California Part 2 Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz

17 September 2018

Santa Barbara

While exploring Santa Barbara, I stumbled upon my ideal art studio. So European but of course with a California/Spanish influence. Look at this beautiful window! And the patina on that wall! I wonder who’s art studio it was? Maybe a couple of artists, an art colony? Sadly it seems to be offices today, probably lawyers.

We found this record shop by chance. It has a very good selection with beautiful handcrafted record bins. The guy working there was really nice too. I found a Slim Whitman record.

Across the street there is a museum, I didn’t catch the name of the said museum, but the show up at the moment was about the Spanish culture in Santa Barbara and the festival “Old Spanish Days”.

Oh California! If anyone wonders why my art is so influences by Mexican and Chinese imagery, now you know. It’s my growing up in California.

We had lunch next to this beautiful cinema and found a great antique shop nearby. The store had all California/Spanish antiques and jewelery. A real treasure, very expensive, but like a museum in the quality of what was in the store. I was very impressed by this collection of portraits. Anders Aldrin.

Santa Cruz

I grew up near Santa Cruz, I spent many summer days at the Boardwalk. I don’t remember what was in this warehouse before, when I was a kid, but the museum there shows that it used to be a swimming pool in the 20’s – 40’s. Now it’s miniature golf with a pirate theme, with animatronics! And a super cool lighthouse!

The caveman and cavewoman are still on the aerial tramway. And it still gives me vertigo!

Dedicace de Hey! Deluxe #2 Season 2

13 September 2018

UNE SEULE DÉDICACE À PARIS
SAMEDI 22 SEPTEMBRE à partir de 17h30
Librairie Le Monte-en-l’air, 2 rue de la Mare (71 rue de Ménilmontant) 75020 Paris
www.montenlair.wordpress.com / 01 40 33 04 54

ARTISTES EN DÉDICACE :
Nils Bertho, mad meg, Laurent Martin, Sunny Buick, Claire Fanjul, Carmen Pluto, Brigitte Lajoinie, Cyam, Laura Satana, Mathieu Lewin, Zoé Forget.

California 2018 Part 1 SoCal

5 September 2018

San Diego California, mid June 2018, the begining of a beautiful summer. Here I am unable to stop my planning and scheming for the future. I’m kinda excited about some spiritual growth I’ve made in the last few months. I hope to share more with you soon. This vacation helped me to put some order in my chaotic thoughts.

We visited the Barrio district of San Diego, possibly the most vibrant area in town. Great food, record stores, lowbrow art galleries, art studios, murals. My kind of place!

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New Illustrations: Song Book for a French Publisher

15 August 2018

The original art above and the printed results below. Acrylic paint on old sheet music.

KunstRomantik #5! Stuttgart

31 July 2018

I’ll be in Stuttgart guest tattooing August 6th through the 12th. At my friend Melli’s new address for her hair salon, Dos ‘n’ Dyes. There is a big party on the 11th. Art, music, food, drink, and tattoos.

Mandalas

28 July 2018

Mandala- is the tibetian word and symbol for circle. It can also be translated as sphere, environment, community, cosmos, or microcosmos. It is pricipally used for focus during meditation, as a spiritual guidance tool. A reminder of balance or what these things mean to you, or an offering. Sacred space. Used also to induce a trancelike state, which can be helpful when trying to shed all of our preconceived ideas and beliefs learned over a lifetime of bad influences from our environment and society. I’m not jumping on the tattoo bandwagon, 4 of these drawings I drew 20 years ago. That being said, I think a mandala tattoo is great portable meditation reminder and magic to boot!

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Family Von Swartlagune

24 July 2018

A painting I finsihed awhile ago and haven’t shared here yet. The family portrait gallery of the Creature from the Black Lagune. I may make prints from this. Would you be interested?

La Femme Papillon

20 July 2018

La femme-papillon

Depuis des années, l’image de la femme-papillon me hante : les ailes symétriques et colorées de la créature ajoutent à la séduisante féminité. Je m’y identifie quelque peu. J’en ai fait une collection de motifs de tatouages. Ce symbole léger et gracieux chatouille mon imaginaire peuplé d’images de déguisements victoriens. Dans la mythologie grecque, le papillon représente la psyché, la destinée de l’âme. La fragilité de son existence évoque la fuite du temps. Plus tard dans l’Histoire de l’Art, les vanités du 18ème siècle servent à nous rappeler d’abandonner matérialisme et prétention. Tout cela me parle. Je vois la femme-papillon comme une métaphore de l’artiste qui a le pouvoir de prendre une matière brute et de la transformer en quelque chose qui exprime la sensibilité de son âme. Une autre interprétation qui m’intéresse dans le concept de papillon, c’est qu’il se rapproche de la lumière et de son pendant mystique : la spiritualité. Sa façon de voler vers elle en flottant, en voyageant sans soucis, est enviable. Mon tableau « Social Butterfly » (« personne qui papillonne en société» en anglais) avec ses tatouages de roses représente par exemple la liberté des histoires d’amour successives. C’est que j’apprécie d’allier humour et mélancolie dans ses choix. Aujourd’hui, sur le chemin de mon développement artistique, j’en suis au stade de chenille : la phase où je mets de l’ordre dans mes pensées, mes idées, mes projets. Je vois l’École comme ma chrysalide. La prochaine étape de ma métamorphose sera une renaissance, un passage rituel. J’ai envie de faire des objets, des installations, des performances, du multi media, des textiles. J’ai encore beaucoup de progrès à faire avant d’être en équation avec ma vision. J’ai besoin changement dans mon développement ; ré-déterminer mes objectifs, acquérir une technique plus contrôlée, une méthodologie maîtrisée, mais également apprendre à adopter un style sauvage, spontané, apprendre aussi à lâcher prise, abandonner le contrôle. Plusieurs options m’interpellent : utiliser des matières nobles ? Changer de style ? De technique ? J’ai tendance à aimer et chercher la symétrie, est-ce là se mettre en quête d’équilibre ? Je ne sais pas encore, mais je veux le découvrir.

Milagros Tattooed

19 July 2018

Here’s some pics of all the milagros tattoos I’ve done recently from my flash sheets. Thank you so much to all my wonderful clients! I love doing these. LOVE

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Debriefing: Exposition Gang of Witches 2018 Venus’ Revolution

7 June 2018

It was a wild ride this year.

Venus’ Revolution, the symbol for woman and the feminist movement, the planet, the goddess. So many strong feelings around this subject.

This year I just had one painting, plus the small installation of banners with angry little messages. I was chuckling to myself as I finished them. It is so typical of me that even when the words are furious, the image is all pink and pretty.

Here’s the artist’s statement about the painting:

Bougainville discovered Polynesia when he arrived in Tahiti in 1768. Returning home enchanted by this island paradise, populated by topless tattooed women who could freely choose their sexual partners, offering themselves to the foreign sailors, whom they beleived to be gods.

With their readymade garden of Eden myth and the disobedient Eve, the returning explorers started a campain to convince the authorities of the need to convert this «savage» population to Christianity, cover their nudity and destroy their pagan idols. We know their real purpose was to exploit the natural ressources and create a port of call. They used shame as a psychological domination technique, as it is still used in our capitalist, narcissistic societies today.

This work, Retribution Ritual, is a feminist revenge fantasy of the oppressed; a Wahinis’ revolution, where they have realized early on that their innocence and generosity have been abused, which leads them to return the violence they have suffered and become the perpetrators, offering the heads of their enemies to the Tiki idol, symbolically dismantling patriarchy.

A closeup:

Some of the banners:

Some information about the event:

⭐️GANG OF WITCHES ⭐️
Espace Léon Cœur
3, rue Portefoin 3eme Paris

Release of our 2018 Book: Venus 220 Pages limited edition 300 copies

Exposition « Venus’ révolution »

ARTISTS:
• Paola Hivelin – Visions – Peinture & sculpture • Melanie Torok – Wake Up – Photos • Sunny Buick – Retribution Ritual – Installation • Ciou – Éléments – Paintings • Sandrine Elberg – Yuki-Onna – Photos •Mina Mond – HAX – Painting •Lorenzo – Without Anything, But This – Photos •Frédéric Betsch – à l’ombre des containers – Photos •Vivien Bertin – Iceland – Photos •Julie Atlas Muz –Venus – Performance •Émilie Jouvet – My Body My Rules – Film •Aymeric Bergadat du Cadet – Icône – Photo

⭐️PROGRAM for 24, May, 2018⭐️
GOW We Are Gang of Witches – Music performance

Mikka Lommi –We are gang of Witches – Video Clip

Tattoo booth with flash created for the event

Julie Atlas Muz –Venus – Performance

Most photos by Yohann Cordell