Casey Jex Smith at Allegra LaViola

Originally from Detroit, Casey Jex Smith graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute and has since showcased in numerous exhibitions all over the U.S and since last Thursday you can see his work here in NYC.
Intricate drawings combined with bold colors and influences from his ex-Mormon missionary past set his work apart and are just fascinating to look at. 

Smith is represented in NYC by Allegra LaViola  Gallery and his new exhibit "Gird Your Elves, and Be Broken In Pieces "  opened last Thursday (through July 11th)

From the Press Release:

"In ‘Gird Your Elves And Be Broken In Pieces’ Casey Jex Smith deals with personal identity and finding meaning in three seemingly disparate worlds; religion, sci-fi/fantasy, and “high-art”.
The individual pieces become blends of appropriated imagery and ideas from illustrated Bibles, Dungeons & Dragons manuals, Durer etchings, Agnes Martin paintings, Mormon architecture, NASA photos, The Lord of the Rings, and Sunday School flannel-board cut-outs which are all entered into semi-cohesive narratives. Finally these are framed within stories and inspiration taken from Scripture as well as Casey Jex Smith’s personal experience."

Altar, 22 inches x 22 inches, pencil and color pencil on paper

Church Drawing, 8 x 6 inches, pen on paper 

Church Drawing, 8 x 6 inches, pen on paper

So check out his new work at Allegra LaViola on the LES.
The gallery is conveniently located about 5 minutes from Babycakes NYC. Just saying...




Casey Jex Smith 
Gird Your Elves, and Be Broken In Pieces 
June 6 - July 11, 2009 


Allegra LaViola Gallery
179 East Broadway  New York, NY 10002
(917) 463-3901

Monsieur Qui

 I have been a little  MIA as of late, my apologies. Life has been super busy and I had a million things to do leading up to my return to NYC. Now the bags are packed and I have some time to show you one of my favorite fashion illustrators.
The New York Fashion Week is officially over so I might be a little late with the topic but here goes:

French illustrator Monsieur Qui (or Mr. Qui) creates stunning works using watercolor, typography and overlapping drawings of women, flowers and everyday objects. He works primarily on paper but is also a street artist, plastering the walls of Paris with his beautiful pieces.

I just love his style! Beautiful, yet edgy and his discreet use of colors make for awesome effects. 

Just imagine walking by this:

And people call this vandalism? 

Sometimes I find he drifts off into the kitschy but especially in street art that is often a rather good thing and a great attention grabber.

Check out his official website to see more of his illustrations and lots of pictures documenting his work as a street artist:  

http://www.monsieurqui.com/

Minimal is best: Cristian Grossi

To create a good illustration sometimes all it really takes is black lines, maybe a little color here and there to spice things up.

Cristian Grossi is a great illustrator who makes the minimalistic style work in an exceptional way. He is based in Parma, Italy and also works as a fashion designer besides producing amazing illustrations:

The Sktechbook Project

What a great project!

Each participant receives a blank sketchbook that will be exhibited on the 2012 tour and cataloged permanently in the Brooklyn Art Library.

To begin, fill out the online form provided on their webpage and choose from themes like "Sandwich" and "Waterslides I never Rode" and wait for your sketchbook to arrive.

Sketch away and send the book back by January 31. 2012.

After receiving the completed sketchbooks, the entire 2012 collection is exhibited on an international tour. Every completed sketchbook that gets send back in time will be included on the 2012 tour and cataloged and displayed in the permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library.

Hurry! Sign up for the Sketchbook Project 2012 ends October 31 :

http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject