Jaguar/Man : oil on rag board (2007 – 2009) : 38" x 49"
Marshall Arisman : NY
Jaguar/Man is from a series of drawings and paintings under the title Ayahuasca Series. Ayahuasca is used by Shamen in the Amazon to locate lost objects and lost souls. William Burroughs took the hallucinogenic drug in the 50's and got deathly ill for 2 weeks. I have attempted to explore, in paint, that transformation of passing from the material world to the spiritual world with the help of an animal spirit guide. Burroughs, unfortunately, didn't like animals. When he asked the Shaman, who gave him the drug, what went wrong, the Shaman said "You were not prepared."
Tattooed Self Portrait at 39 : oil on canvas (2010) : 24” x 36”
Shawn Barber : CA
As a figurative painter with respect for traditions of the past, I have painted numerous self portraits over the past decade. 'Tattooed Self Portrait at 39', is dedicated to observing and affirming my commitment to the process of being tattooed. This self portrait is inspired by my first 'American' tattoo. I felt that, as an American artist whose primary body of work focuses on tattoo, the history of the medium and documenting the present industry- it just made sense to have this as my personal center piece. The tattooist who drew and tattooed the eagle, Seth Wood, is an amazing American artist who has become a friend and I really enjoy his artistic point of view. This eagle tattoo is the perfect blend of Seth's traditional yet illustrative work. The underlying focus of this painting is my attempt to show the viewer the flesh of a freshly tattooed outline and my own personal tribute to artists' self portraits of the past from a contemporary artists' perspective.
Miss Insect Princess : gouache on linen : 18" x 18"
Stephane Blanquet : France
Miss Princess insect fell like raw meat in her dream…The white ghosts squirm, she is happy…The melancholy songs of insects rocks the princess, Miss Princess insect is in her dream
The Last Angel : Oil on Panel (2009) : 20” x 27”
David Michael Bowers : PA
I have to say that this will probably be my last angel painting so it is appropriately titled. My wife, Kimberlie, pleaded with me for several months to do another angel painting because she loved angels. I told her that I had already painted too many angels and that I needed to move on to other subject matter. She insisted that I painted such beautiful angels and that they had been so popular in the past for me with regards to the sales of my prints, etc. that she really wanted me to do one more, so I decided to do one last angel with a new twist.
To her dismay, when she saw my initial sketches of a hardened angel wearing a pistol belt with a grenade, that was not exactly what she had in mind. I wanted this to be the last angel sent from God. The last angel will show no mercy because of God’s indignation with humanity. David is represented by 101/exhibit in Miami.
Give Up The Ghost : Mixed : 48x48 : 2009
Horse Meat (Blue) : Mixed : 36x36 : 2009
Kelsey Brookes : CA
A formally trained scientist who spent years tracking viruses for the U.S. government, he now lives and works in San Diego as a painter. His explosive and colorful art can be found broadly throughout the USA and Europe. Kelsey’s figurative paintings draw influence from a diverse subject matter including, but not limited to, English Romantic poets, exotic animals, sex, and rustic American quilts. His figures are frozen in intense and often tortured positions while the world surrounding them explode into a psychedelic blizzard of candy color. Ribbons and streamers, melting text and Mohawks all combined with large amounts of glitter glue to enhance and balance the dark subject.
Cheeking Pills—Rehab : Latex house paint on wood : 16" x 12" (2010) : Sold
William Buzzell : PA
"Cheeking Pills: Rehab" is an autobiographical piece about my time in a 30 day Palm Springs rehab center in November of 2009. After being arrested for assaulting a Providence police officer with a claw hammer in October of 2009, the court ordered me to go to rehab for alcohol and drug abuse. Every day consisted mostly of smoking cigarettes, going to 12 step meetings, and waiting for medication time. A big problem for the nursing staff was patients pretending to swallow their medication by hiding it in their cheeks or under their tongue. Mood altering medication was highly prized and could be traded to other patients for goods, services, and in some cases sexual favors. To combat this misuse of the medication, the nursing staff would make you open your mouth to prove you had swallowed your pills but clever patients were still able to evade detection. "Cheeking Pills: Rehab" is a documentation of the objects and rituals I associate with the rehabilitation process.
may : gouache on paper : 22"x32"
Kevin Christy : CA
This drawing is in reference to the reflective quality that shapes found in every day life have on our collective thought process. The shared mental experience felt by people coming across the same visual landmarks. Individuality is a constant but the uncontrolled reactions to stimulus as simple as a gaping hole is a connecting element that is immoveable.
Clayton Brothers : Send Them Home Sweet and Happy, 2009
Mixed media on stretched canvas : 26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
Christian and Rob Clayton : The Clayton Brothers : CA
Rob and Christian began collaborating in 1996. During their process, they contribute to the mixed media pieces separately while continuously adapting, transforming, and re-working what the other has previously completed. Their unconventional process, in which they leave visual clues or messages for one another, strands of ideas for each to pick up on and elaborate upon, produces an organic flow of subverted content, that is finalized only when a fraternal consensus has been reached. Their process results in rich and dynamic work, filled with multiple marks, gestures and techniques, symbols and metaphors that delve into memory and subconscious, highly personal and idiosyncratic yet engaged with the culture that surrounds them.
Blown : 2010, 9” x 12" : drawing pencil on paper mounted on panel
Two Worms : Japonaise Drinker : Revival : 9" x 12" : drawings pencil on paper
Hugo Crosthwaite : Mexico
This drawing, “Blown” refers to the idea of gossip, as it is sometimes referred to in Spanish with the term "Soplon" as someone who whispers or blows advice or gossip to someone's ears.
