D*Face!

D*Face, Artist :: Off The Wall from friendswelove.com on Vimeo.

So...it's been a minute.

I've been dealing with a number of issues in the last few months, most notably, I was in a bike accident in early August. August 9th to be exact. Broke my left elbow and right wrist as well as busted my chin. The bike, well the bike is out of commission. The fork is definitely bent, but I've since then bought a new bike (new to me that is) since I can ride now albeit a bit uncomfortably. It's an SE Premium Brew frame, and still needs some work, but if I had to, it is ride-able. Shortly after getting my second cast removed, I came down with the flu, and still to this day am fighting this nagging cough that is driving me crazy. During that whole time, I basically had no energy or will to do much more than veg out on the couch or drink with the homies. But enough about me! It's gloomy outside, but it's not gonna bring me down as there are a few nice art-related events going down this weekend.

However, First things first. Chicago Police Detective Joseph Frugoli, after being involved in several DUI cases already, once again got behind the wheel of his Lexus with a blood-alcohol level 3x the legal limit, and plowed into a broken-down car that was parked on the side of the Dan Ryan. That car immediately went into flames and killed both Andrew Cazares and Fausto Manzera ages 23 and 21 respectively who were sitting in the pulled-over vehicle. To make matters worse, Frugoli was found by police fleeing the scene. He was arrested, and later released on a $500,000 bond. The reason I bring this story up again is because Frugoli's police pals have organized a fundraiser for him to be held this evening at the Fraternal Order of Police headquarters at 1412 W. Washington Blvd. It infuriates me that a piece of shit like this can not only get released from jail, but that his police pals are hosting a fundraiser in his honor. Care to support a shameful cause and slap the faces of every family member and friend of the two young men he killed, then by all means hurry your slimey self to this event, but I assure you there will also be a protest by those seeking actual justice.


Now, back to happy thoughts. FACT is one of Chicago's profound graffiti writers and now he's inviting you all to see what he does on a fine art tip. It's tonight at the Novem Store on Ashland. It should be interesting.

Who doesn't like documentaries? Mark Rosengren is presenting I Write on Stuff tonight at the Silver Room in Wicker Park. The documentary covers some of Chicago's graffiti writers which can always make for good entertainment. The list includes some stand-out names, so I'm expecting a good show here.

Saturday at Oh No! Doom will be the last show at their current location before they move into Bucktown. Curated by Phoneticontrol, this show includes an impressive list of Chicago artists who are all interpreting the same 3D model designed by Phoneticontrol. I love the concept. I've seen Artillery's piece already, and let me tell ya, this is gonna be a good show, and there'll be a lot of good people in attendance. Come out and send the Oh No! Doom collective on to their new digs with style.

Finally, another favorite Chicago artist of mine, Mr. Jason Brammer is opening up a solo show Fragments From the Future Saturday evening at April 7s in Ukranian Village. He never disappoints me. He and his wife, Erin are super people, so please support them and see what he's been up to as of late.

PEACE

Joey Potts!

Love Joey's work. Here's a look inside the mind of Mr. Potts.

VIMBY - Joey Potts

Invader!

He has a show opening in July at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. Love his work, and this is a great promo for it.

Banksy vs. Bristol Museum

Alderman James Balcer: HATER.

Gabriel Villa spent two weeks painting this mural in Bridgeport for an arts festival on a wall owned by the mother of Ed Marszewski, a festival organizer. In other words, he was granted permission to paint a mural on private property. It didn't last long though, as Ald. James Balcer (Ward 11) had it buffed. In his own words, he was quoted saying:

"You know I don't know if there was hidden gang meaning behind it with the cross, with the skull, with the deer, with the police camera's. Was there something anti-police about it? I don't know what's in his mind. That's how I viewed it."

Hater? Or just dumbass? I call a combination of both. But on the real, this was an entirely unfair move on the governments part to squash the little guy because someone didn't like what was painted. It's art. One of many things art does is challenge you. Even though the wall now bears the infamous brown buff, I sort of consider it a win on Villa's part (even though, I would imagine he may understandably disagree), as he obviously challenged the alderman, and the alderman couldn't handle it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Feel free to contact him and express your disgust with his decision:
3659 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60609
jbalcer@cityofchicago.org
(773) 254-6677

FULL STORY HERE

TONIGHT: Meat Number 5 at Sonotheque!

