Prism Index #2 - Multimedia Art Package

PRISM index #2 features 60 artists in film, writing, poetry, music, art, and comics. The compilation includes an 88 page book printed offset, a 95 minute DVD of award-winning short films, an 80 minute CD of unreleased and rare music, and a mini-comic, all in a handmade, silkscreened cover.

PRISM index is a limited edition, handmade, silkscreened, mixed-media book that compiles the work of a wide spectrum of artists into one place. The name serves as an acronym for print, images, sounds, and movies.

THIS IS THE SECOND ISSUE OF PRISM INDEX. 60 BRAND NEW CONTRIBUTORS!

The goal of this publication is to create a collage of current art/culture scenes from throughout the US and the world. As a network for artists, this project seeks to establish a platform for multi-media sharing through the tactile, aural, and visual experience of print, images, sounds (CD), and movies (DVD) and to extend and elaborate those expressions through its online presence. PRISM index intended to create something that could not be thrown away, skimmed through, replicated, or forgotten.

Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. Packaged in archival sleeves.

Luke Ramsey Talks at Pictoplasma Festival

Luke Ramsey discusses the concepts and process of his commercial illustrations and personal art at the Pictoplasma Festival in Berlin.

Luke Ramsey is an illustrator and fine artist from Canada. He is founding member of Islands Fold, an artist residency located on Pender Island off Vancouver. His work is distinct through a continuous flow of pen on paper, which he digitally colours to strong tableaux. Human characters are set in landscapes and natural settings, mountains stare motionless and simple shapes build up to intricate agglomerations. Luke has collaborated with over 80 different artists to date and has exhibited widely in North America and Europe.

Here’s a 10 minute edit of Luke’s presentation at the Pictoplasma Berlin Festival, 2010.

Jason McLean & Peter Thompson Artist Book

Texas on the Thames is a new artist zine by Jason McLean and Peter Thompson.

Anteism is currently printing a new zine and thought we would share some video of the covers flying off the press. The book will be a two colour print of collaborative drawings by the two London, Ontario artists. These should be available online in our shop in the next week, or grab a copy from the artists themselves.

Here's the first colour coming off the press. A dark burgundy for the front and back cover.

The second colour .

James Kirkpatrick Interview: LondonFUSE

A studio visit with James discussing his art, music and stick-on earrings.

Checkout the artists website and art books "Before the End" and "Brain Trust"

Author Dean Garlick Reads The Fish on Youtube

Dean Garlick - Video reading of his book - The Fish

Author Dean Garlick has begun a video reading series from his debut book "The Fish". The book will be read (in it's entirety) in sections by the author and posted to youtube. Listen to further readings here . The Fish is available for purchase through the Anteism Shop.

IMYGRATE - Exhibition of Character Art & Design

A Project and Exhibition of Character Artwork & Designs.

IMYGRATE's 104 artists provide 391 original artworks currently on display at Olio.

As we polish off the IMYGRATE book, here are some photos and video of the opening night exhibition.

The IMYGRATE exhibition includes original artwork and photographs which document the project. A free e-book will be released in the coming days which highlights the character artwork and designs by 104 international artists.

Artist List: Action Tin Toy, Ala Ramildi, Alberto Cerriteno, Alexei Vella, Alicia Wagner, Andrea Innocent, Andrea Wong, Arjan Westerdiep, Ben Frey, Ben van Netten & kstyles, Bill Dunlap, Bill Thomson, Brad Simon, Brent Bouchard, Brett Farkas, Brian Donnelly, Brian Raszka, Bruna Guerreiro, Caleb Beyers, Cameron Forsley, C Huffman, Charlotte Cynthia Walton, Chico Baldini, Chika Kakazu, Chris Von Szombathy, Christian Gralingen, Christian Walden, Cristina Garcia Martin, Crystal Beard, Daniel Gonzalez, Dante Malo, Darin Bindle, DGPH, Diogo Potes, Duto Hardono, Elisa Sassi, Erik Jonssan, Erik Volet, Es Jottes, Forcefeedswede, Frank Flothmann, Gareth Gaudin, General Magic, George Ferrandi, Handiedan, Husk Mit Navn, J Shea, James Schneider, Jan Kromerak, Jessica May Hobdell, Jessie Holmes, JK Gallag, Joan Stiebel, John Casey, John Lytle Wilson, Jorn Kaspuhl, Josh Taylor, Justin Stone, Ken Gerberick, Kendra Lane Sherick, Lala Ladcani, Lee McLure, Lon Wenger, Luke Ramsey, M Shaffer, Madbox, Marc Johns, Marc Lynch, Maria Esaiasson, Matt Lee, Maxwell Paternoster, Mieke Driessen, Monster Flower, Mr Globp, Nadia Zanellato, Natalia Gianinazzi, Osmoze Graphik, Owen Plummer, P. Williams, Paul Antonson, Phil Corbett, Phoenix Perry, Randy Laybourne, Raymond Weekes, Richard Camara, Robin Van Wijk, Ryan Qunicy, Scott Radke, Scott Radnidge, Sean Brookes, Shea Moir, Slaven Kosanovic, Stephen Tompkins, Tanya Edgar, Tapetentiere (Buro Destruct), The Royal Art Lodge, Tony Ochre, Trust 36, United States of the Art, Warren Craghead, Weird Eye One, William Cowen, Yuka Yamaguchi, Ziqi

Curated by Amelia Sawin & Ryan Thompson

IMYGRATE Artist Profile: Erik Volet

Erik Volet

Victoria artist Erik Volet's graffiti roots and ink character drawings are well suited to the IMYGRATE Project.

Below is a character drawn by artist Erik Volet. Visit the IMYGRATE Exhibition on February 19th, 2010 to find out what happened to this wandering nomad.

Volet talks about his mural in the group show "Us Ones In Between"

Below is an introduction written about Erik's artwork for his book Saturnalia. “The drawings collected in the present volume represent a fragment of a much larger work; years of incantations and descents into the emptiness of self are here displayed in a fractured and fragile way, for that which they represent cannot be given in a singular stroke. But they serve to provide us with a glimpse of another grand attempt, another striving towards the centre, another drawing aside of the veil. In these works can be seen the manipulations of a magus born in an age when it has been decreed that such a creature shall not be. Here can be seen a desire to create and recreate another system of nature, where the dead light of fluorescent bulbs can no longer blind us in our dreaming. Here we see the hand moving in the act of tracing the transformations of point and line across the encompassing whiteness of new time, where the cartoon representation of a human face stands as the irreducible representation of that real with which all our sciences struggle. It is only in the image of the face of the other that we find the reflection of the order of the self sought by all our symbolic orders.” – Ami Joseph Brosseau, August 2007

If I could shoot laser beams out of my eyes...

If I could shoot laser beams out of my eyes,

I would (shoot laser beams out of my eyes) A group art show at Space 1026 featuring  James Kirkpatrick, Matt Furie and Jon Bocksel.

Space 1026 is excited to present an exhibition of paintings and drawings by James Kirkpatrick, Matt Furie and Jon Bocksel. While breaking traditional storytelling techniques, the exhibited works retain motifs of narrative picture-making, challenging the viewer to interpret their own version of truth. United by shared interests in printed ephemera, comic-inspired motifs and graphic compositions, these artists bring three unique visions rich in vibrant color and sophisticated humor to Space 1026 from January 8th through the 29th with an opening reception Friday, January 8th from 7 to 10pm.

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James Kirkpatrick resides in London, Ontario where he makes a lot of things to look at and to listen to. His paintings, sculpture, installation and sound pieces are inspired by the world around him, underground comics, hobo train art, good food, nice and bad people. Although James likes London, Ontario, he enjoys being away from there even more, sharing his art and music wherever he goes. Check out Jame's work in the following books Brain Trust, Canadian Haircut Cut and A Dog Named Dracula.

Sound installation by Kirkpatrick

Matt Furie was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1979. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio in 2001. Matt is a leo, he enjoys long walks in the park, bubble baths, and an occasional glass of wine. He currently lives in San Francisco. His comic series "Boy's Club" is published by Buenaventura Press.

Jon Bocksel paints words, phrases, bricks, crumbling facades, pyramid schemes, and other mundane places.  Using type specimens from letterpress catalogs, sign painting books, collected ephemera, and daily observances, Jon paints images on paper to crack jokes and act as topical vantage point.  For his work he often picks common words from our vocabulary and embellishes, exaggerates, or at times redefines their meaning, thus creating an examination into our greater surroundings and colloquial digressions.

Space 1026 was founded over a decade ago by a handful of artists and tricksters who organize rowdy public events and outrageous installations at their building and at other institutions. At the heart of Space 1026 is a communal screen-printing workshop and gallery space for monthly exhibitions by local and international artists. +++++

If I could shoot laser beams out of my eyes, I would (shoot laser beams out of my eyes)

James Kirkpatrick, Matt Furie, Jon Bocksel January 8th - 29th, 2010 Opening Reception: Friday, January 8th, 7 - 10pm Space 1026 1026 Arch St. 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA www.space1026.com

Canadian Artist "Other" / Troy Lovegates Book

We wanted to give you guys a quick sneak peak preview of a project we are really excited to be working on. This video showcases a mockup which demonstrates what the limited edition Other book will look like. There will be 100 copies of the hand bound hardcover produced. These copies include a screen-printed cover, block printed endpages printed by the artist himself, embossed title page (that's where you see the hand doing a little circle in the video). This full colour book will highlight murals,trains and snapshots by Mr Troy Lovegates.  Sign-up on our mailing list to get an advanced heads up before the book goes on sale. The 100 limited copies are expected to go near instantly. Look forward to the book coming out in early 2010.

Carrera’s Pictorial Webster’s: Mini-Documentary

In 1995 John Carrera found an old 1898 Webster's International Dictionary under his grandfathers reading chair. Over the next ten years Carrera would organize and print 4,000 of the estimated 13,000 engravings now owned by Yale University.

The labels for the engravings were composed, cast and redistributed on a 1938 Linotype Model A. This machine is an amazing feat of engineering and a beautiful showcase of what is possible without the use of electronics.

After printing, the signatures are folded and cut by hand, holes are punch for sewing, signatures are then sewn together. The spines are then pasted up, edges trimmed and page edges are decorated with multiple layers of coloured rubber stamps. Boards are attached for the hardcover. Various leather techniques are uses to cover the boards and create the cover as well as decorate. Raised accents on the spine, letterpress gold leaf labels, and designs embeded into the leather cover are some of the decorations which adorn the book.

This mini documentary highlights the process of reproducing a book of these beautiful engravings. It also provides us a glimpse at what we take for granted and a appreciation at the patience and craftsmanship of the ol' time book binder as well as many other dying art forms. Long live the book and it's appreciation.

Woodpile Collective - The Mend is Very Near.

Boucherat Gallery has created a great video of the Woodpile Collective's most recent exhibition "Knew". The video includes an interview with the crew's Sean McLaughlin, Blythe Hailey, and Shawn O'Keefe. The show included an amazing module art shack, made from found materials, screen prints, West Coast aboriginal influenced wooden masks and Woodpile's well known large collaborative paintings. Traditionally trained sign painters Chris and Stu Dobell contributed some amazing hand painted signage, while Darren Heise set the mood with a funny but sometimes spooky animation which played in the background on a big old wood framed T.V. Knew: Works by the Woodpile Collective

Universal Nomads | T-shirts and Toys

Prepare yourself for the Universal Nomads. Zane Kozak and company have released a bunch of awesome t-shirts at this years Taipei Toy Festival and have a sneak peak of a new design for a toy, "The LumberNaut".

Magna-Gons from Universal Nomads on Vimeo.

Universal Nomads is a new Brand dimension, engineered to withstand the force of time and space. With an atomic eye for detail, we strive to offer the very best in Quality and Durability. Artistically crafted according to the advanced poly-faceted ethics of the future, we bring to you the style and sensibility of Tomorrow, Today! In accordance with the Ten Laws of Paradox, items such as our very popular Holographic Video Pants and Revolving Time Loop Shades are not offered in this current Time Period. Though it is for your own safety. Trust us, a temporal paradox can get rather nasty!) Universal Gear built with the rugged Universal Traveler in mind. For you now and your future. Happy trails.

Universal Nomads was founded by the EST.9089 Art Collective. We are a loose knit band of unruly designers and dimension painters. Now banned in 7 of 10 liveable planes of reality, for committing supposed art crimes. Refusing our sentence of death at the hands of the vile Lords of Art. We have slipped their diamond vice grasp and escaped through the maintenance hatch of time. On the run and heading backwards in time since the year 9089, we are relentlessly hounded by the deadliest of Assassinatrix Programs. Dodging its harsh Critique algorithms at every bend in reality. We are EST.9089, fugitives of fate. We join you now, in this time. May these good times have no bounds.

UN Reel from Universal Nomads on Vimeo.

Paul Smith TypeWriter Art - One finger at a time.

Paul Smith, a man with an extraordinary talent was born in Philadelphia on September 21, 1921 with severe cerebral palsy. Not only had Paul beaten the odds of a life with spastic cerebral palsy, a disability that impeded his speech & mobility but also taught himself to become a master artist as well as a terrific chess player even after being devoid of a formal education as a child.

Unable to hold a pencil or paintbrush Paul turned to the typewriter to create his portraits and Americana based artworks. Using different keys on the typewriter to form different shapes which were layered to produce an image. 'When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one. Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys. In other words, his pictures were based on these characters .... @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ . Across seven decades, Paul created hundreds of pictures. He often gave the originals away. Sometimes, but not always, he kept or received a copy for his own records. As his mastery of the typewriter grew, he developed techniques to create shadings, colors, and textures that made his work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings.'

This great man passed away on June 25, 2007, but left behind a collection of his amazing artwork that will be an inspiration for many. View a gallery of Paul Smiths typewriter artworks here & a time lapse gallery showing the stages of an artwork come to form.

We could all learn something from Smith's dedication, perseverance and positive outlook.

Brain Trust Book - Promo Video

Here's a little promo video we put together to showcase some of the artwork in our recently published Brain Trust book. James Kirkpatrick who collaborates with Peter Thompson in Brain Trust also did the soundtrack for this video. Check out more of Thesis Sahib's music at his myspace page.

View/Purchase Brain Trust

Aaron Noble - Rebuilding a Super Heroe

Aaron Noble's paintings look like super heroes deflating like a balloon and zig-zagging across the universe. Aaaron uses images found in 90's comics (most notably published by IMAGE). Theses abstracts are instantly recognizable as comic like to some, but comic readers will see the image as a mashup of characters. These characters have been brilliantly transformed to erase the branding and identity that has been painstakingly designed into the series.

Nobles's paintings brought to mind Jeff Koons series EasyFun-Ethereal although much more abstract. Koons does not abstract his imagery as much as crop and collage but it is the use of certain parts to create the new which is similar. Whether we've eaten a"Pop Tart" or not our generation will identitfy and the same goes for comics. These super human characters seem to have lost their extraordinary powers due to the lack of human muscle structure, but gained god like status.

No more sympathy for bastards & my lover

A love story about a man who was so terrible to his wife, he was charming. Directed by Patrick Tsai (English, 15 min. B+W/Color,DV, 2003)

Larytta - Music Video

This hypnotizing video ("Souvenir de Chine") was produced for Swiss music duo Larytta was directed by körner union.

* Thanks to Charlotte Cynthia Walton for sending the link.

Steven Harrington - Interview

Steven Harrington from Arkitip, Inc.

Harrington's work is influenced by Time-Life Encyclopedias 1965-1972, thrift stores and the 60s pysch sounds of The Moody Blues, his art might be termed 'contextual objectivism'.

"Our Mountain", is a traveling art experience with works by Steven Harrington and Justin Krietemeyer.  The exhibit will start in Paris then travels on through Barcelona, Milan and Berlin.

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun's strategy is to document and promote change in contemporary Indigenous history through large scale acrylic on canvas pieces with brush and/or a palette knife. He makes use of vivid colours and his work presents a positive aesthetic impression as well as expression of content that is often bi-cultural. In his work Yuxweluptun uses Coast Salish cosmology, Northwest Coast formal design elements, and the Western landscape tradition. His painted works explore political, environmental, and cultural issues. His personal and socio-political experiences enhance this practice of documentation. Yuxweluptun's work has been included in numerous international group and solo exhibitions, such as INDIGENA: Contemporary Native Perspectives in 1992. He was the recipient of the Vancouver Institute for the Visual Arts (VIVA) award in 1998.

Much of the content of his work is derived from contemporary Native social and political issues. His father at one time was President of the North American Indian Brotherhood and his mother was Executive Director of the Indian Homemakers Association.

Randy Laybourne - 20x20 Series & Show

Randy Laybourne has an upcoming show entitled 20x20, which is a series of 20 water color paintings done at 20"x20". Here is a time lapse video of Randy creating #16.

Here is a posting from Laybourne's blog describing his influences for the 20x20 show. When I was 20 years old I was able to backpack and skateboard around Europe, going as far east as the middle of Turkey and as far north at Gdansk in Poland. During the trip I tried to get to every gallery and museum I could afford to see. Being able to see a lot of the masterpieces of art was amazing but there were particular artists that had a big impact.

Bosch was one of them. Being able to see “The Garden of Earthly Delights” in Madrid was mindblowing. I stood there for what seemed hours. Trying to take in all the detail. Most other artwork in any museum I’d count to 10 and move on. Picasso 10, 9, 8… David 10, 9, and so on and on and on. Not with Bosch though.

Garden of Earth Delights (center panel)

Garden of Earthly Delights (center panel detail)

Garden of Earthly Delights (right panel)

Garden of Earthly Delights (right panel detail)

I mainly was and am interested in his way of creating different visions of heaven, earth and hell. All his little demons and monsters are fascinating and there is so much to look for and read into.

Pieter Brugel was equally impressive to me. The influence of Bosch on Brugel is clear but Brugel goes a different route and along with vision of hell, he shows what life was like in a village. Full of entertaining details and stories.

Netherlandish Proverbs

Netherlandish Proverbs info

The Netherlandish Proverbs illustrated sayings of his day visually and every little thing had a meaning. Wikipedia shows them all. So am still so amazed with all of it.

The Triumph of Death

The Fight Between Carnival and Lent

The amount of little things that have to do with a story or meaning is what drew me in then and what still makes me go over the work of both artists.

With the 20X20 work, they didn’t start off with tons of detail but as I kept going and finishing one after another, some similar, quiet narratives were coming to life. There are a few things from my life directly in the work, but I’d much rather have the viewer find little meanings on their own. As I kept going with the series, they were getting more and more complicated and taking a bit longer to do. I kept going back to review the works of Bosch and Bruegel as the series was being done. I’m glad I was able to see their actual work (way back in the 90s) and have it make its mark on my own in some simple way.