art

Ballpoint pen drawing (original) by ArtsPreserve @ Etsy.

Today seems to be a fruitful day for there was also this great artist Daniel Curtis from Lincoln, Nebraska in the “pounce” section.

He is selling original art, and even though my favorite is the ballpoint pen drawing above, I also love this acrylic and ink a lot :

Acrylic and ink on fabriano paper (original).

You can see more of his art in his Flickr and he also has a blog.

And don’t forget to read his profile @ Etsy in which he invites us to check on his favorites - which I have done to discover wonderful artists…

Baby wuth mum by Be Happy Now @ Etsy.

I discovered this great tool of Etsy only very recently and I’ve found a great artist today using it so it has inspired me to start a series of articles.

It’s called “pounce” and you can either browse through shops that have not yet made their first sale (the official line is : “Recently updated shops that have not yet had a sale”, so I do not know if it works with shops that have been here a long time and have not sold anything…) or else browse through shops that have just made a sale. I chose the first and stumbled upon Be Happy Now and I love her sense of color. She uses watercolors a lot, but not only for there is also this amazing carving painting that I absolutely adore :

Carving.

This particular one listed there is called “Original Carving Painting” and I was confused at first with the word “original” associated with “carving” so I asked Jenny exactly what she meant by that and she replied that it was the first one made with the metal plate. So more are to come, which is good news for of course just as I was writing this article, 4 items including the ones I put photos of had already been sold !

Her prices are unbelivably cheap and I think she could really sell her original watercolors and her other artwork for more…

She also has a Flickr.

My Sweet Dog by Yoshitomo Nara.

It seems artoyz has recently widened their range of products to wooden toys - not just any wooden toys mind you but a small selection from the Artists’ catalogue of Vilac.

I’m not so fond of the Keith Haring’s chairs or the “Raymond” pencil holder/pot by Hervé Di Rosa, but I discovered “My Sweet Dog” recently when writing my article on Nara and it is simply perfect.

Furthermore, Vilac is located in the Jura (France) where my family comes from (both my parents were born there) and the toys are manufactured with great care there, which are all good reasons to buy those toys…

So last week I got the most crazy idea that I would compile a list of 100 artists @ Etsy and I immediately set to work.

I wanted to write a few words about the “why” & “how” of the affair, but I realized nobody would actually care, so to keep things simple let’s just say that I have discovered many great and talented artists through Etsy, and it is getting more and more difficult each day to browse through their shops since there is no way to tag or organize your favorites into categories on the site and I figured a “memo” or “post-it” article would be of great use, not just for me or for people already familiar with Etsy, but also for people who would like to discover new artists but do not have the time to extensively browse the internet or Etsy for that matter….

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TreeSpot (limited edition print) by Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.

While “searching for mushrooms” the other day, I discovered this great artist Junkyard Sam @ Etsy.

Even though I am very much attacted to Lowbrow Art, his work at first sight might not exactly be what I am more drawn to for it has a kind of “cleanliness” about it - probably due to the use of computer in the process as well as to the fact that Junkyard Sam used to work in the game industry - which might have deterred me a bit.

However, examining more carefully the works presented @ Etsy, I could not help but feel something compelling in his art. There is indeed definitely a universe here, a brand new world created and opening before us, for us to walk in and encounter strange creatures… And if you read Junkyard Sam’s introductory words which go :

Welcome to the land of “Tong Picnic”, a world where strange people befriend animals to travel across bizarre lands full of good citizens and scary monsters!

plus the titles of his works as well as the descriptions, you realize that although this universe might be unknown to you, it does exist to some and is indeed very real, since the land and the creatures that inhabit it all have names.

Meet T’nip Whirl :

A Portrait of T’nip Whirl (limited edition print).

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The Country Life - Original Painting by blueberry bandit @ Etsy.

I realized recently that age - and probably experience - has brought me a broader perspective on Art. When I was younger, I had this very ‘elitist’ view upon all things artistic, there was basically ‘ART’ and the rest of it - which could then be dismissed as not really worth looking or considering.

Of course I am an educated woman, I did go to university but my studies were not related to Arts and my artistic culture and background I had to build for myself so I think it was really important for me to have strong positions upon things and forge my own personal opinions from everything I was reading or seeing. Hence the somewhat harsh view upon most things that did not come up to my (very) high standards as to what Art is or should be.

With time, I have acquired a more flexible and I truly believe a more interesting approach to things. So while I love Rothko, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Dubuffet, Chaissac and so many others, I also love that rabbit.

I stumbled upon this painting while researching “mushrooms + art” on Etsy for an article I am writing, and if you think that dots + red and white mushrooms would suffice to make anything cute, think again. This is not ‘cute’, or at least not just.

In her profile blueberry bandit writes :

My name is Sara, and I am a lover/creator of all things cute. Not too cute, mind you. I try to add just the right amount of humor and attitude into the mix when I can.

Attitude, right ! Love that rabbit’s ‘attitude’ !

Check out the description under the painting :

Ah, the country… Fresh air and polka dots all around! This surly bunny enjoys the country life so much that he just might crack a smile. If you watch carefully, you might catch him in the act!

Attitude, right ?

I can already imagine that rabbit over my desk, me waiting for him to “crack a smile”…

This is an original painting.

P.S. : Oh, and it does not show in the shop for there are none available at the moment, but Sara also makes great plushes.

blueberry bandit :: blog
blueberry bandit :: etsy

Red Light Male Bowler (Limited Edition, signed print) by Tina Rice @ Etsy.

I kind of fell in love with this illustration by Tina Rice. It happens she also makes nice enamel jewelry too.

Tina Rice Jewelry @ Etsy
Tina Rice’s blog + her flickr.

“306″ by Mandy Lamb & Mikael Kennedy @ Etsy.

I had not browsed through Etsy’s Treasury for a long time although it is always a good way to discover new artists. This is how I stumbled upon Mandy Lamb in a treasury collected by thepairabirds.

The name of her Etsy shop is not Mandy Lamb however, but 1977 and at the moment there is only this book “306″ which contains 306 polaroid images by Mandy Lamb and Mikael Kennedy. It is a limited edition of 50 signed by both artists.

The photos, polaroids made with the now cult SX-70 Polaroid camera and expired films have that special quality you usually find associated with that magic combo. You can see more of her work on the sold section of her shop or on her website www.mandylamb.com.

Carlton designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1981 for Memphis Milano.

I found this great article called “Memphis design style is back” while doing some research about Ettore Sottsass in early January when I learned he had died. I’m not in a writing mood these days so I guess I’ll just add a selection of photos and links here.

Tahiti lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Memphis Milano, 1981.

Vase (502) - Black & White Collection by Ettore Sottsass for Bitossi of Italy.

Sottsass Associates - The Wolf House in Ridgway, Colorado, USA, 1987-89.

Ettore Sottsass. Portrait by Luca Fregoso. “Ettore Sottsass: Work in Progress”, Design Museum, London.

Ettore Sottsass

Articles on Sottsass :
Ettore Sottsass @ Design Museum + Memphis @ Design Museum
Ettore Sottsass - 20 ans de design pour Olivetti @ Centre Pompidou
Ettore Sottsass @ LACMA
Ettore Sottsass : “Tout est design, c’est une fatalit?” Le Monde, 29/08/2005, interview by Mich?le Champenois.

Shopping :
Alessi
Memphis Milano
Ettore Sottsass @ Unica Home
designdesign.it

The Toy Monkey by Gary Taxali - Exclusive Green Version available @ Kung Fu Toys

While Gary Taxali’s new vinyl figures “Oh No” + “Oh Oh” are on the verge of being released by Bigshot Toyworks, you can still find some of his Toy Monkeys. The yellow version (500 numbered pieces signed or unsigned) is the regular one and not many people are aware that a green version was also released in a limited edition of 200. It was at one point sold by some museum - I think it was the MOMA but I am not sure now - and I just found that Kung Fu Toys has it for $150 dollars.

You can still order the Original Toy Monkey Deluxe Edition @ Chump Toys or @ Orbit Gallery space.

Also see the Original Hand Painted “Toy Monkey” on Gary Taxali’s website.

Oh No + Oh Oh by Gary Taxali - sculpt by Scott Wetterschneider

Note that you can buy the Oh No Bronze Statue along with some artwork by Gary Taxali @ Magic Pony.

OH NO Bronze Statue - Gary Taxali

Gary Taxali

“Too Young To Die” Ashtray™ - Yoshitomo Nara

So this is Day One of “At last you won’t risk getting lung cancer from spending too much time in a café-bar-restaurant-nightclub-pick your choice here” in France and what with the big fuss around that and the so predictable reports on the radio - I don’t watch the news on TV anymore, I got spare the smokers vs non-smokers images - but what it really made me think about this morning waking up was this ashtray based on a painting Yoshitomo Nara made in 2001. (I wonder however whether anyone has ever used the thing as an actual ashtray…)

Anyway, besides the other well-known figures made from Yoshitomo Nara’s work, the PupCup™ and the Little Wanderer™ - my favorite one so far - I recalled that this year another figure in a Limited Edition of 300 had been released by How2Work. It’s called “Sleepless Night” (sitting), retail price was HK$7800 (around EUR 730 or US$ 1,000 at the time back in July), but even though you might have had the money it was still a tough job to get one. But the only thing that really matters is that it is amazingly and breathtakingly beautiful.

“Sleepless Night” (sitting), Yoshitomo Nara, 2007

However, if you happen to be interested in the financial aspects relative to art, while researching for this article - believe it or not I do research before writing - I found out that there has been a recent auction at Sotheby’s Paris about Contemporary Art and that number 276/300 of “Sleepless Night” sold there for 9,850 euros (14,415 US$).

Yoshitomo Nara @ Blum & Poe + Yoshitomo Nara on Flickr

Shopping @
Addict Galerie + Artoyz + Giant Robot + Inhabit [Canada] + Little Fashion Gallery + Museum of Contemporary Art [Chicago] + My Plastic Heart + Raw Space [Australia] + retromodern.com + unicahome

Brendan Monroe Assimilation, 2007
26×40 Inches, Acrylic on Paper
Richard Heller Gallery

With Brendan Monroe’s solo show “Insides” opening at Richard Heller Gallery, Fecal Face takes us for a visit inside his & Evah Fan’s studio in Berkeley. Besides some great shots taken around the place you can see some of Evah’s work plus of course some of Brendan’s recent work. And there’s a really nice video ending with Brendan taking us inside his giant interactive sculpture titled “Borborygmi” which “represents a giant walk through plush stomach”.

I absolutely love those peeks into artists’ studios and workplaces and I had already mentioned PROJECT S2DIO #049 - BRENDAN MONROE by www.glltn.com.

The show at Richard Heller Gallery has just opened and there are not many reviews yet but you can see some pictures of the works shown on Flickr.

Brendan Monroe
Evah Fan

Fecal Face Dot Com

Ceramic coffee mug by Brendan Monroe on Park Life, go to Homewares.
New in 2007. Very limited Edition of 150 pcs.

Brendan Monroe is an amazingly great artist. I discovered his work at the same time I discovered art toys since his Sour figures were then being released amidst quite a bit of turmoil as I seem to recall. The toys had been shown back in 2005 at SDCC and were first scheduled for October/November of the same year, but as is often the case with vinyl figures the production experienced some delays so that even though they were at some point announced for late January 2006 they were not actually released until April 2006. The release itself was a bit chaotic since it was mostly done through pre-orders and it seemed Glen Liberman from Android 8 was doing pretty much everything by himself. You could find the Green and Brown versions in a couple of shops though, but the Red Sour was a Munky King exclusive and the Orange one which was an Android 8 exclusive was sold solely at SDCC.

