LetGo Magazine Issue #2

Page 1

VOL.2B Published April 2007




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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Bristol, United Kingdom)

IN ONE SENTENCE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOU ARTWORK TO A BLIND MAN WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR INDIVIDUALISM?

My work has been described as “a sideways examination of urban life.” I think that’s pretty good.

WHAT OR WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

I’m inspired by my urban surroundings. Citites have a life about them that I try to reflect in my work.

The natural world is a constant source of inspiration to me. I love going to museums and looking at the natural history exhibits and most of all the dinosaurs!

WHAT ’S A FAVORITE MEMORY OF BEING RECOGNIZED AS AN ARTIST?

My ‘Bristol Dinosaur’ creation has brought me a lot of recognition as an artist. When creating it I had a feeling it would be popular. People relate to its local landmarks and enjoy seeing their city represented in an unusual way. It has been used by lots of different organisations in the city, including Bristol University which led to a tour of the paeleontology department!


HOW CAN WE (THE AUDIENCE) FIND MORE ON YOU (GALLERY, WEB SITE)?

My website – www.andycouncil.co.uk Myspace - www.myspace.com/andycouncil

IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

To meet the Beast of Bodmin or see any of the other big cats that are supposedly roaming around the UK.


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FIELD:

(Motion Design)

WWW.WEAREBORN.COM

LOCATION:

(Los Angeles)





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HOW CAN WE (THE AUDIENCE) FIND MORE ON YOU (GALLERY,

www.myspace.com/bonniedurham

WEB SITE)?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD DISH?

WHAT BOOK SHOULD EVERYONE READ?

WHAT BAND DO YOU COVET THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BU T ISN’T?

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FIELD: LOCATION:

Taco with guacamole The Tao of Pooh” By Benjamin Hoff. Quio. Hip-hop from Berlin. It’s great!

(Illustration) (New York City)



+ + FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Geelong, Australia)


IF EAMO’S WORK was a bag of mixed lollies from the Milkbar in 1981, there would be 50c worth of the Outback, 40c worth of aussie summers, 30c worth of aussie bogans, 20c worth of the local pub, 10c worth of tyre swans, 5c worth of Geelong in the 80’s and 2c worth of good ol’ downunder goodness.


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IN ONE SENTENCE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOU ARTWORK TO A BLIND MAN WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR INDIVIDUALISM?

If the blind man was Australian and had vision at some point in his life, I would say that my artwork tries to capture the essence of the Australian people, the colours, the light and the land which are so distinct to this country with a twist of nostalgia.

WHAT OR WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

This land, this country and our people.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD DISH?


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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Paris, France)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOU ARTWORK TO A BLIND MAN?

very fine....very religious...very near the blasphem...

WHAT, WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

(it’s a google translation) the world in medium will intra uterine as one universe in oneself… LinfinI is a design of the thought compared to known elements. The embryo knows only very few scales of values, we are like, suspends some to him in a universe in the middle of other universes, with the apprehension of a god, who appears in the unconscious collective, god is my mother, god is my father, god is all the elements of the outside, of out of my world. From there the basic perception of a universal hierarchy starts, of one of the highest, of one which knows all, of inacessible… We do not make whereas to reinterpret lost emotions, with words and images which lock up us in imaginary domesticated

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD DISH?

the tartiflette

WHAT BAND DO YOU COVET THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BU T ISN’T?

Didier Super

HT TP://MOIA.FREE.FR



Very fine....Very religious...


Very near the blasphem



+ + FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration & Design) (Hamburg, Germany)


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HEIKO MĂœLLER

(B. 1968 In Hamburg,Germany)

has a diploma in illustration and design from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and is co-owner of a small media design agency. His art has been treading on various grounds in the past, such as illustration and digital compositions, and it is only recently that he returned to painting and drawing, currently exploring the borderlines between rural folk art, B-movie aesthetics and the Flemish masters. Outside his native country his paintings and drawings have been shown in Estonia, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Paris and Saint Petersburg. He lives in Hamburg with his wife and his two sons.




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(Illustration) (Marseille, France)







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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Toronto, Canada)

JUSTIN LOUCKS

a.k.a. junk

My artwork is unique in the sense that it’s freehand work, mostly just a ball point pen, no eraser in hand. My characters come from the soul, I get in touch with my own inner thoughts and emotions, as well as adapting to other’s. Mixed emotions of one’s character projected as a thought, not so much an image. It’s always about the feelings of one who has something I can relate too, the human condition, never happiness, for me happiness is a state of euphoria which I consider to be unattainable. So in saying that, my one sentence to a blind man to describe my work would be; it’s not so much about the purity of the image, it’s more about the depth of the persona in my characters, the feelings behind one’s image.

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JLATISTRY





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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Minneapolis, United States)

I’M FASCINATED by the way every generation thinks that the world is ending on their clock. Everything from World War II to global warming somehow makes its way into my daily thought process. My parents had the whole “duck and cover” thing, and I grew up on the tail end of the Russian Cuban Communist missile silo paranoia. I have a hard time trying to imagine what the next generation will be afraid of. Code Orange just seems like such a fad to me. The airport has always been a pain in the ass ever since we invented airplanes, so I have a hard time taking just about anything all that seriously.

BROKENCROW.COM


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FIELD: LOCATION:

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(Illustration & Photo) (New York City)

WHAT, WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

Cooked breakfasts

IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

For the scum under my toe nails not to stink.

WWW.LISTERART.COM.AU



FIELD:

(Motion Design)

LOCATION:

(Los Angeles)


+ + WWW.BJORKY.COM




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FIELD: LOCATION:

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(Illustration) (London)

My dad’s rally driving...my grandad’s fishing trips...and my brother’s unfortunate incident with a bowling ball and his friend who promised he could get it past his head without hitting it.

WHAT, WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

www.myspace.com/little_old_men www.andymartin.info

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD DISH?

A Sunday roast. mmmmmm...

WHAT BOOK SHOULD EVERYONE READ?

1984

WHAT BAND DO YOU COVET THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BU T ISN’T?

Six By Seven. Their first two albums “The Things We Make’ and ‘The Closer You Get’ are blinding.



+ + FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (New York City)


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I’VE BEEN DRAWING SINCE I WAS 5 which lead me to painting in high school. Everything came full circle when I came back to NY to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

I was a moderate oil painter after graduating and wanted to further explore the ever amazing world of this medium. I’ve done my part of freelancing and will continue but nothing can compare to being able to manifest your imagination. So now I paint for me in hopes that my audience gets filled with uncontrollable urges to exchange some of the numbers in their checking account to mine. One of the best Italian spots I’ve ever been to happens to bear my first name: Tony Dinapoli’s on 82nd street and 2nd ave in Manhattan. Real quick let’s start with the appetizer Baked Clams... this is a must, if you should go and not try this dish you should immediately find a pistol and shoot your dominant foot to teach yourself a lesson. Next the entrees fettuccine alfredo with peas and an order of chicken parmigian. Throw in a drink or three and you could pass into the afterlife with no worries. My most coveted band would have to be The Mars Volta. Those guys don’t get enough love, I think they’re some of most creative people making rock right now.

TONYPHILIPPOU.COM


+ + FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (West Midlands, England)

