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Sounds from the studio.

2012-01-30T09:05:00.001-08:00

What I listen to while I paint. Thanks to The Worlds Best Ever for putting this together.

Studio Shots 1.13.12

2012-01-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Aloha means so many things pt.1

2011-12-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

RVCA got 4 houses on the North Shore this year and packed them with an eclectic mix of talented people. They asked me if I wanted to go (I do not know how I got included), I did and below is what happened.

Hawaii, it seems like such a simple place. Simplicity is there to be had if you want it but hawaii is not a simple. Hawaii has a little bit of Hollywood some Miami, a bit of Brazil, a lot of Australia and a dash of New York all wrapped up with waves, coconut trees and pineapple bushes. Hawaii is a dynamic and as we will soon see a bizarre place.

The sunsets are simple though.

Below is the first thing I saw when I got to the north shore. Kevin Ancell wearing his DFW shirt painting a surf board for Reef Mcintosh. Kevin plays the part of a tough character pretty well but he is really just a sweet and happy man who happens to paint better than pretty much anyone. He still refuses to surf with me for some reason though.

This is a pretty standard dinner for me in Hawaii. Ahi Poke and Seaweed Salad from Kahuku Superette. Surf in the ocean all day, stuff the ocean in your mouth at night...your surrounded by it so you might as well embrace it. We all did.

This day was too big for me to surf. I like juice but not this much. Instead I opted to go down to the contest (pipe masters) and watch the worlds best huck themselves over the ledge.

I ran in to Lucy Goodwin from Monster Children out walking around the contest in this awesome hat. She is the best and just got engaged to Aaron Rose who is also the best! Congratulations are in order.

I also ran into artist Russ Pope and photographer Nolan Hall at one of the many awesome Vans BBQ's. Vans does such a good job with there BBQ's. If you ever get the invite....go.

Below is Rod from Blue Hawaii. He is a happy man. They also just opened a gallery that Russ was doing a show at.

This is my studio set up. View was pretty ok...

How is this pile of surf boards in front of our house? Lots of board trading happened every day. (Philip.....dude....again...sorry for pile-driving your board into the reef I tried to fix it)

I woke up one morning and Julian Schnabel walked into our house. He has such a great presence. From the pajamas to the phone, his glasses and even the way he looks at you...commanding and curious at the same time. He is good friends with Danny Fuller who is a RVCA surfer and artist. Julian came out to surf and relax like the rest of us.

This is World Champion Nathan "Noodles" Webster's girlfriend Alex Spencer. She is a model and runs a blog called 4th and Bleeker that gets like a billion hits an hour. They are both wonderful people. I gave her one of my buttons from the show I just did in London!

I gave one to surfer/shaper Ellis Ericson too but he just ate it. Typical "surf doggy" behavior.

Danny Fuller is happy to be back in Hawaii. He and his girlfriend live between Hawaii, New York and Venice Beach. Pretty good trio of cities if you ask me.

Julian gave haircuts to some of the RVCA guys.

This is Noodles and Alex again. I interrupted them while they were shooting a post. I thought they were both going to "cool guy" me and not be nearly as rad as they were. They are both tall, good looking and talented so I guess I expected them to blow me off. But I could not have been more wrong. They are truly good people and a great couple too.

Pat Tenore! How awesome is this man. He is the mad genius behind RVCA and loves mixing diversely talented people together to see what comes out. His entire company is based on this principal...balance of opposites. He is such and inspiration!

Noodles and Christian Fletcher.

Quicksilver's Bruce Raymond brought over this amazing hand shaped and signed Dick Brewer rhino chaser for Julian to paint.

Pat showed up to watch.

Herbie Fletcher came over to document.

Estevan Oriol broke out his camera.

Noodles jumped on a broom?

And Julian got down to work under heavy scrutiny.

It sure was fun watching him paint. Such confidence in his movements.

I swear I painted a board in this exact spot 30 minutes before this an no one showed up at all?

Makua Rothman showed us how all the old school guys used to hold their boards. That board is one of Ellis's shapes. Its a single fin with a couple of finlets on the sides. Makua took this board out and ripped the shit out of it proving again that he kills it in surf anywhere between 1 and 100 feet.

Here is Bruce holding his new Julian Schnabel painted, hand shaped and signed Dick Brewer. Pretty sure its not goin in the water again.

Here is one of the boards I painted. I named it the tropical popsicle after my friends band in San Diego.

Herbie set up a Wave Warriors 2011 shoot. He and Julian both photographed the historic gathering of surfers. It was a pretty heavy scene.

Julian Schnabel, Rory Russell and Danny Fuller. What!!!! How awesome is that conversation.

Julian bought one of Rory's classic pipe boards and I borrowed it for a quick photograph. Held it just like Makua taught me.

We had a Wave Warriors BBQ at the house complete with the "Bali Magic Man". Magic Man is a staple of the Balinese surf scene and apparently rips too. Christian became friends with him and invited him out to Hawaii. Here he is messing with Herbie.

The magic man smashed up a bunch of glass bottles, laid on them with no shirt on and got Julian and Estevan to stand on his back. He got a bit cut up but not what you would expect....its magic after all.

More fun to come in the next post....

Aloha means so many things pt.2

2011-12-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

I made a painting while I was in Hawaii that had a bunch of tiny little faces on it. It was a fine painting. But as I mentioned before the people Pat put together on this trip were some of the most inspiring and awesome people I had ever meet and I decided I needed to do something for everyone. So I borrowed a jig saw, cut up the painting into a bunch of small paintings and gave one to everyone that was staying at the RVCA houses with us.

Julian Schnabel, best style ever and a great, great man in so many ways.

The mastermind of everything Pat Tenore with paintings for his family (sorry if this ruins the surprise Pat).

Lindsay Lohan hung out at the studio for a day so she got a painting too. She was surprisingly mellow and cool actually.

The legend among legends Herbie Fletcher.

Danny Fuller a fellow surfer/artist (only he can actually surf).

Makua Rothman super charging surfer.

Wave warrior Christian Fletcher. Who also just happens to have some of the most entertaining stories I have ever heard. Some one should do an audio book of all his stories. He came over and kept me company one night while I painted and told a few great ones!

Camera man Estevan Oriol.

Australian maniac Dino Adrian.

Master Painter Kevin Ancell.

World Champ Noodles and his spectacularly rad girlfriend Alex Spencer.

Keegan Gibbs photographer, shredder and all round awesome human.

Grayson Fletcher...the legend continues.

Ellis "Surf Doggy" Ericson

Here are some of the larger paintings I did....skeletons, owls and textile patterns.

Improvisation is king when you do not have any of your gear.

Improvisation is my new religion. The only thing in life other than love worth worshiping.

Aloha!

Meditation Number 1 at Prism Gallery

2011-12-14T15:19:00.001-08:00

Just finished the below painting and shipped it to Prism Gallery in Los Angeles.

Title: Meditation Number 1

Size: 32x32in.

Medium: Mixed Media on Wood

I am super happy with this painting. Its my favorite and the most detailed out of the new meditation series I started this year. It has a textile like feel to it and has given me lots of new ideas for future work. I love it when art does that.
I started by painting a tiny little step pattern in the middle of the circle. Then, by repeatedly tracing the step pattern over and over again I eventually reached the edges of the painting. Tiny variations in the pattern at the start really add up to large variations by the end. I wonder what would happen if the surface I had to paint on was 2 or 3 times the size?

Contact Prism Gallery (sales@prismla.com) if you are interested;

Desires Of The Soul, Instillation Images

2011-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Below are some instillation images from no. 8 Greek street (Soho, London). All the good photos were taken by Alex Smith (aka Alan) the crappy ones are mine. I need a better camera. These are in no way exhaustive but there are all I have right now. I will update this post as I get new images from the gallery.

Desires Of The Soul, Paintings

2011-11-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

I decided to separate the works for my most recent show into 5 separate parts.

1. Paintings

2. Meditation Circles

3. Sculptures

4. Prints, Studies and Buttons

5. Instillation Shots

There was just too much to go into one post so I split it up. This post will deal with the paintings.

