Paintings

Stranger Factory Presents: Phil Noto’s ‘A Certain Splendor’ 7.6

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It’s all in the details: the way he holds his jacket over his shoulder; the purse of her lips when aroused and wanting more. It’s a glint in the eyes or a crossing of arms. Comic book artist and painter Phil Noto is a master of subtlety; of revealing a subject’s true character through minute detail and candid expression.

Opening this Friday at Stranger Factory is Noto’s newest body of work, A Certain Splendor: a collection of paintings highlighting the aesthetic of the 1960s and ’70s. From casual moments, to vintage pinups, to images of things to come, these paintings feature beautiful women, handsome men, hard-boiled characters and the upper-class of a bygone era.

A Certain Splendor opens July 6th with an opening reception with the artist from 6pm to 9pm.

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Phil Noto is an American comic book artist and painter whose work has been featured in and on the covers of numerous DC, Marvel and Dark Horse titles including Avengers, Batman, Batgirl, Jonah Hex and X-Men Origins. His fine art has been exhibited throughout the US.

 

Kathie Olivas ‘Haunted’ Solo Exhibition @ AFA NYC Oct. 20

Hot diggity damn, if there’s one thing that makes me squeal like a school girl it’s Instagram pictures from Kathie Olivas showing a barricade of easels resting new paintings, while every tabletop is blanketed by the weapons of her craft: brushes, tubes of paint, thinner, and the like. We have some serious magic being concocted and, New York City, I’m happy to report that it’s headed to you. Opening Oct. 20 at AFA Gallery, Kathie’s solo show, Haunted, features new 2D works that pick up where last year’s Sweet & Sorrow left off.

The exhibition is still a ways away so expect many more sneak peeks as Kathie prepares what’s already looking to be a stirring exploration of survival after the fallout.

A Preview of Travis Louie’s ‘Secret Pet Society’

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Grips & Otis, 2012, acrylic on board, 12 x 9″

Travis Louie’s new solo show, ‘The Secret Pet Society’, opens this Wednesday at William Baczek Fine Arts and we’ve managed to get our hot little hands on a few sneak peeks in anticipation of the event. Tendrils and tentacles, sods and swamp things … they’re all here and compliments of the  fantastically fashionable and hyper-realistic realm that is Travis Louie’s imaginarium. Enjoy!

The Secret Pet Society opens May 2nd through June 2nd. A reception with the artist will be held May 5th from 5pm to 7pm. A print release of ‘Julia and her Swamp Friend’ (below), will coincide with the event.

Julia & Her Swamp Friend, 2012, acrylic on board, 20 x 16″

Julia discovered him while she was collecting red-spotted salamanders in the swamp behind her parent’s farm house. She mistook the crown of branch-shaped tendrils on its head as a thicket of dead birch trees. The creature turned out to be quite harmless.  She named him Phil and took him home as a pet. Feeding Phil became a problem as he continued to grow. When she first brought him home, he was quite large at 8 feet in length. As the years passed, he grew to an unmanageable size of 35 feet and consumed about 100 lbs of trout and salmon each day. Just to take care of him, she started her own fish hatchery. He eventually outlived Julia and she included him in her last will and testament. Her grandchildren inherited both the fish hatchery and Phil.

Billy & the Mystery Sod, 2012, acrylic on board, 7 x 5″

It Grew From the Brambles, 2012, acrylic on board, 14 x 11″ 

Miss Lucy & Her “Hat Monkey”, 2012, acrylic on board, 14 x 11″

The Reluctant Bee Keeper, 2012, acrylic on board, 10 x 8″


Travis Louie Brings his Secret Pet Society to William Baczek 5.2

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Here’s hoping William Baczek is pet friendly, as Travis Louie is unleashing all of his most unworldly dream creatures for The Secret Pet Society, opening May 2nd through June 2nd. The solo exhibition will showcase new 2D works and from the looks of it, continues where last November’s Curious Pet Show left off.

The exhibition also marks the release of Travis’ new print, Julia and her Swamp Friend, which will be available at the opening reception Sat. May 5th, from 5 to 7pm. They’re an edition of 75 + 10 A/Ps (A/Ps not for sale). The print alone has me contemplating an impromptu flight to Massachusetts … who wouldn’t want a swamp friend?. Have a peek below for our first taster from the show: Wendy and the Ghost of Tim, 10″ x 8″, acrylic on board.

M&MII Video: Opening Reception @ Kusakabe Folk Museum

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We continue our Japan video coverage with beautiful footage from the opening reception of Monsters & Misfits II, along with other festivities that took place yesterday.

