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?

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.

Alexander Girard

Folk art isn't one of my favorite genres, but add a contemporary twist to any sort of toy and of course my attention is grabbed. My sister actually sent me this link to Alexander Girard's work, and I was intrigued. His estate now handles the ongoing branding of his work, which includes dolls, fonts, puzzles, woodwork, and more. Here's a few from his doll collection:




It's like broccoli, cats, color and dolls all in one! FUN!


Apparently he also has a large collection of nativity scenes, with focus on color and simplicity in composition. I should send some to my mom to mix with her Fontanini nativity. A good mix, right?

Ye Olde Series

Words cannot describe my excitement. Right now, at this VERY MOMENT, the BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD is walking into KIDROBOT SAN FRANCISCO to add to our ever-growing Dunny collection!

Only this is no ordinary trip for Dunnys. Yesterday the latest in a long line of amazing series was released- the Ye Old English Dunny Series!





I DON'T GET THEM UNTIL SUNDAY BUT I AM ALREADY DROOLING WITH ANTICIPATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't elaborate any better...

So I'm not even going to try. Everyone knows (or should know) who Shepard Fairey is, or at least recognize his work. I for one pee my pants when I see something new of his. It's become massively mainstream, but who is not stoked on his success?



THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART / BOSTON

FIRST MUSEUM SURVEY OF INFLUENTIAL STREET ARTIST SHEPARD FAIREY OPENS AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART/BOSTON

SHEPARD FAIREY: SUPPLY & DEMAND
FEB. 6 - AUG. 16, 2009


Boston, MA – On the 20th anniversary of the Obey Giant campaign, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston opens the first museum survey of Shepard Fairey, the influential street artist who created the now iconic Obama poster. Stickers and posters of the artist’s work have appeared on street signs and buildings around the world as part of a guerrilla art campaign of global scale. Featuring over 80 works, Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand traces the artist’s career over 20 years, from the Obey Giant stencil to screen prints of political revolutionaries and rock stars to recent mixed-media works and a new mural commissioned for the ICA show. In complement to the exhibition, Fairey will be creating public art works at sites around Boston. On view at the ICA from Feb. 6 to Aug. 16, 2009, Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand is accompanied by an expanded, limited-edition box set of Supply & Demand, the retrospective publication of the artist’s work, in addition to exclusive limited-edition prints only available at the ICA Store.

Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand features work in a wide variety of media – screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages, and works on wood, metal and canvas. These works reflect the diversity of Fairey’s aesthetic, displaying a variety of influences and references such as Soviet propaganda, psychedelic rock posters, images of Americana, and the layering and weathering of street art. While his visually seductive imagery draws in his audience, Fairey uses his work as a platform to make statements on social issues important to him. The artist explains his driving motivation: "The real message behind most of my work is ‘question everything."

Initiated by former ICA assistant curator Emily Moore Brouillet and developed by guest curator Pedro H. Alonzo, the retrospective exhibition examines prevailing themes in Fairey’s work including Anti-War/Peace, Leaders of Change, Hierarchies of Power, Music, Excesses of Capitalism, and Activism.



Exhibition Related Programs

Artist Talk: Shepard Fairey
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, 6:30 pm
The subject of a new ICA survey exhibition, Shepard Fairey shares insights into his work which shifts easily between the realms of fine, commercial, and even political art. Tickets: $20 general admission; $14 members, students (with valid ID) and seniors. This program is made possible through the generosity of Vivien and Alan Hassenfeld.

OBEY Experiment
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, 9 pm - midnight
On the opening night of his first museum survey, artist Shepard Fairey DJs at the ICA’s wildly popular Experiment party. Tickets: $25 general admission; $20 members and students with valid ID. 21 +

Lunchtime Gallery Talk
Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, noon
Exhibition curator Pedro Alonzo shares his perspective on working with Shepard Fairey in a program tailor-made for the lunch hour. Free with museum admission. Space is limited. Free tickets are available first-come, first-served one hour before the program. Ticket holders receive a 10% discount at the Water Café. May not be combined with any other offer.

ICA/AIGA Design Series: Design as Social Agent
Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Bringing together speakers from the fields of design, street art, music, and politics, this day-long event frames Shepard Fairey’s work within the context of grassroots civic action, punk rock, and 80s graffiti and skate culture. Featuring Steve Heller, Elliot Earls, Nicholas Blechman, Luba Lukova, Cliff Stolze, Caleb Neelon, PIXNIT, and Mirko Ilic. Ticketing information TBD.

