One Of Kind Napkins And An Art Show Tonight!

The opening reception for my art show tonight at Picking Daisies starts in about an hour and a half. I should probably be setting up more stuff, but instead I sit here to write you a blog. Yes, you heard me. YOU! I am writing you a blog.

Yesterday I screenprinted twenty napkins for the show tonight. In case you haven't figured it out yet Picking Daisies is an amazing shop that specializes in handmade napkins. Yes, napkins! No tablecloths. No placemats. NAPKINS! And they are awesome at it. In conjunction with their napkin shop they invite artists to decorate their walls. Since I was invited to display in their shop I thought it would be fun to combine forces and fuse our creative energies together. Quite naturally, that meant "let's put my artwork on your napkins!" And so we did.





In total, we made twenty napkins. Each one is a (get ready, this is a mouthful) "one of a kind handmade original". They are $10 each and are available exclusively at Picking Daisies, 570 Higuera, Suite 120 at The Creamery in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. Because each napkin is a one of kind original don't hesitate to purchase. Once they are gone they are gone forever.

Tonight there will be an Opening Reception featuring new artwork and several limited edition prints including these napkins from 6-9pm at Picking Daisies.

Hope to see you there!

Full Frontal Action And Some Other Stuff

Ok, so it's not "full frontal action" like your perverted expectations might have hoped for and expected, but it is a photo of me hard at work. Or, "in action" as some might say.




With the action shot out of the way here are a couple of in progress photos of paintings I'm working on for the show on Friday.








Yesterday was the first day I've painted in the gallery, as evidenced by the first photo. What a concept...I actually "worked" at work. That will be a good habit to get into. In the old space it was just too small and cramped to paint comfortably. Anyway...

I've been pretty productive the last couple of weeks to prepare for this show on Friday. At the moment I have twelve new originals and a lot of prints. I might be able to squeeze in a couple more originals at the last minute. It all depends on how much sleep I decide to deprive myself of.

For those that don't know, Picking Daisies is a store that specializes in handmade napkins. They make A LOT of napkins. We decided to collaborate and make some napkins to go with the show. They let me pick out my favorite fabrics and I'm screen printing my designs on them. I'm hoping to finish twenty napkins in time for the opening on Friday.

Champagne & Hotdogs!

Drips, Splatters, And Good Times In The Late Night

I'm working on a big painting for an upcoming art show. There is still a lot of work to be done, but here are a couple of in progress shots to take a look at.









I will post a flyer for the show with all the important info later tonight or tomorrow.

Huge Site Update - 21 New Paintings

Hello Hello!

The opening at Alpha Cult last Saturday was great! A big thanks to everybody that came by to check it out. I wasn't sure what kind of a turnout to expect on Valentine's Day, but a lot of people stopped by to see what was going on. Anyway, I just now updated the site with all the new paintings, twenty-one to be exact. I made twenty-two, but I guess I forgot to photograph one of them.

If you would like to purchase any of the new work please contact Alpha Cult. It's in their hands from now until March 11, 2009. You can reach them by phone at (562) 432-9144 or by email at contact@alphacult.com. The majority of the work is $160 and under, including nine pieces that are only $65. It's a good time to pick up some original artwork at reasonable prices.

Ok, enough jibber jabber...see all the new goodies at
www.jeffclaassen.com

Thank you all for your continued support!
- Jeff

The Claassen Gallery
1118 Morro St
San Luis Obispo CA 93401
805.391.0361
www.jeffclaassen.com

Against The Grain

I apologize about late notice for the show tonight. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it for the opening, but it will be an awesome show nonetheless. The theme for the show is "wood". Paintings on wood or incorporating wood somehow. Of course, when left to interpret the word "wood" you can only assume what some of these artists will come up with. Pun intended. Pervy jokes aside here are the paintings I'll have on display.



"Be My Wet Dream"




"It Makes Me Nervous To Say So"




"Farewell"




"Pick Your Fight"




"Make Music With Me"



To purchase please contact Alpha Cult at 562.432.9144
www.alphacult.com
408 E First St
Suite #102
Long Beach CA 90802

Stenzskull Tomorrow Night

Stenzskull came to the gallery this afternoon and applied his madness to the outside gallery wall. The reception/party for his solo exhibit is tomorrow night. I hope to see all your fine sexy asses there.










For more info navigate your browsing application to www.jeffclaassen.com.

Stenzskull Solo Exhibition

"Cut & Paste"
A selection of paintings by Stenzskull
Presented by the Jeff Claassen Gallery,
San Luis Obispo CA

September 5 - October 4, 2008

The Claassen Gallery is pleased to present "Cut & Paste", an
exhibition of original stencil work by up-and-coming artist,
Stenzskull. This presentation of hand-cut stencil portraits on canvas
and wood is representative of an emerging underground art scene in
San Luis Obispo. The focus of this selection is the artist's
inspiration, an idea which is explored in its many permutations. The
images are as often iconic and poignant as they are satirical and
opinionated. Subjects are both revered and subverted; exposed and
obscured. Citing the the influence of Shepard Fairey and Banksy,
among others, and the infallible connection between himself and his
work, the artist states, "My art is everything that inspires me,
displayed on canvas. I do it for the love."

Stencils have been employed by artisans for more than 12,000 years;
From cave art depicting the hand prints of prehistoric man, Egyptian
tomb decor, Japanese silks of the Edo period, and ancient publishing
techniques, to Art Nouveau pochoirs, political propaganda of the
1940's, and Pop Art forerunners... Popularized more recently among
street artists as a method of creating pieces in less time, thereby
reducing the risks involved- stencil cutting has developed into a
popular contemporary artistic medium. The skill and execution
of a hand-cut stencil has become an art form in and of itself;
requiring patience, a steady hand, and an absolute mastery of the
concept of negative space. Unpretentious by nature, the impact of
stencils is no less influential in the message and meaning the work
conveys; and as Stenzskull confers, "Art is a great way to express
your opinions- they may agree or not, but the reaction is what
counts."

"Cut & Paste" will be Stenzskull's debut solo-exhibition.
Opening reception will be held on September 5th at 6PM
in the Claassen Gallery at 1118 Morro St. SLO, CA.
Show runs through October 4, 2008.

For further information about this exhibition, please contact
The Claassen Gallery at: 805.391.0361.

Nic Sneak Peek #1

I will try to post at least one "sneak peek" a day until the opening. This is the first one and it's one of my personal favorites. It's called "Chicken-Fried Steak Burger" and is approximately 8.5" x 11", acrylic on wood.



Oh! Also, I made a "set" on flickr dedicated to this show. Check it out. Tongue And Teeth by Nic Rodriguez. This photo set will be updated quite a bit as the show develops and will eventually be the home to all things "Tongue And Teeth" related, like photos from opening night and available originals and prints, and other goodies.

The Madness Begins

The postcards for Nic's show arrived yesterday! It's always an exciting day around the gallery when art show postcards arrive. It makes everything seem more official. Plus, it means we get to start promoting. Fun times. So, we already mailed out 300 of these suckers and then ran out of postcard stamps. We probably have at least 100 more to send out. Unfortunately, I've had to retype 100's of snail mail addresses because the file I had them saved in on my old computer was not opening on my new computer. Fancy that. Luckily, I never threw away the dozens of sheets of paper with the handwritten addresses on them. Anyway, I hope all of you (my trusty 2,000+ readers) will be able to attend this exhibition on August 1. It's going to be awesome! For reals. I mean, seriously, check out that "Mad Hatter" painting. It's dope!

Artist Spotlight: Neal Breton

Damn…I skipped out the last two Thursday's for my "artist spotlight". I apologize. In my defense, however, it's been pretty hectic with the current show in the gallery. My schedule is finally getting back to normal. Without futher ado, I'd like to introduce you to the bunny infested world of Neal Breton.



"Serious Bunny In Iceland"




"Blue Spot Rabbit"




"Red Spot Rabbit"



I'm not sure how long Neal will be in this bunny phase, so you should get them while their hot. Each one is less than $100, which is pretty awesome for cool original art. The entire series is on display right now in the "Urban Escapdes" show. Come into my gallery to see them in person or check them out online at http://claassengallery.bigcartel.com.

If you're the stalking type you can find out more nasty secrets at these internet hot spots:
- www.nealbreton.com.
- http://flickr.com/photos/nealbreton/

a tiny little update

The opening of "Urban Escapades" was awesome. I have a lot to say about it, but I am tired and have been working hard to get all the artwork from the show online. It might take a few days. I just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and still living on cereal, ice cream, mac n' cheese, and bagels. Here is a photo of some dude hitting up the "tag wall" at the opening.

I'm Procrastinating, But Who Cares?

In less than an hour it will be a new day. I'm taking a little break from work to get a few words down. Sadly, I forgot my camera at home so I am unable to please you visually. Here's the deal. I always leave my house with my backpack. Except for when I don't. Like tonight. And my camera is always in my backpack. You know, just in case. 99% of the time I never need it. Naturally, the night I don't bring my backpack is the night I want to use my camera. I would take a picture of the table in front of me. On it you would see a smorgasbord of various artworks. It's not that it's impressive. Seriously, I'm hardly impressed by it myself. However, it's picture worthy because it's a "behind the scenes" look at what I'm doing. And behind the scenes looks are almost always fascinating. For instance, before I saw "Behind The Music" I had never ever in my whole life heard of teen heartthrob, Leif Garrett, but there I sat. Transfixed. Just as you did. Oh, don't lie... you know you were just as fascinated as I was. How could you not be? I mean, look at this.





Anyway...
the point I was trying to make is that no matter how uninteresting a person is (for example, me) catching a glimpse of what happens behind the curtain is always interesting.




- INSERT PHOTO THAT I WOULD HAVE TAKEN HAD I NOT BEEN A JACKASS AND FORGOTTEN MY BACKPACK HERE -




All that artwork you see on the table needs to be put in my car. In the morning I am driving all of that (and a few more not in the photo) down to Costa Mesa for an upcoming art show that I'm in. While I'm driving I will be a little bit delirious due to lack of sleep, but I'll have some good music to keep me company. The bonus is that it will also keep me awake. Especially when I start head banging to "November Rain". It's hard not to when there are about 32 guitar solos in it. And don't think for a minute that I won't be singing along with Axl.




I will be belting it out. That, sir, you can count on. During my Act II Intermission I will put down my microphone and pull into an In-N-Out Burger where I will eat the most delicious hamburger ever made. You'll be jealous. But don't worry, I'll be thinking of you as I take that first big bite. Oh, I can almost feel my teeth sinking into that delicious sponge bun now.

Dear Sponge Bun,
Oh how I love you! If only I could crawl inside of you and sleep for days and days...