Flyer design by yours truly. Holla at ya boy if you have any design needs!!!

Meat Number 5's having a release party at Sonotheque tonight for The Oblivion EP. All those performing tonight had a part in the making of this EP which makes this show super tasty. Many will tell you Sonotheque has one of, if not thee best sound system in the city. I'm personally excited to see Meat Number 5, Phaded and Maker all on the same bill. Hopefully you can make it out and support their new release. I'll see ya there!

Studio News

As some of you know, I've branded my own line of apparel, but haven't done anything of great magnitude to see it flourish. It was a big day for me about a year ago, when I stumbled upon several stretched silk screens in an alley. Before then (and even now still), I've used an online service that, for the most part, has been a great resource for my printing, billing and shipping needs. However, they enforce certain restrictions that limited what I could design/print. Well, my friends Meat Number 5 inquired about the screens I found, and asked for my help printing shirts for their upcoming release party on Thursday. Naturally, I was glad to help, but maybe even better, it forced me to get my act together and finally screenprint at home. Tara helped me get the screens prepped, and the shirts were printed last night!

It had been since college when I last printed with silk screens. I learned last night why the shirt needs to be flat. That in turn caused a whole mess. A mess, for a moment, I was sure was gonna end our operation with a quickness. However, with some MacGyvering, we solved our problem and finished the job. They're now drying and will be for sale at their release party.


BE THERE!!!

Ricky Powell

Ricky Powell's another photographer whom I'd love to meet. He's lived quite a life. Here's a somewhat entertaining interview done by Walrus TV.

SHAWNIMALS

VIMBY - Shawnimals

I met Shawn at the Bits + Pieces show a few weeks ago. Cool dude. About 20 seconds into this video, you'll see his Baby Frankenstein piece I am now the proud owner of, although it's still hanging at the coffee shop for another week, so hands off! In this video, they mention that they're working on a video game using his characters. That's awesome; Congrats!!

Things to do this Weekend, 5.1-3.09

DUDE!! It's a big weekend for artist's and art enthusiast's!

I attended Artropolis last year, and let me tell you, this event is enormous. You know of the Merch Mart downtown, right? It's huge, right? well, imagine an art show taking up almost half that building! Luckily, it's open for the entire weekend as I only had the chance to go through one level at my own pace, and another level road runner-style. There's gonna be something here for everyone, so I urge you to stop by. Basically, there will be three levels. One level titled Art Chicago gathers emerging and established galleries of contemporary and modern art from around the world to display their collections. This was the level I was rushed through, and am hoping I get more time to check things out. The level I'm least excited about however (sorry! but it's true), is the International Antiques Fair. Umm, yeah, antiques. But the level I'm most excited about is titled Next. Here you'll get to see, in my opinion, the most exciting, cutting-edge work in contemporary art from both new and established artists.


I always intend on stopping by Caffe Baci on Wacker when they have a show opening, but for some reason, it never happens. AK Events consists of Allison Glenn and REVISE CMW. They curate the shows at Caffe Baci, always opening at 6p on Friday's (about once a month), which is a great reason to head downtown and get your evening started off properly. Complimentary wine from 6-7, DJ Genghis Won on the wheels of steel, and art!


So, I've always had an admiration for Martha Cooper (and Henry Chalfant) thanks to their passion for photographing New York's subway art movement in it's earliest of stages, and still standing strong. Martha released a new book recently titled Going Postal that documents the USPS label craze seen on the streets of probably every city known to man. In addition to that, Martha and Henry's Subway Art book celebrated it's 25th anniversary since it's release. To celebrate, they're releasing a special Subway Art anniversary edition (mentioned a couple posts down). Even better for Chicago, Novem and Upset are bringing Martha to the Novem Store Friday night. Get a chance to kick it with a legendary photographer, maybe even a chance to chat with her, along with a display of hand-drawn stickers from over 70 artists selling for only $5 a piece. Admittedly, I'm a little skeptical of the location for this, because I would imagine this will attract a good-size crowd, and The Novem Store...well, it's not that large. However, to help that situation, just a few doors down, Frank Serpico will have an installation on display as well as slinging his magazine Making Deals all in conjunction with the Martha Cooper book signing. Wow!


Rotofugi's bringing Ken Keirns and Scott Tolleson to Chi-Town for their Common Nonsense show. I still remember the show Ken had at Rotofugi last year. I love his work, and am extremely excited to see his new work. You should be too.


Something I didn't know until now, May is National Cancer Research Month. In conjunction with that is Paint the Town Blue! Some friends are listed on the flyer as contributing artists, and there's more still, just not listed. All proceeds benefit Cancer-Sucks and The American Cancer Society. Check it out!


A few weeks ago, the art community was hit hard after news spread about the loss of AFROE 42, EVOL and KOOL KEP. The fine folks at Upset have organized a wonderful silent art auction where all money raised will be split amongst the families of these three individuals. It includes a great lineup of artists, but for an even greater cause. Please try to make it out for this event, and show love and support for the family and friends of Fausto, Andrew and Nazon.


I have wanted to see a Matthew Sharp show for some time now. I really dig his characters. Both he and Toby Stanger have a show opening Saturday at Revolution Tattoo. The flyer mentions Kuma's as caterer which makes my heart skip a beat, but then I think back at their valentine's show that promoted Three Floyd's brewery as sponsors. The only beer I saw at that show was a case of Schlitz in the fridge, so I'm not holding my breath for Kuma's at this point. That's all irrelevant however. I mean, c'mon, it's about the art baby!

BE SAFE & HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

04.25.09 Dark Lord Day!

Subway Art

This year marks the 25th year since it's release. To celebrate, they're releasing a special Anniversary edition. The best part for me? Martha Cooper's coming to Chicago next week!! I'll mention that again at a closer date...

Things to do this Weekend, 4.17-19.09

It's The Version Festival User-Directed Super Raffle and V-Bay Buy-it-Now Art Auction!

Donate at the door and get raffle tickets ($5 for 2 tickets/ $10 for 5 tickets) Put tickets in the cups underneath the items you want (art, objects, dates, services.) At 11:30pm, a winner will be drawn from each cup. You must be present when your ticket is drawn, or another winner will be chosen.

Or, if you really must have it, pull the ticket with the "BUY IT NOW" price, bring it to the Reception desk and pay cash (or check) on the spot.
http://version09blog.blogspot.com/

Going down at Chicago Country Club tonight from 7p - midnight.
1100 N. Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60622


The Guys at Oh No! Doom are bringing The Every Day Club in for a show Saturday from 6p - 10p. The description is fairly vague, but sounds interesting.


Here's a fun event going down Sunday afternoon. A swap meet! Bring your records and your art, and trade with others in attendance. There may be more events like this in the future if the economy keeps up like it has, but if I'm wrong, wait... nevermind that; regardless, you should check this out. what else are you gonna be doing on a Sunday afternoon?!

TONIGHT: Bits + Pieces

Peep this cartel show. It's not being advertised as one, but everyone listed is part of cartel, a group I have a lot of respect for (which is why their linked from this blog!). It's at New Wave Coffee in Logan Square. For a coffee house, this place looks huge. They have two entrances, the one mentioned on this flyer, and an entrance on Logan Blvd. where the farmers market sets up in the summer time. The weather's beautiful today, so stop by, and support these dudes.

José Parla!!!

Ron English

20 Minutes With Ron English from Art and Design Films on Vimeo.

Officially Unofficial

Officially Unofficial - Inspired Art for Obama Exhibition from rebexa on Vimeo.

I'm a little late on this one. It opened April 1, but luckily it's up through the month of May. If you haven't seen enough Obama art during the presidential campaign or if you want to see work up close by artists such as Shepard Fairey, The Date Farmers, Ron English, and many many others, then I would advise you to visit the Chicago Tourism Center at 72 E. Randolph to take in the Officially Unofficial exhibition. The President's campaign brought out the best design and art I've seen to date for any political campaign. Here's your chance to really appreciate it.

Things to do this Weekend, 4.3-4.09

Nicole Gordon opens her exhibition at the Linda Warren Gallery Friday called SALIGIA. I love the colors in the above piece. The idea behind this show is interesting too. From the gallery's web site: Her exhibition depicts the ways in which the seven deadly sins have driven mankind to forsake the environment. Each piece explores consumer demand for excess and industry’s willingness to supply it, often despite negative consequences on the natural world.


The title of this next show ought to get some peoples' attention. Sandra Bermudez opens her exhibition at the Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery Friday titled The Happy Pussy and Other Endings. They call Sandra's style feminist pop art, and yes, she's referring to that pussy. By the descriptions of her works for this exhibit, it's gonna be an orgy of sculptures, prints, etchings and more!

Also at Kaisa Kay Art Projects Gallery, will be Daniel Bruttig debuting some new paintings in The Project Room.


Saturday night brings Cut & Paste back to Chicago at the Congress Theatre. This is a design competition that tours through several cities finding the best graphic and motion designers and illustrators. Because it's based on a time-limit, I'm told not to expect anything mind-blowing, but it should be fun to watch. I don't know exactly what to expect with this event, as I've never attended one before, but I understand there's a DJ and drinks to accompany the competition at hand. Also a good place to meet like-minded people if you're into this sorta thing.

TONIGHT: Pieces (Encore Showing)

If, like me, you didn't get a chance to make it to the opening Saturday night, they're presenting an encore opening tonight. So glad they're doing this, as I was not in top shape Saturday, plus the weather was just plain miserable. So head over to Oh No! Doom at 2955 W. Lyndale in Palmer Square between 7p-10p.

Things to do this Weekend, 3.26-29.09

Another Meat Number 5 show Thursday for the Tronic grand opening at Red Kiva with DJ Uncle El. Photos by Allison Glenn and live painting by REVISE CMW will provide something for the eyes while our ears are bumping as proven in Meat Number 5's new video:



As a part of the 2009 Southern Graphics Council Conference, hosted by Columbia College Chicago, came a nice collective effort from several local artists blessing skate decks as the theme. They've been displayed for about a month, and they're having a reception Friday to wrap things up as the exhibit closes this Sunday. The venue's at 1006 S. Michigan, 1st Floor.


Cody Hudson is opening a solo show Friday at the Andrew Rafacz Gallery in the West Loop. This is a guy who rocks both art and design very well. His skills and hard work have gotten him a lot of attention and credibility, and it's nice that he resides and works out of our fine city. I always enjoy the shows in this area, so I'm excited to see what he's been working on. Also at the Andrew Rafacz Gallery in Gallery B is a show featuring Corey Arnold's FISH-WORK, and was recently featured in Juxtapoz.


Okay people. Jason Brammer's Eye of the Future exhibition is wrapping up Saturday at the Eyeporium Gallery from 5p - 8p. I can't stress enough how dope this show was. The image above should be enough to convince you to stop by and see this guy's work. SERIOUSLY.


REVISE CMW opens his next solo show at Oh No! Doom in Palmer Square. This is a cool little spot sort of hidden in Logan Square. It almost doesn't need a show for you to still see good art as the walls are painted with some great eye candy, and they also have some shirts and toys on sale, but I'm excited for this show based on the concept alone. REVISE is good. Support him.


Last, but not least, something I'm looking forward to on Sunday evening at The Whistler is this bi-monthly design event named The Show 'n Tell Show that I'm just now learning about. I've mentioned this venue recently when Meat Number 5 played there, but this is entirely different. It invites local graphic designers and artists to display their work in front of an audience for critiques from local designers Mike Renaud and Zach Dodson in addition to Seth Dodson strangely dressed in drag as Spokes Mom? It promises to be funny, but also interesting to hear the artists chat on stage about the struggles and successes of a project from beginning to end. Great topics! Good drinks and laughs! Sign. me. up!

Things to do this Weekend, 3.6-3.7

Shawnimals is having a solo show opening at A.Okay Official tonight from 6p-10p for The Chronicles of Professor Fliggins. There's talk of quite a bit to be seen and bought at this show, so it sounds like the place to be.


[Prak-sis] has organized a group exhibition called THAW which is scheduled to open Saturday, 6p-midnight, at the Western Ave Lofts + Studios with a long list of participating artists displaying work ranging from Paintings, Sculptures, Installations, Videos and Photography. It's also a BYOB event. LOVE THOSE!

America Is F*cked.......(Graphically at least) from Jess Gibson on Vimeo.

Things to do this Weekend, 2.27-28.09

Rotofugi always has some interesting shows in their gallery, and this certainly should continue that perception. STENCILS! They've grown hugely popular in the last several years thanks to artists such as Blek la Rat and Banksy. This time around, the folks at Rotofugi are bringing in three artists to show us some of their creations. Some examples I've seen from these artists have me excited for the opening reception, and if you're a toy collector that hasn't been to the shop yet, you'll likely wet your pants, so don't miss out.


I love sneakers. I don't claim to be a collector, because it can get expensive and quite frankly, as much as I love all the creative releases, I buy them to bless my feet, not the box they came in or some shelf in a closet. With that said, I try to stop by Uprise on occasion to see what they have in stock, and I always see Stevie "Dread" Snyder behind the counter. Now, I've never been a skater, nor have I really followed the sport (I just love the shoes!), so little did I know that Mr. Snyder was some what of a Chicago celebrity.Nike SB collaborated with him in designing a new colorway for some upcoming Blazers (pictured above) set to release very soon. In fact, to celebrate, the folks at Uprise are hosting a release party Saturday for the occasion. Their mentioning a night of art, live music and a Blazer raffle. This should be interesting, so haul yourself to Bucktown Saturday night between 8p-12a and support the cause!

Things to do this Friday, 2.20.09

Some good stuff going on this Friday to tickle your fancy. Art and music!


Having familiarized myself with both MORGAN's and The Viking's work on the streets, I'm very interested to see what they offer in a "gallery" setting. Hosted by The Novem Store in Wicker Park makes it a little more interesting for me personally since I haven't stopped by to check it out yet. It serves as both a retail store and gallery. The Novem Store co-owner Adrian Vidaurre was quoted saying in the Columbia Chronicle, "Sometimes I kind of get lost staring at [the exhibit]. I’ve been staring at it for a while; it’s a pretty interesting piece to look at.”


As I mentioned last week, Jason Brammer's opening his first solo exhibition for 2009 at Eyeporium Gallery in Wicker Park which is located in Eye Want at 1543 N. Milwaukee. I promise this will be a cool show. His work is rather surreal, and can be quite large in size, especially his installations. He'll be painting live throughout the evening, and offering 3 rooms filled with his art and his new site-specific "eye"-themed installation.


Lastly, Yea Big & Kid Static are performing at the Darkroom. There hasn't been a YBKS performance I didn't enjoy. They really get into their music and the crowd, literally. It's not your everyday hip hop, hell it may actually have a different genre labeled to it altogether. Darkrooom actually has some decent beers available too if it matters any.

Don't let the weather stop you!!

Meat Number 5 this Thursday

The Whistler is a fairly new bar that opened in Logan Square. They've been getting plenty of attention thanks to the drinks they whip up and the constant rotation of live music. Ricky Ropesack and DJ Once-A-Month bring their Meat Number 5 project there this Thursday along with Serengeti. Come through, check out the digs, have a cocktail and your recommended daily serving of meat.

Things to do this Friday, 2.13.09

It's time for A.Okay's 2nd annual custom train art show. Last year's show turned out a huge response from attendees filling the quaint space. In fact, if it's even possible to have too big of a crowd, I'd say they hit it. And I don't anticipate it being anything short of last year's outcome. Be prepared to get cozy with the crowd, but more importantly, to see work you don't see very often. A few examples from last year's show below to see exactly what I mean:

Yoink x Get Up

Peabe x The Grocer
photos courtesy of Formula Werks/Scumbag Nation

There's some great names listed on the lineup, and they're all very likely to be in attendance. So don't bail out on this unique gathering. It's one you don't want to miss - I promise you that.

Also, on my itinerary, is stopping by Revolution Tattoo on Western for the Valentine's Day Art Show. Again, some great names on this lineup as well, and it's sponsored by Three Floyd's Brewing Co.! Can't get much better than that.

Jason Brammer, an Indianapolis native like myself (although he was born in Ohio), has established himself as a highly-respected artist internationally. Airbrush is one of his main weapons of choice, but it isn't all he uses. His installations are incredible; You can see one now at 4Art Inc. in Pilsen, and he'll have work displayed at Friday's custom train art show at A.Okay Official. He'll be painting live at the Hyde Park Art Center as part of their Cocktails and Clay event this Friday, however. Jason and his wife Erin are super cool people, and Jason's art is worth your attention. If you can't catch this live performance, again, you can catch some of his work at A.Okay, or you can wait til next week when he opens his first solo exhibition for 2009 next Friday in Wicker Park. I'll mention that last part again next week.

SEE YA FRIDAY!

KAWS effect

KAWS has put in enough work to earn plenty of respect. Here's an interesting video of Brian getting interviewed by (the always hot and sexy) Serena Altschul. I love his SpongeBob paintings. RIDICULOUS.

Studio News

After having my first public showing this past summer, I've been working on some new projects including a mural on some friends' lounge room wall. The wall itself is complete, but there's still a second phase that I'm currently working on. In addition, I have a couple separate pieces that both involve windows. They're adding the perfect new dimension with a style I used commonly for me and Matt's show Encode: Decode. I'm combining that with my next focus which are skylines. I moved to Chicago not so long ago, and absolutely love the city's skyline. It's a true inspiration for me which is why it's imperative my next residence includes at least a somewhat decent view.


One of the two window pieces (pictured above) will also include a medium I've never worked with, light. Fluorescent light to be exact. But instead of divulging everything to you now, I'll only share that much. I'm really excited to see it completed, but it's honestly been a slow moving project. I've been working on it more lately along with some other pieces, so it's nice to get back into some kind of rhythm.

Another project I'm excited about is my first collaborative piece with Tara Zanzig. It's a first for both of us in fact. I expect it to get more interesting as we each get more involved. It consists of two canvas, and we hand them back and forth every few weeks. I'll be getting them back any day now, and I'm very curious to see what she had done since I had last seen them. That excitement alone sorta makes this experience worth it.

Things to do this Friday, 1.16.09

A couple things to note for Friday night in case you don't have any plans and would like to venture out in this crazy weather, which I suggest you do...

The first Drummer Vs. The Technician was a big success, so this promises to pack a similarly potent punch to the eardrums. My friends Meat Number 5 (DJ Once-A-Month & Ricky Ropesack) are on the bill again and are hinting at some new tracks performed that night as they're currently working on their next EP. I'm very excited for that. Maker was part of the show last year also, and I shouldn't have to say how dope it was. I've never been disappointed with anything Maker pumps through the speakers. It's at one of my favorite venues in the city, The Hideout, so this shouldn't be a show to miss.



Also, at the Chicago Country Club in Wicker Park is an art show dedicated to the memory of Brendan Scanlon (SOLVE). I'm excited for this because 1) it's my first art show I'll be attending in this new year; and 2) I've always enjoyed Brendan's work. I hear there'll be a wall for other artists to contribute to all pertaining to the man himself. Come out and show love to what was an extremely brilliant artist taken away senselessly from his family, friends and fans.

SUPPORT!

INTRO

I've been using flickr as my blog for the last year, but I recently decided to create this page for a more personal/detailed blog. It definitely won't be a daily routine, so if you're at all interested in keeping up with me, go on ahead and subscribe! I'll post updates on current projects and happenings as well as general life occurrences.

It was snowing when I went to bed last night, and this morning, I woke up to see that it was still snowing. It's 2 in the afternoon, and it's STILL snowing. We're supposed to get around 10 inches once the storm passes. Hopefully I get outside soon to snap some photographs. This weather outght to give me something good to capture!