I have to say that this new organ donor vinyl toy line by Foox is pretty awesome/creepy. I think it's funny they are dressed in hospital garb. These would be great get-well-soon gifts!
Organ Donors by Foox
Flickr Favorite : Soft Life
SoftLife's Flickr portfolio hosts a collection of really cute, original handmade plush with some great photography as well.
See it all here. More images after the jump.
Soft Life Flickr
Ilikecharacters.com
A really great new blog has just launched by artist Steve Rack, and it's all about one of my most favorite things- character art! IlikeCharacters.com has kicked off their site with a wonderful series of interviews and a giveaway featuring an original sketch by Bubi Au Yeung, and prints by Mr. Toast (Dan Goodsell) and Ben the Illustrator. Giveaway ends May 31st, enter here.
Recent Show Experiences
I write the TokyoBunnie blog because I am passionate about promoting artists and designers that I like. I love art, and I find inspiration in it every day, I’m grateful to be able to share my inspirations with others in this way. I’ve attended several art opening receptions in the last few months, and frankly, I’ve had a couple disappointing experiences that I’d like to talk openly about here.
Los Angeles is a thriving hub of culture, and I am fortunate to live in a city where artists I love are always exhibiting. There are a number of great galleries in Los Angeles. To me, the best galleries balance the delicate task of showcasing art and doing business. Galleries that succeed promote well organized shows, where it's easy for people to attend, and - if they desire - purchase work. Too far in either direction, and a show can flop; bad news for the gallery, and the exhibiting artist.
I generally avoid going to show openings, but I went to Poketo’s Bang! Bang! Draw! event last Friday. Heisuke Kitazawa (PCP) is one of my favorite artists, and I’ve always been a fan of Her Space Holiday. At that show, I wanted to buy a $20 poster that Poketo was selling on behalf of PCP. Unfortunately, they were only accepting cash (which didn’t seem to be posted anywhere). If I wanted to buy Poketo merchandise, they would accept my debit/credit, just not for anything from the PCP show (the show they were promoting!). This was so frustrating! There was no way to get cash, so I was told to order directly from PCP in Japan. If you are exhibiting an artist, then you should make it as simple as possible for people to purchase things. This helps your business, and it benefits the artist. It's a win-win situation! Times are tough, especially for artists; the inability to ring up a small transaction is just bad news.
On the other end of the spectrum was Audrey Kawasaki’s The Drawing Room at Thinkspace last November. Thinkspace was selling a limited number of prints for the show. If you wanted to buy a print, you were told to get in line and fill out your sales receipt- BEFORE having an opportunity to see the prints for sale! When I finally got to the front of the line, I was rudely handed my print and told to exit the gallery. I didn’t even have a chance to see the show! I felt like I was at a used car auction. Now - don't get me wrong - I love Audrey's work and I think her success is extremely well deserved. I know people buy prints to re-sell for profit on the internet, but that isn’t the intent of all people who buy art. I have a lot of art, and I’ve never purchased a piece hoping to make a profit. It’s unlikely that I’ll attend an opening at Thinkspace again, but if I do, I’ll wait until after the opening, so I can actually see the work without being treated poorly. Of course, I won't get to buy prints at their openings, so they’ll miss the opportunity to sell to someone who is a true appreciator. Let the eBay-ers take my print.
I'm not a negative person, the intent of my blog isn’t to tear anyone down. I just feel like it's time for galleries to take a step back, put themselves in the shoes of the people attending their shows, and make sure they are putting in their best effort to give attendees a pleasurable experience. If you do a poor job then it is a bad reflection on the exhibiting artist, who usually has nothing to do with this anyway.
I want people who attend shows, and purchase work to be appreciated, not treated like they are the recipients of a huge favor from the gallery. Owning art is a luxury, and sometimes it's hard to justify when you aren't treated well at a show.
Los Angeles is a thriving hub of culture, and I am fortunate to live in a city where artists I love are always exhibiting. There are a number of great galleries in Los Angeles. To me, the best galleries balance the delicate task of showcasing art and doing business. Galleries that succeed promote well organized shows, where it's easy for people to attend, and - if they desire - purchase work. Too far in either direction, and a show can flop; bad news for the gallery, and the exhibiting artist.
I generally avoid going to show openings, but I went to Poketo’s Bang! Bang! Draw! event last Friday. Heisuke Kitazawa (PCP) is one of my favorite artists, and I’ve always been a fan of Her Space Holiday. At that show, I wanted to buy a $20 poster that Poketo was selling on behalf of PCP. Unfortunately, they were only accepting cash (which didn’t seem to be posted anywhere). If I wanted to buy Poketo merchandise, they would accept my debit/credit, just not for anything from the PCP show (the show they were promoting!). This was so frustrating! There was no way to get cash, so I was told to order directly from PCP in Japan. If you are exhibiting an artist, then you should make it as simple as possible for people to purchase things. This helps your business, and it benefits the artist. It's a win-win situation! Times are tough, especially for artists; the inability to ring up a small transaction is just bad news.
