It's On!

Chris Tezber's online show "Sinister Somethings" is now up on www.88point5.com. Chris is also standing by on the discussion boards, not only to talk about his new work, but he's also offering love advice.

Check out the show and say hello!

WWW.88POINT5.COM



Katie
G1988 SF

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HEY....

...I thought we weren't previewing these, but I've seen them on a few message boards, so although I'm late to the party, here are two of the breath-taking collaborations between Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas that will be in "Cackle Factory," opening Tuesday in LA..





And still more collabs to see on Tuesday night!

Jensen
G1988: LA

Is David Choe Opening?

I had a lot of "Holy Shit" moments while looking at this year's Coachella line-up (Paul McCartney's name is a few lines away from People Under The Stairs - and that's not just in my iTunes), but what I found coolest was that Shepard Fairey is just right in the mix there, performing on the 3rd day. He's probably DJ'ing, but the line between rock star and art star continues to blur. It's just gonna get worse and it's pretty awesome.



Jensen
G1988: LA

...to fill

Brandt delivered two huge painted shoes today? I think he may have built a monster.

Also, the debut of the new evite for our LA show in March (right after B. Peters)...

"Transcendors"

feat. Jason Limon, Doktor A, Jason D'Aquino, Michael Page and Scott Scheidly.



Jensen
G1988: LA

Nanami Cowdroy

This morning, Nanami Cowdroy sent me a link to an interview she did with Noise Floor Crew in Chicago. You can see a few of her AMAZING pieces that will be featured in our upcoming show in SF, "Some Kind of Wonderful."

http://www.noisefloorcrew.com/2009/01/nanami-cowdroy/#more-1536

I believe Nanami is also coming all the way from Australia to SF for the opening, so we get to meet her for the first time in person! We've been working with her over a year, with numerous emails and telephone calls, and now finally we get to put a face to her name.

For now, check out the interview and hopefully it will inspire you to come the work in person (and meet the artist) in SF on Feb. 6th!

Katie
G1988 SF


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...then let him out!

We're officially one week away from Brandt Peters' debut Los Angeles solo show, "Cackle Factory," and he's delivered so much incredible work, we're finding ourselves navigating through boxes in the gallery like it's the maze in The Shining. I'm assuming all work and no play meant painting pieces, not throwing a baseball against the wall (or attempting to kill his family) for Brandt.

Since I'm the only guy privileged enough to have seen all the work, I'm the only guy who knows how cohesive and impressive the thematic tone of the show is. Brandt has employed the creepy, yet happily alluring, backdrop of abandoned playgrounds and circus carnivals to play home base for a set of characters both familiar and new to the artist's body of work. Even utilizing the show's title, "Cackle Factory," plays into this idea, since the term is a 1940's slang term for an asylum. It seems like Brandt's goal with this new body of work is to make each of us ask ourselves which of his characters, whether it be a tattooed pin-up model or a vintage pie-eyed ghost amongst bumper cars, spring rides, his signature Slap-Happy! and giant squids, we are in our most insecure and on-edge moments. When it at first seems like the cute or innocent cartoon-ish qualities brought me to love the piece, I realize it's truly the hidden message, the ability to make me wonder what this means to me specifically, that has me LOVING this show.

Two more previews for ya:





I'm telling you. Come this next Tuesday, Feb. 3, 7-10 PM, as Brandt will be in Los Angeles for his opening reception from 7-10 PM. It's worth it.

Jensen
G1988: LA

Chuehs or Shoes

I'm not the biggest customized Nikes fan, but I was pretty impressed with these custom Nike hi-tops created by Yoa Kustoms, tributing Luke Chueh and many of his most memorable paintings.







Call them the Air Chuehs. Credit where credit is due, I first saw these HERE.

Oh, and Luke fans, mark the calendars for 09/09/09.

Jensen
G1988: LA

All Around The Globe

When we first opened the gallery, if you would've told me that we'd eventually be covered by the LA Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and now the Boston Globe, I would've thought you were a liar and spit in your soup. Being a bit of a news nerd (last week's KNBC news anniversary was serious DVR fodder for me), the love we've gotten from serious newspapers (no matter how close they are to going out of business) is one of my favorite parts about what we've done in our first five years.

CLICK HERE to read the Boston Globe article about the recent fusion between music/art and the current Beastie Boys Tribute Show.

And speaking of our first five years, next week we will announce our 5 year anniversary show, as we will celebrate the milestone this April. Been waiting for this one since I was in middle school. NOT JOKING.

Jensen
G1988: LA

5 with Brandt (plus 1)

So, we're entering the last week of "Under The Influence: Beastie Boys" which is sad on one hand (closing one of my favorite exhibitions of all time), but exciting on the other, as we'll be days away from opening "Cackle Factory," Florida artist Brandt Peters' debut Los Angeles solo show (Feb. 3). Brandt has quickly become one of our genre's most talked about, and visible, artists, not only selling out his paintings all over the US (most recently ringing in success at Opera Gallery in NY), but also becoming one of the vinyl toy world's all-stars (as him and wife Kathie Olivas basically did signings at every possible Comic-Con booth). As we prep for his solo, we asked Brandt to take place in our occasional blog feature where the artist picks out 5 paintings, from the beginning of time to just minutes ago, that are influencing him/her right now, citing the reasons. Brandt raised it a level, but for a good reason, as number 6 is obviously a pretty serious influence. Take it away, Mr. Peters.

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Jensen wanted me to throw together some artists that have inspired the direction of my current body of work - which may shed a lot of light on my voice...



1) Francisco de Goya / "Burial of the Sardine"
Lately I have been obsessed with Francisco de Goya - To me... the first modern painter... In the piece I picked - BURIAL OF THE SARDINE - heavy carnival atmosphere - the frenzy, He-goats, the mad, giants, devils, the fates, abandoned children - everyone's represented, the gang's all here. His depictions of life at the time in Spain have pushed me to capture our world now and coincidentally the gang's still here - after hundreds and hundreds of years - all though the costuming is different Goya's work still seems fresh and daring... on a lighter side - I love carnivals, the surreal, costuming, the reign of religion, and gypsy life and its an excellent source.



2) Ernesto Garcia Cabral / Las Interesadas (Movie Poster)
'Chango' as Ernesto went by was the first artist for me, where I was profoundly moved by an artists drawing style... and the direction and action of line and form... For some... Al Hirschfeld captured the movement and action of line - but what was always missing was the allure - something sexy - and Cabral, just does it for me. A top caricaturist and commercial Illustrator from Mexico.



3) Phil Hale / "Chicken Placebo Generator"
A contemporary American figurative painter who resides in London - his work is known:... for depictions of slightly surreal scenes with strange characters performing various physical feats, usually in a confrontation of some sort. He seems to take keen interest in tension and emphasis of angular and dynamic aspects of the figure, almost always incorporating slight anatomical distortions to great effect. (from Wikipedia - best description yet...) His sense and confidence in the action and expression of a brush stroke, lighting and textures - is emotionally charging to me... and he loves robots.



4) T. S. Sullivant
An unfamiliar name but Considered the father of cartooning... There is a term called Kawaii - which translates to "cute" in Japanese... For many the "deformer" type rescaling of body proportions... big heads and eyes, tiny bodies, big feet are steeped in Japanese culture... Sanrio/Hello Kitty, etc - which is prevalent in all toys and pop imagery today... for me it started with the genius of the turn of the century American cartoonist, Sullivant who's work you could have found on the mastheads of William Randolph Hearst's comic pages as well as Life Magazine.... (*** and for the "biters" out there - respect this guys work from a distance - the second you start copying Sullivant's character and design is the moment that the entire animation industry will be on to you - he is much respected and revered... lets keep it that way.) An extraordinary character designer!



5) Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez - Diego Velázquez / "Doña Mariana"
A model for the realist and impressionist painters, Diego Velázquez's brushwork was the source of inspiration for many including Picasso, Dali and Bacon...



6) Kathie Olivas / "Bitten"
I started out questioning if I should include Kathie in here, because many might consider it pandering or playing it a little too close... however, without any formal training personally, Kathie has been and is my teacher in many ways and I want to celebrate that. Her never-ending hunger for knowledge and inspiration, the challenge she brings to my craft every day to push my improvement and class of artistry... her sense of color and palette, texture and expression are really the daily motions that help keep me centered and focused on my craft. I am forever indebted and grateful. An artist in a class above the rest.

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To see where these influences lead Brandt, make sure to mark February 3rd on your calenders for the opening reception of "Cackle Factory" and stay tuned on this blog for more sneak previews to come.

Jensen
G1988: LA

And don't forget about Chris Tezber

While we're getting ready for "Some Kind of Wonderful" to open in San Francisco next month, we are also gearing up for our next www.88point5.com online show with Chris Tezber. The show opens January 31st, so just a few weeks from now!

The show is titled "Sinister Somethings" and each piece explores some act of mischief or evil, but disguised behind some super cute and cuddly characters.


"Birds of a Feather Get Eaten Together"
10 x 10 inches



"Enjoy Nature, It Enjoys You"
12 x 12 inches



"Stare Bears"
20 x 20 inches


All of the new pieces range from $250 - $650, so there are some great deals!

Chris Tezber's "Sinister Somethings" opens January 31st at www.88point5.com.



Katie
G1988 San Francisco


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