Stranger Factory

Wooper Looper Gets the Halloween Treatment for Gary Ham’s ‘Dead Wood’

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While I’m not too clear on what he has planned for tricks, Gary Ham certainly has some real treats in store for us with Dead Wood, opening next month at Stranger Factory alongside Bewitching II.

It appears our favorite axolotl, Wooper Looper, also has a taste for Halloweenia: doning a pumpkin head and striped slacks, he’s looking ready to fetch himself some candy, or TP a tree or two (or trick Linus into thinking he’s the Great Pumpkin…). The limited letterpress print is a run of 31copies and will be available at the show and online. A  custom Wooper figure based on the character will also be up for grabs.

Dead Wood opens Oct. 5th with an opening reception from 6 to 9pm. The exhibit runs through Nov. 4th.

Fairy Tales of Fear: Rich Klink’s ‘The Sweetling’ for Bewitching II

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Foolhardy sweet tooths, prepare for an untimely sayonara because The Sweetling is out to smite ya good! This devious character from Cleveland-based artist Rich Klink trolls the night in search of victims to lure in with his old bucket of candy, only to bludgeon and kidnap them! Lord knows what he does with the bodies … maybe he leaves them in a ditch to rot, or drags them back to his forest hideaway. What if there are more of them? Are they cannibals?! What if they boil us alive and use our skin as hats?! No one has ever lived to tell of it …

Attributing his aesthetic to “an early fascination with Santa Claus and his toy-making elves,” Klink’s work depicts a fairy tale world stripped of its sugar; a nightmare you cannot wake up from. Fables how they were meant to look and be told, essentially. Be wary of wandering at night, Albuquerque friends … rumor is he’s bound for the southwest for Bewitching II next month …

Gris Grimly for Bewitching II @ Stranger Factory 10.5

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Joining the likes of Chet Zar, Seymour and Rhode Montijo for Stranger Factory’s Bewitching II Halloween hoedown is none other than the Mad Creator himself, the perennial badass, Mr. Gris Grimly. Up for grabs from him are a trio of (seriously) gorgeous acrylic on wood pieces titled “Which Witch”, “The Horror Inside” and “Beneath The Sheet”, respectively.

I’ve been a fan of Grimly’s for a while now, particularly of his earlier mixed media collage pieces, and these rank right up there. Each painting is strong enough to stand alone, yet the continuity of characters, theme and palette also begs for them to remain together, triptych style (which is so awesome, yet so evil).

Bewitching II opens Oct. 5th through Nov. 4th with an opening reception from 6pm to 9pm.

Jason Limon gets ready for Bewitching II

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Jason Limon has been showing some sneaks into what he will have for Bewitching II. His painting,Candy Robbers (above), is almost begging to have a 3d version of some kind made of it in the future, and the candy corn colored Ollie (below) is perfect depicting Halloween candy colors. These guys will be hoarding your sweet tooth swag at Bewitching II, opening Oct. 5 at Stranger Factory and I cant wait to see if Jason has anything else up his sleeve for this show.

Stranger Factory Presents: Gary Ham’s “Dead Wood” 10.5

Just when you thought the barnburner that is Bewitching II couldn’t get any better, Gary Ham comes along and joins next month’s hoedown at Stranger Factory with Dead Wood, a mini side showcase of new works utilizing a whole range of mediums including wood, plush and vinyl.

Inspired by his love for Halloween (and alleged fear of scary trees), Dead Wood will feature fresh incarnations of some of our favorite characters from the Arizona-based illustrator, along with a pair of highly-anticipated debut releases: his vinyl Monster Toytem, first seen as a wooden custom at Stranger Factory’s 2011 Winter Salon, as well as a brand-new Wooper Looper! Limited to just 33 pieces and sporting Stranger Factory’s signature black and orange, the toy will ONLY be available through the gallery. More info on that to come!

Dead Wood and Bewitching II open Oct. 5 through Nov. 4th. An opening reception will be held Oct. 5th from 6pm to 9pm.

Stranger Factory Presents: “Bewitching II” Group Exhibition, 10.5

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Stranger Factory‘s annual Halloween group hoedown, Bewitching II, is back for another season of chills and thrills!

The traditions, folklore, costumes and nostalgia associated with All Hallow’s Eve are all strands that unite the Circus Posterus collective and Brandt and Kathie have called upon nearly 40 of their friends and peers — established and emerging, local and as far off as Japan — to interpret Halloween in their style. Andrew Bell, Lana Crooks, Doktor A, FERG, Gris Grimly, Charlie Immer, Yohei Kaneko, Jason Limon, Rhode Montijo, Ragnar, Chris Ryniak, Amanda Louise Spayd, Shigeta Tanaka and Chet Zar are just a tasty sampling of the talent, and the prices are suited to fit any collector’s budget.

To further the excitement, coinciding with Bewitching is the opening of Dead Wood, a mini-exhibition of new works from Arizona-based illustrator and toy designer Gary Ham. The show also marks the release of an exclusive colorway of Gary’s popular “Wooper Looper” vinyl toy; more on that soon!

Bewitching II and Dead Wood open Oct. 5th with a reception from 6pm to 9pm. Both exhibitions will be on view through Nov. 5th.

Mikee’s Mail Day: Monster Kolor!!

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Well another week has passed over here at Stranger Factory, and admittedly, it was a little slow for me mail-wise. That said, I did get one package I feel like geeking out over:

This week’s mail day is brought to us by the amazing, unstoppable beast known as Monster Kolor! Monster Kolor is a company that lives to make the best paint they can for toy customizing, be it vinyl, resin, PVC … whatever your little twisted heart desires. Recently I picked up some Monster Kolor for my airbrush gun so I could do a little recreational custom work. I’m getting the hand sharp for some projects in the works and have to be able to do “gruesome” just right! Don’t think it’s all airbrush though; they also carry brush and aerosol paints to help give your creature just the right finish or feel.

When it came in Brandt and Kathie made me promise not to sit in the house and spray it. Also they said I have to wear a mask while I do it from now on … safety first kids!

Until next time, live that 24/7 Toy Life!

Ecto-Stan Hits Production & A Peek @ the New Lampe Skelve!

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We saw quite a few editions release this month as part of Travis Louie’s stellar Spirits exhibition at Stranger Factory. Among them was the Ecto-Stan bust, which is now officially in production at CP HQ (i.e. Santa’s workshop). An exciting redesign of Travis’ Stan Skelve, Ecto-Stan is the first to utilize CP’s brand-new 7″ bust platform. The lovely handpaints are an edition of 20 at $250 a pop and are available now, should you fancy some old-fashioned Cyclops ‘stache. Send your inquiries to strangerfactorysales@gmail.com.

We also have some more gorgeous resin Calliope action goin’ on from the lovely Ms. Kathie … there’s going to be a few of these, some headed to Paris, some to AFA. And hopefully more after that, because these are precious.

And is that a Travis Lampe Skelve?! You bet your buttocks it is. He’s been a long time coming and what a coincidence that he should make a cameo a week shy of the opening of The Pit Of Unease. Hmmm …