Changethethought

Well, I was asked by readers via email and in comments for more detail about the Manifest Hope show here in Denver. In short, it was an amazing show but more so an amazing outpouring of individual talent and expression unified as a single voice around a central message. Every artist I spoke with felt the same. We see the error of the last 8 years and we know things have to change. We also know that it is going to take more than just one politician to do that. It is going to take all of us taking action and becoming more involved in our own system.

I spent a little time speaking with Ron English, and he said that this show wasn’t about making money or gaining recognition, it was about forwarding a cause that we all believe in. He said, and I agree, that he loves this country very much and that he takes it very personally to have had to watch our image be tarnished by some absolutely despicable decisions. We need to turn the page on this era and admit the error of our ways and usher in something that serves us all better. That is what the Manifest Hope show was about and that is why all of the artists, including myself have worked hard to promote someone we feel will begin doing that for us.

With that said, I will leave you with nearly 50 images of both the show and the private after party. It was one of the best times I have had in a long time and I was absolutely thrilled to be there. It’s not something I will ever forget. I did manage to sell the first signed, numbered and framed poster that was in the show along with several more in the Manifest Hope store. I am signing the remaining posters next week and then they will be shipped to Merchline in Florida so they will be available for purchase the second week of September.

Be sure to click ‘continue reading’ to continue on and see the nearly 50 photos of the rest of the art in the exhibit. The photos also include some of the street art around the exhibit.

Continue reading »

written by Christopher | tags: Andenken Gallery, Changethethought, Denver, Manifest Hope

Alright, it is almost 3am and I still have to go to work tomorrow because I am a regular person and not quite famous enough to call my own shots. But, I have to write briefly about the single most surreal night of my life so far. This week I have met and spoke with Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Date Farmers, a producer for the Charlie Rose show and several other people that I guess are important and I didn’t even know who they were when I was talking to them. I was invited into the VIP section of the Manifest Hope show tonight since I was a contributing artist and it really just blew my mind. Ron English knew who I was, so that was fucking awesome. The reason he knew me though was because of my rant about Upper Playground and his poster. He said this blog was the only blog he has ever left a comment on. That was kind of awesome. Shepard Fairey talked to me and a coworker about having a family while doing the crazy shit we all do. That was a hot topic since my wife is ready to start a family of our own. It was the last thing I ever thought I would talk to Shepard Fairey about. Pretty weird.

I saw Moby tonight at the show. The VIP show also had Sarah Silverman speaking, she was hilarious, along with the mayor of San Francisco. He is one good looking politician. I was then treated to a private show by Ben Gibbard, the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie along with the members of The Postal Service and Rilo Kiley. Rilo Kiley admitted it was the first time she had ever played guitar for a live audience. That was cool. Sam Flores, David Choe and I have no idea who else were all walking around.

A friend and local artist who was in the show went out wheat pasting with Shepard Fairey this week and will be featured in his documentary about the entire Manifest Hope show. His artwork in the show was all purchased by Morgan Spurlock, the guy who starred in the Supersize me documentary.

In a nutshell, it was wild. Just wild. I was so excited to be there. It felt like the culmination of a long hard road we have all fought to take as artists and designers who have thrown our full weight behind the Obama campaign. It was fantastic to be around all of these people and know we were all there together for something we really believed in.

Ron English is awesome by the way. He knows a lot about politics and I was lucky enough to get to talk to him for a while. I watched him work his way into a potential interview with Charlie Rose as well. Damn would I like to get to do something like that someday.

Oh and I also sold my poster featured in the show and apparently I had sold a bunch of posters at the Manifest Hope official store. That was good news but I decided to donate my sales back to the Obama campaign and back to benefit the cost of putting on the show. I will be selling the remainder of the posters, signed and numbered on the site soon though for about 75% less than what they are selling them for at Manifest Hope.

I will do a full image posting about the show later this week.

Life is crazy.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Manifest Hope, Obama, Obey, Ron English

Strange but utterly fascinating art from Liu Bolin.

Here is a bit of his explanation for the work:

” Are human beings animals?
Chameleon has the unique property of changing hues to match the color of the surroundings for self-protection. Rattlesnake can bury most of the body in sand soil. This can not only protect itself but also have a better access to food. There are also many animals, such as gecko, beetle etc., which have learnt to deal with the environment and the enemy in the longtime fight of life and death. In order to survive, good concealment has become the most critical factor.”

