ARTboner Chronicles

She (Study), graphite and ink on paper.

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:55:52 -0700

She (Study), graphite and ink on paper.

Death’s Cold Stare, graphite. Too. Cute. But, I...

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:49:30 -0700

Death’s Cold Stare, graphite.

Too. Cute. But, I don’t know why he has called it Death’s Cold Stare. Is the bunny dying?! If that’s the case, then this piece stops being cute and starts being just plain depressing :-(

Wrenchola, ink on paper.

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:41:20 -0700

Wrenchola, ink on paper.

Pointer Sister, ink on paper.

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:33:40 -0700

Pointer Sister, ink on paper.

Scrabble, ink on paper. The show also included graphite and ink...

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:12:52 -0700

Scrabble, ink on paper.

The show also included graphite and ink works on paper that showcased Craola’s graffiti background as well as designs from his clothing company which is called I’m Scared.

These letter peices, which spell out Craola’s name, seem...

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:43:00 -0700

These letter peices, which spell out Craola’s name, seem to be a tribute to his buddies in the CBS (Can’t Be Stopped) and WAI (not going to lie, after an extenisve internet search I still have no idea what it means. I would just look in my Graffiti LA book because I am certain it is in there, but it is still tucked away in a box somewhere from when I moved into my new bedroom. Anyhow, I digress) crews, both of which he still does graffiti with until this day.

In order of the spelling of Craola’s name:

Casl, Rob One, Axis, Orah, Lyte, and Anger.

My favorite has to be that brilliant orange O that is depicted as an actual orange, peeling away it’s skin to reveal the juicy friut inside.

Stop Haunting Me was a celebration of Craola’s two decades...

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:05:00 -0700

Stop Haunting Me was a celebration of Craola’s two decades in the art world. In this piece, Craola does a riff on the classic Crayola crayon box.

Luna, acrylic on panel. A baby rodent of some sort riding a Luna...

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:00:13 -0700

Luna, acrylic on panel.

A baby rodent of some sort riding a Luna Moth octopus whose tentacles clutch a human hand clothed in Victorian lace to which cute little green Clown Fish flock. This shit is crazy—crazy good!

The Perilous Perch, giclee on elegance 320lb cotton rag. Limited...

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:50:00 -0700

The Perilous Perch, giclee on elegance 320lb cotton rag. Limited edition print of only 20.

This print is a true glimpse into the mind of a cartoon lover. Notice the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle flying the plane at the right corner. Also, the sneaky little refernce to the still life painting tradition with the slate and grapes at the bottom.

Apex Predator, acrylic on panel. Another one of Mr....

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:42:03 -0700

Apex Predator, acrylic on panel.

Another one of Mr. Simkins’ signature tag-like sgnatures.

The Artifact, acrylic on canvas. And the hybrid creatures come...

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:53:38 -0700

The Artifact, acrylic on canvas.

And the hybrid creatures come into play! I just noticed that this octopus is flaking out to be a beehive and Mickey’s bottom half morphs into a sliced orange.

The Admiral, acrylic on panel. He looks like an evil, murderous...

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:41:38 -0700

The Admiral, acrylic on panel.

He looks like an evil, murderous Donald Duck! But, check out Craola’s signature—his graffiti influence remains evident in is his stylized scawlings. Don’t worry, there will be more of that later on.

Haunt Me (study), acrylic on panel. I love this peice so...

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:27:32 -0700

Haunt Me (study), acrylic on panel.

I love this peice so much. Those kind of splattery, dripping, thickly applied swirls of paint imbue the parrot with energy. This was actually a study for one of the larger pieces in the show which I have only absolutely terrible photos of. Go to http://arrestedmotion.com/2013/04/greg-craola-simkins-stop-haunting-me-merry-karnowsky-gallery/?images=5 to see some great professional grade photos of the the piece this was a study for as well as many other works from the show.

Trophy, acrylic on panel.

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:09:14 -0700

Trophy, acrylic on panel.

Alright, moving on to my personal favorite of the night—Greg Craola Simkins at Merry...

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:59:57 -0700

Alright, moving on to my personal favorite of the night—Greg Craola Simkins at Merry Karnowsky! I’ll apologize, once again, in advance for any poor quality photos.

Cosmos No. 3, print, collage and pen on canvas board in frame.

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:57:37 -0700

Cosmos No. 3, print, collage and pen on canvas board in frame.

Elegant Universe No. 2 by Handiedan, print, collage, and ink on...

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:51:12 -0700

Elegant Universe No. 2 by Handiedan, print, collage, and ink on board in an antique frame.

This is what I’m doing right now. For those of you who don’t...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:15:42 -0700

This is what I’m doing right now. For those of you who don’t know what “this” is (which I’m assuming is most of you), I’m getting an iron infusion. Anemia is a very common issue among patients with kidney disease and with that comes low iron. I guess a normal level for iron is around 30 and mine was only 18 so they made me get 1000mg of iron infusion over 3 weeks (200 then 400 and 400 today). It’s not so bad really, but I did have to walk over here from work which is only about 2 miles anyway since my mom is working late (we carpool).

This giant thaumatrope was the focal point of the show. I...

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:01:15 -0700

This giant thaumatrope was the focal point of the show. I couldn’t get a picture of the other side because it just wouldn’t stay put.

Meggs also created a series of thaumatropes for this...

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:52:23 -0700

Meggs also created a series of thaumatropes for this show—devices used in the Victorian age to “demonstrate the persistence of vision”. They are basically spinning medallions with different images on each of their 2 sides. I think that when you spin them really quickly the images kind of re-combine to create one new, whole image. Not gonna lie, I really didn’t get it at the time and I wish I had experiemented with the pieces more when I was in the gallery. These works act as yet another tool for Meggs to point out how his work, and this show in particular, is derived from two distinct traditions—the ancient mythology that has held up to the test of time and the very contemporary medium of street art whose glory has only recently been discovered by the world at large.