Above: Portrait of Juan Puente with new son Otto. Below: Mr Barber with tattoo legend Bob Roberts… 

In the world of tattooing, a vast array of artists make a living inking portraits into miles of human flesh, but when it comes to memorializing the genre’s foremost characters, painter and fellow tattooed man SHAWN BARBER is the go-to guy. Paying homage to some of the skin trade’s living legends and rising stars with “Tattooed Portraits,” a solo show at the venerable BILLY SHIRE FINE ARTS gallery in Culver City, Barber unveils old master quality likenesses of Jack Rudy, Juan Puente, Kat Von D, Mark Mahoney, Mister Cartoon, Clay Decker, and Bob Roberts every bit as realistic as their flesh and blood counterparts. Unconstrained by the boundaries of traditional portraiture, Barber’s discerning eye for detail leads him to capture his subjects in an array of full body portraits and carefully chosen detailed close-ups of artist’s hands, backs, and especially their tools of the trade: the tattoo machines themselves, in a never-ending quest to reveal intimate aspects of his often reclusive subjects who are generally more comfortable creating images than starring in them. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Today marks the debut of visionary painter MARK RYDEN ’s first official children’s book, “Sweet Wishes,” created in collaboration with fellow painter and partner in crime MARION PECK and based on their short film of the same name. Drawing on their extensive collections of vintage children’s toys and ephemera, the artists cast some of their favorite dolls as the story’s protagonists and photographed them in lush fantasy sets to illustrate the short story of Dolly, Baby, and Bear and what happens when they are granted a wish from a magical fairy. The book is available now as both a normal hardcover ($20) and a boxed Special Edition (250 copies, $300) that includes the signed and numbered copy of the original picture book, a DVD of the “Sweet Wishes” movie and a Sweet Wishes bookmark, all housed in a two-pieced pink satin box. Like all Mark Ryden merch, this set will surely disappear instantly, so move fast or be forever sad. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Barack Obama with Amanda and Shepard “Hussein” Fairey in LA…

While we assumed that Supertouch’s own SHEPARD FAIREY would be getting the official “First Artist” nod for his campaign artwork once BARACK OBAMA takes office, we’re as shocked as anyone to find out he’s chosen the LA street artist as his VP candidate (although Jesse Jackson was a front runner). The pair met in Hollywood last week for a covert strategy session where this photo was taken to commemorate the event. And no that’s not background noise in the photo, it’s stardust in the air. Well, actually, glitter. Obama is serious about his party favors…

Inspired by the popularity of Shepard’s “Hope” campaign posters, Barack has started a little stickering campaign of his own…

KB takes purple away from Prince once and for all…

KOBE BRYANT fans not still bedridden after the sickening Celtics Championship victory last month can grab a piece of the KB MVP legacy by snapping up one of these two commemorative prints by Supertouch’s own SHEPARD FAIREY who was commissioned personally by the Kobe himself for the occasion. Limited to 50 print editions each signed by both Shepard and Kobe, and in 100 print editions signed only by Shepard, “Kobe” and “MVP” are available only through UPPER DECK and will set you back around $1K each. And don’t forget to look up next time you’re driving past Hollywood & Vine. Number 24’s up there plotting revenge (and hopefully some player trades) in 2009…

From up there Kobe can see Boston, and he’s pissed…

Mixmaster Spade lives!…

LA’s revolving outdoor art gallery that is the UNDEFEATED BILLBOARD PROJECT on LaBrea Ave features new work this month by none other than the local art collective/”social club” GENTS OF DESIRE, aka: Jonathan Bleser (FINN), and Alexis Ross (DOOM). Commemorating the late underground Hip-Hop legend MIXMASTER SPADE who died in a motorcycle accident in 2005, the billboard puts their trademark old school style front and center on one of Hollywood’s most heavily trafficked corridors. To commemorate the piece, NIKE and UNDFTD have teamed up to throw a charity reception on Sunday, June 29th benefiting the East LA Community Youth Center. The throwdown kicks off behind the UNDFTD shop (home of a new Gents mural) at 112 1/2 LaBrea at 5pm and the price of admission is a pair of fresh, unworn kix which go directly to the charity. Nike will match the number of shoes donated at the event and UNDFTD will bestow a pair of new slides to the dude who shows up looking best in his old lady’s pants. And for you shopaholics, UNDFTD will be dropping an unstoppable “Solid Gold” Gents collab T-Shirt. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

In town for his ROUGE STATUS opening in Venice last weekend, London bad boy wall banger INSA did a little Hollywood swingin and dropped in on BARRACUDA  for a little rooftop renovation, adding his trademark high-heels to the sunset skyline in the process. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Art collectors Lance Armstrong & Kate Hudson get a closer look at Todd Schorr’s new masterpiece…

As the editor of JUXTAPOZ ART MAGAZINE from 1996—2006, I had a personal stake in scoping out the LAGUNA MUSEUM’s “Juxtapoz” retrospective group show “In the Land of Retinal Delights” last nite. Celebrating the so-called “Juxtapoz Factor” in the modern art world, the exhibition chronicled the magazine’s golden age, the years when the underground art world literally exploded into public consciousness and began to permeate the fabric of everyday life in the form of ubiquitous art shows, innovative merchandise, and corporate marketing and advertising campaigns. Assembling a roster of over 150 artists including such luminaries as MARK RYDEN, OS GEMEOS, PHIL FROST, ERIC WHITE, TODD & KATHY SCHORR, GLENN BARR, CHAZ BOJORQUEZ, XNO, MARGARET KILGALLEN, R. CRUMB, RICK GRIFFIN, RON ENGLISH, BASIL WOLVERTON, SHEPARD FAIREY, TAKASHI MURAKAMI, CRAIG STECYK, and BARRY McGEE, among others, it was truly a joy to witness such an incredible array of artworks by pioneering visionaries of so many disparate genres finally assembled for a formal show in a major cultural institution. Of course, this is something LACMA, SF MoMA, Yerba Buena SF, or MoCA LA should have done years ago, but the zeitgeist of our times often escapes the blurry vision of the establishment. Barring a few questionable curatorial choices, works that were less than masterpieces, and Juxtapoz founder ROBERT WILLIAMS‘ notable absence (read: boycott) despite having the exhibition’s title borrowed from one of his seminal paintings, it was a much-needed walk down memory lane in an era dominated by “street art” and other soulless anti-technique genres. Making its official public debut was a 10′ x 12′ masterpiece by elder statesman TODD SCHORR (more on that on ST in upcoming weeks) who proved that while the world of cartoon surrealism that we’ve all known and loved may have gone back underground, it isn’t lacking for talent or innovation. On hand to take in the scene was the genre’s most astute collector, Nike’s MARK PARKER, along with fellow art collector/Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG and actress KATE HUDSON, who’s slated to portray underground art legend MARGARET KEANE in an upcoming biopic. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »