Gavin Potenza is a designer and illustrator working in Brooklyn, NY at the Pencil Factory. He also co-runs a new design studio, Script & Seal. Gavin’s work is playful and clarifies the information he is presenting. Several of his info-graphics highlight issues worth taking a closer look at, such as “Worst Oil Spills,” “Investing in Alternative Energy,” and a comparison of “Old/Young Drivers.”
“You spend so much time trying to figure out what your doing, and you become closer to admitting who you are.”
- Jess Sluder
Jess Sluder is an artist and the owner of Deadringer Productions in Venice, California. Jess caught my attention because of his “you can just be weird” attitude towards art, design and life. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him, and he explained that being “weird” didn’t mean being an outcast or a strange person, but rather that it meant that you can participate in many different social circles. Being an artist makes it easy for him to share ideas with many different types of people, and have opinions about a lot of different things. As an artist he is always learning, thinking and creating. He doesn’t feel bound to a particular sect of society and therefore feels more free and well rounded as person.
“Camera Eyes” Acrylic on canvas.
Jess first started to create art at a very young age. Some of his first memories of creating art are of him telling his mom to teach him how to draw. He had the desire to create and wanted to take what was in his head and make it a real picture. I thought this was very cool because creation should come naturally to the creator, and he is a perfect example of this. Jess had some very insightful advice for aspiring artists when it came to creating art.
“My advice to aspiring artists would be to do what you feel makes you the happiest. Don’t get hung up on what is cool right now. Don’t follow trends. Allow your brain and body to function. Draw what you feel and think. Don’t worry about what other people think because it’s about what you think, and like, and what you know.” -Jess Sluder
“The Matador” Acrylic on canvas.
Some of Jess’s inspiration for his art comes from experiences he has had in his life which resonate with him for a long period of time. Then one day the picture just pops into his head and he paints it.
“My Morning Brush With Death” Acrylic on canvas.
Jess has been living and working in Venice, California for about five years now. Living there has had a tremendous influence on his art. He didn’t even realize he was an artist until he moved to Venice and was really exposed to the art world for the first time in his life. He is constantly surrounded by an extremely creative community consisting of every type of artistic person coupled with every class of person you could imagine. It is almost like living a grown up version of his childhood. He is always having fun, making new friends, riding his bike, playing in the sun, and creating. It is a real positive atmosphere for aspiring artists.
“Swimen n’ Women” Acrylic on canvas.
It has not all been fun for Jess though. Being a full time artist is a struggle. Before Jess started his own Production company he was holding down four jobs and barely making it in the “real world.” If you didn’t know, Venice is a very expensive place to live. For all of you aspiring artists out there; just know that it will be a journey and a struggle to get to where you want to be, but if you stick to the path you will prevail.
“Wolf Pack” Acrylic on canvas.
Although most of Jess’s art is done very meticulously and takes on a cartoony coloring book feel; he prefers to create what he calls “barf art,” which is a sketch or painting that is done on the spot without really thinking about where the painting is going to go. The painting “Beard Guy” is a perfect example of Jess’s “barf art.”
“Beard Guy” Sketched and illustrated.
Deadringer Productions (Deadringer Productions website is currently under development) is Jess Sluder’s brainchild. He started it to continue his creativity and to expand his potential as an artist and designer. Jess works with artists to help them produce their art and see their full potential for their art. He also manufactures apparel for Airblaster, Redbull, R and R art gallery, Michael Jordan Flight School, and BL33N. He also has a line of awesomely funky pillows for sale with his art printed on them. His current goals for Deadringer Productions are to collaborate on more projects and make bigger ideas happen. He enjoys the concept of “I contributed to this, we all together made this.” It is very rewarding when you can create something you’re proud of with other peoples input and ideas.
When the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan recently, Jess was compelled to help in whatever way he could. He started the Japan Project and began producing and selling shirts which read “I Love Japan.” ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE RED CROSS AND WORLDWIDE DISASTER RELIEF. BUY A SHIRT HERE.
