Paper Pushers 2008

YAY! My favorite show of the year opens in SF in just a few weeks, Paper Pushers is back!!



Opens August 15th and features...

Aaron Jasinski
Acorns.grow
Allison Torneros
Andrew Hem
Benji Williams
Chet Zar
Cory Benhatzel
Dan Goodsell
David Habben
Dia
Elizabeth Ito
Gene Guynn
Ghostpatrol
Handiedan
Ian Ross
Irma Rivera
Isaac Pierro
Jeannie Lynn Paske
Jonathan Bergeron
Julian Callos
Juri Ueda
Krista Huot
Lani Imre
Laura Laine
Lawrence Yang
Lindsay Campbell
Matt Dangler
McBess
Melissa Haslam
Noferin
Patrick Gannon
Roland Tamayo
Rude
Seiji Yonehara
Skaffa
Steven Bossler (image above)
Tin
Walt Hall
Yuka Yamaguchi

I'll post preview pics soon!

Katie
G1988 SF

Line Them Up.

Can't hold it in anymore.


Jensen
G1988: LA

Help Save Totoro's Forest

Now that everyone is back from Comic Con, I wanted to post about The Totoro Forest project.

The Totoro Forest Project is an international charity effort to save the Sayama Forest, also called Totoro Forest right outside Tokyo. This is the forest that inspired Hayao Miyazaki's widely loved movie, My Neighbor Totoro. In 1990, Miyazaki created the Totoro Forest Foundation to save the forest from Urban Development.

Pixar has organized a charity auction to raise money for the Totoro Forest Foundation. The auction will take place this September 6th at Pixar in Emeryville (right outside San Francisco). There are over 200 international artists who have created and donated artworks specifically for this auction.

I was so lucky to have a very small involvement in this project and I have to tell you that there are some AMAZING pieces available from some familiar names. I encourage you all to take a look at the Totoro Forest Project website http://totoroforestproject.org where you can see the participating artists and the work they have created. You can also find out how to but tickets for the auction. You can register as an absentee bidder if you cannot make it to the event.

Miyazaki has been a HUGE influence for many of the artists we work with. His movies are some of my absolute favorites so this project has a lot of personal meaning for me.

You can find out more info about the Totoro Forest Foundation at this website as well... http://totoro.or.jp/new/E_zaidann.html

Katie
G1988 SF

Signs without Tesla

Tired from Comic-Con and knowing that every blog from here to Endor have covered the event, I figured I would just do a quick photo entry with small captions - as we are really pleased with how the G1988/Mattel events went. So here are the pics.



This signage explains the customized vans, but does not explain my smile.









Booth pics. Mattel did a great job displaying a few of the paintings from our "TOYS!" show, as well as almost 25 of the customized vans, which included...



...the van of the hour, Doktor A. This one really does have to be seen to be believed.

The view of the booth was pretty awesome...but a look to the left, and this is what we saw all day.



I also had this monster as the centerpiece at my Bar Mitzvah, so it wasn't as shocking for me.

Then, Mattel had this baby in front...



Sidecars need a comeback.

So, remember, in addition to the vans on display, we had signings with Brandt & Kathie, Greg Simkins and Ken Garduno, which also marked the release of limited edition prints and shirts.



Crappy pic of the shirts, which we will have for sale soon in the gallery!



First up, Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas got their sign on...



The cliche line shot.



This girl has some Kathie inspired tats, which could only be outdone by...



...Brandt, who not only has a full sleeve, he married her! Take take, collectors.

Next up, Ken Garduno.





Besides being long, Ken's line also had a dude in it who was carrying around a "Free High Fives" sign. Best part about him, and I don't think I can really convey this correctly, is that he would receive excited high fives from people in his own most somber way. High five, no smile from him. He'd click a little counter and keep going, even if the guy or girl who high fived him was so excited. And he was by himself. It was almost like this was a mission to get a certain amount of high fives. And it almost seemed like he didn't like doing it. Like he was forced by a terrorist to get a certain amount of high-fives or a bus with Keanu Reeves on it blows up. Needless to say, we all got high fives (and the one pic I got of him doing it, he's smiling).