At the beginning of each year I try and come up with a new direction to paint from, new sources of inspiration new aesthetics. I dont try and reign it in too much I just fill my studio with blank canvas lock the door and watch what comes out. It usually takes a couple of intense months but from that group of paintings I can usually find a clear voice and proceed from there for the rest of the year.

This year (2011) I was reacting to the show I did last year in Berlin (you can see the work here) called "Caped Creatures". It was a fun show that was very light and warm on the surface but really was dealing with a lot of dark subject matter. So for this year in the interest of changing this up I decided to paint all my canvases black and start from there. Below is what came out after I did that.

(note: the below work is in no particular order and are all mixed media on canvas)

Dream Cobra 36x36in.

Detail of Dream Cobra

Dream Head 36x36in.

Detail of Dream Head

Floating Head 16x16in.

Detail of Floating Head

Insight 60x60in.

Meditation On Strength 78x102in.

Detail of Meditation On Strength

Mushrooms 48x48in.

Detail of Mushrooms

Night Cat 36x48in.

Detail of Night Cat

Night Cat 2 24x24in.

Detail of Night Cat 2

Night Cats 92x63in.

Detail of Night Cats

Night Cobra 18x24in.

Detail of Night Cobra

Night Owl 90x65in.

Detail of Night Owl

Owl Feet 16x20in.

Detail of Owl Feet

Stare 48x48in.

Detail of Stare

Wheel of Deluded Existence 60x60in.

Detail of Wheel of Deluded Existence

Allergies 16x16in.

The Dance 78x102in.

Tolerance of Cognitive Dissidence 60x60in.

Detail of Tolerance of Cognitive Dissidence

Morning 16x16in.

Night Cat 3 24x24in.

Totem 50x96in.

Detail of Totem

Desires Of The Soul, Meditation Circles

2011-11-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

I decided to separate the works for my most recent show into 5 separate parts.

1. Paintings

2. Meditation Circles

3. Sculptures

4. Prints, Studies and Buttons

5. Instillation Shots

There was just too much to go into one post so I split it up. This post will deal with the "Meditation Circles".

Often times I have found myself stuck while painting, not feeling like I have a clear way forward or confused to find my voice in the work. Its stifeling to the creative process and one of the surest way I know to stay stuck in that feeling is to fixate or concentrate on it. So about 2 years ago I decided to start a small circular painting, put it in the middle of my studio and paint on it when ever I felt stuck with one of the larger paintings.

The distraction works well. It frees up my mind to free associate new ideas and move around with out getting stuck on the painting I am trying to "fix". It might only take an hour, some times a whole week but I always come back from this experience in a better spot. The circles are usually mandalas of some sort, symmetrical and relatively detailed. Painting these has helped me out in so many ways.

(note, all the circles are mixed media on wood and are about 26x26in.)

Meditation (no.6)

Meditation (no.5)Meditation (no.4)Meditation (no.3)Meditation (no.2)

Desires Of The Soul: Prints, Studies, Buttons etc.

2011-11-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

Like I said in previous posts, I decided to separate the works for my most recent show into 5 separate parts.

1. Paintings

2. Meditation Circles

3. Sculptures

4. Prints, Studies and Buttons

5. Instillation Shots

This post will be about the screen prints, etchings, studies and buttons I made for the show. You know, the fun stuff!

First up are the screen prints. To make things easier on you the two prints below (cat and cobra) are representative of the 2 larger editions I made while I was in London. The reason I wanted to get that out of the way is because things rapidly get more complicated from here.

The mounting complexity has something to do with my inability to just leave things alone. I got to Steve's new print shop, saw all the equipment and man power there and got drunk with ideas, possibilities and paint.I quickly took over the presses, look how worried little Jen is over there, that I am using her press. She should have been worried though. I have no idea what I am doing working a press. I just smeared paint everywhere and hoped for the best. Painters have no business in the print shop.Under the press shown below is Lars. I made his life hell too while I was there. He had to fix what I fucked up. And there was a lot of fuck ups.But you have to break some eggs to make an omelet right, and in the end we got 4 distinct editions of the Night Cat Print. All are unique and interesting with lots of hand finishing.

Below is the Night Cobra Print. There is really only one edition of this one. Each one is unique and hand finished as well.Below is Lars again....he hated me. He never came right out and said it but I know he did. I am sorry Lars.

Here we have Pete. He is the latest edition to the team and is super knowledgeable about all things print.

He gave me these instruments and told me to go to town. Apparently its called etching....it should be called "hand cramp inducing, long forgotten technique that should have stayed that way".

Notice the left handed signature. I am signing everything with my left hand after my run in with etching. My right hand is permanently in a claw shape. I like the innocents of the left hand too.

One of the other little surprises of this super fun technique is that after you cramp your hand up for 8 hours sketching on a shitty little piece of copper, that sketch is obliterated by the printing process after about 10 prints. Yea!!!!

We threw in some red ink just for fun. It looked rad!

Here it is....the owl etching.

I brought out a bunch of my little canvas studies to show too. These are usually a precursor to the larger paintings.

And just to round out the show and make something for everyone I made a bunch of buttons and magnets. All are made from photos I took of the paintings in the show and are ready for your coat pocket or refrigerator when ever you are.

Unicorns, Cats, Explosions, Owls etc.

Desires Of The Soul, Sculptures

2011-11-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

I decided to separate the works for my most recent show into 5 separate parts.
1. Paintings
2. Meditation Circles
3. Sculptures
4. Prints, Studies and Buttons
5. Instillation Shots

This Post deals with the sculptures.

So my wife takes a ceramics class down the street from our house. Apparently it helps relieve stress and has the side benefit of filling our cabinets with thousands of thick, earth tone, almost bullet proof mugs and bowls. I always thought it was a bit goof and pretty much just ignored it for a few years. Earlier this year though, as I was planning this new show, I decided I wanted to do some sort of sculpture and remembered her ceramics class. I went in, talked to the teacher and he agreed to teach me to "hand build" (thats what they call it when an adult basically plays with clay) some sculptures. I wrote down a list of characters and creatures that keep reappearing in my paintings this year (unicorns, owls, skulls, bats, cobras etc.) and started "hand building" them into 3D. It sucked at first but as the weeks and months unfolded I ended up loving it and now (I am always getting ahead of myself) I have some big plans for this "hand building" stuff. Big, big plans.

(note, sculptures are mixed media on ceramic and are all about 12in. tall)

Cobra

Owl (no.1)

Skull (no.2)

Owl (no.2)

Skull (no.3)

Owl (no.4)

Owl (no.3)

Skull (no.1)

Bat

Mushroom (no.1)

Mushroom (no.2)

Desires Of The Soul, Walk Through

2011-11-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a little walk through the gallery to better convey how the show was laid out. Let me know what you think.

Number 8 Greek Street

2011-10-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

Is it a good idea to paint all year with only one show in mind? Or to pack up everything you created in that year and ship it from San Diego to London with someone you dont know and who's only qualification you were interested in was how cheap they were? Should I have made more small paintings? Should I have used less color? It must be that time of the year again. No, not question everything time, I do that all year, its art show time! This year, as mentioned in the previous post I will be showing at Lazarides Gallery, Number 8 Greek Street location.

No. 8 Greek Street (now called Outsiders for some reason) is an important symbolic location for me. In 2005 when I was in London showing with Pictures On Walls at Santa's Ghetto (Berwick street that year I think) Steve Lazarids brought me and Lucy Mclauchlan over to No. 8 Greek Street to check it out. He ask if we wanted to show there. Im pretty sure he wanted to see if Lucy wanted to show there, I just happened to be around but either way I was there. This was going to be Steve's permanent show space for the POW artists.

In the years since 2005 I have participated in many group shows there but never a solo show. I was fresh out of the lab (biotech) and brand new to art so I didn't get too wrapped up in it. I told myself to put my head down, work hard and some day I would get the opportunity.

That was 6 years ago and so much has changed on Greek Street. Relationships have evolved and morphed, titles have changed, friendships have been created and severed, careers have been launched and Steve now has more galleries than I have years painting. But through it all we have stayed in touch, made efforts to hang out when I was in London or he was in LA. Finally, 2 years ago after my show at Quint Contemporary Art (2008) Steve got in touch and asked if I would be interested in doing a show. I immediately said yes and that I wanted to do it at no. 8 Greek Street.

It has been almost exactly a year since my last show at Berlin's Circle Culture Gallery and aside from a handful of paintings pretty much everything I did this year is going to London. Isn't there a saying that has to do with eggs and a basket that might apply here? Ah screw it, I have never been one for platitudes.

Below are some photos of my studio just before I shipped everything. I love the way the studio looks when it is full of work, paintings stacked on top of each other, paint and trash everywhere, I wanted to document it.

Below are some ceramic sculptures I did this year. Im new to both ceramics and sculpture but I like the way they turned out and have big plans for this stuff in the future.

The sculptures look like they are covered in cake icing, it makes me want to bite them. I have some skulls, a bat, a cobra, mushrooms, some owls and a unicorn horn to top it all off. Who doesn't like unicorn horns?

LONDON

2011-10-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

One years worth of work. over 30 new paintings, 13 sculptures, drawings, 2 new prints, buttons, magnets and hopefully a new zine (if I can find the time). More info to follow...

Print Show

2011-09-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

Reality Bites is the next show up at Post No Bills. I will have 2 new prints in the show (more on that below) along with a few originals. The show opens Sept. 15th at 7pm.

The first print I did was taken from the shark painting I did earlier in the year. You remember this one right?
It is called simply "Shark". 10 color silk screen with a ton of hand finishing. 10 to 15 colors plus glitter plus a small original drawing at the bottom of each print. Its a big one too, the largest print I have done yet 38x38in. Price is $400.
I needed some help to paint and draw on 50 prints so I brought up an Irish Jesus look-a-like to help out and convinced Naama from Post No Bills to stop what she was doing and help me paint for 2 days (thanks guys!).
It was tedious and hot work but we got it finished in the end and the prints look fantastic!
Tight quarters back there in the print shop.
I have always liked the look of letterpress and decided this was the perfect opportunity to use it. I called up Tim from Quality Letterpress here in San Diego and got to work. I cant say enough about Tim and the total awesomeness that he and his shop are.
Every press that he has in his shop is old as shit...like hundreds of years old. He has had to rework them and fabricate new parts just to get them to work properly. He's one of those "can do" people.
Here he is printing away.
Below is the print. All are numbered and signed by me (not pictured). They are stamped by Post No Bills and cost $15 each. 100 of these little sharks in total. The image is a sketch for a larger painting I am working on right now and I thought it would make a nice little companion for the larger print.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these prints just e-mail Naama at Post No Bills and she will take care of all the details;

sales@postnobillsshop.com

BLISS

2011-09-14T09:30:00.001-07:00

I did a little interview in the September issue of BLISS. I posted the entire interview (conducted by my younger sister) below if you cant make out the text in the online mag.

Kelsey Brookes Under The Microscope.

Interview by Keegen Brookes (kelsey’s sister)

It’s under 1 month from his backyard nuptials to his longtime girlfriend, as rumors abound of an Afghan alter, and just 3 months from a solo show at Lazarides gallery in London – a gallery that he’s worked with for 5 years and to whom he extends a great deal of revere – and so I thought it the perfect time to probe and implore the mind of my older brother, artist Kelsey Brookes. For could there be a better time, i.e. more greatly stressed psyche, to help get to the bottom of some of the family’s more pressing questions: “Do you plan to wear your hair that long to your wedding,” and some of the more broad reaching ones: “how do you find the patience for all of those tiny little lines in your work?”

A quick briefing on Kelsey’s history if you’re just getting to know the male artist with the girl’s name. (Sorry Kels, but you’re my older brother and its time you pay for all those rides in high school that you refused me). Any biography you read on Kelsey will no doubt mention his science background, perhaps even his preternatural acrobatic ability whether staged on a wave, skateboard, half-pipe or ski slope. I’d like to mention here that Kelsey was the Colorado State Gymnastics Champion in 1992 and 1993, when he received his trophy on the rising podium he carried a look of triumph and reward that quite nearly eclipsed the spikey mullet and powder blue singlet he wore. (Again, and for the last time, he should have just given me that lunchtime ride). But I believe that many of these short bio blurbs are inaccurate because when you speak with Kelsey today, view his work, visit his studio, his home, his truck you will see that there is very much a scientist still at work. While his paystub history may spell out 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. scientist turns 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. artist, let us see if over the next few pages we can exercise the explorer, scientist, philosopher, acrobat, historian, craftsman, contrarian, i.e. the village that it takes to raise the artist.

Hi Kels

Hey Keegs! How fun is this our first collaboration (a little background for the readers. Keegen is now in completing a prestigious MFA program for writing at Saint Mary’s…she’s the smart one)

Did you have a sense when you first moved to San Diego from Colorado, as you were nailing rouge artwork (stencils of shark teeth) to STOP signs that you would get to the place that you are at today with your work?

No, I had no idea that this is where I would be. If I did I would have stayed a scientist. The money was better and I got to surf more!

How long did you have that sense of confidence? Can you remember a time in your past, maybe a year when you thought “I’m going to be a successful artist?”

Sense of confidence? Blind ambition, naiveté and a willingness to just give it a shot yes but confidence, no. I didn’t have confidence in my artistic abilities or my ability to really make a living as an artist. The only thing I did know was that I was young, the world was vast, anything could happen and that I was not content to sit in a lab and run other peoples experiments anymore. Sometimes its easier to start with what you don’t want then with what you do.

I imagined myself as an old man that had 2 different paths through life, my 2 possible paths at the time. One was a scientist working for a bio tech company, safe and secure with a fat bank account, 401K, a 9 to 5 that didn’t challenge or test his abilities, a diminished passion for life but a huge house in a nice neighborhood. The other was an artist working for himself following his passion and instincts, free to explore the world and embrace creativity, challenged daily to use all his facilities and live by his wits and to command his own destiny all from a dumpy little rented house in a crappy neighborhood. It’s a really romanticized version of reality but I was young.

You’ve travelled well with your art (Berlin, Australia, England, Japan, Jerusalem, Miami, New York) but you were a traveler before working as an artist too. How did those early trips, namely to the South Pacific, affect where you are as an individual today?

Without that trip and all those vast hours in that vast country (Australia, Indonesia, Fiji) I would not be an artist. It was the starting point for my current life. Before I went I was a scientist from the mountains of Colorado interested in viruses and when I came back I was an artist with a passion for the ocean. I really think it came down to being young being curious and having lots of free time to explore my mind and a new place. It was the best graduate school education I could have asked for and I didn’t even have to apply. I just showed up, bought a few surfboards, a car to live in, a truck load of good books and some vegemite.

One of my favorite artists, choreographer Twyla Tharp, speaks at length about ritual and habit as a means to creativity and continued work. She believes that if you perform the same act over and over again it habitualizes it and makes it easier to do, repeatable and harder to shrug off. Can you speak a bit about your daily routines and habits? Are you aware that they assist your creative process? (Food, meditation, Podcasts, surfing, etc.)

I guess I would agree with her about the habitualization of constructive practices. That makes sence right? The more you do something in a certain way the more it becomes automatic. Then you add novel practices that you can choose to habitualize or not depending on their outcome. It’s like pruning a tree right? The tree grows in lots of different direction but you prune the branches that don’t follow your outline and eventually the tree does what you want.

I have two guiding principals in my life. One I stole from Plato the other from Chuck Close.

Plato was adamant about having a sound mind in a sound body for optimal performance. To that end I have developed a routine each week. I run 5 miles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I do yoga (sometimes nude...but never in public) every Tuesday and Thursday and meditate for 30 minutes each day after lunch to improve my concentration and compassion. I cook a primarily vegetarian diet that emphasizes locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and nuts. All of that is what I shoot for each week. Sometimes I get there but often I fall short. Its all good though I try not to get bent out of shape if I don’t get to everything.

The other principal I stole from Chuck Close and relates more to my art than to my life in general.

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work and the belief that things will grow out of the activity itself and that you will, through work, bump into other possibilities and kick open other doors that you would never dream up if you were just sitting around looking for a great art idea. And that a belief in that the process, in a sense, is liberating and that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel everyday. Today you know what you will do, you could be doing what you were doing yesterday and tomorrow you are going to do what you did today and at least for a certain period of time if you can just work to hang in there, you will get somewhere.”

I also think that most things in life are best in moderation even moderation is best in moderation. Everyone needs to introduce a little chaos into his or her life. For me that chaos is surfing. If the surf is good pretty much everything gets thrown out the window and I surf. You never know when its going to happen so it adds a little x factor in to the routine. 90% Discipline 10% Chaos.

Do you find that you’re most inspired in one place or one time of day?

I like to work in the morning. I like to wake up before everyone else and get started early. Inspiration just happens at the most unpredictable times. But for me just showing up every day and working hard is a good answer. There is no secret, you can spend your entire life waiting around for inspiration I would just as soon get to work (just like Chuck Close says).

How do you capture that inspiration? Do you travel with a sketch book, recorder, etc.?

There is always something to write down ideas on. Napkins, matchbooks, receipts the back of my hand. The worst is when you get a good idea while you are driving. I have had some pretty close calls while drawing and driving. Like I mentioned before though I don’t walk around looking for inspiration. I just get on with living, the ideas will fin you.

What is your ideal working space (in a perfect world: music, no music, light, temperature, Iggy, etc. )? Have you achieved that with your current studio?

The perfect studio is any studio you can afford. But and ideal working space for me would have tall walls at least 15 feet, 2000 square feet, lots of sky lights, a good loud stereo, a couple huge roll up doors that over look a nice little right hand point, 80 degree water and no one out except my friends. 75 and sunny every day, afternoon rain storms. Lauren is there too…she has a little café up the street. Iggy (my dog) has lots of rabbits to chase and other dogs to play with and his allergies are gone. Wow I really went off there. I like my current real life studio just fine.

What’s the one component to your creative life that you feel naked if you find yourself without it?

Random accidents I guess. Accidents are often the roots of new ideas so they are welcome in my studio. They happen weather I will them to or not but it’s really funny how often they are a force for the creation of new ideas.

What are your daily fears?

I always like to joke that I have a weekly obsession. One week it will be Iggy’s allergies, one week it will be problems in my relationship with Lauren, finances, anxiety, shows, gallery drama etc. There is always something for me to figure out about. I try and let them fade as quickly as they arise.

What are your fears for the future?

Solar flares! (Sorry that’s an inside joke our little sister is always obsessing about solar flares) No fears though. The future is going to be fucking rad!

When do you feel the most confident? – In your professional life and in general?

When I take a step back from the day to day and really assess how amazing this all is. We are animate bits of exploded stars, attached to a giant rock by a force we can not see, speeding through space with no rules or purpose. We don’t even know why we are conscious. Anyone who says they have the answer is lying and probably trying to sell you something. We are all as free as we let ourselves be.

American philosopher Thomas Kuhn states: “The answers you get depend on the questions you ask.” How have your questions evolved in the last 6 years since becoming a painter? More specifically, can you remember some of your early questions and what is one you asked just yesterday?

Interesting question. I am a relentless self analyzer which can sometimes be bad. I question most of what I do and what others are doing. After I ask a question and come up with an instinctual answer I try and align my morals with that instinct before I take actions. I want to act from a morally and philosophically sound place. I want to understand why my instincts are the way they are and modify they based on my ideal self.

Most of my current questions and all of what I am painting about now have to do with neurological and spiritual questions. I am interested in the visual field of migraine headaches and hallucinations and what that can teach us about our brains and spiritual imagery humans have developed throughout the ages.

In my painting I am always trying to shrug off the urge to be too didactic. I’m not trying to say just one thing, that is too limiting. I am trying to communicate to the viewer something that can not be said. It’s a spiritual understanding, the unseen made visible in a way. Its not clear yet even to me what is happening but I have faith that as time stretches out things will be made more clear. And if they aren’t...fuck it…its fun.

As your family member, one of my favorite parts of viewing your artwork is finding pieces of our childhood within them. Or so it seems to me. (For the reader: Kelsey religiously watched Discovery’s Shark Week, in fact this interview was delayed as Kelsey was on a deep sea expedition to gather live sharks for his next art project. Further, our mother was a founding member of a Craft Club in Colorado in the ‘80s, churning out Hunter Star quilt after Squash Blossom quilt and a quilt motif is quite apparent in some of Kelsey’s early work). Are imprints from your youth a large inspiration for your artwork?

Yes, these things are always surfacing. My process really welcomes them. I am not a conceptual artist. I trust and follow my instincts. My best art always comes from trusting those instincts.

Animals have always featured heavily in your work. You’ve had many unique relationships with animals over the years: I can remember you crying softly, mournfully, to our Dad in your early adolescence after you and the BB gun you’d so intently wanted to own shot off the tail of a woodland squirrel in our grandparent’s backwoods; there was your work with birds at the CDC; and there’s the current stressors with your handsome mutt Iggy, and his perennial allergies. Can you speak to each of these experiences and how your lifelong relationship with animals today paints your work (or perhaps better said, helps you to paint)?

Crying softly? Wait, what? I was balling like the little boy that I was and its not because I shot the tail off the little guy. Its because I shot the squirrel dead. God that was so traumatic! I still feel bad about that actually, thanks for bringing it up jerk! Why am I so interested in animals? Humans are animals. The more you look into the question of what separates us from other animals the blurrier the distinctions become. I am just interested in what it is they are up to as a fellow life form here on earth. They can teach us a lot about ourselves. The work I did for the CDC during my fellowship there was morally challenging and I am happy it is deep in my past. As for Iggy, sometimes you draw the short straw genetically speaking. He has bad allergies but we are working on it.

What’s next beyond the show?

The next show! Specifically I have no idea actually. The world is full of opportunities and I’m looking for the most interesting one.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years with regard to work?

Bigger, Brighter and Bolder. I stole that from a detergent bottle but it sounds pretty good to me.

And as we’re 25 days from your wedding, where do you see yourself with regard to family in 20 years’ time? If your son or daughter comes to you in their early 20’s and says they want to quit their well paid job as a scientist and try their hand at painting, what will be your advice?

I would like to have a family. I heard grandpa Brookes once say that you need to have children to have the full human experience and that seems like sound logic. If my kid wants to quit an unfulfilling job that pays well for a financially uncertain but ultimately passionate pursuit, Well I guess my hands are tied there. Go for broke kid!

Berlin Paper

2011-08-24T09:24:00.001-07:00

The kids at Circle Culture Gallery have mounted a fun summer group show. All affordable and summery works on paper. I of course painted mine on canvas because I have a hard time with directions.

Do you recognize this painting? It was the cover for the little video Mercedes Benz made a few weeks back. Its in Berlin now. Johann has framed it up nicely.

Quite In The Valley, On The Shores The End Begins.

2011-08-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Jim Ward has a new album out. I helped him out with the cover a bit. Love the way it looks and I think parallels the mood of album nicely. He will also be touring on this album for a bit so if you are interested, tour dates are here. He will also be getting his old band Sparta back together in November of this year! Stoked for that.

Rad details on each of the CD's.

Its a double album!

2 for the price of one.

More details.

Back of the album.

Lets Go Surf

2011-07-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

Kelsey Brookes Mercedes Benz Portrait.

July Studio Shots

2011-07-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Some studio shots of stuff I have been working on this month.....Owls.

Cats...

Meditation patterns

More cats.

More owls

Totem pole that is too tall for my studio.

Not quite finished with this one. Needs more lines....

We could all use more lines.

Especially ones with designs on them.

Space lines.

Kaleidoscope lines.

I think I will make a quilt with all this left over tape. Sandwich it between something stable and cut it up into patterns that I can tile into exploding shapes. Then you can sleep with it!

Black Frames

2011-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of the paintings I have done this year are on a black background. So when I was asked to frame a couple new paintings for the guys at PRISM gallery I decided I needed to rethink the white frames I had been using in the past and come up with something new.

Black frames seemed like the obvious choice so I started there.

All these photos are of my "fixer's" shop, that is what I have nicknamed my buddy Phil, he "fixes" what I mess up.

See those black strips of wood? Remember them they will play an important part of the story.

Below you can start to see one of the problems. I decided not to stretch any of my new paintings this year on stretcher bars and opted instead to stretch the canvases directly on the walls. Which made it easier and faster for me to get to work but presented a new problem when it was time to frame. I painted all the way to the edges of the canvas.

I would lose about 4 inches of canvas if I were to stretch and frame them in the traditional method.

Instead "fixer phil" came up with a solution. First he made a box to stretch the canvas on. But instead of wrapping the canvas all the way around to the back of the frame we stapled it on the side of the box.

Then we made some black strips of wood (from before) to fit the side of the box and conceal the "non traditional" wrap job.

I actually liked the way it looked just like this. Like a really thin frame.

Then we put that inside of an outer frame and into a large van and drove them to LA.

Here is the Owl.

And this untitled painting at there new home in LA.

If you want more info on either of these paintings contact PRISM Gallery here; info(at)prismla.com

May 2011 Studio Shots

2011-06-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

This is what happened in my studio last month. I also broke 2 ribs and had a birthday which is totally unrelated as far as I can tell. All this work is being created for a show this November in London at the Lazarides Gallery. I am working on a whole new body of work (as you can see), some new prints and sculptures for the event. Been working with Laz for the past 5 years on and off and am stoked to finally be doing a show. More to come.....

Hamburger Art Show

2011-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

The kids over at Circle Culture Gallery are putting together a show in Hamburg. Hamburg is in Germany and I'm pretty sure had something to do with the creation of the Hamburger. I dont know how the Hamburger relates back to art unless you count this as art but either way if you are in the area....go check it out.

Grand Tarantula Picture Disc

2011-05-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Having a nice piece of art is great but having a nice piece of art that you can put on a turn table and play is even better. Form plus function!

7in. picture disc (using art from my show last July at New Image Art) with music from my buddies Grand Tarantula. You can pick it up here. Even better....all the procedes go to the Keep A Breast Foundation.....win, win and win.

So lets recap, 2 pieces of (functional!) art, one rocking good record, a great cause plus the thing only costs $8.50. I have just convinced myself to go get one actually.

Studio Shots April 2011

2011-05-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

Look what happened to my door. Im thinking I might be able to use all this used blue tape for something interesting, so Im storing it on my door.

SURFING

2011-05-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

June 2011 issue of Surfing Magazine.....page 156....The surf world and the art world collide.

The Dutchie and American in Germany Video Experience

2011-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

I spent 2 weeks last November (2010) in Germany setting up an art show at Circleculture Gallery and exploring Berlin with Rogier Postma. Rogier is a curious Dutchie that had just moved to Berlin. He was interested in his new city and being a film maker he decided to make a film about what other people think Berlin is all about. We hooked up and explored the city together for a while during which time I asked him 3,452 questions about various topics (mostly David Hasselhoff). He turned our time together into this short documentary. You can see more films on Rogier's new site Rodgezooi.

Kelsey Brookes from rodgezooi on Vimeo.

What Is Up With Berlin

2011-03-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a little video about Johann Haehling von Lanzenauer (he got this mammoth sized last name because his great grandfather won some battle like 4 million years ago or something) and Berlin that my buddy "the Dutchie" made while I was there last year. This is just the first installment in a group of videos he is making about life in Berlin. Johann is in there, xoooox and my old labratory too. There is also me complaining about how little I actually get to surf now that I paint full time. It really is true thought, my cut backs are way lamer since I stopped working on someone else's dime.

Nice work Dutchie!

Johann Haehling von Lanzenauer from rodgezooi on Vimeo.

New Work Since New Years

2011-03-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Every year about this time I like to experiment with new painting ideas. Throwing out most of what I did last year, with some exceptions, I just paint without too many expectations. I rehang the whole studio with old canvas and go deep into experimentation. No editing at all, any impulse gets explored and I follow my instincts until I find something interesting. This is what I came up this year so far. Darker angrier and far more saturated than last year. Still evolving thought.

This Totally Made My Day!

2011-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

This piece of writing was sent to me by a college student named Kristen Edmunds who was required to write an essay for her Intercultural Communications class. She was nice enough to send it to me and this totally turned my frown upside down. Thanks for sharing Kristen.

“A Piece of Art That I Love”

I have always had a huge interest in art ever since I was a little girl. My mother used to always bring crayons with her every where, because I would be completely entertained for hours just sitting and coloring. I appreciate all medians of art, and have always enjoyed creating my own art as well as admiring the art of others. One of my very favorite artist of all times is a man named Kelsey Brookes who is currently creating art in San Diego, CA. Most of his art consists of various types of paints on huge canvases. Ever since I first saw a piece of his art work I fell in love, and regularly go to his website to see if he has any new ones to add to his collection. Being an artist still alive and working today his art is very modern and extremely different from anything I have seen before. I feel that in today’s society we do not appreciate art as much as we should, so I was very excited to be able to share one of his paintings with you. My current favorite piece of artwork Kelsey has created is a painting called “The Uncompromising 80’s”.

Kelsey has a very distinct style in his artwork which is very unique, and while there is a variety in his own art, they all have a similar color scheme and influence about them. This particular piece is one of a human figure with several arms, sitting cross legged, with the head of some kind of creature which is unidentifiable. This is a common theme through out his art, many are surreal paintings with familiar characteristics and objects, combined with parts that have never been seen before. I have always found interest in surreal art because it allows you to explore the unfamiliar and bring it to life the way only you can imagine it. Another aspect that separates Kelsey’s artwork from everyone else’s is the different styles he uses to over lap and combine in it. Every piece has incredible detail, some of it appearing so perfect it almost looks like a print he may have pressed on. He uses classic brush strokes along with a water color technique, and some times even spray paint. Another unique part of his art that is pretty common in his collection, is the use of textiles. I have always enjoyed the addition of text in art because it is extremely powerful and creates interesting contrast. He combines all these different medians in such a way that it creates perfect harmony balancing one another and highlighting each other at the same time.

When I look at this particular piece of Kelsey’s I feel intrigued. The way the figure is placed dead center of the page with designs evenly spaced all around it makes me think of Hindu art. The arms coming out in all directions, but evenly balanced on the left and right, reminds me of the statues or paintings of Ganesha. He combines that somewhat familiar pose with the body of a human wearing what resembles a track jacket and tube socks. This makes me feel related to the art, because it looks so comfortable and natural, like that could be me or one of my friends sitting there. Then as you move up the body you get to the head. The head of this creature is unrecognizable and has a completely different texture and feel from the body. This ignites curiosity in me, and really makes me wonder what his inspiration was behind it. The head is full of tiny patterns and tons of detail, showing how truly talented and versatile Kelsey is. Around the outside of the centered figure are designs in every corner which remind me of Dia de los Muertos. These detailed designs are also spark a different feel from both the head and the body of the painting. They appear to me like something straight of a sketch book that he might have doodled while sitting in a coffee shop. They too are beautifully done and well balanced while seeming effortless at the same time.

The colors Kelsey uses have a similar color scheme which remains fairly constant through out his art. There are many pastel colors used along side darker, bolder colors. I would think that when I see dark colors next to light ones on a white canvas, the dark ones would stand out much more, however this is not the case. The way he puts all the colors together compliments one another beautifully, and allows the pastel tones to be the main colors to pop out at you. This is another thing I really enjoy about his art; Many of the art he creates seems dark or unfamiliar and even creepy, but when they are painted in such light, friendly colors it gives a different first impression and sort of contradicts itself in the most extraordinary way.

I have never seen art work so unique and beautifully executed as that of Kelsey Brookes. I enjoy everything about his creations from the colors, to the creative designs, the unique creatures, and the wonderful balance of medians and emotions. There is something that sparks inside me from the artwork he makes that is so mysterious but incredibly familiar at the same time. I really respect and appreciate the originality found in his art, and I feel that is hard to come by when art has been around for so long. I am pleased to be able to pass this piece of art on, even if it is only with one other person.

In The Lab

2011-03-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

I used to work in a Lab. I used to wake up every day put on a lab coat and set up experiments. I still do but instead of a lab and a lab coat I have a studio and overalls covered in paint.

I went digging through old images today looking for science themed photos that will be included in a little documentary about my Berlin show last year. These are some of what I found. I was actually surprised to see just how much art there was in the lab. One could get the impression I was more interested in drawing than I was in the rigors of the scientific method.

The thing I have my hands in is called a Biological Safety Cabinet (aka. a hood). Its supposed to keep you separated from what ever it is you are working with. In this case I think it was HIV at this time.

I would spend hours and hours in the hood. Filling little tubes with impossibly tiny volumes of liquid.

Then mixing and shaking that liquid.

Mixing more liquid.

Heating liquid.

Drawing on the liquid.

Then cleaning....oh the cleaning.

Lab drawings.

Stadium size lab.

Right On Rushca!

2011-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

I read this little Q&A in the back of a book about Ed Ruscha over the holidays. It made a lot of sense to me at the time. So much so that I took a photo of it so I could remember it. I have been taking photos of books, or at least the portions of books that interest me for the past few years. I keep waiting for someone to kick me out for this activity but they never do.

Recently

2011-01-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

Keegan Gibbs

Guerrero Gallery

Spook

Golf

Dog

Brits and Tees

Hope and Anchor in El Paso.

Everyone hates the way there voice sounds right? Below is a link to a podcast that Mike Maxwell and I made. What you think you are and the way you are perceived by others to be are often at odds I have found.

http://mikemaxwellart.com/livefreepodcast/LiveFreeCast11.mp3

AMY NOEL & SUITE 102 host QUINT CONTEMPORARY ART in a PRE NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATION!

2010-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

- ARTWORK BY -

• ROBERT BARRY • MEL BOCHNER • KELSEY BROOKES • ROMAN DE SALVO • BRIAN DICK • RYAN MCGINNESS • JAN VAN MUNSTER •

- MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY -

• LION CUT •

This promises to be an amazing night of artwork and performances so help us get ready to ring in the New Year!

Suite 102

750 West Fir Street

San Diego, CA 92101

Look forward to celebrating with you all soon!

Danny Fuller - PM Approved

2010-12-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

Danny Fuller has been running the RVCA house in Hawaii for a few weeks now and put together this video part with the help of some friends to give a little taste of what RVCA has been up to lately. Featuring Danny Fuller, BJ Penn, Makua Rothman, Matt Archbold, Ford Archbold, Kalani David and RVCA artists Kevin Ancell and Kelsey Brookes. Nice one Danny!

Danny Fuller - PM Approved from RVCA on Vimeo.

Earth By Print

2010-12-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just recently teamed up with Planet magazine to make a print of one of my explosion paintings. They shipped the prints to me while I was in Berlin and I was surprisingly blown away. They are more vibrant and clear than the original some how, its a perfect copy of the exploding psychedelic orgy of color and creatures that the original is. You can read more about it below and you can purchase the prints here. I also gave them the original painting so if the print is just not enough you can pick that up too....if your fast about it.

Print Description

These prints are made with fade-resistant, archival inks and are printed on Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper, a 100% cotton rag, acid- and chlorine-free, ph-neutral art paper. This particular paper stock is designed for professional artworks, featuring natural whites, no optical brightening agents, true archival quality, and a weight of 255 gsm.

Limited Edition of 100

20 x 20 inches at $250

For international orders, please email earthby (at) planet-mag.com

Check out the bio they made for me too. I like it better than the one I came up with actually, I guess they know a thing or to about writing...I might have to steal it for my website.

Kelsey Brookes is an artist of contrasts. His well-documented background in microbiology, surf culture and folk art combine in explosive prisms of raucous color, bold imagery and timeless motifs. Raw and un-tethered, his vibrant, mixed-media assemblages reveal a free-flowing aesthetic that’s altogether energetic, sexual and humorous. Each work is a microcosm of life itself, where smiley-faced characters and wild animals cavort with abstract forms and splices of color to form something infinitely complex and visually joyful. Brookes’ quick ascent to artistic success in both the United States and the UK has led to a variety of fine art and commercial platforms, increasing the demand and value of his work. Kelsey Brookes is represented by Quint Gallery in La Jolla, CA; New Image Art in Los Angeles; and Lazarides Gallery in London. His work has appeared in countless group shows, art fairs, and magazines such as GQ, Modern Painters, Juxtapoz, Beautiful Decay and Dazed and Confused. Brookes is a featured artist in the RVCA Artist Network Program. He lives in San Diego, California.

At The Beach

2010-12-12T10:49:00.001-08:00

And I'm never coming home......

Hawaii Studio

2010-12-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I had a rad studio in San Diego. But I could get used to this Hawaiian studio thing. How good are those waves in the background! Im never going home. Thanks to the Australians for making this video.

KELSEYBROOKESXSURFBOARD from Ellis Ericson on Vimeo.

Freunde von Freunden

2010-12-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

I meet some really amazing people while I was in Berlin and these guys are at the top of the list Freunde von Freunden (Friends of Friends). Check out how amazing there work is. You can see the video we did here along with a bunch of still photos...some of the best photos ever! Honestly I cant say enough about these kids. Keep up the great work dudes.

Freunde von Freunden - Kelsey Brookes from Freunde von Freunden on Vimeo.

French Photos Of Berlin

2010-12-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

So I went to Prague after the show to cool down a bit and recover from Berlin. But Im not unpacking quite yet. RVCA got a house on the North Shore and they need some art so Ill be heading there to help em out. Im ditching all the sweaters, hats and jackets for a pair of board shorts and a board bag full of boards.

Im downloading everything from my camera right now and will post all those soon with some words about the show but for now these will have to do. Here are some photos taken by my good friend and RVCA Europe superstar Marie from the opening in Berlin. More to come shortly.

Caped Creatures in Berlin

2010-11-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

November 18th, Circle Culture Gallery.

Studio Visit by Tim Hardy

2010-11-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tim came by the other day to take some photos of my studio. I love the feel of studios just before a show. No one has cleaned up for a while, paint is everywhere and the walls are full of art. Its a good feeling and Tim did a great job of capturing that.

YA Print at POW

2010-11-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this painting (YA) from last year at the QCA show? It just got back from its summer exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla and to celebrate I decided to make a print out of it.

This is by far the most ambitious print I have made. 10 color silk screen with 15 hand finished colors, plus glitter of course. It took more than a year and three different printers to get this thing just right but it was well worth it...super happy. I just sent them to Pictures on Walls in London to release, hopefully around the opening of my show in Berlin on the 18th of Nov. Ill post more info if that changes though.

Ok Back to work....I have to ship all the new work to Berlin tomorrow. More on that in the next post.

Caped Creatures in Berlin

2010-11-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

I made this little flyer last night for my upcoming show. It will be at Circle Culture Gallery in Berlin and opens on the 18th of November. I cant wait for you to see these paintings I had so much fun making them. Lots of glitter and neon.

The kids at Circle Culture are super ambitious...they have a magazine as well as a gallery. Here is a link to some info and a little interview about the upcoming show in that very magazine.

Pocket Notebooks

2010-11-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Stop forgetting things by writing helpful notes for yourself in this little pocket notebook. Also if you have an iPhone and are super into this tiger image (show last year at Quint Contemporary Art) you can download it as wallpaper here. I cant believe that was a year ago already.

Studio Shots October 2010

2010-10-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Fecal Face

2010-09-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

The Fecal Face 10 Year Anniversary Party and Show this weekend at the Luggage Store Gallery. This is going to be one awesome party and show. I'll be frantically throwing paint around trying to get ready for my next show (Berlin this November). But if your not preparing for your next art show than you have no excuse not to go party with these kids.

Congratulations John!

Survey Select

2010-08-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Mark Murphy has been working super hard down there at the San Diego Wounderbread Factory curating one hell of a group show that he calls Survey Select. Apparently while I was in LA picking up my work from New Image even Sigur Ros came to check out the show.

COME AS YOU ARE at PRISM

2010-07-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

How sick is this gallery! This is Prism Gallery in LA and I will be taking part in a group show there this weekend. July 29th is the opening and you should come out. Invite is below.

Installation New Image Art July 2010

2010-07-13T12:14:00.001-07:00

For more information on this show please contact New Image Art. The show will be up until the 31st of July.

Explosion Spinners at New Image Art

2010-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

These "Explosion Paintings" spin within there frames.....seriously. The frames look like all the other frames but they hide a little motor with a rechargeable battery and a red light that glows from behind the painting that tells you when it needs to be recharged. I made a little video below so you can get a better idea of what is going on here. They are also 16in. in diameter.

Explosion Puzzles at New Image Art

2010-07-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

In another effort to change things up. I took the regular explosion paintings I do and turned them into puzzles. Each of these 2 paintings has 5 interchangeable parts which can be swapped out with each other (you can push the individual pieces out from the back of the frame using a pencil) making 25 unique paintings. These ones are 16in in diameter.

Candy Blizzards and Storms

2010-07-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

I started doing a series of small circular paintings last year called "Candy Blizzards". They were typically the characters and patterns that make up the environment that my other larger paintings live in. I made 10 of there for the show at New Image $450 each.

I have also been working on a series of even smaller paintings called "Candy Storms" that isolate even smaller portions of the larger paintings onto a small framed circular surface. They are 4 inches in diameter. I have big plans for these little paintings in the future but for now there are making an appearance here for there first time at New Image. There are 8 of them and are $300 each.

New Image Weekend Write Up

2010-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Over the last few years I found that one solo show a year is the most efficient and effective way to work. There are always a few fun projects that pop up each year and if I am doing more than one solo show things get a little hectic. Bit this year I decided to break the mold a bit and do 2 shows, one solo show (Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin this November) and one 3 person show (this current show at New Image). I'm trying to work up to 2 solo show per year while producing really quality new work for each show.

Below you will find a little write up on setting up the current New Image Show in LA.

This is the work shop where all my frames are made. Its down in "Little Italy" which used to be full of Italian fishermen and craftsmen but now this place is full of hippies and Irish drunks doing there best to not cut of another finger.

Here is one of the Irish men now hitting his head with the wood to test its density. He is always telling me that the reason people buy my paintings is because of his frames. But he talks funny so the joke is on him.

And here is one of the hippies.

Another hippie. This guy is actually a rare breed of genius hippie. He can pretty much make anything I can dream up (ie. spinning paintings, puzzle paintings etc.)

This is the first thing I saw when I got up to LA. This is Albert. He was already finished installing and pretty much just chilled and downed a bunch of Primo for the 2 days I was there installing my portion of the show. He is awesome and that is that.

This is "Toshi" Marsea's dog doing the E.T. on the way to check out the POME (Prisoner Of Mother England) show.

Here we are at the show. It was Steve's latest blitz on the art world with Johnny Yoe. Marsea got wrangled into some interview thing that I barely avoided. She loves it though and always has some good stuff to say (like in "Exit Through The Gift Shop" did you see here?)

It was good to see those guys and catch up. I invited everyone out for my show the next day at New Image not expecting to see anyone. Oh ya...this is one of my favorite people in LA....Amberrrrrrrrrr. How are those glasses!!!

She carries around shit like this in her purse so do not fuck around.

Here we are the next day installing again. Well I'm installing again Albert is still chilling with Primo and working on his stand up set. I painted all the walls grey. I did this at the Museum in La Jolla and it really made the paintings stand out from the walls so I decided to do it again here. 3 coats of paint later........geesh.

Here we are at the opening. Marsea holding court with her lady art killers.

Here is Albert looking for more Primo and telling more jokes. Mostly about oil spills and sex.

This trouble maker decided to show up too.

So did all of these british kids, who would have thought! This is the after party at the BBQ joint across from NIA.

Albert gave another stand up routine for the Date Farmer and friends.

Stevie P had never seen BBQ before. Apparently there are not a lot of BBQ joints in Newcastle...I freaking love this guy thought look how confused he looks.

Woke up to this dude painting by our hotel.

Recharging the spinners. Thats right they are rechargeable....green art.

My favorite person ever here Laurn. She looks like she is contemplating the art but she is really wondering how much pasta she ordered this week. Her cafe completely consumes her.

Marsea in the project room.

Here she is telling me about my art and where she sees it fitting in in the larger picture of things. I love her so much.....she always has the right things to say.

After a long afternoon of wandering and talking we decided to hit up MOCA and Hopper on the way out of town.

Ran into the Tenore's and Herbie.

Rat tails

How sick is this Hopper art? The next few photos are my favorite works from the show. Really liked it overall.

Thanks LA. I'll be back to pick up my art on July 31st....see you then.

New Image Art (LA)

2010-07-08T06:50:00.001-07:00

Im packing up and driving my latest work to my home away from home New Image Art. The show opens this friday (the 9th of July). We had originally planned to open the show this Saturday but Marsea thought it would be best to not compete with Deitch and Hopper. I agree with her.

I seriously need to stop procrastinating about stopping procrastinating. You would think I would have learned.

ARTnews Review

2010-06-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

My Uncle gave me a subscription to ARTnews last year for Christmas. It was a free give away subscription he got for subscribing himself. He handed it to me and told me that if I ended up in here (in the pages of ART News) I could feel like I had really "made it". I definitely do not feel like I have "made it" but I am happy that this month he might feel like I had.

The latest edition of ARTnews has a really nice review of my last show at Quint Contemporary by art critic Robert Pincus. Kinda strange to read a review now, its been 6 months since the show opened but I am super honored and stoked nontheless.

Playboy's July Issue

2010-06-22T19:14:00.001-07:00

Im pretty sure everyone consumes nudity digitally these days. But if you happen to still be analog go pick up this months issue of playboy and check out page 34. One of my elephants wandered into the mansion and worked his way into an issue. Wonder where he is now?

MCASD

2010-06-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

Last weekend (June 6th) was the opening of "Here Not There" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. The opening was super fun. Lots of interesting art and some pretty surprisingly good music...maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised.

Below are some photos. I spent most of the night talking and forgetting to take photos. So if you are wondering where all the photos are....well....I was talking.

Cotton Candy........seriously.

Nice pants Heather.

Lauren and Ruscha have a thing going on. This is me confronting her about it.

Does anyone (who grew up in Colorado) remember "Fantastic Nathans"? This instillation transported me back there.

I am allergic to the red tide in the ocean. The algae in the red tide use the same chemistry to glow that this instillation did. Radicalness from Brian Dick.

My instillation

I saw this guys hat from across the museum. I had to see it up close. Looks like Paper Rad made it or something.....so good.
After we finished draining the life out of the museum we (we had become a large group throughout the evening) decided to go to the beach and have a beach party. But we needed to pick up some party favors on the way.

How rad is Phills jacket.

We spent the rest of the night talking about ice cream.

The show at the museum stays up until September. So if you have some time.....

Studio 5/28

2010-05-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

I am becoming what I am interested in. I am interested in what I can not understand.

Seriously...

2010-05-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

The first show I ever did as an artist was at a coffee shop not too far from the MCA in La Jolla. That was about 6 years ago and this spring (in about 2 weeks) I will be exhibiting some new paintings at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. Its a survey of artist living and working in San Diego. The show opens June 6th. Check here for more information.

Hey Kanye

2010-05-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the post Kanye. I don't know who does the Kanye West blog but I really like the frames they put all my paintings in. I might have to see if my framer cant make some just like em. I also like the Jeff Koons and Helmet Newton posts.

