Jim Houser at Jonathan Levine Gallery NYC

 

On a recent trip to NYC for our opening of Hanna-Barbarians at myplasticheart, the Studio Miners teamed up with Clams Rockefeller in our ritual NYC gallery walk. We always make a point to visit Jonathan Levine gallery, which is currently exhibiting a Jim Houser solo show. We are big fans of Jim Houser's work and have been for quite some time, so it was inspiring and exciting to see this work in person. On a few of the pieces, Houser creates a patchwork of small paintings that he then combines to make a larger collage. The result is a mixed up narrative of Houser's world and it's pretty fantastic. Oh yeah, there are a lot of skateboard ramps in his paintings too, so that's a bonus.

Sorry we slacked on posting this, but the last day to see the exhibit is today, May 4, so get out there and go see it!

Hanna-Barbarians Opening Reception Recap

This past Friday marked the opening reception of the Hanna-Barbarians group show at mph. The gallery was packed from 6-9pm with a steady flow of artists, fans and those curious to view the cartoon menagerie. A big thank you to all of the participating artists and those who attended the opening. The show will be up at the gallery until May 17. To view and purchase the work online, go here. See more images from the opening on mph’s Flickr page.

Hanna-Barbarians Sneak Peek: Bigfoot

Bigfoot, designer of the Forest Warlord and Mountain Spirit figures, is bringing his artwork to the Hanna-Barbarians show opening this Friday, April 19 at myplasticheart from 6-9pm. This is a snippet of his artwork, which includes an impressive mix of his style and his cartoon influences. This piece is bonkers!

Hanna-Barbarians Sneak Peek: Brian Butler

The opening of Hanna-Barbarians is almost here! This week is going to be packed with previews of some of the amazing work in this group show, opening this Friday, April 19 from 6-9pm. Below you’ll find a sneak peek of Brian Butler’s two pieces for this cartoon-inspired exhibition. Butler, a mini golf course expert and ridiculously talented artist, is the creative mind behind the half human, half ice cream hybrids, Ice Cream People, which were featured in a solo show at Kidrobot Miami in 2010. We are super happy to have his work in the show and think you’ll be too!

Hanna-Barbarians Sneak Preview: Eyeformation

Eyeformation, a MA-based artist who was recently the cover artist for Boston’s Weekly Dig and was also featured in the Boston Phoenix, is participating in our upcoming Hanna-Barbarians group show opening a week from today (April 19)! With his bold lines and bright colors, we’re super stoked to see his take on some of his favorite and most influential cartoon characters. Check out the Studio Miners’ studio visit with Eyeformation for a look into his world.

Sneak Peek for Hanna-Barbarians: Podgy Panda

Podgy Panda, a New Zealand artist now based in the UK, has created two pieces for the Hanna-Barbarians show, opening April 19. His works are entitled “Now” and “Nostalgia” and if you look at the images below, you should be able to figure out which one is which. Podgy Panda was a participating exhibitor in the recent ToyCon UK, where he had some top quality prints and toys available, including variations of the Podgonaut figure, his collaboration with Cris Rose. In addition to being a super talented artist, he was an easy fit for this show because you can often see influences of popular culture in his work, with his daily doodles series containing imagery from movies and tv shows. To see the full pieces, you’ll have to come out to the opening of this show this Friday night from 6 – 9pm! Hope to see you there!

Hanna-Barbarians Sneak Peek: Paul Shih

Paul Shih is one of the participating artists in our upcoming Hanna-Barbarians group show. Paul is submitting two pieces to the show, both featuring characters from one of his favorite cartoons interacting with his own characters. Here are some images of one of the pieces, with a certain dog I am sure many of you will recognize. The piece also has a cameo from Bevil, Paul’s devilish broccoli character. You may remember Sunshine Bevil from mph’s booth at last year’s NYCC. In addition to creating great 2D pieces of art, Paul has been self-producing his own toys for awhile now. His Sushi Kaiju figure was up for a Designer Toy Award last year for “Best Self Produced Toy”. There’s news that he’ll be releasing a new figure, Rottey, soon. More info. to come about that, but in the meantime, check out these work in progress shots!