Not Enough Art by J. Otto Siebold!

You know J. Otto Siebold. At least you do if you have kids, know any kids, or feel like a kid. He's the genius behind Olive, the Other Reindeer, the Mr. Lunch series, Penguin Dreams and his latest opus Seamore, the Very Forgetful Porpoise. We started buying J. Otto books before we had kids, because the artwork was just stupendous. Now that we have kids, his books are part of the regular nightly repertoire. We've always wanted to own a piece of his art, but as he is a digital artist primarily, he has produced very little fine art, as far as we know.

Luckily, there is the absolutely outstanding Grass Hut Gallery in Portland (yes, again!) to help rectify that sad sad state of affairs. Currently Mr. Siebold is working at the gallery to produce a new show of original fine art. The show opens May 2nd, and there's a little sneak peak on the Grass Hut blog right now. Grass Hut typically offers some or all of the works to be viewed online and purchased from afar, so go to the site and sign up for the mailing list now. Personally, we believe that the art of J. Otto is not only a fine addition to any art collection, but also a great investment.

And by the way, there are some excellent high quality iris prints of Mr. Siebold's work at his online store right now. And of course, you can buy his wonderful books there too!



J. Otto Siebold's official site

Grass Hut Gallery

Artist A Day

Since February of 2007, ARTISTADAY.com has been showcasing a new modern artist every day on their website. Their stated mission is to "bring attention to artists that otherwise don’t get the attention they deserve." They believe, as does PopDrawer, that artists are "under-valued, under-exposed, and generally under-appreciated," and ARTISTADAY is doing a great job at rectifying that situation. The artists profiled run the gamut from extremely well-known (such as Gary Taxali) to emerging (like Fuco Ueda), from American to Japanese and everything in between, from photographers to illustrators to painters.

Sign up for the daily email and have a work of art arrive every morning. That's what we do.



www.ARTISTADAY.com

Jeremiah Ketner at M Modern Gallery - Hooray!

PopDrawer has just stumbled on the work of Chicago-based artist Jeremiah Ketner, and boy do we feel dumb. What took us so long?! If you like Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara (and we DO!), you'll like Mr. Ketner. His work certainly is original and unique and stands on its own, but the aesthetic is similar enough to know that a fan of one will most likely be a fan of the other.

According to the bio on his website, "Ketner draws inspiration from Japanese aesthetics, packaging design, magazine ads and urban graffiti... Jeremiah's paintings are an assemblage of muted tones, non-dimensional forms, flower like shapes, and charming little creatures navigating through a sort of candy-land world. The paintings are created with no preliminary drawing; a composition is formed haphazardly and then outlined through the building process of layers."

And now you have a chance to hang one of his sugar-coated masterpieces in your home, as he has a solo show opening at M Modern Gallery in Palm Springs Saturday, April 19th titled "Another Tomorrow." But no matter where you live you can see the paintings here, and buy them by phone (or perhaps online). The paintings run from $450 (cheap!) to $4000, and will knock your eyes out.

If originals are too rich for your blood, prints and t-shirts are available in his online store. Prices start as low as $15!



Jeremiah Ketner's official site

"Another Tomorrow" at M Modern Gallery

Art Supermarket!

PopDrawer proudly counts amongst its international audience readers from 39 countries, including South Korea, Iceland, Poland, Uruguay, and Malta (?!). 17 countries in Europe are represented in our global community. And yet... no Austria. No Mozart, no Sacher torte or Linzer torte, No Ah-nold. Or even Hedy Lamarr (yes, Austrian). So this post will help not a single PopDrawer reader.

Austria! Home of the Von Trapp Family Singers! Hummel figurines! And yes, Hedy Lamarr!

And also M-ARS, the world's first (as far as we know) Supermarket for art! In the heart of Vienna, certainly the most beautiful boring city on Earth, M-ARS offers checkout lines, supermarket scanners, and even shopping carts for the paintings. According to Travel & Leisure Magazine, "A distinguished panel of art historians and directors from European museums and cultural academies curates the collection -- more than 1,000 paintings, sculptures and photographs by 50 artists." Prices run from $15 to $1300. (Presented here, the work of Ursula Rock and Elke Orange.

PopDrawer hopes that M-ARS soon understands the wisdom of fellow European market IKEA (a moment please, as we wipe the Ikea-produced drool from our chins) and conquers the world! And yes, Liesl, there is a web shop.



