Trail in the woodsPrivate collection of Mitch Singer
6" x 8", oil on canvas panel
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Drawings
I try to draw everyday, even if just for a few minutes. Creatively, I want to walk that tight rope between representation and abstraction. I am particularly attracted to artist's work with adventurous use of color or abstraction of shape, such as Bay Area artists Terry St. John and Judy Molyneux's plein aire work.
Left: Woman Jumping- graphite, charcoal, and watercolor.
Right: Woman and Shadow- graphite, charcoal, and blending stump.
Left: Woman Jumping- graphite, charcoal, and watercolor.
Right: Woman and Shadow- graphite, charcoal, and blending stump.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Prius Art Car For Sale - For the birds
This 2006 Prius called "For the Birds" is now owned by the Shalom Compost of Santa Cruz and is for sale. It was painted by Artist Kelly Lyles for Marilyn Dreampeace who recently past away. These beauties are hard to get now days with gas prices being what they are and the art work on it is simply amazing. It has 53k miles with California HOV stickers and is going for $25,000, if you are interested please contact Compost@aol.com
Kelly Lyes working on the car
Kelly Lyes working on the car
Thursday, July 31, 2008
GARY PANTER: CHER IN JOHNNY ROTTEN'S CLOTHING?
Artist Gary Panter is all over the news lately. Hollywood gossip magazine Entertainment Weekly placed him on this week's "Must" List along with Cher's new Las Vegas show. The New York Times applauded the arrival of a fancy new two volume, boxed collection of his work.
His recent New York gallery opening was touted (by the gallery) as a "visual tour de force." And Panter's own website announces that Panter is
Panter's web site proclaims that he "successfully broke down the barrier that separates 'trash' from 'art'...." Of course, previous artists have made similar claims. In 1961, Italian artist Piero Manzoni claimed that he successfully broke down the barrier that separates art from shit.
But I'm still not ready to concede that the barrier is completely gone. Perhaps the more interesting question is: which side of the barrier is Panter on?
Panter is a "cyber punk" artist, most famous as the creator of Jimbo, "a post-nuclear punk-rock cartoon character" who first appeared in the LA hardcore-punk paper Slash and later in RAW. Occasionally Panter creates a fine, strong image:
But most of the time, Panter produces the kind of art you'd expect to find in a decent high school literary magazine:
And all too often, Panter's work is (in my opinion) downright awful:
And I'll even go one step further. For a man who is so eager to eliminate the barrier between art and trash, Panter repeatedly draws a bright line between his art and lowly "commercial" art. For this, commercial artists should be grateful. But it is a tired old cliche for Panter to suggest that illustration or other commercial forms of art can't be as raw as Panter's. Even within the straightjacket of commercial illustration, serious artists manage to look deeper into the abyss than Panter ever does. Panter's fans celebrate his "ratty line," but I don't find his line nearly as raw or unsettling as the truly scary linework in this spot illustration by commercial illustrator Robert Fawcett:
Take a close look at the violence and anarchy of Fawcett's line. For those with eyes to see, Panter is splashing around in a far shallower pool than Fawcett.
I have read the adulatory reviews of Panter's work, looking for help in finding what I am missing. So far, I cannot shake the conclusion that Panter is primarily an entertainer who tells amusing stories for people of a certain maturity level. Nothing wrong with that. But if that's the case, how do we explain all this attention to his work? My only explanation is that shallow, immature times call for shallow, immature art.
His recent New York gallery opening was touted (by the gallery) as a "visual tour de force." And Panter's own website announces that Panter is
"possibly the most influential graphic artist of his generation, a fact acknowledged by the Chrysler Design award he received..."It would take a lot of nerve to question the artistic judgment of Chrysler (which announced this week it had lost another half billion dollars due to its inability to design a decent car). Nevertheless, let's be brave and explore together:
Panter's web site proclaims that he "successfully broke down the barrier that separates 'trash' from 'art'...." Of course, previous artists have made similar claims. In 1961, Italian artist Piero Manzoni claimed that he successfully broke down the barrier that separates art from shit.
But I'm still not ready to concede that the barrier is completely gone. Perhaps the more interesting question is: which side of the barrier is Panter on?
Panter is a "cyber punk" artist, most famous as the creator of Jimbo, "a post-nuclear punk-rock cartoon character" who first appeared in the LA hardcore-punk paper Slash and later in RAW. Occasionally Panter creates a fine, strong image:
But most of the time, Panter produces the kind of art you'd expect to find in a decent high school literary magazine:
And all too often, Panter's work is (in my opinion) downright awful:
I can hear the Gary Panter fans out there fuming, "the punk movement is exempt from bourgeois standards of taste and beauty." The New York Times didn't compliment the beauty of Panter's images, it complimented his "raw lunatic expression."
