Disasters by Lynne McDaniel and History by Philip Vaughn

 Disasters by Lynne McDaniel

     

     Lynne McDaniel has focused on the depleting stability of our world.  She has created scenes based off of real events of destruction caused by either man or nature using charcoal and oil paint on a paper canvas.  She has a stunning use of color to highlight the problem areas in otherwise calm landscape scenes.  They are all black and white until a bright red draws your eyes to the points of interest.  She mentions in her artist statement that the black and white is supposed to be reminiscent of black and white photography, so for me the red color breaks out into the real world away from the perfect photograph just like the destructions have done with showing what the real world can actually be like instead of a perfect deluded image that some people may paint for themselves.  Pictures and artist statement below.  Continue after pictures for 'History' by Philip Vaughn.

History by Philip Vaughn

     I find the title of Philip's work to be quite suiting as I find the scenes depicted to be very reminiscent of what one might find in a history textbook.  His scenes were inspired by events in history the hit very close to home for the artist, having grown up in Normandy, France post WWII.  He also found his inspiration in text books.  To me the black and white charcoal and watercolor represent the bleakness that war might bring to the mentalities of some.  The blurriness might represent an unclear vision of the future that war can create.  Many of these pieces are done from a birds eye view perspective which may be indicative of his only having to observe the aftermath of the war instead of actually having to be there and experience it.  Pictures and artist statement featured below.

Pasted on Street Walls

Pushead and the many other artists at "Designer Con"

     Three weeks ago I attended a large convention in Anaheim called "D-con", short for designer convention.  Featured there were hundreds of artists specializing mostly in printmaking and collectors toys.  It was interesting to see such a wide variety of styles and techniques all in one place.  A lot of the artists there had prints of movie and band posters that they had designed themselves different from the official imagery.  One technique for print makers that I noticed to be frequent there that I found to be interesting was artists using large holographic sheets to print on.  

     One of the more well known artists present is Brian Schroeder, widely known by the name "Pushead".  Pushead is a musician, record label owner, writer and artist.  He is the singer of Septic Death, a hardcore punk band active mostly in the 80's. He has made a lot of artwork for bands, skateboards, and t-shirts.  Some of the musicians he has created artwork and album covers for include Metallica, the Misfits, Dr. Dre, Travis Barker, Rocket from the Crypt, and Kool Keith.  He also has made shirts for Thrasher, a skateboarding magazine.  He has designed a couple of pairs of Nike's as well.  His artwork depicts a lot of skulls and skeletal imagery.  His work is quite sought after and has a large cult following.  Pushead's booth at the convention had a 6 hour line to purchase his artwork.  I purchased a record that included 5 signed prints for $117 and was able to sell it on ebay immediately for $1,000!

     The pictures featured below are primarily Pushead's work, however some other artists are included as well.  The prints of Pushead that I have chosen to include are created using photo emulsion and are printed on white or off white paper using 2 to 5 layers.  There was a series of 5 prints included in the new album for his band Septic Death.  These prints are all only 2 layers and range between 9"x11" and 11"x17" in size.  Most are printed using a layer of black on a red ink background, however some are a layer of black ink with a tan background color.  I have included much of his artwork as well as others below.

Unknown Artist

Unknown Artist

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Unknown (Ghoulish Bunny Studios)

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Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson

Paul  Jackson

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Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Pushead

Unknown

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Narsiso Martinez Farm Fresh

                                              Narsiso Martinez

Narsiso migrated from Oaxaca, Mexico when he was 20 years old. While in Mexico he attended school sporadically and had barely a ninth grade education. While working in the fields picking vegetables and fruits to earn a living, something he did while in Mexico, he attended Hollywood High School to first learn English and then to acquire a GED.  Studying art history at Los Angeles City College reignited his interest in art, thus, prompting him to major in art at California State University, Long Beach, just recently receiving a MFA. Narsiso is presently being exhibited at Long Beach Museum of Art in Long Beach, CA in an exhibition tilted Fresh Farm from October 5, 2018 through January 6, 2019. His exhibit consists of portraits of farmer workers printed on dura-lar and mounted on produce labels and sculptured fruit and vegetables placed in produce boxes as well as stacked produce cartons on which farm workers are drawn and painted. He garnered most of his information while working in the fields in Washington and California, observing and interviewing his fellow workers which later morph into powerful, imaginative and awe-inspiring commentary of life in the fields through art. I was most especially drawn to his 12 linocuts of farm workers in a portraiture format titled, “Ghosts”, 2017.

The dominant color expressed in Narsiso's linocuts on dura-lar is black which gives the pieces a foreboding and ominous feel as though the 12 portraits of farm workers in a life-size format are depicting life in an urban setting----that is gang life on the streets instead of a rural setting as in this case. He also uses such pastels as pinks, yellow, orange, and turquoise along with a splattering of grays to great effect-----that is they act as a counterpoint to the heaviness and gloominess of the black. Narsiso also used color and line to create texture. Most prints are executed from different vantages with the participants wearing pretty much the same garb, baseball caps, hoodies and ski mask and/or bandanas tied across their mouths just below their eyes with their eyes usually obscured in some fashion----a picture of the adject, the ignored and the untouchables of our society, “Ghosts”.  They seem like outlaws instead of the law abiding and contributing individuals that they are.

I found the work to be compelling and powerful in scope and visual impact. Narsiso puts the plight of farm workers front and center, hoping to be an agent of change. His selection of hues further enhance the theme of his prints and his narrative is effective, visually, and on full view for all to see, admire and critique. I especially was drawn to his use of clothing to further enhance his attempt to get us to view or see the unseeable. Their is a tendency to look away but his imagery is so riveting that it is difficult to do so.