Artoyz

Oliver the Bat Boy and Mortimer the Mortician

lHe lurks in the night, he has a most stern stare, his sidekicks are Red Birds, and he debuted last year as part of Le Carnaval des Spectres at Artoyz Paris…he is OLIVER!

Oliver is one of two amazing new vinyl figures from Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters in partnership with Artoyz Paris.  In an earlier painting by Kathie, Oliver(also known as Bat Boy to fans), quickly became a coveted image, and collectors lobbied for his transition to 3D. The day is getting closer when this small mischief maker and his Red Bird sidekicks can protect your home from evil-doers –  we are getting to see some of the future colorways, alongside with Brandt Peters’ Mortimer the Mortician!

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OLIVER:

Known for his amazing ability to fly over post-apocalyptic lands Oliver, the amazing bat child will always survive any traumatic world threatening scenario. A harbinger of potential earth shattering terror, you only need to put on your fear mongering hat when his shadow appears above you.

Fear not his carnivorous scavengers. His trusty sidekicks only feed on the dead, preferring the eyes and lips, but will nosh on fingers and toes when the need to fly long distances arises.

Details :
• 6 1/4” tall from bottom of figure to tips of bat ears
• Comes with 2 Scavenger Birds
• (4) Four different color ways to choose from!
• Limited : 200 pieces per color variant
• $60 (SRP)

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MORTIMER THE MORTICIAN:

… from Artoyz and Award winning toy designer, Brandt Peters, comes an all new scaled up” limited edition” adaption of his classic narwhal, Mortimer the Mortician. This undertaker originated from Peters’ long sold out Carnies mini-series. Mortimer comes equipped with his trusty straight razor and his favorite bottle of Toxico, embalming fluid. Mortimer the Mortician – keeping stiffs in Caskets since 1932…

Details :

• 6” tall from belly to tip of horn
• Comes with 2 accessories: Straight Razor and “Toxico” bottle
• (4) Four different color ways to choose from!
• Limited : 200 pieces per color variant
• $60 (SRP)

Below is one of the color test sheets for Oliver, and he certainly looks all business!
Colorway 1

Early prototype sample of Oliver and Mortimer at Le Carnaval des Spectres in the background.
Oliver

Stay tuned for release information – we’ll keep you updated as the details drop!

Marvel at Mortimer the Mortician

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Pantone

It has been a long nine months since we got a glimpse at Mortimer the Mortician at Le Carnaval des Spectresand it looks like this cadaver loving narwhal is back and prepping for an autopsy in your living room!

First brought to 3D form in Brandt Peters’ Carnies blind box series, Mortimer has quickly become a fan favorite with collectors. He has been popping up from time to time in more of Brandt’s paintings and sketches, but now, Mortimer is reappearing in 3D form in partnership with Artoyz Paris

Above, we get to see the Pantone assignments from the Artoyz release, and just like Mortimer, it has “cool” written all over it. Mortimer is full of the little details Brandt is known for – the bowler hat,  the anchor tattoo, thebow tie – this marine mammal is gonna be awesome.

oliver mortimer-print

 

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Keep a close eye in the coming weeks for many new features on Mortimer the Mortician!

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Circus to Sunset

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By sethsabbat

Sunday morning we started out at the Musée des Arts Forains: a private collection of ancient carnival memorabilia, including working rides and games.  We then headed into the center of town with a walk around Les Halles and the Centre Pompidou.  Later we checked out the Musée de la Magie and Automates (sorry no photographs allowed here). Then a relaxing boat trip along the river Seine to see some of the highlights of Paris by boat. The day ended with a spectacular sunset. It was then time to say my farewells to the CP artists until the next time Le Carnaval des Spectres returns to town.

Click through for more sights from the City of Love!

Read More »Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: Circus to Sunset

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: The Flea Market & Catacombs

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By sethsabbat

Saturday morning was an early start to Le marché aux puces de la Porte de Vanves. This french flea market is a great place to find things, and Teodoru was a true expert in haggling down prices. Everyone seemed to find something from old comics, to vintage toys, to turn-of-the-century photographs. I found an antique crocodile head to add to my collection of nature morte. With bags filled, we were off to the catacombs.

In the late 1700s, the city of Paris started transferring the bones from its cemeteries here. The visit was slightly disappointing as a good part of the underground route was closed off to the public. I had thought this was due to an earlier act of vandalism I had heard about, but not the case. The night before our visit,  several walls of bones had collapsed. This could very well explain my strange dreams of mudslides the day before! After what seemed like a never-ending flight of stairs, we were back to the service and off to the Latin quarter for lunch with a group of french CP fans, and a visit to a BD gallery. BD’s are the french version of comics.

See more behind the scenes from Paris: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: From Amsterdam to Paris

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By LadyMadeline

When I heard the CP crew was visiting Europe, I knew I had to visit their show. Paris isn’t too far away from Amsterdam compared to the US, so there I was, standing on Gare du Nord. The first thing I did was buy a Paris Visite card which enabled me to use the metro, RER and bus as many times as I wanted to. There are a lot of metrolines in Paris, but with a route map, it’s quite easy to get around town.

On my first day I visited the Sacré-Cœur, a church located in the neighborhood Montmartre. There were a lot of nice stores in the streets surrounding the church, so I spent my time wandering around. Afterwards, I took the metro to Louvre-Rivoli. It took me a little while to find it, but eventually I saw the Artoyz logo pop up. I spent some time checking out the store and started to chat with one of the Artoyz owners. He told me the CP crew had headed out for a lunch, but they could return any time. I only had to wait for a little while when I saw a group of people entering the store. I recognized the artists as they went downstairs to the exhibition room and then Daniel (sethsabbat) noticed me. After a brief gab, I waited in the store, but was then invited to come downstairs (which was awesome!). I met all the artists who were busy unpacking and installing all the pieces. The art looked beautiful and fortunately, everything made it in one piece. When it was all unpacked and put in place, we went to Daniel’s house; he collected some amazing old books and other wonderful items that could be used as risers at the show. We spent Wednesday night talking and we went to a nice restaurant nearby where we ate pizza with the whole group. I really enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say. Very interesting and kind people.

Read More »Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: From Amsterdam to Paris

Behind the Scenes of Le Carnaval: The Opening

By sethsabbat

After a busy first day setting up, Madelon and I met the CP team at Artoyz around noon on Thursday, where props were put in place, and final touches made in the set up of the show. With a few hours to spare before the show started, we headed over to the Louvre. Travis was on a mission to see a painting he missed on his last trip to Paris, so we roamed the halls in search of it.  Thankfully, Teodoru’s map reading skills were better than mine, and after passing the likes of the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, we soon found it:

Afterwards, we strolled through the Tuileries gardens and stopped for lunch before heading back to Artoyz. With less than an hour before opening, a final check was made. Then bam, the doors opened and that place filled up quick. The Artoyz staff were surprised at how quickly the pieces sold; it was a full house and great success. Madelon and I then left the CP crew to have some late-night dining with Artoyz. We had to be be up early as her train was leaving Paris at 6:25am.

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

Countdown to the Carnival: A Sneak Peek at the Killer Customs

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BP –  “Madcap Stingy Jack”,  “Baxter” & “Slimon”

Le Carnaval des Spectres opens in just two days and what better way for us spirit-attenders to celebrate than by gawking at some of the glorious eye candy for tomorrow’s opening?

All of what you see here are originals, but fret not as there will be future incarnations of Brandt’s Black Cat (above center), Ooze Skull (above right), and the new Skelve busts. There’s also a whole whack of 2D art, some of which is sampled here.

Hit the jump and enjoy!

Read More »Countdown to the Carnival: A Sneak Peek at the Killer Customs

Countdown to the Carnival: Grieving Greeter from KO & BP

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The opening of Le Carnaval des Spectres is just around the corner as we speed along into Day 5, spotlighting Grieving Greeter, the newest production run of this sculpt since Kathie’s Sweet & Sorrow solo exhibition in July 2011.

Sporting a slate grey cloak and candy corn-ish nose, this moody beauty is a natural addition to any Halloween display and would look seriously menacing if encircled by candles. Eeep!

Like the Purple edition before him, the Grieving Greeter is a run of 30 pieces and will retail for $250. Five will be on exhibit — watch the Sideshow for a chance to snag the leftovers!

Countdown to the Carnival: KO & BP’s Blue Mist Kuma

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This figure is so gorgeous you have see it to believe it and anyone who’s been fortunate to nab one early can attest that this is one impressive chunk of resin.

Kathie and Brandt’s Blue Mist Kuma makes its official debut as part of Le Carnaval des Spectres, but lucky for us, at a full edition of 66 pieces (five will be at the show), many of us will have the opportunity to add one of these aquamarine beauties to our shelves. And with that embedded GID Lucky Skull, you’ll be enjoying him in both darkness and light. Blue Mist retails for $300.