CALL FOR ART: ROLE MODELS, an RPG Self-Portrait Hall of Heroes & Deck

It is time, my child, to submit your name by MAY 15th

EDIT: 5.18.13 -- WHOA. This is really, really hard. I thought it would be possible to get the word out to everyone about the show before we left for New York, but it was harder than we thought to get the list narrowed down. (It's always hard, as I'm sure you are fully aware by how many times I've mentioned it!) But seriously. With 360+ artists submitting, it takes a whole lot of time going through everyone's portfolios! I sorely mis-judged how long it'd take! HUGE apologies to everyone that is waiting on us! Just wait a little bit longer and we'll try to get the word out asap! We're so close! Fingers crossed for everyone! I'll update asap! -- Lindsay

EDIT: 5.16.13 -- Thanks to everyone that put your name in the mix for ROLEMODELS! WE'll be jurying the show over the next couple days and will announce the group of artists that will be joining us shortly! So many amazing people put their names down, this will be a tough one! Good luck to everyone and we'll be announcing the artists asap!

EDIT: 5.15.13 -- if you're having trouble seeing your comment appear, sometimes it's behind the cut! Since we have a lot of entries they're sometimes hiding at the WAY end! Check there after a couple minutes to make sure it got through! If you're having any trouble getting it to post, send me a note! hello@lightgreyartlab.com



It is time that you take your rightful place in the pages of the illustrated history books. Ballads sung far and wide will bear your name and our children's children will tell tales of your adventures and your might. Your name will echo with reverence through the great halls and the elders will speak with vigor of your accomplishments.

You are a HERO!

***

You walk into the Dragon's Wake Inn and sit down at a sticky bar pock-marked with a thousand dents and dings from years of cast-iron mugs in heavy hands. It's been about a month since you've been adventuring and rumor has it that the Lords of the four lands have been recruiting mercenaries from the local pubs to prepare for (what seems to be) an inevitable battle for power. The tension between the dark and the light has been mounting for several seasons. You decide -- though it may be apparent that you are an outsider here -- that you will wait and listen for the right time to reveal your intentions to join one of the four mercenary bands. You wonder whether your past alliances will matter when it comes down to it. You ponder stoically into your mug of ale and eventually come to the quiet decision that you will join forces with like minds. You are a mercenary, sure, but you are meant for greatness. Surely you will ally with the right side.

"Adventurer," a beefy hand is placed upon your shoulder "Are you of the Light? Or the Grey?"

...


WE ARE LOOKING FOR HEROES OF ALL TYPES TO JOIN US FOR THIS CALL FOR ART.
When we thought it wasn't possible to nerd out any more than we already do... we found a way.

ROLE MODELS, our new call for art
is an exhibition celebrating our heroes, but with a twist.

If you've ever played a fantasy RPG, if you've ever looked upon the work of Frank Frazetta with awe, or ever found yourself captivated by This, This or even This, we want you to join our hall of heroes.

For our October (Yay! Halloween!) show, we'll create an insane fantasy laden hall-of-heroes at Light Grey. The walls will be packed with image after image of almost 100 illustrators in hyper-aspirational depictions of their fantasy alter-egos clothed in battle-scarred armor, mid-fight, surrounded by foes, beasts, magic, riches, or otherwise. We'll peer into the images and learn a little about the atributes of our real-life artists by their choices of class, stats, and their alignment. We'll build teams of arcana-wielding mages from the mix, stage battles between the lawful good and the chaotic evil, and we'll see who is on our team, and who is not. You'll see yourself standing in the midst of a great many heroes of all types and we shall all revel in the nerd-glow of the moment.

AND THEN:
We will publish the most seriously ridiculous deck of cards you've ever seen that will serve as both celebratory artist / character trading cards (for those of us that just want to stare at some great artists and their great work) AND a playable card game where you'll be able to build armies of allies, defeat foes, switch sides and defend your land.
This deck will be available for at the October opening reception, (and we'll probably have a pre-order a little bit before that.)

***

If you are interested in joining us! Here's what we need!:

SUBMIT BY MAY 15th!

1. Think about your personal attributes a whole lot before choosing the following options. The images you create should be based on who you are, or who you would want to be if you were dropped into a fantasy world.

