Yes, sharp-eyed reader, that's the same title as the previous post. That's because, despite the fact it's almost two years since I last put anything up here, it's now time for another announcement of another solo show at the Compound Gallery.Here's some information in picture form:
That's right, there will be a spectacularly sumptuous opening this coming Saturday, August 17th 2019 from 6 - 9 pm to which you are invited, an invitation you would undoubtedly be foolish to decline. Sorry for the late notice. I obviously have issues posting to this platform for reasons that are unclear to me. Maybe it seems too much like work? I don't know. I'll try harder in the future.In the meantime, here are a few images of the kind of thing you might encounter adorning the esteemed walls of the Compound Gallery, should you choose to attend.I hope you will.
2015 - The Year in Review (Kind Of)
What the hell happened to 2015?It managed to both arrive and depart without the production of a single blog post from this indolent reprobate.Is it too late to make up for this lackadaisical approach to communication? Probably. Nevertheless, here's my misguided attempt to make up for my lamentable lack of updates.
Okay, so lets start in October. It's as good a month as any. And it was the month that saw the creation and launch of the above limited edition bronze. This was definitely the year's most awesome project, embarked upon with the help and expertise of the good folks at The Compound Gallery in Oakland. Entitled 'The Pursuit of Happiness' it's a handsome bronze skull that sits proudly atop it's very own sturdy maple plinth, complete with laser etched profanity. Each and every part of this edition of 13 was hand finished by me at great personal risk and considerable discomfort. And, most astounding of all, every one of the 13 pieces was sold in exactly 13 days. (Well, one disappeared into a mysterious void in the Australian postal system, but that's neither here nor there, like the piece itself.)
Earlier, in September, I also took part in a group show at the aforementioned Compound Gallery.It was a boxing themed affair entitled "Knockout", and I my contribution was the oddly shaped mixed media piece above. If you're wondering about the unusual dimensions, I chose them after a great deal of contemplation and consideration because the wood panel was heftily reduced in price in the art store.Aside from all the Compound related activity, 2015 also saw me start to show work regularly at The Dove Biscuit gallery in Los Angeles, which is located downtown, inside The Last Bookstore. The work available there is mostly my letterpress prints, plus a few smaller mixed media pieces. If you're in the LA area it's definitely worth a visit, not, I hasten to add, because of my work, but because it's a totally cool old building stuffed full of new and used books and records for sale at bargain prices.Speaking of books, July saw my humble contribution to international art publishing. This took the shape of 14 pages inside this lavish volume which goes by the imaginative title 'Artist Notebook'. Unsurprisingly it's a collection of artist's notebooks.
It's publushed by Monsa, in Spain and is available for a mere €25,90 right here. And if you're wondering, the inside looks bit like this:
Okay I can tell by the glazed look in your eyes, and your incessant yawning, that you're getting bored with all this dreary rambling. I think we both knew it wasn't a great idea, so let me wrap it up quickly for both our sakes. Here's something interesting - it's that fucking gorilla again.
Yes it made another fucking appearance. This time in the form of a fully-fledged theater performance, complete with paying audience, at the Toronto Fringe Festival. That's in Canada, people. Which is cool. And this time I supplied the original artwork for the posters. Which was also cool.Finally, as is traditional in these sparse and sporadic blog posts I'd like to end with an apology, accompanied by an excuse. But first some visual evidence:
Yes, dear reader, that is my wrist. To be more specific that is my right wrist. The wrist I use to draw, paint, type this very blog and complete sundry other less glamorous tasks. This delightful snapshot was taken in the Emergency Room of a San Francisco hospital back in March, after my bicycle and I were involved in an unpleasant altercation with an automobile. Thankfully after the surgical insertion of about eight inches of titanium and several weeks spent in a variety of casts, everything was restored to full functionality. And, on an uncharacteristically optimistic note, it gave me a chance to practice drawing left handed.Anyway, as you probably guessed by now, I was planning to blame the utter lack of activity here on the results of this regrettable incident, but the fact is, it's really just down to idleness and inertia, so I won't insult your intelligence.As usual I offer a half-hearted pledge to update this nonsense more frequently, if only to avoid having to create another of these appalling anthologies in the future. However, if you are misguided enough to want to keep up to date with my artistic activities I'd suggest following me on some other social media minefields, which I actually do update regularly. These include Tumblr, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Twitter and, of course my very own kingdom on the internets, which goes by my name with .com on the end.Happy New Year, I hope 2016 will be everything you wish it to be.And thank you for your continued tolerance.
Apologies For The Late Notice.
Okay I admit it, this is a very late post. I don't know why I find it so hard to update this blog when I regularly update my Tumblr and Flickr pages. I have some kind of mental block about WordPress. However, based on the principal that Late is better than Never, heres the NEWS.Of most immediate importance is the fact that I have a solo exhibition of all of my Apology Drawings on right now at The Compound Gallery in Oakland, CA. I'm afraid the opening reception has come and gone, but the gallery is open Thursday - Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm, and the show is on until Sunday June 9th. This is also the date of The Closing Tea, where I'll be delivering what has optimistically been labeled an 'Artist Talk'. And, if you can't make that, you can watch the whole debacle streaming LIVE on The Compound Gallery website. You can even send in awkward questions, in real time, for me to ignore.
If you can't wait till then to get answers to your many questions you might find they have already been answered in this interview about the show which appeared on Jeremyriad.com. There's even a little Vine video of me in action.I sincerely hope you can make along to the show, but if your impressively hectic schedule doesn't allow it, you can still buy a little Apology of your own right now at the Compound Online Shop. I've also produced a couple of limited runs of Apology letter press prints which are for sale at a very reasonable prices at the show, and probably a bit later online.
Not only that but visitors are welcome to leave their own contribution on the fabulously interactive Apology Wall.I'm sorry, but how can you resist this?
A Perfect Day in Amsterdam.
I have a bunch of artworks appearing in an exhibition at the Westergasfabriek Museum in Amsterdam called 'A Perfect Day'. My fellow exhibitors are an illustrious bunch indeed, including artistic and cultural luminaries like Raymond Pettibon, Chris Johanson, Dave Eggers, David Shrigley, Richard Prince, Simon Evans, Royal Art Lodge, Leonard Cohen and Rene Magritte (yes, THAT Rene Magritte).
The exhibition is described as 'a collection of drawings with text, featuring observations, thoughts and ideas about life. Funny, clever, poetic, ironic and hilarious.' The show is actually a continuation of a highly successful exhibition called ‘Lots of Things Like This‘ that took place in 2008 in New York. The original exhibit being curated by Dave Eggers, author of ‘What's the What’ and founder of the publishing house McSweeney’s. The show also resulted in the publication of the bestselling and influential art book 'More Things Like This' by Chronicle in 2009.
As someone who's been making art out of a combination of pictures and text for many years it's especially gratifying to be included in this show, alongside so many terrific artists. Maybe it's finally time for 'pictures with words on them' to take center stage in The Artworld. To quote Jesse Nathan: 'Now more than ever you can see anywhere in the world an art form consisting of images and text and, above all, humor. Today you see writers, cartoonists, graffiti artists, poets, songwriters, film makers and artists around the world working with these elements. It is an accessible, contemporary form of communication, with a quick easy universal language, but as intimate as a sketch on a napkin.'
If you find yourself in Amsterdam it'll be worth a look, here's the details:
A Perfect Day – 10-24 February 2012Westergasfabriek (Openbare Verlichting)Pazzanistraat 27, Amsterdam, The Netherlandsopen dailyMonday-Wednesday, Friday 11 am – 5 pm.Thursday 10 am- 9 pmSaturday, Sunday 11 am – 11 pm.Admission: €5 (with discount €2,50)