The eXTra finGer

...''He was counting on his fingers.One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven.Eleven?Had he been born with an extra finger?''...

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

“Immigrant Punk”

well...other&wonderful fresh news...I'll partecipate to a collective show at ''Black Maria Gallery''...here all the informations:
Immigrant Punk at Black Maria Gallery
20 October – 11 November 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday 20th October, 7:00 – 10:30pm
3137 Glendale BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90039
323.660.9393 & 818.613.9090
Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 12 PM-6 PM or by appointment www.blackmariagallery.com
Los Angeles – Black Maria Gallery announced “Immigrant Punk,” a group exhibition that will open on Saturday, October 20, 2007, at 7 PM.Participating Artists: Bask, John Casey, Ken Garduno, Douglas Alvarez, Martina Secondo Russo, Nicoz Balboa, Andre Firmiano, Hagop Belian, Pogo, Nina Nichols, Angela Penaredondo, Claudio Parentela, Sam Saghatelian, Glynnis Reed and Jasko.According to Black Maria Gallery director Zara Zeitountsian, the exhibition, whose title was inspired by a song by the punk group Gogol Bordello, is homage to a particular facet of the immigrant experience.“While immigration may be as American as apple pie, there are those individuals or groups who shape an extraordinary reality as they reinvent themselves in a new environment,” Zeitountsian said. “It is this constructive, hugely life-affirming aspect of immigration that our upcoming show celebrates.“A veritable maelstrom of challenges awaits an immigrant in a new country: the language barrier, unfamiliar rules and ways of doing things, different traditions and cultural approaches, the very imperative of carving one’s own path out of an alien place,” Zeitountsian continued. “What’s significant is that certain immigrants will plunge into that maelstrom with gusto, and will not only tackle all the challenges but color the whole experience in terms of their own cultural roots and identity. I think there’s something of the spirit of punk music and art to all this.”“Immigrant Punk” will feature new and recent works by a number of local and international artists. A Black Maria Gallery representative said that though not all participating artists are immigrants, most could perfectly identify with the immigrant experience through the style and inspiration of their work or because of their families’ deep immigrant roots.Zeitountsian further commented on the parallels between punk and immigration. “Punk music and art do not pertain strictly to a specific cultural movement that exploded in the 1970s and continued to evolve on the fringe,” she explained. “Rather, punk is a certain attitude and way of seeing that doesn’t necessarily come with props and a mohawk. It’s about the exuberance and joy of rejecting limitations and doing one’s own thing, of following the call of an inner rhythm and bringing one’s own style to the mosh pit.” “Immigrant Punk” will remain open until Saturday, November 10.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Interview with Hawk Krall

q)Let's start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a)James Hawk Krall. Hawk is my actual middle name, that I've used since I was born, not a pseudonym or my wrestling name or my hippie animal spirit guide name. I get that question a lot so I figure I'd get it out of the way! I'm29 years old and live in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

q) Do you have any formal training?

a)Yes, I went to Pratt Institute - Brooklyn, NY - for Illlustration.My parents are both artists so you could say my formal education began at birth. I had to do sketches for projects when I was 10 years old.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a)Absolutely. I grew up outside Philadelphia but still remember going into the city as a child and being mesmerized by center city - which was quite run down in the 80's - porn shops, novelty & costume stores, graffiti, etc. I loved it. And my parents dragged me along on trips to amusement parks,abandoned drive-in movie theatres, diners & so forth.. I would say this had a huge influence on my work.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a)That's never been a problem, the hard part is deciding which ideas to follow through with......

q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence.What do you call them?

a)………
q)What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a)If I had the time & space I would love to do large scale 3 dimensional stuff, massive gallery installations.

q)What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a)Any time of day is fine, although I'm only a morning person if I have to be- making a deadline or whatever. It's more about mood, once I get 'in the groove' working on something I won't stop, eat, answer the phone or go outside for hours.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and .generally who or what influences you the most?

a)Comics were a huge influence. I grew up around lots of art books, including giant books of Buster Brown, Windsor Mccay. We also had original Peanuts &Lil Abner Strips in the house when I grew up. And then came Garbage Pail Kids. I even drew my own (that were much dirtier) and sold them around my neighborhood for 25 cents a pack.Also I remember seeing a Red Grooms exhibit -Ruckus Manhattan- when I was very young, at that point the most amazing thing I had ever seen.I went home and tried to make a miniature Philadelphia out of cardboard boxes and markers.Then in my early teens I found a bunch of old underground comics at a head shop, fell in love with Crumb, S Clay Wilson, etc.Then later Dan Clowes, Peter Bagge, their earlier work still remaining some of my favorite comics ever.These days, seeing others grow as artists is a huge influence. David Heatleyon the cover of the New Yorker? Daniel Johnston in the Whitney Biennial?Holy shit!! I'm also lucky to have a lot of friends nearby that are artists and illustrators... seeing their work get better and better is a huge inspiration.I was in France recently and finally saw & picked up a bunch of Le Dernier Cri books. I spent 3 hours on the floor of a comic book shop poring through every book - they aren't available in the USA, as far as I know -Incredible. That stuff blows me away, inspires me like nothing else.

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a)If I could take one piece of art to an abandoned island, it would be a Dave Cooper painting. His work is absolutely incredible.George Grosz, Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Basil Wolverton, Edward Hopper,Hans Bellmer, Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Henriette Valium, etc etcetc. Also I love Steven Heller's books about design, and the fact that hestarted at Screw.

q) What is your next project?Exhibition?Collaboration?

a)I'm putting together a comics and art anthology, "Prize" which should be out by the end of the year. Along with my own work - mostly comics about all the crazy people I've worked with in kitchens, and girls with giant asses -Prize#2 will include contributions from cartoonists & illustrators from Philadelphia and all over the world.Also working on some pieces for a couple of group shows in the fall, and growing habanero peppers for my "Mucho Caliente Hot Sauce" which should bedone before the holidays.

q)What are your plans for the future?

a)To quit my day job and take my work as far as it can go.

q)Are there some web sites that You would like to recomend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

a)I've been loving Flickr lately, just spending hours drooling over people's photos and collections of indiam action movie posters, matchbook covers from the 1930's, photos of Coney Island, old signs, etc... It's also a great resource for finding reference for illustrations.Some great cartoonists have their work on Flickr - Derek M Ballard(http://www.flickr.com/photos/derek-m-ballard/) who has been doing things for Screw magazine and has a great style. And Felix Diaz( http://www.flickr.com/photos/elfelix/) whose work I just discovered recently, completely blows my mind, it's fantastic. I'm really enjoying Dan Zwettoch's stuff these days too, check him out at(http://zettwoch.blogspot.com/)
For XXX you should check out Manual Barrancos' "Big Chile Videos" he makes videos of mexican women with giant asses, and paintings / artwork of the same.(
http://www.bigchilevideos.com/artindex)
And John Howard, who did "Horny Biker Slut" had a great site -(
www.asshysteria.com)

q)What sort of music do you listen to?

a)Lately? Minutemen, Descendents, Treepeople, The Troggs, Leadbelly,Appalachian fiddle music, Desmond Dekker, Black Dahlia Murder, Lil Wayne,New Shellac & Melvins albums. as for local Philadelphia stuff you should check out Clockcleaner, Sweatheart, Muscle Factory.

q)Do you collect anything?If so what?

a)I have a huge collection of antique & modern soda bottle caps from when Iwas a kid. Now I mostly collect art books & comics, funny soda cans, hot sauce, vietnamese canned meat, etc.If I could afford it I would collect old neon signs from motels, food stands, etc.. there's a giant mouse sculpture that was on the "wild mouse"roller coaster at Coney Island, at an antique dealer in reading pennsylvania. It's like $6000 or something, if I get rich that will be in my apartment. Right now I have to settle for taking photos.

q)What do you do for fun?

a)Long bike rides, eating & drinking with friends, traveling anywhere,searching Philadelphia for the best cheesesteak. Check out my food blog listed below.

q)Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a)Don't be afraid to do exactly what you want, put your heart into your work.And then get ready to work harder than you've ever worked in your life.The best advice I ever had from a teacher was to always be open to new experiences, influences. Never walk home from work the same way twice. Go to new places... repetition makes your life go by faster. Absorb everything,there's inspiration everywhere.

q)Your contacts.

a)Hawk Krall

Friday, August 03, 2007

''ELvis IN hawaii''...