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AFTER UNI I started up an illustration and fine art collective. I decided this would be a way for me and other people I was at unI with to continue to see each other, and to continue working towards a goal. So I got a few of us together and we talked about the collective, what we would do and where we wanted to go. The result was the ‘we’re still alive collective!’ The collective has set out to represent new and up and coming artists who are starting out on a career in the arts. The collective aims to help each other develop and promote each other to the wider world and at the same time helping giving the artists a reason to produce new work and get themselves noticed. The collective started out as a hand full of friends who were at the same unI together in Birmingham but has now spread top around 20-plus members who are stationed all round the country, from London to Cambridge, and Nottingham to Edinburgh. We have built up a name for ourselves in Birmingham after taking part in a number of exhibitions and events in the city over the last year. We are now looking at becoming alot more professional, and known a lot wider around the country. We now have a structure to the collective, with people taking on specific roles–instead of me doing it all! We have a registered bank account, things are developing nicely! Our next group show will take place in the well respected Conningsby Gallery, Tottenham Road, London, Nov 26th-2nd Dec, and we have plans for exhibitions next year in London, Birmingham, Rugby, Edinburgh, Nottingham and maybe even Luxembourg! (See more on the collective below)

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/RUDIGER_THE_ILLUSTRATOR



+ + FIELD:

(Illustration)


LOCATION:

(Orlando, Florida)


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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOU ARTWORK TO A BLIND MAN?

My new stuff I would have to describe as mystical unknown worlds where anything is possible; a person simultaneously watching Star Trek and reading National Geographic while doing LSD.

WHAT, WHO, INSPIRES YOU?

God, aliens, buddhism, nature, insanity, thinking outside the box, music, the end.

WHAT BOOK SHOULD EVERYONE READ?

The Four Agreements, A Toltec Wisdom Book, Don Miguel Ruiz by Don Miguel Ruiz

WHAT BAND DO YOU COVET THAT SHOULD BE KNOWN BU T ISN’T?

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

WWW.FLOUNDERART.COM




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FIELD:

(Motion Design)

WWW.PEANU TVILLE.COM

LOCATION:

(Los Angeles)




Justin Cram Pigs of Belch


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FIELD:

(Motion Design)

LOCATION:

WWW.GEEKINTHECORNER.COM

(Los Angeles)


Justin Cram Richmond




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WELL, FOR MY DARK ART, I would have to say death and decay inspires me for the most part. Most of my art is not planned. I just sit there and draw, draw over, erase, draw over again. It just comes out. Sometimes I don’t even know what’s in me. But I will admit that the darker things in life motivate me to create these mutilated, bloody, animal, fossil, alien like, destroyed, visceral, post apocalyptic images. Recently my art has been inspired by serial killers, death and true crime. I’m a sucker for harsh reality! But I will say this, I do not see any art in violence, I see art in death; the aftermath of violence. For example: I can find it enjoyable to view a corpse that has been stabbed to death, I might even want to draw a portrait of it, but I don’t really care to watch somebody getting stabbed. The crime scene itself is what inspires me. Serial killers! I find it amusing and fascinating how someone could do such notorious acts of murder. I envy them for living out their true fantasies–not many people do. I want to draw a portrait of them, simple as that!

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WWW.CHUCKHODI.NET

FIELD: LOCATION:

(Illustration) (Los Angeles)


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WWW.ELISIPSAS.COM




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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Graphic Design) (Tyler, Texas)

CAN DESIGN BE CONSIDERED ART? AND IF SO, WHEN CAN DESIGN BE ART?

This is a tough question. I’ve heard it debated both ways. The way I approach design is much more about communication than it is about art. I see art as something flowing from within a person as an expression or an uncompromising singular vision. And I see design as something a little more compromised. You’re actually creating something based on what someone else wants to express. I do think, however, that you must use elements of art for successful design and elements of design for effective art...if that makes sense. The differences I see are not so much about the actual creation, but are more to do with the motivation behind it and the intended result. Design is modern; Art is postmodern. Design makes a specific point; Art asks more questions. Design is deliberate; Art likes to be ambiguous. These certainly don’t hold true in every case, but in general those are differences I see between them. Not sure if that made any sense, but thanks for asking.

HOW DO YOU FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN CREATIVE WORK AND DOING WORK THAT PAYS THE BILLS?

