Thursday, May 28, 2009

Where have I been and where am I going??

Its been a while since i stuffed my fat toes into my limited edition cyberspace shoes and gone web-surfing in the intergalactic ocean that is the internet. Although its only been a few days, somehow I have now developed a fear of it. An overwhelming fear that I can't pick up where I left off. Too many Twitters to catch up on, can't possibly respond to the insane amount of spam on myspace and facebook, and failblog scares me only because i will sit there for hours and stare at utter fail only to make myself feel better about only semi-failing.

However, fear isnt the only thing that has kept me away from Sandra Bullock's best movie (don't question it, of COURSE i mean "The Net" and i dare you to challenge me). In usual fashion, I have been juggling more projects than ever and neglecting my health and sanity to make sure they will rule the school. So with that all being said, here is some fun little info on what is going on with me in the next week or so:

1. A huge chunk of my internet-neglecting hours have actually been spent drooling over perfect actress Kristen Bell, who I have become so obsessed with that i actually sold the rights to my dreams and someone made some shitty movie about Beyonce and Ali Larter and didn't even include my heavenly love, Kristen. If any of you know her, please tell her I would love to take her to Toast, which is my new favorite restaurant. I will wear clean pants maybe.

2. BEHOLDDDDD!!!!





Finally, I am returning to PORTLAND, OREGON next week to install and show a brand new collection of artwork at the Upper Playground / 5024PDX Gallery! Last time when I did my show there, I thought it would be a cool experiment to not sleep at all and paint 30 paintings in 30 days. Well, that experiment killed me and I vowed NEVER to do that again. So instead i said fuck that, i can do the whole show in 3 WEEKS! So yah, I have been in and out of a haze, day in and day out pumping out new paintings and drawings for this new show which will be opening next Thursday, June 4. Here is all the info about the show, as well as a little behind the scenes collage of me making stuffs for the show. Hope to see you there!!!! I love Portland. Maybe Kristen Bell will show up.

My quote about the show, which is subtly titled "SELF PORTRAITS OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT I DREW ALL BY MYSELF PRETTY MUCH":
"Throughout the years, my reality and my imagination have occasionally blurred, causing me to misinterpret memories of various characters that I have met in my life: The grocery bagger with braces who constantly coughed on my apples; the old woman who had a heart attack in front of me at the bank; and the overweight man with arms growing from his head who yells at me for taking his parking space at work. Some are real, and some...I only THINK are real. Nonetheless, I wanted to create portraits, stories, and emotional representations of some of my favorite characters that continue to wander
through both my imagination and my reality.”

“Self Portraits of Other People that I Drew by
Myself Pretty Much”
OPENING RECEPTION:
June 4th from 6:00 - 9:30pm. Beverages from Redhook will be
provided as well as music from DJ Mighty Moves.
FIFTY 24PDX Gallery / Upper Playground
23 NW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
503.548.4835







3. MY VERY FIRST ORIGINAL VINYL TOY IS BEING RELEASED THIS SATURDAY, MAY 30th @ UPPER PLAYGROUND IN SAN FRANCISCO!!! I am really excited (and a bit nervous) about the launch of this toy. I have wanted to fully design a vinyl toy for years and I can't thank Upper Playground enough for giving me this chance! I love the toy and I hope you do too. Here is the info about this Saturday's limited release and signing. Oh, yah, just to clarify, there are 2 versions of the toy. One is an Upper Playground Exclusive (BLACK & GREEN) and THAT is the one being released this Saturday. The REGULAR EDITION (Teal & Magenta) will be released in 2 weeks in LA @ MunkeyKing and then everywhere else shortly after that. Also I dont know how clear it is here but if you want to just come down and say hi or have me sign something, that would be awesome. you dont have to buy the toy just to say hi!!!! Check the info:





HERE IS A SHOT OF THE U.P. EXCLUSIVE VERSION THAT IS BEING RELEASED ON SATURDAY:



And look how awesome it looks in the giant box!!!




Maybe you have even seen these around, as apparently the rider has been missing;)




And here is a sneak peek at the REGULAR EDITION in the package, that will be released in 2 weeks!





NOTE: There will be LIMITED QUANTITIES to sell on hand at the release, i have no idea how many, but also, you can PRE-ORDER them to assure you get one!
PRE-ORDER THE BLACK EXCLUSIVE HERE!


Direct link to Black pre-order:
https://www.upperplaygroundstore.com/catalog/item/walrus_rider_black_4426



PRE-ORDER THE REGULAR EDITION HERE!


Direct link to Teal pre-order:
https://www.upperplaygroundstore.com/catalog/item/walrus_rider_teal_4425

4. Way more updates soon, as we are putting the finishing touches on CHADAM and ZEROFRIENDS is getting ready to release a ton of NEW STUFF!!!

5. LASTLY (for now), I got a very very cool and unexpected visit from my friends, Aesop Rock & Jeremy Fish to provide me with some well needed inspiration in this crunchy time of no sleep and exhaustion. Here's a little video that Aesop made while he was here (including that sick beat that is in the vid), which actually shows you a little glimpse of some of the new pieces that are debuting at my PORTLAND "Self Portraits" show. Enjoy;)






Goodnight, Kristen Bell.
Love,
Alex