David and Silo

Q: Tell me about your process?
I use different media depending on the project, although photography plays a big part in my work. I shoot all my models and print all my own photos on gelatin silver paper. I mount the photos on wood or panel and then it is pretty open. I may add many layers of paints or integrate collage elements, or I may keep it more sparse and at times and wont really touch the photo at all. Maybe a few lines of text or some encaustics. My sculpture and installations stem from the imagery that I create with my collages and photos.

Q: How do you find models for your work?
Most of the people I photograph are friends of mine, some I have been shooting for about 10 years. At times, people will contact me and offer to sit or if I see someone that just fits so completely with a vision or sparks one, I muster the guts and I contact them.

Q: I see struggle in your pieces is that true?
I would agree that visually, certain pieces may appear to be of a struggle or helplessness, but this is not something I believe that drives the work into being. I deal with searching and curiosity and certainly confusion. But struggle is a big part of all life in general, so it will be reflected into the work.

Plague

Q: Where are you from?
I was born in New York City and my family moved 20 miles north of the city when I was about 3 and I grew up in a suburban megalopolis. My father kept an apartment in the East Village in the 80’s which exposed me to a world and lifestyle which I would later romanticize and eventually gravitate to.

Q: Did you go to art school?
Yes. I attended The School of The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1991 thru 1995. I knew that staying in Manhattan for studies would prove to be way too distracting for me.

Q: What do you think art can do for the world?
Art can continue to act as a cultural, social and spiritual mirror to life on Earth.

Q: How do you see the state the world is in today?
I think we just me be over stimulated and allow things to move much faster than our minds can keep up with. We miss a lot of things, roads to go down, and do not take enough time to look at ourselves collectively, individualism has become a cult.

Q: As an artist did you have trouble finding the right gallery?
At this particular time I only work closely with 2 galleries. The Corey Helford Gallery and Strychnin Gallery, both absolutely wonderful. But no, it was not easy to find this place I am at.

Q: What is your Favourite medium?
So hard for me to say. I am still in love with photography although sculpture has a big piece of my heart.

Q: favourite place you have travelled to and why?
I don’t have one. My time in Cologne has tremendous memories for me, but I cannot pinpoint a favourite.

An installation from a David’s show in Germany

Q: What are your hopes for the future?
Well the ideal would be to remain inspired and paint and sculpt. I would like to have a studio/workshop space to open for artists to help perpetuate a community, but I am not sold on a location.

Q: What do you listen to when you are working?
Lots of music, all kinds.

Q: What other artist influence you?
My immediate inspiration comes from my closest friends. Some are artists, musicians or not. I find that life is the most important driving force to my work. The experience and lessons dictate the work.

Paranoia

Q: Favourite living and deceased artist?
Anslem Kiefer for living and I suppose I’ll say Beuys for dead. It all fluctuates from time to time you know.

Q: Do you go to Museums?
I try to whenever I can.

Q: Greatest Joy?
Love

Q: Greatest Sadness?
The same

Q: Does David have a dark side?
Only to those who cross me. Otherwise, it is not so bad at all.

Twilight Bloom

Q: What would you do if you could not make art?
I may build, cook or teach I suppose.

Q: Do you have prints available of your work?
Nope

Q: Do you collect as well?
Oh most definitely.

Q: Do you remember the first piece you purchased?
No I don’t.

Q: Do you entertain at home?
Oh yes. My studio is at home and I will host free artist workshops for locals and hold silkscreen parties and annual art salons.

Q: Do you get time to browse galleries when travelling?
If I have the time I will make it a plan to peruse the local gallery circuit.

Catastrophic Differences

Q: what would you like people to come away with from your show?
An intimate connection to the work.

Q: How did the installation work start for you?
When working in the studio, over a period of time, certain object accumulate in the environment which contain a certain thread to the works and I have been experimenting on ways to incorporate them into an exhibition. I have never been totally satisfied with just putting a piece on the wall. It seems at times to be too removed from the environment in which it was created.

Thank you for taking time to chat with us about you, your process and art.
All the Best Richard Scarry and The Chipster

New Exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery
Opening Feb 13th 7 to 10 pm, Installation not to be missed.
For further information please contact jch@coreyhelfordgallery.com

http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
www.davidhochbaum.com
www.111ladders.blogspot.com
www.goldmineshithouse.com

Kent Williams

Opening this Saturday, December 12th, Corey Helford’s innovative Multi-Plane group showshow features a top-flight roster of 40+ artists creating original works on custom multi-layer setups (2 clear + 1 opaque background) as an homage to the classic animation technique .  We’ve been previewing the show over the past week or so and we’re happy to bring you a look at four additional pieces by  Kent Williams (above), Ron English, D*Face,  and Joshua Petker,

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Johnny 'KMNDZ' Rodriguez

Yesterday we posted about Corey Helford’s large Multi-Plane group show (12.12) which challenges artists to create original layered works across multi-surfaces as a homage to the time honored animation technique. Today we’re happy to bring you previews of pieces from Glenn Barr and Johnny ‘KMNDZ’ Rodriguez (above).

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Greg 'Craola' Simkins

Multi-Plane honors the golden age of animation with a high-profile group show opening on December 12th @ Corey Helford gallery in Culver City.  Each artist was provided a custom designed Multi-Plane set featuring a frame with two integrated transparent planes and an opaque background plane. The setup recalls the pioneering Multi-Plane efforts of animators such as Ub Iwerks, Max Fleischer, Bill Garrity, and Walt Disney who built scenes out of multiple ‘cell’ layers.

The impressive lineup includes  Jason Shawn Alexander, Van Arno, Ana Bagayan, Glenn Barr, Gary Baseman, Jeffrey Beauchamp, Tim Biskup, Buff Monster, Luke Chueh, COOP, D*Face*, Chloe Early*, Ron English, Natalia Fabia, Korin Faught, Sarah Folkman, Stella Im Hultberg, Krista Huot, Sylvia Ji, Eric Joyner, Dave Kinsey, KMNDZ, Joe Ledbetter, Henry Lewis, Tiffany Liu, Lola, Travis Louie, Michael Mararian, Dan May, Brandi Milne, Nouar, Nathan Ota, Joshua Petker, Anthony Pontius, Carlos Ramos, Joey Remmers, Todd Schorr, Kathy Staico Schorr, Greg Simkins (above), Amy Sol, Jeff Soto, Nathan Spoor, David Stoupakis, Tin, Tokidoki, Sage Vaughn, Kent Williams, Chet Zar.

Multi-Plane promises to be one of the standout group shows of ‘09.  Not to be missed.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Change is in the air.  Josh Agle (Shag) offered an intriguing new body of work for Autumn’s Come Undone which opened this past Saturday evening at Corey Helford in Culver City.  Opening night drew a large crowd measured at 700+ with steady interest from 6 PM (VIP) through the public reception which ended at 11.   Exploring new directions, Shag’s new paintings detail lives transformed where glamour and cool are supplanted by essential concerns and simpler pleasures.  Change permeates the entire show, not only in terms of the darker themes but also the medium.  While the show featured a large number of small original paintings, the Dreamscapes were clearly front and center.

The Dreamscapes deliver Shag on a massive scale at a comparatively affordable price.  The Diptych and Triptych works feature 72” x 54” giclee panels.  Each is limited to just five pieces. These expansive pieces offer a new approach to producing large work and should be considered originals for practical purposes.  While the Dreamscapess retain Shag’s basic visual style, they immerse viewers in his evolving world through densely interconnected scenes. The new work is arresting in part because it juxtapozes the artist’s signature visual style with an unexpected thematic direction.

Be sure to visit the official preview page for detailed photos and artwork availability.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Marking an aesthetic transition, Andrew Brandou opened his ‘In the Garden of Mystic’ solo on Halloween (10.31) @ Corey Helford gallery.  While most shows are hung according to color, size or visual coherence – this show is hung with a general narrative in mind, starting in the upper floor of the gallery proceeding down and then around to the main wall.  The pieces represent a personal and aesthetic journey – from the confines of physical existence to the psychedelic.

The first half of the show feature’s Brandou’s Bunny alter-ego in perhaps the youngest form we’ve seen. Andrew commented that his intent was to make this rendition of the Bunny the ‘cutest as possible’.  The result is a series of irresistibly compelling pieces.

The second half of the show marks a considerable aesthetic departure from Brandou’s previous figurative work.  Flowers and plant life transition from background to foreground – Bunnies and Skulls appear out of what first glance appears to be a floral arrangement.  Words and symbols lurk subtly awaiting the keen-eyed viewer.

This new body of work is indicative of Brandou’s future direction, paintings that abstractly mask their figurative underpinnings.   While we’ve always appreciated Brandou’s cleanly rendered Bunny, in our opinion the emergent floral Bunny is even more impressive and alluring in that it straddles two aesthetics and does so quite well.  While perhaps not yet in the spotlight, Andrew Brandou continues to create excellent work.  Be sure to check out In the Garden of Mystic which offers an excellent introduction both to his existing body of work as well as a glimpse of his intended new direction.  See the official preview page on Corey Helford’s website for piece availability.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Happy Halloween!  Here’s a treat for you – a sneak peek at Andrew Brandou’s In the Garden of Mystic solo which opens tonight, Saturday October 31st (6-9 PM) @ Corey Helford..  Loving the new work – especially the ones featuring his characters formed by flowers and vegetation.  Come on out to the opening, first 400 people receive free Andrew Brandou Halloween poster prints.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

LA artist Andrew Brandou will open his ‘In the Garden of Mystic’ solo on Halloween – October 31st (6 to 9 PM) @ Corey Helford.  Andrew’s new psychedelic paintings bring nature to the fore.  No longer simply background elements, his signature flowers become the abstract elements of life.  With this treatment, his new characters transcend their previously well-defined visual existence.

In addition to the paintings, Andrew will also offer a series of limited-edition silkscreen prints on wood black based on vintage rock posters.  Speaking of posters, the first 400 attendees will receive a free Andrew Brandou Halloween poster print.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

LA artist Buff Monster unveiled his newest collection of work for the opening of Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile @ Corey Helford Gallery on Saturday (9.5).  Fans and collectors familiar with Buff Monster’s work will notice that the twenty-one new pieces represent a stylistic evolution featuring an emphasis on geometric patterns, trippy landscapes, and a revised, more colorful palette.  The title itself also clues us into the new show which merges the happy, cheerful world featured in the majority of his past work with the darker, demon-filled word of his last few shows.

For the opening, Buff Monster and Corey Helford unveiled a wild installation piece – a towering custom ice cream balloon with a cherry on top, of course.  By the large crowd that filtered into the gallery to enjoy the new art and the free ice cream from the yellow truck, one would have never guessed this was in fact a long holiday weekend.

As you check out the photos of  the work, note the visual narrative of light and darkness featuring Buff Monster’s ‘Skull Camo’ ooze that flows out of his satanic creatures and literally clouds the skies of  candy-colored euphoric landscapes.  Also notable, is the increased use of lettering and slogans – both in the Kanji seen in recent exhibitions as well as English.

Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile marks a definite progression for Buff Monster and is his best show to date.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »

Last Friday Dailydujour presented a live video interview on DDTV with Buff Monster and host Eileen Lei.   We’re happy to bring you the full in-depth interview which focuses on Buff Monster’s new show, Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile, which opened last night @ Corey Helford Gallery.  Process, themes, stylistic goals – it’s in there. 

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

“India,” a beautiful show of cheerful and exotic paintings by Carlos Ramos, opened Saturday at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. Check it out!

More Images + Info »

Fly India. Carlos Ramos.

We’re pleased to announce that the next installment of Dailydujour TV (DDTV for short) will feature a live video interview with artist Carlos Ramos, this Friday, August 14th  @ 6 PM PDT on location from the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. We’ll be talking to Carlos about his next solo, India, which opens this Saturday at the gallery  and will touch on the role his background in animation plays in his fine art.  To take advantage of the interactive wonder that is the Internet we’ll also be selecting a few  live questions from the  virtual audience via the chat feature embedded into the streaming video player.

So mark it down on your calendars, this Friday, August 14th @ 6 PM PDT live streaming over the web  @ DDTV.

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

Krishna. Carlos Ramos.

LA artist Carlos Ramos returns to Corey Helford on Saturday August 15th, 2009 (7-10 PM) for ‘India’, a celebration of his fascination with the country’s culture, music and history. An accomplished animator with numerous shows to his credit including The X’s and Chalkzone, Ramos continues to refine his fine art aesthetic applying  gold-leaf accents to his cel-acrylic paintings.  To give you a better feel for this show, we’ve included a preview of several of his new pieces. [Source: Carlos Ramos Blog & Notcot.org].

Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.287.2340

More Images + Info »