...And yes I think really it's my vice to make always new blogs like this...

...But...but...I've done a new art blog ,but...I promise I'll not do any blogs never more!!!

...However I've called my new art blog ''ELvis IN hawaii'' and the link is this:



I'll wait you also here ,ok???

Love& a wonderful summer to all

Claudio Parentela

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Interview with Hannah Barton

q)Let’s start with the basics; what's your full name, where do you live, and how old are you?

a) My name is Hannah Jane Barton. I live in Brixton, South London and I'm 24 years old.

q) Do you have any formal training?

a) I have studied art at University, having completed a degree in Illustration in 2005.

q) Did the place you grew up in influence your image making?

a) I grew up in Manchester in the North of England, and I don't think it particularly influences my work on a day to day basis; I think the work I produce generally is reflective of my current situation, interests and location unless I want it to be otherwise.
Co-incidentally though, I intend to take a trip up to Manchester in the near future to complete a location drawing project about the area in which I was born.

q) How do you come up with your concepts?

a). My ideas behind my pieces spring up differently. Sometimes they are prompted by a brief, and at others, the idea will pop into my head- usually the latter! I quite often tell an story of sorts in my pieces which is something I'd like to develop that aspect of my work further and create a mini narrative strip. I certainly have favourite things to draw; big cats and people keep on popping up allover the place!
q) Describe your creations in a clear, concise and understandable sentence. What do you call them?

a) I currently produce drawings. I want them to look drawn, with flaws and all. They are very simple things.



q)What other mediums would you like to explore in your image making?

a) I want to do much more print making, screen printing in particular. I love the process; the fragility if it and the thought that goes into it. Plus, the scope of work you can produce with screen is massive- from a throwaway leaflet to a pristine run of prints.

q)What is the best time in the day for you to work on a project? Is there one, or is it more about the environment -- maybe the right mood?

a) I prefer working in the evening and into the night. having moved to a smaller house recently I have discovered that I really appreciate a lot of space when I work! I'm very messy so a big desk is vital for me.

q) What are your artistic influences?...and …generally who or what influences you the most?

a) Stories and daily oddities inspire me- the oddness of people and the things they do!

q) Who are some of your favourite artists/designers/photographers?

a) Some of my favourite artists at the moment are Chris Ware, Marcel Dzama, Simone Lia, Gemma Anderson and Ceri Amphlett

q) What is your next project?Exhibition?Collaboration?

a)Upcoming work includes my 'Going Home' project, exploring a personal sense of space.This is in preparation for an MA which I'm starting in October. Starting an MA will enable me to get a lot of work done- create a fanzine, print posters, and draw, draw, draw!

q)Are there some web sites that You would like to recomend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

a) I participate on a few art sites- www.
warmtoastcafe.com, fotolog.com, and there's always loads to look at on the Magma website ( www.magmabooks.com). I also love the work of the Heart Agency artists ( www.heartagency.com) . There are so many decent websites and when you look at some, more and more interesting ones keep appearing.

q)What sort of music do you listen to?

a) I collect a lot of rubbish! I hoard things endlessly- train tickets, letters, birthday cards, notes; I'm a very sentimental person and I get attached to things far too easily. It's not a good habit but I can't see myself changing anytime soon! I also have a big book collection and I try to collect prints from fellow illustrators and artists when the opportunity arises.


q)Do you collect anything?If so what?

a) I listen to lots of music and I particularly love the blues! Son House and Bessie Smith. I love Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes and I've been listening to Amy Winehouse recently who I think is amazing. I think a lot of Mclusky, Queens of the Stone Age and Sleater Kinney. I could go on but I think that gives a fair impression.

q)What do you do for fun?

a) For fun I like to read, watch films, play tennis when I can. Also, I really appreciate trips to the country now that I live in the city too.

q)Any advice you can pass onto aspiring artists/designers?

a) The best advice I got when I started out was ' be tenacious'. I kept on working as hard as I could; I got many a knock back and I expect to get many more. And be as honest as you can with the work you produce. Honest work is always the best.


q)Your contacts…

a) Contact Info:email: miss.hannahbee@gmail.com