Tomenosuke

Doktor A’s ‘Candy Factory’ for Monsters & Misfits II

  • by

Two weeks ago, Doktor A shared a photo on Facebook that partially revealed what he deems his most complex sculpture to date: an original creation that he had toiled over for a month for Japan’s Monsters & Misfits II exhibition. That sculpture is ‘Candy Factory’ and thanks to Shinji and his Tomeno Blog, we have an in-depth look at this amazingly elaborate gummy candy maker. His story:

Joshua Hipplethwaite
Confectioner and innovator, Joshua is the creator of the renown Ee-by-Gum, chewing candy.
This popular delicacy has an odd intoxicating effect on steam driven Mechtorians, but is repugnant to those who are spring wound.
One of the fastest selling sweets in history, its long term effects are unknown and its prohibition has been called for in some quarters.
Though he does not partake himself Joshua wised to dispense his product as far as possible.
To this end he rebuilt his own body so he could crank out the candy wherever he travelled.
First one is free! And they always come back for more.

The whole thing blows my mind, to be honest, but the sugar bottles in the back add such a sadness to it:

Wasted chances, forgotten dreams and unfulfilled ambition? Damn, that’s some heavy stuff right thurr. But more on the sweeter side of sugar land: the faux candies are actually soft and squishy. I know, right?! More photos of the Candy Factory (and its engineers) are below and via Dok’s blog, here!

Monsters & Misfits II opens April 13th (today in Japan!) at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama.

New Sneaks from the Monsters & Misfits II Catalog

  • by

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!

New Paintings by Kathie Olivas for Monsters & Misfits II

  • by

Aside from the numerous original sculpts being showcased at the Monsters & Misfits II exhibition opening this Friday in Japan (about 60, collectively), Kathie Olivas also has a handful of oil paintings up for grabs. Shown above is “Constance”, a 16″x20″ oil on panel.

Next is “Pitchfork”, a 4.5″x8″ oil on wood.

And rounding out the trio is  “Exhale”, also a 4.5″x8″ oil on wood.

The gang left LAX for Japan’s Haneda airport late yesterday. Here’s hoping the flight was (somewhat) restful! Monsters & Misfits II opens April 13th at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama, Japan.

The Kusakabe Folk Museum Prepares for the Monsters

  • by

There’s no turning back now: the show poster is up at the Kusakabe Folk Museum, officially kicking off celebrations for Monsters & Misfits II, opening April 13th!

For those unfamiliar with the venue, the Kusakabe Folk Museum is a historical mecca of Japan. Once the home of the Kusakabes, a wealthy merchant family, the original house was burned down in 1875 and later rebuilt in 1879 by Jisuke Kawashiri, a famous architect from Hida. The 2-storey building is a magnificent example of Edo architecture: constructed from Japanese Cypress that’s finished with paint made from soot, it features beamed ceilings that extend a lofty 13m high, multiple rooms and a slightly slanted roof and latticed windows. Later designated as a cultural asset, the Kusakabe Folk Museum now plays host to educational retreats, arts events and many other cultural events. Be sure to visit the Kusakabe Folk Museum website for a huge spread of incredible visuals!

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris RyniakDoktor A.Kathie OlivasBrandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten, the exhibition is on display through April 26th

Amanda Louise Spayd’s ‘Grape’ for Monsters & Misfits II

  • by

Amanda Louise Spayd is exhibiting 7 resin and soft sculptures as part of Monsters & Misfits II in Japan. Among them is Grape, an original critter who looks to be a wine or jam maker of sorts (yum either way). With those impressive ears, Grape probably stands (well, sits) around 13 inches and the buttons on the arms are a nice touch — like an old teddy bear. With the way these are evolving, I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys soon have movable parts!

CMR’s ‘Berry Triggle’ & ‘Great Gruggle’ for Monsters & Misfits II

  • by

The week of Monsters & Misfits II is finally upon us, and while Kathie, Brandt, Chris and Amanda drive each other crazy on a plane for the next 12 hours, we get to enjoy some sweet final teasers for the event before the big opening on the 13th. From Chris Ryniak’s monster studio comes Berry Triggle, a custom Bubblegut, and Great Gruggle: The Candied Overlord, which I believe is an original sculpt (who stands an impressive 18 inches).

Stay tuned as we drop more teasers to celebrate the opening of this special CP exhibition! Best wishes and congratulations to the artists as they travel to Takayama to meet their monsters and all of the Japanese collectors! It’s been a long time coming!

‘The Baker’ by Amanda Louise Spayd for Monsters & Misfits II

  • by

Aside from her insanely impressive Lizzie custom, Amanda Louise Spayd has another big fella for the upcoming Japan exhibition: The Baker. And if she is anything near the height of Mandi’s first two tall dudes (The General and Harvest Gift), she stands at least 30 inches. It’s always such a pleasure watching Mandi’s work evolve — she’s performed many engineering marvels over the past year: how to make her sculptures sit, develop arms, adopt convincing animal forms and now, compared to her first tall dude, she’s mastered long legs. Bravo, lady!

Monsters & Misfits II opens April 13th at the Kusakabe Folk Museum in Takayama, Japan.

Another Box Touches Down in Japan

  • by

Another box o’ monstery goodness from Kathie and Brandt has found its way safe and sound to Tomenosuke for Monsters & Misfits II. We’ve got a custom Skelve bust, Candy Coated Kumas (yes, that’s a new edition!), followed by custom Kumas w/ embedded Lucky Skulls and a gorgeous encrusted Mega Skelve (the eyes on this one kill me). I could only image the excitement of opening a box like that; a collector’s wet dream! Exhibition opens in just over a week at the Kusakabe Folk Museum — we’re almost there, folks!

Chris Ryniak’s New ‘Stinky Ginger’ Sculpt

First came Brandt’s Stingy Jack figure (here), followed by Kathie’s Jackalope (front and centre here). And now, brand spankin’ new from Chris Ryniak is Stinky Ginger — the latest addition to Circus Posterus’  new line of sofubi vinyl figures. Look familiar? Indeed, this is the same nasty lookin’ fella that’s featured in Chris’ screen print from the Japan fundraiser sale. The master sculpt was literally just completed, so it’ll be some time before we see a release. Updates to come!

 

Chris and Amanda’s Monsters Make it to Japan!

We’ve just received a fresh batch ‘o snaps from Shinji at Tomenosuke showing off a murder of monsters that just touched down in Japan! Fresh air must be nice after being a bubblewrap and cardboard sandwich for so long — they look exasperated. Best they catch up on some sleep now: it’s showtime in two weeks!

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris Ryniak, Doktor A., Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten and the Kusakabe Folk Museum, the exhibition is on display April 13th through April 26th.