Me and HW Guru Mark Morse game planning. He is the Phil Jackson to my Kurt Rambis.



My girlfriend Chrissy handing out free posters to have signed. This week was one of those, "I owe you one" things that probably will never have something big enough on her end to actually equal each other out.



Oh, this was my favorite costume. She's a maid from the Sims. Pretty good, but rather 1994 of her right? Next year, I'm going as Leisure Suit Larry to keep the outdated video game thing going.

Oh, and this was my favorite thing at Comic Con...



I'm getting a little obsessed about Lego art, and have made a pact to get something in the next few years. Just need the right idea...

And then it was time for the Greg Simkins signing...





And there he is signing his new toy, Cap'n Rotnclaw, also released during the Con.



No caption really needed.

And finally, we had our Angry Woebots shirt/print combo release at the Baby Tattoo booth.





We have some of the shirt/print combos for sale in the LA gallery right now...but stay tuned to the blog this week to find out how to buy them online.

I'll be updating a lot over the next few days since we'll be announcing the entire Crazy 4 Cult line-up, which is undoubtedly our best ever and revealing the entire Andrew Wilson Crazy 4 Cult poster in mere hours.

Till then, nerd.

Jensen
G1988: LA

New Noferin Prints!

We just got in two new Noferin prints! They arrived yesterday...


Noferin
In which the Lotus bloom captures everyone's attention
giclee print on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag paper 308gsm
acid free cotton rag, archival slightly textured
limited edition of 75, signed and numbered
16.5 x 11.7 inches
comes with Certificate of Authenticity
$100.00 unframed




Noferin
In which moonlight filters through the forest
giclee print on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag paper 308gsm
acid free cotton rag, archival slightly textured
limited edition of 75, signed and numbered
8.3 x 11.7 inches
comes with Certificate of Authenticity
$55.00 unframed

They're not even up on our website yet! Contact the SF gallery for purchasing at (415) 409-1376 or gallery1988sf@gmail.com

Katie
G1988 SF

From the front line...

Too busy right now, but more (and better) pics to come.

Jensen
Gallery1988 LA

Sign Your Name, Terrence Trent D'Arby

Now added....the man himself, Angry Woebots, will be doing a signing at our AW T-shirt/print combo release (see below) on Saturday at Comic Con, at booth #601, the Baby Tattoo booth at 12:30 PM. Now with more freshnes...

Jensen
G1988: LA

I'm focused, man.

Feeling great today. Not sure if it's the full-swinging weekend, the beautiful weather, the fact I'm seeing Dark Knight tomorrow, or just the sound of Melrose traffic, but I'm smiling and amped to celebrate the weekend, forcing me into revealing some of our secrets we got coming up in the next few weeks.

I held this one back yesterday because I was just bombarding you with G1988 Comic Con info, but we'll also be debuting a brand new customized Hot Wheel van at Comic Con, viewable at the Mattel booth. Just to remind you, artists were given this blank HW van to work with and told to do whatever they want to it...



And we had some incredible results at the TOYS show earlier this year. But for Comic Con we decided to go to the big gun, the head honcho of toy customization, Doktor A, and ask him to customize the van for an unveiling at Comic Con. And unveiling, unschmailing. I wanted to give you a glimpse into the INCREDIBLE job the good Dok did here on the blog first!



It is the coolest thing I've ever seen. And you will be able to see it up and close and personal at Comic Con!

And while I'm on spoiling surprises...

"Crazy 4 Cult II: This Time It's Personal" is now right around the corner, opening Friday night, August 22, from 7-11 PM. Hosted again by the minds behind Clerks, Mallrats and the soon to offend you, Zack and Miri Make A Porno, Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, this show is totally insane. Boasting over a 100 artists, including 1988 newcomers Sas and Colin Christian, this will be one for the ages, as we're holding onto the line-up (our best ever me thinks) for just a little while longer. It will shock your eyeballs. But why not tease you with a piece now? From 1988 fav Ken Keirns, paying homage to a movie that wasn't depicted last year, but is near and dear to everyones' hearts, "Heathers."



