWK in the Flor Y Canto Gallery
Just finished a new piece called DYNMT on Wednesday night. This one has been in the works for a few months, but finally got it out.
DYNMT in progress
DYNMT, 36 x 24, completed 3/17/10
Thanks to the quality of Pacifico’s cardboard box manufacturers, I managed to turn a 12-pack into an 8-pack plus broken glass. My advice to you: don’t trust those handles, the studio will appreciate it.
Due to the awards reception for the student show, I will not be showing any pieces at “That’s Not All Folks.” I did an installation in that space that will remain for the show and there will be a lot of great work showing so if you come to the awards reception, make the short trip across the bridge to check this show out, you won’t regret it. Some setup shots:
(handwriting reads, “unless your work sucks, of course”)
If happiness could be packed into a cardboard box, taped shut, and shipped to someone’s doorstep, it would look a lot like the box I just got at my front door this morning. I bought a 24 pack of Ironlak paint from 33third while I wait for OinkArt to restock. 21 of the cans are Ironlaks, 3 are Montana Hardcore (ran out of Ironlaks?), and they also sent me a free can of Montana 94, which is Montana’s low pressure paint. I absolutely love the Ironlaks but I’m looking forward to pitting them against the 94 can. Montana vs. Ironlak comparison will come next time after I get acquainted with all of them in the studio.
I participated in Thumbprint’s monthly benefit show on Saturday that runs through today (March 10th). This month, it benefitted YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign, which promotes healthy family habits (sidenote: Stef’s organization, Perfect Match, will be the charity organization represented next month). The show was a lot of fun, so thank you to everyone who came out!
After the show, I dropped by Kleen House downtown (920 E St, San Diego, CA 92101) because I picked up a card they had on the table at the gallery. To my hard-to-contain giddy excitement, I discovered that a pretty extensive selection of Ironlak paint, graffiti tools, original art – honestly a very rad place that I’ll be frequenting often.
I went back in to the studio that night after the show, armed with a small contingent of Ironlak cans to finish up WRHWK #3 to submit to the student show at SDSU. RNWY, WRHWK, and BRNBBYBRN were all submitted, and I was fortunate enough to have WRHWK accepted – the show opens on March 15th and the reception and awards ceremony takes place on March 23rd at 6pm.
This brings me to my first impressions of the Ironlak paint that I used to paint the WRHWK piece that got accepted. Put simply, the paint is great. For the uninitiated, it’s a low pressure can, meaning there isn’t a lot of “wind” when you’re painting. This becomes very important when painting multiple layers of stencils, and I was very pleased with how crisp and clean the lines were after layers were put down. Paint comes slow and smooth and is pressure sensitive. The paint dries very quickly and has a finish that’s not quite matte and not quite gloss – sort of a semi-gloss, but regardless, it’s a very nice finish. The only other graffiti paint I’ve spent much time using is Montana Gold, which smells like nailpolish and I honestly can’t stand. Rusto Painter’s Touch has been my paint of choice for the past two years, if only for the fact that it’s inexpensive and very convenient to pick up (every Home Depot has it and the color selection is decent). In comparison, Ironlak has a very unique smell. A few have described the smell as “coconut” and others as “banana.” The masked scent is much appreciated, believe me, but the jury is still out on whether the scent is just too strong. And they’re not exaggerating when they brag about coverage – this paint covers other layers extremely well. Knowing now that Ironlak is available at Kleen House downtown if I’m pressed for time is great – I’ll certainly be buying a lot more Ironlak from them as well as 33third, and hopefully Oink sometime soon. Definitely looking forward to Ironlak Reload.
I’m currently toying with framing my finished paintings for added effect. I think it’s kind of fun to see wheatpaste and stencils presented in such a formal way, so I’ll be doing more of this in the coming weeks. Here’s a couple of sample shots (excuse the cell phone quality):
A long time ago, I swore to myself that I’d never use green as a background color ever again. For some reason, I’m never happy with how it looks. Sometimes I look back at older pieces and think I could have picked a better color here or there; in green’s case, every color is better as far as backgrounds go.
About three weeks ago, I broke that rule and planned a piece with a green background. I ended up picking different colors for the piece (which hasn’t been started yet), so I’m scrapping the green canvas I prepared in favor of a yellow background prepared for WRHWK #3. This will be the last green background you ever see – I’m keeping my promise this time.
I also swore I’d never buy another metallic color – ever. They smell terrible, coverage is miserable, and they take forever to dry. I went back on that today when I bought a frame that I didn’t particularly care for in it’s purchased state. Since they don’t make gaudy chrome frames, I painted my own. It’s gonna be fun. Just waiting for it to dry at this point before I put BRNBBYBRN in.
I’m preparing a few pieces for a couple of shows coming up – attaching wire to hang them, numbering and dating, and painting the edges the way they should be.
Finally, I think it’s time to change the filters in my respirator. On a related note, I should be wearing my respirator more often.
From March 6-10th, I participated in Thumbprint Gallery’s monthly fundraiser show. In March, the show benefitted the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign and will benefit a different organization each month. I contributed WRHWK to the show. Thanks for everyone who stopped by to check it out!
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If it hasn’t come across yet, I think hair is really fun to paint. So here it is: hair and movement and oddly, a little Kanye West.
Completed: February 28, 2010
Size: 36 in (w) x 24 in (h)