2. Write you name, email and blog / website link below with the following info:

3. Write down your first and second choice for class: (Ranger, Warrior, Paladin, Rogue, Mage (Damage Arcana), Cleric (Support Arcana) -- and write this below as well. (We realize that there are mini sub-sets of other classes that exist, and those of you that will join us will be able to be more specific about what kind of mage, or what kind of warrior, but for now, we are using these general classes to help divide into 6 groups! For example, Clerics would also include Druid and Shaman)

4. Do you play as good? Evil? or Unaligned. (Write that below as well)


Example:

Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com
lindsaynohl.com
1. Paladin 2. Warrior
Good


For now, that's all we need! We'll be sending out an email to everyone that will be joining us for our show for the next round - which will include spec'ing out the other attributes of your character. You'll get to allot your points.
You'll see the list of other mages, paladins, clerics and so on -- that are just like you. You'll see who leans good and who leans evil. And hopefully you'll get a chance to talk with your like-minded brethren in the realm of reality, too. :) So dig out your D20s and let's make legends out of you.


---Lindsay
Questions? Send me a note! hello (at) lightgreyartlab.com

Artist Interview: Bene Rohlmann

Bene Rohlmann's collage-style illustration is pleasantly fresh and exciting. I'm always thrilled to see artist's process, but there's something especially cool about the tactile process of collage work. His process photos are really great to see—needless to stay he has impeccable craft! 
Today we feature an interview with him and his Macro+Micro process. In the meantime, check out the rest of his collage drawings.










Tell us about why you chose the subject of your piece. Is it something you’re familiar with?


I've chosen plants as my subject cause I just really like drawing them. I often get inspired by illustrations of plants, especially the ones that you find in old encyclopedias.
To make the piece more personal I've added elements like the spirit that comes out of the plant, cause I somehow believe that there is something spiritual in everything natural.
The elements in the corners of my artwork are pollen, or at least how I imagine them. Pollen are familiar to me, cause I've had hayfever for a long, long time now.


Explain a little about your process in creating this illustration.

The first thing I did was draw the big illustration in the middle and then the four smaller ones in the corners with a pencil. After that, I cut out the drawings and glued them on the background, which is a cardbord that I painted with white acrylic.
Then I cut out some border elements of old maps for the frame and all the other small elements from old encyclopedias and comics. Some fit the topic and some are just for fun or because they have a personal meaning. I glued all those elements on the background, too, and filled the rest of the blank space with decorative elements.


Are you reading anything currently? We’d love to hear about it!

I recently started reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and also No Man's Land by Blexbolex. I often start reading comic books while I'm still in the middle of a novel cause I'm not patient enough to wait till I'm done with the book. I love comics. I grew up with them and I've read my first comic even before my first book (if you don't count school books).
And when it comes to books, there's no bigger pleasure for me than reading Charles Bukowski. Too bad he can't write any more.


If you hadn’t chosen art as your career, what would you be doing?

There has never been anything else that I really wanted to do (except for wanting to be a paleontologist, when I was a kid). So I really don't know. But probably something with movies or literature.


You were given a free science class, just for the heck of it. You even get to choose: Biology or Chemistry. Which would you pick?

I haven't been the best in both of those classes, but if I had to choose it would definitely be Biology. I've always liked animals and plants and have been fascinated by the wonders of the human body. Learning about all that is quite essential and important, I think. Chemistry on the other hand was the first class I cancelled, as soon as I had the chance.



For more of Rohlmann's work, you can look at his site, his flickr or his blog!

Podcast: Macro + Micro

We were playing catch-up this week, but we still found the time to record a podcast! We wanted to share some behind-the-scenes thoughts on Macro + Micro, the current exhibition hanging in the gallery. It was a great show and a lot of thought went into every piece, so we wanted to talk about the link between art and science, and how our ideas changed as the show progressed. Of course, we might go off an a few tangents here or there...

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Macro + Micro
Length: 00:44:15
Synopsis: This week Jenny, Chris, Francesca and Lindsay talk about Macro + Micro! We discuss what went into creating the Macro + Micro show, where the topic originated, similarities between science and art, the thought process behind our own contributions to the show, and more.

Macro + Micro Opening Reception

This past Friday was our opening reception for the Macro + Micro Exhibition: A Celebration of the Natural World. There was over 90 artists who had prints on display, and the entire gallery was packed with beautiful, strange, and interesting specimens and work! It was an incredible collection and a really fun opening. Thank you everyone who was able to make it to the show!



The space was divided into the four categories: Mineral, Vegetable, Animal, and Everything Else. Artists chose their own natural subjects, which ranged from tigers in the jungle, to rocks on the moon, to underwater plants and unidentified growths.

In the main gallery, Mary Jo Hoffman displayed a small portion of her photographs (out of her 500+ images) and fabric works along the back wall. She also generously displayed specimens, bones, and plants from her personal nature collection. You can see her entire Still Blog project and images here. Thanks Mary Jo for sharing all your work!



We also had our very own Light Grey Entomology wall, where everyone was invited to make their own bug creatures out of cut paper, sequins, string, and glitter. It was really great to see the hilarious creations and great scientific names.

 

On top of all the artwork, prints, bugs, and displays, Whole Foods generously donated all the fruits, vegetables, and flowers for the opening- thanks for the treats!



You can see all of the images from the exhibition on the Macro + Micro online gallery and purchase any prints from the Light Grey online shop. You can also see more images of the Macro + Micro opening on the Light Grey Flickr set here.

Let's go draw! (Field Trip to the Como Zoo & Conservatory!)

Join us tomorrow for an exploratory sketching field trip!
Think of the possibilities!
We're headed to the Como Zoo and Conservatory tomorrow from 11 - 4pm!
The event is free!
If you would like to car pool with us, just head to Light Grey at 10:30 and we'll take you there, otherwise meet us at the Conservatory entrance and we'll head in from there!

Bring your sketchbooks and traveling art supplies and we'll have a great time drawing animals and vegetables!
Don't forget to pack a lunch and bring a bottle of water, too!

Here's a link to the official invite!
Thanks and hope to see you there!

CALL FOR ART: STATION ZERO - Science Fiction, Revisited.

New Call For Art: Station Zero: Light Grey Art Lab's Sci Fi Show, celebrating the authors, titles and images of 1950s - 1970s science fiction.

EDIT (5.11.13) Thanks so much for everyone that put your name in the hat for our STATION ZERO show!
We'll be posting the final list of artists shortly! So exciting to see so many new (virtual) faces, and really excited for the show! :)
Details to come shortly! Thanks again! --- Lindsay

Worlds within worlds. Airtight space stations housing alien races. Biodomes covering spires built by artificial intelligence. The bridge between physics, futuristic science, philosophy and anthropology.

Yes, we realize that you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but judging by the covers of these books, the future of the universe is pretty sick. Over the last couple months I've been amassing a huge technicolor library of vintage sci-fi books from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Ursula K Le Guin and Arthur C. Clarke are just some of the names that grace the covers of these beauties.



Our newest show, STATION ZERO, pays tribute to the days when writers were creating works about YEAR 2013 (Yes, this is an actual title of one of the books I have) as if we'd all be wearing stylish foil space suits while eating nutri-cubes for dinner.
We're looking for artists interested in joining us in revisiting classics from this era in larger-than-life posters.




How it'll work:
If you're interested in joining us, put your name, website and email in the comments!

Then! After we get our ultimate list of sci-fi artists, we'll mail all of our participating artists a unique, and amazing vintage book that you will use as the basis for your poster.

There are only a couple rules for the show!
0. We'll pick a book from our library at random and send you one through the post!
1. All of the type that was included on the front cover of the original book (That includes the title, author and any other interesting phrases, prices, or notes!) should be included in your final poster.
2. It's optional to read the book, but we strongly recommend reading it if you can! (It might be really fantastic and help inform your work!)
3. This is a vintage themed sci-fi show, but you are able to interpret the art however you'd like.
4. Once you receive the books, please love them with all of your hearts! :)

The final works will be showcased in the gallery and online as 18" x 24" posters alongside a mini print of the original book cover and some information about the book.

And yes, you get to keep the book!

Please help us spread the word to anyone that loves type, sci-fi, or posters. We're really excited about this show and hope you'll love these books as much as we do!

PLEASE ENTER THE CALL FOR ART BY MAY 10th! We'll be announcing the final list of artists on May 13th!
Thanks guys! We're excited about celebrating the days when everyone's space name started with a "Z".

The show will be on display July 19th through August 9th!

Artist Interview: Tealin

Tealin's drawings have been some of my favorite things to admire on the internet since I've used the internet—there's always so much character in them. For the past few years, she has been blogging about The Worst Journey in the World, and it has been a delightful homage to a fascinating historical adventure (an adventure that rings true to Macro+Micro's theme of wonder of the natural world, incidentally).  Today we hear about Tealin's interests and process for Macro+Micro!

Tell us about why you chose the subject of your piece. Is it something you’re familiar with?

Yes – when I was little I wanted to be an ornithologist, and I've always thought birds' wings were one of the most beautiful things in the natural world, as well as a scientific marvel.

Explain a little about your process in creating this illustration.

The hard part was thinking of what I wanted to do.  As I cast my mind around art and science I remembered the Birds hall of the Natural History Museum in London where they still have museum cases from the 1890s, displaying anatomical structures of birds and feathers, and the cases are works of art in their own right.  Then it was just a matter of picking the species of bird, one with attractive and clearly-segmented wings, doing the requisite preliminary research, and getting the darn thing down on paper.

Are you reading anything currently? We’d love to hear about it! 

I just picked up Camus' L'Etranger from the library (in English, though, but the English title seems to vary by translation) which I missed reading in high school but has been recommended by a good friend. Usually, though, these days if I'm reading anything it's a book connected with the Terra Nova Expedition in some way, which is practically all I've read since 2010. So many books, no bus commute in which to read them ...

If you hadn’t chosen art as your career, what would you be doing?

Probably some sort of science, but one which wouldn't require much advanced math, which narrows the field rather. I had wanted to be a meteorologist once, and I am fascinated by particle physics, but: math. Maybe I'd have come back around to ornithology.

You were given a free science class, just for the heck of it. You even 

get to choose: Biology or Chemistry. Which would you pick?

It would probably have to be Biology because trying to balance chemical equations brings me to tears, fun as it would be to muck around in a lab.  I could muck around with a scalpel instead, I have faith in my hand-eye coordination.

You can follow Tealin's artwork, observations on her blog, Tumblr, and website!

Podcast: Talking with Mary Jo Hoffman

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Talking with Mary Jo Hoffman
Length: 01:10:50
Synopsis: Our newest exhibition, Macro + Micro: A Celebration of the Natural World, opened last Friday! This week on the podcast we talk to Macro + Micro's featured artist, Mary Jo Hoffman. Mary Jo is the creator of Stilblog (http://stillblog.net), a beautiful and simple look at the natural world around us. During the second half of the podcast, Ian Gorton joins the usual crew of Francesca, Chris, Jenny and Lindsay to discuss.


Show Notes:
-Stillblog - Mary Jo Hoffman's ongoing project.
-Design*Sponge tours Mary Jo's house.
-Look for photos of Macro + Micro and a preview of Mary Jo's collection coming soon!

We visited Mary Jo at her home to record the podcast and talk about plans for the Macro + Micro show. While we were recording, I shot some photos. I thought I'd share a few, but if you'd like to see more, check out our flickr photo set!

You Can Do It, Put Your Back Into It -- Artists Announced!

SNOW. SO MUCH SNOW.
There's so much snow here in Minneapolis it's stupid.
I realize I'm not the only person in the universe that's ever complained about the weather, but COME ON snow!
Thank goodness I was writing a post about our upcoming motivational poster show, (You Can Do It) Put Your Back Into It -- because I'm going to need some serious motivation to get up out of bed in the morning and get myself to Light Grey.

If I were a wizard with the power to change snow to gold, I'd have 12" of gorgeous, unspoiled, puffy gold to trip over tomorrow.
But I digress...

Thanks to everyone that put your names down for this inspiring call for art!
As always, it was hard to narrow them down. We're excited to show just over 30 beautiful motivational posters in the main gallery for (You Can Do It) Put Your Back Into It opening on June 14th!

Thanks again to everyone and congratulations to everyone that is joining us!
Be on the look-out for the next call for art! It's happening SOON! Oh-So Soon!
If you're in the neighborhood, stop by Light Grey this Friday Night and say hi to us at the opening reception of the Macro & Micro show! The party starts at 7pm and goes til 10pm! It's chilly outside, so come on in and we'll warm you up!

Here are our artists!
Carey Pietsch
Bene Rohlman
sEason Wu
Elana Wolowitz Schwartzman
Madéleine Flores
Aimee Fleck
Pallavi Sen
Kelly Bastow
Danamarie Hosler
Cameron Asao
J Zachary Keenen
Jessica Roush
Amanda Hagemann
Karl Schweikart
Blok Magnaye
Jordan Sondler
Rory Philips
Leonard Peng
Chelsey Holeman
Samantha Kallis
Chris Cloud
Anika Schröder
Taylor Kristan
Marloes de Vries
Jen Mundy
John Lee
Annie Stoll
Tom Wiener
Sara Delle Fowler
Peter Steineck
Ashley Huebner
Van Tran
Taryn Gee

Macro & Micro - Teaser 2, Specimens!

