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Tonight, 7-10 PM, will be the opening reception for "Another Dimension," our newest group show, this time paying tribute to the classic Sci-Fi television show, "The Twilight Zone." Here are some last minute sneaks before we open up for tonight, do not miss this one....







Tom Whalen took aim at some of the Twilight Zone's most famous actors and episodes, by taking the stars and putting them in other roles, but still in the Twilight Zone episode. Pretty awesome and smart, and these are VERY limited.



Ken Garduno, who did 10 pieces for the show (!), is really the stand out. This one is based on "Time Enough At Last," my favorite episode.





Wade Schin created another one of his epic one-a-kind figures, this one just might terrorize a young William Shatner from the wing of an airplane.





On the subject of smart, Mylan Nguyen did an incredible piece based on "Time Enough At Last." This one is a book that she drew and painted on, representing Burgess Meredith's ever-so-beloved (yet tragic) books. But open the book up, and see more of Mylan's work, and the back up glasses Burgess should have made, with include actual coke bottle bottoms and tape. SUCH A SMART PIECE!



G1988 fav Kiersten Essenpreis enters "The Eye Of The Beholder," another classic tale. Not everyone can be beautiful.



Another "Time Enough At Last" piece, this time by Ellen Schinderman, who created a needlepoint depicting that infamous final scene...right before his world comes crashing down.

Again, DO NOT MISS TONIGHT! Going to be a great show to see in person....

Jensen
G1988:LA

Eve

I'm currently enduring the last 10 minutes of the LOST Underground Art Show (and its accompanying year and a half of work) - and the last 10 minutes of my work year for 2009 here at the gallery. At 4 PM PT, we will close up for 2009 and take our yearly Holiday break both in LA and SF. Been an incredible year where our industry has taken a major hit (along with anyone selling basically anything), but with some crazy unexpected turns, we've had our most successful year yet. We couldn't be more thankful, and more specifically we couldn't be happier to be closing 2009 with the LOST show here in the gallery.

And before we take off, as Katie and I both will be spending some time in Mexico (albeit separate cities), we wanted to remind everybody about our HUGE show on January 8th, Friday night, opening from 7-10 PM. With our partners at Mattel, we'll be opening our annual "Under The Influence" show, this time honoring the incredible 1980's toy and cartoon property, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The work for this show is mind-numbingly awesome. I can not believe how EVERY artist has stepped up to pay tribute to such a fun honoree! Figure some last minute peeks were in order...



Ken Garduno takes a swing at the notorious bad guy, Skeletor.



While Gabe Lanza built up both sides in his own toy-making vision.



Johnny Sampson poses with Skektor, who is striking quite the pose himself.



Ayami Kawashima makes her return to G1988 after selling all her Crazy4Cult pieces, this time taking aim at the high flying Sorceress.



Actual Garbage Pail Kid artist Layron DeJarnette channels two 80's icons into one, with his GPK-inspired depictions of Beastman and Trap Jaw. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you guys this is a serious dream come true.



N.C. Winters continues to just get better, and totally blow my mind.

Again, write the date down! January 8th, 7-10 PM. We're also transforming the gallery into Castle Greyskull with Mattel and Pretty in Plastic, so you have no excuse. It's going to be awesome.

Have a great Holiday Season! And remember, both galleries will be closed through January 8th, when the LA gallery with open the Masters of the Universe show. But you can email us at gallery1988@aol.com for LA inquiries or gallery1988sf@gmail.com for the SF location.

Jensen
G1988:LA

Thanks Pete!

Check out this month's LA Confidential magazine where musician Pete Wentz breaks down his favorite up-and-coming artists, which is a pretty awesome roster of Greg Simkins, Ken Garduno, Roland Tamayo, Luke Chueh, Mark Brown and Matt Dangler. Pick up the magazine to read more!

Jensen
G1988: LA

Soon Soon Soon

"Under The Influence: An Official Art Tribute to Beastie Boys" is literally just around the corner, opening at G1988: LA on Jan. 8, 2009. Boasting a line-up of just about 100 artists, this show is shaping up to be quite a historic event. The band has been extremely gracious and receptive, involving themselves in early previews and promotion, so we're really gearing up for this one. Consider it a boyhood dream. Every piece that is delivered for this show brings a serious smile to my face, as I employ each Beastie Boys record to represent a time in my life, while each song brings back memories of specific instances. I mean, I had a lizard when I was 10 named "Beastie." I learned to skateboard to "Check Your Head" and I tend to believe my personality was shaped from "Paul's Boutique" (maybe not a compliment?). So to maybe get you into the same mind state, let's give you a nice little peek into what I've been seeing delivered in cardboard boxes this week...



Chris Roth did another light up stained glass piece, in the vein as last year's Stan Lee tribute, this time getting in touch with his religious side. SO INSANE. The detail in this piece is mind blowing, as each piece of glass is painted individually.



Up and coming art star Jullian Callos brought the boom box and vinyl directly to life. Jullian is an artist who has blown me away, and improved, with each piece he has delivered. And he's sold every piece in a 1988 show so far, so there's really nothing better!



One of my personal favorite artists Le Merde takes aim at one of my favorite songs of all time. The Portland native channels his inner Egg Man.



Ken Garduno goes undercover referencing the classic Spike Jonze helmed music video for "Sabotage."



Michael Alvarez shows the world who made the fish eyed lens cool.



Jason D'Aquino has a steady hand in only comparable to Mix Master Mike I think, able to create this seriously detailed boom box all on a small book. And not just any book. A title referenced in "B-Boy Bouillabaisse."

Enough for now....more later. The LA gallery will be open tomorrow 11-6, Sunday 12-4, Tuesday 11-6 and Weds 11-3. Get your last minute Holiday shopping in. I won't tell.

Jensen
G1988: LA

And in SF...

I also have to talk about the election. It was such an emotional night, one that I will remember for the rest of my life. Driving through the streets of San Francisco was an amazing experience after Obama officially won. I have never felt this type of pride and celebration with complete strangers. I truly feel hopeful and proud of our country and so blessed that we all were able to be involved in this historic moment. I will never forget where I was and who I was with and how everyone felt last night.

I'm very sad that Prop 8 passed. Without a doubt, gay marriage will be legal in our lifetime, as it should. It's just a matter of time, but I hope it is legalized sooner than later. Prop 8 is a civil rights issue and is blatant discrimination and will hopefully be overturned by the Supreme Court.

Besides the election, my life has been consumed this week with setting up our new show in San Francisco that opens this Friday! The show is called "Imaginary Friends" and features the work of Andrew Bell, Cherri Wood, Israel Sanchez, Ken Garduno, Scott Campbell and Yoskay Yamamoto.

If you scroll down you will see a piece from each artist! Woohoo!




Israel Sanchez


Scott Campbell


Ken Garduno


Cherri Wood


Andrew Bell


Yoskay Yamamoto

The show opens this Friday!

Katie
G1988 San Francisco

Through The Wire

Not only did Luke Chueh do the cover for the upcoming Fall Out Boy album, "Folie a Deux," but with point guard G1988 as art director (gallery version of Tony Parker if you will) - you knew other favs were gonna pop up too.

As seen on ITunes this week, artist Ken Garduno created the image for the band's 3rd ITunes release, "What A Catch, Donnie," seen below...



And rumor has it that this drawing is gonna show up on some of the band's t-shirt merch too! The album's release date was pushed back to mid-December, so keep an eye to the blog to see what other artists find their way into the artwork!!!

Jensen
G1988: LA

Game Over

One of the coolest installations in our gallery's history from LA artist 2cents was created today for the Crazy 4 Cult 2 show...











It gets no better.

And for those who are working endlessly on naming all of the cult characters in Andrew Wilson's poster...you can put away the magnifying glass (at least the real one), as Andrew and pals have created an amazing website (and virtual magnifying glass) that allows you to get up close and personal with each icon. And use the key glass on the right side to see the corresponding number of each as well, helping you out one by one. YOU CAN SEE THIS SITE BY CLICKING HERE. Good job, guys!

Not enough cool shit? Well, then feast your eyes on the very first Cable Guy inspired piece by Ken Garduno.



OK, that's just too much.

Drive by the gallery and check out the outside installation! So you know, we won't be following normal gallery hours starting Tuesday and going right up to the opening on the 22nd, so make sure to call before you come down, or go ahead and just email us with any orders, questions or concerns. And if you're an artist dropping off or shipping work, don't worry - that's all worked out, so just come on down or put those stamps on your shipment. It's all good.

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

Opening Tonight And Starting Today

If you live in San Francisco - make sure to stop by G1988: SF anytime tonight between 7-10 PM PST to attend the Ledbetter/Brandou show "Unspeakable," which you can preview at the post below. Great show!!!

And today, I wanted to start a new feature we're gonna have here on the blog called "5 Pieces...." Artists who we'll be spotlighting in upcoming shows, will pick 5 pieces from around the globe, and spanning all of history, that they are digging right now. The only requirement is...it can't be done by them.

I love this idea because I like seeing what paintings other artists are feeling at any given moment. Katie and I have a theory that if a lot of artists are buying one artist, it usually means good things for the that artist's future. We've seen it happen a lot actually. And seeing what an artist is into will sometimes give you a little peak into the origin of their style and the array of their influences. And the first installment does not disappoint.

Art center grad Ken Garduno is all over Los Angeles like those Grand Theft Auto IV billboards. Since graduating he not only illustrated in some of your favorite magazines, he's shown in all your favorite galleries too. And all-around cool dude and amazing artist, Garduno will be one of the artists in our Los Angeles location's upcoming show, "One to Grow On," which opens this coming Tuesday, May 20th, from 7-10 PM. Here's a sneak peek at one of his pieces -



So we asked Ken to pick 5 pieces that he's feeling right now, only a few days before the group show opening reception, as well as give us a few sentences on why, and this is what we got:

"5 Pieces I'm Digging, Not Made By Ken Garduno" by Ken Garduno



Charles Dana Gibson:
The line work in this piece is amazing. Gibson made it look too easy. It’s handled delicately with a lot of detail, but it has a loose quality about it that I love. Gibson’s girls are gorgeous.



Goya:
This is one of the images from art history that has always stuck in my head. It’s so twisted. I love it. I know he painted this in a dark period in his life, and it shows. This guy was nuts.



J.C.Leyendecker:
This guy is easily one of my favorite illustrators of all time. He makes everything look so smooth and sophisticated. I don’t imagine anyone could look this classy in real life. With all that amazing stuff in the foreground, who needs a background?



Al Hirschfeld:
This is the man. Everything he touched turned to gold. If you want to learn anything about linework, he IS the king. I love this piece in particular because of the use of pattern, curves, and grey tones.



Andrew Hem:
I’m lucky enough to know this guy. Everytime I see his work, I ask myself, “how the hell does he do it”? I tried to find a single image that I loved on his website, and I just gave up and picked this one. There are too many to pick from. Is there anything this guy can’t paint??

Thanks, Ken. I find it super weird that he picked Andrew Hem as his contemporary piece he's digging cause if you had asked me what artists that all other artists are digging right...I would've said him. Good to know, right? And keep an eye out for more of this feature cause I like it, and that's really all that matters.

Jensen
G1988: LA