Stuff Me.

I was contemplating a title that incorporated how much I ate yesterday (2 turkey dogs, a BBQ chicken breast, and 3 bags of the new cheeseburger flavored Doritos can make one rather "stuffed") and the plush dolls for our next exhibit, "Packed and Loaded," in LA, but I figured it was just to 'Memorial Day obvious." You tell me.

Anyway, we've been showing one-of-a-kind handmade plush art here at Gallery 1988 since our first year and it's given us a fun little fanbase that normally doesn't come to art galleries. AND, the cool part is, many of our everyday art collectors have also gotten in on the fun, buying plush while also noticing the prices and demand have risen over the past 2 years within the genre. Horvath's Ugly Dolls may have just paved the way, but i think some of the artists we've been showing, especially during the last two years' Plush Weeks, are taking it a step further.

And I do love plush, but I have NO IDEA how these creatures are made. I mean, they just appear one day at the gallery in a box. That's it. But Jen Rarey, one of my favorite plush artists, is one of the 8 artists in our next show (where she is the only "plusher" amongst some GREAT painters), and she was nice enough to send me this picture and let me in on the secret a bit:



Deflated little guys, huh? This is right before the stuff and sew portion, and I figured I had to post it. Sure, you've seen plush art, but have you seen the steps before plush art? Next time you see these guys, they'll be stuffed fatter than Carney Wilson asking you to "Hold On For One More Day." Obviously, pre-surgery.

Jensen
G1988: LA