Olaf Bruening

First of all, GREAT intro to the site! I love when artists share their space to the public, even if it is via internet. It is such a helpful peek into their world, which is a huge insight into their work. Regardless, this was brought to my attention via VAFROMVA's tweets, and I am instantly in love. Kitschy, slightly NSFW drawings, and a multitude of twisted links showing random things like the location of her studio via Google maps, a refreshing page with "Click Me" appearing endlessly, and "Scroll Downs" which reveal nothing but a picture of a man holding a bottle of Orangina. However, there are some serious links as well, such as her blog, shop (just kidding!), photos, installations, drawings, and more. Just the site itself is a delight, so once you actually maneuver to her portfolio the happiness only grows. Line drawings exploring the seemingly innocent figure in perhaps innocuous situations, sometimes dangerous, silly, risque, and more. Great quick work by an artist that I can describe as "fun." There might not be a lot of serious "work" behind it, but who needs it to bring a smile to your face?

Kidrobot Dallas opens tomorrow!

Kidrobot hits Dallas! Tomorrow they open their doors at 5307 East Mockingbird Lane, with guest artist Huck Gee! He'll be on hand to sign his 3" Golden Ticket dunny which will be given away for FREE. A signed Huck Gee toy for free? If anyone is in the Dallas area, I would be your best friend if you got me one!

The opening is from 6-8 pm, so don't be late. I'm sure this will be a mass frenzy of excitement in the Lone Star State! Check out the KRonikle article about it here.

L.A.- Watch Out for PAINTALLICA!

Country Club Los Angeles is hosting PAINTALLICA, an installation group whose antics and artistic inspiration are definitely a not-to-miss event. It's happening Thursday, August 13th from 7-9 PM, featuring the stellar talents of Dan Attoe, Jaime Boling, Bill Donovan, Jesse Albrecht, CeCe Cole, Jeff Decker, Shelby Davis, Gordon Barnes, Posie Currin, David Dunlap, Jay Schmidt, Dominic Bisignano, Jeremy Tinder and Chris Miller. Jamie and CeCe were former adjuct faculty at VCU, and I was lucky enough to study under the tutelage of Jaime for a few semesters. Be sure to check out ALL of these talented artists' work, and other artists in the Country Club library (Ryan McGinness, a personal favorite of mine, is among them). If you are in the Los Angeles area during this event, I can't stress enough your need to experience PAINTALLICA.

Photo credit to CCLA.

San Diego Comic Con EXCLUSIVE 8" Shane Jessup Luck Dunny

Today is the happiest day of my life. With the soul-crushing realization that I had neither the funds or time off work to go to Comic Con (that plus the weekend tickets sold out in a day) I resigned myself to my absenteeism and thought, well, it's for the best, I'd just spend a crazy amount of money anyway. Well, when I found out that Kidrobot was having an exclusive release of Shane Jessup's "Fortune" gold 8" dunny in a series of 1000 (already sold out online), my interest was piqued. When I found out that there would be a SDCC exclusive colorway limited to a run of 200, I was VERY interested in acquiring one. I reached out to all my like-minded nerdy friends in the slim hope that A) someone was going that day, B) would be there at that time, C) didn't have another signing or event, and D) was willing to put up with some sort of hassle I'm sure to get this for me. I didn't get any response until my friend Justin asked me 2 days before the big day if I still needed someone to try and get it for me. Hell yeah I did!

Against all odds, even with his number being 209 on the list, somehow, someway, this beautiful specimen of humanity did it. He did it. He not only got me the limited edition SDCC Luck Dunny- he got it signed. Not only did he get it signed, he got the certificate signed. I am now the proud owner of one of the most limited runs of Dunnys around, with Shane Jessup's John Hancock to boot. I pick it up tonight bearing cash and a 12 pack of Guinness as a small token of my enormous gratitude.

Before this, I was having a pretty crappy day. I slept terribly, there was a giant spider in the office, and my banana was bruisy and gross. This completely turned my day around. There's a nice little UV protected display niche waiting for this guy at home!

Eye-Catching Ads

Learning how to Live is a pretty extensive daily blog focusing on "the art of living"- at quick glance, I'm not super interested in much that this guy has to say, but the latest post was brought to my attention by the lovely Virginia Ivey, who was recently accepted in the prestigious VCU BrandCenter Master's program! The Top 5 Interactive Ads That Catch Your Attention is a great collection of quirky, innovative, and edgy ads that either force the viewer to participate whether they like it or not, or draw you in almost involuntarily with unsupervised participation.

My personal favorite is this swooping photo of a custom ad floor in a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, which replaces fleas with unsuspecting shoppers. People on the higher levels can observe what seems to be human fleas crawling all over the animal as they scurry to and fro about their business. I'm sure there were many tweets about this.

Green Fonts!

Everyone has gone green-crazy lately, and while some might think too little too late, I am of the opinion that every little bit helps! The Dutch design firm Spranq shares this mindset, and has introduced a new eco-friendly font using 15% less ink. Not a new concept by any means, but since it's the hip-to-be-green generation, today's showcase is on Ecofont. The bubbles within the letters allow it to be easily read while using less costly ink, a double bonus in this struggling economy when green doesn't always equal more green in your pocket. This font is available as a free download here, so grab yours now. Be sure to check out the other great designs they have going on- this Dutch firm is already a strong player in the design scene, and for good reason!

Bicycle Film Festival comes to Richmond!

Bike enthusiasts unite! This weekend (starting tomorrow) the Bicycle Film Fest makes its way to Richmond, VA, where I'm sure it will be met with rabid enthusiasm from the bikefans of River City. Hosted by Gallery5, the festival consists of 2 shorts and 1 full length film, each $10 or $23 for all 3 with 2 showings of each. Here's a note from the founding director about the fest:
The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle.

We are into all styles of bikes and biking. If you can name it-Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling to Recumbents- we've probably either ridden or screened it. What better way to celebrate these lifestyles than through art, film, music and performance? We bring together all aspects of bicycling together to advocate its ability to transport us in many ways.

Ultimately the Fest is about having a good time.

We have been fortunate enough to include works of established artists such as Jorgen Leth, Mike Mills, Jonas Mekas, Blonde Redhead, Swoon and Michel Gondry among others as part of our programming.

Many of the artists who have participated in the Bike Film Fest such as the Neistat Brothers and Lucas Brunelle are gaining more and more recognition for their work.

Sign up for the email list or just come out and enjoy our 9th Annual Bicycle Film Festival.

Thanks.
Brendt Barbur, Founding Director

P.S. bikes rule

Check out this great trailer for the event, and be sure to check out the RVAMag article about it here. OF COURSE when it comes to San Diego I won't be here, but that event is August 8. Sign up to be a volunteer and get info at their site BFF.

Virginia Weekend

Apartment 5 Version 3.0.