Here are a couple quick photos of some of the awesome natural elements that will be on display this Friday alongside the 90+ pieces of artwork!
These gorgeous pieces are a part of Mary Jo Hoffman's awesome specimen collection from Stillblog.net.

And stay tuned! We have a really great interview with Mary Jo coming up on Monday for our podcast.
Mary Jo was actually an aerospace engineer before she switched paths and decided to create Stillblog.net! Can you believe it? Ah, what interesting lives we lead! We got the chance to visit her at her house where she lives, works, and curates!
She's got a ton of interesting stories about her transition, what it's like to work on a year (and three month) long project, and even more stories about her travels, her findings and how Stillblog (and her appreciation for nature) has grown!

Stay tuned for the podcast and get ready for a super fun show on Friday!
Until then, stop by and see her installation (there is more than what you see here!) and her specimens, at the Macro & Micro exhibition opening this Friday from 7 - 10pm!

Official invite here!

Thanks to everyone that is helping us spread the word about the exhibition!
We can't wait to see you there!

Macro & Micro Exhibition teaser

Between the 90 pieces of work that are being hung on the wall as we speak, and the countless specimens that are being arranged for Friday's show, we are overwhelmed with science!

Don't forget that we have some awesome work that is on display this Friday at Light Grey -- just imagine -- a curated cross-section of everything from foliage, to diagrams of ecosystems, to illustrations of the northern lights!

Here is a little preview of some of the pieces I'm coveting right now :
Artwork by Bene Rohlman, Adam Tan, Hedwig Vinson, Liza Sylvestre and Shanti Rittgers.

At this moment, Jenny is also hanging the last bits of the show including the wall of amazingly beautiful documented specimens from Mary Jo Hoffman's (Founder of Stillblog.net) collection.

If you are able to make it to the show, here's the link to our facebook invite! Please feel free to share it with the world!
It's an all-ages topic, with plenty of fantastic elements to see.
If we haven't mentioned it before, we actually have something super special in store for everyone that joins us.

We are building a huge collaborative installation of hand-made bugs! If you've ever had the craving to make your own specimen, here you go. We'll have tons of papers, elements and items to glue together for our interactive entomology display.

We are really looking forward to the show and hope you can make it!
If you can't come in person, take a peek at them in all of their digital beauty here!


Thanks again!

Macro & Micro
A celebration of the natural world
Opens this Friday
7 - 10pm

Light Grey Art Lab
118 E. 26th Street #101
Minneapolis, Mn 55404
612.239.2047

Artist Interview: Rima Neverland

Rima Neverland has a way with type. She incorporates it beautifully in her work, and her Beautiful Forever contribution is no exception. Today we're sharing her process and thoughts on tattoos!

What inspired the work you have in the exhibition? Specifically, why did you choose the subjects you chose?

I love Sugar Skulls. The colours, the unique hand painted texture, and the whole idea behind it. I love em! I figured I couldn't go wrong when doing something I plan on getting tattooed on myself in the future. My piece didn't come from anywhere deep.  I simply wanted to adress the idea of being true to yourself, and everyone/everything around. Nothing more to a human being than that.

Talk about the medium you used to make your piece.

I wish I was more complicated, but I used a pen,  paper, and then worked in Illustrator and Photoshop.  

Do you listen to anything while you’re working? What have you been listening to lately? 

I've been obsessed with the Local Natives, and the Shins lately. I am really indecisive though, so I usually turn to Songza, or Grooveshark for pre-made playlists. I can honestly say that I have a harder time getting things done without some good tunes in the background. 

Do you have any tattoos? Tell us about them! 

 I got my first tattoo when I turned 18. Now, I have too many, or too little depending on how you look at it. I have a reindeer on my arm inspired by my grandfather, a sparrow on the other arm for my grandmother. I love them both so much. I also have a tattoo of a cupcake, a tooth which to me represents constant growth, and a bunch of script and lettering. 

Whether you have a tattoo or not, it’s *possible* you have considered a tattoo you would like to have. What would that dream tattoo be? 

Hmm, this is a tough one. I have been thinking about getting roses on my shoulders for a while now so I think that will be next on my list. I plan on (hopefully) having a suit by the time I die. All my tattoos are inspired by life events, lessons, or people that mean a lot to me, and I plan on keeping it that way.




