Americana Joss Parker Opening at Gallery 831

Joss Parker Solo exhibition closing Friday July 29th 6-9 @ Gallery 831 Article from Melissa Starker of the Columbus Dispatch for the exhibition http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2011/07/24/works-riff-on-images-taken-from-pop-culture.html Preview from Heather Gross Of the Columbus Alive (Below) http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2011//14/exhibit-red-white-and-pop-americana.html

Karate Chop Arlo Moon made a stop in gallery 831 along with fellow artist Pam Ashton & husband Mike

Private Collector Ray T. Vinyls gettin' his Joss Parker collection on

A whole mess of portraits (mostly Marilyns) & a happy balloon

Neon Marilyn Triptcyh, Sylvester Suicide, Steve McQueen,Bogey & Casper

Kool-Aid's, Garbage Pail Kids, Records Bulls eye Homer & Satan Reagans...

man on the moon series along with co-labs with photographer W.E.Arnold.

visit @ http://www.wearnoldphotography.com/ for more of Arnold's work.

A thank you to everyone who came out to the opening, to curator Juan Carrera & owner Tami Knight, my collaborator W.E. Arnold, Melissa Starker of the Columbus Dispatch & Heather Gross of the Columbus Alive as well as Private Collector Raymond T Vinyls for the acquisitions & the Video which you can see here >>>>
@ http://youtu.be/y34ItkMWo2Y & of course my wife for the catering.

Hope to see you at the closing...

visit Clayspace/gallery 831 @http://www.clayspace831.com/

Exhibit Review | Clayspace/Gallery 831: Works riff on images taken from pop culture

Exhibit Review | Clayspace/Gallery 831: Works riff on images taken from pop culture

First solo gallery show at 831 gallery

Joss Parker

Red, White & POP! Americana solo exhibition at Gallery 831...

Opening reception Saturday July 16th
Closing reception Friday July 29th

Link to a video by a private collector
http://youtu.be/y34ItkMWo2Y

Thanx to Heather Gross for the show preview in the Columbus Alive
http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2011/07/14/exhibit-red-white-and-pop-americana.html?sid=108





So, July finds me having my first solo "gallery" exhibition at Clay space / 831 gallery in the brewery district of Columbus & I gotta start off by thanking Artist/Curator Juan Carrera as well as Owner/Artist Tami Knight for the opportunity to have my first real solo show at such a handsome space. Also, for all the Social networking & press work....
I have or had (before sales) 98 art pieces last count at this show, everything from my pop art & photo pop paintings of my own, to co-labs with local photographer & friend W.E. Arnold, a few of my Hawaiian oil landscapes & some prints of my black & white photography from New York, Charleston & the before mentioned Hawaii. I even painted pop portraits on 4 records & brought my "Desire" city scape collage! Pieces from 2009 (beginning), 2010 (arrival) & most of it from 2011. Painted surfaces such as canvas, stretched vinyl, commercial signs & photo prints...






I busted my ass on this show & I'd do it again anytime & anywhere. The last few weeks leading up to the show were rough as I was sick with a fever for 4 days & the rest of the sickness lingered for 3 more days, so there you go... The hanging of the show was pushed back from the 12th to 15th & I had 4 separate music acts back out, two in the last days before the damn thing....

I was fortunate enough though to be interviewed by the Columbus Dispatch's Melissa Starker & gave her a preview of the show, that article will be in the Sunday July 24th edition & it feels like I'm getting better at this interviewing thing, that being the 4rth I've had in the last 14 months or so....
After brushing all the good, the bad & the ugly outta the way, the show was finally hung & ready aside from 4 pieces I had to finish the day of show... My lovely & beautiful wife did all the catering & running around so I could stay on work & not waste energy on something else. She totally rocked the food & was such a huge help for me with this event.

So, I thank everyone for their support & help with so much. Kinda like it takes a village to make an art show kinda thing....

It's on like Warhol Donkey Kong

http://www.parkerpopshop.com/ ...I just finished the first set of 4 new paintings titled "Warhol Donkey Kong" (14"x16"x2" spraypaint on canvas) in a series of 8.The title is pretty straight forward & understated...I first had this idea about a year ago, but was to busy to implement it then.I did my R&D for it 4 months ago & they sat, ready to be cut & wrapped up quick.I had to take my time on this particular idea & make sure I got it right, not right but perfect.Spending hours,days & weeks staring & thinking of composition, position, color palette & overall originality of the idea...

The best & or most original idea doesn't mean anything if it's not properly executed.With this thinking I sat on it, but once I was cutting the stencils I was flying.All the separate layers were lined up just right & came together better than I could have hoped for.I even "knocked one out" at 83 gallery in Columbus while I was working a shift there,#3 was completed there in just 3 hours,most of it dry time.If I had to guess I'd say from cutting stretcher bars, stretching the canvas, cutting stencils, paint & signature there's probably about 5 hours in each...

All four will be on display this month.Number 1 is at the Mac Worthington gallery of contemporary art http://www.macworthington.com/, number 2 is at 83 gallery http://www.83gallery.com/ & number 3 is at Brothers Drake Meadery http://www.brothersdrake.com/ , all of which are in the Short North arts district in Columbus, Ohio.Meanwhile number 4 will be on display at the "Through the lookin' glass" art show in Charleston, South Carolina on June 18th,where I'll also be live painting.

I'm not really gonna dive into the concept of this series' of paintings as I don't think I need to.The idea speaks for itself, it's not an ink blot test.I look forward to doing the set of 4 soon, but first I need to do some other subjects & get away from it for a month or 2.It'll never be fresh to me again obviously as I did it, so a break from the subject is understandable.I wanna thank everyone who's complemented all of them & I love to make people laugh when they see art & how I can diffuse snotty "Fine Art" , it's still fun & as long as I'm a smart ass....I'm gonna paint like a smart ass....

A temporary goodbye to Cleveland's Pop shop

I started showing at the Pop Shop Gallery in Cleveland almost exactly a year ago after moving to Columbus & Ohio in December of 2009.Remember the first 2 1/2 hour drive up to drop off art work for the $5o dollar show, a show where I sold two Kool-Aid's & my wife & I fell in love with the Lakewood area.Before that I thought it was very cool to have found a gallery devoted to pop art, especially in Cleveland & with the first few emails back & forth owner/artist Rich Cihlar found it funny my email was parkerpopshop as that's what I named my fledgling business in 2009.We had never heard of one another (obviously), just a case of two artists with a major commonality in influence with pop art & it's "movement"...




Before I even walked in the gallery screamed of pop goodness what with the neon signs,stickered up door with tint & Mullens the bar right next to it.You walk in & see all the art,shirts,crafts & the bubblegum machine filled with pop pin's,thinking it's an indie pop sanctuary!You start to talk to Rich & Jeff (his right hand man) & it's just Kool laid back pop biz as usual just outside Cleveland.I showed there the rest of 2010 & every experience was awesome.Fellow Columbus artist & friend Arlo Moon began showing there & we even drove up to pop shop together on one occasion as well as being in 3 shows together there...
After almost a year Rich asked if I wanted to participate in a 3 man exhibition at ARTificial gallery, which is a gallery within a gallery or basically another room (large) for the gallery's 5 year Birthday.How does a pop painter say no to that?An idea of his was for us to stencil the walls with corresponding work in the "Connect the dots" (above) show.We drove up on a Saturday with 15 paintings & spent a good 4 hours talking & working together to prepare the show.Upon completion Rich gave Jen & I a bottle of his homemade apple wine (deli sh) we drank later that nite back in the studio in Columbus.A few weeks later we attended the show & also Lakewood Park on lake Erie.Our favorite place in Lakewood,along with pop shop or Starbucks,a park where one could take peanuts & be overwhelmed by a squirrel army of 50 strong.They'll come right up to you & almost eat it out of your hands.Several art drop offs & pick ups were spent this way with me playing Ace Ventura, while Jen & Chey went down to the lake or were playing at the playground, good times for sure!!!

The POP SHOP GALLERY in Cleveland will be having it's last two shows in the physical gallery coming up in June & July.The temporary closing of it's location is due to owner & Artist Rich Cihlar & his wife expecting their first child in September.Rich will be spending a great deal of his time with his child over the next few years & a big congratulations to the expecting couple.The gallery will still be active in Cleveland arts & of course Rich isn't gonna stop painting in his soon to be done new studio.Jen & I drove up to pick up work this past Tuesday & got to talk more with him of the overall transition of being a dad & the gallery as well as the building's future.Breakneck gallery as well as the Cleveland craft coalition will be taking on the space at 17020 Madison Avenue one in the Pop shop space & one in the ARTificial space, shows will still take place & local artists save a spot to promote their art.The last two shows (for now) at the pop shop gallery Will be the $50 dollar show & the Avenging Cleveland show, after that the before mentioned Breakneck & Cleveland craft will be taking over the space.Do yourself a huge favor & don't miss these two last shows because once it's gone you're gonna miss it,I'm gonna miss it & so will Lakewood.A big congrats to Rich,his wife & the artists taking on the space & doin their thang.

Before leaving Tuesday with art work in tow bound for home in Columbus,Rich & I traded paintings...My "Kool-Aid" (yellow #1) for his "Aint it cool" (Fonzie) skate deck.Making it the first time I've traded my work with a fellow artist.I mentioned how much I liked the deck at the connect the dots show or pre-hang or both & Rich suggested we trade.It now hangs in my studio & an awesome painting that will remind me of Rich,Jeff,Jerry Shirts,Lakewood park & the times spent there...Thank you POP SHOP for the memories we've had for the last year & Cleveland keep bein' Rockin'!!!!!!

New York City Trip Part 1

For the longest time I've wanted to return to New York city (the mecca) to exhibit my artwork.My first show (2009) was at the now defunct Climate gallery (left) in Long Island City, where I exhibited two paintings, but was unable to attend (probably for the best) & the last time I was there in Manhattan (pre 9/11) was 1998...After a year of showing in Columbus,Cleveland & Springfield as well as solid commissions & sales (including Vancouver B.C) I began to build up my bankroll & my contacts with a 5-10 day return trip to N.Y.C in mind for spring 2011.My original intention (plan) was to travel alone (lone butterfly) by train (Amtrak) out of Cincinnati to New York's Penn Station & stay with an Italian art model (Marie) for 7 days in Brooklyn & the Carter Hotel (from the movie Great Expectations) for 3 days.Well as we all know plans can change & I found a sweet little spot in Williamsburg (awesome!) at the Splatterpool art space courtesy of my guy Tolga.Fellow Pop shop gallery (Cleveland) & 83 gallery (Columbus) artist surprised me by wanting to join me on the adventure.The two weeks leading up to my departure date were filled with nothing, but hours of research,maps,emails,confirmations all while painting my usual output...Set up a show with the antagonist art movement at Niagara in Alphabet city (Tompkins square) for March 31st & was also accepted to ASA gallery (July) along, with a show at the Chelsea hotel ( May) as well as a meeting with my guy, New York's best artist (voted by time out N.Y) Borbay...With everything set & ready to go (relatively speaking) there was one last thing to do, buy a camera as well as lots of black & white film.

We set out of Columbus, Ohio fully packed with our art (8-10 paintings each) at high noon (symbolism) on March 30th for a 9+ hour drive (according to google)thru parts of 5 states.Passed thru Ohio (80mph) into the depressing West Virginia coal country & the town of Wheeling.Stopping for gas on the weirdest off ramp (gas station literally on the ramp) just before entering Pennsylvania & it's mountains.20 minutes after our encounter with the before mentioned off ramp station (cue the Dane cook public restroom joke), up in the foothills next to the highway were two snow foxes (playing or ?) in the high elevation snow.I always heard from my grama Parker growing up that seeing a fox was "good luck" & "auspicious" & there were two!!!Seems like a silly native superstition, but hey?Whatever helps me focus on positive thoughts & energy is (to me) a good thing.Driving on we climbed up into the mountains it began to snow huge powdery flakes that blanketed out everything in front of us (to Arlo's credit,he's a pro) & I looked out my passenger side window at the barely visible 2,000 foot drop with subsequent warning sign,thinking it's not the same as a sheer drop in Colorado, but still pretty goddamn scary.....Soon we began to go thru the tunnels under such mountains as Allegheny,Blue & another (or 2?) I couldn't pronounce & it reminded me of my honeymoon in Hawaii.Driving thru the like-like (pronounced lick-e lick-e in native Hawaiian) tunnel of Oahu with my wife on our way back from the Byodo-in temple & of course my thoughts turned to her for a while, which was a nice break from the intensity of the white out & riding thru the base of a mountain(s).Climbing down from the hills, rollin' fast thru the valley land of Penn & crossing into New Jersey (Dirty Jerz) the anticipation really began to pick-up as the light from Newark & New York stained the sky above a pinkish/magenta.Arlo turned on New York radio & we we're particularly taken with the hot 97 & funkmaster flex (can't believe he's still on it) as you just don't hear current solid east coast hip hop on Midwestern crap radio.After a few moments of confusion on the Jersey turnpike, we found ourselves in the Holland tunnel under the Hudson river (enough with going under crap) & came out onto the island of Manhattan & the west village.Takin' our "sweet ass" time to ensure we didn't take a wrong turn, but also to enjoy the action,scenery & all the other things that make the city so unique.After China town we climbed the Brooklyn bridge (roller coaster for me) & I thought it would collapse beneath us,crashing into the river below along with all the other 100 cars,trucks,etc.Just one of those random paranoid delusions that stops your heart and you hold your breath until the end of the ride.You come off the other side into Williamsburg (up & coming) in the borough of Brooklyn & every thing's comin' up Milhouse.A few mistakes later & we found ourselves at our destination just under the suggested time of google maps (sweet speed racer) & our hosts for the next 5 days,the gang at Splatter pool art space.The vacation officially begins when you reach the place you can relax & call your home away from home & we were at ours & our business trip officially began......................To be continued in Part II