The main character is a blown up balloon in the shape of a boy that resembles Pinocchio, stares at the viewer with a concerned look on its face. The character to its side is a young, tattooed man reminiscent of those carni-folk characters that work in small fairs or amusement parks. Their is a double narrative to the piece, the first one being that of a simple scene where a young man is inflating a boy shaped balloon perhaps in preparation for a parade, the other, that of a "shady" character whispering or "blowing" notions to the large innocent shape of a boy. The background for this drawing is that of a snow covered street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.
Hazzard II : 8" x 10" (13.5" x 15.5" framed) : Oil : SOLD
Brendan Danielsson : GA
This piece is a continuation of the series of small character studies.
Christ and Two Thieves : Oil on Wood : 12" x 16" : Custom Frame
Daniel Martin Diaz : AZ
One of my earliest memories as a child was the way death and religion played an important role in my family’s life. My parents were born in Mexico with traditional beliefs, and their beliefs made their way into my subconscious. The fact that many of those beliefs seemed to render no logical explanation has also influenced me. These unanswered questions find a home in my work, which evokes the mystery, fear and irony of those vivid memories of my past. I do not claim to understand these questions. I just paint and let them reveal themselves to me.
One of my earliest memories as a child was the way death and religion played an important role in my family’s life. My parents were born in Mexico with traditional beliefs, and their beliefs made their way into my subconscious. The fact that many of those beliefs seemed to render no logical explanation has also influenced me. These unanswered questions find a home in my work, which evokes the mystery, fear and irony of those vivid memories of my past. I do not claim to understand these questions. I just paint and let them reveal themselves to me.
Beneath the Sea, 2010 : Acrylic on wood : 8 x 6"
Garden Plot, 2010 : Acrylic on wood : 8 x 6"
Underground : Acrylic on wood : 10¾ x 13 ¾"
Bayou, 2010 : Acrylic on wood : 11 x 14"
Vampires, 2010 : Acrylic on wood : 11 x 14"
Bat House, 2010 : Acrylic on wood : 8 x 6" : Sold
Scott Daniel Ellison : NY
Dark figures before bonfires in open fields. Vampires that may or may not be Halloween costumes. Animals with an extra-sentient malice in their toothy snarls. These small, folk-style paintings bring together imagery from Scandinavian folklore, heavy metal, and contemporary horror to create a landscape where satanic, or at least decidedly pagan wickedness seems to be the natural state. Viewing Ellison’s work one gets the feeling of being drawn into the logic of folktales and pulp supernatural, the familiar plot line of accidentally witnessing the occult and being caught in its’ machinations. This is a world where social rituals are transformed into dark magic and seemingly innocent encounters are full of dire implications.— Donal Mosher—Popmatters February 2010
A Metamorphosis of a First Love : 18" x 18" : Oil on Board
P-Jay Fidler : CA
Ones first love is like being possessed by something you can't control, something that will systematically take you to the borders of your being and drop you into some unknown place where everything is beautiful, shiny and new yet is something you can watch slowly paralyze and turn on you. Scratch and rust what was once everything.....This painting is based on a story of first love.
shitfan punks : 12” x 12” : ink and pencil of mat board : Sold
Matt Furie : CA
These shitfans are going to get busted. They are fans of music and they have attitude. There is a bitch with blood dripping from her mouth. Some are experiencing a heightened sense of cosmic awareness due to sound waves, others are becoming experienced by altering their brains with chemicals. Are you experienced?
Vacation's End : 55" x 72" : Acrylic on Muslin
Micah Ganske : HI
Like the way a photograph of a happy memory is somehow heart-breaking, I want the beauty in my painting to be somehow terrifying; a beauty so saturated that it has begun to burn itself out, disappearing. I want the world that my work exists in to be a streamlined synthesis of all visual stimulation I have ever taken in; nothing sacred, all sources brought down to the same level. If the personal, the sentimental, the profane and the spiritual aspects of an individual were fused to create one cumulative aesthetic, the resulting work would be undeniably unique—this is what I strive for most. In this day and age many would argue that it is pointless and arrogant to even entertain the possibility of making a painting that was truly original, but I say those with this outlook are simply too lazy and untalented to even make the attempt. It is a challenge that only seems insurmountable because we have relied too heavily on the history of painting to light our way. Our society and culture have gone through so many radical changes with the advent of new technologies and ways of sharing information that it is ridiculous painting has stayed so static. If something original is to be attained, one must synthesize not only aspects of the history of art, but all things recent culture has brought to us, no matter how useless or vapid they may seem.
Thrilled to Death, 2009 : Oil On Wood : 63 x 56" : comprised of hand painted squares
Cameron Gray : CA
I was inspired to make this painting after my neighbor passed away unexpectedly last year. He was a really beautiful person and a good friend. He’s survived by two beautiful daughters and a strong, wonderful wife. I hear his daughters playing, crying and laughing and just being normal kids when I'm taking a break outside of my studio. Life goes on. It's precious, delicate, and thrilling and can't be suppressed.
Capsize : Ketchup : Cactus : That Much Bigger : (top, clock) : Mixed on paper : 22” x 29” : each
Henry Gunderson : CA
I haven't quite figured out yet how to describe all my work correctly. A lot of my most recent work I would say has something to do with the connections us humans have with nature or the animalistic qualities in a persons' character. It changes, but that would be the basic theme for right now.—FecalFace—