Genuine punk was never pretty, but at least it gained some legitimacy from its brute, energetic defiance. I love Johnny Rotten's response to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it tried to honor the Sex Pistols:
What a fabulous message: "Were [sic] not coming. Your [sic] not paying attention." I doubt you would ever see Johnny Rotten bragging on his web site that the Chrysler Corporation had vouched for his artistic ability.
But the point of this post (and believe it or not, I do have one) is not to take a poke at an overrated artist or the the fans who fawn over such minor work. If "raw lunatic expression" is your game, artists such as Jean Dubuffet out-punk Panter by a mile.
Dubuffet's art embodied genuine rebellion. He preferred the art of the mentally ill to the work of classical artists. He wrote raging manifestoes about trashing all museums and abolishing culture. But despite his rebellious message, Dubuffet's drawings and paintings are still deeply beautiful. This is the most important difference between Panter and Dubuffet. Punk or no-punk, Panter is an artistic failure because he never seems to achieve (or even understand) some form of beauty. Regardless of the boldness of his color or line, his work is artistically anemic. He hasn't paid the dues required of those who seek to participate genuinely in form-creating activity.
Genuine punk was never pretty, but at least it gained some legitimacy from its brute, energetic defiance. I love Johnny Rotten's response to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it tried to honor the Sex Pistols:
What a fabulous message: "Were [sic] not coming. Your [sic] not paying attention." I doubt you would ever see Johnny Rotten bragging on his web site that the Chrysler Corporation had vouched for his artistic ability.
But the point of this post (and believe it or not, I do have one) is not to take a poke at an overrated artist or the the fans who fawn over such minor work. If "raw lunatic expression" is your game, artists such as Jean Dubuffet out-punk Panter by a mile.
Dubuffet's art embodied genuine rebellion. He preferred the art of the mentally ill to the work of classical artists. He wrote raging manifestoes about trashing all museums and abolishing culture. But despite his rebellious message, Dubuffet's drawings and paintings are still deeply beautiful. This is the most important difference between Panter and Dubuffet. Punk or no-punk, Panter is an artistic failure because he never seems to achieve (or even understand) some form of beauty. Regardless of the boldness of his color or line, his work is artistically anemic. He hasn't paid the dues required of those who seek to participate genuinely in form-creating activity.
And I'll even go one step further. For a man who is so eager to eliminate the barrier between art and trash, Panter repeatedly draws a bright line between his art and lowly "commercial" art. For this, commercial artists should be grateful. But it is a tired old cliche for Panter to suggest that illustration or other commercial forms of art can't be as raw as Panter's. Even within the straightjacket of commercial illustration, serious artists manage to look deeper into the abyss than Panter ever does. Panter's fans celebrate his "ratty line," but I don't find his line nearly as raw or unsettling as the truly scary linework in this spot illustration by commercial illustrator Robert Fawcett:
Take a close look at the violence and anarchy of Fawcett's line. For those with eyes to see, Panter is splashing around in a far shallower pool than Fawcett.
I have read the adulatory reviews of Panter's work, looking for help in finding what I am missing. So far, I cannot shake the conclusion that Panter is primarily an entertainer who tells amusing stories for people of a certain maturity level. Nothing wrong with that. But if that's the case, how do we explain all this attention to his work? My only explanation is that shallow, immature times call for shallow, immature art.
Carthedral - Gothic Art Car with gargoyles and teeth molds
Carthedral is a 1971 Cadillac hearse modified with 1959 Cadillac tail fins. Welded on top is a VW beetle and metal armatures with fiber glass. Carthedral is a rolling Gothic Cathedral complete with flying buttresses, stained glass pointed windows, and gargoyles. It was created and designed by Rebecca Caldwell.
This an amazing art car which I had the pleasure and honor of seeing on my very first Art Car Fest in 05 with my new Mercedes Pens Art Car with very few pens.
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| Carthedral - Gothic Art Car - via kris247 |
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| Carthedral - Gothic Art Car - via whizchickenonabun |
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| Carthedral - Gothic Art Car |
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| Carthedral - Gothic Art Car and a young Mercedes Pens |
Topsy-Turvy Bus by Tom Kennedy
Topsy-Turvy Bus was created by Tom Kennedy Art Car shape-shifter extraordinaire. It was commissioned by Ben & Jerry’s’ founder, ice cream maverick Ben Cohen who needed someone to turn two school buses into a vehicle for change in America.
Knitted Car Cozy for your VW
The only thing worse than cold tea is a cold car in the morning, when you sit down and your hands stick to the steering wheel and your breath fogs up the windows. Now, all that is a thing of the past with this revolutionary new product called the "Car Cozy". This hand knitted, hand crafted car cozy will enable you to keep your car warm and cozy on those cold windy nights for you until the morning.
Photo from Between Stitches
Photo from The Crochet Dude where you can actually get the car cozy pattern for your VW
Photo from Between Stitches
Photo from The Crochet Dude where you can actually get the car cozy pattern for your VW
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