November 2013

Jackalopes hop to Winter Salon III

b712b2e654bd11e3803b1276cb13382f_7One thing about the cold winters, it gives great artists like Carisa Swenson time in the warm studio to work. Psssh…they don’t need an excuse to get to the studio!

The creativity is pouring from Carisa’s work space. We know she is a busy bee, but we did manage to get a few progress images for Winter Salon III again. This is still  developing work, but Carisa is sculpting the beloved mythical animal of North American folklore, the Jackalope.

So far, we can see three stages of her Jackalope development here: sculpting, painting, and squishy body creation. Above, we can see the head sculpt taking form. Below, starts the paint application, where many fine details come into play. Finally, (after a small time skip) the body creation and placement! Since Carisa is known for dressing her creations in a delightfully anthropomorphic style, we will just have to wait a bit to see what her genius mind thinks up for the completion.

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See all the work when Winter Salon opens December 6 at Stranger Factory.

 

Kathie Olivas’ solo exhibit “Before Midnight” opens tomorrow @ AFA Las Vegas

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AFAbannerOpening tomorrow night at AFA Las Vegas is Kathie Olivas‘ solo exhibit “Before Midnight“.

Imaginary friends take form and narrate their own fleeting moments in a new series of surreal portraits by contemporary artist Kathie Olivas. The Artist will unveil her newest collection, entitled “Before Midnight”, at AFA of Las Vegas on November 30th. The new exhibition includes original paintings and sculpture, inspired by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small adults in an idealized new land. The characters parallel this vision within their own sense of post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting their own stories in a mysterious brave new world. Before the shadows escape into the night, impractical dreamers take part in a world only discovered by their own imaginations. Before the stroke of midnight, the alter egos and spirit guides become intertwined as high spirits for lonely misfits.

WHEN: Saturday Nov. 30th 1-4 PM  / On exhibit through December
WHERE: AFA (Located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo, across from Ralph Lauren)
MORE INFO: afanyc.com / info@afanyc.com / Telephone: 702.998.6975

A closelook into Kelly Denato’s Winter Salon III work

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CaptureWe weren’t kidding when we said “a close look” at Kelly Denato’s work. As she puts it, “It’s not just another pretty accessory, my magnifying pendant comes in handy time to time”.

This is a true teaser of an image with close ups and no follow up image – like the movie trailer you see during December for a summer blockbuster film in July. We love tiny work, and as soon as we can get more on what Kelly Denato has in store for us at Winter Salon III (with magnifying glass or not), we will get them to you pronto.

Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday

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photo This upcoming Saturday and Monday are “Small Business Saturday” and “Cyber Monday“, and Stranger Factory is ready for all the fun. We will be open normal business hours of 11am-7pm Saturday and 11am-6pm on Monday. There will be in door special going on all day Saturday and for Cyber Monday, keep checking the site www.circusposterus.com to see what is in store.

Give the gift of art and toys this holiday season!

Katie Carillo, for Winter Salon

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If you don’t know Katie Carillo yet, you should. One of the brightest rising stars in the Albuquerque art scene, and currently serving time as the Stranger Factory paint monkey, Katie paints beautiful creatures with ecological and environmental themes.

For our Winter Salon, opening at Stranger Factory on December 6th, Katie will be showing three paintings rendered beautifully in gouache – a bee, a whale and a wolf, and laboring under the conditions imposed by climate change. Katie’s painting gets better and more poignant with every piece that we see, and we are excited to present her work at Winter Salon!

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Winter Salon III runs December 6th – 29th, with an opening reception on Friday, December 6th from 6 – 9 PM.

Them Dollz goes BEEP and BOP

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beepDon’t let their disgruntled demeanor and stitches fool you, Beep and Bop are just wishing they were at the circus. They don’t have to wait too long, because Jen Musatto aka Them Dollz has them en route to the circus we know as Stranger Factory.

Beep and Bop are two monster boys that live for the circus. Everything about the circus excites them from the rides, to animals, the clowns, and especially the extra sugary cotton candy and delicious salted peanuts. If they had their way, they would be the leading stars under the big top. Their matching attire of stripes and hats is all part of their act, but the thing is they don’t just have one-act, they have every act. Being such avid connoisseurs of the gilly, they believe that have mastered every performance from juggling to high wire (even if they have yet to practice). They know what they love, and nothing is going to stop them.

Bopbeep2You can see Beep and Bop at Stranger Factory when Jen Musatto’s exhibit opens in the project room December 6 at 6pm. Jen will be attending to talk about her creations and meet with all in attendance.

Kathie Olivas’ “Before Midnight” opens this Saturday

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It is almost game time! Before Midnight opens this Saturday!

Time to dive head first into the exquisite surreal narrative of Kathie Olivas‘ world. Kathie explores the imaginations of these hopeful dreamers in her first solo exhibition in quite some time. AFA Las Vegas hosts the exceptional showcase of Kathie’s work.

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Before Midnight opens November 30th at AFA Las Vegas (Located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo, across from Ralph Lauren).

Toys for Tots!

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If you’re an Albuquerque local, Stranger Factory is hosting Toys for Tots this year! Bring a new, unwrapped gift to the store any time until December 9th, and you will be rewarded with a hug from Mikee or Katie, and the warm fuzzy feeling of having done something good.

If you live out of town, and would like to support the effort, you can find a list of Toys for Tots drop-off locations here.

Buying work from Stranger Factory!

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We field a lot of requests and questions regarding purchasing art from Stranger Factory, and we’ve decided to put together an handy dandy FAQ!

When is opening night at Stranger Factory?
With a few exceptions, Opening Night for all Stranger Factory shows is on the first Friday of every month. Please review Stranger Factory’s Upcoming Shows page, and the Circus Posterus Calendar for more specific dates.

What is the deal with the preview email?
The Stranger Factory show preview is sent out via email on the Thursday or Friday before the scheduled show opens. However, if you are not on our mailing list, you can also check out the “Exhibitions” tab on the Stranger Factory website to see if the preview has been posted yet. The preview is frequently updated with available pieces – a red dot means the piece has been sold, and a yellow dot means that a piece is being held and is awaiting payment.

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But – how do I buy art?

We prioritize sales to our local collectors that come to our opening nights at the gallery, so online sales will generally begin at 12 NOON Pacific Standard Time the following Monday after a show. We handle the initial round of purchase inquiries via email.

For our very popular artists and shows, collectors often time their emails to arrive exactly at noon, as emails are processed in the order received. If you are intending to purchase a piece from a popular artist, we recommend composing your email prior to the request period, and trying to send your email as close to noon as possible.

  • All inquiries must be emailed to strangerfactorysales@gmail.com
  • When emailing please include the title/ price and artist name of each piece you are interested in. If you are interested in several pieces, please put them in order of priority.
  • ***Please specify if you would like to purchase more than one piece. Please include a mailing address and phone number you can be reached at if we have any questions (for US and Canada only) if possible.
  • We will try to first limit one unique original per artist per household and sell additional pieces based on demand.
  • Prices do not include shipping; we will quote a shipping price once a piece is reserved.
  • Serious inquiries only please.
  • Please be patient in waiting for a response. At least 50% down payment must be made by that Friday, or reserved items will be offered to other interested buyers.

Augh, this email thing is confusing.

On the Monday following a show opening, at 12 Noon Pacific Time(and not before), send an email to strangerfactorysales@gmail.com that looks more or less like this –

Hi Aubrie!

You are super pretty and we really think you are great. Also, I am interested in the following pieces, listed in order of priority.

1. [list title and price of art piece] by [list name of artist].
2. [list title and price of art piece] by [list name of artist].
3. [list title and price art piece] by [list name of artist].

My mailing address is [list your address] and I can be contacted at [list phone number].

Thank you!
[your name]

Aubrie, our gallery manager, will respond to you within a day, but it might take longer for very popular shows – so please be patient!

What about your online store?

Our online store on the Circus Posterus website is updated 1-2 weeks after a show with any remaining pieces.

Watch your fruitcakes, Shing Yin Khor has Fattybugs for Winter Salon III

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circusannual_shroomfatty1Look like someone is grumpy they didn’t get enough presents for the holidays, or they just didn’t get enough cake! Regardless of why these fattybugs look like they are in permanent pout mode,  we can all rejoice because Shing Yin Khor aka Sawdust Bear has her magnificent dioramas ready for Winter Salon III.

It looks like there will be two species of these round plump fattybugs: Shroom (above) and Bantayan Reef (below), on display for the show. Both are in their wood diorama displays with various accompanying relics from their natural habitats. Also, notice the Bantayan Reef fattybug is doing its best impression of Lil Bub for all the fans out there. What a wee little tongue!
circusannual_bantayanreeffattybug1Winter Salon III runs December 6th – 29th, with an opening reception on Friday, December 6th from 6 – 9 PM.
To keep us all on our toes, I have to sneak this in since I just saw it on Instagram. Here is what appears to be a work in progress collaboration between Shing and Tim Lee for the show. Holy snow balls batman, this is going to be monumental by the looks of it!
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