On the other end of the spectrum was Audrey Kawasaki’s The Drawing Room at Thinkspace last November. Thinkspace was selling a limited number of prints for the show. If you wanted to buy a print, you were told to get in line and fill out your sales receipt- BEFORE having an opportunity to see the prints for sale! When I finally got to the front of the line, I was rudely handed my print and told to exit the gallery. I didn’t even have a chance to see the show! I felt like I was at a used car auction. Now - don't get me wrong - I love Audrey's work and I think her success is extremely well deserved. I know people buy prints to re-sell for profit on the internet, but that isn’t the intent of all people who buy art. I have a lot of art, and I’ve never purchased a piece hoping to make a profit. It’s unlikely that I’ll attend an opening at Thinkspace again, but if I do, I’ll wait until after the opening, so I can actually see the work without being treated poorly. Of course, I won't get to buy prints at their openings, so they’ll miss the opportunity to sell to someone who is a true appreciator. Let the eBay-ers take my print.
I'm not a negative person, the intent of my blog isn’t to tear anyone down. I just feel like it's time for galleries to take a step back, put themselves in the shoes of the people attending their shows, and make sure they are putting in their best effort to give attendees a pleasurable experience. If you do a poor job then it is a bad reflection on the exhibiting artist, who usually has nothing to do with this anyway.
I want people who attend shows, and purchase work to be appreciated, not treated like they are the recipients of a huge favor from the gallery. Owning art is a luxury, and sometimes it's hard to justify when you aren't treated well at a show.
Mall
It's always so exciting when I stumble upon an artist that is new to me, and then I go to their site and everything on it is overwhelmingly beautiful and inspiring. That's exactly how I felt this morning when I found the artist Mall (May Ann Licudine) off of the Gallery Nucleus website.
Her work is utterly amazing. There is a wonderful selection of available pieces both here, on her site, and on the Gallery Nucleus site. More images after the jump.
Mall
Andrew Neyer
I am smitten with the illustrations of Andrew Neyer. You can get prints, tees, zines and hats in his webstore. More images after the jump.
Andrew Neyer
Etsy : Hudsonny
Earth day may have passed, but that's no reason not to spend a little extra effort seeking out sustainable handmade items. All the cuteness in the Hudsonny Etsy shop is made with sustainable practices in mind, and all your orders are even walked to the post office! Tea cozies, plushies and felt pins are among the items in this super cute shop. See them all here.
Etsy : Essimar
The Essimar Etsy Shop boasts a lovely collection of paper collage animals. Dainty, colorful, and beautiful.
MiKiMoNo
These two illustrations are gorgeous. Easily two of my favorite flickr finds in months. By Berlin based artist Mónica León, aka MiKiMoNo. Love, love, love them.
Etsy : Kungfu Cowgirl
Super kawaii illustrations by KungFu Cowgirl on buttons, pocket mirrors, magnets, and jewelry!
i made you a beard
I think we can all agree that beards are kinda awesome. Girls get totally jipped and so do the boys with less than overly active folicles who have trouble sprouting a full face o'hair. I think the best way to solve both these hair-deprivation issues is with the amazing felt & yarn beards in the i made you a beard etsy shop. so awesome.
Devon Smith
I found the beautifully fragile paintings by Devon Smith on her Eating Ghosts flickr portfolio. She is a full time artist based in New Zealand with a rather gorgeous portfolio of girls. Some have nose bleeds, broken arms, or chipped teeth. Some rendevouz with deer while others dine with (or on) ghosts. All are lovely. See Devon's Flickr portfolio here, and blog here. More images after the jump.
Eating Ghosts Flickr Portfolio
Bang! Bang! Draw! Poketo+PCP+Her Space Holiday TONIGHT!
Okay Poketo, you've outdone yourselves this time! Tonight at the Poketo studio, PCP and Her Space Holiday will present Bang! Bang! Draw! PCP does the artwork for the amazing band, so Poketo has brought them together for an awesome art+music collaborative evening.
Details:
“Bang! Bang! Draw!”
Join us for a night of art and music with PCP and Her Space Holiday
Friday, April 24th
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM: Live music performance followed by moderated Q&A session
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM: Official Art show/Party with original works by PCP
Admission: Free!
Poketo Studio
510 South Hewitt Street, #506 (5th floor) Los Angeles, CA 90013
laFraise Artist Tees
laFraise has got a really great collection of artist edition tees from the likes of Charuca and Zutto, amongst others. They are available in men's and women's sizes, on a variety of styles and colors. I can't tell if they'll ship Internationally (they are based in France) but check out the whole selection here.
Catalina Estrada Cushions
Apparently it's awesome artist cushion week here at the TokyoBunnie blog! Here's three stunning Catalina Estrada designs by Click for Art.
Tado's Private Panda Club Prints
Tado is selling limited edition prints from their recent Pictoplasma event in Berlin, the Private Panda Club. This is a new direction for Tado, and I have to say I am not a huge fan... but I do like the set design. What do you think of these prints?
Shawnimals Forest Spirit Wee Ninja for Earth Day!
In celebration of Earth Day, Shawnimals has produced an adorable organic, eco friendly Forest Sprit Wee Ninja! Released today, this plush toy is made entirely of organic, sustainable materials. I think this is a wonderful testament to the fact that plush toys can be cute, well made, and good for the earth. Toys that inspire us should do so even more when they are made without leaving a negative footprint on the earth.
Zutto Prints
I've posted the work of Moscow based artist Zutto before, so I was really excited when I learned that you can now purchase prints of her fantastic work on ClickforArt. There's so many great ones to choose from! See more of Zutto's work here and here. More images after the jump.
Zutto on ClickforArt
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