Thursday, August 30, 2007

Sexy pick of the week - Jason Sho Green - more about this talented artist next week. For now i'll leave with these...
Actually, all these drawings are available on t-shirts, so check out his online store.
http://www.jasonshogreen.com/shop.htm



Human Style



Sex God



Carson



The Struggle
Toys Are Us: A Revolution in Plastic - Produced by X-Ray Films, this is the first ever documentary on the world of designer vinyl toys. The movie was shot during Comic Con International 2006 and also at the artists' and collectors' homes and studios. It features such creators as Tara McPherson, Frank Kozik, Patrick Ma, Eric Scarecrow and others.
Sounds great to me!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lQlAD-hbdEM


Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Apak Studio - is the colaborative duo ( based out of Portland, Oregon) of Ayumi Piland and her husband Aaron Piland. Together they make beautiful paintings and illustrations, design plush dolls, handmade greeting cards and funny characters. I like their Happy Hermits who are 'shy and tiny forest folks who live along the mossy ground'.
http://www.apakstudio.com/
http://apakstudio.blogspot.com/


Happy Hermits



My Secret Pocket



Better Luck Tomorrow



Glamour Atack



Sweet Dream
Frank Kozik - was born in Madrid, Spain in 1962. At the age of 14 he moved to Austin, Texas where his career as a graphic artist began. He started out creating black and white flyers for friends' bands, but over time he designed full color posters and album covers for musicians such as Pearl Jam, Beck, and the Offspring. His posters are influenced by Russian military posters as well as by classic pin-up posters.
Currently Frank Kozik is living in San Francisco, California where (apart from working on his graphic art) he designs vinyl toys for
Kidrobot. His Smorkin' Labbits or Anarchy Dunnies are already cult toys and I think that everyone should have them in their collection.
http://www.fkozik.com/
Read an interview with Frank Kozik




Anarchy Dunny



Mao Dunny



Lenin Dunny



Smorkin' Labbits



Fuck Osaka print


Glow Labbit wallpaper

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Something sexy for the weekend by Kozyndan.
Enjoy!
http://www.kozyndan.com


Horny Kozyndan - from the Japanese porn magazine Naked


An illustration in Giant Robot Magazine for Ami Gilboa's article
Read about make-out coffee shops in Vietnam

Friday, August 24, 2007

Ray Caesar

When I was sitting in a pub yesterday, my friend pointed out to a little girl that actually resembled the ones from Ray Caesar's paintings. I mean not that she had squid limbs instead of legs and had a cat in her hair, but her pale, adult-looking face really got me thinking about this artist. I absolutley adore him -
he somehow managed to create an art that is beautiful and repugnant at the same time. He states that he doesn't paint children, but 'pictures of human soul... that alluring image of the hidden part of ourselves.'
The artist himself seems to be pretty low-key and modest. He never learned how to drive, doesn't go out much, likes Earl Grey tea and says that he was born a dog - well, ok maybe that part's a little "wild" :)
Anyway, enjoy his art.

This is what Ray Caesar has to say about his paintings:

'As for my Images, I see them as calm wise spirits or photographs of a family picture album that sits in this massive hotel by the sea in my subconscious. Each room in this endless hotel is a dark hidden mystery or memory or ...lifetime... and all I am doing is running around this mansion of dreams and thought and turning on all the lights and getting everyone to come downstairs for a party. I see them as children but maybe they will grow and mature as my understanding of them grows... perhaps they will begin to grow old. I see each little 3D world as a sort of a "Heaven," a place where fear is replaced by calm and hate is replaced by love. A place where the things that are difficult to look at are seen as beautiful and no one turns away in pity or revulsion and all can see Truth and are filled with a knowing shared empathy as each pain and pleasure is immediately known and cherished.'
Interview with Ray Caesar
http://www.raycaesar.com/


Ray Caesar



Monday's Child



Guardian



Ebb-tide



Sentinele



The Burden of Her Memories

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Seamour Sheep (a silly scottish sheep) and a wiseacre mole Marty are two main characters in a webcomic created by Dutch artist Metin Seven. I'm not a big fan of three dimensional comic books and this one is not an exception, but... Seamour and Marty vinyl toys ( by Crazy Label) are absolutely wonderful. They look so cute and dumb that you can't be in a bad mood when looking at them.
www.seamoursheep.com
www.metinseven.com


Seamour Sheep as USB-powered lamp



Seamour and Marty

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

CJ Metzger - lives in L.A. , California where she often colaborates on various projects with her sister, artist Miss Mindy. In her art she creates a world full of colors, fairy tales, memories from her girlhood. She just debuted her vinyl art toy Mischievous Maeve (from Kaching Brands).
http://www.cjmetzger.com/
http://www.artistsisters.com/



When the moon is half full and
the fireflies hover over the dark and
murky swmp.that's when you might
catch a glimpse of her, romping in
the bayou with her merry band of misfits.

But do take care of not to be spotted
because the only thing
Mischievous Maeve & the Monster Brigade
hate more than trespassers is..
eathing lima beans.
Well, that and big, awful meanies.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Tara McPherson - Most definitely my favorite artist. She was born in San Francisco, raised in Los Angeles and now resides in New York. Her array of work includes paintings, editorial and advertisement illustrations, comics (her most recent work includes Bill Willingham's graphic novel 'The Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall'), as well as posters and album covers for such bands as Green Day and Beck. She has also designed really cool toys for Kidrobot... all in all an incredibly versatile artist.
And to top it off she has great tattoos on her arms.
http://www.taramcpherson.com/




The Idealization Of Asymmetrical Thought
Click here to see how it was made



Dream a Little Dream - a comic anthology



Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall - graphic novel by Bill Willingham



Space bear Ace Kittyhawk and alien bunny Ion Z



Dunny L.A. Series



Tara and her tattoos

Friday, August 17, 2007

Yoshimoto Nara - Since I've already written about Kathie Olivas, I decided to include an entry on Yoshimoto Nara, who seems to have clearly influenced not only Kathy's work but also that of "anime" artists in Japan and other places. He was born in Japan, and still lives and works there.
Most children in his paintings look at us in an accusing sort of way and seem to be constantly irritated. There is a sense of having to have grown up too fast, of a resentment at the loss of childhood innocence. Some have interpreted this portrayal as Nara's reaction to Japan's strict social conventions.
There are some paintings though where i've noticed a half-smile from them, so maybe there is still some hope for us adults :)
www.blumandpoe.com/yoshitomonara


Looking for Treasure


Daydreamer


Untitled - sculpture carved from polystone

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Catalina Estrada - Born and raised in Medellin, Columbia and now living in Barcelona, Spain.
How could you not like this?
www.catalinaestrada.com


Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Kathie Olivas is one of my favorite artists. She just had her solo show called 'Ghosts and Martyrs' in the Copro Nason gallery in Santa Monica, CA.
I think that these children have some of the most suspicious looks I've ever seen in contemporary art. They all look like small adults and one gets the impression that they are definitely not to be trusted. If they offered me a lollipop I wouldn't eat it, since I'm sure it would be poisoned...
Every time I look at them, I feel kind of guilty. I have this impression that they know more than we think, that they see deep inside you. So, if you have a guilty conscience about anything, don't buy these paintings. These children will haunt you in your dreams.
www.miserychildren.com



Boy in Pig Suit on Stool


Scandal

Mister Cartoon

a.k.a Mark Machado is a Los Angeles based tattoo artist whose artwork is etched into the skin of Dr.Dre, Mobb Deep, Eminem and other celebrities.
His second installment of the "Lost Angel" series was released on July 15th and was limited only to 436 pieces ($150 each).
Lost Angel is 14" tall and is covered with highly detailed tattoos.
I wish I was a toy and could make love to him ;)
http://www.mistercartoon.com