PoP Goes The Darkroom Collaborative Exhibition...

The PoP Goes The Darkroom Collaborative Exhibition will be hosted by Clayspace/831 Gallery on 831 South Front Street Columbus, Ohio. Opening reception is January 4th 6-9 P.M with music from Greg Hale...

http://www.facebook.com/events

http://www.clayspace831.com/

http://www.wearnoldphotography.com/

http://parkerpopshop.com

.....From the darkroom to the spotlight, the improbable collaborative artwork of W.E. Arnold and Joss Parker is a paradoxical love affair between two entirely different worlds, and the viewer is privileged to balance on the thread between them. W.E. Arnold brings to the table the anti-tourist realism of abstract street art—from the streets of Columbus, Ohio to Shanghai, China. Arnold aggressively hunts for the authentic reality of his environment instea

d of trying to construct it, and brings us his photographic evidence of what he unearths. His commitment to the aesthetics of traditional film and darkroom purity gives us a rich tapestry of gritty back alleys, luminous skylines, and urban realism.

Joss Parker is, in many ways, a patchwork of many different places and times, much like Pop art itself. Joss explores some of the world's iconic images with a glibness only found in Pop, and when utilizing the photography of W.E. Arnold to frame his paintings, the contrast only heightens the artistic effect of each. This exhibition is the next stage in the evolution of these dynamic artists. This union of a multiplicity of seemingly contradictory worlds that inhabit the same space touches something uniquely contemporary, which is perhaps why it works so damn well.

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....

Collaborations with photographer W.E Arnold

http://www,parkerpopshop.com/

http://www.wearnoldphotography.com/

...So growing up my grandfather was an amateur photographer and he would show me alot of the film, pictures as well as old movies he shot from the 20's on up thru the 70's. His photos of Catalina island off the coast of California (L.A) were always my favorite, along with his WWII photos of the south pacific and Panama...That was my introduction into B&W photography. I never went that route (photography)as it was a little to expensive, so I paint instead...

...Earlier this year, I met W.E Arnold thru Geoff Collins, chief curator with 83 gallery, at his (Geoff's) birthday party & we just kinda hit it off. A month and a half later we were talkin' about a collaboration...That piece turned out to be Godzilla in N.Y.C #1 (above right). A 20"x30" photographic print from a negative of battery park & the statue of liberty from his (W.E) trip to New york City. At the time I was very impressed with the effort, now in hindsight I know we could & did a much better job the second time around on that subject (Godzilla), but it was the foundation and what a way to start. We showed it for the first time at 83 gallery & their old location at the house on First Avenue. It made a good impression,but didn't sell. In June W.E approached about doing a second for the Exquisite corpse show to benefit the Columbus art mobile at Artillery. We came up with Holiday in N.Y.C (above right)this was a 20"x30" too, but on photo board. It was very well received by a lot of people, including the Director of that show & of the art mobile itself Heather Wirth. A favorite quote was provided courtesy of Ana da Paz-York as "a Phallicly dope co lab!"...The painting sold & helped go to a very good cause (a win-win)...In October we exhibited Godzilla #1 at Clayspace/831 Gallery in a very last minute deal with curator Juan Carrera and were rewarded for it. It was purchased by a man (Tom Wagner) that had bought my Skeletor (O.M.F.G) painting at the C-note show in Junction view studios earlier in the year (April). With the sale of that we were then able to do Shanghai street fighter, this was 24"x36" and on photo print like Godzilla #1 ,but instead of framing this one I used some adhesive to attach it to stretched vinyl.Makin' sure it was square was the real challenge, although I will say that these surfaces are the most demanding I've ever worked with.There is no room for error, as you screw up (misplaced stencil,over spray,etc.) that's it! The surface and painting will not be saved. Thankfully I've not encountered a problem I couldn't handle (knock on wood) & pray to the art gods it stays that way...Shanghai Street fighter is currently on display in Cleveland at the pop shop gallery. When dropping it off up there Rich (owner) & his main dude were shocked it was on a photo print, then to top it off I told them the photographer (W.E. Arnold) took that photo in China! It was at that point that I knew this was a special collaboration & that no two artists had done this kind of thing (Not pop art with B&W photography) before, since that moment the love of the process has increased and the work is so much more rewarding. Also, in October our N.Y.C Holiday was published in the Cleveland State University "Vindicator" along with a lovely article about me by Jordan Leah (Thanks again). In November we knocked out a Jack Kerouac co lab entitled "On the road" for which I sat & cut out a stencil of the last paragraph from the book (on the road). It took about 6 total hours to cut & in the whole duration of makin' the painting listened to my Kerouac spoken word & Jazz mix. He would have to be my favorite author or at least American author. It sold at Aberration consensus in Springfield at the State theatre, a show that W.E & I both showed & stayed at the Marriott along with our girls (Jennifer & Kaycee)...Even without the sale(s), the friendship we've developed has been so awesome & that is another point I keep makin'...The relationships I've made thru these collaborations is so far reaching & so I now have the feelin' that these (paintings/photos) are so much bigger than just myself the artist...November we also took another Godzilla & changed it up. The end results were Godzilla in N.Y.C #2 (screamer)...Another 20"x30" on the foam board (now a fav). This was exhibited at 83 gallery as part of Holiday Hop & it sold that nite. I enjoyed doin' the first one, but #2 was so much fun & I pushed myself hard. I especially enjoy the 50's Esq screamer as well as the new & improved attack helicopters! Now, here we are in December & just completed two more "On the roads"...One of which (above top) "On the road" #2 I did as a Birthday (Jan 1st) present to myself & plan on displaying it above my bookshelf, which contains 4 of Kerouac's works (on the road,dharma bums,the subterraneans & visions of Cody)...W.E Arnold is busy celebratin' a Birthday (Dec.25th) too & together we've both had a pretty incredible 2010 & so there is much to celebrate. After the New Year (my birthday) I look forward to doin' 3 completely new collaborations. That will take us up to eleven paintings with 8 different subjects & I could see gettin' up to 20 real quick...2011 will also see me take the co labs to N.Y.C to show with the Antagonist art movement, along with my other work.The first trip is scheduled for March/April and am very excited, hopefully they will be well received in the big apple too...? I'm pretty sure W.E. is "jacked up" for it as well... I've seen a great deal of Arnold's work & I also look forward to seein' him complete his darkroom along with all the new prints he'll undoubtedly produce, I imagine by late spring. To look at W.E Arnold's work you can do so at http://www.wearnoldphotography.com/ where you'll find more about the artist as well as his upcoming shows. Here are some other links as well...http://www.popshopgallery.com/ - http://www.83gallery.com/ - http://www.macworthington.com/ - http://www.cnoteartshow.com/ - http://www.clayspace.com/