News

We are back!

Hello Sketch Theatre patrons and friends! Apricot Mantle here, some of you may know me as the artist who draws horror and science fiction subject matter in weird perspectives exclusively with colored pencils. I have also been one of the guest artists on ST. With Sketch Theatre’s recent departure of Producer Lily Feliciano I will be picking up where she left off. I am super excited to say as the new Producer for ST I will continue to bring you a slew of inspiring artists to quench your creative thirst!

As an artist myself I will have tons of fun doing this because this stuff is my life and makes me happy to share other’s art with the world too.

So that is pretty much it! I invite you to enjoy the first artist I am bringing to the ST family of Artists, Mr. Chuck Boston! Take it away Chuck!

Click here to watch Chuck sketch!

Inside the Artist’s Studio: Aimée Kuester

A TOUR OF AIMEE KUESTER’S STUDIO, on 5.21.2012

If you ask Aimée Kuester why she chose an artistic path she will tell you it’s …. ‘Cause my parents handed down the artist gene, I try to carry the torch on’

This is the story of what you’ll find in her creative space that sits high above Los Angeles and nestles into the hill side of Mount Washington. An intimate look into the place where wishes, rainbows and inspiration happen.



 Story and Photos by Lily Feliciano, narration by Aimée

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Flashback Friday! Kali Fontecchio 08

A fine installment to kick off Flash Back Fridays! Read More

Thursday, May 17 ST’s monthly live sketching event with the Gallery Girls presenting “She-Devils”

 

“SHE-DEVILS”  Themed Drawing Event 

 

Music – Live Models – Drawing – Fun Themes – Fun People!
Big Center Stage – DJ Jason Savvy

4 Models (Taryn, Jennifer, Layna & Dave as the Devil)
DATE: Thursday, May 17th
TIME: 10pm – 1am
COST: ONLY $10
(complementary water, soda and chips)
LOCATION: The Hanger @ Gnomon School of Visual Effects
1034 Cole Ave
Hollywood, CA 90038
   You’ll be entering through their STORE that you will want to check out.
They have art supplies & well as incredible books & DVD’s!
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‘New Blood’ curated by Morgan Spurlock @ Thinkspace this Saturday! (Los Angeles)


‘New Blood’
curated by Morgan Spurlock
+ new works from Stephanie Buer

Opening this Sat, April 28th
Free and open to the public from 5-9PM * Morgan and many of the participating artists will be on hand.

Thinkspace Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd.|Culver City, CA 90232
#310.558.3375 | Wed-Fri 1-6PM and Sat 1-8PM
http://www.thinkspacegallery.com

Ron English ‘Morgan’s Last Supper’ – oil and collage on canvas (2011)

‘The New Blood’
Curated by Morgan Spurlock

Reception with the artists:
THIS SAT – April 28th 5-8PM

On view April 28th through May 19th

Featuring new works from artists who have changed the art world forever, and their ‘New Blood’: the next wave of hand picked art stars.

Camille Rose Garcia / Travis Lampe
The Date Farmers / Albert Reyes
Dzine / Jesus Bubu Negron
Elizabeth McGrath / Morgan Slade
Gary Baseman / Jesse Dickenson
Gary Taxali / Adrian Forrow
Jonathan Yeo / Charles Gouldsbrough (aka Ch-gh)
Mark Jenkins / Sandra Fernandez
Nicola Verlato / Marco Mazzoni
Ron English / Kid Zoom
Saber / ZES
Shepard Fairey / Nicholas Bowers
Tim Biskup / Patrick Hruby

Morgan talks a little about the show:
“I’m a massive art collector who, by way of my habit formed a relationship with Thinkspace’s Andrew Hosner, and when he offered me the opportunity to curate a show I jumped at the chance. The concept of the show is how the torch is passed from one artist to the next. One opens the door so another can follow. And this show is all about artists who I think have and are continuing to impact and change the art world, and each one of these artists is bringing along an ‘apprentice’ or ‘protege’ who they think we all need to know about, the artists they believe are the ‘New Blood’ of the art world.”

About Morgan Spurlock:
Morgan Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter, political activist, bounty hunter, and journalist best known for his documentary films The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Super Size Me. Spurlock was also the executive producer and star of the reality television series 30 Days.

