"What on earth does this weirdo image have to do with comedy, SXSW, and Texas? (If anything?)When we the artists, get the lucky tap to do one of these posters for a favorite show, we are even more blessed with a free hand to basically come up with anything -- as long as it makes a striking image and includes the jester frog somewhere within. It’s a rare gift to be given that freedom, and I confess I took that long rope and ran wild with it, happily. Frankly though, I always liked the idea of comedy being a function of pain fueled by surprise. There’s a pathos behind what makes something funny, and a shared empathy that enjoins us all to laugh together. I guess an upside down, bisected horse, dipped in paint is how I put that idea into a picture. The frog is their fault, the horse we can blame on Texas, and the rest you can blame on me."- Greg Ruth
When this version of the SEER emerged it immediately felt like a protective spirit, a tribute to past and present experience and the need to sever oneself in order to see things as they are, to face the present with fierce determination.The print is a 24 x 36" - 5 color screen print.
We are entities swathed in swirling decoration, experiential baggage, and emotional scars. When we can step away from this earthly body and see through the mask who is having the experience? When seemingly insurmountable obstacles present themselves how can we witness and proceed?
I channel the question through visual art. It’s a vital function and blessing I’ve cherished for my entire life. When the spirit feels untethered...turn within and create.
This is a concept I've had in the sketchbook for years. I absolutely adore my childhood and always wanted to pay tribute to it. It was a time of innocence, development, and creativity. I've held onto several toys from my childhood but none of them meant more to me than the classic LJN WWF figures and ring. I played with my wrestlers constantly and to this day, refer to the 1986 Christmas (when I received my wrestlers and ring) as one of the best Christmases of all time. This isn't just about the wrestlers though. Other toys were just as impactful, such as He-Man, GI Joe, Transformers, NES, etc. I imagine every generation has their own fondness to the toys of their time but I can only speak to mine...and we were blessed with amazing toylines. This, on one level, is a celebration of those toys, but more importantly it's about the joy of being a kid in the 80's.These limited edition prints are available at www.stateofshockstudios.com
"I made this painting last summer as part of a series of paintings for my first show in Australia, at Beinart Gallery in Melbourne. At the time I was thinking a lot about the fragile ecosystem of the Australian continent. It's a very dry country made up of a huge desert, surrounded by a ring of habitable land, which seems precarious giving rising global temperatures and increased desertification. Australia is also home to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's great natural wonders, which is in a perilous state. And, of course, Australia is where Mad Max comes from. Which might include some truly badass car chase scenes, but is also, at its heart, is a parable about our love for gas and automobiles trumping our love for nature and humanity. Well, at least as I see it.
And so I was thinking about all of these things as I worked on a series of paintings all set in a dusty desert plain, with remnants of our civilization mixed in with the last stragglers of a once vibrant ecology. The recent brush fires in Australia happened a few months after I finished this series of paintings, and made them seem oddly prescient. I make paintings about the future - the future we think we're going to have, to future we're trying to avoid, and the future perhaps we'd most like to see. I think we're living in a moment where the future is still very open, but we're increasingly inching towards the point where it will be dictated for us. What I really hope I'm doing in my work is pointing out how beautiful this future could be, but also how sad and empty it might turn out if we don't take some responsibility for it soon." - Scott Listfield
We are aware of dozens of wildlife shelters and carers around the state that have been affected by the Victorian bushfires and extreme heat events.
Donations to our Victorian bushfire appeal will be distributed to wildlife shelters and carers to help rebuild enclosures and equipment that they have lost in the fires so that they can continue their lifesaving work, and support those that are struggling to cope with the enormous number of animals that will need care in the coming weeks and months.
For more information on other ways to help wildlife during and after the bushfires, please click here.
For more information on exactly how donations to our bushfire appeal are assisting wildlife, please click here.
"Fear of the great white shark by humans has probably been around since the first-time ancient man encountered one. Despite their fearsome reputation and celebrity status, very little is known about this awesome apex predator.
Sharks, in particular great whites, have always been one of the most fearful species on the planet despite the fact that less than 10 people die per year due to shark incidents. Simply put, we are not on their menu. I'd like to help change that misguided perspective through my artwork. Apex predators are essential to the balance of any healthy food chain and the same goes for our oceans. Healthy oceans need healthy shark populations." - Chris Austin