frag-ment-ed

art fair faves

2007-09-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

The Plaza Art Fair was here in Kansas City last weekend and although I usually don't like most of the work that's there, there are always a few gems that I really dig. I'd love to dedicate an individual post to each of these folks, but without knowing that much about them I thought I'd compile them into a single view so you can get a little taste of their work. (Click on the image to view it larger.) I always enjoy talking to artists about what they do and how they do it and several folks were kind enough to stop and chat with me. The warm temperatures didn't stop the crowds and it seemed like the fair had a good amount of traffic both Saturday and Sunday. We ended up purchasing a few pieces, too, which we're hoping to hang soon - if we can find a spot on the wall!

Top row, from left:
Dolan Geiman, Gabe Lanza, Mark Traughber, Audrey Heller

Bottom row, from left:
Jenny Mendes, Lynn Whipple, Betsy Youngquist, Mr. Hooper

Flickr Feature: Lockwasher

2007-09-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

Anyone who comes over to my house can tell immediately how much I love robots. Not sure why, but they've always fascinated me. I collect them and love to draw them...and I'm always looking for more cool ones, whether they're handmade or die-cast in tin. The robots that Mr. Lockwasher creates are really cool. He has a great eye for bringing all sorts of found bits (including some great dials, sprockets and gauges) together to make some of the coolest handmade robots around. The above two are a couple of my favorites, but there are so many more that I love.

Flickr Feature: Jeremiah Ketner

2007-09-22T10:38:00.000-05:00

This morning I received an email from Jeremiah Ketner announcing his new show, "A Special Place" that opens on September 27th at Elizabeth Page Smith Gallery. He writes, "When the sky seems dark and the pressures of work have you stressed, one may find harmony and balance in the special place I have created for you to explore." I couldn't describe his work any better. Although Jeremiah's characters live in a world that is chocked full of recurring patterns that include drips, flowers, clouds and circles and might seem chaotic, these patterns harmonize and create a soothing, dreamlike place. To get a sneak peek of all the work that's in the show, check out his set on flickr.

Flickr Feature: Juliana Pedemonte

2007-09-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

Juliana Pedemonte's (aka colorblok) work just makes me smile. This is the first piece I saw of hers and it just filled me with happiness, as does so much of her work. Juliana's world is full of happy quirky characters, bright colors and lots of energy. She's created vinyl toys, skate decks, animations and recently designed a belt for yummy industries, too, which is really fun. I'd love to turn over an entire gallery to her, someday, just to see what she'd do with it. What an incredible show that would be!

Flickr Feature: Ray Fenwick

2007-09-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

I wish there was a larger version of this image available, so you could really see the wonderful genius and humor in it (if you click on it, it gets slightly larger, which helps). I first saw Ray Fenwick's work while looking through some illustrations on flickr one day. Even at thumbnail size, I could tell how cool his lettering was. But, Ray's work is not just about great hand-lettering. It's about observation, pattern, the exquisite line and having a wonderful (and somewhat cynical) sense of humor. I absolutely love it and am always delighted by what Ray posts. My favorite set on his flickr page is a typographic comic called the Hall of Best Knowledge, which is going to be published in early 2008 by Fantagraphics. Yippee!

Flickr Feature: Aaron Tucker

2007-09-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

I like Aaron Tucker's work so much, that I had a hard time picking out which image to post. I have many favorites, but my most favorite pieces are his paper collage pieces like the one shown here called "Beginning Meets End". Anyone who knows me or my work knows that I am drawn to grids. I love them. Although my eye is drawn to Aaron's work because of his brilliant use of the grid, it goes beyond that. Working within a grid requires designing within it. He has a great sense of color, and the way he balances that color and the collaged bits within the grid is simply exquisite.

random sketchbook page

2007-09-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

Still working on collating some weirdo drawings for this possible project and came across this. The drawing on the right has always been one of my faves. I drew it on a 3X5, then taped it into my sketchbook. I didn't think it would stay in there, but it has. (I also love the THIS IS NOT ART stamp.)

Flickr Feature: Betsy Walton

2007-09-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

There's a certain amount of mystery to Betsy Walton's work that I absolutely love. It's like she's placing pieces of a story in front of you, but it's up to you to figure out what's going on. Working mostly with gouache and pencil on paper, her dreamlike images are stunning and are filled with layers of symbols and patterns. She has a great sampling of her work on her website, but there's even more on her flickr page where you can view her pattern studies as well as some pieces she did for a group show at Compound Gallery this past June. She also opened a shop on Etsy recently where you can purchase original artwork as well as limited edition prints (like the one above).

3X5, revisited

2007-09-17T22:37:00.001-05:00

I might be working on a project soon for a friend of mine who has requested some of my "weirdo" characters. He's quick to say that those are his words, but I'm cool with that. They are weird. Anyway, in preparation for that, I've been looking through some older drawings. Some of them are from the late nineties, others are just recently old - done in the last year or so. I'm gonna be posting these on my flickr page soon, but I thought I'd put a few on here, too. So, here's the first in the long (and somewhat never-ending) 3X5 series.

Flickr Feature: David Fullarton

2007-09-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

This week I thought I'd feature the artwork of some of my favorite flickr contacts. First up is David Fullarton. I actually first saw David's work not on flickr, but on hangart.com, while looking through some of his available artwork. I was immediately drawn to his work not only because of the great drawings within it, but also because of how he collages things together. I really like all the textures and layers of stuff he puts in his work. If I had a chance to sit down with David, though, what I'd probably ask him about is the writing within his work and how he comes up with all that stuff. One cannot look at his work without noticing very quickly what an interesting writer and storyteller he is. (You can see this in his commercial work as well.) The above piece is one of my favorites, but I have many others. Take a look through his work. I bet you'll find a favorite too.

my hero, Mr. Ed Emberley

2007-09-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

The other day, as I was drawing floating heads, I thought of one of my heros, Mr. Ed Emberley. As a little girl, my mom would take my brothers and sister and I to the public library in Bloomfield Hills, MI. She'd take the four of us there for the afternoon and we loved it! Going there was an adventure. We'd walk out of there with a HUGE pile of books and records in our hands. My most favorite thing to do, though, was to look at Ed Emberley's books. I remember spending hours looking at all the cool things he'd drawn. I can't tell you how many times I checked out Make A World (first published in 1972) or his Book of Drawing Faces (first published in 1975, shown here). I loved them... and still do... and I think that's part of why I love to draw faces so much. In all of his books, he shows you how to draw things using simple shapes, step by step. All the books are also hand-lettered and many of the characters have silly names, like the ones on the page I've attached here. To this day, I find myself drawing this way, starting with simple shapes that help shape the floating head or crazy character that ends up living in my sketchbook or painting. Over the years, Ed Emberley has written and illustrated somewhere around 80 books (!) for children (13 of which are drawing books). My favorite is still the Book of Drawing Faces. Here's to you, Ed Emberley!

wow

2007-09-13T08:15:00.000-05:00

Wow. We saw The Flaming Lips last night and I think it's fair to say that I've never been so incredibly moved at a concert before. Considering all the bands and musicians I've seen in concert, that's saying a lot. Many bands that I've seen have been amazing, and even moving, but in a much different way. Opening for the Flaming Lips was Black Moth Super Rainbow, whose songs are (as described by imageyenation.com) "ancient and organic, but at the same time futuristic and robotic." For more good words, go here. I'm not sure if they're joining the Lips on their entire tour, but they were really great. With their own crazy screen images and funk, they a perfect segway into the happy, psychedelic, streamer-shooting, bouncy-balloon, crazy-red-laser-lights-everywhere scene that followed. I have NEVER seen anything like it. Sitting two seats down from us was a woman who had seen them 14 times! Now, I understand the addiction. Although "Do You Realize" made me cry, it was so fun and so happy... and just what I needed.

These great photos were taken by Tom Daly for an interview with Michael Ivins on monkeyclaus.

funhouse57.com is LIVE!

2007-08-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

My husband Jake and I recently finished a website for our friend Dick Daniels, FUNHOUSE 57, which is completely live as of today - waHOO! We're both big fans of his work and there's some great stuff on here. Whether it's his mixed media pieces done on old discarded wood (like the one pictured here) or his really cool ceramic heads, you're sure to find something fun. He's always experimenting with different types of clay and glazes - the skulls are probably my faves. He also has a blog that he'll be posting to regularly so check back often. Welcome to FUNHOUSE 57!

Barry McGee

2007-08-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

Since first seeing Barry McGee's work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art some 10 years ago, I've been intrigued. Not so much because of his melding of graffiti and painting, per se, but more because of the faces and the repetition of faces within his work. There's something about them that I can relate to. They have become iconic of his work and are so "him". They change, but certain qualities within them remain the same.

As I think about diving into some new work of my own, the images that seem to be floating around in my brain are masked faces & figures. Perhaps this is my icon that morphs and changes but remains the same. Time to start drawing...

P.S. His new solo show at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Japan is up now through the end of September. For visuals from the show and installation pics, visit the Watari Museum's website, here.

Images taken by Brandon Shigeta.

magnificent mutt

2007-08-25T20:06:00.001-05:00

Ah, new artwork! Last night, my husband and I attended the 10th annual Art Unleashed auction, a benefit auction for the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. We bid on this cool piece by LeAnne Doljac and actually won it! We're so excited! I just love his glass eyes. The green eyes against the red mosaic looks pretty darn cool. Being completely covered in a mosaic of glass, this piece is pretty heavy. Not quite sure where we're going to hang it, but I'm sure we'll find the perfect spot. For more detailed pics, check out my flickr page.

ya-HOO!

2007-08-25T12:09:00.001-05:00

Ya-HOO! I sold my first painting on my online store yesterday. Can't begin to tell ya how happy and honored I am that someone found this piece and that it will have a new home. I came home from work at lunch and shipped it off to it's new owner in California. What a great feeling!

I'm gonna be updating the store soon, lowering a couple of prices and adding a new piece or two hopefully this weekend. I'm also hoping to do a limited edition print soon with my good friend Bob, owner of Skylab Letterpress here in Kansas City. His printing is exquisite and I'm looking forward to working with him. More on that soon too!

positive graffiti

2007-07-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

Here's another little gem I found on flickr that one of my contacts posted. I just love it.

pieces still available from AIVO

2007-07-18T07:05:00.001-05:00

A couple of pieces that I did for AIVO are still available, including "All the Darkness" pictured here. If you're interested in seeing other available pieces, you can check 'em out on my website, on the "paintings" page. Please contact Lyndsay or Sam at the gallery for more info. Thanks!

my friend Jimmy is having a show!

2007-07-18T06:48:00.000-05:00

My good friend Jimmy is having a solo show at DVA Gallery in Chicago that opens this Saturday, July 21. All the pieces are available for preview on Jimmy's website (within the "Gallery 5" page) and will go on sale at DvA today, July 18. I took a look at the pieces this morning and, as always, they're very cool! Needless to say, I have a few faves - I'm hoping we can snatch up one or two before they're gone!

i love this

2007-07-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

I saw this little gem on Found Magazine today.
I just love it.

AIVO opening went well

2007-07-15T11:38:00.001-05:00

I received some pics from co-curator Sam Fitz the other day that he took at the opening of AIVO at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary while I was on vacation. It looks like the opening went really well. Lyndsay emailed me and told me that one of my pieces, Multitasking, sold too - crazy. Don't think I'll ever get used to the idea of anyone actually buying stuff that I make. I'm so honored. More pics of the opening can be found on my flickr page.

road trip remnant

2007-07-10T23:56:00.001-05:00

Having never been to Texas before meeting me, my husband always makes a point to stop at Texas-owned WHATABURGER* on our road trip back to Kansas City. The burgers are ok, I guess, but I really like some of design within the place ... especially this ketchup label. Not sure if it's the wonderful red & white or the simple combo of fonts they've chosen for "fancy" and "ketchup", but I sure love it.

*Check out their website too. There's a great vintage photo on the homepage that changes every time you visit.

back from vacation

2007-07-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back from a much-needed vacation and I already miss it. For years, my parents have rented a beach house on the Texas coast in Galveston. Since my dad passed away, my mom has continued that tradition and, as always, we had a great time! Although rain was predicted for the entire week, we were really lucky and had nothing but sun, sun, sun!

No trip to Galveston would be complete without a day on The Strand and a visit to Moody Gardens Aquarium (my personal favorite tourist spot in Galveston). It's a small aquarium, but I love looking at fish and I like the way they designed it. Jake took this picture the day we were there. Actually, we both took a bunch of pictures while we were there. I'm hoping to get them on my flickr page soon.

One of the last nights that we were there, my brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Laurel, got all the fixins' to make smores on the beach. Evenings on the beach are my favorite time of day to be on the shore. The smores were super yummy, too. I don't think I've had smores since highschool (nearly 20 years ago now!).

(Click on the image to see the pics larger.)

my store is featured on BigCartel!

2007-06-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

Wow! The good folks at Big Cartel - Eric and Matt - just emailed me to tell me that they have chosen my store, Fragmented, as the new featured store! Check it out! I'm flattered and honored - wow. Thanks guys!

new pieces for AIVO

2007-06-17T23:16:00.002-05:00

After a crazy week, the pieces I did for AIVO are now on their way to the gallery. I've posted lots of pics on my flickr page, that show them in stages from beginning to end. I'll also be posting some of the drawings that I sent in the next day or so. The show officially opens on Thursday, June 21st so the pieces will be available then. I won't be able to make it to the opening but I'm sure it'll be pretty fun as several of the participating artists will be there. For more info, visit Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary.