Tellason Denim

I'm a fan of Tellason denim for obvious reasons...they're made in the USA and use high-quality materials. Pete and Tony are also passionate about their product, which is always key.

I wear Tellason almost exclusively for all of my artistic endeavors (painting/wheatpasting/stenciling/collaging/screenprinting) as well as many of my domestic assignments (gardening, splitting firewood, cleaning gutters, etc).

Go Faster: The Graphic Design of Racing Cars

Ken Barber on Gestalten TV

Ken Barber of House Industries is another guy who does really great stuff. Above is a little glimpse into one of his type and lettering workshops.

DDC-051 "Philadelphia Freedom Poster"

I'm a fan of DDC and the personality behind it, Mr. Aaron Draplin. He does great work, cares about the history of his medium and is funny as hell.

I guess Draplin's been doing a lot of speaking engagements/lectures and knocking out amazing prints to promote and accompany the various venues.

To summarize: support this dude. He does kick ass shit.

LOUD FLASH: British Punk on Paper

A little late with this posting, but above is a small sampling of 'Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper' exhibit from Honor Fraser Gallery in LA. It's a well-curated and very rare selections of prints, flyers, zines and other ephemera from the personal collection of Brit, Toby Mott. No doubt, THE most impressive presentation of the era that I've ever seen...most of which, in terms of design, is absolutely brilliant.

Press release from Honor Fraser:

Honor Fraser is pleased to announce Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper, opening Saturday July 16, 6 to 8pm, and on view through August 27, 2011.

This exhibition is a compelling portrait of a particular moment in British popular culture, at the bitter end of the post-war period. It tells its story through a unique collection of several hundred posters, flyers and other ephemera assembled by artist and erstwhile punk, Toby Mott. With the passion of a true fan and an artist's eye for an image, he has gathered the evidence of the short life and premature, messy end of British Punk. There are iconic images by artists such as Jamie Reid and Linder Sterling, as well as flyers, gig posters, and zines, crudely cut and pasted by anonymous hands. A fascinating collection of political material supplies further context of a nation of unrest, torn by extremism, recording attempts by political extremes of both left and right to co-opt the power of youth.

Ephemeral and throwaway as each of these objects were, collected together they tell, in uniquely immediate and visual terms, a part of the history of Britain, the history of ideas, and the history of art. Punk has always exerted a fascination, but perhaps never stronger than at this moment. The legacy of punk has permeated modern culture and society, and its visual vocabulary infuses much contemporary art, while the punk spirit resonates in particular with the anti-elitist, DIY ethos of today's young, blogging artists and musicians. This exhibition recalls the anarchic spirit of authenticity and amateurism, the volatile and ambiguous celebration of negativity, creativity, violence and protest that was Punk.

Chris Burden: Metropolis II Coming to LACMA

Can't wait to see this monumental work from Chris Burden at LACMA...

A short doc about a kinetic sculpture that took four years to build. We had the honor of spending three days in Chris Burden's studio filming this sculpture before it was moved to the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art (LACMA) where it is being reinstalled.
The installation opens fall 2011.
Chris Burden is one of our favorite artists of all time. For more about him and his work http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Burden
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/chris-burden/

Directed by Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman
Edited by Max Joseph
Cinemtography by Schulman, Joost & Van Neistat
Music by Tortoise (Ten-Day interval) & Mahogany (Windmill International A)

Special Thanks to Zak Cook and everyone at the Burden studio...Tortoise, Mahogany, Jaclyn Slimm & Andrew Prinz

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"The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California...

...less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion-

It is his fault he didn't lock the garage."

One of the most memorable automotive scenes in the history of film. From John Hughes' (RIP) 1986 movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

OoooooooooohYeaaaah.

PLINC Catalog

I'm a huge fan of the boys (and girls) over at House Industries in Yorklyn, Delaware. Their latest project, the digitization of the overwhelming Photo-Lettering (PLINC) archives, has been online for a few months now. If you're a designer, be sure to go check it out...and be sure to sign up for their new printed PLINC catalog.

Above images House Industries © 2011

in situ: Betsy Cain at Telfair/Jepson

My former York Lane neighbor and friend Betsy Cain is presenting in situ at the Telfair Museum/Jepson Center in Savannah, GA later this month. If you're a local, go check it out; Betsy has been at the heart of the art scene in Savannah for more than twenty years.

D*Face Pool Paint Attack

On the subject of drawing lines, English artist D*Face recently teamed up with a few skateboarders, including Screaming Lord Salba, to transform an ordinary backyard pool into a curved canvas of cured concrete. Using some aerosol paint, a remotely-operated trigger and some ingenuity, each board was modified into a kinetic paint brush.

The result? A three dimensional, Spirograph-esque collaboration between the artist, the skaters and the pool...

ESPO/Stephen Powers for Ogilvy Mathers

ESPO (aka Stephen Powers) was recently commissioned by legendary advertising agency, Ogilvy Mathers, to flex his lettering skill on the interior of the companies corporate headquarters.

I dig Powers' vibe; his homage to vernacular typography, his use of humor and wit, and his always immaculate craftsmanship.

REFERENCE LIBRARY/Taliban Don't Surf PT. 2

My previous post, below, showed some of the content and concept of the Taliban Don't Surf print. Above are a few aspects of the craft of the design; from first thumbnail sketch (dated 2/21/11) and notes, to illustrating type specimens and creating other analog elements for use in the collage. After a few dozen digital comps, films are ripped, screens are coated and burned, inks mixed, paper trimmed and registered and squeegees pulled.

The final product, a two color, 18" x 24" screenprint, on 100# archival, black stock is available now (6/30/11) via 1xRun.com.

REFERENCE LIBRARY/Taliban Don't Surf

A few pieces of digital ephemera that serve the story of the upcoming Taliban Don't Surf print, available June 30, 2011, exclusively at 1xRun.com.