JoKa

'About Face' at WWA Gallery

2012-01-10T04:27:00.000-05:00

WWA Gallery is starting off the year with a stellar group show which opens this Friday!

From their press release:

" Let's face it people: we are our own favorite subjects. That is why portraiture has long been so beloved and why examples of it can be found throughout history and in nearly every culture on the planet. This January, WWA gallery explores portrait's current state by featuring 35+ hot contemporary artists, all known to work in the medium, in the aptly named show, About Face.

A portrait speaks not only of the person in it, but of the society surrounding them. A great deal can be learned about a culture's values, styles, attitudes, and perspectives simply by looking at the types of portraits its artists produce. About Face isn't just a survey of contemporary portraiture, it's a mirror of contemporary life. "

My piece for the show is entitled "Smoke Rings", and its 8" x 10" acrylic on board.

Progress video with some still pics and lil bit of time lapse vid:

Also, there will be a limited run of signed/numbered prints of my piece, available through the gallery once the show starts.

About Face will feature portraits by: Van Arno, Ana Bagayan, Sarah Bereza, Nicole Bruckman, Jeremy Cross, Tina Darling, Matt Doust, Michael Foulkrod, Richard J. Frost, Tom Haubrick, Charlie Immer, Jason John, JoKa, Ken Keirns, Joachim Knill, John Koleszar, Craig LaRotonda, Laurie Lipton, LOUD-TREE, Dave MacDowell, Bethany Marchman, CJ Metzger, Miss Mindy, CW Moss, Buddy Nestor, Jeff T Owens, Ruel Pascual, Chris Peters, Richard Salcido, Ilona Sampovaara, Johnny Sampson, Amy Shawley, Nathan Stapley, Jophen Stein, Guim Tio, Tracy Tomko, Casey Weldon.

Open to the public, the gallery reception for About Face is from 8 - 11pm on Friday, January 13th. The exhibition will run until February 11th, 2012.

Polaroid 50l50l50 Project

2011-09-02T01:01:00.001-04:00

I recently had the honor of being invited by Polaroid to show in their group show/auction 50 | 50 | 50, which they've put together to promote their GL10 printer. Proceeds will be donated to Free Arts NYC. Artists were given on of these little suckers to use in their piece:


(bobbly head cyclops not included)

THE PROJECT.
The Made in Polaroid 50 | 50 | 50 Art Exhibition & Benefit Auction, is a group art show where 50+ select artists have come together to illuminate the creative possibilities when the same challenge-create art with a single device-is undertaken by range of artists from a variety of creative backgrounds. With no other limits. From single images, to multi-printed mosaics, to photographic sculptures, and hacked printers "performing" live, the project is as much about the creative process and a new era of creative spirit as much as it is about any resulting image or piece of art.

To highlight this, we've brought together an eclectic mix of some important & influential artists of our time-along with some select, emerging talent-from the disciplines of photography, filmmakers, graffiti & street art, painting, fashion design, performance artists, actors, and more. Names like:

_Mark Seliger (photographer - more than 125 covers for Rolling Stone)
_Philip-Lorca DiCorcia (photographer - credited with staged 'fictional' approach to creating photos - before him it was all journalism).
_James Franco (Actor, director, author, painter, & performer- star of Spider-Man trilogy)
_Hush (graffiti artist/toy designer)
_Eine (graffiti artist - partner in crime with legendary Banksy) i
_Marylin Minter (Painter - A Whitney Biennial artist along, SFMOMA and more)
_Rob Pruitt (late 80′s art legend as half of the art team Pruitt-Early)
_Gary Baseman (illustrator blurring the lines between toys & fine art)

and many many more...

Ive found out some of the other artists that are also showing (Scott G. Brooks, Stella Im Hultberg, Kent Williams, just to name a few) and im really excited for this show! The artwork will be on display to the public at Phillips de Pury gallery in NYC (450 West 15th Street) from Sept 7-13 during fashion week, with the reception and auction following at 450 Park Avenue on Sept 14th.

ARTWORK

At first, I was a little flummoxed as to what I would do for this show. I haven't done many multimedia pieces, outside of painting on some vinyl forms. But after I snapped some shots of my artist buddy Kat Gun, and got this candid pic of her applying some makeup, I had the idea to do a half picture/ half painting piece. Popped it into photoshop, broke it up, and printed it out in sections with the traditional Polaroid border.

I started in the lower right quadrant, and snaked up and over, working on groupings of 4 at a time. Normally, I like to put down a real simple line layout to work over, but because the spacing between the pics was so slight, I decided it was easiest just to eyeball it, especially since it woulda been tough to get the graphite transfer to hold to the sleek photo coating.

I spent a decent while making a grid to layout and center everything, but wound up just eyeballing most of that as well. I wanted to use a technique ive used before to have the images floating within the drop box frame. So I backed all the pics to give them some stability and then mounted them on half inch spacers. Making sure all the floating pics were straight and equally spaced before the glue dried really drove me up the wall for a good half hr. (thinking about it now, I don't know why I didn't just nail them in, hehe, next time!)

grid - puzzle pics - all mounted to board

pics floating nicely in between the backing and glass.

The pics measured 12"x16" and after mounting and framing the whole thing came to be 16"x 20". The piece is called "Do You See Me, Like I See You?"

Also, found out that Chloe, which is the exclusive retailer for the event, is going to hang a reproduction of my piece at their NY and Miami locations for 'Fashion Night Out' on 9/8.

Overall, extremely pleased with how everything turned out, and cant wait to see all the other artists work from the show, which will hopefully be up soon at Polaroid/505050.

Sink or Swim

2011-07-02T03:31:00.003-04:00

Was invited to participate in this event and was super stoked to be showing in Japan for the first time as well help out with this worthy cause! Peruse the info below for more details.

My piece for the show "Great White Smirk"

PangeaSeed.com

PangeaSeed Kicks Off International Shark Saving Campaign, Sink or Swim

Tokyo-based shark preservation group looks to broadcast its message on an international scale

Tokyo, Japan (June 2011) – In the spirit of ocean conservation the Japan-based non-profit organization, PangeaSeed, is ramping up it’s summer activities in Tokyo and abroad with events tailored to address one the biggest threats facing the health of world’s oceans today – the rapid mass depletion of sharks.

The series of events will showcase the issues surrounding shark finning in Asia and other parts of the world, where the majority of these sharks are killed only for their fins to satisfy an unsustainable appetite for shark fin soup. In the cruel practice known as “finning,” the shark is hooked and brought aboard the boat where its fins are then cut off and the still alive but limbless animal is tossed back into the sea to drown.

With each minute that passes close to 200 sharks are killed, adding up to an astonishing 80 million deaths each year. Scientists estimate global fish stocks will be in full collapse by 2048 if current consumption and destructive fishing practices continue. But what’s even more shocking is that the majority of the ocean’s shark species could be extinct within the next 10-20 years.

PangeaSeed, with its inclusive approach to spreading its message by engaging audiences through the mediums of art, photography, film, music and discussion, will embark on a series of events both in Japan and abroad.

First, PangeaSeed will host its third annual not-for-profit art exhibition. This year’s event entitled Sink or Swim will take place in Tokyo, July 16 – 22, 2011. The show aims to offer viewers new perspectives on the widely misunderstood and demonized shark. Located at Tokyo’s M Gallery in Daikanyama, PangeaSeed will feature never-before-seen artwork from over 40 global artists such as Dave Kinsey, Brad Klausen and Kelly Towels. With a reception party to be held on Japan’s Ocean Day (Umi no Hi) Monday, July 18, guests of the fundraising event will enjoy a screening of the award-winning documentary, “Oceans”, followed by special guest speakers, live paintings and DJs.

In addition to raising funds to keep sharks afloat both in Japan and around the world, PangeaSeed will donate a percentage of proceeds to help aid animals affected by the March 2011 earthquake in Japan.

Later in July, PangeaSeed has been selected to host an information booth at the 2011 Fuji Rock Festival’s NGO Village taking place from July 29 – 31, 2011. The booth will feature information and facts about the shark finning issue and aims to provide a venue for the organization to educate and discuss with its target audience such topics as the threat of shark extinction, and the need for shark protection and shark sustainability. At the festival, PangeaSeed will collect signatures with the goal of supporting the recent proposal to ban the sale and possession of shark fins in California, while guest artists will perform “live paintings” during the festival to raise awareness for the shark finning issue. During the event PangeaSeed also will address the audience on the festival’s Green Stage.

Following its footsteps in Japan, PangeaSeed will take Sink or Swim abroad for its inaugural international art exhibition later in the year. The event will be held at the prestigious Spoke Art Gallery in San Francisco, California, September 29 – October 2, 2011.

“We are very excited to showcase a not-for-profit fund raising art collection featuring works contributed from more than 40 international renowned artists, graphic designers and photographers never before seen in Japan and the United States,” said Tre’ L. Packard, managing director of PangeaSeed. “Sink or Swim is not only a reference to the cruel practice of finning but also a reference to our relationship with the oceans as a whole, “ Packard said. “As human activity is causing sea levels to rise and coral reefs to die, we see fish stocks rapidly disappearing. The global population must change course if we want future generations to experience the sea as we have. We are standing at the crossroads in terms of sustaining the oceans. We may sink and fail, or we may find a way to succeed and swim.”

Packard added, “We are thrilled with the opportunities we’ve been given to bring this message to the public. Through these events, PangeaSeed aims to open the eyes, minds and hearts of our neighbors and bring to the forefront the ecological and environmental problems that continue to be overlooked both domestically and around the globe. We believe these events are an excellent place to share our message and gain the necessary momentum to help safeguard sharks and our oceans.”

About PangeaSeed: PangeaSeed (pangeaseed.com) is a grassroots organization based in Tokyo, Japan dedicated to educating and raising international awareness on the plight of sharks and the destruction of their habitat. Through volunteer activism, research, and the various mediums of art, music, film, and photography, PangeaSeed aims to create an open dialog with the global community to develop an understanding of the need to preserve and protect sharks and the oceans. PangeaSeed is the first organization in Japan to raise public awareness regarding shark conservation and preservation. We rely on the generosity of our supporters.

Spoke Art Gallery: Spoke Art (spoke-art.com) is San Francisco’s newest art gallery and publishing house. Located in San Francisco’s dynamic Lower Nob Hill neighborhood, Spoke Art specializes in emerging new contemporary artists with a firm emphasis on figurative and illustrative works.

M Daikanyama: M (http://www.m-event.com/) is one of Tokyo’s premier event spaces specializing in art exhibitions, performance art, music and film located in the trendy Shibuya neighborhood of Daikanyama.

Shell Shock (TMNT Tribute) - Homage to Raphael

2011-06-02T01:22:00.001-04:00

My first introduction to major fads was by far the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was a HUGGGE fan, at just that perfect age, when they were really blowing up, to become a completly obsessed youth.

Suffice to say, when the Autumn Society asked me to participate I had to do a lil something for the show, and I decided to pay homage to my favortie Turtle, Raphael, focusing on the three biggest influences for me: the cartoon, toys, and movies.

Show opens this Friday, June 3rd at Brave New Worlds comic shop in Old City Philadelphia.

TURTLE POWER!

Mental Shoes issue 019

2011-05-17T04:18:00.000-04:00

Was recently featured in the current online issue of Mental Shoes #19. They wanted to specifically show my work in stages and decided to display the progressions of both "It's Only Heat, Let's Make the Best of It" & "Pop Shots". Theres a bunch of other great artists, such as: Alyssa Monks, Jeff Ramirez, Charlie Immer, ect.

Pioneers of 80s Space & Time Travel

2011-04-25T15:54:00.003-04:00

Once again, the The Autumn Society folks have put together a massive group show, featuring 3 spectacular 80s flicks. This grouping is conjoined by the letter B and will pay tribute to: Beetlejuice, Back to the Future, and Bill & Ted.
The show, entitled "3B" opens at Gallery1988 Venice on May 5th.

When dealing with these combinations of movies, as I did with my '3G' set, I like them to have some common thread. So with these I latched onto the fact that there is alot of traveling through realms of space and time, and I wanted to focus on the characters that best employed them.

Betelgeuse: Pioneer of 80s Space Travel

Dr. Emmett Brown: Pioneer of 80s Time Travel

Rufus: Pioneer of 80s Space & Time Travel

A lil progression vid I put together:

This show is bound to be lots of fun, and a major blast from the past!

Nesting Doll show

2011-03-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of being invited to do a set of nesting dolls, or more appropriately matryoshkas Ive since learned, for Rothick Art Haus's "Doll Haus" show, which opens April 9th. http://www.rothick.com/

I wanted the final 5th piece to be the punchline to the progression I came up with, so I made it as if the smallest one was the voyeur getting caught after peaking through some salacious keyholes. The set is entitled "You better watch out, You better not spy."

I knew from the get go I wanted to do a pattern on them, but in hindsight wish I woulda picked a little less complicated one. Transfering the pattern to a rounded 3-dimensional object like these are tedious, and I had to free hand most of it from the reference sheet after only being able to transfer it to the thickest part of the body. Hence why its in the back of most of the pics.

My little make-shift desk: a diy quee box.

Fortunately, I was in the middle of working on a big painting that I already had alot of colors mixed for and was able to use on these.

As they got smaller they went alot quicker so I worked on the last two concurrently. The final one I wanted to make stand out, so I inversed the pattern and changed the keyhole outline color.

Ive seen a couple other artists sets and they all look great! This should turn out to be a really interesting show.

Piece for "A Nation of Evil Men" show

2011-02-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

My contribution for 'A Nation of Evil Men' show which opens tomorrow @ Masthead Print Gallery/Studio in Philly. Its entitled "My Favorite Hitler".

http://mastheadprintstudio.com/

LXIX page

2011-01-26T12:25:00.000-05:00

Ive got a page in the new issue (#2) of the alt-vintage-softcore-erotica mag LXIX.
Check it out here: http://www.lxixmag.com/

Progression Videos

2011-01-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

A couple videos ive done of painting progressions.

This first one is a actual time-lapse, where you can see me toothpicking the piece.
The last two are pieced together from pictures, which are way easier to do, so expect more of those.

New Show

2010-12-04T02:22:00.000-05:00