REVAMP and the Spring Fling

I am currently working with a terrific non-profit known as Recyclers Exchanging Various Art Materials and Projects or REVAMP. Below are some photos of our last craft event which was held in Downtown Sonora during their Spring Fling this April. I spent most of the day helping kids make bugs and flowers while others in the group were constructing a giant beehive, fabric banners, coloring and playing music.

By breathing new life into old objects, REVAMP reduces the amount of waste going into crowded landfills. Anyone, business or individual, can save money on disposal costs and (in the future) receive tax benefits by contributing clean, reusable materials that might otherwise be thrown away.


The Spring Fling turned out to be great fun and only the first of many events REVAMP has planned for the near future. Events in June and August are already in the works. Sonora Help-U-Sell is teaming up with REVAMP on August 1st for our first major fundraiser. The craft for the day will be the franken-craft of toy hacking! This includes tearing apart old or broken toys to be reconstructed into new toys for the kids to take home. The event will also have live music, live art, food, a silent art auction and much more. The event will be held in the Help-U-Sell parking lot near Sonora High School. Check back with this link for more information as it comes up and always remember that when a man wears an apron it is called a smock!

{Photos by Kim Mathie}

2010 Projects

Happy New Year! I haven’t been posting a whole lot lately, but it isn’t because of lack of activity. In addition to normal client work I have been working on several art projects which are all in various stages of completion. Posted below are some of the skateboard paintings I have been working on. The decks were donated by Matt Alison of Flatspotz Skate & Car Club, in exchange I designed a shirt print for the club. The decks will be featured in an art show hosted by the arrows.andbones(COLLECTIVE) that will be opening hopefully by the end of the month. The fantastic band West of Next have also commissioned me to create some new posters and album art for their upcoming year. I have also been working on several sketches for a series of crypto-creature prints including the jackalope, krakken and the deer lady (sketches not pictured). I have also, like most people, been spending way too much time on Facebook. Become a fan of UTLTRN Design and stay up to date on art happenings in and around Tuolumne County.


{Hand painted skateboards}


{Flatspotz shirt design}

{West of Next gig flier}

Recent trip to L.A. & the LBC

I just spent the weekend cruising around southern California for a little bit of work and a little bit of fun. Of course whatever the reason I do anything I am always on the look for visual stimulation and creative outlet. While driving Melrose Ave to pick up part of my Halloween costume I noticed the huge amount of graffiti, some by amateurs, some by the pros. I snapped a couple pics of artists you should have seen somewhere by now.

Banksy2

Seeing BANKSY is the reason I decided to whip out the camera.

Banksy3

“I’m out of bed and dressed, what more do you want?”

EINE_BJ

EINE was all over. I don’t know how he does it.

EINE_J

He was usually painting the first letter of the shop’s name.

ShepFairey

And of course Shepard Fairey was around, but I didn’t feel like stopping.
You can probably just but this on a shirt at Zumies.

I don’t know much about graffiti but these were the artists I immediately noticed. There is a lot of good stuff out there, but I was trying to stay on schedule and couldn’t stop for all of it.

The night before I was kickin’ it with my old roommate and we carved out a jack-o-lantern in honor of Where the Wild Things Are.

Carol-O-Lantern

Make Out Session Success

Well the printmaking tutorial, which I call Monoleum (mono print + linoleum) Printing, with the craft group known as the Make Out Session was a success. Here are some of the prints that resulted from the group. We used water based inks on a variety of materials. Take a look.

Derrick & My Prints:

Derrick zombie-fisted the hell out of some old Reader’s Digest illustrations,
experimenting with acrylic paint. I printed with arrows and cogs.

Monoleum1

Monoleum2

Jen’s (group founder) Prints:

Jen experimented with her vast collection of craft materials to get some amazing results.

Jen_linocut1

Jen_linocut2

Megan’s Prints:

The Arrows & Bones art collective was the central theme in Megan’s prints (not shown).

The Return of the Returning Show!

Good news everybody! I have recently been called upon by the Central Sierra Arts Council to resurrect the exhibit of young local artists, known as the Returning Show! The collection will be hung at the newly remodeled Stage 3 Theatre in downtown Sonora, CA. Many of the artist from the previous show will be displaying new works along with some new talent not yet seen in by the art community. The show is slated to run from September 18th–October 18th so don’t miss it. The reception will most likely be on Friday, Sept 18th with more art and an after party at the Frog & Fiddle (located right across the street). Negotiations with Fantasy Metal Island are in the works for the musical entertainment. I will post any new information for this event as I get it.

Here is a glimpse at some pieces I am working on that will make their appearance at the show:

linocons2

{more linoleum icons for monoprints}

UTL_TUCKER

{Tucker v UTL : mixed media : collaborative piece in progress}

project_x

{I… I think I just saw something in the bushes…}

Artist Survey #16: Travis Logan

I met Travis some time after his brother Derrick and I became good friends which would have been sometime late in my elementary school career. He is older than us and was keen to a whole world of things we had yet to discover. He has greatly influenced Derrick’s life and as result mine too. I was introduced to heavy metal, psychotic cartoons and violent comics because of the Logan boys and I haven’t been the same since. Look for some of his work to return to Tuolumne County in the near future.

SELFPORT

{Digital Collage : Self Portrait}
CONSTRUC
{Ceramic : Constructing Deconstruction}
GAMBLEWI
{Mixed : Gambling with Everything}
TIBETSWE
{Digital Art : Tibet Sweat}
Tri
{New triptych in progress : Acrylic on Canvas}

Name: Travis Logan

Location: Las Vegas, NV.

Medium(s): Oil, water, and acrylic Paint; Ceramic, plaster, steel and fiberglass sculptures; Graphite, charcoal, and ink drawing; Photography, digital and S.L.R, digital image creation, film-making and cartooning.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? I am an artist but I still have trouble labeling myself as one. I know I’m an artist but feel that there are negative connotations as well as certain stigmas connected to being an artist.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Travislogan.net when my web page is up. Right now I’m working on updating it and have taken it down.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? When I was very young, maybe 4 years old.

Who/What inspired your interest? On the surface, I originally wanted to draw and make things that I thought looked cool and that others might like as well. I can’t name one individual inspiration because the list would probably be several pages long. Deep down I’ve always had the desire to create and turn ordinary items into art. Whether that is a painting with hidden images and meaning or sculpting something unnatural but visually intriguing.

Where do you first remember being exposed to art? I would say preschool. The first project I remember was tracing my hand on a plate that would be made into a dish. Of course this was something Cavemen did well before I had this idea but none the less, that got the gears turning and they haven’t stopped since.

What is your day job? Artist

Why do you create? I just have to! No matter where I am, good or bad, if I can at least draw it has a calming effect on me and gets me into a peaceful state of mind.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? I like to create images inside of larger images or objects. The idea is: nothing is what it seams! The material I use and the imagery may be different and constantly changing style but there is always a “surrealistic” dreamlike theme to my work.

What do you want from your work? A feeling of completion, satisfaction, accomplishment and pride is probably what I look for most with a finished peace.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I would like viewers to be entertained. I want the viewer to get caught up in the image or object and truly take some time looking at it and possibly become transfixed; not just glance and say, “oh that’s nice, this would go well in the bathroom next to the shells and candles.”

How often do you work on personal projects? Everything I do is personal, some pieces are more heart felt than others but they are always personally meaningful; However I work on art projects not related to galleries or work daily. Unfortunately I have to many ideas and not enough time.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? In the past I have not worked on anything besides the ideas that came to mind with the exception of school projects. Recently, I have been working on paintings and some clothing designs for a couple of individuals who have commissioned me for my services. I would say fifty percent of my time is spent on projects for others.

Does your art support you financially? For the most part no, I could survive on what I make but I would have to sleep in my car and eat bugs for lunch (haha).

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes but not in a negative way. Art is just part of life. I analyze the shapes, colors, images, and composition of every thing around me. I often wake up in the middle of the night or can’t sleep because I have to get ideas out or create something. I often feel like I have too many projects going at once and more ideas surfacing all the time. Life is too short for everything I want to create!

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking and rock climbing. I used to love to go to the movies and still do occasionally; however I can’t stop my self from criticizing and picking apart all the flaws in the plot, editing, and cinematography. Blockbuster films have far too large of  budgets to be pumping out such crap, but I digress.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? NIN, Pearl Jam, Black Crows, Mudvayne, Beastie Boys, Tool, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Frank Sinatra, Digital Underground, E-40 and Credence Clearwater. I am really interested in the Beastie Boys most of all.

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? I don’t have anything planned but I would like to go see Dov Davidoff, the comedian, soon.

How long do you generally take on a piece? It can take me any where from a few weeks to a few years to complete a piece. If I really don’t like the way something is coming out I will put it up for a while and wait for inspiration. If it ends up I’m not feeling right about it after a while it becomes recycled in to another project.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Yes, I guess you could say that I didn’t see eye to eye with the last company I worked for. I was framing and matting art at the time. In short, they wanted to make a profit any way they could and I didn’t think the corners being cut (No pun intended) were ethical.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes, I have to work on a few at a time. I bounce around from piece to piece, partly to keep myself thinking but mostly because I have a short attention span.

In the Works

I haven’t been posting much lately, but I promise I have been working on stuff. The first project is a series of collaborative paintings with some other local artists. I crafted some art panels with scrap wood from my family’s and friends’ wood piles and gave one each to Megan Tucker of Arrows and Bones and Jordan de Herrera of Pop Gang. One artist creates a mark or rendering or object and passes it to another artist and another until the piece is retired and a new one is started. Three pieces were just started last week and I can’t wait to see what happens to them. One is currently being circulated around some friends at the Strawberry Music Festival! I plan on there being ten finished pieces when series is complete. Here are some starts:

collab1

{My start. Spray paint and Gesso on wood.}

{Jordan’s <Pop Gang> start. Acrylic on wood.}

The other project I am working on is cutting out some linoleum (actually old drafting table top) icons to use for monoprint and stamping purposes. I will be using these soon to teach some friends the printing process.

linocons

Makin’ My Trailer Purtty

romano_flores_stearns

I am sorry that I have been slackin’ on the posts but I am in the middle of a lot of projects and haven’t finished anything for a while. Here are my new pieces of art that I have acquired over the last month or so. First is the huge ass, completely amazing Sam Flores piece titled Flores y Zorro that I won from UpperPlayground.com. It is a massive 4ft x 6ft acrylic and spray paint on canvas. I won it by simply entering my email address on the Upper Playground site for their 10th Anniversary giveaway. Flores is a well know Bay Area artist who I first discovered in Juxtapoz Magazine. The piece was hand delivered to me by Adam Krohn, the VP or Upper Playground who is a pretty cool guy.

sf_received

The next piece was given to me by Forest Stearns when he was in town for the Art Show a couple weeks ago. It is a limited edition, several color, 18in x 23in screen print which I believe is titled The End of an Era. Forest’s work is always enjoyable to look at. There are plenty of little creatures and nuances I discover every time I look at this piece.

end_of_an_era

My final piece came when I ordered Mastodon‘s deluxe Crack the Skye packaging which came with a 14in x 14in lithograph of Paul Romano’s album art. Romano’s design has made a huge impact on my work since I discover him and Mastodon on a shelf at a Tower Records in Long Beach. The music is great, the packaging is great. Check it out.

crack_the_skye

Of course these aren’t in their final and proper hanging devices, but I just wanted ya’ll to see them. If anyone has a sweet baby blue frame to for the Stearns piece let me know!

Calligraffiti

wings_mural_small

I have just been enlightened to the work of Niels Shoe Meulman. A street artist, designer and calligrapher out of Amsterdam. I discovered his work while researching Krink paint markers for upcoming live art events. Shoe, as he is called, started tagging in the early 80’s and has gained gallery notoriety be melding the grit and aggression of graffiti with the beauty and elegance of calligraphy. I am not one for words, so here is an excerpt from his site.

WHAT IS CALLIGRAFFITI?

The simple answer:

Calligraffiti is a combination of Calligraphy and Graffiti.

Calligraphy is about the art of writing and can have many forms. Whether it be Japanese ancient brush characters, Arabic pictorial scripts, illuminated mediaeval books or swirly quill writing… all calligraphy.

Graffiti is the art of getting your (pseudo) name up by writing on an urban environment. Perfected in New York City and now a worldwide phenomenon.

The fairly new art of Graffiti and its somewhat rigid rules prompts us to look further back into the history of writing. This is exactly what Niels Shoe Meulman has been doing since his teens, consequently starting to combine the two at the beginning of this century. Thus resulting in Calligraffiti: traditional handstyles with a metropolitan attitude.

Here is a selection of images from his Calligraffiti site, but you should really go on there yourself and check it out:

cosmopolis

wall_hard2

calligraffiti_booklet

Artist Survey #15: Danae Wilson

I met Danae on my second day at CSU Long Beach. We lived in the same dorm building and along with her roommate Christina and my neighbor Mike became good friends. She has a talent to control whatever medium she works with incredible ease. At least it looks that way to me…I can’t paint fer crap!

{Oil on Canvas}


{Oil on Canvas}


{Screen Print}


{Oil on Canvas}

Name: Danae Wilson

Location: Long Beach, CA

Medium(s): Drawing and Painting- Charcoal and Oil on Canvas mostly but I do pattern making and screen-printing, as well as ceramics and metal work.

What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? I am an artist, but I play around with interior and graphic design.

Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? My flickr but it needs to be updated there’s not much there.

When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I started drawing when I was 2. My dad was a Pastor of a church and my mom worked so I stayed with him during the days. I would sit on the floor drawing and painting for hours. I was five when I told my mom I would try and think of something I wanted to paint before I went to bed so that I could dream about and have more to paint about.

Who/What inspired your interest? I used to take lessons as a child and I would go to The San Diego Museum of Art. My favorite painting as a child was Jaques-Louis David’s Death of Marat. I also loved the impressionists and the idea that I could invent anything I wanted on paper. My other inspiration was Harold and the Purple Crayon, I loved that he invented a world around him using only his purple crayon and some imagination.

What is your day job? I am a Photo Retoucher. I use Photoshop to enhance wall portraits (removing blemishes, wrinkles, extra pounds, and unwanted people in backgrounds).

Why do you create? I create because I have to. I don’t create enough though and this plagues me.

Is there any recurring theme in your work? The idea of dystopia comes up a lot in my work, which I think stems from coming to Los Angeles and my feelings of disenchantment and disgust, mixed with wonder. I also focus on personal themes, roles of women, and often my work is inspired by classic literature. I am also a Comparative World Literature minor.

What do you want from your work? I want my work to inspire and receive respect from those who I admire and respect within my art community, but I also want my work to stay universal and retain the ability to communicate to those who are not part of the “art world” and have no training in art history and the art canon.

What do you want viewers to take from your work? I like people to be able to project their own feelings and emotions onto my work. When I create something that is open ended enough that someone else can come and put his or her own interpretation into the piece, then I’m happy.

How often do you work on personal projects? Pretty often. My figurative works are what I consider my “personal projects,” although I have been showing them at school lately so they are less personal.

How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I do paintings for charities although I never show this work to anyone else because of how commercial and even kitschy the works can be.

Does your art support you financially? No. However I do find photo retouching to be a distant cousin of painting and its close enough since it pays the bills.

Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes. I think of all sorts of projects and paintings that never come into existence because of factors like time, money, and freedom to explore without feeling like the work is “unworthy.” I need to let go of those restrictions though.

What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I go camping, I love nature, I love being away from the city. I ride my bike on the beach a lot. These things make me so happy. When I can, I travel. I push myself to grow whenever I can and I pursue things that make me uncomfortable. I never want to be at rest.

Which musicians are you currently interested in? Bon Iver, Fatboy Slim, Sigur Ros, and always Classic Rock

Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? COACHELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How long do you generally take on a piece? A week. I have NO patience. I’m a “one-shot” painter and I don’t usually go back to old pieces.

Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Over and Over. Artists can only date very patient and understanding people who see that art is a necessity and who want to promote your growth rather than monopolize your time.  I could have done anything coming out of High School, but I chose the art path and I know that I will probably never see a ladder that I can climb or any obvious ways to advance myself. Artists have to be as creative with their career and employment as they are with their art.

Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes. I work on abstracted apocalyptic landscapes, as well as large-scale figurative drawings.

Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? I never part with my work, at least not anything I really cared for. I know it will be hard when I do but so far I have hoarded most of my work or given it to my mother and father.