"Transfer to Washington. Transfer to Jefferson. No one at Westerberg is going to let you play their reindeer games."

I better get off the blog before I ruin anything else. Hope your day is as good as mine.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Con Jawn

It's a-coming! It's right around the corner, kids. It's San Diego Comic-Con! And it begins this coming Wednesday!

I'll actually be out in SD representing 1988 all week, but this time as an artist liaison for the Mattel company. Following up on our partnered show "TOYS" which opened in April 2008, we'll be displaying many of the customized vans and a few pieces of artwork from that show, this time at the Mattel Hot Wheels booth. And together with Mattel, we've lined up 3 limited print releases and signings with artists that you won't want to miss.



First up we have husband and wife Tampa residents Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters releasing a new giclee print of "Leadfoot" on Friday, the 25th, at 3 PM. They will also be on hand signing products for you, celebrating their involvement with Hot Wheels' 40th anniversary and the numerous products being made from this actual piece. These prints (from the image you see on the postcard) will be limited to 190 and will be $100 each.

Next up...Ken Garduno will be releasing a print of his piece, "Imagine," and participating in a signing, on Saturday, the 26th, at 11 AM. I couldn't find a great scan of the piece, so you'll have to live with this:



That print will be $65 and limited to 220.

And lastly...



Greg Simkins, a.k.a. "Craola," will be releasing a new print from a piece he created for Hot Wheels and their 40th anniversary celebration (which you see on the postcard above, and soon on shirts) on Saturday, the 26th, at 2 PM. Better line up for this one. The print is limited to only 110 and is $125 each.

Remember, you're also competing with Hot Wheels fans on these.

Come to the Mattel booth and support one of the first moves by a mainstream toy company to include artist and gallery participation at Comic Con, as they do see how important our crowd is. Who knows? Maybe a Greg Simkins designed He-Man toy isn't as far off as you think....

In totally unrelated news, congratulation to 1988 frequenter Allison Torneros!



Allison just left for New York to be a part of MTV's Engine Room, a TV show debuting soon pinning different countries against each other in design and illustration competitions, all in hopes of winning $400,000 and tons of related products. She's one of four people on Team North America, chosen from 1000's of portfolios, so it's kind of a big deal. Wish her luck (not so much in the contest, but in surviving being that close to host Suchin Pak).

And lastly, if you're in the SF area tonight, I highly suggest you make it out to G1988: SF, as "Strangely Mannered," which opens tonight, is hands-down the best show we've had there. Joe Vaux, Brandt Peters, Travis Louie and Scott Schiedly really contributed some of their best work yet to this 4-person exhibition. 7-10 PM tonight, stop on by - you can even say hello to artists Joe Vaux and Travis Louie since they made the trip to N. California.

Have a great weekend ya'll. It's our last chance before the smell of nerd takes over our lives.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Strangely Installation

The "Strangely Mannered" artwork is now available for viewing and purchase at...

http://1988strangely.blogspot.com/


We're almost finished hanging the "Strangely Mannered" show and the gallery looks great!







We'll also have a few Brandt Peters and Travis Louie prints for sale at the opening recpetion tomorrow night. I hope to see you all there! If you can't make it to the opening, you're definitely missing out because this is a GREAT show.

Brandt Peters

The Strangely Mannered show opens in just a few days! I wanted to give you a Brandt Peters sneak preview from the show...



Brandt delivered nine beautiful pieces for this new show!

Also, our good friend, Linda Park, recently interviewed Joe Vaux for her "Velocity" blog for the Louisville Courier-Journal. Joe is also in the "Strangely Mannered" show coming up this Friday. The interview is really funny! Check it out HERE!

Katie
G1988 San Francisco

Benched

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for the Kurt Halsey Frederiksen opening, as it was packed to the gills, in usual Kurt fashion. I don't think we stopped selling for even a second from 7 til the close at 10. And major props to Sir Frederiksen for signing prints, cards and pieces for what seemed like a never ending line (proving the MLB All Star game only meant something to me and Dan Uggla's bookie). Kurt really is such a nice guy, and a serious pleasure to work with. Here's hoping he pulls a Brett Favre and comes back to 1988 soon!

Click here to see all of Kurt Halsey's artwork from this month's show.

On a totally different note...

I noticed this park bench was set up directly across from the gallery today:



...and now a few people have commented on it. It seriously looks JUST like our logo. I think it's for a cell phone or something, but it actually is facing our logo, placed on the top of our building, which to remind you is this:



Weird, right? And to be right in front of our gallery? Thoughts anyone?

Tomorrow we'll announce our other festivities at Comic Con, to add onto that sweet Woebots release on Saturday...

Jensen
FITPHONE

Tom Crom

I don't often post about my life outside the gallery, but this is a very special occasion.

Last night my father became a Mayor! He's the new Mayor of Belvedere, the city where I grew up, which is just north of San Francisco. We watched him get sworn in last night at Town Hall and then we got to celebrate. We even made him a Mayor's sash (a la Mayor Quimby).





Congratulations, Dad! We are very proud of you!

Katie
G1988 San Francisco

St. Jude Childen's Research Hospital

Bob Dob has teamed up with Thumbtack Press to produce a limited edition giclee print where 100% of the sales proceeds will be donated to St. Jude's for cancer research.



Bob Dob
Lonely Day
giclee print on fine art paper
12 x 15 inches
limited edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist
$75.00

If you are interested in purchasing this Bob Dob print and in turn helping a very worthy cause, please contact our San Francisco gallery at (415) 409-1376 or gallery1988sf@gmail.com to order your copy today. Again, 100% of the sales proceeds will be donated to St. Jude's.

Here is the background story, written by Thumbtack Press owner Tony Bailey...

I'll get right to the point... Cancer sucks. Thumbtack Press owner Tony Bailey lost his brother to Leukemia in 1985. On a more hopeful note, Bob Dob was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the knee in 1987 and - thankfully - recovered. It's really impossible to describe the heartbreak and helplessness felt from these devastating illnesses.

In 2006 Thumbtack Press raised $1000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a giving challenge, but that was a "drop in the vast sea" when it comes to cancer research. This year we are going to donate over $3500 with your help. Bob Dob has graciously donated all of his commissions for "Lonely Day" for the cause, likewise, Thumbtack Press will donate all proceeds of this print run to St. Jude... Every single penny.

Here's more good news: YOU get a Thumbtack Press-quality, hand signed limited edition print from Bob Dob for $75. It's really a Win-Win-Win-Win situation. Want to help but don't have the money? Please blog, e-mail, talk to everyone you know about this. Thanks.

A little about St. Jude:
"St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops."

Thank you!
Katie
G1988SF

Connie Stevens

You've been emailing and asking....I've been waiting. Now let's meet in the middle.







Be the FIRST to pick up the Angry Woebots Shirt/Print Combo for only $65!

at San Diego Comic Con - Saturday, July 26th at 12:30 PM
A majority of the run (which is limited to only 150 total to start, so get there early) will be on sale at SDCC at the Baby Tattoo booth - booth #601
credit cards accepted for the combo
each print hand signed and numbered, 8x10 inches
each shirt on vintage thin jersey t-shirt

Any questions? Email us at gallery1988@aol.com. The small remainder we're holding back for those who won't be at Comic Con, will be available through the Internet soon, so there's that answer.

See you there. More Comic Con announcements this coming week at Gallery 1988 will be present at Mattel's Hot Wheels display this year. Signings, unveilings, prints, OH MY.

Jensen
G1988: LA