Hand Painted Linings are Done!!

For the upcoming release of my exclusive Peekaboo Collection with Goorin Bros, I have been working hard on creating a series of 'Handpainted' linings for both hats and ties. The Peekaboo collection consists of hats and ties with hidden Lady treasures on the inside linings. Most of the Peekaboo Lady images are sublimated on fabric, but for this exclusive series, I hand painted the linings. There will be 100 American Made black fedoras with hand painted custom linings, and 50 nice black wool ties with hand painted linings and a custom Peekaboo tie bar. The entire line will be released the beginning of November 2012. This was a tedious undertaking, but I am glad that people will be able to enjoy my paintings as custom wearable art.

Alynn-Mags feature in Inked Magazine

This past June, 2012, Alynn-Mags headed to NYC to paint a mural for Inked Magazine. The two artists are featured in this October's issue of Inked - Art and Culture Magazine. Both ladies had a great time creating the mural and are honored to be featured!! Many thanks to the whole Inked crew, and Laura Crosta, the photographer. Read article below...

   I'm watching paint dry-actually bake in the sun-and I haven't been this awestruck by an edifice in New York City since I first saw the American Radiator Building. A few weeks ago Amandalynn and Lady Mags promised to paint an INKED mural, but now, looking at the completed scape, I don't think the duo are street artists-they are actually street magicians.

   Partners in legal graffiti, Amandalynn and Mags are two emerging talents in the street art scene. After an excursion to Los Angeles, the two met each other during a shared ride back to their respected residences in San Francisco and Oakland. "It was around Halloween last year," Amandalynn recalls. "We talked for five and a half straight hours, and Mags invited me to a paint a wall with her in Oakland. From then on we have painted together almost every weekend."

   On this particular Sunday, the tandem has transformed a wall behind dope Lower East Side boutique Community 54 into a kaleidoscope of colors and angles punctuated by a portrait of INKED Girl Jesse Lee Denning. "I met Jesse about six years ago, we partied, and my sister dropped a shot glass on her toe," Amandalynn says. "But she was cool about it and we've been friends ever since. This is the fifth time I've painted her." Amandalynn is even using Jesse in a clothing line she's doing for Goorin Bros. that drops next month. Amandalynn's current muse will be on the inside of hats and ties. When picking up a brush, Amandalynn's tendency is toward voluptuous women. "I like the sexy allure of girls," she says. "I like to leave a little bit of them hidden for the imagination." Along with murals and fashion, she works on motorcycle pinstriping and outdoor sculpture restoration but leaves the tattooing to the professionals. "People ask me to draw tattoos for them, but I assure them that tattooers are good at what they do,"she says. Her own personal collection of ink is impressive, with pieces by Grime, Norm, Marcus Pacheco, Luke Stewart, Bert Krak, Jason Kundell, Phil Holt, Shawn Barber, and Regino Gonzales.

   Mags has less ink, but in no way are her pieces less impactful. On her arm sits a symbol incorporating the moon, sun, compass directions, yin and yang, and Lakota turtle. "I taught on a Lakota reservation for a little while," she says. "It was awesome. We actually painted the community's athletic center in graffiti. I did the lettering but the kids filled them in. Because it wasn't illegal graffiti where you just sneak in and put something up, I didn't want to fuck their wall up." Mags grew up in New York City during the explosion of graffiti and hip-hop and was influenced by the messages she saw around her, specifically how they looked. "It is kind of nerdy but I love doing letters," she says. "I study graffiti fonts. On this wall, because of the mood and where we are in New York City, I went with bright colors because of where the wall is. And I added some arrows for style, grace, and a feeling of movement."

   While the two women quickly but thoughtfully work on finishing touches, I ask them about the difference between graffiti art and tattoo art. "There are a lot of  tattooists who are graffiti writers," Mags says. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense because they are [inclined] to mark territory or a space. But graffiti is totally impermanent. You put up a mural and then in days or months somebody paints over it."

   Weeks later I walk by Community 54, and see a cartoonish turtle in a bowler hat where I had once marveled at the details of Jesse's tattoos. I can't wait for the next artist to come by. -Rocky Rakovic

STEEL / REYES show at Klughaus Gallery this Friday

If you are in NYC this Friday, come check out this show!!! 

Klughaus Gallery & LRG present...
REYES & STEEL
"All Write You Scumbags"

Opening Reception: Friday, September 14 from 6-10pm
Location: 47 Monroe Street New York, NY 10002
RSVP: rsvp@klughaus.net

There will be (limited) complimentary gourmet Pat LaFriedacheeseburgers by STEEL aka Sleazy McCheesy at the opening!

Klughaus Gallery and LRG are proud to present, "All Write You Scumbags," a dual artist show featuring recent works by Bay Area artists Victor Reyes and Steel. “All Write You Scumbags” marks the New York debut for both artists and showcases a distinct chemistry cultivated over years working together as friends, creative partners and members of MSK, one of the highest regarded graffiti artist collectives in the world.