Bike Tour: Shepard Fairey Off Site
Sunday, May 17, 10 am
Sunday, June 28, 10 am
Exhibition curator Pedro Alonzo leads a bike tour of Fairey’s public work in Boston and Cambridge. Stopping at six locations along the way, Alonzo will talk about the context, content, and culture of the artist’s work and the relationships between graffiti, public art, graphic design, and advertising. The tour will cover approximately 10 miles. Tickets: $20 general admission; $15 ICA members, students, and seniors

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ICABOSTON.ORG

The Institute of Contemporary Art
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210

www.icaboston.org

WWW.OBEYGIANT.COM

2009 Typography Calendar by Veer

Veer is a great resource for all things illustration, typographic, or most web-based art. They are constantly introducing cutting edge and incredibly sharp contemporary pieces into the world that even the most jaded art critic has to be impressed by. I love this calendar, which the 12 graphic design partners of the esteemed design group Pentagram nominated their favorite typefaces.





Typography is so awesome. I really needed a calendar for 2009 too, I wish I had seen this before we settled for whatever other not as cool one we got!

new blog to check

My friend Tim Skirven just started up a new blog Drunk at my own Party. Check it out!

Paul Urich - Gone But Not Forgotten

The last time I was in SF, I made it a point to go to Fecal Face Dot Gallery, traveling across town, up hills and down wind tunnels, to try and grasp the experience that seems so in touch the the contemporary art world today. Of course, when we finally reached our destination, over hill and dale, it was CLOSED! This major disappointment has not dampened my enthusiasm for all things Fecal, though. They still are coming up with some of the best shows in the country pretty consistently.

This show of Paul Ulrich's should be one of the more interesting ones, and a great kickoff for 2009. Contemporary, so relevant, yet hints towards the old drawing masters, with subtle lines, shades, and papers blended with washes and portraits. A stellar SF based artist who I had not personally heard of before. It's exciting to find new guys like this, and then to discover that they've actually been around for years!

He takes portraits of the dead and breathes color into them, taking their faces to a ghostly place that only a few brave viewers can venture to. Beyond the aesthetics of his work, there are many layers of meaning that are fascinating in their exploration of life and death and what happens after. He explores the decomposition of human existence both physically and mentally. This show seems to be a must-see for anyone in the area. Many a good conversation to be had. It's also nice to see someone "contemporary" explore meaning beyond the aesthetic. I confess, I've dabbled with the idea of "meaningless" art, or art for arts sake. It's another school of thought, and almost a requirement for any artist to experience at one stage or another. But it's when one moves beyond the obvious to the complex when the REAL conversation starts, and that's an exciting transition to make.





So go see the show.

most excellent

As seen at the "Drive Thru" at Vo's Cafe.

Superpoop

Seriously? Superpoop? I Can Has Cheezburger gets me into enough trouble at work, with me trying to stifle my laughs at my incredibly obvious behavior that no, in fact I am NOT working! This webcomic is another branch from the duo bringing you Married to the Sea, which is equally hilarious. You might ask why I chose to speak of Superpoop then, if they are so comparable. The answer is simple: the tiebreaker was the use of the word "poop".

Do yourself a favor, and get your daily laugh intake.

the snail returns!

My friend came back to the office! Hello snail friend!

I stumbled across this typography website yesterday, and there's nothing that I can even really write about it. It just speaks for itself. Any description I could possibly come up with would be significantly less interesting than just going to the site and peeking around. The real kicker is the About iLT section and reading the John D Boardley's description of himself and why he enjoys type.

"...like many men, I sometimes look at girls’ bottoms, I probably spend more time looking at type."

I wouldn't bother looking if you aren't a "type-head" though. Fonts are either incredibly interesting or wildly boring, depending on the person. I myself find them fascinating. Obviously I'd recommend the movie Helvetica to anyone in the free world who has an interest in type design and hasn't already seen it. I was wayyy behind on seeing it.

Be sure to check out John's other blog juststuffifind.com. The Pixel Dog post is particularly amusing.

yay yay yay it's a giveaway!

WOO! SewMamaSew is sponsoring the Give-Away Day, where blogs sign up to give away a handmade good or object and mail it out within a week.

Purpose? Fun!

Everybody, including myself, likes winning things. I think I'm a little late to participate, but I'll do my part by spreading my enthusiasm and encourage people to sign up. Hey, you might win something! So check out the site, go to the blogs, get a chance to win some neat-o stuff, and maybe get introduced to something new and interesting.