Tuesday, June 30, 2009

In Loving Memory...

When a childhood friend of mine, and friend to the Gallery, Cameron Calderone, recently passed away suddenly at the age of 26, it goes without saying we were left with very little to understand or much of an ability to express our emotions about something so unexplainable and awful.

A few weeks after his passing, I helped put together, along with a few of Cameron's other friends, a mural, that will be on display at Agoura's Camp Keystone, a camp where Cameron was a counselor most of his life. This mural was to express the helping and kind nature of Cameron, as well as highlight many of his passions and loves (which included drawing). We commissioned Dave Crosland, one of Cameron's favorite artists that shows at G1988, to create something in memory of our good friend. 2 weeks ago, he painted the piece from dusk to dawn, on site at Camp Keystone, in front of an audience consisting of camp workers, campers, friends, Cameron's parents and Cameron's girlfriend. Dave was able to depict Cameron's playful demeanor, his love for helping others (especially campers and students where he was a teacher during the school year) and his hobbies (basketball, bowling, Lakers, Hawaii, etc.) The energy from both the mural and the watching audience created quite an atmosphere of positivity and remembrance - finally finding that way to express our own sorrow and love we had hoped for. After the two weeks at Camp Keystone, one half of the 4 foot x 8 foot mural will go to Cameron's parents, while the other half will go to his girlfriend.









The finished mural.



Sometimes the gallery feels like my profession. Selling art, prints, promoting events. And then sometimes you remember what art can actually do. I'm thankful for those moments and lucky to have met someone as special as Cameron. This mural might help you understand that luck.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Saturday, June 27, 2009

And He's Out...

FUN DAY! Greg put in a little over 4 hours on his live painting gig here at the gallery and for those who couldn't attend, I created this cute little video putting all his hard work into less than 2 minutes....



The other cool part about today was the debut of Greg's latest piece, a commission for the collection of Aris and Heather Pinedo-Burns, called "Seasons Change." Easily one of his best pieces ever, this 3 1/2 x 4 foot painting, is STUNNING. Check out the picture...



Stop by the gallery this next week, we'll have it sitting out so you can see it in person - before it travels to Aris and Heather in New York City!

Anyway, Greg is going to finish the painting at home and we'll update you all next week as to where you can bid on it for auction, with all the money going to Cancer research in the name of my late father, Lawrence Karp. So stay tuned to the blog and you'll get all the vital info.

Thanks to everyone who came out and have a great Saturday night!

Jensen
G1988: LA

G.I.A. (Greg In Action)

Stop on by Gallery1988: LA until 4 PM, and watch artist Greg Simkins get his paint on.



The Matt Riddle and Skate Decks (yes, deckS, that's the surprise) are now available by calling us at (323) 937 - 7088 or emailing us at gallery1988@aol.com.



We also are debuting Greg's newest commission, hanging in the gallery! Pictures of that later...

Jensen
G1988: LA

Friday, June 26, 2009

Plans for Tonight

Remember, tonight, 7 - 10 PM, if you live in SF, "Battle Royal," the incredible multi-artist show opens. This piece by Marcus Schaeffer, part of the show, is incredible!



And after that, when you get home, a little buzzed, tune into Last Call with Carson Daly and check out musician/artist Pete Wentz get interviewed in Gallery1988: LA. It's a nice way to check out most of the Reuben Rude show too! In HD.



THEN...in the morning, wake up early and come by Gallery1988: LA for "An Afternoon With Greg Simkins." This will be your chance to get the Matt Riddle print, the skate deck and MAYBE something you can only get by coming into the gallery - that's the most limited item of all. We got you covered this weekend, cause Sunday we'll all just hang out and watch Press Your Luck reruns on the Game Show Network.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Ish Don't Think So



I was shocked this morning to find out that Bruno sported the Peter Gronquist Chanel rocket launcher at the Mann's Chinese premiere of his film last night (seen and purchased from the "The Revolution Will Be Fabulous" at G1988: LA last year). Always funny when you figure out who bought something and for what. Congrats to Peter.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Battle has begun

"Battle Royal" opens tomorrow night in San Francisco! The show artwork is now available for sale, so check out the online preview to see the stunning work in this show. It's a BIG show with a lot of variety, and the quality of the work is amazing.

Here are some pics to pique your interest, but I definitely suggest taking a look at the entire show here: HTTP://1988BR.BLOGSPOT.COM


Joshua Clay


Marcus Schafer


Julian Callos


Walt Hall


Martin Hsu


Anthony Clarkson

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Kick Flip

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for the opening reception of Reuben Rude's "Americana." Reuben and his wife hung out all night talking to patrons, and it was a fun time for all. If you haven't checked out the show yet, you're missing out. You can do so by CLICKING HERE!

Figured with the set up of "Americana" behind us, we now we have "An Afternoon With Greg Simkins" this Saturday! Running 12 - 4 PM and this is really shaping up to be a "once-in-a-gallery-lifetime" sort of deal. Greg's newest, and in my opinion, most beautiful print, "Here Stands Matt Riddle" will be released - and it's only an edition of 50 - so move quick! But more on that later.

Today we're going to focus on the laser-engraved "Lonely Knight" wood skate decks, limited to 25. I've shown these off to a few collectors and people just can't believe the quality. Each skate deck has the graphic etched in the board, in a Star Trek laser-ish way, and I know everyone who sees, and touches it, are going to love it. Each will be hand signed by Greg, and each deck is also numbered with the lasers on the back. Here are some detail pictures, in hope that you can wrap your brain around this one...









The numbered back...



These decks are limited to ONLY 25 and will be $325.00. We'll start selling them this Saturday at Noon PST.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Shine On

Reuben Rude's installation piece, now finished and facing Melrose. It looks incredible. Gonna be seriously difficult to paint over that one at the end of the show.


You can see, and purchase, all the artwork by CLICKING HERE.

And make sure to come out tonight, 7-10 PM, to G1988: LA, and meet Reuben and see the show in person. It is seriously worth it.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Monday, June 22, 2009

Getting Ready For A Close-Up

Busy morning here at G1988: LA, the day before the opening reception for "Americana," Reuben Rude's debut LA solo show. We were lucky enough to have the folks from "Last Call With Carson Daly" come through the gallery to interview musician and artist Pete Wentz. It should be airing on NBC soon, and I'll let you know when I know here on the blog. Having us install a show in the background is gonna make for some pretty cool TV, in my humble opinion.



And then you got Reuben, who delivered all the work last night and it's AWESOME. And now he's in the gallery painting away at an installation.



Remember, tomorrow night, Tuesday, 7 - 10 PM. Stop on by...

Jensen
G1988: LA

Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Legend of Naii

Martin Hsu just sent over a few images of his new work for the Battle Royal show and I am blown away. He is creating a series of 8 new works inspired by his Grandmother and they are so beautiful. You can see Martin's love and respect for this amazing woman in the way he depicts her in these paintings. The story behind the work is really touching...

"The Legend of Naii is a tribute to my grandmother. Nai nai means grandma
on the father's side in Chinese. She was the center of our family and
will always be my inspiration.

For as long as I can remember she's always had silky white hair. She was
also one of the last women in China who had their feet bound and survived
the wars. She had eight kids even though one didn't live pass the age of
4. She carries them on her back in the eight paintings in order to look
after them.

In these images she's depicted as a goddess warrior who defends the white
lily forest from demon pests. If the white lily forest were her family,
then the pests are the hardship and any other odds against it. She rides
on auspicious animals such as the bat or rooster that protect her from
harm and the paper cranes are a reminder of our love for her which is
always by her side.

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to dedicate this series to her.
There's no doubt in my mind she will continue to inspire me on all levels
for the rest of my life."


I really feel honored to have such personal work like this in the gallery. And look how beautiful the pieces are...



"The Vigilant Tiger"
acrylic on wood
24 x 12 inches
(click image to enlarge)



The Audacious Rooster"
acrylic on wood
12 x 24 inches
(click image to enlarge)

View the rest of the work in this series at the opening of our new show this Friday, June 26th at G1988 SF!

Katie
G1988 SF

Save the Clocktower

As Universal Studios reopens their "Courthouse Square" this weekend (after a fire last Summer took down many of crowds' favorite sets from Back To The Future), we wanted to show you a print from artist Jim Horwat, made exclusively for this year's "Crazy 4 Cult 3-D" that pays tribute to BTTF as well...



This is AWESOME. I've so far spent around 2 hours just staring at it, finding new things each time and I figured you might ant to do the same this weekend. Jim gets EVERYTHING jam packed into this one and it's so smart. I'm hoping to convince him to do Back To The Future II and III soon too.

Have a great weekend and remember, we have Reuben Rude's solo show opening this Tuesday. He's delivering over 30 new pieces, so you will not wanna miss it...

Jensen
G1988: LA

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Real Talk

A peak into Reuben Rude's new body of work for "Americana," opening this Tuesday night.



Reuben has a way of making some serious emotion, with minimal elements. A tactic rarely seen in an artists so successful in illustration. I'm an very hyped for this solo show.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Paper Cuts - the good kind!

Our next preview from the Battle Royal show is an amazing cut-paper artist, Patrick Gannon! Originally from New Jersey, Patrick now lives in Japan, where he finds a lot of his inspiration for the subject matter of his work, as well as the materials he uses. All of Patrick's work is cut-paper and wood! These are not paintings, these are all intricate cut-paper collages...


"Until That Day, I Make My Home Down Here"



"Your Touch, It Does Something to Me"

AMAZING!

Patrick will have eight new pieces in the Battle Royal show that opens in San Francisco on June 26th. Only one week away! Stay tuned for more show previews!

Katie
G1988 SF

Book 'Em, Danno

Our first foray into book publishing, partnering up with our friends at Baby Tattoo, gets a sneak peek! The moment I saw Travis Louie's work a few years ago, accompanied by the incredible back stories he creates for each insanely detailed monster produced by his brain, I imagined what his book would look like. And here it is. "Curiosities" by Travis Louie is almost here! Stay tuned to this blog to find out more about its release, and a book signing at G1988: LA. So proud of this, and especially proud of Travis.



A quick story about Travis's work also. A friend had been on a bit of an art buying binge and was really hounding me for the "next big thing." It was quite early in Travis's gallery showing career, so he was an obvious suggestion I gave. My friend immediately bought a piece from Shooting Gallery in SF. A few weeks passed and I get a frantic call from my friend, angry about my suggestion. He said, "I just got this Travis piece and I'm mad at you." I asked why, confused, as I think every Travis piece is more mind-blowing than the previous piece I'd seen. He said, "DUDE, I don't buy digital pieces. He did this on the computer." I laughed and explained that Travis is a bit of an alien, and not to worry, everything you see is painted by hand - no matter how hard that is to believe. It was still difficult to convince my friend that these weren't digital illustrations, but at that moment, Travis became the first artist to confuse a buyer, who purchased, and was now staring at, a painting - and they still thought it was a computer generated piece.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Julian Callos

Here's our next feature/preview of another artist in our upcoming Battle Royal show... JULIAN CALLOS!

One of our favorite up and coming artists, Julian just graduated from Otis this May. We expect to see a lot of amazing work from Julian in the upcoming projects we have planned with him. Check out a few of his new pieces for the Battle Royal show, which opens June 26th...


"Life, or a Husk of Hares"


"Wisdom, or a Parliament of Owls"

Stay tuned for previews from other artists participating in the Battle Royal show. We'll have more previews every few days!

Katie
G1988 SF

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Daytime Dynamo

So on Saturday, June 27th, from 12 - 4 PM, we'll be having an event that is sure to be one of the coolest daytime art gatherings of the year. LA artist Greg "Craola" Simkins will be partaking in what is a first here at G1988 - an "afternoon hang-out."



Greg will be in the gallery to celebrate the very limited edition releases of his print, "Here Stands Matt Riddle," and the "Lonely Knight" laser-engraved skate deck. Even cooler? Greg Simkins will be live painting in the gallery, a rarity for the acclaimed artist, with the finished painting auctioned online a few weeks later, with all the money going to Cancer Research, in the name of my late father (and HUGE Simkins fan), Lawrence Karp (tip of hat while hiding tears to Greg and Jenn Simkins for that). There also might be a little surprise release for those who come to hang.



"Here Stands Matt Riddle" is actually my favorite Greg Simkins piece ever. It's from his "I'm Scar3d" solo show here at G1988: LA from 2007 and it really started what would become "the epic large Greg piece" trend, usually seen once or twice per show now. These giclee prints are a whopping 36 x 30 inches, hand signed and numbered by the artist and a limited edition of 50.



The "Lonely Knight" skate deck must be seen to be believed. Laser engraved into the wood, it depicts Greg's most well-known character, the White Knight in such insane detail. The quality of these decks are incredible. They are 8 x 32 inches, laser-numbered on the back of the deck and signed, both in laser (on front) and in pen (on the back). These are SUPER LIMITED to only 25!

Mark your calendars now, we'll be hanging.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Friday, June 12, 2009

Battle Royal not Royale

"Battle royal (plural battles royal) traditionally refers to a fight involving three or more combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing."

Our next SF show is called "Battle Royal." I've heard many people pronouncing the new show Battle Royale, which is the book written by Koushun Takami and then became a film in 2000. The movie is amazing and definitely worth renting. We will soon be releasing a Battle Royale movie themed print by artist Julian Callos, who also happens to be in our new "Battle Royal" show, so we've come full circle.



So, back to the new show. "Battle Royal" opens at G1988 San Francisco on June 26th and features the work of...

Julian Callos
Anthony Clarkson
Joshua Clay
Patrick Gannon
Gene Guynn
Walt Hall
Martin Hsu
Aaron Jasinski
Marcus Schafer
Jeremy Tinder

Until the show opens, I'm going to preview a few pieces from each artist every few days, starting with Aaron Jasinski. Jasinski (Seattle, Washington) created a series of classic movie actress portraits, which is such a great idea!


"A Hunting We Go (Audrey Hepburn)"



"Moon Flowers (Jean Harlow)"

These lovely ladies will be available for purchase in just a few weeks. Stay tuned for more preview from the rest of the artists in the show! Have a good weekend!

Katie
G1988 SF


Thursday, June 11, 2009

OHHHH YEAAAAAAAH! (Randy Savage voice)

It's that time again, folks! Crazy 4 Cult 3-D is just over a month away and I'm foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. Here's the front of the postcard revealed, created by Dave Perillo (montygog.blogspot.com), and yes, that Goonies image (without the stuff) will be a print available at the show on July 16th. 



AND...here's this year's artist line-up:

Gideon Boomer
Michael Alvarez 
Tom Whalen 
Dustin Myers 
Scott Campbell 
LOUD-TREE 
Tyler Stout
Alessandro Eche 
Israel Sanchez 
Netherland 
Alek Sennwald
Tristan Eaton 
Dan Goodsell 
Greg Simkins
Keith Noordzy 
Ellen Schinderman 
Ron Job 
Lauren Moyer
Dan Lydersen 
Audrey Pongracz 
Ruel Pascual 
Jen Rarey 
Dan May 
Derek Schin 
Jen Lobo 
Travis Louie 
David Eichenberger 
Rik Catlow
Jodee Knowles 
Amy Sol 
Ben Strawn 
Jessica Van Hulle 
David MacDowell 
Joe Vaux 
DGPH 
Jason Limon 
Leanne Biank
Augie Pagan 
Ana Bagayan 
Nathan Spoor 
Cory Benhatzel 
Justin Kamen 
Kelly Vivanco 
Monty Gog 
Kiersten Essenpries 
Andy Kehoe
Eric Fortune 
Johnny Bergeron 
Tim Tomkinson 
Tom Haubrick 
Kelly Towles 
NC Winters 
Aaron Jasinski 
Jenny Mollen 
Daniel Elson 
Allison Reimold 
Julian Callos 
Jason D’Aquino 
Trevor Zammit 
Ryan Sanchez 
Jing Wei 
Krista Huot 
Matt Dangler 
Misha 
Terribly Odd 
Ken Garduno
Devin Crane 
Shannon Bonatakis 
Brent Nolasco 
Danielle Buerli
Scott Scheidly 
Chris B. Murray 
Ewelina Ferruso 
Wade Schin 
Danielle Rizzolo  
Lola 
Erica Gibson 
Steve Bossler 
Mylan Nguyen 
Ryohei Hase 
Jeff Ramirez 
Mari Inukai
Nathan Stapley 
Sean Clarity 
Casey Weldon 
Martin Hsu 
Josh Parpan 
Shark Toof 
Max Grundy 
Jeff Boyes
Olly Moss 
Scribe
Justin Parpan 
Charlie Immer
Jeff Gillette 
Mark Bodnar 
Tim Doyle
Skot Olsen 
Lauren Gregg
Nouar 
Billy Perkins 
Ayami Kawashima 
Kirk Demarais 
Kevin Tong 
...and more (if you can believe it). 


Like I said, rabid dog. And there's more surprises to come, like maybe some of the artists on the list above worked together? Maybe.

Until then....

Jensen
G1988: LA

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

New Print!

UPDATE - NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!!

We are so excited to announce the release of a new print from SCRIBE!

Scribe is an amazing artist from Kansas City, MO, who we'll be working with in San Francisco and Los Angeles on a lot of future projects. This is our first Scribe print released through the gallery, but stayed tuned for more Scribe work later this year! You can see his website here... http://scribeswalk.com/ and also a lot more of his work on this Kidrobot thread... http://forums.kidrobot.com/viewtopic.php?t=115096&highlight=scribe


Scribe
“On The Good Foot”
giclee print on archival paper
16 x 20 inches
limited edition of 30
$85.00

The print will be available this Thursday, June 11th at 12PM PST. To order, please contact the San Francisco gallery at (415) 409-1376 or gallery1988sf@gmail.com. We unfortunately cannot take pre-orders, so please contact us on Thursday and not before.

Katie
G1988 SF

Monday, June 8, 2009

Bingo.



There are vinyl toys, then there are VINYL TOYS. Seen today at VinylPulse, I was totally blown away by Sam Flores's new vinyl toy with Upper Playground, produced by The Loyal Subjects. Three separate pieces, a body, midsection and tail, breathes new life in the genre, which isn't easy to do right now. Hope to see more people pushing the vinyl envelope soon, and I'll definitely be picking one of these up in August/September. Do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE to see more.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Friday, June 5, 2009

Fire

There is a huge fire two blocks from the SF gallery. Thank goodness no injuries have been reported. We can hear the helicopters flying overhead and the streets around the neighborhood are closed off.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/05/BAG8181NH5.DTL&tsp=1

We're a little too close for comfort, so we're closing up for the day and will be back tomorrow. If you live in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco, people are advised to stay indoors.

Sorry about the inconvenience. If you need to contact us we will have email access through the rest of the day at gallery1988sf@gmail.com.

Katie
G1988SF

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Your First Alert



Don't say I didn't warn you. A full artist list will be released really soon here on the blog.

Check out the Willy Wonka piece by NY artist Ewelina Ferruso, who has quickly become one of my favorites, after her incredible Idiot Box piece here at G1988: LA. She recently opened a show with all new works out in NY at Ad Hoc. You can see the new paintings (and others) at her website, www.ferrusos.com. Some of my favorites, that are STILL AVAILABLE weirdly, are Unraveling, Peace In The Garden, Cloud Cake and Giraffes. But the ones available at Ad Hoc are all marked clearly on her site. Maybe one will catch your eye, and you can get it from Ad Hoc? Cause you should.

Anyway, more on July 16th's Crazy 4 Cult 3-D soon!

Jensen
G1988: LA

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Worth A Sponge

This one has been SUPER anticipated....


(click image to enlarge)

Kiersten Essenpreis
"Seinfeldology (99 Seinfeld References)"
giclee print on archival paper
11 x 14 inches
hand-signed, numbered edition of 100
$65.00 each

The limited edition giclee prints of Kiersten's "Idiot Box" painting, which seemed to get more love on the Internet than even Susan Boyle, are finally becoming available! These will be available for purchase on Friday, June 5th starting at Noon PST. You can email us then (we'll have to erase any emails sent before) or call us at (323) 937 - 7088 at Noon PST to place an order. These prints came out great, since Kiersten's detail was so insane we made sure to pick up all the little references.

This will good on your wall, next to all the Superman stuff, and near the cereal boxes.

Jensen
G1988: LA