art

Stranger Factory Presents: Circus Annual & Derek Yaniger’s ‘One-Way Ticket to Flipsville’ 12.7

Circus Posterus and Stranger Factory are closing out the 2012 season with a bang with Circus Annual and A One-Way Ticket to Flipsville: two killer exhibitions from the CP gang along with Atlanta’s favorite scribbler, Derek Yaniger.

In keeping the tradition of last year’s Winter Salon, Circus Annual will showcase new works from CP artists and friends at affordable prices just in time for the holidays. This year’s exhibition will feature art from Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Chris Ryniak, Amanda Louise Spayd, Valency Genis, RAGNAR, Phil Noto, Glenn Barr, DrilOne, Leecifer, Yohei Kaneko, and Shigeta Tanaka. Resin editions, custom toys, small originals, prints, apparel and the like will be available, so after all the art lovers are scratched from your list, you’ll still have enough for a little self indulgence. ;)

Joining in the Circus Annual soiree is A One-Way Ticket to Flipsville, a solo exhibit from Derek Yaniger in the gallery’s small projects space. Inspired by cocktail napkin art of the 50s, Yaniger’s retro illustrations are a lively collision of classic cars, cocktail parties and island oases. With more than a dozen new paintings and a bunch of full-colour sketchbook originals planned for the exhibit, Yaniger’s been busy with the paint slinging and we have much to look forward to! So grab your grass skirts and tiki torches, we’re headed to a land full of sun and sand this December!

Circus Annual and A One-Way Ticket to Flipsville open Dec. 7 with a reception from 6 to 9pm. Some of the exhibiting artists will be in attendance!

A Glimpse Inside the DKE Warehouse

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Before diving into the insanity of DesignerCon setup, we were offered the rare chance to check out the DKE warehouse. For those not on the west coast, the warehouse is something of legend — like the end scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I’ll tell ya now, it lived up to all expectations and I did my best to sneak in photos when I wasn’t busy staring in awe!

Above is one of the inner offices where you see toys you rarely see pop up in normal conventions. Further around the offices is where you see complete sets of all the Wilkowski pieces, bones, and even prototypes we will never see.

Above is just one of many many rows of stock. This where you really start to think the Ark is hidden between 16 cases of Chueh’s Target and the five stacks of Mummy Boys.

There isn’t just rooms full of stock going to your favorite retailers, there are also specific rooms. Now next to Skywalker Ranch, this might be nerd nirvana because DKE have a Star Wars room. Yes, a room filled with lots and lots of loose and in-box Star Wars toys! Here you find a herd of At-At hiding in the corner, a box of 18 power droids, fast food promo toys, a portion of a Wookiee, and much more. It is an epic sight to see, and I pretty much hung out in here for quite sometime in pure amazement.

Not to be outdone with a Star Wars room, the warehouse also has an entire book room and a plush room. Both these scream “grab an art book and belly flop into a pile of plush to read it for a few hours.”

Once again sorry for my lack of pictures because I was being a little kid at Christmas. I did get one of  DrilOne showing off his dunking skills outside the warehouse for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you again to Dov and Sarah Jo for the invitation, and check out their blog for news on upcoming toys.

The Devilish Monsters & Minions of My Ghoul Friday

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Happy Hallow’s Eve, everyone! In continuing with the coverage of artists who are currently rocking my socks, it is of utmost pleasure to present a special Halloween edition and introduce you all to the quirks and creativity of one of my favourite ladies, Ghoul Friday. I discovered her work on a whim at Toronto’s FanExpo in August and have been hooked ever since. She’s from the city, makes awesome paper clay monsters and has also published her own book: Brains vs. Coffee, which quite hilariously explores the pros and cons of the consuming, enjoying, storing, preparing and disposing of each.

Friday is an ardent follower of Halloweenia, clearly. Most of us are in these parts, but she takes it to a whole ‘nother level, crafting most of the decorations herself and changing it up every year. I mean, seriously, people:

Now that’s a Halloween party we’d all want to go to, amirite? A self-taught sculptor who got her start making large-scale props for Halloween parties for nearly a decade, she took the plunge and started making her own little monsters and minions in 2009, and attended her first convention as a vendor that summer. She’s been at it ever since.

Friday’s creations are a combo of paper clay, paper mache, fabric and polymer clay, and while she’d like to say it’s because she’s a sort of eco-warrior, “a lot of it has to do with habits from being part of the Haunter community, where you build items from scavenged goods,” she explains.

Read More »The Devilish Monsters & Minions of My Ghoul Friday

Recap: Kathie Olivas “Haunted” Solo Exhibition @ AFA NYC, 10.20

Kathie Olivas’s newest solo exhibition, Haunted, opened to a packed house at AFA gallery in lower Manhattan’s beautiful and bustling Soho neighborhood last Saturday. With 20 new paintings and eight custom sculpts, Haunted is Kathie’s largest and most ambitious collection of work to date and it did not disappoint. The evening kicked off with an artist walkthrough with the AFA staff and a brief Q&A period for the first hour.  Shortly after, the doors were unlocked and the wine uncorked. signalling the start of the celebration! A photo gallery of the evening’s festivities is posted just after the jump.

Haunted is on through December at AFA NYC. The full exhibition of works can be viewed here. Contact the gallery 212.226.7374 for pricing & availability.

Read More »Recap: Kathie Olivas “Haunted” Solo Exhibition @ AFA NYC, 10.20

Not Your Heaven and Not Your Hell: New Illustrations from Teodoru Badiu

Teodoru Badiu’s been busy at work in the studio rendering up some new 3D characters and dreamscapes just in time for All Hallow’s Eve. Entitled “Not Your Heaven and Not Your Hell,” the new body of work was created just for kicks, but I’d like to think they’d make made some snazzy prints or sculpts, no? (Skeleton ghost! Skeleton ghost!)

Teo’s characters often possess an intriguing duality of innocence and mischief that leaves the viewer with a feeling of uneasiness, like they can’t entirely be trusted. Should we follow them?

See more from this collection via Teodoru’s Behance portfolio. Also be sure to pop by his site for a romp about his world and a 101 on the works of the newest member of Circus Posterus!

A Rare Look into Kathie Olivas’s Studio as She Prepares for ‘Haunted’ @ AFA

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While vacationing in Albuquerque a couple of months ago, Kathie offered me the absolute pleasure of shooting some in-progress paintings for Haunted, her solo opening later this month at AFA NYC. It had been a little over a year since I had visited her studio, and the thought of documenting the work to later share with the fans was obviously a thrill. It’s why bloggers do what they do, after all, and it isn’t often that we get an intimate look behind the scenes at CP HQ.

Kathie’s studio is detached from the rest of their house in the mountains. Slipping out the sliding door of the sculpture studio and through a gate leading to the side yard, you then climb up the rocky facade of a small-but-steep incline that actually turns into cliff if you go the wrong way. Hanging a left, you soon see it: a large, glassed-in gazebo with wraparound deck. Ask Kathie about it and she’ll educate (and enterain) you on the perils of building into solid rock.

Despite its imposing size, the interior space of the gazebo is rather tight, with nearly every square inch occupied by easels, canvases, shelving and supplies. Shooting the art became a nerve-racking game of hopscotch as I tried to get the right angle without turning the canvases into dominoes.

The art shown here is only a sampling of what will be on exhibit at AFA. There are also the three-dimensional works, which were lurking in another studio in the house. Kathie’s workspace aside, there are also the toy and print studios, which I’ll document next visit. There’s also their rec room, where paintings and sculpts often spill onto tables, counter tops and any other conceivable surface. Pop into a washroom and you may see 30 some odd Stingy Jacks bathing in the tub. The art is everywhere and it’s incredible and inspiring how two artists have committed themselves so completely.

Anyway, without further adieu, enjoy the tour of Studio KO. Haunted opens Oct. 20th and runs through December at AFA NYC.

 Click through for more studio sneaks!

Read More »A Rare Look into Kathie Olivas’s Studio as She Prepares for ‘Haunted’ @ AFA

Kathie Olivas & Brandt Peters Art Pillows from ClickforArt

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 London-based art and housewares purveyor ClickforArt recently launched a line of limited-edition designer art pillows and Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters have just been added to the list of featured artists. ‘Plush canvas’ versions of “Hysteria”, “Goodnight Moon” and “Miss Content” are available as 17″and 24″ art cushions, and a 40″ floor pillow for £39, £59 and £139, respectively. Each design is an edition of 250 pieces and are printed using non-toxic, water based inks. They’re also machine washable should your furrier family members have a discerning taste for art.

Want to grab some flair for your favorite chair? Can’t say I blame you. Hop over to ClickforArt here!

 

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Set-Up Day

By sethsabbat

Following a week of set-up and sight-seeing, of wining and dining, the Circus has packed up and returned back to their respective homes in the US. Fortunately for us, the memories are just beginning as the pictures and stories start to unfold. Since so many of us experienced this exhibition in spirit, fellow CP boadies Daniel (sethsabbat) and Madelon (LadyMadeline) were gracious enough to document the event, from rehearsal to curtain. To kick things off, Daniel gives us a quick recount of set up day, complete with photos of the packing peanut party. Enjoy!

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I met Brandt, Kathie, Travis and Teodoru outside Artoyz Wednesday afternoon after work. I’ll be honest, I felt a bit like a stalker going up to them and saying hello; we hadn’t really set a rendezvous and I wanted to drop some maps off for them. They were killing some time, waiting for some paint to dry in the gallery, so I took them down the rue Saint Honore to check out Colette (a concept store; the dunny series was based on this place), and we then headed back to Artoyz where we found Madelon.

Brandt invited us to hang out as they opened up boxes to inspect the art. Happily, there were no drastic accidents in shipping.  After unpacking, the CP team then began placing the pieces and wiring the wall hangings. I was so amazed to see all the work they did for this show. Kathie and Brandt were looking for some risers, so I suggested they stop by my house to see if there was anything they could use.

Having done all that they could for the day, we headed out, down the rue de Rivoli, with a quick stop at BHV to pick up some epoxy and have a look at the Hotel de Ville. From there, we headed back to my place to pick out props and sample some wine and cheese. Marc had them laughing: he’s a true minimalist (before I moved in), and pretty much begged them to stop producing so much stuff. As we were heading out to eat and decided to bring some of the props, Marc was like, “Please, take more!”

Hit the jump for more photos from Day 1!

Read More »Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Set-Up Day

Calliope Jackalope: An Anatomy, Pt. II

Previously on Calliope Jackalope, An Anatomy: Calliope is rendered in 3D and from that a prototype is made for the factory to map out the mold process. We head there now for some mold-makin’, waxin’ action!

Like Stingy Jack, the Calliope prototype was taken to Obitsu to determine how many metal molds the figure will require. Given her complexity, she, too, would require five to cover her multiple parts: head, body, legs, hat, ears and tail.

The figure is re-cast in wax and the metal molds are made. From that, we get our first test:

And from there, the header card art is submitted by Brandt and Kathie and voila! Our first packaged Calliope!

[via the Tomeno blog]

The Circus Prepares for Le Carnaval + Purchase Info!

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The Circus has landed in Paris and set up’s in full swing in preparation for the opening of Le Carnaval des Spectres this evening at Artoyz Shop + Galerie. My friends, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!

Many of you are probably wondering how the preview will work and the short answer is “just like Monsters & Misfits”. Those who attend the opening will get first dibs and then all remaining pieces will be available for purchase online HERE around 10-11pm Paris time TONIGHT (4-5pm Eastern, 1-2pm Pacific, today) .

Some advice from Yann-Claude at Artoyz:

“Please note that all orders from non-EU countries won’t pay the French VAT (19,6%).
The final price will be adjusted (as well as the shipping costs) once you mentioned your Delivery Address during your order. That’s why we suggest to create an account and log-in before you shop.”

Good luck, gang!