Three hours of crawling traffic on the five, and the kind of heat that could fry an egg in its shell, did not alter the fact one iota, that last night was tremendous.
My feet may feel like that scene in Midnight Express-you know, the one where Brad Davis is hoisted upside down, and beaten on the soles with a paddle-but my soul is full to the brim.
A veritable whirlwind of so many strange, talented,cool, sexy, bright, beautiful young things, hungry for my words and the work hanging on the walls. I am unfathomably grateful to the following...
The King Bee and curator himself-Nathan Cartright
an angel in Hell
Talking Art and Religion with some patrons and artists
Meeting the delightfully, darling Dahlia, who runs an awesomely cool blog called uponamidnightdreary-check it out!!
My wife Lani and her awesome cousin Dave and his wife Amber
Particularly as they came bearing gifts-'I love scotchy, scotch, scotch.'
Can't celebrate too much though, I shall have barely enough time to recover before I have to do it all again for Monterey's show at the Alternative Cafe next week.
Tonight's 'THE' night. Part uno of a show that has been a year in the making-The Heaven and Hell show at the Hive.
I am in hell of course;)
Be prepared to have your reality altered as you vie with the glitzy denizens of LAs dark underbelly, and stare at the bloody revelations lining the alabaster walls, composed entirely from the viscera of former C listers and the symbols of some dark order.
Marvel at the sonic howlings of an atavistic Shamen, getting down with the dead souls he has conjured using fire, brimstone and the clanking of ribcages, hit with a femur.
Drink the black elixir of dark enchantment, said to be a cocktail of juices, drawn from well known celebrities as they lay in a detox fever at a rehab clinic.
Actually, I'm lying-none of those things are going to happen,what you will see instead are some of the best works of my life, composed from real blood,sweat, tears and oil paint, whilst listening to some great happening music and drinking a cold beer.
So break yourself from your catatonic reverie, put down your Blackberries and your Ipads, and experience some real world art, in one of the best venues in LA, support living artists and see what keeps me awake at nights.
There's nothing so turgid as discussing the weather, but it thundered here today, ending a five day heatwave that at its peak was 112 degrees.Ironically, it spelled the culmination of fevered activity that has been my studio, for the two shows that have been a year in the making.
Yesterday we hung the show at the Hive, thematically and technically I am beyond delighted with the display, and it was noted by the curator that it's one of the strongest shows he has exhibited.
I've given my all to these shows, and I wish I could afford to take stock for a while, and work on my book. However basking and enjoying the fruits of my labors isn't an option, the budget for the shows has left us pretty cash poor, and I'm hoping that the returns from the events bring us back from the brink.
When I began this piece, I thought it was to be a play on possession, however, as it evolved I realised that in fact it was a rumination on memories of the dead, and how over time the memory itself erodes and decay's, so one is left with disparate fragments and traces of reality. 'Blue Triumvirate' 16" x 20"Oil on Canvas I wanted to revisit this piece with the emphasis that it would express an emotional transition, as opposed to just it's initial metaphorical concept. The sense is that there has been a shift in the way I feel about things-more of a somber melancholy, and dare I say (almost) an acceptance in the softened cool hues, as opposed to the harsh, stark angularity of bleached bone.
'Mentors Shadow' 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas
In the melting forms of liquified ridges and hollow cavities, is the Triumvirate biomorphing into an enigmatic, formless mass, constantly in flux and trying to reformulate itself. Like a lava flow, it is a paradox of fire and water, like the process of my own grief and the way I have accomodated it in my work. There is a great dichotomy that suggests a natural order or rites of passage to confronting ones own mortality after a bereavement, in that same sense this ghost would not exist otherwise.
All three pieces will be premiered at the Hive featured show this coming Saturday.
There's something that encompasses the deadly illicitness of dark passion with this piece.The brittle, stark, cream skull, dark blossoms from its orifices against a bleeding crimson sky, hangs like a terrible longing. I'm exceptionally happy with this one, Lani called it sexy, and I think the brush work is some of my best yet.
the smaller study for this piece has gone through something of an evolution, certainly inspired by our weekend sabbatical in Big Bear, and having seen 'The Road' the other night.Despite the minimalism of this scratchy pencil study, putting flesh on those bones perse, is a hugely exciting prospect for me, encompassing everything I've longed to express about the bleak disquiet of winter, peering into murky icy waters seeing your breath dissipate in the cold air, and feeling the goosebumps through your soul.
After ten wonderfully hectic days, traveling up and down the coast to enjoy the best sights and company,that California has to offer, my daughter-Emma and her boyfriend, sadly returned to the UK yesterday. A great time was had by all, and I'll be adding a selection of pics to my Flickr account, as soon as the moment presents itself. In the meantime,there is much to catch up on, starting with my weekly roundup of forthcoming events-Eyes down.
The Hive Show September
1. Whilst we had company, I was delighted to attend this months Hive showing, and proudly introduce my little girl to the work on display,which-alongside the cream of pop surreal bazaar-was a daubing by her old man. The show runs until September 26th-729 S.Spring St, CA 90014, LA. The Hive Show October-Tarot Group Show 2. Next months Hive showing will be a Tarot themed show, and will include a selection of the deck, by all of the artists involved. I missed the boat on picking the minor arcana card I wanted, opting instead for the seven of swords.The card itself is fairly innocuous visually, so instead I'll be working from the premise of a few of the keywords pertaining to the cards meaning, such as irrational, duplicity,instability and juxtaposition. Looking Forward-The Alternative Cafe-October 2010 3.Alongside the featured Hive showing in October 2010, I received confirmation that I shall be a featured artist at The Alternative Cafe later that same month. The gallery is one of California's most prestigious Art hot spots, and regularly advertised in Juxtapoz magazine, so it is a great honor to be showing there.Currently exhibiting for instance, are works by the eminent Eric Joyner, and Gabe Leonard.
Losing my head over a Virtual Show. 4.Having mentioned in a previous post that my work is to be included in the 'Dark Vomit' video game project, and I can now reveal some of the first screen caps, portraying the dungeon room that my art is on display. I'm delighted with the results, and will post further details as they come. I'll make a second posting shortly.
This months procession of busy Bee's at the Hive, gleaned from the local honey pot ( and I promise that shall be my final perfunctory pun) some stellar inclusions from some rising stars, some exceptional musical interludes and a good old fashioned chat with friends-old and new. As is customary, it's all relayed to you through my trustee digi-cam.
Getting it out of the way first, the obligatory 'serious' artist shot, standing before Sacramenstrual.
Before the several hundred marched in through the door, I took advantage of the quietude, to fire off some shots of the rooms.
The silence didn't last long, broken by a performance from an exquisitely lovely musician, who accompanied her ethereal vocals with what looked upon first inspection to be a Toy Piano, but I've discovered is called a Schoenhut. Eliza Rickman, held both my wife and I captivated throughout her enchanting set and long into the journey back to San Diego, with her six song EP. Suffice to say, 'tis a rare thing to see a star in the making, but we were honored to see her perform, and I shall be writing a full blog post on her and her work soon. As I have stated on former occasions, one of the keynote pleasures at group events, is the cameraderie one gets from meeting other artists. One such kinship, came meeting one of the artists in residence there-Paul Torres-an artist whose work I have admired at subsequent showings, but who I hadn't the pleasure of meeting until last evening. I am told that Paul was producing Pop Surrealist work, long before it had been tagged as such, and on evidence of his extensive body of works,I have no reason to doubt it. Again, I shall be dedicating a post entirely to his exceptional collection soon. No its not a poor mans Al Pacino, it is the master-Lance Richlin, who was gracious enough to share some of his method-and when the time presents itself-has promised to give me a live demonstration. See what I had to say about his work Here. Finally, the evening would not be as special without the support and encouragement from the people who show genuine interest in my work, and are generous and interested enough to let me wank on about my ideas-a substantial Thank you to everyone who attended, a tip of the hat to all of the above, and a special thank you as always to ringleader Nathan Cartwright,the lovely Julie and all the other faces behind the curtain, and his wonderful sideshow.