So check out his blog....its actually pretty good.

Auction Explosion

2010-04-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago now the Museum of Contemporary (SD) art had a benefit auction and I donated one of my new explosion piece. I didn't actually go to the auction though. I guess I felt like it would be a bit weird, like maybe I shouldn't have cared what happened but I really was interested in the whole process. Anyway here is the list of contributing artists.

This is the explosion I donated. Oh, and by the way, the museum has a pretty good site with all the donated pieces on it here.

Ryan McGinness

Ed Ruscha

Richard Serra

There is the little explosion just left of Jean Lowe (one of my favorite SD artists). Im actually happy with the way the smaller explosion pieces look, they read much bigger than they actually are.

On the way out of the museum I ran into this dude.

And upon returning to the studio I found Iggy had rolled in all the gesso dust I had just finished making and turned a nice shade of grey. He didn't seem to mind, or even notice.

Ill have some more (exciting) museum announcements in the next post.

Crushing the Competition

2010-04-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

I went up to LA last weekend to meet up with Steve and see his latest show (Dave Choe in Beverly Hills). Every time I hang out with this guy I am constantly blown away by his ideas. There is definitely not a lack of big thinking here and he always seems to find a way to pull it off too.....always.

Im also excited to report that I will be doing a show in London next year in the fall. I like showing in the fall. The summer usually sucks for surf down here, the days are long and I get lots of work done. Im going to work my ass of for this show.

Rabbit Ears

2010-04-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

A few years back I was over at my friend Harry's house. He had a massive pile of art books and lots of extra time to talk so I would frequently find myself over there plowing through the dusty covers in search of inspiration. I came across some really amazing stuff this way (Mucha, Beardsley, Cheret etc.) he was really into Art Nouveau which I was never all that interested in before I meet Harry. I also happened onto a large pile of Playboys from the early 70's and was totally blown away. Apart form the women these things were packed with great art and writing. I really was only interested in the articles (mostly anyway). So when Playboy asked to use some of my art for an upcoming issue I jumped at the chance. I think its the July issue but I'll let you now for sure.

This Guy Again

2010-04-27T18:31:00.001-07:00

Studio Shot 4/10

2010-04-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance baffle them with bull.

Work In Progress

2010-04-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

"Work should capture the beauty of art while acknowledging the harshness of life."

-John Keats

Short Doc

2010-03-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

So about 2 Years ago Marsea from New Image art told me a guy named Gavin wanted to shoot a short documentary about my art and the preparation effort for my first solo show at New Image. Gavin and I hung out, went to the zoo, surfed, partied, ate and worked together for a few months before the show. I hadn't heard anything from Gavin since then and had not actually watched the little documentary until just now. I guess I felt a but weird watching it for some reason...I dont know....is that wierd? Anyway its great and Im super happy for Gavin and his brand new website"The Creative Lives". He will be posting more short docs too; Barry McGee, Megan Whitmarsh, Porus Walker, Mark Dean Veca and New Image Art!

Kelsey Brookes Feature from TheCreativeLives on Vimeo.

Sleepercar

2010-03-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

The dudes from Sleepercar asked for some art for there latest 7in. a little while back and its finally ready to see the light of day. "Sleepercar is the alternative country project of Jim Ward, a member of Sparta and former member of At the Drive-In." I stole that quote from Wikipedia. I am a big fan of both Sleepercar and Wikipedia....I wounder if wikipedia will ever hit me up for art?

The 7in. comes with a little silk screen print too (series of 100). Check here for more info.

Thanks a million to Jim and all the other members of Sleepercar for giving me this opportunity!

Berlin Blizzard

2010-02-24T19:54:00.001-08:00

There is a blizzard headed to Berlin. A sticky, sweet and shinny, candy blizzard.

Info on these are as follows;

Medium: Mixed Media on Wood

Size: 7.5inx7.5in framed

These are a continuation of my Candy Blizzard series started last year for my show at Quint.

If you are interested contact Circle Culture Gallery.

EXPLOSIONS

2010-02-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

I got the last 4 editions to the "Explosion" series back from the framers today. We rounded the corners on these ones and they look great. I think a more dramatic rounding of the corners would still look better but we are getting there. We are also still working on a way to get these to spin inside the frame which seems to get more and more impossible the more we refine the frame.

The skeleton you see doubles as my inspiration for my next series of paintings and a security guard for the studio. He might be skinny but he doesn't ask for much in return for watching over things. You might recognize him from the New Image Show?

Started work on some new prints last week too. More on that later thought.

Last Minute RVCA

2010-02-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ok so this post is old.....way old....like a month old better late than never I guess.

I got a call from Casey up at RVCA with a last minute painting mission, which I always love. This particular mission found Ed, George and I painting gigantic nude photos of Erin Wasson. Like I said it was super last minute. So I packed up my paint drove up to RVCA and started painting. Ed was taking time off from packing up everything he had ever done in the past 10 years and shipping it to Belgium....so gnarly. I guess S.M.A.K. (which is a huge museum in Belgium) is turning over their entire museum over to him! Super stoked for Ed. Ok back to the mission. We got to work and painted until about 2am when we started feeling tired and a bit over it.

George and Ed getting down on Erin. Its not what it sounds you perv.

There was a little bit of improv going on here with the use of a broom as a paint brush. It looks a lot like a paint brush anyway.

This little nugget was the coolest thing I saw the entire weekend.

Except for maybe this. This is Lauren's (or is it Loryn??) new Tattoo of a little skeleton she found in one of my paintings. This makes the 2nd RVCA employee to ruin their skin with my art.

How are those boob faces. The noses of the faces are the nipples. Nose Nipples...ha.

This is Ed's final product.

My final product.

And George's final too.

Super thanks to George, Ed, Diana, Casey and all the dudes from RVCA who helped out.

Nylon

2010-02-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Nylon Magazine ran a story on "a new generation of art rebels..." in there March issue. Inside of which there is an interview and a photo of me floating in the air in front of a painting. Im not actually floating as much a mid rotation. I guess all those years of Gymnastics practice have finally paid off. Also featured are Ben Jones, Tomoo Gokita, Joseph Allen Shea, and Olaf Breuning.

art ltd.

2010-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Art Ltd. did an interview and show preview in there November/December issue....you know the one with Pettibon on the cover. How awesome is Raymond Pettibon anyway. I have a shirt that he and RVCA made which has quickly become one of my favorite shirts ever.

Bright Young Thing

2010-02-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this at the time but back in November, during the run up to the Quint show, City Beat ran a small interview and put Felix on the cover. You can read the interview here.

Random

2010-02-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Below are some photos that do not relate to one another. That is why I titled this post "Random". Upon further contemplation I now realize that they do relate to each other through me. I am the string that ties these images together. Which means you might not find them all that interesting unfortunately. If we have similar enough personalities you might find them significant and interesting though.

I found this image in an old book on posters and it immediately struck me. This is almost exactly what it looks like to get barreled. Minus the red glow to everything. But seriously....it looks like these dudes found a square board (or possibly a sponge) and are getting shacked together. So good.

My Buddy Stevie P. e-mailed this over the other day. The guy holding the picture of me is also named Steve but they are not brothers. The images is a RVCA add that they found somewhere in the freezing island they call home. Pretty sure he is trying to pick my nose. Love these dudes!

Liz from RVCA e-mailed this photo over. It of a Trip we all took to NYC about 5 years back. We all look so much younger......happier? Left to right......Matt Gordon, Ben Horton, Liz, George Thompson, and me.

This is a photo of Me and Amber (of Busy-Being and New Image) at the Prism Gallery opening. We ran into Mark as we where trying to navigate through all those shoulders.

This was one of Lauren's Christmas presents for me. I have no idea what it is but it is great. This photo is also the last photo I took of my old studio. More on that later.

Lauren and Horse-Head on the air mattress. When we first got Iggy (aka. horse head) we had all these rules about him not getting up on furniture......Lauren is always forgetting about those rules. Im pretty sure there are no more rules. I am officially living in dog created Anarchy.