All of Jess’s prints are for sale! Just shoot him an email @ jess@jesssluder.com
Also check out Deadringer Productions on Facebook.
Follow Jess Sluder on Twitter.
Click here to see the location of Deadringer Productions.
Pursue your dreams, work hard, and enjoy success.
You’ve seen his work in over 30 years worth of Hollywood poster designs, and I bet on at least one or two occasions he got you to see a film. Perhaps this happened via sneaking in, begging your parents for money, or doing extra chores to earn your way into the film (if you’re a 20 or 30 something today.)
Drew Struzan is from an era where the poster design was depended on (sometimes solely) to catch your eye and make you see a flick. Before Itunes trailers, YouTube, Moviefone, IMDb, etc… this guy probably made you spend your hard earned bucks seeing such stars as Brooke Shields, John Lithgow, Sean Astin, and Harrison Ford. And, obviously, movies by Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. Ah memories, right?
Well, as I sat perusing books at a local cafe, I stumbled upon a book containing an amazing collection of this man’s paintings, and a flow of nostalgia (yes, I’m a sucker for nostalgia) swept over me. I suppose I looked somewhat like a middle-aged woman watching Lifetime; gently tearing up and slowly flipping pages, wanting to remember every image I saw. So, I borrowed it, scanned it, and am sharing it with you. Enjoy.
Gather around the campfire children. Let grandfather tell you of a time long ago. Televisions used to have antennas and only two colors. If you wanted to make a telephone call, pulling something out of your pocket was not an option. In fact, you would have to call an “operator” to have them connect you with someone else. You could treat a date to the movies for under $3. It was during this time that America, being the vain beauty queen she is, fell in love with the most mundane details about herself. White picket fences. Pick up trucks. Having one sheriff, a deputy and a moron policing your town. Small towns were what America was all about. Leave it to Beaver was a state of mind. John “Cougar” Mellencamp even mockingly accepts their existence in his song “Small Town.” I say mockingly because Cougar knew that America had been keeping a dark secret…
Small towns kill.
Think about it. Everyone with the exception of Larry Bird (French Lick, Indiana) complains about being from a small town. The unwillingness to settle usually does one of two things. The first being it drives the individual to escape the confines of the small town. Freedom becomes a rallying cry. The second thing that could happen is everything turns into the flea market version of Apocalypse Now. People get addicted to mashed potatoes that come in a cardboard box. Bowling Alleys become overly popular. Too many people trying not to spend their Friday nights in the parking lot of Blockbuster. I’ve seen the carnage firsthand and lived to tell about it. I’m one of the lucky ones.
Another one of the lucky ones is Photographer Steve Davis, an artist from American Falls, Idaho. His family moved there when was 10 years old. Davis jokes that “none of his family members that chose to stay in Idaho got out alive…” Over the course of three years, Davis ventured back to American Falls to take pictures that capture the spirit and struggle of Small Town, USA. Cue the bass line from “Another One Bites the Dust.” Cue the Movie Voice-Over Guy:
“In a world where having one stoplight can signal your doom…” [video: Old woman who has fallen asleep knitting on her porch...]
“And there’s no way of stopping corporate retail giants…” [video: People protesting and picketing the coming of Walmart...]
“What will happen…” [video: A kid drops his ice cream cone in the dirt and begins screaming.]
“Are you ready to go to church, have babies and die….?” [video: Footage of a small town Veteran's Day parade. A small kid flicks off the motorcade and gets smacked by his mom who is smoking a cigarette.]
AS AMERICAN FALLS. Steve Davis exhibit is currently showing at the James Harris Gallery until February 26th. Steve Davis is the Coordinator of Photography and faculty member at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The 50 States Project and is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, George Eastman House, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Musee de la Photographie in Belgium. This is the third time he’s been featured at the James Harris Gallery. For his previous work at the gallery click here.
“Wait until the end of life, and see if I’m a rabbit or a turtle.”