Check out LA Weekly’s interview with Morgan for ‘New Blood’ here

Fire Dog Lake recently interview Morgan for ‘New Blood’ here

Arrested Motion interviewed Morgan at length for ‘New Blood’ – check it out here

Check out a new interview from Juxtapoz with Morgan on the show here

Huffington Post preview of ‘New Blood’

See Sour Harvest interview with Morgan focusing on his collection here

Take a sneak peek at the show here

Facebook event

 

An interview with Daniel Clowes at Meltdown Comics (Los Angeles)

Forlorn faces and fetish grins,  the mundane, the daft and the deranged — that’s what you find in  “The Art of Daniel Clowes” (Abrams ComicArts, $40). And, beginning April 14, it’s what you’ll see at  “Modern Cartoonist: The Art of Daniel Clowes,” the Oakland Museum of California’s tie-in exhibition and the first major survey of the artist’s 25-year career of quirk, kink and ink. The “Ghost World” artist was in Los Angeles on Thursday for “An Evening with Daniel Clowes” at Meltdown Comics”

Check out the hour long interview below from Meltdown Comics & Boing Boing recorded last night, on Thurs March 5th 2012

 

 

Download a FREE tutorial from ST artist Alex Alvarez

The Gnomon Workshop is happy to offer this tutorial “The Making of Gathering” for free download !

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‘Joke’s On Me’ New work from Yoskay Yamamoto @ LBP Saturday, March 24th, 7-10pm (Los Angeles)

Yoskay Yamamoto

‘Joke’s On Me’
New work from Yoskay Yamamoto
March 24th – April 21st, 2012

Artist reception: Saturday, March 24th, 7-10pm
932 Chung King Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Los Angeles, CA –LeBasse Projects: Chinatown is proud to announce ‘Jokes On Me,’ a solo exhibition from Los Angeles based artist, Yoskay Yamamoto.

In his new body of work, Yamamoto will feature a series of sculptures based on iconic childhood characters. Three years in the making, ‘Jokes On Me’ is a conceptual project that explores current social issues through humor. Like a Sunday comic strip, Yamamoto’s sculptures are charming and nostalgic until after further inspection have a darker underlying message. This will be the artist’s first all sculpture exhibition, working in a range of mediums from plastic, resin, vinyl, and hand sculpted wood.

 

About Yoskay Yamamoto
Born and raised in Toba, Japan, Yoskay Yamamoto moved to the United States at the age of 15. A self-trained illustrator, Yamamoto’s artistic taste expanded as he fell in love with the pop culture of California. Yamamoto discovered a way to fuse the two different cultural backgrounds together into his work. Yamamoto nostalgically blends pop iconic characters from his adopted western home with traditional and mythical Japanese elements, balancing his Asian heritage with urban pop art. He has sold out his work recently at shows in New York, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles.

 


Yoskay Interview
Tomorrow night Yoskay Yamamoto’s solo show ‘Picking Up Where We Left Off” opens at LeBasse Projects Culver City. I had a chance recently to ask Yoskay to tell me a little more…

Erica J: How did you come up with your upcoming show title, ‘Picking Up Where We Left Off?’
Yoskay Yamamoto: It refers to the time when my family came to visit me earlier this year. I don’t get to see them very often and it’s comforting to know that you can still reconnect with them without any tension or awkwardness. Also it is simply about the relationship of my work and myself.

EJ: How has your recent reconnection with your family influenced this upcoming show?
YY: Seeing my nieces and spending time with them was a very pleasant experience. Also reconnecting with my brother who I haven’t seen in 8 years was quite a big deal to me. I think they helped to set certain moods in some of the paintings, such as “Stay Gold” and “Here, Water.”

EJ: This show includes a few of your amazing hand carved wood sculptures. How did you start to carve in wood?
YY: I have always been a fan of old Buddhist sculpture. I wanted to use an old traditional material with a modern approach.

EJ: What do you get out of sculpting compared to painting?
YY: To me both sculpting and painting are a challenge to create satisfying work. In the end it is about creating something that inspires me to push myself forward.

EJ: What inspires you and keeps you motivated as an artist?
YY: Seeing other artists work inspires me but I like to think my own work motivates me to be the best I can be.

EJ: What’s next?
YY: There are a few exciting projects that I’m involved with. I just finished the painting for an album cover for my friend’s band, “Children of Nova.” I also have a pottery project that I’m very excited about. But what I’m most excited about is the sculpture show next year in February. It will be a lot different from my normal work but I think people will enjoy them.

‘Juxtapoz Turns 18’ At Copro Gallery, Sat March 24 – April 14 (Los Angeles)

‘Juxtapoz Turns 18’ At Copro Gallery (Los Angeles)

In celebration of Juxtapoz’s 18th anniversary, Copro Gallery in Santa Monica is hosting a group exhibition of the publication’s past, present and future with “Juxtapoz Turns 18.” Artist Robert Williams began the San Francisco-based art magazine as a much-needed contrast to the dominant discourse of the New York art scene, which was brimming with condescension towards more representational forms of art.

Since then, Juxtapoz has become an internationally-recognized platform for art that exists outside of the norm. The group exhibition at Copro Gallery is chock full of artists unconcerned with following larger trends, which is why putting them all together can be an overwhelming experience, but given Juxtapoz’s impact on their careers and vice-versa, the spirit of the show is what brings it all together.