M-ARS, the art supermarket

Won't you play me, the jazz hot maybe -- Robert Pokorny

M Modern Gallery in Palm Springs has lined up another great show, this time with artist Robert Pokorny. The show, titled "Transitions" is described in the press release this way: "Transactions explores an abstraction of the figure, drawing on inspiration from Jazz Album Covers, Modern to Post Modern Art and contemporary culture. Time, movement and a state of transition are embodied in Pokorny’s sophisticated character driven pieces."

Mr. Pokorny's illustrations have been featured in magazines, newspapers and on CDs, and he has created band posters for a long list of rock luminaries, including Sonic Youth, Damien Rice, Rilo Kiley, Jack Johnson, and many others. In fact, you can purchase many of them in his online store. He also has other great merchandise in his store, including t-shirts, throw pillows, and birthday cards.

The show opens April 19th, from 7 to 10, and Mr. Pokorny will be in attendance. Can't make it to sunny Palm Springs? You can still purchase the works from the gallery. They run from $900 to $1500 and can be seen here.




Robert Pokorny's official site

Transitions at M Modern Gallery

Incredibly Cheap Wonderful Art -- TinyShowcase.com

Today PopDrawer discovered TinyShowcase.com (thank you to Minsun P.) and we instantly found people after our own hearts. TinyShowcase.com perfectly matches the goal and intent of PopDrawer -- to help art lovers (or those interested in becoming art lovers) find art that they can afford to start building a collection... or just to enjoy.

Here is what TinyShowcase.com is all about, in the words of creators Jon Buonaccorsi and Shea'la Finch. "We are lucky enough to be surrounded by a group of friends who are amazing and talented people. We started thinking that it would be really nice if we could create a forum and community where all of this incredible talent could be showcased. Pricing was an issue - most of our friends aren't exactly rich, so we began exploring a smaller medium where the artist could make some money on smaller pieces of artwork. The art enthusiast, on the other hand, gets to take home their piece of artwork for around the same price as a CD, book or record... Each week we pick a new piece of tiny artwork and turn the work into a limited-run print production. Each run is printed on archival Hahnemühle German Printmaking Paper. The archival ink is specially treated and sprayed, giving it an archival lifespan of over 60 years."

If that's not enough, a percentage of the money from each print sold is donated to a charity chosen by the artist.

And now, the artwork. Every Tuesday evening, Tiny Showcase releases a new limited edition print. They appear to sell out very quickly. Tiny Showcase has featured the work of PopDrawer favorites Amy Ruppel, Ronald Kurniawan, S. Britt, Aesthetic Apparatus, and many many others. The prints are usually in limited editions of 100 for about $40, but they are also currently offering a non-editioned set of four prints for just $100 ($30 each individually, including the work of Josh Keyes). They even offer some fantastic t-shirts (by Jen Corace, Deth P. Sun, and Jesse LeDoux).

Hooray for Tiny Showcase!



TinyShowcase.com

Clive Barker at Sloan Fine Art

This one is close to my heart. As a screenwriter I had the pleasure worked with Clive Barker a few years ago (he was in a producing capacity on this project). He was wildly talented, gracious, humble, kind, and inspiring. Working with him was a fantastic experience. But just as exciting as working with the master of horror was seeing a collection of paintings he was working on for Days of Magic, Nights of War, his sequel to the wonderful Abarat. Walking through his makeshift gallery and looking at the characters from the book done in his inimitable style was mesmerizing.

Now you can have a similar experience. Clive has a solo show opening at the wonderful Sloan Fine Art gallery in Manhattan on Wednesday, April 16th (from 7 to 9 PM). The show features recent paintings and conceptual sketches from the upcoming film "Midnight Meat Train." (Sounds like a Clive Barker movie, doesn't it?)

Don't miss this show. And don't go to sleep alone after you do.



Clive Barker's official website

Sloan Fine Art

Alex Lukas' Explosions

We wish we knew more about Alex Lukas. We plan to find out more. Meanwhile, we just goggle at his beautiful art. Mr. Lukas has a 2-person show coming up at PARK LIFE in San Francisco beginning May 9th, and has had numerous solo and group shows in the past few years. And PopDrawer is going on record to predict that he will have many more shows in the coming years.

Here is what we learned from Pike Modern Art Gallery in Milford, Pennsylvania. "While a Rhode Island School of Design student in 2001, Lukas founded Cantab Publishing, which specializes in low run, hand made artists' 'zines. Since that time he has released more than 20 titles, including over 1,500 copies made by hand. In 2005, Lukas was crowned the "King of Zine" by Tokion Magazine. Lukas has contributed both artwork and writing to Swindle Magazine, Apenest and The Drama Magazine."

Here's what we know from just enjoying his art. He likes drawing fire and smoke. His work often focuses on buildings, factories, etc. with a frightening but beautiful plume of fire and smoke emitting from them, as if an explosion has just taken place. (At PopDrawer we understand this fascination -- as the brilliant Harry Shearer once said "Fire -- man's first entertainment, man's best entertainment.) And some of his newer works show floods overtaking similar landscapes. Fascinating and horrifying all at once. PopDrawer will be following his career closely.



Alex Lukas' official site

Mars-1's Strange and Beautiful Vision of the Universe

Just whose universe we don't know. All we know is that the visions are mind-bendingly beautiful.

Mars-1 (AKA Mario Martinez) has this to say about his work on his website. "My style stems from a living dream. My imagination conjures an alien landscape that exists somewhere in the space of my mind." His website also explains that "...his unique style has been described as urban-Gothic, a dimensional grid of self-echoing harmonics, and sci-fi abstracted, quasi-organic form."

Mars-1 has had numerous shows, illustrations in magazines, and amazing toys produced. He currently has a print called Strange Cargo available on his website. At PopDrawer we check into his website regularly to see what wonders he has made available to us Earthlings. You should do the same.



Mars-1's official site

Femke Hiemstra & Travis Louie at Roq la Rue

A fantastic two person show opens tonight at Seattle's Roq la Rue, Kirsten Anderson's visionary Pop Surrealism gallery. Amsterdam's Femke Hiemstra and New York's Travis Louie star in what is sure to be an amazing show that opens tonight, Friday April 11th, from 6-9 PM. For Ms. Anderson's book on Pop Surrealism, look here.

From Roq la Rue's website, a bit about each artist:

Femke Hiemstra -- "Meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings are homes to a dark, lush fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors... Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vibrant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a cover for a fantastical adventure book, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story inside."

Travis Louie -- "Hypnotic “portraiture” is compelling for its blend of the hyper realistic with the blatantly unreal. Fantastical creatures gaze out from paintings so technically refined (using transparent layers of acrylic paint over a tight graphite drawing on a smooth flat surface) that they look uncannily like old photographs." Personally, all we here at PopDrawer can think of when we look at Mr. Louie's wonderful faux portraits is Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.

The majority of works are not yet on the website as of this writing, but may very well be after the opening tonight. Keep checking back.



Fiemke Hiemstra's official site

Travis Louie's official site

Roq la Rue show

Artcotic - Offering Fine Art T-Shirts in Limited Editions!

Do you wear your heart on your sleeve? How about wearing your taste on your chest? In recent years t-shirts designed by successful artists have been easier and easier to find (case in point: Shepard Fairey's excellent, high-quality OBEY line of clothing). Now website Artcotic makes it even easier.

Artcotic offers a line of t-shirts featuring artists such as Elizabeth McGrath, Dalek, and Frank Kozik. The t-shirts are in the $25-$30 range and are generally limited to an edition of 250 or 500. This way you won't show up to the same fetish ball sporting the same t-shirt and tattoos as the other dude. How embarrassing...



Artcotic store

Mark Ryden's Fantastical Universe - REPOST

Somehow this original post got lost on the server, so here it is again in all it’s... glory? PopDrawer’s first post ever.

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Might as well start with an undisputed member of Pop Surrealism’s royalty, the remarkable Mark Ryden. Mark’s work (along with the work of Shag) was what first started my on this journey about 10 years ago. His work draws on references such as historical icons (e.g. Lincoln), prehistoric plants, vintage toys, dime-store art, to name just a few, all done with classical technique. He has said in interviews that he “truly feels the world is a wondrous and miraculous place” and it shows in his paintings.

Mr. Ryden’s work are just about as unaffordable as art gets in the particular subculture that this site covers, but PopDrawer wants to focus on art in all forms, not just canvas originals. I’ve seen Mr. Ryden’s orginals go for anywhere from $10,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but his limited editions generally sell for $2000 to $3000. And his books are far less. Products usually sell out, but here you can buy a copy of Fushigi Circus, an excellent compilation of work published by a Japanese press.

The image here is a work from the recent Art Basel in Miami. Enjoy!

Mark Ryden's official site

And the award for best new magazine goes to...

Hi-Fructose! It's a fairly new magazine (currently on issue 7) focusing on Pop Surrealism and art of that ilk, and it's fan-friggin'-tastic. Gorgeous art, beautiful art direction, nice blog, great ads. It's Juxtapoz for the new century.

We just finished the newest issue and virtually every page was a candy store for the eyes. Artists include Paul Pope (cover art), Chris Mars, Naoto Hattori, KRK Ryden, and lots more. The mag currently comes out every quarter, but hopefully a monthly circulation is around the corner. Buy it online or at your favorite well-stocked newsstand or bookstore.



Hi-Fructose Magazine

The Enigmatic Alex Gross

To be honest, we don't know if artist Alex Gross is enigmatic himself, but his works most definitely are. Mr. Gross is one of the most accomplished artists in the broad field of Surreal Pop (or Pop Surrealism), and his first solo New York show opened this past weekend at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The show, entitled "Mysteries and Manners" is full of his otherworldly paintings that include his trademark vintage Asian advertising references and animal imagery. It's another stunning show for Mr. Gross.

According the press release: "Mysteries and Manners features highly involved, figurative paintings that contain enigmatic narratives. Birds and butterflies, snakes and goats, crashing aircraft, beautiful brides, and even ice cream cones populate Alex’s large canvases. There is a dreamlike quality in all of his work, creating unusual hybrids that form some strange new world, which we cannot fully decipher. Alex’s figures, barely emotive at times, seem peacefully ambivalent towards their complex, chaotic environments. His work suggests the unspoken distress of humanity—that, which is understood by all, yet remains hidden from human consciousness." There are still some works available in the gallery's online store, some for a mere $450.

Mr. Gross has published two books of his works, and had a museum retrospective of his work in California. In addition to his books, you can purchase some jaw-droppingly gorgeous limited edition giclees on his own website. The editions are limited to 50, and cost from $149 to $399.



"Mysteries and Manners" at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery

Alex Gross' official website

Photography Break - Gregory Crewdson - New Show

What can PopDrawer say about Gregory Crewdson that hasn't been said on, say, NPR, or on PBS, or in Time Magazine, or dozens of other publications? Not much. Nothing more intelligent, that's for sure. Let's just say that we love his large-scale photography for its bold cinematic quality, its haunting images, its sheer expense of production. His photos are like great films condensed into one frame. Let the photos speak for themselves.

His new show opened at Luhring Augustine in New York on April 5th. It runs until May 3rd. Visit if you can. If you can't, check out one of his remarkable books here. Open your mouth and say Ahhh...





Gregory Crewdson show at Luring Augustine

MORE Amy Ruppel! Plus Seth Neefus and Jill Bliss

The Nesting Dolls Show at Grass Hut Gallery in Portland starring the work of Amy Ruppel and Trish Grantham is the 2nd show in as many weeks to feature the work of Amy. Last week at the recently opened TogetherGallery in Portland (we have got to do a feature on Portland, Oregon and it's amazing galleries SOON!), a show entitled The Color of Nature opened featuring the work of Amy, Seth Neefus, and Jill Bliss. And as far as PopDrawer can tell, reasonably priced pieces are still readily available!

Go to the online store and peruse (and BUY) works ranging in price from a mere $30 to $500. Did you read that?! That's original art for $30!!! You would pay as much for a NON-limited edition POSTER from your nearby museum. You can't pass this up.





Amy Ruppel

Seth Neefus's official site

Jill Bliss's official site

The Color of Nature store

TogetherGallery

Amy Ruppel & Trish Grantham UPDATE

Thank you to Amy Ruppel for sending PopDrawer these fantastic photos of their installation currently running at Grass Hut Gallery in Portland (see previous post). The installation is as beautiful as the works of art (in fact, the installation is itself a work of art.

The photos include a shot of Trish Grantham standing with some of her work. Enjoy!





Grass Hut Show

Amy Ruppel's official site

Trish Grantham's official site

Nesting Dolls Art Show - Grantham & Ruppel

What a cool idea! Well-known Portland artists Trish Grantham and Amy Ruppel have created a new show at Bwana Spoons' Grass Hut Gallery in Portland that features their takes on the Russian nesting doll tradition. They are each showing a few sets of custom designed and created dolls, as well as some of their paintings. All of the work is available here, on the Grass Hut site.

Ms. Grantham is a self-taught painter, known for her cartoon and Anime-like characters done in vivid pastels (is vivid pastel an oxymoron? Not in Ms. Grantham's work!) on mixed-media backgrounds. Her paintings are dreamy and humorous, sometimes telling a story, sometimes telling a joke, sometimes setting a scene.

Ms. Ruppel's delightful simple designs hearken back to the late 50s and 60s. Her work, often featuring birds, has been featured on Burton snowboards and Uniqlo t-shirts, and can be found in galleries from her native Pacific Northwest to London.

The pieces range from $150 to $800, although they may already be sold out. At the store on the Grass Hut site, the items are all listed as "not available." We are not sure if this is because they have already been sold or the site is not yet selling them. But if you're interested in a piece, do not hesitate to email them and ask.

But if they are sold out, you can still purchase original art from Ms. Grantham in her online store in the $200-$350 range, and from Ms. Ruppel's site starting May 2nd.





Grass Hut Show

Amy Ruppel's official site

Trish Grantham's official site

Your Wishes Come True with Friends With You!

Friends With You, the amazing design/art collective out of Miami, is throwing down some wonderful new toys that can actually be used by *GASP* children! But that doesn't mean you can't keep them on a high shelf away from the little ankle-biters. Your choice. But at this price ($7.50 each), why not give the little whipper-snappers a tiny token of your appreciation?

According to the Friends With You website, "These magical toys feature weighted bottoms and built-in bell chimes, giving them all a playful rocking motion and a subtle, soothing sound. The series features six primary characters - Coco, Fluffy Pop, Malfi, Buddy Chub, Popo and Mr. TTT - plus 3 bonus chase figures that have yet to be revealed." PopDrawer just bought the whole set! Be warned, Friends With you toys often sell out. (When you get to the website, click on "Wish Come True" in the middle of the page.)



Friends With You website

Who Needs Groceries Alert - New Gary Baseman Toy & Print!

The little devil is doing it again. Not Gary Baseman, but his devilish creation Hot Cha Cha Cha. According to Gary, Green Hot Cha Cha Cha "not only steals the halos from Angels but he sucks their pure, rich, red blood too. His lust for innocence and evil is unrivaled in Heaven and Hell and you'll find his angelic appearance beguiling, but don't let it fool you…and don't turn your back on him."

This new colorway is 6 1/2 inches tall and contained in an awesome gothic black coffin box. The total edition is 500 and will, we think, be available in may places, BUT Gary is offering a special limited limited edition of 50 signed by him and including a fantastic giclee of the little green guy ONLY ON HIS WEBSITE. It will be available on Tuesday, April 8th at 10 AM PDT for $185.

Don't let him get away. It's up to you to keep him locked up in your home where he can do no more damage to the outside world.



Green Hot Cha Cha Cha

Yumiko Kayukawa Opening - Extinction

The state of the environment seems to be becoming the prevalent theme in the modern art world. This weekend sees the opening of both Ryan McLennan's "From Fur to Bone", and PopDrawer favorite Yumiko Kayukawa's "Extinction." Using her trademark "candy-bright" colors to and images of "young women, animals, and traditional Japanese motifs," Kayukawa "blends fashion illustration, sharp iconic graphics, and meticulously rendered flora and fauna to create images that evoke a dreamy and enigmatically erotic tone." The artist describes her new show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Hollywood, CA this way: "I've been creating work in the theme of communion with animals and nature for long time. That feeling of connection inside me is growing and growing through the process of painting. Because of that I feel increasingly sad about the situation between humanity and wildlife. 'Extinction' is an extremely scary word. I put that fear into my consciousness to help myself face it."

The opening reception is from 8 to 11 PM on Friday night. Contact annieadj@gmail.com as soon as possible if you are interested in purchasing. They are available now. Some are already sold. Yumiko's work typically sells out every show. The pieces range from $2800 to $7000.



"Extinction" at La Luz de Jesus

Yumiko Kayukawa's official site

Recent Popdrawer article about Yumiko Kayukawa

North by Northwest remixed & London After the Rain

Okay, we at PopDrawer must admit that we are a little confused by this, but sometimes confusion can be a blissful state. And so it is when as we watched a number of videos put out by students and teachers at London's Bartlett School of Architecture. These videos were created by Unit 15, overseen by professor Nic Clear, and are as good an approximation of what the future of cinema might look like as any we've ever seen. We must admit that we don't quite understand how many of these films fit into the study of architecture, but in the well-chosen words of Dwell Magazine, "each film functions as an architectural proposal -- or as an avant-garde form of urban analysis."

Uh... Uh-huh.

All we know is that we could spend hours mesmerized by the surreal images of beauty. There are dozens on the website, but we have highlighted two of our faves, London After the Rain by Ben Olszyna-Marzys, and an untitled remix of North by Northwest by Mario Balducci, which at once reminds of us Alfred Hitchcock's brilliance and demonstrates what can happen when a talented artist gets hold of a perfect original (let's please leave Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Psycho out of this).

Remember that these are videos, so please click on the links to see them in their full glory. (If you have trouble viewing the videos, try right-clicking and choosing "play in Real Player.")





Untitled (remix of North by Northwest)

London After the Rain