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Christopher Ulrich is a painter of surreal, iconographic images. He is influenced by the richness of ancient mythology, the mystery of alchemy, and the vastness of cosmic reality. Illuminating this dark journey with insight, heart and determination he strives to understand the unraveling revelation that reveals itself in the work. Christopher began his exhibition life with the first of three major experiments, The Demoneater Series,

"Demoneater" opens May 1st @ GCAC, Santa Ana

which has been published as a prestige edition, hardcover book. Demoneater consists of 15 “Keys” to 15 “Doors,” all of which depict black, mirrored reflections of a single character. This alchemical allegory was first shown at the Bergamot Station on November the 2nd (Day of the Dead) 2007, exhibiting through January 2008. The series is being presented again at the Grand Central Art Center Museum at CSUF, and this time the works are available for purchase.

These works are puzzle pieces to a greater whole: a grand tapestry called The Christ Chronocrator Project. After creating new works for a monthly series of group showings, Christopher opened a new exhibition of large format paintings and small illustrations in conjunction with new works by Carrie Ann Baade and KS Rives at Billy Shire Fine Arts. “The Fourth Enochian Key” ran from June 14th through July 4th, 2009. Ulrich has since begun work on the second series of his alchemical masterwork entitled, “Illuminator: The Royal Wedding,” (study pictured left) which debuts at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on August 6, 2010.

All Doors measure 48″ x 96″; all Keys measure 24″ x 24″. All paintings are oil on framed panel. The frames add an additional two inches around the art surface. Contact La Luz de Jesus Gallery for availability and purchase info: (323) 297-0600

These masterpieces have all been published and now have museum pedigree. Ulrich’s work is in several very prominent collections, making these few available paintings an absolute steal. With the Demoneater retrospective opening on May Day (May 1st), and Illuminator debuting on August 6th, this will be the summer of Ulrich!

Also showing at the Grand Central Art Center at CSUF is artist in residence, Laurie Lipton, who will launch her “Machine Punk” exhibition (see image at right) at La Luz de Jesus Gallery on November 5th. We’re super excited to be working with Laurie who will also have a piece in the Art of the Lowbrow Tarot Project, premiering in October at La Luz de Jesus. The exhibition will feature sculpture, assemblage, painting and illustration while presenting the Major Arcana of the classic tarot deck. The opening weekend will also herald a book & deck release party!

This landmark project features several La Luz de Jesus alumni, like Christopher Ulrich, Chris Mars, Jessica Joslin, Daniel Martin Diaz, Carrie Ann Baade, Danni Shinya Luo, Jennybird Alcantara, Heather Watts, Scott G. Brooks, and Patrick “Star27″ Deignan. The additional talent is composed of Matthew Bone, Brian Viveros, Kris Kuksi, Chet Zar, Molly Crabapple, Cate Rangel, Edith Lebeau, C.C. Askew, Claudia Drake, Angie Mason, David Stoupakis and guest curator Aunia Kahn.

Blue haired artist/photographer/model/stylist/Coilhouse impressaria/ late night cupcake sharer Zoetica Ebb has alot on her plate.  I get to interrogate her about  Russia, curation vs. creation, and what the girls in her paintings are really thinking.

Molly Crabapple: You work in a variety of creative disciplines – photography, painting, even styling and fashion, yet present a cohesive vision.  What inspires you to work in different media?

Zoetica Ebb: Life is short and I like flexing all my creative muscles. Sadly, for now that’s impossible because of physical constraints. I’ll have you know that, if I had clones who shared my consciousness, I’d also be an astronaut, a dominatrix, a fashion designer, an experimental filmmaker, a political journalist, a rock star, a mountain chihuahua farmer, a full-time cabaret dancer* slash circus performer, a professional traveler, and a monk. Among others.

Wealthy benefactors are encouraged to donate to my cloning fund.

*I danced as a kid and was a cabaret dancer for about a year once, actually, but it was the first of my hobbies to go when we started doing Coilhouse.

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I’ve been a pen and ink girl for years, but started playing with paint on panel.

Results:

D is for Dodo

For “Dark Pop II” at Last Rites

E is for Elephant Boy

For “A Cry for Help” at Thinkspace Gallery

Last Thursday, I had the honor of organizing a stampede of cowgirls that lay siege to Ron English’s “Immortal Underground” opening at Opera Gallery.  Danielle Fonesca transformed my innocent model friends (Katelan Foisy, Gal Friday, Angela Bruno and Kiki Valentine) into bovine pinups.

Chunwoo Kae reduced hours of body paint hell to three glittering minutes.  Check out his video recap

Sketchy

Ink

Tape stripes

Colour

Voila!

Today, Yosi Sergant, the Director of Communications for the NEA, was demoted from his position after a smear campaign by Glenn Beck.

Sergant was the impetus for Shepherd Fairey’s HOPE campaign, Ron English’s Abraham Obama, the Manifest HOPE Gallery in Denver, MoveOn’s artist competition, and just about ever cool collaboration between the Obama campaign and artists.

Sergant’s the reason there’s a street artist in the Smithsonian.

Sergant’s campaigns were the first time that I felt the art that me and my friends made could have the least relevance to power.  Regardless of what you think of Fairey, Sergant’s work with him did a huge deal to legitimize a genre of art generally scorned by the high-art establishment.  We owe him a debt.  Street artists, pop-surrealists, kids with sketchbooks and comics obsessions.  We finally have someone in the NEA who GOT us.

So, if you’re not writing to the NEA to tell them it’s jack-shit ridiculousness for Glenn Beck to set their policy, write to them because Yosi Sergant is one of our supporters, and we should return the favor.

You can write to the NEA at webmgr@arts.endow.gov

It’s a rare day that I have time to draw at my own Dr. Sketchy’s sessions, but when the beautiful Justine Joli posed yesterday, I knew I had to grab my sketchpad. Here’s one of the resulting drawings.

During my May trip to Paris, I had the pleasure of staying with artist Sorrel Smith.  A classically trained oil painter her studies have taken her from Paris to Prague to Northern India.  Sorrel’s latest body of work is a series of DaVinci esque anatomical drawings, in which women peel back their skin like veils.

Her other areas of study have included Czech marionette making, miniature portraits on ivory, butoh, historical costume construction, corset making, medical anatomy, theatrical makeup, period hair styling, printmaking, ballroom dancing, French and Italian art history and wax-casting.  A Botecelliesque redhead, she’s notorious in Paris for her costume parties.  Here I got to talk with her about influences, travel and the art of living.

Molly: Your influences range from decadent 19th century illustration to Persian miniatures to Renaissance anatomical drawings.  How did you synthesize such diverse influences?

Sorrel: It’s easy to play with the influences that you love. Those styles are all about minutiae and story-telling. Attention to detail is so important to me, as is symbolism. I try to hide all kinds of symbols in my work, partly as a personal narrative, and partly as a wink and a nudge to the viewer, using a visual language that was widely understood in Western art for centuries.

Molly: In Paris, you’re notorious for your extravagant costume parties, and you used to live full time in 19th century clothing.  Do you see a distinction between art and life, or do you subscribe to the Oscar Wilde school of thought that one’s best artistic efforts should be spent on living?

Sorrel: I certainly spend some of my best artistic efforts on getting dressed, and dressing up everyone around me! I love creating wild, complicated decor, and friendship with me often entails ending up as a human element in that decor. Thank heavens for my friends, who accept their constantly changing costumed roles without a protest, even if it means being painted gold from head to toe and feeding fruit to everyone, or wearing a heavy three-foot powdered wig all night.

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painting by Zoé Lacchei

On May 13th, I had the honor of exhibiting three paintings in “Eros et Thanatos” at the Cabinet des Curieux in Paris. The two story gallery with red brocade walls, tucked into the covered Passage Vedeau, is soaked in old-school Parisian romanticism.

“Eros et Thanatos” is an exploration of eroticism and death, with artists including B., Benalo, Patrick Sarfati, Olivier Ledroit, Elodie Besse, Koneko, Andy Julia, Natalie Shau, Eric Keller, Mademoiselle Javel, Molly Crabapple, Malgorzata Maj , Zoé Lacchei, and Virginie Ropars.

Check out the artists and some of their work in the gallery below

Last week, I had the honor of being a guest at Dr. Sketchy’s Berlin. Produced by German artstar Hedo Luxe, Dr. Sketchy’s Berlin was an elaborately costumed circus tableau vivant, with fire eaters, singing mermaids, tin men, lion tamers and mustachioed strong women. Attendees included ArtForum writer Ana Finel Honigman and painter David Nicholson (who shared gitanes and arttalk with us later that night)

Brilliant Berlin photographer Heike Schneider-Matzigkeit was kind enough to document the festivities.

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Recently, Dr. Sketchy’s New York started doing tributes to our favorite artists. These ArtStar Sketchy’s began in Feburary with a tribute to Ron English that got us linked on Arrested Motion and 4chan (probably an internet first!)

On May 9th, we did our second artist tribute, to exquisitely baroque painter David Stoupakis. We constructed a surreal, red ribbon bedecked dreamworld onstage, and Stoupakis’s muse Aprella posed. Aprella even brought along a Stoupakis original!

Photos by Justin Lussier after the jump

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As I type my first Daily Dujour post, I’m sitting on a suitcase packed to the brim with crocheted gloves, art prints, and precariously large feather headdresses, getting ready to fly to Europe. For the next week, I’ll be posing for Dr. Sketchy’s and attending art shows in Berlin and Paris.

Dr. Sketchy’s is an alternative art salon I founded in 2005 that’s now spread to 80 cities, 16 countries and 5 continents.  Artists draw glamorous underground performers, compete in art contests, and win alcohol and prizes.  Tomorrow night, I’ll be posing for my Berlin branch.

Hope to see some of you there

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School

Monday, May 11th
doors open 8pm
show starts 9pm

Dr Sketchy’s hits Berlin! Molly Crabapple and  Hedo Luxe to host a star-studded, circus themed drawing extraveganza.
with The Horosistas, Clea Cutthroat, Tronicat La Miez, Lala Vox, Miss Marz Star, and Xarah!
@
Ballhaus Ost
Pappelalle 15.  Prenzlauer Berg
Berlin

If you haven’t been to Sketchy’s yet… the following video is a good taste of what to expect.