The artists may not share too much in the way of aesthetics in the most traditional sense, but knowing that they have all graced the pages of the influential mag at one time or another connects the roster in a much more profound way.

Artists participating include everyone from founder Robert Williams to Shephard Fairey, pop surrealism power couple Marion Peck and Mark Ryden, Craig Stecyk and many, many more. For followers of the publication, a group show of this magnitude may come as no surprise, but to the art community at large, it is just one more sign that Juxtapoz is a valued voice off the beaten path, a coughing fit in the middle of a stuffy gallery. “Juxtapoz Turns 18” shows why another 18 years in existence doesn’t seem like such a crazy idea.


Robert Williams, “Nostradamus And The Astrological Planet Skinner” oil on canvas 30″ x 36″
– Cover of Juxtapoz #1

opens Saturday, March 24, 2012 8PM
Copro Gallery
2625 Michigan Ave #T5 Santa Monica
The show runs through April 14, 2012.

“I Want To Be First” opens this Friday, March 23rd at Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery (Los Angeles)

An all female gallery exhibition at Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery in West Hollywood! If you are in LA, put this on your calendar……

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This Saturday night, it’s the return of “Gag Me With A Toon” the fourth annual group show featuring a whole hell of a lot of fun people you should get to know @ WWA Gallery (Los Angeles)


AIMEE KUESTER
, ALEX GARCIA, ALEX PARDEE, ASHLEY FISHER, AYA MASUDA,  ARTY PEREZ, BRENT NOLASCO, BRIAN VIVEROS,  CARLOS RAMOS, CHRIS GLIEBE, CHRIS PRYNOSKI, CRAIG EDMONDS, DAN QUINTANA, DANIEL GALVEZ, DANNI SHINYA LUODAVE HILL, DAVE MACDOWELL, DEPH, DESIREE FESSLER, ERIK ALOS, FORREST CARD, GEAR, GRAHAM CURRAN, GUNNAR,GUSTAVO RIMADA, HEZZA (HEATHER CARLTON), HOLLY PAYNE,HONKEY KONG, JASMINE WORTH, JASON GALLO, JEFFERY PAGE,JESSICA LOPEZ, JESSICA WARD, JHONEN VASQUEZ, JIM MAHFOOD, JOHNNY CRAP, JOKA, JON CHASE, JON SCHNEPP, JONATHAN WAYSHAK,JUSTIN BLOOMER, JR GOLDBERG, JOSEPH REYNA, JUSTIN BLOOMER, JUSTIN SCHAEFFER, KIETHING,  LOU PIMENTEL, MAC N ZIE, MARC BODNER, MATT RITCHIE, MAXX242MEATS MEIER, MIKE CLEM, MIKE KELLEY, MISAKI SAWADAMISS MINDYMUNK ONE,NATHAN HAMILL, ROBERT BOWEN, ROB FAUCETTE, ROMAN DIRGE, SCOTT GORDON, SHANNON PRYNOSKI, STEVEN DAILY,SUZY SPLAB, THE CHUNG, TOM HAUBRICK, TIMOTHY SIOBHAN,TOMI MONSTRE, TRAVIS LOUIE, VINNIE CACCIOTTI,ZOETICA EBB and more.


Dave Hill’s “Inspector Gadget” 2012 

doors @ 7pm
Saturday March 17th

WWA gallery
9517 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

WWAgallery.com
T: 310.836.4992

Michael Hussar’s long awaited release “White: A Decade” from Baby Tattoo Books, signing party!

Michael’s long-awaited first book White: A Decade will be released at a special launch party in Pasadena, California on Thursday, March 1, 2012 from 8-10pm.  Please join us to celebrate this milestone event at the Equator in Old Town Pasadena (22 Mills Place, Pasadena, CA 91105). Books will be available for sale ($50) and Michael will be there to sign copies.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet Michael and get a book personally dedicated before it is available in stores. A nice selection of original artwork will also be on display at the event.

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“LALUZAPALOOZA” 26th Annual Group Show @ La Luz de Jesus Gallery opens Friday, March 2 (Los Angeles)

“LALUZAPALOOZA”
EVERYTHING BUT THE KITSCHEN SYNC Vol. XV 

Opening Reception Friday March 2nd 2012 
(Exhibiting March 2 – April 1, 2012)
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“Femme Fatale” Group Exhibition opens this Saturday Feb 25th (Los Angeles)

Femme Fatale

A group exhibit curated by Nicole Bruckman and Stephanie Chefas

Who: “Femme Fatale” Group Exhibition curated by Nicole Bruckman and Stephanie Chefas
What: FREE Opening Reception with some Artists in attendance.
Where: Cella Gallery, 11135 Weddington St. #112, North Hollywood, CA 91601
When: Saturday, February 25th, 7-11 pm
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