Circus Folk

Circus Folk: Leecifer

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With the release of a new batch of glittery CP x Tomenosuke sofubi ready to be released next week, we thought it would be a good time to show off an amazing sofubi (and more) collection. Leecifer, besides being a brilliant artist, also has an amazing collection – from classic vinyl and sofubi, to original art. He also has an unprecedented Stingy Jack collection and is seriously salivating waiting on the new red glitter Jack next week.

We were planning on asking Leecifer some questions about his collection, but he gave us an perfect account already!

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I guess the place to start is that the collection as it is displayed now is a fraction of what it was.

We went from 12 Detolfs, many shelves and the wall space of a 3,000+ sq ft home to a single 10′ x 16′ office. All the large art is in storage and we got rid of as much of the collection as possible. I must confess, it pains me not to have the entirety of the Strangeco collection out in one place. There were cases w/ all Super7, w/ all Circus Posterus and wonderful misc vinyl artists. Also, cases of my own work (show prep, commissions etc) piles of plush, and art for days.

The following varies every time I try to recall it, but this is the gist of the toy/art collection’s origin. With the exception of the multi-armed armed army men I horrified my family with by making as a little kid, some of the first pieces I customized were Bounty Hunter and expensive kaiju stuff gotten off e-bay. After visiting Kozik to drop off my “Panda Meat” submission (and drool at the MASSIVE collection of toys in his apartment), he mentioned this new place opening called Kid Robot (way cheaper fodder). I butchered 4-5 cases of series one Dunnys and we had 30-40 8″ Dunnys plus innumerable other pieces in the collection before I began working w/ the Super7 guys. Enter the Kaiju Detolfs. But to back up a bit – about the same time as we first went to Frank’s, we began scaling back our 2-D art purchases. I still had walls and walls of gig posters (my initial participatory passion) from our first house and we had become largely West Coast-centric in our art buying. We discovered StrangeCo before ever setting foot in KR and they remain today my favorite toy co. The artist roster made up for the crappy production value, (knowing even then, that the gold stuff would slowly melt into toxic shmegma) as it was all the artists we had been buying 2-D work from. The association w/ Super7 turned out to be great fun and I began to curate shows, work odd events/SDCC, paint house product, moderate the custom forum page, and produce vinyl toys (well, multiple color ways of ONE toy lol, the Honoo) and of course collect toys, toys, toys!!! 
 
Although I had heard of Kathie and Brandt, and was familiar w/ their work, it wasn’t until I was in a group show, at Wootini, w/ her that I was able to acquire one of Kathie’s paintings (the little Jackalope Misery Child on the teal background). In fact, the only other two pieces of art we currently have hanging in the house are Kathie’s “Resuscitate” and Brandt’s “Mummy Gator” in the bedroom we currently occupy. But, backing up again, when I finally got a good look at their figurative stuff, it became apparent to me, what Kathie and Brandt were producing was a truly nuanced, highly stylized, hybridization of art and 3-D figure (toy) along w/ their wonderful paintings. Beautiful pieces, strong on personal vision (lovely sense of ephemeral history), impeccable execution and just plain fun. Circus Posterus has their shit together and it’s a true honor and pleasure every time I get to participate in one of their projects or shows! 
 
Oh, and I’ve been saying this for years (despite the fact that I failed w/ several toy co’s to produce one) that pumpkin heads would one day be the new black! Eventually I’ll get off my ass and produce one of my own.
 
You can see more of my collection and my own stuff via
Instagram/Twitter: leecifer1

Circus Folk: Austin Auch

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Trouble Boy gangIt’s a new year, and time for a new round of Circus Folk!

If you are new to our gaggle of misfits, Circus Folk is where we showcase the beautiful collections of our many collectors one at a time. We love our collectors and are constantly awed by their collections,

Our showcase this week is a passionate collector of Brandt and Ferg’s work – the brilliant collection of Austin Auch! You may know Austin from the Collect and Destroy forum and from the Circus Posterus forum, where he has taken on the awesome task of “365 Days of Trouble” – photographing a Trouble Boy all over the map!

Gazing at Austin’s collection, it is easy to see that he loves the world of Squadts and everything Ferg. The wide variety and number of pieces is astoundin and comprehensive, and it’s always a honour to get a peek into a labour of love like Austin’s. The love for Circus Posterus and many other works don’t go unnoticed either. We might be pretty biased, but we think that Austin has great taste!

Thank you, Austin!

Are you ready for TRIGGER II yet?

Circus Folk: Stacyjean

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orange_sjcShe loves bees, loves Circus Posterus, has an affinity for finding rad things, and is a fellow scientist – Stacyjean is awesome! Featuring our long time collector, forum member and friend, we are proud to bring you this edition of Circus Folk. Seriously, Stacy’s decorating skills are pretty much unparalleled and the little worlds that she builds for her collection are simply amazing.

We must warn you, this edition of Circus Folk only scratches the surface of her collection, but it gives us all a good representation. Sit back, grab a drool cup, and look at Circus Folk: Stacyjean!
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Stacy’s famous bee collection.

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A creepy baby carriage is the perfect home for Amanda Spayd’s dust bunnies.

Want so see more? More pics after the jump.
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Circus Folk: Brent Maloney

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BM2For this round of Circus Folk, we take you to a Circus fan far far away, to the island of OZ aka Australia, with Brent Maloney.  We know that our loyal Circus Folk know no geographical boundary, and Brent is one of the many who reside almost a full day’s travel from our home base. This means that dealing with time zones and shipping can be troublesome, but from what we have seen, Brent hasn’t had too many issues!

Sit back and look at some of Brent’s collection, and take notice, because he is also a VERY avid record collector, especially of The Melvins.

Tons of records

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Circus Folk: Rad collections with Radke

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Charity Sparks Radke Cat

Scott Radke‘s “Interface”, opens at Stranger Factory in just two days, and the anticipation for the show is growing by leaps and bounds! To get us in the mood before the preview email arrives tomorrow, we are bringing you another edition of Circus Folk, with an emphasis on collectors with stunning Scott Radke pieces in their collection. This will hopefully hold us all over until we see his glorious sculptures for Interface!

Without further jibber jabber, here are some amazing Radke works from years past.

From Doktor A's Collection

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Scott Radke’s  “Interface” opens April 5th at Stranger Factory along with Kathie Olivas‘ “Scout” ”, and Stephan Webb’s “Evolutionary End Game”. An opening reception will be held on April 5th from 6-9pm.

 

Sketchbook Showcase: Sketches by Kathie Olivas

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The exhibit “Scout” by Kathie Olivas is only one week away at Stranger Factoryand we thought it would be nice to get everyone pumped by showing off some of the amazing sketches Kathie has done for fans over the years! Many of us carry our sketchbooks around in hope of catching our favorite artists with a couple moments to spare to do a quick doodle, and Kathie is more than gracious when she has time to accommodate all of us. Sit back and enjoy a few of Kathie’s delicate and expressive sketches!

Circus Folk: The Fans of Chris Ryniak

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It is so rewarding to see the palpable joy and sense of achievement from all the Chris Ryniak collectors out there! Chris has had many years of creating amazing monsters, and his devoted fans have resoundingly applauded his unique, expressive and detailed style.

Like we did for Amanda Louise Spayd, we would like to showcase the CMR collections of his many numerous devoted fans out there. We have cooked up a shimmery, wide eyed, melting pot of Ryniak collections to get you all excited for Migration next week, so clear off your desk, prop your feet up, and gaze at the wonderful world of Chris Ryniak.

(above, Wil Holder’s collection)

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Will Holder has an extensive Muscamoot and Ryniak glow in the dark collection! We assume he’ll be adding some of Chris’ new glowy 8″ Dunnies to the collection soon!

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Ethan Gould has recently added Chris’ ghosts from last year’s Les Carnaval Des Spectres to his collection! These original sculptures are absolutely beautiful.

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Circus Folk: Michael Manikus

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It is time for another edition of Circus Folk! This time around, we are showcasing a portion of Circus Posterus Sideshow member Michael Manikus’ collection. Michael took the time to snap some images for us in his Virginia home, and we asked him a few questions about his beloved pieces.

CIMG2364“Product of Nowhere” from Camilla d’Errico

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More of the collection after the jump!

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Circus Folk: Rhiannon

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Time to creep into a home like Santa Claus and see what toys and art are afoot in our lovely fans’ homes. We truly appreciate their traveling to conventions and gallery shows far and near, the hours online spent trying to get pieces, and the continued support. Now, we show off some of this hard work and passion with the beautiful collection of Rhiannon!

Click MORE for a cavalcade of more images.

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Circus Folk: Ethan Gould

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It is that time again! The time that we showcase the meticulous masterpiece collection of one of the many Circus Folk out there. For this installment, we are proud to bring you the collection of Ethan Gould from New Jersey, and we must give an exuberant round of applause to his lovely wife Alicia and her photography company for the images.  Now grab some popcorn and tissue for some drool because here we go.

 

Click MORE for a serious amount of more images!

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