Chris Ryniak managed to find a hotspot this afternoon and gave us all a quick update via the Circus Posterus forum:

This whole experience has been so surreal and unlike anything I’ve ever done before. They have been so generous and gracious to us over here…treating us like royalty and making us all feel very special about what it is that we do.

All of yesterday was amazing and unreal… We had a sit down conference with the vice mayor of Takayama(who also gave a speech at our opening last night). They prepared a traditional tea ceremony for us…which I am sure I messed up somehow and shamed someone’s ancestors.

We still have so much to see and do. And EAT….

Omg guys…the food! Omg.

Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Kanpai!

Definitely sounds like the experience of a lifetime. The gang is in Japan for a few more days, so there’s bound to much more coverage to come; stick around!

New Sneaks from the Monsters & Misfits II Catalog

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Circus Posterus’ catalog for this year’s Monsters & Misfits exhibition is hot off the press and Shinji over at Tomenosuke-syoten has granted us a sneak peek at some of the pages. Showcasing selected works from each of the exhibiting artists, the 48-page, full-color catalog will be available for purchase on opening night and will likely be part of the online sale, as well. To the collectors outside of Asia who are looking to take home a piece of this exhibition, the online sale will be taking place at midnight on April 14th, which I believe will be Saturday morning/afternoon for many of us. To be safe, keep checking the Monsters & Misfits II banner near the bottom of the Tomenosuke homepage (right now it should say ‘coming soon’ when you click on it). If this sale is being handled similar to last year, the preview page will be up before it goes live to give collectors a chance to look at everything (preview instructions are usually included on this page, as well). Good luck to all the collectors and best wishes to Brandt, Kathie, Chris and Amanda as they attend their first Japanese reception!

The Great Escape: More Sneaks & Preview Info!

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The online preview for The Great Escape will go live on Sat., April 7th, HERE! Requests will only be accepted via email. Absolutely no sales will be taken over the phone, though you’re welcome to call if you have any questions.

We will begin accepting online inquiries on Mon., April 9th, starting at 12 noon PST. Requests may only be sent to strangerfactorysales @ gmail.com. Full instructions will be outlined on the preview page so stay tuned. Good luck!

Andrew Bell Discusses ‘The Great Escape’

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The world of Escape has been without sustainable natural resources for generations, over the years it has slowly become a closed system. The sole remaining source of energy for the inhabitants of Escape is that which is contained within themselves and their existing ecosystem. The ancients of Escape devised a system to harvest that energy which is then stored in liquid and crystalline forms for redistribution. Any waste of that energy, either through malicious actions or accidental deaths, is considered most shameful.

Citizens of Escape are expected to make an honorable sacrifice of their own energy to be harvested at the end of their lives, some families may even sacrifice their youngest children if they are unable to support their existing energy needs. Consume more energy than you are worth, and soon you or your loved ones are marked for judgement.

 A thriving black market energy trade endangers the future of Escape.

On a personal level, the themes and imagery of “the Great Escape” chronicles some of my attempts to free myself from the disabling traps of past emotions and memories, to accept a new reality, and to move on from a love and a life left behind.

 The Great Escape opens Friday, April 6th, with a reception from 6 to 9pm.

Stranger Factory
109 Carlisle Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106

This double show also features the work of Kelly Denato, and her own personal take on the title “The Great Escape”.

[via Creatures In My Head]

This Week, We Make Our Escape!

First Friday is fast approaching in the Duke City which means the opening of our next exhibition: Andrew Bell and Kelly Denato’s The Great Escape! How ’bout some fresh visual stimuli to continue on with the goodness from last week? Above! Love, death and life collide in a beautiful painting from Kelly, while things get a little heated in a sketch from Andrew, below.

The Great Escape opens THIS FRIDAY at the Factory! Both artists will be hanging out with us for the reception from 6pm to 9pm — stop by for the show and stay for the shenanigans!

Sneaks from Andrew Bell for ‘The Great Escape’ @ Stranger Factory April 6th

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The other artist making his great escape to Stranger Factory next month is none other than keen creature wrangler, Andrew Bell. His tragicomical illustrations, otherworldly monster sculptures and designer toy lines have garnered him international attention; his distinct aesthetic has made him one of the most interesting artists to watch in the lowbrow/pop surrealist and art toy scene. Though he’s spent many hours holed away in the studio, quietly creating some Great Escape magic with fellow exhibitor Kelly Denato (her sneaks here), he’s also been kind enough to throw us the odd tweet or two to feed our curiosity. Have a look below at what the last two months have looked like in Dead Zebra Studios!

The Great Escape opens April 6th through the 30th at Stranger Factory in Albuquerque, NM. Reception with the artists on opening night from 6pm to 9pm!