Read the rest and see more amazing images of his work here.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, China, Liu Bolin, Photography

There are a lot of totally awesome prints for sale at the Tugboat Print Shop. The Deep Blue Sea Woodcuts series is so awesome. I would be happy to hang any of those in my home or at work. It’s always nice seeing people getting down on the DIY tip and selling some genuine art. Good stuff.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Posters, Print, Prints, Tugboat Print Shop

Peeta is a graffiti artist from Venice, Italy who started out in 1993. He is member of the EAD crew in Padova, Italy, and is also a part of the FX and RWK crew in NYC.

His work goes beyond the canvas into sculpture but the really interesting thing about his canvas work is his ability to visualize the letterforms dimensionally. He enhances this with shadows and splatters and the end result is really original.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Graffiti, Grafitti, Peeta, RWK Crew, Sculpture

Since I have been away the past 2 weeks in Brazil, I have not been able to blog since I have had little connection to the internet nor the time to continue writing. I  stole away today though so that I could mention that I will be exhibiting in the Manifest Hope show in Denver the week of the Democratic National Convention. I am extrememly excited to be a part of the show and I have my friend Scot LeFavor to thank for securing my entrance into the show.

The show is being curated and judged by the likes of Shepard Fairey and Moby, to name a few and is guaranteed to be one of the most exciting art shows this year. I will be exhibiting the first poster in my series of 2,000 signed and numbered Obama Commemorative posters. The poster will be framed for the show and is 2 feet by 3 feet in size. The rest of the posters will soon be available for sale in my online store in September. There will also be posters for sale at the Manifest hope show and at certain locations during the DNC.

Here are the details of the show from the Manifest Hope website:
“Art plays a pivotal role in creating cultural momentum. The Manifest Hope Gallery celebrates that role and shines a spotlight on artists across the nation who use their voices to amplify and motivate the grass roots movement surrounding the Obama Campaign. The Manifest Hope Gallery highlights the central themes of the progressive grass-roots movement- Hope Change, Progress, Unity and Patriotism.

The Manifest Hope Gallery will be open to the public in Denver, CO at the Democratic National Convention, between Monday August 25th, 2008 through Thursday, August 28th, 2008 between the hours of 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.

The Manifest Hope Gallery, housed within Denver’s Andenken Gallery, and an additional transformed warehouse space, spans 10,000 sq. ft. and will draw together a works as varied as the voices of the artists who created them. Manifest hope will showcase some of the finest modern contemporary artists, acclaimed NY painters and sculptors, activated grass roots and street artists, and present the most widely recognized pieces seen throughout the 2008 presidential primary campaign, as well as newly commissioned works and previous works on loan from some of the United States top artists.

Manifest Hope, along with its online partner MoveOn.org, challenges the artistic world to engage their local communities in a significant and meaningful way, by inviting all artists to compete for a chance to present their works alongside these acclaimed and celebrated artists. Visit the online gallery for details.”

I am very excited to be a part of this show. You can see the amazing list of artists below. If you live in Denver. Please try to come down and check out.

Here is the list of contributing artists:
Aaron Martin // Adrian Sanchez // Alexis McKenzie // Amy Martin // Amy Rice // Andy Howell // Alex Pardee // Cathie Bleck // Casey Ryder // Chanel Kennebrew // Chris Pastras // Chris Yates // Cydney Payton // Dan Monick // Date Farmers // David Choe // David Lanham // Deroy Peraza // Diederick Kraaijeveld // Eddie // Elizabeth Rosen // Emek // Evan Hecox // Frank Chimero // Franke // Gary Baseman // HVW8 // Irene Hardwicke Olivieri // Jason Alberto // Justin Alberto Garcia // Jason Giglio // Jeff Zimmerman // Jesselisa Moretti // Jude Buffum // Julie Adler // Justin Bua // Kate Luscher //Kay Tuttle // Keith Negley // Kofie // Leontine Greenberg // Lisa Anne Auerbach // Lisa Congdon // Lukas Ketner // MAC //Max Ginsburg // Maya Hayuk // Mear One // Mel Kadel // Melanie Reim // Morning Breath // Munk One // Nick Dewar // Pete Yahnke // Philip John Lumbang // Ray Noland aka CRO // Rebecca Berdel // Retna // Rick Griffith // Ron English // Ron Keas // Sam Flores // Sarah Hoskins // Scot Lefavor // Shannon Bonatakis and Josh Holland // Shepard Fairey // Cypher13 // Todd Lockwood // Tom Slaughter // Mike Moore (Tres Birds) // Van Taylor Monroe // Zara Gonzalez // Zina Saunders // Zoltron // Aaron Axelrod // Thomas Brodhal // Ginger Che // Catia Chien // Christopher Cox // Grotesk // Damon Locks // Zach McDonald // Tres Birds // Adrian Tucker // Arellano Harvath // Antar Dayal // Vincent Comparetto

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Changethethought, DNC, Manifest Hope, Obama

I just stumbled upon the paintings of Chris Ballantyne. This minimal, almost silk screened approach to painting is admirable. I only regret not seeing more of his work on his website – short but very sweet.

written by Christopher | tags: Chris Ballantyne, Fine Art, Illustration

I dont usually post about anything but graphic design. How narrow minded of me! I’ve stumbled across the paintings of Eric Zener on a second occasion now, and it’s about time I show my appreciation.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Eric Zener, Painting, Swimming

A new issue of Bak Magazine is now available at your nearest digital newsstand. So give it a download.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Bak Magazine, Fashion, Graphic Design, Photograpy

Wow, who knew you could do this with a tiny-ass etchasketch? Let alone a whole lot of them. Pretty amazing. Especially when you consider the kind of patience you would need not to go crazy doing it.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Etchasketch, Illustration, Sketch

Barry McGee inspired artist Trent Whitehead has a show coming up in September. His work has evolved a lot since he started out a few years back and his recent series of masks is really nice. If you are an Aussie and in the neighborhood you might wan to check it out. The flyer for the show is on the landing page of his website.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Australia, Painting, Trent Whitehead

I am really digging the experimental artwork of Dana Carlson. She kind of does a little bit of it all, throwing in embroidery, collage, paint, you name it. And you just can’t go wrong with owls.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, collage, Dana Carlson, Illustration

Farmer Bob’s Farm is the work of painter, Robert Hardgrave. It has been a long while since I last thumbed through his abstract work and a visit to Computer Love reminded me of his enormous talent today. His work has really evolved since the last time I saw it and has taken on a more dimensional quality with overlaying translucent colors. The effect is really stunning and the amount of detail in the work is impressive. It plays out something like a subjective post-modern impression of Kandinsky.

written by Christopher | tags: Abstract Expressionism, Art, Farmer Bob's Farm, Painting, Robert Hardgrave

Wow, really cool rich-in-detail kitschy paintings by Joe Vaux.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Joe Vaux, Painting

I love paintings of people and Jonathan Weiner’s work really impressed me. He is currently based out of NY. Beautiful work indeed.

written by Christopher

Wow, there is some really beautiful concept art for some great movies like, Sleepy Hollow, Harry Potter, Spiderman and X-Men in the portfolio of the extremely talented Adam Brockbank.

written by Christopher

The wood sculptures of Michael T. Rea are just fantastic.

Here is is artist’s statement:
“Standing on the shoulders of other people’s dreams could perhaps be the most pathetic of all dreams. The intent of my work is to create something short of its outcome. My goal is to create the idea of an object that remains a dream. The objects I create are based on fictions, rather than realities. I have always been interested in the ephemeral worlds established in film, or even in popular culture. Fictions or established hearsay allow for a flawed interpretation, which leads to a flawed result. The sublime is unattainable, and not an option. I further amplify this experience by only using my memory to construct my images. Failure is imminent. I find humor allows me to enjoy this experience, and I in turn build humor into the worlds established by my work. I have chosen to depict these states with unfinished wood, and other materials which convey a sense of the temporal. I find the beauty in life lies in between moments. My work offers a sense of what could be and what could never be simultaneously.”

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Michael T. Rea, Scuplture, Wood

“Flesh, blood, excrement, the human skeleton, animal carcasses and DNA as an
information storage system are among quinn’s favorite subjects; but they give rise
to intensely meaningful expressive forms using the eternal perfection of white marble,
pharmaceutical products, wax suffused with blood, and cryogenically frozen flowers.”

You can see Marc Quinn’s work in person at:
Galerie Hopkins-Custot at Fiac
Paris, France
October 23-26, 2008

Fascinating sculptures.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, France, Marc Quinn, Paris, Sculpture