These “toys” are truly fantastic figures. They are a bit scary at first sight but they are so unlike anything else and so “strange” and sculptural that for many people - including myself - they ranked among the best and most beautiful toys produced in 2006. I love them. I love their strangeness and mystery. (And, Oh joy, I even managed to buy the Green one a couple of months later from Giant Robot - the Brown one was unfortunately “sold out”).

Indeed they have all long been “Sold Out” and the only way to get one - you guessed right - is eBay. Of course the prices today for those figures are quite insane - not to say totally insane if you are aiming for a complete set (the last complete set of four on eBay sold for a little more than $800 about 2 weeks ago) - so if you really love Brendan Monroe’s work for that price you could as well get an original painting or one of his Microbes. Or for less money than you would pay for one Green or Brown Sour you can also buy one of his Potato Heads at HarnerHouse. And truly it is a mystery to me that these sculptures be still available… (Edit : A friend of mine tried to order these and they are in fact sold out. I am sorry since it was not clear at all on the site. 21 September 2007)

Potato head (large) + Potato Head (small) by Brendan Monroe (2005, resin & wood, signed)

Also from HarnerHouse : In Case of Paper Face, a small interactive book.

Other books and zines :
Sour Leaves available at NOWhere Limited and Rotofugi.
Organelles available directly from Brendan Monroe.

Brendan Monroe
Brendan Monroe’s Studio PROJECT S2DIO #049 by www.glltn.com.
Upcoming exhibition “Insides” at Richard Heller Gallery from October 13 to November 11, 2007.

The Sours by Brendan Monroe :
Sculpted by Dave Pressler
Produced by UNKL for Android 8.

According to Squidoo numbers were as followed :

1. Brendan Monroe Sour Brown 400 Produced
2. Brendan Monroe Sour Green 400 Produced
3. Brendan Monroe Sour Red (Munkey King Exclusive) 100 Produced *At Last Report 50 Actually Sold To The Public*
4. Brendan Monroe Sour Orange (Android 8 Exclusive) 100 Produced *SDCC Exclusive Now* *At Last Report Only 50 Will Actually Be Sold To The Public*

Happiness is a field of Poppies (edition 1) by Yumi Yumi

When I created my first Treasury on Etsy I had included this beautiful print by Aline *Yumi* Yamada. I love the sweet combination of colors as well as the pure simplicity of the drawing. If you look at the girl alone, how much more simpler could it be ? (And as you may know simplicity is one of the hardest things to achieve in art.) And even the background which is much more elaborate and decorative, because it is only composed of white lines upon a gradation of one single color, emphasizes this sense of graceful simplicity. The overall impression is really one of peaceful serenity.

Now if you browse through the yumi yumi shop you’ll notice that all prints come in a variation of colors. The print above is labelled “edition 1″ but there are 2 others. Here you can see edition 2 and edition 3 of the same print. Aline Yamada says in her shop that “she loves color so much it’s hard to decide on just one” and when I asked her about her creative process she wrote back to me :

I start all my illustrations with a pencil drawing then work on coloring them on the computer. so I guess the ‘originals’ are in graphite pencil and the final is digital. The tiny animal prints are small gouache paintings I’ve made into prints and my bird and flower prints have elements of watercolor that are incorporated into the final piece.

I must say that although I like her “Bird Prints” my favorites are really her “Girl Prints”. I especially love that one :

Make a Wish (edition 1)

and her last ones - named after her little sister Lily - but I can’t seem to decide which version I like most between edition 2 and 3 :

Lily White (edition 2) + Lily White (edition 3)

You should also check out her Monster Prints, her “monsters” being of course the sweetest creatures ever.

And at the time I am writing this article she has a couple of originals for sale in her shop including this one which I totally love :

Aurora

the yumi yumi shop
Aline Yamada’s blog : Yumi Yumi