Crazy 4 Cult 8: Back In LA!

Another year has flown by, and it's time for Crazy 4 Cult to return, but this time, it's returned home to the loving arms of Los Angeles.

A few weeks prior to the show opening, I was asked by Gallery 1988 if I would be interested in creating the poster for this years show. 4 years ago I was first invited to be a part of this show that I loved attending. I never imagined that 4 short years later, i'd be creating the main image that encapsulates this renowned gallery exhibit.

My first pass at a title treatment.

It's a huge honor that they would ask me to create this poster, so I knew I wanted to do something very different than what i'm known for in the Gallery. Something that looked unique and iconic, something that subtly referenced the 80's, but felt at home in 2014. Normally, i'd start with a sketch or writing down a list of movies I wanted to include in the piece, but I started with the title, to get the feeling across I was going for.

Character lay-ins for composition

Next up, I gathered some iconic images of characters from movies that I wanted to include in the poster image. I laid them all out in the composition that I felt worked best. The next step was to then create the final artwork over this "sketch". The final poster image is hand drawn (in photoshop...) using this image as the template.

To purchase this 18" x 24" poster, click HERE

After cleaning up all the line work, I added in some Los Angeles specific elements as well as lightning bolts because lightning is AWESOME!

In addition to creating the poster image, I have another entry in my "Storytime" series based off of one of the weirdest, deepest, and most interesting movies i've ever seen...

To purchase this print, click HERE

Crazy 4 Cult is a Gallery 1988 tradition that i've been thrilled to be a part of for the past 4 years. If you stopped by the opening, thanks for coming out! If you're in the Los Angeles area between December 12th - 28th, and you love unique film art, you'll definitely want to check it out!

"Crazy 4 Cult 8: Back In LA"
Dec. 12th - 28th
Gallery 1988 West
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.gallery1988.com 

10 Year Anniversary Show @ Gallery 1988: Insert Coin(s)

10 years. That's a really long time, especially for an art gallery, let alone an art gallery on Melrose in Hollywood. But yet, here we are. Friday, April 11th, Gallery 1988 is celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a brand new show full of awesome art!

After leaving the Video Game industry 5 years ago, Jensen and Katie invited me to my first Gallery show at Gallery 1988, where they allowed me to hang my work on their walls. I think I sold 1 print... but it was an awesome feeling. I was sure they'd never invite me back, but... just a few months later, they did! And now, 5 years on, i'm a regularly featured artist with them, and I can't thank them enough for what they have done for me. It has been an honor working with these fine folks over the years, I can't imagine my life without Gallery 1988.

For the 10 year show, I decided to travel back to the 80's, when hair was big and fashion was bad. The Arcade is a relic of the past, but I believe, just like Vinyl, it's slowly making a comeback. There's nothing quite like a great arcade experience. For this show, I was inspired by two excellent films, "TR0N" and "The Last Starfighter", and I decided to paint arcade cabinets based off of the nonexistent arcade games from those films.

Here are my pieces for Gallery 1988's 10 year anniversary show "The Subtle Art of Pop-Culture":

"Space Paranoids" inspired by Tron

To purchase a print, click HERE

"Starfighter" inspired by The Last Starfighter

To purchase a print, click HERE

I had a chance to play "Space Paranoids" at Flynn's Arcade a few years ago when Disneyland turned part of California Adventure into the Tron-themed "ElecTRONica". I wish they had kept it as a permanent thing, but sadly, it's gone, but at least I still have my token from Comic-Con to remind me of the good times.

Atari made many mistakes over the years, one of which was never actually producing a real version of "Starfighter" like they promised in the credits of the movie... what a missed opportunity.

Happy 10th birthday Gallery 1988! Thank you for the great work you do, for helping me share my artwork with others, and for putting trust and value in what I do. Here's to the next 10 years.

I will have framed artwork of the prints above (in swanky glossy black frames!) as well as signed/numbered prints available.

"The Subtle Art of Pop-Culture"
Gallery 1988 (West)
7308 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
http://www.gallery1988.com

I'd also quickly like to direct you to two places that I feel everyone should know about.

A really amazing Arcade/Bar "EightyTwo" has just opened in Los Angeles, and it's stocked with an amazing range of arcade games from Fighters, to Classic Retro games, Pinball Machines, and sit-down racers. Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/eightytwola You won't be sorry.

If you find yourself in Las Vegas, do yourself a favor and visit "The Pinball Hall of Fame". It's a 10,000 square foot warehouse LOADED with pinball machines from the 1950's up to current tables. Bring some dollars, and get ready to lose some hours... http://www.pinballmuseum.org