BATTLE!
My good friend and fellow photographer Matthew Stacey recently challenged me to a bi-weekly photo battle. I got to pick the subject matter for the first one, and decided on dessert. Been thinking about playing with popsicles for a little while and this is what I came up with to kick it off. Let me know what you think in the comments 🙂
So There’s That.
Just came across an editorial series by NY based photographer Pablo Ravazzani for Contributor Magazine of images of Los Angeles looking up. I felt like I could do better. So I jumped over to my instagram archive and grabbed a few things. Let me know what you think.
I just launched my print store! Check it out!
I’m thrilled to announce that after a great deal of time, planning and work, I’ve launched the first version of my online print store. I’m pleased to be working with Photoshelter, who have been working hard in the photo industry for a very long time to make things better.
My first featured gallery consists of images that I’ve made on the go over the past year. It will be updated regularly, and all photos will be limited to 10 prints in each size run. Once they are gone, they are gone.
Sometimes I work in the Art Department
This year I’ve branched out creatively in a few new directions. I’ve started painting again, made the occasional sculpture, and started dabbling in furniture design. But one of the most rewarding and interesting developments is a connection to TV and Music Videos.
A close friend and collaborator of mine, Greg Lang is a talented production designer here in Los Angeles. I had production designed one music video previously, and Greg has been kind enough to bring me on his crew for quite a few projects over the past months.
I don’t have a reel, but I thought it might be fun to share some of the videos I’ve worked on.
So, without further ado, here they are in what I recall to be chronological order:
Lister
I first became aware of Anthony Lister’s work last year while traveling around the US. I took the month off to go explore and see what there was to be seen. I spent a lot of time in New York photographing street art and there was one particular mural in Williamsburg that stood out.
The more I looked at it, the more I liked it. Turns out I wasn’t the only one.
In the time since, Lister has become one of the artists in the street community that has been getting a lot of traction, and rightfully so. Fresh perspective and a style that shows a great personal voice. He’s definitely an artist that I keep my eye on, and I always get excited when his work pops up in LA where I live. He’s even had work commissioned by The Standard hotels in Hollywood and New York, and had a wonderful solo show that I attended recently at THIS Los Angeles Gallery.
Here’s a recent mural around my neighborhood downtown that I liked
My friend Bobby over at The Fox is Black has a fun slideshow of a Lister show from 2008 at New Image gallery that’s fun too:
Quit Your Sobbing and Call me in the Afternoon
Here are a couple of videos that are worth a look as well.Thanks Vimeo, and BOOOOOOOM for inspiring the post.
MEGGS x LISTER x KID-ZOOM from itdrewitself on Vimeo.
Anthony Lister from Spencer Keeton Cunningham on Vimeo.
Downtown LA via Yashica
I love my Yashica-A twin lens reflex medium format camera. I’m gonna be using this thing as much as I can this year.
Flea Market Finds
Going to the flea market is one of my absolute favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon. Today was no exception, with a trip to the Pasadena City College flea market doing the honors. I was blown away by how many amazing things I found! Absolutely the best flea market I’ve been to anywhere.
I don’t have extra money to be blowing right now, but I snapped some photos of a few of my favorite things. 
Uh, torch? Yes.
Angry Diety? Check.
I was definitely feeling these killer vintage Florsheim shoes.
Awesome motorcycle helmets, complete with sparkle paint.
A print of the Herb Ritts photo Madonna used for the True Blue album cover. Incidentally True Blue was the first record I ever purchased on vinyl. 🙂
I don’t even care what this sounds like. I would buy it just to stare at it all day.
Amazing old dead stock iron-on t shirt graphics
Pretty solid old globe and one of those awesome wicker things fishermen use to store fish after they catch them. Yes, that’s a technical term.
Yeah, so this exists…
I think this old cart would make a perfect coffee table. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. $300
Anyone want an HJ?
This is definitely a bronze sculpture of an eagle totally wrecking some poor bird.
I’ve been seeing a few of these pitcher things around the flea markets, but they don’t seem to actually hold water. All decorative, I suppose. EIther way, I’m into it. I could see getting a tattoo of something like it, all ornate and baroque and whatever.
I never had pogs when I was a kid. My parents said it was too much like gambling, and wouldn’t let us have them. Apparently if I am so inclined, it’s nice to know it’s not too late to get in on that trend.
My home will not be complete until I own one of these authentic, hand-made native american peace pipes.
It’s a boot.
I was feeling these horse head book ends.
It’s always cool to see some old school Reno stuff pop up here in LA. Skeleton keys? Insane!
Sometimes I like looking at groups of objects like this as if they are little art installations. In a way they kind of are 🙂
Finally, a very strange crazy candle holder.
DP Cred
Oh I almost forgot.
I shot a bunch of footage for this music video a little while back. Ming and Ping are good friends and I’m privileged to have been a part of a few collaborative projects with the entire team. Such a great feeling to be able to contribute to M&P and work with the genius that is Bao Vo.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s bridge and tunnel.
Graffiti Analysis 2.0
Graffiti Analysis 2.0: Digital Blackbook from Evan Roth on Vimeo.
This is some next level stuff.
Aakash Nihalani
NYC Based artist Aakash nihalani is making some waves in the art world right now with isometric tape art. I love it!
Andres Amador
I’m loving the work of 26 year old San Francisco installation artist Andres Amador who works in sand. 
Theres a nice article here:
(sub)urban home Brings Style to Downtown
Many people may have noticed the beautiful new space opened recently at 5th and Main. It’s called (sub)urban home and it’s the brainchild of LA designer Ronnie Gene. About half of the pieces in the shop are from other designers, and the rest are all designed and produced in-house. I stopped by to check out the situation yesterday and had a great chat with Ronnie. Seriously nice guy with a lot of passion for what he does and a vision for the future of downtown that’s really exciting.
They have some awesome stuff in there, from ceramic skulls to custom, one of a kind sleigh beds. 
This is such a cool addition to the gallery row area and downtown in general. There are a few other home furnishing stores around the area that really don’t do anything for me, so it’s refreshing to see such great contemporary work in a great space.
(sub)urban home will be hosting a surprise gallery tonight for downtown art walk that will be worth checking out.
Bottom line, the shop is beautiful, the owner is great and they stock some really gorgeous home decor. Go buy something! Go buy a lot of somethings!
Art Openings for Clive Barker and John Santerineross
Downtown LA is always hopping and tonight isn’t any exception. A pair of art openings on the same block are sure to stir up a few hornets in the not too distant future.
John Santerineross has been at the center of heated discussion and condemnation from religious groups for some time. His previous shows have been met with critical acclaim and conservative lambasting because of his intense erotic subject matter and use of iconographic symbolism.
“John Santerineross is mentioned extensively in Catholic League President Bill Donahue’s newly released (September 2009) book entitled “Secular Sabotage: How Liberals Are Destroying Religion and Culture in America” (ISBN# 978-0446547215) along with several other groundbreaking artists including Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe in Chapter 4: Artistic Sabotage. Donohue states:
“In 2006 at KFMK Gallery in New York City, an exhibit of the work of John Santerineross featured a photo of a woman with her genitals cut and bleeding; a crucifix was placed below the woman, and the blood from her mutilated genitalia was shown running into a wine glass. Just so we got the point, the photo was dubbed “The Transformation of the Madonna”. These artistic assassins want to artistically assassinate Christianity, especially Catholicism. They are not artists who are simply making a statement. They are nihilists. Not to understand the difference between artists who protest Christianity’s teachings on sexuality, and moral anarchists out to sabotage Christianity altogether, is not only to miss what is at stake, it does an injustice to their work.”[1] ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Santerineross )
Tonight’s works feature nude figures in various stages of discomfort with substantial propping and staging. As I perused the exhibit tonight (a preview soft opening before tomorrow’s art walk) I found myself drawing similarities between Santerineross’ work and that of Joel-Peter Witkin . While stylistically similar and evocative of like-minded mood, the images in tonight’s show don’t take things nearly as far as Witkin’s more salacious work. Todd/Browning gallery on 5th St at Spring, the host of tonight’s show, is known for carrying books and artworks that appeal to the edgier end of the art set. This exhibit will no doubt continue them on that path.
As I was getting ready to leave, I overheard the owner mention something about an even more scandalous opening that was going on. I was surprised to find that it was a Clive Barker show of paintings and photographs at Bert Green and that it was sure to be an outrageous display.
The show is called Imagining Man, but it leaves little to the imagination. Barker’s photographs are highly charged homosexual images of men in body paint, blood, costumes, or nothing at all in bondage and torture scenes. Though artfully lit and composed, they could be very upsetting for the faint of heart. Models seem to have been selected based on the size of their “equipment” among other criteria. 
The sign on the door stated no minors were allowed without a parent, for obvious reasons.
Barker also exhibited sketches of skulls, props from his photo shoots and some inspired paintings. No doubt he is a talented painter, and pieces were not unreasonably priced. Prints of the photographs were available in signed limited editions for $300 and signed open editions for $50. Paintings ranged from a few hundred to $8000.
Barker embraces a friend at tonight’s opening.
It will be interesting to see what furor ensues as the conservative crowd catches wind of these two shows. With this month’s Art Walk kicking off tomorrow, thousands will have the opportunity to make their own judgments of the work.
Justin Sullivan Photography Blog 