Thursday, April 29, 2010

"Urban Decay" A Carnival of Custom Vinyl and Lowbrow Art



An exhibition presented by the Workhouse Arts Center and Spaghetti Project of Downtown Fredericksburg.

Featured Artist:
Drew Storm Graham
Shawn Huddleston
Peter Chang
Brandon Hill
Rejuvenile
Gabriel Pons (Demonstrating)
Kenny Brown (Demonstrating)
Imani K. Brown (Demonstrating)
Jack Labadie (Demonstrating)
Jeremy Gann (Demonstrating)
Sean Donlon (Demonstrating)
James Walker (Demonstrating)
Jorge Guillen (Demonstrating)

Showcasing -- April 28th, 2010- May 9th, 2010

OPEN Reception Saturday May 1st from 7:00pm- 12:00am - with Refreshments Provided.

Location of reception:
9601 Ox Road
Lorton, VA 22079
Reception in Building W-16 Second Floor
Phone 703-584-2900

Live Music Provided by:
Akris
John Kaplan

What is Urban Decay?
Urban Decay is an exhibition that will feature 14 contemporary artists showcasing work in the form of skate decks, custom vinyl toys, sculpture, fine portraiture and beyond.
Five of these artists will be customizing vinyl art toys live at the event!
Urban Decay focuses on the aesthetic of urban low-brow art; an underground visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles, California, area in the late 1970s. Lowbrow is a widespread populist art movement with origins in the underground comic world, punk music, hot-rod street culture, graffiti and other subcultures.
This type of art is also referred to as subculture art, pop- surrealism and often has an impish, sarcastic, and gleeful sense of humor attached to it.
So what is a Vinyl Art Toy?
Vinyl Art toys or “Designer toys” are terms used to describe toys and other collectibles that are produced in limited editions, (as few as 10 or as many as 2000 pieces) and created by artists and designers.
Designer toys are made of a variety of materials; ABS plastic and vinyl are most common, although wood, metal, and resin are occasionally used.
The term also encompasses plush, cloth and latex dolls. Creators of designer toys usually have backgrounds in graphic design, illustration or self-described low brow art.
Designer toys appeared in the 1990s by artist Michael Lau, who first created urban vinyl figures in Hong Kong, and are still in production today.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

"Beautify the Burg"

Announcing Fredericksburg's First Public Art Project
“Beautify the Burg”

Call for Entries

Open to all artists, working in acrylic, oil or mixed media.


The Fredericksburg Arts Commission, in conjunction with the Department of Economic Development, has initiated a Public Art Program.  Grants are offered through JumpstArt. Funds provided by the Economic Development Authority (EDA) will help underwrite art projects that can be enjoyed by the public in the City of Fredericksburg .

The first grant under this program has been awarded to the Downtown Retail Marketing (DRMI) for a painted fence project.  The fence, located on the 800 block of Caroline Street between Bangkok Cafe’ and Wally’s Ice Cream Shop, is owned by James Nikitakis.

This project seeks to showcase the fine art of Fredericksburg .  Six artists will be selected to paint the fence panels.  A $1000 honorarium will be paid to each artist chosen.

The application deadline is May 10, 2010
Completion deadline is June 21, 2010

Applications and prospectus may be found:

                               www.OldTownFredericksburgVA.com/beautify

                                              The Richard Johnston Inn
                                                    711 Caroline Street
                                               Fredericksburg , VA 22401

                                                     Art First Gallery
                                                   824 Caroline Street
                                               Fredericksburg , VA 22401

Contact person: Pat Thalman
(540)710-0161

Saturday, April 3, 2010

TTK x Spaghetti Project "WHO IS TTK???" Art Show

"Who is TTK?" Since first bursting onto the scene in 2004 as a sneaker customizer, Mike "TTK" Harris has left everyone who has seen his work asking that question. His amazing accuracy with a paintbrush and his ability to transfer his imagination in vivid detail onto any canvas has gained TTK a worldwide following.
Growing up as a child in Jacksonville, Florida, art was an escape from the many hardships he had to endure. Coming from a lower middle class household, TTK had to deal with drug abuse and poverty all around him. At the age of 6, he saw the movie that would change his life. "Beat Street" introduced him to b-boys, graffiti and hip hop music and culture. The main character, Ramo had a huge influence on TTK, "I saw Beat Street in '85, '86 and Ramo was like, tag-gin' up the trains and it was amazing, this is what I want to do." It also showed him the connection between music, culture and art, and how they can be fused together.
TTK also cites comic books as one of his earliest influences, specifically comic book writer and illustrator Todd McFarlane. TTK explains, "Todd McFarlane was drawing Spider-Man back in the days...he just changed Spider-Man into his own character, made you forget everything before him..." He was also heavily influenced by his older cousin, whom he looked up to as a brother. TTK credits him as the first person to put a pencil in his hand and teach him how to draw.
Armed with a new found love for art and hip hop culture, Mike Harris transformed into "TTK". He drew, sketched and tagged on every surface he could find. He didn't receive formal art training until high school where he studied fine art and learned how to paint. After graduating and entering college, TTK's bright future was put on hold by the birth of his daughter. Needing a job so that he could properly support her, he joined the Navy. After working on a submarine everyday for 2 years, spending weeks and months at a time underwater, he was able to come home.
Upon returning in 2004 he was told about the new movement in the art and fashion world, sneaker customization. Being a huge sneaker collector already, this was perfect for him. After checking out what the current sneaker artists had to offer, he decided to try it out. TTK himself will admit himself that his first attempt did not work out too well, "I said man, I could do this and I can do it better...I went home did some research on what paints to use and the first (pair), straight up it was whack". Always humble and hardworking, TTK went back to the drawing board, researched the proper paints and materials to use and practiced, refining his craft. Eventually he created his own signature style, which is his affinity for combining colors that are not usually associated with each other, his ability to recreate any picture or photo with amazing detail, and a patented design he created that looks like a magnified fingerprint.
Since then TTK has won the Custom Kicks Showdown sponsored by Finish-line and Reebok, the Hartford, Connecticut division of the Funk Flex Sneaker Battle, and he was featured on the History Channel show, "The Works". He has traveled the country making appearances and displaying his work at various trade shows and has gained fans as far as South Korea, where he was also commissioned to work. He has done custom work for music artist Cormega, r&b soul singer Dwele, and Natalie aka the Floacist from the r&b group Floetry as well as special projects for Cornell University, Timberland, and clothing line Hood Prep. Summer of 2009 was his busiest yet.
TTK debuted as a canvas artist in his first official gallery show at Sole Food NYC. He also painted a mural at New York radio station Hot 97's annual summer concert Summer Jam June of that year, as well as a live art installation at the New York location of the Sneaker Pimps national tour.
Who is TTK? He is an artist, a brand, a movement. What's next for this rising star? Only the sky's the limit...


Spaghetti Project
1025 Caroline Street
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Saturday, April 17, 2010 
5:00pm - 10:00pm