Ninja vs Penguin

Ninja March 25th, 2009

Here’s your dose of Wednesday inspiration—gorgeous, glittery Hookers.

Los Angeles painter, Natalia Fabia, is too adorable and incredibly talented to boot. Here’s a short video she shot in her studio of a photo shoot for her oil paintings. It’s a small glimpse into her jewel-toned, fantasy Hooker world as she prepares for her Hooker DreamEscape solo exhibition at the Corey Helford Gallery.

Here are some paintings from her Hooker DreamEscape show:

Jessica Louise, Cupcake Monster
Oil and glitter on panel, 12″ x 12″

Getting Butterflies
Oil and glitter on panel, 40″ x 30″

Hooker Sleepover
Oil on panel, 48″ x 48″

Aileen Ice Cream
Oil on panel, 11″ x 16″

Nap
Oil and glitter on panel, 36 x 24″

Peacock Dancer
Oil and glitter on panel, 24″ x 36″

Pink Castle in the Sky
Oil and glitter on panel, 24″ x 36″

Pizza Party
Oil on panel, 48″ x 48″

Happy hump day,
Ninja

Related link
+ Visit Natalia Fabia’s website

Purchasing link
+ Get Hooker prints, clothing, and jewelry from Natalia Fabia’s online store

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Tags: Corey Helford Gallery, Hooker, Hooker DreamEscape, Los Angeles, Natalia Fabia, Oil Painting, Process

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Ninja March 13th, 2009

Ana Bagayan will be showing tomorrow at the Billy Shire Fine Arts gallery. Her exhibition will run until April 4, 2009.

When
Saturday, March 14, 2009
7 PM–10 PM

Where
Billy Shire Fine Arts
5790 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA

Here’s a sneak peek at her show

Related links
+ View Ana Bagayan’s paintings here
+ Read Ana Bagayan’s blog

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Tags: Ana Bagayan, Billy Shire Fine Arts, Exhibitions, Oil Painting, Portraits

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Ninja March 4th, 2009

One of my favorite, young, emerging talents, Melissa Haslam, was kind enough to take time and tell me about her life and her work!

I am thrilled to introduce you to Melissa Haslam. I was immediately smitten when I first saw one of her graphite drawings. Her pop-surreal drawings and paintings are romantic, whimsical, and even a little melancholy. Her creations are inhabited by beautiful, fashionably dressed women in exotic, fairy-tale environments. Her intricately rendered figures, plants, insects, and animals pull the viewers into her haunting landscapes.

This Melbourne-based artist studied Multimedia Technology and then went on to work at a software company creating user interfaces graphics. After a few years, Melissa returned to school to study a Visual Arts.

I have always been interested in art and drawing and loved doing it at school, but it took a while to work out what kinda of art I wanted to do for myself. It wasn’t until I was in Borders book store one day flicking through magazines that I discovered the book Curvy, and illustration style art. I immediately knew thats what I wanted to do. It was beautiful, imaginative, and like an adult version of the books and cartoons I used to watch as a child.I tend to draw females and nature at the moment, but this doesn’t mean I’ll be drawing the same thing forever. I don’t know yet.

Not surprisingly, Melissa is inspired by the female form, fashion photography, Victorian painting, vintage culture, and botanical art. Her two biggest artistic influences are John William Waterhouse and Arthur Rackham. She also enjoys the work of Aubrey Beardsley and Henri Rousseau among others.

I find inspiration comes from everywhere. From going to exhibitions to look at other peoples art to going for a walk and looking in peoples front gardens. Everything you do in life gets remembered and sometimes finds its way into a picture.

Random bit of trivia:
This drawing (above) got lost in the post on the way to a gallery and was later rerouted to Melissa. After its misadventure, she decided to keep it for herself. It is currently hanging on her wall.

Thank you so much for sharing, Melissa!!

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Tags: Arthur Rackham, Aubrey Beardsley, Curvy, Graphite, Henri Rousseau, Illustration, John William Waterhouse, Melbourne, Melissa Haslam, Oil Painting, Yen Magazine

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Ninja February 9th, 2009

Good morning & happy Monday! Here are some truly exceptional paintings from Melbourne-based artist, Jeremy Geddes, to kick start your week.

Jeremy received his BA and postgraduate degrees from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. While studying, he was influenced by artists Léon Bonnat, Phil Hale, Edward Hopper, Ilya Repin, John Singer Sargent, Ashley Wood, and Andrew Wythe.

Jeremy’s paintings showcase his impressive technical ability and frightening narratives. My favorite series feature a lost cosmonaut in urban settings.

Jeremy has also done covers for several issues of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek: The Next Generation

Huge thanks to Sophie for introducing me to his work!

Related links
+ Jeremy Geddes’ online portfolio
+ Jeremy Geddes’ process blog

Purchasing links
+ Jeremy Geddes prints
+ Metamorphosis 2—a book of 50 Contemporary Surreal, and Visionary Artists

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Tags: Books, Jeremy Geddes, Melbourne, Oil Painting, Painter, Prints, Shopping, Star Trek, Zombies

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Ninja September 5th, 2008

Ah, I know I’ve been quiet for a bit. What was I doing all this time? Recovering from work. Reading comics in my bed. Hiding away from the internets and falling in love with painting again.

Speaking of painting and painters, I’m crushing on the painter, Doc Hammer (Penguin finds this very amusing). Doc Hammer (whose birth name is Eric) is probably best known as one of the creative forces behind The Venture Brothers. He is a co-writer, editor, and voice actor (Doctor Girlfriend,  Henchman #21, and Master Billy Quizboy) for this fine, animated television program.

For those not familiar with this boy-adventurer satire on Cartoon Network, it parodies the likes of the Tom Swift, Hardy Boys, Jonny Quest genre. But instead of the young boy adventurer protagonists being crafty and clever, Hank and Dean Venture are these ultra-cheesy, naïve, trapped-in-the-60s characters (Hank is even wearing an ascot) thrown into our modern world. And really, any show that manages to sneak in a Faulkner reference while making a fart joke and still come off funny has my vote.

Don’t wait for inspiration, it’s a myth. Painters paint, dancers dance, singers sing, and athletes… Okay, athletes don’t “athlete”… But you get the point.
– Doc Hammer

Doc Hammer

Saint No. 30

Saint No. 35

Saint No. 38

Saint No. 39

In addition to his beautiful, bra-clad figures, glowing lighting, and his Caravaggio/Titian interests, I love that Hammer is a self-taught painter (he went to SMFA to study art, but they taught him to BS instead, so he quit) who isn’t afraid to go out there, try his darnest, and FAIL. But hey, he’s learned from his mistakes and each painting has gotten better (and look, he’s gotten better at rendering flesh and has abandoned his brilliant Cadmiums from his earlier work).

The one thing that Jackson (creator, director, and co-writer of The Venture Brothers) and I are both very aware of and kind of in love with is failure. Failure is how you learn. Failure—it’s a beautiful, unavoidable flaw. And the minute you ignore failure, you’re an asshole. And the minute you embrace failure, you’re kind of charming.
– Doc Hammer

Related link
+ View Doc Hammer’s work from his exhibition at the Arcadia

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Tags: Adult Swim, Animation, Cartoon Network, Doc Hammer, Doctor Girlfriend, Eric Hammer, Oil Painting, The Venture Brothers

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Ninja September 2nd, 2008

If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.
– Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper
Summer Evening, 1947, Oil on canvas, 30 x 42 inches

Edward Hopper
Morning Sun, 1952, Oil on canvas, 28 1/8 x 40 1/8 inches

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Tags: Edward Hopper, Morning Sun, Oil Painting, Quotes, Summer Evening

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