The way I approach it is to hold down a steady design job that pays the bills and try to push the envelope with every project, and then supplement that with freelance work that I have a little more creative freedom ever. WWW.BRADWOFFORD.COM



+ + FIELD:

(Photography)

LOCATION:

(Los Angeles)



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I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER, EXPERIMENTAL PAINTER/COLLAGE ARTIST & MUSICIAN. Mainly Inspired by hip hop, graphic design, and politics. My concepts deal with pain, lonliness, struggle, psychological issues, and finding a balance in chaos.



WWW.JONASLARA.COM


MIKE SAIJO




The piece is titled after a book published in the 1930s entitled ECHO,

written by young Japanese Americans from Orange County. Using a Xerox copy machine, and simple mathmatics, each page of the book is printed on hot press paper and laid out to determine the scale. The paper is treated with multiple layering of watercolor washes to simulate discolored pages of an old book. The “collage� image is enlarged to match the scale, using an oversize copier. Guidelines are drawn over the oversize image and cut to match the size of the text. The final image is then printed directly over the text using the bypass.





This book documents their spirit, ambitious dreams, hopes and aspirations of being a JA living in a democratic nation, not knowing the hardship and challenges they were about to face, uprooted and forced into concentration camps due to the racial stereotyping and criminal act of the United States government. In 1934, the photo of Talbert Gathering was taken in Orange County, CA. Over 350 JAs stand in front of a meeting place where foreign Japanese films were screened.




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text by

tracy gilbert




+ I don’t really

know much about street-art.

BUT I KNOW THIS GUY WHO LIKES TO WALK AROUND putting up images

of buck-toothed bunnies and writing his name on things. He hangs out with a bunch of other cats that like to do the same kind of shit. Mostly they’re known for running thru Hollywood but really, I think the ultimate goal is to get up and around. A couple weeks ago I took a little vacation away from LA. I remember walking out onto Geary St. in SF to find myself some coffee and finding evidence of him and his friends instead. It’s funny. Until then, I hadn’t quite realized exactly how much effort goes into to being a vandall. I mean, really, what are the chances? Of all the street corners in San Francisco, why was he on that corner? And that’s when I understood. These are one-man mass-market campaigns. When I think of it that way, and all the other crap i’m being sold... i’ll give those scumbags a ride up north the next time I take a vacation. Besides, I hear Branded makes mean avocado sandwhiches for the road.


So, refill the horchata because these boys are

on a mission.




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FIELD: LOCATION:

(Fine Art) (Oakland, California)


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I used to raid my little brothers pre-school art supplies when my mom and I would pick him up from school, they let me go wild on huge sheets of paper on eisels. I was about 7. my mom is very artistic and creative, my dad is great at building/fixing things and very detail oriented. I think both attributes rubbed off on me.

HOW WERE YOU BROUGHT INTO THE “ARTWORLD”?

I love variety. I wonder if theres a medium out there I havent tried that could be “my thing” so I keep trying as many as I have access to. I pull from all these experiences and they all influence each other. understanding the different processes helps me know what I need to do to obtain a certain result im after, however im down for mistakes and sometimes do things wrong to see what the outcome will be. also experimentation is always exciting. mixing inks with flamable substances, making pigments with teas and rusted metals, cutting shapes into my paintbrushes, drilling pinholes into my camerabacks etc, almost whatever you can imagine you should try. anything that gives unconventional results... I took basic photograhpy, painting & ceramics in collage. didnt get much out of any of them, too much time working on set assignments than discovering whats possible on my own. the 2 were not encouraged to go hand in hand, at least at my school. the biggest thing ive learned is to just do it yourself, make time and learn by doing. I used to work as a screenprinter so I got paid to learn that trade. ive also done workshops and summer school type courses at art schools here in the bay area. I met an amazing stencil maker in san diego and he took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. im all about opensource, no secrets unless it taps way too close to a style or aestetic that closely defines your work, at that point you have to respect that closed door and look for new ones to open yourself. Working with other people and their specialties often opens things up to tag team efforts and collaborations which yield very interesting and new directions. I love collaborations.

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?



music is a huge part of my life. im sure its influencing on a subconcious level all the time that im not quite aware of, I try to be aware of it though. when I make art im usually listening to something. moods that music create is a big factor im sure. I get really excited from interesting album covers. I love dark gloomy minor key classical pieces in which their album covers reflect this mood. I buy records from people all the time just for the cover art, the record can be completly shot out but if the cover is stimulating ive got to have it just for ideas it may give me later. funny, insted of what the new hip band has on their album im more influenced by covers from well before I was born. you start to see trends in art more rapidly in music releases than anywhere else, whats hot sells sometimes so people all jump on band wagons, its nice to see what the masses are doing just to know to stear away from it.

WHAT IS YOUR JUMPING OFF POINT?

my recent show was alot of fun, I relied alot on the mood and shape of the space to influence how its all put together. best not to have too much planned out but still have a vision. I had 123 pieces in this last show, it was all pretty crammed together, cluster style. even when hung it looked barren to me however, too much white walls involved. so doing murals around the clusters and larger pieces helped tie everything together for me, create a flow between everything, keeps it interesting. just like music, its boring to not let things move and continually be going somewhere. trick is to not overdo it, balance is essential. I see a style slowly starting to seap in throughout all my mediums, theres usually something there that ties them together. I used to think having a style that people can pigeonhole as being you was a great thing, for some artists it is, its a very hard thing to create, it just comes naturaly for some and from again, just doing it so much. im not so sure thats for me however, im not as interested in having people be able to recognize that a piece has that “galena stamp� on it, I feel like being too aware of creating in a certain aestetic will lead away from trying new things in different ways. im more concerned with how

THIS IS YOUR FIRST SOLO SHOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL?


it makes me feel doing it and viewing it in the end. for the last few years I’ve even been signing each piece differently, depending on various factors such as mood, medium and flow of the piece. each signature is different but has a binding element that ties in the piece, in this way the signatures are the same. ive been slowly compiling things for a book. a mixed bag of drawings, photos, writings, scans, found objects and anything I find interesting. some day soon I hope. definitly going to pursue more shows. Well I wouldnt spend too much time describing the piece physicaly. insted I would approach the description from the angle in which I made it, what I was thinking about, what my vision of the outcome was, the way it makes me feel when looking at it. explaining my emotions through the process and outcome. then they could relate these emotions to their own and see something original to themselves in their own minds eye. thats the beauty of art, everyone will feel something different within...

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ARTWORK TO A BLIND MAN?



+ + FIELD: LOCATION:

(Graphic Designer) (Los Angeles)



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STAFF CO-EDITORS

Diana Chang Justin Cram ART DIRECTOR

Alex Cerrilla

WRITERS

SUPPORT

JUSTIN CRAM

Preston Brown Charmaine Cram Christine Cram Adrian Miller Vera Valentine Tracy Gilbert

Weird Fruit From The Orient Letgo Creature Vlada Floats Building Type Computer Love HENRY CRAM

Mac of Cheese I Got the Blues Nina in Slumberland TRACY GILBERT

Branded Text JESSICA THOMAS

Copyright Text LAINIE LIBERTI

Copyright Design 14 Characteristics of Fascism CHEUNJIT (NOON) SANTATIWAT AHJUNG BAIK

Who Knew AHJUNG BAIK

Globalism Layout SALLY THE BABY AND BLUE

Russell Hart and Luise Sternberg STALEMATE

Ryan C. DeSales BEAUTY WITHIN

Ray Asuncion NEW YORK ICONS

Diana Chang

ARTISTS Andy Council Matt Encina Bonnie Durham Eamo Gregoire Dalle Heiko Müller Mona Wooz Justin “Junk” Loucks John Frider Anthony Lister Bjorky Andy Martin Tony Philippou Joe Rogers Scott Scheidly Pnut Mr. Cram Chuck Hodi Eli Brad Wofford Jonas Lara Mike Saijo Branded Billy Sprague Abcnt


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