Meet Thierry Guetta – eccentric Frenchman, amateur cameraman, self-proclaimed filmmaker. In his first film ever, renowned graffiti artist Banksy uncovers the intriguing story behind the unlikely transformation of Thierry into Mister Brainwash, intimately capturing the ‘barely legal’ revolution of street art, and how, “In a world with no rules, one man broke them all”. Certain to fascinate everyone from the stick-figure-challenged to professional Picassos and after all the hype at Sundance and with an Oscar nomination for Documentary Feature, you don’t just have to take my word for it.
The line, “It all started from a kindergarten finger painting class” marks the opening page of his website. Well Todd, I think its safe to say you’ve come a long way.
If you ever wanted to smash the shit out of your alarm clock, no longer imagine. Part photographer, part mechanic, Todd McLellan is certain to always bend the norm. Characterized by his versatility, McLellan’s work highlights subjects ranging from cars and motorcycles to unique scenery to advertising material. However his most intriguing and original pieces capture various broken down machines – I know, doesn’t sound very artistic in the traditional sense, but trust me, just check it out.
Wanna see more? Hit up http://www.toddmclellan.com/
Nothing has inspired the eyes and minds more throughout the 20th Century than National Geographic. (Obviously is still is legit today, but my personal favorites to peruse are back issues from the mid-1900s.) Back in the days when the American family didn’t travel abroad and depended on the collection of adventurous photographers, anthropologists, scientists etc to decipher the confusing, tribal, and complicated natural & social world around them. I must admit I’ve dug through many-a-stack of old NGs over the last decade to collect magazines to get illustration inspiration from, and I found this small clean file of great pics at Sara Gossett’s Flickr.
*Denverian/Peruvian artist Andres Guzman wows the crowd with supremely layered artworks using paint, colored pencil, and well, basically anything he can get his hands on (He’s got some stellar digital work at his site as well.) He’s worked for clients such as Vice Magazine, MTV, Nickelodeon and Colonel Blimp, as well has having tons of personal work to peruse. This is a short-but-hopefully-inspiring post because I believe the work speaks for itself. Enjoy!
*Definition of Denverian:
-adjective: of or relating to Denver, CO or its inhabitant
-noun: a native or inhabitant of Denver, CO
Dark Side Of The Lens, simply put is both cinemetographically and grammatically poetic. Through the eyes of Irish surf photographer Mickey Smith, he translates the world he’s envisioned through the creation of film and his own words. “I see life in angles, in lines of perspective – the slow turn of a head, the blink of an eye, subtle glimpses of magic – other folk might pass by. Cameras help me translate, interpret and understand what I see. It’s a simple act that keeps me grinnin’ “. Immediately emursed in both the aesthetics, depths, and cold; the heavy irish undertones and culture, you become lost in both the twist of words and sea. “For fires of happiness and waves of gratitude. For everything that brought us to that point on earth at that moment in time, to do something worth remembering with a photograph, or a scar -I feel genuinely lucky and hand on heart say I love doing what I do. And I may never be a rich man, or live long enough, then sadly I’ll have a tale or two for the nephews. And I dig the thought of that.”
Check out Mickey Smith and Astray Films’ – Dark Side Of The Lens here, through Coeus Creative.
Los Angeles-based painter Audrey Kawasaki‘s haunting imagery of both sexualized women and lucid imagery of death and lust leaves something categorically in it’s own. Her consistent style of wood-based paintings with oil and graphite gives her art the distinct feeling of the embodiment of nature and humanity. Captivating the audience with fixated eyes and the collaborative efforts of an art nouveau and japanese manga, Audrey’s art has found a place in the souls of thousands. “I paint them [that way] because they are distant, elusive and unattainable, and slip right through your hands,“ explains Kawasaki. Caught between timeless and modern, her artwork is something to be heard about for a long, long time.
For an updated look into the artistic talents of Audrey Kawasaki, check out her blog here.
