{ Monthly Archives }
Irish all-star painter Chloe Early has some beautiful works up on her site. Her style is like a combination of impressionistic jumble and vacation posters from a travel agent circa 1978. I am a huge fan of how her backgrounds sort of disintegrate into nothing around the figures, drawing more focus to them. If anyone is feeling generous, I could really use one of these paintings for Hannukah. I’ll be nice and consider it to be all eight presents. Just this once.
Dude’s over at Supertouch managed to get a nice interview with skateboarder/artist/hero Ed Templeton. Ed answers some insightful questions with equally insightful answers, and we all come away better people for it. Isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas? In other interview news, you can now find my piece on Tara McPherson in the current issue of Hi-Fructose Magazine. Get it from the website or your local, awesome news media outlet. The article is based on a phone interview that I did with Tara where I babbled questions at her randomly. She was a real trooper. Anyway, enjoy the Templeton interview. That’s how they should be done.
Why does that name sound familiar? Dude lives in Atlanta, so there’s a chance that we’ve been in the same room together, but the name Charlie Owens sounds like someone that I’ve actually met. It’s bugging the crap out of me. Regardless of our hypothetical interactions, Charlie Owens work is great. It’s got a dirty, Russ Mills/Ian Francis style to it, with enough manga/graffiti character base to make it something else entirely. And aside from the skatedecks, those are some giant canvases homeboy is rockin’, which I always like better. If I don’t know you, Charlie, I should get to, if for no other reason than to buy one of your paintings. Though, with that many skatedecks, I’m sure we could go out and sesh the ATL a little.
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
I love The Flaming Lips, always have and always will. My fandom is so devout that no matter how many times the release date was pushed back on their feature film Christmas on Mars, I always believed them. I never doubted their word. After each successive letdown I refused to give up hope. Tuesday, after seven years of shooting and re-shooting, the film has finally been released. Just in time for me to fold it into my ritual of watching A Christmas Story and A Charlie Brown Christmas once the December holidays have started. I’m not gonna tell you anything about the plot. The title pretty much says it all, and if you know The Flaming Lips, then it makes sense. If you don’t know The Flaming Lips then you should believe me when I say that your life is incomplete. Buying Christmas on Mars might be a good place to start getting your shit together.
Those of you that haven’t smoked your short term memory away will probably remember that I mentioned an art auction/movie screening going down in the greater LA area. Those of you that don’t even remember coming to this site a few seconds ago should click here for a reminder. And you should also give me some of your weed. Clearly you have too much, and for your protection I’m gonna have to take some of it off your hands. I care about you that much. But before we go getting smug together you should know that the aforementioned art auction is now underway and awaiting your bids. There’s some great works to be had in the line-up, and the monies go to a good cause. You don’t need more of a reason than that. And be sure to turn out on Saturday (November 15th) for the screening of The Goonies at the Rialto in South Pasadena. Write it on your calendar, because I know you’re gonna forget this as soon as you remember where you put your lighter.
Munch on some crunchy grooves.
It’s been a minute since the last Secret Still interview, and lucky for me I don’t have to apologize. I answer to no one. Lucky for you the newest interview is a whopper from SoCal artist Stephen Tompkins (mentioned previously). Interviewing an artist who started out as a philosopher resulted in some wordy answers. Stephen suggested that maybe I should edit them down, but that’s one step away from censorship in my eyes, so everything is presented to you in its full-length glory. I was so interested in everything he said that I couldn’t figure out what to cut anyway. In the interest of full disclosure, I did fix some typos. And I added in links for those of you who might be philosophically challenged. Read the interview after the jump.
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Now that we can all unclench our sphincters a little, you might want to check out this great photo essay by Callie Shell chronicling Obama’s road to the Presidency. These are some beautiful and candid shots. We made the right choice.
Something akin to Jeremyville on a steady diet of methamphetamine and sludge metal. This is the art and design equivalent of a double kick drum and a bloody nose. Illustrator Nicolas Taul, aka Dekor, has cranked my left brain up to 11 with his mutated, psychedelic masterpieces, and face-meltingly awesome illustrations. I bow to you, sir.