The Avant Pop artwork of Peter Mars.

Recently I have been e mailing back and forth with artist, Peter Mars. I was introduced to his artwork through Jeff Schaller. They had collaborated on artwork in the past with beautiful results as they share a similar theme of Americana but have very different styles that blend together extraordinarily well.

Peter's work speaks to American icons of the past from Coca Cola to Elvis, and Superman to Mobil. He creates multi layered screenprints that utilize typography, superheroes, advertising and cultural artifacts in a whimsical manner.

In a partnership with the Elvis Presley Estate, Peter was named an official artist of Elvis Presley Enterprises and was given access to over 60,000 images to use in his artwork. This has become inspiration for a new body of work.

You can see more of his work here and here.



"Night At The Carnival" 22" x 30"


"Elvis" 24" x 30"


"Elvis" 15" x 20"


"Birthday Girl" 16" x 30"


"Zap" 30" x 40"


"You Can Always Depend On Spiderman" 22" x 30"


"TV Breakfast" 22" x 30"


"Nevada Freeway" 22" x 30"


"Silver Sky" 48" x 36"


"Cinders" 22" x 30"

"Green show" opening at Art Department, Atlanta, Georgia.

I will be in a group show at Art Department Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme for the show was "Green" which could be loosely interpreted. The show has a preview at the Art walk which is on July 8th and then the official opening which is July 10th.

Please note that Art Department has a new address which is Pavilion at Studioplex 659 Auburn Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30312.


"What A Good Time" 15" x 15"


"Fresh Giant" 15" x 15"

The artwork of Dave Kinsey.

Dave Kinsey has always been on my art radar. While working in the skateboard industry from 1996-2001 he was one of the bigger names for designers who also had a career in fine art along with Shepard Fairey and Evan Hecox. I was fortunate to be living in Portland when he had a show at the Compound Gallery and then Basil Hayward Gallery in 2002 and was able to snatch up a piece of his art.

Kinsey has been very active in the gallery scene over the past few years and his style has matured as it progressed from his graphic roots replacing it with expressive brushstrokes and less structure while remaining true to his bold color palette of reds and blacks. The result is quite amazing. Kinsey still has touches of typography and his trademark characters that defined his style in the earlier years of his career but has added a new element of abstraction that fits his style perfectly.

You can see more of his work here and here.


"The Best Intentions" 54" x 42"


"The Audacity Of Hopelessness" 68" x 88"


"Terminal Solipsism" 40" x 30"


"Straight No Chaser" 61" x 46"


"Or Nothing At All" 30" x 30"


"Mizaru, Kikazaru, Iwazaru (Three Monkeys)" 46" x 34"


"Losing Faith" 46" x 34"


"Duality" 46" x 34"


"Desecration" 26" x 20"


"Consumer Comfort for Your Pain and Suffering"48" x 24"

Ben Frost Art opening at Brooklynite Gallery.

I had the great fortune of being able to attend Ben Frost's solo show opening at Brooklynite Gallery on Saturday night. The show is titled "Plague Landscapes" and will run through July 18, 2009. Brooklynite Gallery is a great gallery in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It has been open about a year and I hope it stays around because it is a great space representing up and coming street artists. DJ Kool Herc was spinning which was pretty legendary and the opening had a large, enthusiastic turnout considering the torrential rain.

Frost's work consists of meticulously crafted collages of imagery from American pop culture. The detail in his work is incredible and much of the imagery is painted so perfect giving off the illusion of screenprint and collaged photographs. He has investigated American pop culture and has pulled every appropriate and relevant icon and mixes them into a cohesive story complete with corporate logos and typography.

If you are in the area definitely check out the show and I promise you will not be disappointed.

You can see more if his work here and here.

New gallery representation in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I am now being represented in Raleigh, North Carolina by Flanders Gallery. They are starting off by having a small selection of my work and then will build up to a solo or two artist show sometime in 2010.
Interest in these pieces can be directed to Flanders Gallery through their website.

These are the pieces that they will have at the gallery in the coming weeks.

You can see their website here.



"Imperial Power" 48" x 48"


"Energize" 24" x 20"


"Excitement" 24" x 36"


"Conquer The World" 30" x 24"


"Panorama Lanes" 36" x 48"

Jeff Schaller solo show at Brett Wesley Gallery, Las Vegas.

Jeff Schaller currently has a solo show running at Brett Wesley Gallery in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is titled "Popstart" and features 9 pieces of Jeff's incredibly detailed encaustic paintings. Here is a quote from the gallery press release:

Provocative and whimsical, Schaller propels the viewer into scenes of seemingly unrelated subjects, his own captivating and complex sonatas. Simultaneously, they are pop and edgy, esoteric and direct. Using encaustic paints (a bees-wax based paint mixed with pigment) Schaller uses lost and found images, words and language, to paint with a precision and intricacy not normally found in encaustic paintings. His approach is expressionistic, contemporary, and painterly, with powerful brush strokes that are set instantaneously.

If you are in Las Vegas you should stop by the show which is being held at the Newport Lofts, 200 Hoover Ave. in penthouse suite 2109 while the gallery at 1112 Casino Center is undergoing extensive renovations.

You can see more of Jeff's work here and here.


"EZ" 24" x 24"


"Knock, Knock" 36" x 36"


"So Debonair" 36" x 36"


"Danger Dick" 48" x 48"

The artwork of Tim Liddy.

While at the opening for my show at Kidder Smith Gallery in 2007 I noticed a vintage board game on a shelf in their office. I asked where they had gotten such an interesting old game and they handed it to me to hold. It was unusually heavy as well as solid, and then I noticed that it was actually painted to look as if it were an old board game. There were even the details of yellowed tape and ragged edges. The painting was "Cowboy" and it was so incredibly detailed. I was holding a Tim Liddy painting!

Liddy's artwork starts as a steel or bronze box to the exact dimensions of the board game that he is creating. Then, in
a trompe-l'oeil style he paints every minute detail down to the yellowed scotch tape holding the box together, faded price ticket and worn edges. Liddy is extremely concerned with details and his interpretation is spot on. His work brings you back to your childhood with games like Candyland and Monopoly, and introduces you to some that you never knew existed!

You can see more of his work here and here.


"Cowboy"


"Candyland"


"Lucky Shot"


"Cootie"


"Battleship"


"Hot Rod Kit"


"Monopoly"

Surface builder, Michael Kessler.

I was introduced to the artwork of Michael Kessler through Nuart Gallery in Santa Fe, NM while on a trip a few months back. More recently he has started showing at Mark Gallery, the New Jersey gallery that represents my work.

Kessler's work is comprised of multiple layers of paint applied in a process that he has created over thirty five years as an artist and to see it in person just blew me away. The depth in each piece created by layering paint is stunning. His compositions are bold and the small details draw you into his work. Each time you see some detail that you missed the time.

There is a solidity and an honesty to his work that makes me attracted to it.

Here is Kessler's artist statement:
Nature provides the basis upon which my work exists. Thirty-five years ago I began by painting landscapes, but through prolonged and careful observation it was the inner-dynamics of the natural world that grasped my attention. The questions of how and why nature looked the way it did began to drive my work. I began to sensitize myself to the natural processes that were responsible for the appearance of the natural world like sedimentation and erosion. Gradually my painting process took on the characteristics of these natural processes. I invented the process and that process created the images that became my paintings. The process involves the application of many layers of marks and skins. A sandwich of information is built up to reveal the passage of time and it’s own creation. Structures both organic and geometric are laid down under and between translucent skins of paint. These skins are applied with a variety of trowel-like tools I’ve invented or adapted. The pressure used during the application of a skin determines the degree to which the underlying structures and gestures appear or disappear. Much of the initial painting is buried beneath subsequent layers of paint but remains visible to varying degrees. The main thing I want my work to convey is a sense of awe and wonder at the vast universe we can never comprehend. That is how I feel about the world we inhabit and those are the feelings I want my work to express.

You can see more of his work here and here.



"Ventana" 24" x 48"


"Santonian" 44" x 66"


"Palabra" 56" x 76"


"Olent" 30" x 40"


"Myrica" 60" x 80"


"Gilia" 85" x 65"


"Amain" 40" x 60"