All posts by amt

Angie Mason’s solo show in Atlanta

Events, Exhibitions, Illustration Alumni, , ,

Murky Menagerie
[Paintings of a Morose & Unsociable Nature]
A solo exhibition featuring new works by Angie Mason
Opening on September 13th, 2008.

Parsons Illustration Alum Angie Mason has an exhibition of works opening up at the Rabbit-Hole Gallery tomorrow.  Here’s the official press release:

You know in life those tragic moments that are so full of comedy, misguided attempts gone awry, good intentions with terrible outcomes. You know that feeling, the awareness of something being unhealthy yet ingesting it anyhow with disregard for any later consequences. This is a taste of some of what you will find within this collection of works. It is a flawed carnival of creatures that are misplaced, displaced and confused within these painted worlds.

These are Moments that rise up from the darkness in life which we can all at some time or another relate to. These are the rock bottom babies born out of wrong doings and hard times. These are vicious poison snake biters we all battle in life. These are the poison mushroom fungi that grow on us as the blown out wishes from weeds entangle our lives. Rising from the murk a swamp queen dream all full of fungus yet she uses the poison, the illness in life to gain strength to keep on living. These are the golden carrot dreamers that hung for too long. These are the caged moon catchers trying to control things beyond their control. These are the self poisoned bloated beasties, These are the lost,the used and the jealous moody bruised tired souls. These are paintings of a morose & unsociable nature and with that I give you A MURKY MENAGERIE all new works by Angie Mason.

Angie Mason
Murky Menagerie – Paintings of a Morose & Unsociable Nature
The Rabbit-Hole Gallery
195 Arizona Avenue L/W
Atlanta, GA 30307
Phone: 404.550.6136

Quick Hit: Swoon at Deitch Projects

Events, Performances, Randomly Intriguing, ,

SWOON
SWIMMING CITIES OF SWITCHBACK SEA
PERFORMANCES AT DEITCH STUDIOS
SEPTEMBER 11, 12 AND 13 AT 8PM

The Swimming Cities is designed and organized by printmaker and installation artist Swoon. Collaborators include playwright Lisa D’Amour, the band Dark Dark Dark and circus composer Sxip Shirey.  Propulsion systems brought by John Rinaldi and Kinetic Steam Works. Boat design and carpentry created in close collaboration with Jeff Stark, Iris Lasson, and with guidance from The Floating Neutrinos.

DEITCH STUDIOS
4-40 44TH DRIVE (ON THE EAST RIVER)
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, 11101
(212) 343-7300

Kim Deitch Retrospective at MoCCA

Events, Exhibitions, Illustration Faculty, Illustration Industry, News, , ,

MoCCA will be hosting a fantastic artistic survey of legendary comic artist Kim Deitch.  Even better, the exhibition is curated by Parsons Illustration faculty Bill Kartalopoulos.  Here’s the official press release:

Kim Deitch: A Retrospective will display original comics pages and other work covering the artist’s entire career to date, beginning with full-page comic strips drawn for the East Village Other in the sixties up to recent graphic novels including The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Alias the Cat, Shadowland, and Deitch’s Pictorama. The exhibit will also feature rarely seen work including elaborate preparatory drawings, hand-colored originals, animation cel set-ups and lithographs.

Kim Deitch was born in Los Angeles in 1944, the eldest son of Oscar-wining animator Gene Deitch (Tom Terrific, Munro). Deitch studied at the Pratt Institute, traveled with the Norwegian Merchant Marines and worked at a mental institution before joining the burgeoning underground press in 1967. As an early contributor to the East Village Other and the editor of Gothic Blimp Works, Kim Deitch was a charter member of the underground comix scene that exploded with the 1968 publication of Robert Crumb’s Zap #1. Forty years later, he stands alongside Crumb, Bill Griffith, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Art Spiegelman as one the most notable and prolific artists to emerge from that milieu. In addition to his comic books and graphic novels, Deitch’s work has appeared in venues including RAW, Weirdo, Arcade, Details, the L.A. Weekly, McSweeney’s, Nickelodeon Magazine, and The New Yorker.

“Kim Deitch’s career spans the entire post-war history of avant-garde comics, from the underground to the literary mainstream,” said exhibit curator Bill Kartalopoulos. “Deitch brilliantly weaves vast intergenerational narratives that enfold a deep history of American popular entertainment. Distinctions between fiction and reality blur in his meta-fictional world just as real madness bleeds into the visions and schemes of the artists, entertainers, and hustlers who populate his stories. The result is a rich narrative tapestry as compelling and as breathtaking as Deitch’s densely layered, tightly woven, and intricately detailed black and white comics pages.”

Deitch’s body of work stretches outward from comics to embrace a spectrum of visual-narrative modes, including extra-textual single images and illustrated prose modeled after Victorian illustrated fiction. His most recent book is Deitch’s Pictorama, a collection of illustrated fiction produced in collaboration with brothers Seth and Simon Deitch. The exhibit includes several examples of Deitch’s career-long experimentation with text/image modes.

MoCCA will publish an original poster and 1″ button featuring the “Sunshine Girl” character who stars both in Deitch’s earliest and most recent work. The Museum will also host a series of talks and events related to the exhibit.

• Exhibition dates: September 9 – December 5, 2008
• Opening Reception: September 12, 2008, 6 – 9 pm (free & open to the public).

MoCCA
594 Broadway, Suite 401, between Houston and Prince
New York, NY 10012

Last Days: Brad Holland at Penn College

Exhibitions, , ,

Brad Holland — Third Eye
Through September 14, 2008

Now considered one of the top illustrators in the world, Brad Holland became a recognized name in the print industry in the 1970’s. His revolutionary style and perceived political commentaries were a welcome change from the nostalgic illustrations of the past. His works expressed a personal approach and though the ambiguity of his work was initially controversial, he was in time embraced by the likes of Playboy and The New York Times. The trail of his drawings and paintings can be followed through a broad range of publications including Vanity Fair, Time, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic Monthly. While his unique style has evolved through the years, Holland’s approach remains consistent. He has illustrated CD covers for Ray Charles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Billy Joel among others, and his work can be found on theater posters, on the walls of Rio Casino in Las Vegas, and in the pages of virtual magazines. He recently illustrated LaNotte di Q, for Australian author Michael Reynolds, and Pandora Books of Seville, Spain, published a book of his Spanish landscape pastels.

His works merge satire and wit with compassion and humanity, resulting in very stirring images that are stories themselves. This extensive display of Holland’s art at The Gallery at Penn College will include drawings and paintings from a variety of sources.

Brad Holland: Third Eye
Through September 14th
The Gallery at Penn College
Madigan Library, 3rd Floor
Pennsylvania College of Technology
One College Avenue
Williamsport, PA

The Global Artistry of Leo and Diane Dillon

Exhibitions, Illustration Alumni, Illustration Industry, ,

If you’re near Abilene, TX, stop by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature to catch a retrospective of Leo and Diane Dillon.  Both are respected artists and alumni of Parsons Illustration.  Here’s an excerpt from the exhibition description:

Leo Dillon and Diane Sorber were born eleven days apart in 1933-Leo in Brooklyn, New York, and Diane near Los Angeles, California. When they met at Parsons School of Design in New York City in 1954, each already aspired to a life of art. Meeting first through one another’s artwork, they immediately recognized the talent and mastery of the other. Over the years, their competitive friendship evolved into a lasting marriage and artistic partnership. “We’ve worked together for 40 years. In 1997 we celebrated our 40th anniversary and we completed our 40th book, To Every Thing There Is a Season.”

Versatility, diversity, research, and integrity have remained characteristics of the Dillons’ work, which ranges from African folktales to Scandinavian epics, from fantasy to science fiction. In addition to two Caldecott Medals (for Ashanti to Zulu and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears), the Dillons have received four New York Times Best Illustrated Awards, four Boston Globe/Horn Book Awards, two Coretta Scott King Awards, and the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal.

Congratulations to Leo and Diane on their continuing success and artistic inspiration!

The Global Artistry of Leo and Diane Dillon
Through October 25, 2008
National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature
102 Cedar
Abilene, Texas
(325) 673-4586
info@nccil.org.
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m–Free Admission

Abby Denson on comics, dessert, and life

Illustration Alumni, Illustration Industry, Interviews, Publications, , ,

Parsons Illustration Alum Abby Denson was recently written up in the New York Daily News.  She talked about her own work, as well as the education value of comics.  Here’s an excerpt:

Daily News: When did you get into comic art and comic writing?

Abby Denson: Well, I’ve been reading comics ever since I was a kid. The early comics I would read were the “X-Men,” and “Alpha Flight”, also “Uncle Scrooge” comics and things like that. When I got into college or when I was in high school getting into college I was more into “Love and Rockets” and reading “Ranma 1/2” by Rumiko Takahashi. Those were some pretty big influences. When I was in college, I pretty much ended up strictly reading black and white comics, whether it was indie comics or manga. I also liked Andy Watson, whose stuff is always great.

At first, I didn’t think I would be into drawing [comics]. I mean, I went to Parsons School of Design for illustration but I really wasn’t into the idea of doing my own comic until I had a concept for a comic that kind of drove me through it. [Creating a] comic is a lot of work since you have to write it and then draw it. It’s double the work of just being a novelist or just being an artist, and usually not as well compensated (laughs). You have to have an idea to propel you to do the work; you really have to be passionate about the concept.

Read the rest of Abby’s great interview here.  Currently, Abby is hard at work, writing a dessert column for L Magazine, illustrating, and getting ready to teach a class here at the New School.  Way to go, Abby!

[art from Abby Denson’s Dolltopia]

Repost and Reminder: Beautiful Losers tonight!

Current Students, Events, Illustration Dept. Events, Illustration Industry, News, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parsons Illustration Faculty Noel Claro has gotten Sidetrack Films to arrange for a special, FREE screening of the fantastic movie, Beautiful Losers for Parsons Illustration, CDT, Photo, and Fine Arts students. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity!  Here’s the official description and trailer:

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation.

In the early 1990’s a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture.

Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.680661&w=425&h=350&fv=clip_id%3D1324674%26server%3Dvimeo.com%26autoplay%3D0%26fullscreen%3D1%26md5%3D%26show_portrait%3D0%26show_title%3D0%26show_byline%3D0%26context%3D%26context_id%3D]

There are still tickets left–this screening is open to all Illustration, Photo, CDT, and Fine Arts students at Parsons. So drop by and pick up your pass!

Beautiful Losers
T. Lang Center
55 W. 13th, 2nd Floor
7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 9th
Free tickets available in the Illustration Office (806, 2 W. 13th)

Submit your work to The Best American Comics!

Call for Entries, Illustration Industry, Publications, , ,

What is The Best American Comics?
It’s an annual anthology of the best comics short stories and (excerpts of) graphic novels by North American authors each year, published by Houghton Mifflin. It is part of the prestigious Best American series, which also includes The Best American Short Stories, Essays, Non-Required Reading, and so on.

Eligibility
The author must be North American (i.e. from Canada, United States, or Mexico). Work published between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008 is eligible for the 2009 volume. The 2010 volume will cover work published from 9/1/08 * 8/31/09, and so on. Individual issues, collections, original graphic novels, and self-published comics (including mini-comics) are eligible for consideration. We must see your comics in order to consider them! Please send one copy of each book you publish to us at the address on the left. Please clearly label each book submitted with contact information and date of publication. Comics published on-line must be submitted in the form of print-outs.

How does it work?
The series editors (that’s us) are responsible for collecting, reviewing, and selecting semi-finalists from all comics published by North American authors in a given year. Each year the editorial team (ourselves and Houghton Mifflin in-house editor Anjali Singh) select an established comics author to act as guest editor. The guest editor is responsible for choosing among the semi-finalists (and adding to the list if he or she sees fit) to create the list of works for inclusion in the book. If your work is on the final list, you will be contacted by us in October or November for permission.

Send Us Your Comics!
We hope you will put the Best American Comics on your finished book mailing list and automatically send in anything that might be eligible. Keep in mind that even if you miss one year’s deadline a book will be eligible for the following year’s volume.

Note that the publishing deadline for the 2009 volume is coming up at the end of this month.  We will only accept books for this volume until mid-September so send your books in sooner rather than later!

Please send your books to us at the address below. If you have questions don’t hesitate to e-mail us at either jabel@jessicaabel.com or matt@mattmadden.com.

Mail all your eligible comics to:
Jessica Abel & Matt Madden
Series Editors
The Best American Comics
Houghton Mifflin
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003

Good luck!

Hanoch Piven at Society of Illustrators

Events, Illustration Industry, News, , , ,

Hanoch Piven, renowned illustrator and creative force will be presenting a lecture at the Society of Illustrators next week.  Piven uses found objects to create three-dimensional artworks and is known for his educational workshops.

Hear him speak:

Wednesday, September 10th
6:30 – 9:00pm
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63 Street, NYC

Mr. Piven will also be conducting a workshop called FOUND OBJECTS PORTRAITS at Materials for the Arts, NY’s premier reuse center on September 11, 2008, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Beautiful Losers screening at Parsons!

Current Students, Events, Illustration Dept. Events, Illustration Industry, News, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parsons Illustration Faculty Noel Claro has gotten Sidetrack Films to arrange for a special, FREE screening of the fantastic movie, Beautiful Losers. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity!  Here’s the official description and trailer:

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation.

In the early 1990’s a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture.

Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.680661&w=425&h=350&fv=clip_id%3D1324674%26server%3Dvimeo.com%26autoplay%3D0%26fullscreen%3D1%26md5%3D%26show_portrait%3D0%26show_title%3D0%26show_byline%3D0%26context%3D%26context_id%3D]

There are still tickets left–this screening is open to all Illustration, Photo, CDT, and Fine Arts students at Parsons. So drop by and pick up your pass!

Beautiful Losers
T. Lang Center
55 W. 13th, 2nd Floor
7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 9th
Free
Tickets available in the Illustration Office