Alex Pardee GICLEE SKATEBOARDS??!!!

IT'S A GOOD WEEK FOR ME AND THOSE WEIRD PUSHY THINGS THAT MARTY MCFLY RODE ON IN "BACK TO THE FUTURE"!!!!

First, it was the release of my super limited UPPER PLAYGROUND "SORE THROAT" Deck, and now
ANDY HOWELL (if you dont know who he is, delete 9 street cred points from your account) and I launched my new line of decks through Andy's new collective, ARTSPROJEKT! And that means that YES, among other designs, the "ESCAPED CONVICT(ION)" design IS NOW AVAILABLE ON A SKATEDECK!! So if you missed it when we sold out of the Giclee Print a while ago, now you can NOT ONLY get a rad high-quality print of it on WOOD (instead of old flimsy paper), BUT if you break up with your girlfriend cuz she drank all of your Mountain Dew and called you a faggot, you can USE THAT ESCAPED CONVICTION PRINT TO TRAVEL FAR AWAY FROM HER!!!!


Check out the first 8 designs that are AVAILABLE NOW HERE!!!

Direct Link to my store:
http://www.zazzle.com/ap_pardee/products



I was hesitant about this project at first, because most "print-directly-on-to-the-product" services that are available are pretty blah in the quality department, and I have tried so hard over the years to create and produce consistently quality products through companies like ZeroFriends & Upper Playground. But when Andy and I met up I actually got to see first-hand this insane technology and the quality of the final printed deck, and I was blown away. It seriously was like looking at a Giclee print ON A SKATE DECK!

So please, BOOKMARK MY ARTSPROJEKT STORE as I will be adding new products every so often. And every design is done specifically for this project. Some of the images you have seen before, but I will never simply throw an image on a board to sell it. If it doesnt look good on a board I wont do it. And all of the designs are the product of me finding the dopest looking way to present some of my favorite images. Now, if only the artist who designed my very first Valterra Zombie board that i got from K-Mart on layaway had a store on Artsprojekt i would be set!

Also, check out some of the other artists that have stores on there too, including some of my favorite artists like Jim Phillips, Shepard Fairey, Skinner, Steve Caballero, Ekundayo, & Mars-1, among others!

If I haven't drilled it into your head enough, below is some additional information about the project, the products, and a quote from the homie Shep.

CHECK IT:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ARTSPROJEKT, www.artsprojekt.com, an interactive and culturally relevant online community for the arts, pop culture and action sports announced its launch today. ARTSPROJEKT will feature original art, illustrations, and designs by artists, celebrities, action sports stars and micro brands, as well as offer artist profiles, portfolios, online product galleries, collaborations, artist interviews, and more. ARTSPROJEKT will also represent and manage artists, as well as host exhibitions curated by some of the best artists in the world, create limited and open edition reproductions of its artists’ works for sale worldwide, and establish working and collaborative relationships with major media brands. At launch, ARTSPROJEKT artists and brands include Lil Jon, Shepard Fairey / OBEY, Santa Cruz Skateboards, legendary skateboard artist Jim Phillips, Skateboarding Is Not A Crime, Bullet, Crooks & Castles, Blood Is The New Black, Hellz Bellz, Guttersnipe, legendary skateboard pro and artist Steve Caballero, Mars-1, Alex Pardee, and DALEK.

In addition, the company announced the launch of skateboards on-demand through its strategic relationship with Zazzle. Zazzle’s engineering team collaborated with Howell to develop a truly authentic product that is produced within 24 hours, a first for the industry.

The skateboard decks are seven-ply North American maple and supplied by PS Stix. Components are sourced from Santa Cruz, Independent trucks, Krux Trucks, and Ricta Wheel Dynamics. The end result is a highly technical product, backed by industry veterans.

"Skateboard graphics were one of the main things that inspired me to become an artist, so it goes without saying that I want my art to translate beautifully on skateboards,” said Shepard Fairey. “In the past, printing on a curved board surface had detail limitations or smudging could occur at the bends. The ARTSPROJEKT boards utilize new digital technology to create perfectly crisp graphics with impeccable detail."

For more info visit http://www.artsprojekt.com

My Obsession is growing

I am fucking obsessed with the Watchmen. I didn't realize it until about an hour ago, but I am. And it's not new. It just re-entered my atmosphere thanks to Zack Snyder.

In addition to a lot of movies, my Dad introduced me to Graphic Novels shortly after i got out of the hospital when I was 15. About the same time as I discovered THE MAXX, my dad got me Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight", which then led me to The Killing Joke, A Death In the Family, Hard Boiled, Frank Millers Daredevil, and Alan Moore's WATCHMEN. With the exception of The MAXX, Watchmen felt the most real, despite the whole particle teleportation to Mars thing, and the airships. Maybe it was because most of the watchmen didnt even have powers, they just WANTED to be superheroes, and the world hated them. Or maybe it was because Silk Spectre fell out of love with Manhattan because he was a workaholic, or because Rorshach saw dead dogs when he looked at an ink blot, but never really told anyone what he felt, or maybe it was the fear and the desperation of the guy who was scared of the Black Freighter, and where else can someone like the Comedian be a rapist AND a hero?
Regardless, I was unknowingly obsessed with it back then, as most of the superheroes i drew at that time were just bunk combinations of those characters (and probably Spawn).

Looking back now, a lot of things from Watchmen stuck with me, i always said my first tattoo was going to be a Rorshach test. I have always looked at owls as lonely but heroic animals. I BELIEVED that when you teleported, you vomitted, so much so that I called bullshit on Seth Brundle in The Fly. I never saw anything wrong with Dr Manhattans work ethic and his complete disregard for the rest of the world and his relationships. I subconsciously adapted his work ethic, which is probably a bad thing. I kept sugar cubes in my pocket when i worked at the credit card processing company in sacramento. I liked the 12 monkey's movie marketing because it reminded me of "who watches the watchmen?". I dreamt of going to Mars for a day.

So yah, I was pretty pumped when Zack Snyder took over the Watchmen movie from Darren Arronofsky or whatever hundreds of people started to work on it, but didnt really have high hopes, as it had been 15 years since i loved the Watchmen book. I liked the trailer, didnt think there was enough footage shown, but it had some imagery i remembered, and it looked dark, which was good. Then i realized that they used the fucking "SHITSTAIN-OF-A-MOVIE-BATMAN AND ROBIN" SMASHING PUMKINS SONG in the trailer!!!! So i disregarded the trailer until further notice.

Then....i decided to read the book again.
And I decided to watch the trailer again.
And i decided to research the cast.
And I decided to imagine the book with the cast.
And I decided to watch the trailer again.
And i decided to download the smashing pumpkins song from the trailer.
And I have listened to that fucking Smashing Pumpkins song repeatedly for the last 3 days. And its INCREDIBLE, and i have no fucking idea how that was used in Batman & Robin. It was made for Watchmen. And I love it.
So now the Watchmen movie has taken over my life...
and its not coming out until next year.
Gay. I guess i will just watch Batman & Robin now that the soundtrack is cool.

Collabin' with a 5 YEAR OLD?!

I contributed a piece to my good friend and illustrator AYE JAY's son Cohen's ongoing art experiment, which you can read more about
HERE.

Aye Jay is the author and illustrator behind the insanely popular GANGSTA RAP COLORING BOOK and THE HEAVY METAL FUN ACTIVITY BOOK.

IM'a Goin On'a TOUR

To Lil' Jon's, CHEERS, then the desert.
It's gonna be fun.

3 Dudes.
3 Cities.
3 Descents into Hell.

All 3 of us are collaborating on live painting in Atlanta, Boston, and Phoenix. In the words of the Nasa Challenger Astronauts of 1986, "It's gonna be a blast!"

My "AWFUL / HOMESICK" Art Book Release!

I would like to officially announce the release of my very first legit-as-fuck ART BOOK, entitled:

"AWFUL / HOMESICK: The Art Of Alex Pardee"
Over 100 Pages, Full Color
Hardbound.

Foreword by Jeben Berg.
Published by 5024SF / UPPER PLAYGROUND
I'm not positive but i THINK it's going to be $20.00.

LIMITED NUMBER OF ADVANCE COPIES AVAILABLE IN PERSON ON SUNDAY, SETEMBER 7th at UPPER PLAYGROUND SAN FRANCISCO!
Yes, i WILL be there in person to say hi and sign the books, along with signing an ultra limited screenprinted SKATEDECK that UPPER PLAYGROUND is releasing the same day!!!

The book will be available for purchase at additional stores and online a few weeks after that!

I have always dreamed of having my own art book. In the early 90's, I bought a small Taschen "HR GIGER" book for 9 dollars because it was damaged. I studied that thing. It was incredible, and oddly sexy. To see one of his paintings was mind-blowing enough, but to see them all collected in one Bible (this was before the internet don't forget) basically made me pee. Since then, I constantly imagined what it would feel like to have enough work to fill even a small book like that. "Well, shit, I've got a way to go, he's like 80 years old!" I said to myself. "I will NEVER get a book out!"

Now, thanks to Upper Playground and their faith in my work, as they release "AWFUL / HOMESICK", I am 50 fucking years AHEAD of HR GIGER!!! Sure, he's revolutionized a surreal movement, given life to the ancient airbrush, has designed some of the most iconic and famous movie sets and monsters, and shown (and been banned) in museums all over the world (and probably in space), and is probably rich enough to buy his own original art, but DID UPPER PLAYGROUND RELEASE HIS FIRST BOOK FIFTY YEARS AGO!!!??? Nope. So I win.

So...this is really exciting for me.
Check out some of the page-spreads from the book below, and come grab a copy of the book (as well as the new SORE THROAT DECK) at Upper Playground on Sept 7th, from 2-4 pm.

Upper Playground
220 Fillmore St. (at Haight St.)
San Francisco, CA
Phone: 415-861-1960


Book Cover:


Interior:








The Skatedeck:


Come say hi.
I love you.
I think.

Finally....My (too brief) update from Sweatfest 2008...The Whale's Vagina Comic Con.

In addition to me signing at a few real booths this time (See above pics, i was even on the JUMBOTRON when I was signing at the WB Booth, which was....weird.), the Comic con experience has changed DRASTICALLY over the course of the last 3 years. Here are a couple of comparisons to further my point:

- 3 years ago, for 5 nights, 6 of us packed into the Comfort Inn and attempted to sleep on the floor while the carpet was soaked in vomit-filled overflown water from the toilet.
-THIS year, for 5 nights, 6 of us packed into the MARRIOT, and attempted to sleep on the BED while the BLANKET was soaked in vomit-filled overflown VOMIT from the mouth.

- 3 years ago, Jon Wayshak complained that no one bought his book.
- THIS year, Jon Wayshak complained that no one bought his NEW book.

- 3 years ago, Ray Bradbury was pushed around the exhibit hall in a wheelchair while he was hopped up on painkillers.
-THIS year, Ray Bradbury was pushed around the exhibit hall in a wheelchair while he was DYING.

There are many other drastic changes that have occurred in those 1095 days of evolution, but i won't bother boring you. Instead, I would like to share the ONE CONSISTENT THING I LOVE ABOUT COMIC CON: THE COSTUMES!!!

Every year, hordes of He-Fans, Spider-Men and Stormtroopers arrive at the Con to show off their sewing skills and dedication to things they should have grown out of by now. And I fucking LOVE it. And just because it's retarded, doesn't mean that I don't appreciate it.
This year was no different. There was an extremely DIVERSE range of intricate costumes and outfits. Some of the costumes were SO UNIQUE AND OBSCURE that i had a hard time even pinpointing who these people were pretending to be! I am so happy to be a part of something where everyone is an individual and no one is judged on the sheer weirdness and ORIGINALITY of the costume they choose to don.

Here is a collage of the VAST RANGE of insanely unique choices in wardrobe. I really can't wait to see what depths of obscurity show up next year (after the Watchmen is out).





See you next year, Whale's Vagina!

West Coast Avengers x House Of Blow

I put a new video up on my profile, its a sped up vid of me painting one fourth of my WEST COAST AVENGERS 4-panel piece for the YouTube "ROTATIONS" ART SHOW

Here is the video, music by HOUSE OF BLOW:



and here are all 4 of the pieces together:

I JUST DROVE HOME FROM L.A. AND BOY IS MY DICK TIRED

Get it....cuz...like...i drive my car with my dick.
Yah.

So I just got back from the CRAZY4CULT 2 Show at Gallery 1988 in LA, where i trekked down there with Jeben Berg and Robert Bowen, and I have no pictures to show for it, but not for lack of trying. I attempted to get there early so I could use my "friend" power and sneak in early and see all of the art, but, alas, Jeben found a traffic jam, Robert found a bottle of Patron, and I found hamburgers, so we lagged and made it there when there were only 2000 other people there. It was too crazy to move, and we all collectively freaked out after sweating to death amongst the crowd. But the good news, other than briefly seeing Gris and Craola looking pretty with his new beard, is that the show was the gallery's most successful show, and the art looked amazing.
And I'm glad to be a part of it. I also got to meet Matthew Bone, an artist that I have been a fan of for a while.

My favorite pieces by far were Kirk Demaris' family portrait series, they floored me. I need to sell more art so i have some income to use to BUY art!!!!

At the last minute, I threw in a couple more small watercolor pieces to add to the 4 i did already.




You can view all of the art and purchase it at GALLERY 1988's BLOG

A Poster I Can Almost Guarantee You Won't Find

A little while ago, I did an extremely limited 5 Color Screenprinted Tour Poster for my friends, Linkin Park, as part of a series of Projekt Revolution Tour posters designed by a handful of dope artists including Ekundayo, Dalek, Blaine Fontana, KMNDZ, Joshua Clay, and more. I am not sure if these are available anywhere, but if you can find one, it should be worth it, they turned out pretty ill.



you can see some of the other posters on

MIKE SHINODA's BLOG

Time To (LAZY)FACE Your Fears, Asshole.

Time to (Lazy)Face Your Fears, Asshole.

Hello everyone, Alex here.
Sorry for the lack of updates as of late, I know the ZEROFRIENDS STORE looks a little sparse right now on the apparel end, but that's a good thing, because it means we are sold out of a lot of products!
However, no need to fret just yet. We are working on some dope new products that will be coming out in the near future, and we will finally have some of my BUNNYWITH BOXED plush available for sale soon too!

In the meantime, we have JUST released 2 new prints from my LAZYFACE series that i did for the Lazyface show at UPPER PLAYGROUND's BERKELEY gallery.



Here is the description that i wrote up for the show to explain the little backstory behind the Lazyface series:

"My face feels like its melting.
Not because i have been drinking Deathklok riffs for breakfast.
And not because i decided to bob for apples in the Toxic Avenger's piss.
Sometimes...you just wake up, and your face feels like it's melting.
Like your face is too lazy to even tense itself up enough to keep all of your facial features intact, and the only cure is fear of failure."

These 2 prints are slightly smaller than our other prints (16' x 20") and also they are more limited (edition of 100), which means they are not only perfect for existing frames, but they are also cuter in every way.

"Riding the Purple Lazy Face" Giclee Print
Direct Link:
http://zerofriends.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28&products_id=188
&
"Riding the Brown Lazy Face" Giclee Print
Direct Link:
http://zerofriends.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28&products_id=189

By Alex Pardee.
Limited Edition Of 100.
16" x 20" Printed with Archival Inks on Acid Free Velvet Cotton Rag.
Each print is hand signed and numbered by Alex Pardee.



Or you can buy BOTH OF THEM AT ONCE AND SAVE $15!!!!
Direct Link:
http://zerofriends.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=190

Crazy4Cult show @ Gallery1988

I am a movie fan. End of story.
I love everything, from Goodfellas with Robert DeNiro to Pythons 2 with Billy Zabka.

And that is why i am extremely proud to be a part of this show:



"Crazy 4 Cult 2:
This Time It's Personal"
opening reception:
Friday, August 22nd from 7-11PM
Image above: "Bring Me The Head of Dr. Hill", acrylic, latex and ink on canvas, by Alex Pardee

Gallery 1988 Los Angeles is proud to present Crazy 4 Cult 2: This Time It's Personal, the follow-up to last year's cult movie themed and wildly successful Crazy 4 Cult. The art show will run from Friday, August 22nd, 2008 until September 12th, 2008. The opening reception will take place on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 from 7-11 PM, and many of the artists involved will be in attendance, as well as the presence of our yearly hosts Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier (the team behind cult classics "Clerks" and "Mallrats").

Last year's show welcomed in over 3,000 art and movie lovers, including Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Michael Rappaport (True Romance), Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), Jason Mewes (Clerks) and James Duval (Donnie Darko). The show received press from G4, KROQ, 97.1 Free FM, Reelz Channel, and many others.

This year's show will feature new cult movie inspired artwork from well over one hundred artists, including Alex Pardee (Who's Re-animator painting is seen above) Sas and Colin Christian, Gris Grimly, Angry Woebots, Jim Mahfood, Brandt Peters, Travis Louie, Jeff McMillan, Mark Brown, Matt Dangler, Naoto Hattori, Krista Huot and Luke Chueh, among tons of others. An entire list of the participating artists can be seen at Crazy4Cult's Website


Crazy 4 Cult 2 gives artists the chance to pay homage to their favorite classic cult films by putting their own unique twist on well-known characters and scenes. The Big Lebowski, Point Break, Mommie Dearest, Ed Wood, and A Clockwork Orange are just a few of the many cult classics that the artists will chose to immortalize in their works.

This year's opening reception on August 22nd is sure to be another amazing, not-to-be-missed event! Posters from Andrew Wilson, Scott Campbell, 2cents, Reuben Rude and Dan McCarthy will be available at affordable prices starting opening night. For more information about these posters, expecially those shopping out of state, please be sure to check out crazy4cult. com for the latest news and updates.

Save the date for August 22nd for the Crazy 4 Cult 2 opening reception to be the biggest event in 1988 history!

Oh yah, and in addition to the Dr. Hill piece above, here's some bonus pieces i did for it: