The Inspiration of James....

I am holed up in my rabbit-cave and immersed in my own world of extra appendages, lost children, blood and insomnia so much that I miss a lot of amazing and inspiring art that swims around on the internet.
However, one of my favorite illustrators (and in my opinion one of the best alive), JAMES JEAN, just opened a new solo show entitled "KINDLING" at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York the other day, and it blew me off of my feet.





"The TOY MAKER" By James Jean.

My jaw disconnected itself from its ligaments, fell to the floor, and i blindly stepped on it out of pure awe of his new work. I wish I could see it in person. Things like this both anger and inspire me out of pure admiration of talent. Where as a lot of artists that I stumble upon blow me away the first few times I see their work, a majority of them seem to teeter off and become repetitive, which numbs my eyes to the actual craftsmanship of the art. James, on the other hand, continues to be so far ahead of anything I can even imagine, in both style, narrative, and execution.
If you're not familiar with his work, do your eyes and heart a favor and go take a look at HIS WEBSITE.

And while I am on the subject of inspiration, here is a list and links to 12 of my favorite illustrators that, over the last 10 years, have consistently driven me to keep trying to evolve and learn. Whether its technical talent, passion, originality, imagination, or sheer emotion, I dream about one day being half as good any of these artists:

1. JON WAYSHAK
scrapbookmanifesto.com





2. SAM KIETH





3. JAMES JEAN





4. GREG CRAOLA SIMKINS





5. GRIS GRIMLY





6. TOMER HANUKA





7. DAVID CHOE





8. AARON HORKEY





9. SKINNER DAVIS





10. PAUL POPE





11. WAYNE BARLOWE





12. GEOF DARROW






HOPE YOU ENJOYED THEM AS MUCH AS I HAVE.
WORD.

"Hoof Arted?" Cooking with Alex Pardee & Chris Cosentino

Have I always wanted to co-host a cooking show? Not really. I know nothing about cooking, unless you count the endless ways I would exploit the SnackMaster back in the 90's.

But have I always wanted to eat BRAINS??!!
FUCK THE FUCK YES.

And I got to do just that. MASTER CHEF CHRIS COSENTINO invited myself and Upper Playground to his restaurant, INCANTO, in San Francisco, where he offered to show me that he can make splendid morsels using an entire Pig's head. The only requirement was that i had to eat everything, including the brains. And since I passed away recently and joined the ranks of the stench-filled undead, I figured that a little handful of brains might actually be appetizing...

The verdict....?
Well, you'll just have to watch the 6-Part Mini-Series presented below.

What? You're a vegetarian and you can't believe I would do such a thing?? Well, shut the fuck up, hippy! Chef Cosentino, whose world famous gourmet dishes include assholes, eyeballs, hearts, and intestines, has an amazing basic philosophy in his style of cooking, which simply states, "I am not a proponent of killing or hurting animals, and I believe that if you DO kill an animal, you better be man enough to eat the whole fucking thing!"

And that, like bent over blind bombshell, is something that i can get behind.

Hope you enjoy the show (and the photos):















PART 1:






PART 2:






PART 3:






PART 4:






PART 5:






PART 6:

Shia LaBeouf X Zerofriends??!

Hey yo.
Theres a picture of a baby aardvark that has been circling the interweb and jesus christ it makes everything ok.

And the other thing that makes everything OK are these OTHER pictures that have been circling the internet, and they are almost as cute.

The homie Shia LaBeouf (indiana jones jr. and megatron's nemesis, and fellow Cardboard City member) was spotted rocking the "Jaundiced RIder" tee from my clothing company, ZEROFRIENDS.

CLICK HERE to grab one of these for yourself before Shia tells everyone where he got it and they sell out!

WWW.ZEROFRIENDS.COM











Thanks, Shia.

The Official "Digestion" RoundUp, Over 100 photos!

Sooooo.....
My solo show, "Letters from Digested Children" has officially opened and I am exhausted. I think I have worked my body to the point where my immune system is no longer even trying and I can hear AIDS knocking on the door to my blood.

With that being said, the last 3 weeks that i spent preparing for the show have been extremely fun and rewarding, even if that reward turns out to be AIDS.

WIth 90% of the paintings and installation completed in those 3 weeks, and 90% of my blood filled with Red Bull and fear of failure, it was a mental roller coaster ride often resulting in sleep deprived hallucinations, frustration at my lack of certain artistic abilities, and stress that made my heart swell up like Will Smith in Hitch and my eyes to pack more bags than a discarded husband.

But it wasn't just me that almost died from inhalants and lack of a good insulated workspace. The entire Zerofriends collective helped out more than i could have imagined. Adam Peterson, Dave Correia, and basically took the reigns and created the entire Teddy Roosefelt Monster Installation from scratch based off of some scribbles by Dave and I. That was easily the highlight of the show. Darren Scott, and Sean Leonard (along with the UP crew) helped paint and hang the show, as well as bake the children that everyone ate the night of the show. Blake made music for the ambiance, and Aubrey Trinnaman took photos the whole night. It was actually the first time that our entire Zerofriends Collective worked together and created something of this caliber in such a small period of time, and it just makes me more excited for next time, when we are going to go bigger and better.

And the opening went great.

So, if you are interested, I just uploaded a SHITLOAD of photos to my myspace profile documenting everything from the start, to the install, to the opening.
If you get a chance, go over and check them out, and also remember that for a few more weeks, a handful of pieces are still available for purchase on UPPER PLAYGROUND'S ONLINE STORE.

Below are a few of my favorite pics from the whole process, but here are the separate links to all of the photos (over 100!!)

Click here for all of the preparation / install / behind the scenes.

Click here for all of the opening night photos.

And Click here to view all of the paintings.










Thank you.
Alex

Original "Digested" Pieces Up For Sale Online!

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who came out to the opening reception of "Letters From Digested Children", my new solo show at 5024SF Gallery in San Francisco. There were a ton of people, a ton of cookies and alcohol, and a ton of monsters.

And also a big thank you to the Zerofriends crew for not sleeping and helping me transform the gallery into Aladdin's favorite place, "a whole new world".



I will put up a ton of pics of the show, the installation, and the opening in a day or so, but for now, there are a few original paintings left to view and purchase (half of the show sold out opening night!) online at UPPER PLAYGROUND's online store. Just CLICK HERE and browse all of the art that they have for sale (there are also some Ron English, Jeremy Fish, and Miss Van pieces as well!)

Direct link to purchase / view the pieces:
https://www.upperplaygroundstore.com/catalog/list/product_type_158/artwork_167/artwork_167/gallery_art_237/clear/all

And One additional note about most of the original pieces, is that some of them come with a framed "police report" documenting the child's case, as well as the actual framed letter that the child wrote while living in the monster. Like this:



Direct link to example:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/lasagnacassidy/digested61.jpg

"Letters From Digested Children" Solo Show Opens Tomorrow!

"I want to come home to eat the pancakes. It's icky in here..."
-Milton, Age 7 1/2 (written from the inside of a monster's stomach)



I was going to give you an in depth reminder / preview of my new solo art show , "LETTERS FROM DIGESTED CHILDREN" opening tomorrow, Jan 8th at 5024SF Gallery in San Francicsco but Meredith Woerner from the amazing Sci-Fi news site i09 did it way better than i could, so find out all about the show and see some exclusive preview images by CLICKING HERE. Shortly after I recover from the show that myself and all of the ZeroFriends crew have been setting up for 5 days straight. Its gonna be fun.
Hope to see you there!


"LETTERS FROM DIGESTED CHILDREN"
New drawings and paintings by
ALEX PARDEE

JAN 8th / 7PM ALL AGES WELCOME
@ 5024SF / UPPER PLAYGROUND
252 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.252.9144
http://www.fifty24sf.com

Digested x Juxtapoz Preview #1

"I'm sorry I lied to you. Please come find me. Im cold and tired."
-Kendra, Age 6 1/2 (written from the inside of a monster's stomach)


Just wanted to give you a heads up, I have a huge, really focused solo art show this thursday, Jan 8th, at Upper Playground in San Francisco.
I will be doing my own preview / update on Weds, but in the meantime, Juxtapoz magazine just wrote a really nice, in depth article about the show (including some of the new work!) on their blog.

Check it out HERE!

direct link to article:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5085&Itemid=1

Vivisect pieces up for sale

Hola.

Just a quick note, The Vivisect Playset show that I was just a part of at Gallery 1988 was a huge success. I sold one of my pieces at the opening, and the other 2 just went up for sale today online at Gallery 1988!

Direct link to purchase:
http://round5vp.blogspot.com/

You have to call the gallery to purchase. heres the info:
"If you would like to purchase a piece, please call the gallery at (415) 409-1376. We will take phone orders from 12-2PM PST."

You can also view the entire show here and check out some of the other amazing pieces from the show. And be sure not to miss Charlie Immer's pieces, they are incredible.

Here are the pieces from me that are available:



Direct link to piece:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/lasagnacassidy/greatchicken.jpg

"I Took Care Of The Giant Chicken Problem"
ink on paper
17 x 14 inches
27 x 21 1/2 inches framed and matted
$500.00



Direct link to piece:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f297/lasagnacassidy/squidboy.jpg

"Squid-Kid Is Dead. And I Have The Proof"
ink on paper
17 x 14 inches
27 x 21 1/2 inches framed
$500.00

Also, there is still time to shower your friends and loved ones with shirts, prints, and books that I designed that they can't get anywhere else but online at ZEROFRIENDS

ZEROFRIENDS.com

Thank you all, and Happy early Holidays.

A New Beginning For Bunnywith...

Some of you might not have been introduced to "Bunnywith" yet, so allow me to introduce him.


"Bunnywith" has been my favorite creation for years, and it will probably continue to be my favorite, for the sheer simplicity and freedom it has given me. "Bunnywith", and his adorable smile, allows me to be the asshole i wish I was 98% of my life. Someday I will tell you how it all started amongst the terror of a Jamaican math teacher and a nutcracker.

Over the years, Bunnywith has taken many forms. Comics,plush toys, and even trendy collectible vinyl toys.

And now, I would like to announce Bunnywith's brand new form, an almost-DAILY WEB COMIC!!!

Now you can get a daily dose of "Bunnywith" courtesy of Snafu-Comics, one of the most popular web comic sites on the internet (check that shit on Alexa, it's as legit as MC Hammer USED to be.) The comic has been live for a few weeks now, and is already causing a little uproar thanks to a couple of my favorite Bunnywiths, like the ones below. So, go check out the comic, cycle through all of the previous Bunnywith comics, bookmark the page and check out a new comic almost every day, and let SNAFU DAVE know how much you love all the cute references to Kurt Cobains death, abortion, decapitations, blow jobs, and bunnies. And while you are there, check out the other comics that Snafu has to offer, and if you are as nerdy as me, you will dig them.


AND MAKE SURE TO CLICK HERE TO GET ALL OF YOUR "BUNNYWITH" BOOKS AND TOYS ONLY ON AT ZEROFRIENDS.COM.




here are a couple examples of the Web Comic Relaunch of BUNNYWITH!
click any of the pics to go to SNAFU.






and maybe one of my favorites....

New SOLO Show, "Letters From Digested Children"

Each year, thousands of children turn up missing. Some are found. But most, unfortunately, are not. Many of the children are victims of abduction, some are runaways, and a large handful of them....have been EATEN by monsters.

However, the digestive system of many monsters is abnormally slow, and a large portion of these children that have been eaten are still ALIVE, patiently waiting to be saved.

Over the last year, from various parts of the country, i have gathered a selection of written S.O.S. letters from some of these children who are slowly being digested by the monsters that devoured them.

My new solo art exhibition, titled "Letters From Digested Children" will showcase those S.O.S letters, as well as all new artwork, installations, and portraits of some of the more popular child-eating monsters in honor of the children who have been wrongfully eaten, and slowly digested.

Here is the info for the show:




"LETTERS FROM DIGESTED CHILDREN"
New drawings and paintings by
ALEX PARDEE

JAN 8th
@ 5024SF / UPPER PLAYGROUND
252 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415.252.9144
http://www.fifty24sf.com

Vomit Is Fraud

Periodically, I get sent some links to some art that is either a recreation of something I have done, or inspired by some various pieces, such as THIS ONE:


The original piece done by me.


And the recreation, with the following description underneath it:
"i am SO PROUD of this.
its a recreation of the original by the amazingly skilled Alex Pardee."

It's an awesome feeling that someone would spend time and energy drawing one of my pieces because I grew up redrawing other artists' pieces whether it was comic books, album covers, etc. I think that's an amazing way to learn techniques and problem solving and eventually flip it into your own.

With that being said, keep it up!

That is, unless you are the person who did this one:


The original, done by me.


And the recreation.

Now, that bottom piece is an amazing painting. But what was peculiar about it, was that the following description was underneath it:

"i dont really know what to say about this piece it was just a weird dream with a bunch of nonsense and color...
ps: for all those who think this is a RIP OFF OF ALEX PARDEE,
Fuck off!"

Hmmmm, that's an AMAZING coincidence. A guy skeleton, a girl skeleton (as You can tell by the bow), profile view, holding ONE hand, staring at each other, vomiting in each others faces, and the vomit turns into butterflies. And you are SELLING PRINTS OF IT???? Ok, I'll buy it. Good work, sir.

So yah, in short, redraw my shit, it makes me smile and feel really awesome. and i dont even really care if you dont mention me. but if you get called out on it, and you DENY it, and then try to MAKE MONEY off of that shit, I will re-open my mummy-filled sarcophagus and force that wrapped up gimp to curse you to infinite diarrhea and vengeful blood.
The end.

The Hamburglar's MOM loves us...

Hello there,
We at ZEROFRIENDS pride ourselves in shipping out your orders faster than the greeters at Wal-Mart can get trampled, and even FASTER than Plaxico Burress can shoot his dick off and get, ironically, "fired" for the rest of the season (insert smiley face).

So why go to amazon or Target or Costco to get "practical" things for the holidays when you can get apparel, pretty pictures, and books that NONE of those places will have!??

If you want to make your loved ones happy this season, make sure you give them something that matters, like AWFUL HOMESICK (my new art book), A Sharkasus shirt, or even for the elderly folk, a Bunnywith plush!

I mean, seriously, The Hamburglar gave his MOM the Awful Homesick Book, and look how fucking HAPPY SHE IS!!!!
And YES, i am aware of the misspelled "One's" but i dont care enough to redo it.



If you order today, you will get your order in time for the holidays (unless you are overseas, which HOPEFULLY will get there on time, but it's hard to say).

You can do it put your back in to it!

Love,
Alex

Vivisect 5 Preview Images

It's no secret that I am fascinated by monsters, folklore, mythology, etc.
I will only die happy if i die AFTER we discover the that the Cloverfield monster really HAS been sleeping in the ocean, or that the Chupacabra isn't just a bunch of goth mexicans that steal goat blood because Hot Topic doesn't sell it, or that the Chicago fires were, indeed, caused by an angry Dragon.
So yes, in short, though i have never been hunting, and i don't really believe in killing animals unless it's for food or if they are talking shit, I DO fantasize about slaying giant beasts and wheeling the head-trophy into my village to reap my rewards of 50 pounds of gold and the 4 finest whores the townspeople will no doubt throw on my dick.
So what better way to convey my fantasies than to draw them just in time for my good friend, Luke Chueh's group art show THE VIVISECT PLAYSET FIVE that I am a part of.
Here are the 3 pieces i did for the show, which opens this FRIDAY, Dec 5 at GALLERY 1988:SF. More info below.



"The Hunt For The Giant Kitten Is Over"



(Detail of the Giant Kitten)



"I Took Care Of The Great Chicken Problem"



(Detail of the Great Chicken)



"Squid-Kid Is Dead, and I Have The Proof"



(Detail of Squid-Kid)


Here is the official press release:

LUKE CHUEH & GALLERY 1988 SAN FRANCISCO PRESENT: "THE VIVISECT PLAYSET FIVE"
For five years now, Luke Chueh and Gallery 1988 curated and hosted The Vivisect Playset, an art show that featured artists who regularly employed animal characters in their work to illustrate the human condition. The show has illuminated the talents of several artists, helped set the foundation and direction for Gallery 1988, and even conceived a series of toys, produced by StrangeCo.

This years show features works of Angry Woebots, Anthony Ausgang, Charlie Immer, Paul Barnes, Jonathan Bergeron, Lindsay Campbell, Luke Chueh, Matt Dangler, Dia, Daniel Elson, Brendon Flynn, Mayuko Fujino, Ghost Patrol, Peter Gronquist, Walt Hall, Moira Hahn, Thomas Han, Melissa Haslam, Mari Inukai, Kamala Dolphin Kingsley, Joe Ledbetter, Lauren Moyer, Alex Pardee, Peek-a-boo, Isaac Pierro, Scott Radke, Amy Sol, Ben Strawn, Roland Tamayo, and Amanda Visell


OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, December 5th, 2008 (7-10 PM)
December 5th - December 23rd, 2008
1173 Sutter Street. San Francisco, CA  94109. USA
Phone: 415-409-1376


http://www.nineteeneightyeight.com/