Our friend Vic Blue, who just got his masters in photojournalism from Ohio University, sent us a note about his most recent project Almost Out which he worked on for four months, shot a photo essay, made a short documentary, and wrote a 4,500 word piece for Soul of Athens.
After 10 years insided the walls, Doug Starcher prepares for life outside of prison --> Interesting and wonderful images from Vic.
Jeremy Fish has been working his ass off for this show opening up @Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC on June 21st. Check back with Fecal Face later in the week for a studio visit we did with him.
Jeremy Fish's art naturally lends itself to storytelling. In an unabashed celebration of this folk art form, 'Listen and Learn' puts stories and storytellers front and center as Fish demonstrates the enduring appeal of storytelling in popular culture. The exhibition features assorted tales from a wide swath of contemporary life—including from artists, skateboarders, rappers, athletes, a stripper, a cop, and a historian—which Fish has reinterpreted in lovingly realized painted works.
For this impressive project, Fish gathered a selection of friends and acquaintances whose rich lives have engendered no end of interesting tales. Most prominent among them is rapper/producer/actor Snoop Dogg, who recounts a story from childhood. In the tale, Snoop is among a select group of neighborhood kids to be bussed to a brand new, highly touted elementary school. Right off, Snoop gets into trouble when he allegedly exposes himself to a female student in the lunch line. The rapper's account of the principal's reprimand displays his undisputed gift for storytelling and turning naughty content into witty word games with a humorous twist. In 'Pulled Out My Worm', Fish's painted rendition of the tale, these story elements are incorporated into a baroque-style mirror image of two dog silhouettes, adorned with scrolling filigree, cartoon characters from an American childhood, and neighborhood identifiers.
See Fish's complete story this month at Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC. 'Listen and Learn' opens to the public Tuesday June 21st with an opening reception party on Thursday June 23rd from 6-9pm.
The ghosts featured in this video were created, molded and cast in plastic by Travis Millard. The edition will be on display at Travis and Mel Kadel's show at FFDG on June 11th, 2011. For more info on the show check out FFDG.net
Scott Weaver's amazing piece, made with over 100,000 toothpicks over the course of 35 years, is a depiction of San Francisco, with multiple ball runs that allow you to go on "tours" of different parts of the city. It will be on display in the Tinkering Studio at the Exploratorium until June 19th!
Thanks for the heads up, Brice. Gotta see this in person... That dude has some serious patience.
BeeeWigHoly Wednesday, 01 June 2011 /// Written by Van Edwards
Even skeptical skate nerds agree: By height, distance, or any other measure, this is the biggest ollie ever -Thrasher
White Walls Gallery - San Francisco || April 9- May 7, 2011 || Street artist ROA got his start by painting intriguing murals of animals in hidden places – underneath bridges and on walls that strayed from the beaten path. A darling of the underground street art scene, photos of his work regularly appear on Vandalog, Brooklyn Street Art, Wooster Collective, Unurth, and a fury of London newspapers and blogs running to his defense when a street piece he did in Hackney faced removal late last year. ROA is earnestly repopulating the cityscape with animals, as a way to have them re-enter the contemporary landscape that was once theirs. With a style all his own.
Saw the documentary on Bill Hicks last night, AMERICAN: The Bill Hicks Story, and was so pleased to see a feature length film dedicated to telling the story of his genius and of his career starting out at age 16 to his early tragic death from pancreatic cancer at age 32 in 1994.
Bill Hicks, self described "Chomsky with dick jokes", was one of the best stand-up comedians, social critics, and satirists of all time, decades ahead of everyone else and culture at large. The film is currently playing here at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and runs through... Well, tonight, Thursday, is the last showing, and you should get there and see it on the big screen before it's gone.
Yes, Bill Hicks was on stage many years ago, but the humor is completley timeless- everything is just as funny as it was 2 decades ago when it was written. If you miss the film in theaters, download some of his stand-up or watch it online.
Considered the comedian's comedian, whose act generally flew over the heads of most Americans at the time (his 12th appearance on David Letterman in '93 was pulled for being "over the top"), Hicks never garnered much US mainstream success, although, a huge hit in the UK selling out massive theaters filled with thousands of fans... Any comedian you love today was hugely influenced by Hicks who stayed true to his words and art, never selling out his act and completely just being himself throughout.
The film is smartly assembled, keeping even those obliviously unaware of Bill Hicks entertained with jazzy after effects/ animated motion of the old photographs of Bill's early life and career, such that you feel as though you're watching classic footage. Very well done, and for those of you who are huge Bill Hicks fans, the film is a way to relive classic performances and to appreciate and be inspired by an artist who stood his ground and kept focused on what more of us should.
R.I.P., Bill. You are greatly missed, and we would to see how you'd respond to our nutty ass world today. -Trippe
Artists, Cody Hudson and Jared Eberhardt discuss their video art piece from the Scion Installation 7 Video Art Tour. ~For more information and content, clicky here
Joe Hollier emailed over his latest student short film... Yeah, baby thirty.
Madre Wednesday, 18 May 2011 /// Written by Trippe
Madre is a short film that documents artist Wordtomother time at Fame Festival, Italy in 2010.
The film features Lucy Mclauchlan, Cycop & Kaf and the man responsible for Fame festival Angelino Milano.
The soundtrack is available to download for free
soundcloud.com/?lucasse/?madre-sole
A Telling Tale Production Presents 'Madre'
Camera and Edit - Andrew Telling
Grade - Luke Morrison @ The Mill
Music - Buddy Peace & Lucasse
Imagine being able to see artwork in the greatest museums around the world without leaving your chair. Driven by his passion for art, Amit Sood tells the story of how he developed Google's Art Project to let people do just that.
Amit Sood is the head of Art Project, Google's effort to bring the world's greatest museums onto the web. Visit it at googleartproject.com
If you don't who Lee "Scratch" Perry is or what his music is about, you need to start with the Lee Perry station on Pandora for a quick education (it's a good one). He basically began reggae music defining its sound in the late '60s. He began the career of a young Bob Marley producing many of his biggest hits. Perry's prolific career includes beginning the sound of DUB music and could argue much electronic music and hip hop as well. He's an energetic creative force that at times during the 70s, in his home studio "Black Ark Studios", produced an astonishing 20 songs a week.
The film isn't your traditional VH1's Behind the Music where other musicians and critics rant and rave about Perry's genius and his importance in modern music history. Instead, the film takes you inside the mind of Perry (or attempts to) by focusing a lot of screen time to Perry's long winded monologues where his stream of conscious religious/ poetry rants are intriguing in illustrating his talent at word play and musical mastery. Some may find the film focuses too much on Perry's ramblings, but I found it refreshing and a way to get inside Perry's head and thought it helped to truly illustrate how creative and interesting the man is. Scrawling words and phrases spray painted on his home walls. Burning gasoline in his snowy driveway. Dancing and seemingly truly being himself, it's nice to see someone so mentally free of any self restriction or those imposed by society. He lives within the space of his own mind.
The film follows Perry's rise through the music scene in Jamaica to the present day where he lives in Switzerland with his wife and children. It tracks him at his highest peaks to the lowest of lows of an artist refusing to compromise- pushing those around him away for what Perry calls parasites reeling about his consciousness sucking his energy and creativity for profit and fame. At times Perry's a self described Mad Man, as those believed he was, but he pondered if it was too many years with the smoke (he's since stopped smoking ganja). He is no mad man but a creative force who deserves not only this spotlight on him and his music but so much more. Following a life of true creativity and focusing his energy on his music rather than a chase at fame and money, it's this reason why Lee Scratch Perry will be remembered in musical history while those around him seeking rich and fame will be enjoyably forgotten.
Another round of trials from Michael Sieben's camp ramp. Can he raise enough money by finding out what the teens are into?! Special guest Will Oldham... yeah, that Will Oldham.
Allen Cordell emailed over his most recent fanatastic music video for the French electronic duo Gentlemen Drivers - EP Asphalt released by Because Music (Justice, Klaxons, Jarvis Cocker, Charlotte Gainsbourg, etc...)
Allen's done videos for Beach House, Dan Deacon, Tobacco, Cloud Nothings, etc. - Great work.
~+!@ Tuesday, 19 April 2011 /// Written by Van Edwards
This video was made as an installation element for my show at Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles titled: This is Forever, opening April 9th 2011. I wanted to showcase things that inspire me and things I collect: old things, colorfull things, wooden things, childrens books. I'm really just a big kid, and I'm not afraid to say I like to play with toys.
I don't think at this point it needs to be written since the last update to Fecal Face was a long time ago, but...
I, John Trippe, have put this baby Fecal Face to bed. I'm now focusing my efforts on running ECommerce at DLX which I'm very excited about... I guess you can't take skateboarding out of a skateboarder.
It was a great 15 years, and most of that effort can still be found within the site. Click around. There's a lot of content to explore.
Hit me up if you have any ECommerce related questions. - trippe.io
I'm not sure how many people are lucky enough to have The San Francisco Giants 3 World Series trophies put on display at their work for the company's employees to enjoy during their lunch break, but that's what happened the other day at Deluxe. So great.
SF skateboarding icons Jake Phelps, Mickey Reyes, and Tommy Guerrero with the 3 SF Giants World Series Trophies
When works of art become commodities and nothing else, when every endeavor becomes “creative” and everybody “a creative,” then art sinks back to craft and artists back to artisans—a word that, in its adjectival form, at least, is newly popular again. Artisanal pickles, artisanal poems: what’s the difference, after all? So “art” itself may disappear: art as Art, that old high thing. Which—unless, like me, you think we need a vessel for our inner life—is nothing much to mourn.
Hard-working artisan, solitary genius, credentialed professional—the image of the artist has changed radically over the centuries. What if the latest model to emerge means the end of art as we have known it? --continue reading
"Six Degrees" opens tonight, Friday Jan 16th (7-10pm) at FFDG in San Francisco. ~Group show featuring: Brett Amory, John Felix Arnold III, Mario Ayala, Mariel Bayona, Ryan Beavers, Jud Bergeron, Chris Burch, Ryan De La Hoz, Martin Machado, Jess Mudgett, Meryl Pataky, Lucien Shapiro, Mike Shine, Minka Sicklinger, Nicomi Nix Turner, and Alex Ziv.
"[Satire] is important because it brings out the flaws we all have and throws them up on the screen of another person," said Turner. “How they react sort of shows how important that really is.” Later, he added, "Charlie took a hit for everybody." -read on
As we work on our changes, we're leaving Squarespace and coming back to the old server. Updates are en route.
The content that was on the site between May '14 and today is history... Whatever, wasn't interesting anyway. All the good stuff from the last 10 years is here anyway.
Opening tonight, Friday May 23rd (7-10pm) at Park Life in the Inner Richmond (220 Clement St) is Again Home Again featuring works from the duo Jacob Mcgraw-Mikelson & Rachell Sumpter who split time living in Sacramento and a tiny island at the top of Pudget Sound with their children.
Jacob Magraw will be showing embroidery pieces on cloth along with painted, gouache works on paper --- Rachell Sumpter paints scenes of colored splendor dropped into scenes of desolate wilderness. ~show details
NYC --- A new graffiti abatement program put forth by the police commissioner has beat cops carrying cans of spray paint to fill in and cover graffiti artists work in an effort to clean up the city --> Many cops are thinking it's a waste of resources, but we're waiting to see someone make a project of it. Maybe instructions for the cops on where to fill-in?
The NYPD is arming its cops with cans of spray paint and giving them art-class-style lessons to tackle the scourge of urban graffiti, The Post has learned.
Shootings are on the rise across the city, but the directive from Police Headquarters is to hunt down street art and cover it with black, red and white spray paint, sources said... READ ON
Los Angeles based Alison Blickle who showed here in San Francisco at Eleanor Harwood last year (PHOTOS) recently showed new paintings in New York at Kravets Wehby Gallery. Lovely works.
We haven't been featuring many interviews as of late. Let's change that up as we check in with a few local San Francisco artists like Kevin Earl Taylor here whom we studio visited back in 2009 (PHOTOS & VIDEO). It's been awhile, Kevin...
If you like guns and boobs, head on over to the Shooting Gallery; just don't expect the work to be all cheap ploys and hot chicks. With Make Stuff by Peter Gronquist (Portland) in the main space and Morgan Slade's Snake in the Eagle's Shadow in the project space, there is plenty spectacle to be had, but if you look just beyond it, you might actually get something out of the shows.
Fifty24SF opened Street Anatomy, a new solo show by Austrian artist Nychos a week ago last Friday night. He's been steadily filling our city with murals over the last year, with one downtown on Geary St. last summer, and new ones both in the Haight and in Oakland within the last few weeks, but it was really great to see his work up close and in such detail.
Nate Milton emailed over this great short Gator Skater which is a follow-up to his Dog Skateboard he emailed to us back in 2011... Any relation to this Gator Skater?
Congrats on our buddies at Needles and Pens on being open and rad for 11 years now. Mission Local did this little short video featuring Breezy giving a little heads up on what Needles and Pens is all about.
In a filmmaker's thinking, we wish more videos were done in this style. Too much editing and music with a lacking in actual content. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Matt Wagner recently emailed over some photos from The Hellion Gallery in Tokyo, who recently put together a show with AJ Fosik (Portland) called Beast From a Foreign Land. The gallery gave twelve of Fosik's sculptures to twelve Japanese artists (including Hiro Kurata who is currently showing in our group show Salt the Skies) to paint, burn, or build upon.
FFDG is pleased to announce an exclusive online show with San Francisco based Ferris Plock opening on Friday, April 25th (12pm Pacific Time) featuring 5 new medium sized acrylic paintings on wood.
Backwoods Gallery in Melbourne played host to a huge group exhibition a couple of weeks back, with "Gold Blood, Magic Weirdos" Curated by Melbourne artist Sean Morris. Gold Blood brought together 25 talented painters, illustrators and comic artists from Australia, the US, Singapore, England, France and Spain - and marked the end of the Magic Weirdos trilogy, following shows in Perth in 2012 and London in 2013.
San Francisco based Fecal Pal Jeremy Fish opened his latest solo show Hunting Trophies at LA's Mark Moore Gallery last week to massive crowds and cabin walls lined with imagery pertaining to modern conquest and obsession.
Well, John Felix Arnold III is at it again. This time, he and Carolyn LeBourgios packed an entire show into the back of a Prius and drove across the country to install it at Superchief Gallery in NYC. I met with him last week as he told me about the trip over delicious burritos at Taqueria Cancun (which is right across the street from FFDG and serves what I think is the best burrito in the city) as the self proclaimed "Only overweight artist in the game" spilled all the details.
Ever Gold opened a new solo show by NYC based Henry Gunderson a couple Saturday nights ago and it was literally packed. So packed I couldn't actually see most of the art - but a big crowd doesn't seem like a problem. I got a good laugh at what I would call the 'cock climbing wall' as it was one of the few pieces I could see over the crowd. I haven't gotten a chance to go back and check it all out again, but I'm definitely going to as the paintings that I could get a peek at were really high quality and intruiguing. You should do the same.
The paintings in the show are each influenced by a musician, ranging from Freddy Mercury, to Madonna, to A Tribe Called Quest and they are so stylistically consistent with each musician's persona that they read as a cohesive body of work with incredible variation. If you told me they were each painted by a different person, I would not hesitate to believe you and it's really great to see a solo show with so much variety. The show is fun, poppy, very well done, and absolutely worth a look and maybe even a listen.
With rising rent in SF and knowing mostly other young artists without capitol, I desired a way to live rent free, have a space to do my craft, and get to see more of the world. Inspired by the many historical artists who have longed similar longings I discovered the beauty of artist residencies. Lilo runs Adhoc Collective in Vienna which not only has a fully equipped artists creative studio, but an indoor halfpipe, and private artist quarters. It was like a modern day castle or skate cathedral. It exists in almost a utopic state, totally free to those that apply and come with a real passion for both art and skateboarding
I just wanted to share with you a piece I recently finished which took me 4 years to complete. Titled "How To Lose Yourself Completely (The September Issue)", it consists of a copy of the September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine (the issue they made the documentary about) with all faces masked with a sharpie, and everything else entirely whited out. 840 pages of fun. -Bryan Schnelle
While walking our way across San Francisco on Saturday we swung through the opening receptions for Kirk Maxson and Alexis Mackenzie at Eleanor Harwood Gallery in the Mission.
Jeremy Fish opens Hunting Trophies tonight, Saturday April 5th, at the Los Angeles based Mark Moore Gallery. The show features new work from Fish inside the "hunting lodge" where viewers climb inside the head of the hunter and explore the history of all the animals he's killed.
Beautiful piece entitled "The Albatross and the Shipping Container", Ink on Paper, Mounted to Panel, 47" Diameter, by San Francisco based Martin Machado now on display at FFDG. Stop in Saturday (1-6pm) to view the group show "Salt the Skies" now running through April 19th. 2277 Mission St. at 19th.
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to quit my job, move out of my house, leave everything and travel again. So on August 21, 2013 I pushed a canoe packed full of gear into the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, along with four of my best friends. Exactly 100 days later, I arrived at a marina near the Gulf of Mexico in a sailboat.
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