Victor Reyes has been painting since the early 1990s and his work has been exhibited in galleries all around the world. As an artist preoccupied with what he once described as the “natural rhythms” of penmanship, Reyes’ self-instructed evolution from graffiti writer to fine artist has included a fascinating exploration of spelling and typography.

“These new works are painted and illustrated as a reveal to the contemporary ideas surrounding graffiti and its application within the conversation of fine art,” says Reyes of the duo’s Klughaus show.

Steel is an artist from San Francisco who paints cheeseburgers. He has a great appreciation for classic print design and sign painting. Among other things, he is known for his versatility and ability to create artwork in a gallery setting that is very distinct from his work in the streets. His vibrant, colorful paintings and illustrations are detailed, tongue-in-cheek, and often explored using untraditional canvases ranging from ammunition boxes to vintage silver cans. His inspirations include his friends, Richard Pryor, and good food.

There is going to be a limited edition Reyes/Steel zine released at the opening. The limited zine is 10 pages, hand bound saddle stitch and hand painted with gouache and serigraph on watercolor paper.

For a catalog, please contact: info@klughaus.net

The exhibit will be on display through October 7, 2012
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Alynn-Mags-Tati

Alynn-Mags were very pleased to get the opportunity to paint with Tatiana Suarez , aka. Tati, this past week in SF. Tati was in town visiting and doing some modeling for an upcoming series of Amandalynn paintings.  So these three ladies seized the opportunity, and knocked this wall out in under 6 hours before Tati took off back to New York. Good times had by all with these Mermaidens!!

Few N Far Road Trip Video

After one of the more exciting, challenging, and all around amazing experiences as of yet for me, road trippin with Few N Far .....here's an amazingly captured recap video of the trip by Lea Bruno Photography . 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Many, Many thanks to all the women and our wonderful sponsors!! Brammo, Ironlak, Sino Tequila, Mary Jane, the Layover, and PLDM. 

Alynn-Mags-Hops in SF

I teamed up with two very talented ladies , Lady Mags and Hops,  last week and painted a large wall in SF. Both ladies killed it on the letters, switched up their fills, and we each painted a bluebird to finish off the night...

'Relics of the New World' opens this Sat

Relics of the New World

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 18^th, 8:00-11:00pm

August 18^th – September 28, 2012

Cassel Gallery and Goorin Bros. Hat Company are proud to present Relics of the New World, a group exhibition featuring Lucien Shapiro, Henry Lewis, Lango Olivera, and Charlie O’Hanlon. Relics challenges the fate of forgotten things in a world of excess, and breathes new life into discarded and found objects. By repurposing objects, Shapiro and O’Hanlon create a narrative of nostalgia and wonderment in the modern relic. Both artists use discarded materials to construct a new item, wholly different from the pieces used to construct it. The attention to detail and the meticulous nature of the process compels viewers to stay with the work, evaluate its construction, and delight in recognizing artifacts from our history.  

Shapiro’s current body of mixed media sculpture focuses on masks and weaponry constructed from mostly discarded objects. Relics includes a series of head masks made from discarded plastic bags and a more elaborate headdress made from salvaged bottle caps. Shapiro also utilizes studs and spikes often associated with punk rock belts and jackets, to make decorative and utilitarian armor for his weapons.

O’Hanlan describes his art practice as “redemption” of classic 60’s and 70’s Honda motorcycles. He treasures the discarded pieces of these bikes until he finds a suitable way to revitalize them through incorporation in an art piece. O’Hanlon’s work strives to revive old metal parts to their “former glory” by changing them into original works of art.

Joining O’Hanlon and Shapiro are famed tattoo artists Lango Olivera and Henry Lewis. Olivera and Lewis can be found at Skull and Sword tattoo shop and share a painting studio in San Francisco. The two are fascinated by weaponry and armor, and often collaborate on pieces depicting these themes. Lewis in particular, has an interest in knights, which are a reoccurring theme in his paintings. Both artists depict aggressive, shadowy imagery heavily influenced by their experience with tattooing.

Relics of the New World celebrates metal, armor, and weaponry, examining these antiquated relics in the context of the contemporary moment. By utilizing modern reclaimed objects, and borrowing from the tattoo esthetic, the metal and armor presented in Relics is innovative and compelling. We hope you join us for a night of art and music featuring new work from Shapiro, O’Hanlon, Olivera, and Lewis.

Participating artists: Lucien Shapiro, Charlie O’Hanlon, Lango Olivera, and Henry Lewis

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For additional information, press interviews, and images please contact:

Cassel Gallery Assistant

Amber Jean Young

casselgallery@goorin.com

Cassel Gallery
1261 Howard Street @ 9th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103www.CasselGallery.com
www.Goorin.com