Read more about Neverland on her blog, see more of her work on her site or follow her on Twitter!

In Place Exhibition Artists Announced!

Photo of Ecola state park in Oregon, USA, by Chris Hajny


I'm very excited to announce the list of contributors for the upcoming In Place exhibition!

In Place
An exhibition and art book of fantastic spaces and inspiring places
Opens August 16th
and runs through September 13th.

Each artist will be contributing a beautiful space to the exhibition and we'll be showcasing them in the gallery as HUGE poster-sized prints -- welcoming us to look through them as if they were windows into fantastic lands. The collection will be published as a limited edition art book as well, including incredible written content about the featured spaces and places, and information about the participating artists. You'll be able to travel the world without leaving your seat (computer, or the gallery ... whichever you choose!)

Thanks to everyone that submitted their names for the call for art and congratulations to everyone that will be joining us! We're very excited to have our first (ever) exhibition dedicated to environments.

The show is running in coordination with our very exciting art retreat workshop CREATE, CONCEPT & COLLABORATE with Mike Yamada and Victoria Ying, and a month full of spacial story-telling, concept art interviews and content and more!


ARTIST LIST:
Sherwin Abesamis
Leslie Hung
Lauren Airriess
Gigi D.G.
Kim Smith
Joy Ang
Maike Plenzke
Uwe Heidschoetter
Anna Bron
Kyle Fewell
Chie Y. Boyd
Séléna Picque
Josie Portillo
Kali Ciesemier
Mike Yamada
Victoria Ying
David Demaret
Silver Saaremäel
Alex Tooth
Juan Carlos Barquet
Jeff Johnson
Victor Mosquera
Sidharth Chaturvedi
JB Casacop
Andrea Fernandez
Erik Krenz
Federico Piatti
Victor Maury
Lara Paulussen
Vero Navarro
Elyse Holmes
Kyle Scott
Sarah Marino
Kelly Bastow
Courtney Billadeau
Jesse Tise
Anna Craig
Angela An
Lindsay Nohl
Francesca Buchko
Andrew Whyte
Leonard Peng
Manuel Kilger
Genevieve FT
Victoria Maderna
Casey Crisenbery
Phoenix Chan
Sage Einarsen
Marty Harris
Andres Guzman
Michael Gunder

Podcast: Talking With Tattoo Artists (Part Two of Two)

This week we continue talking with tattoo artists about the culture of tattooing, on-the-job experiences, work/life balance, preconceived notions, and pretty much anything else they felt like talking about. Last week we spoke to two relative new-comers to the industry, this week we talk to Brian Kelly, who's been tattooing for 10 years in Minneapolis, Ireland and Germany, and Nic Skrade, an established tattoo artist with over 22 years of experience and one of the owners of Uptown Tattoo.

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Talking With Tattoo Artists Part Two of Two
Length: 01:34:46
Synopsis: In the second of a two part series, we talk to international mystery man Brian Kelly and seasoned tattoo artist Nic Skrade about the culture of tattooing, on-the-job experiences, why they love the medium, and anything else they want to talk about. Make sure to check out last week's podcast if you it, in which we talked to aspiring tattoo artist Jared Tuttle and local tattoo artist Katie Kroeck.

Show Notes:

Brian Kelly is a tattoo artist with ten years of experience. He currently works at Loxodrom Tattoo & Piercing in Berlin, Germany. His work can be found at http://www.briankellyarmy.com and on the Brian Kelly Facebook page.


Nic Skrade is a tattoo artist with 22 years of experience. He is one of the owners of Uptown Tattoo in Minneapolis, MN. His work can be found at Uptown Tattoo and his blog, Beasts of the North.

Artist Interview: Michelle Volansky

Michelle Volansky is an illustrator from St. Louis, Missouri with a style and penchant for all things pop and cute! Her style blog is a lot of fun (be sure to check out the Big Book of Cats).



What inspired the work you have in the exhibition? Specifically, why did you choose the subjects you chose?

I wanted to play with the idea of the kinds of things you feel so devotional to and that hold so much meaning that you would want them tattooed on yourself. Since these are temporary tattoos, I wanted to kind of glorify the sillier, but still awesome images that I love and worship--junk food and internet addiction! I think that's a fun play on content and current trends. You pay tribute to your mom with your ink tattoo but you pay tribute to your favorite ice cream with your temporary tattoo! :) Also, I always have to draw a cute, sassy lady! Always!


Talk about the medium you used to make your piece. 

I usually start my sketches on paper and either scan or recreate them on Photoshop. Sometimes I'll ink a drawing with a brush pen and use that line art. I love the flexibility and endless possibilities of working on the computer, but I always try to use scanned textures or hand-drawn lines for a more personal touch.

For this piece specifically, I knew I wanted the clean, bright colors of a digital drawing. I originally was working in a line-less style, but realized that for tattoos, there really needed to be strong outlines so the art would look best on different skin colors--especially since I was working on a pretty small scale. I didn't want the art to look like pink blobs from 6 feet away. I also tried to be mindful of my usage of whites and negative space.

Do you listen to anything while you’re working? What have you been listening to lately?

Always! I thrive on multitasking. Total silence stresses me out and my mind wanders. Lately I've found that putting on my headphones and listening to a podcast really helps me focus and work for longer stretches of time. My favorites are "How Was Your Week?" with Julie Klausner, Sam Weber's "Your Dreams My Nightmares", anything from NPR, and of course the LGAL podcasts! 

As far as music goes, lately I'm obsessing over Tegan and Sara's new album, "Heartthrob". Marina and the Diamonds, Icona Pop, Cassette, and Ke$ha are also on repeat on my iTunes a lot lately. Trashy pop music is my favorite!

Do you have any tattoos? Tell us about them! 

I don't! How lame. I don't deal well with pain and I'm really picky about tattoo art and placement. A beautiful tattoo is such a fabulous thing, though, and I love fawning over them. I often joke that I'll be the opposite of all the cool kids and wait until I'm like 50 years old to get a super bad ass, huge tattoo.

Whether you have a tattoo or not, it’s *possible* you have considered a tattoo you would like to have. What would that dream tattoo be?

My ultimate dream is an Alphonse Mucha full sleeve. Swoon! Go big or go home, right? A really great Mucha tattoo is rare, but they just slay me. A sleeve of cute silly things like my piece for the Beautiful Forever show would be amazing, too!

Michelle's work can be found on her website, her blog, and of course, you can follow her on Twitter!

Podcast: Talking With Tattoo Artists (Part One of Two)

We're going into the final week of the Blowout and Beautiful Forever shows! So for this week's (and next week's) podcast we wanted to talk to a handful of tattoo artists personally to get their thoughts about the culture of tattooing, on-the-job experiences, work/life balance, preconceived notions, and pretty much anything else they felt like talking about.

Arranged in order of seniority starting with a young student looking for an apprenticeship and ending with a seasoned pro, we wanted to get a variety of viewpoints and opinions. And believe me, we got plenty! In every case, our converstations lasted way longer than expected (in a good way!). Which is why we had to split the show into two parts.

We start out this week with part one, where we talk to aspiring tattoo artist Jared Tuttle, and young up-and-coming local tattoo artist Katie Kroeck. Next week we talk to Brian Kelly, an international man of mystery who's been tattooing for more than ten years now, and Nic Skrade, a 25 year veteran tattoo artist and one of the owners of Uptown Tattoo.

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Talking With Tattoo Artists Part One of Two
Length: 01:37:09
Synopsis: In the first of a two part series, we talk to aspiring tattoo artist Jared Tuttle and local tattoo artist Katie Kroeck about the culture of tattooing, on-the-job experiences, why they love the medium, and anything else they want to talk about. Tune in next week to hear part two, which features international mystery man Brian Kelly and seasoned tattoo artist and one of the owners of Uptown Tattoo, Nic Skrade.

Show Notes:

Jared Tuttle is a current student at Minneapolis College of Art and design. His work can be found at http://www.jared-tuttle.com and at @jaredgraytuttle on Twitter.


Katie Kroeck is a tattoo artist at Unusual Expressions Tattoo & Piercing in Uptown, Minneapolis. You can find her on Facebook and at @kittencaboodles on Twitter.

CALL FOR ART : You Can Do It!

Put your back into it!

POSTER SHOW CALL FOR ART!
Submit by April 17th!

EDIT (4.18.13) Thanks, Everyone, for submitting your names! We'll have a final list of artists announced shortly!
Thanks again!

But not just any posters! We're looking for artists and designers interested in creating gorgeous type-centric words of wisdom, encouragement and pieces with an all-around 'you can do it' flavor! Humorous, serious, inspirational or even words meant as ‘tough love’ are all fair game.

Remember that kitten poster from the early 90s? 'Hang in there?'
I used to look up at that poster on my wall and say "You're right, kitten! If you can hang in there, so can I!"

Think of all of the people you can inspire to make work, do things, keep going, and feel good about doing so!

For the duration of this show you are a drillmaster. You’re a cheerleader. You’re that Successories plaque with an eagle flying over a mountain. You can smack us in the knuckles with your ruler. Pick us up by the bootstraps and shake our shoulders until we get up and get stuff done! Yeah, we may be hard-headed, or sensitive, or lazy.... or maybe we just need a little bit of encouragement -- but we all need something telling us that we can do it if we put our backs into it. (Yes, I realize that song isn't exactly about working... but you get the idea.)

The whole month of June at Light Grey will be focused around the idea of doing more, getting things done and staying motivated. We’ve got some great lectures and topics planned for you guys.

Each poster will be hung (of course!) in our gallery in Minneapolis as well as featured online on our site, and on the shop!
The show will be happening mid-June through mid-July! (Dates to come shortly!)

So, if you’re interested in making a poster for our upcoming motivational poster-show, please put your name, email and website below by April 17th!
We'll be announcing the final list of artists after the 17th! You can do it! :)

Artist Interview: Katie Sanvick

Katie Sanvick's drawings are absolutely beautiful.  Combine this with her color-saavy application of bright-yet-elegant color, and you can see why her finished works are incredibly rich. She also does a fantastic job documenting her process, which she's shared with us for this interview!

What inspired the work you have in the exhibition? Specifically, why did you choose the subjects you chose?

The idea for the tattoos came when I was watching Dracula. There's a part in the movie where Dracula says "Listen to them, children of the night, what music they make" and it totally inspired me. I think Dracula was actually referring to the wolves, but I think bats are children of the night too! So from there I decided to make them look more like traditional tattoos with heavy line work but with a little spunk. I played a little with juxtaposing ideas of the dark foreboding Dracula and the nature of vampire bats, against the bright colors, and putting the bats on flowers and giving them smiles to make them extra adorable. They are meant to be worn as a trio because I split up the quote, but they stand pretty well on their own. 

Talk about the medium you used to make your piece.

I usually start all my work the same, I draw it out first with pencil on paper, then scan it in and finish up digitally coloring in good ol' Photoshop. I feel like I have more control over the sketch and can visualize much better on paper than on screen. After viewing literally thousands of images of bats and flowers, I picked my favorites, mixed and matched, and threw together some sketches. Once I scanned each final bat in I had to decide weather or not to keep the line work or re-do it. In this case, I ended up re-lining everything in photoshop. from there I messily slapped lots of colors on to get a feel of what palette I wanted. After what seemed like an endless amount of tweaking, I'm done!

Do you listen to anything while you’re working? What have you been listening to lately?

Oh definitely! I always fire up pandora for a few of my go-to stations. It's usually a lot of Fever Ray, M83, The Knife, Tyga and dub step. Depending on my mood, if the drawing is going really well and i'm pumped about it i always listen to some of that music that makes you say hell yeah- the kind you can't help but feel like dancing to, the feel good stuff. When I'm starting out I'll listen to softer stuff. Then, when I'm so engrossed in what I'm doing I don't even notice that pandora has stopped playing for like half an hour and I've totally been drawing in silence.. that's when you know you've got something good.

Do you have any tattoos? Tell us about them!

Yes! When I was 18 I got a small star on my wrist, it's the star preset brush in photoshop..cheesy, i know.

Then when I was a freshman in college, I got a tattoo on my forearm sort of symbolizing my new beginning. It was around the time when I decided without a doubt I would pursue art at any cost.. which was a great decision! There's an Aries symbol in there because I'm really into astrology, and the words "Vita Brevis ars longa" which is Latin for "Art is long, life is short". Funny story with that tattoo, the artist actually inverted the sun-opposite of the design I brought in and I didn't realize it until she started laying on color after line work. What a great mistake, I actually like it better this way!

(AN: Coincidentally, Katie Sanvick and Rodrigo Avilés from last week's interview share a bond in their choice of tattoo wording!)

Whether you have a tattoo or not, it’s *possible* you have considered a tattoo you would like to have. What would that dream tattoo be?

I'm always considering tattoos, I'm in the middle of designing a very sick nautical/marine/sailor sleeve involving an octopus and I'm totally stoked!

For more of Sanvick's work, visit her website  and follow her blog! She also has a Twitter!

Podcast: Let's Go

We've just announced another travel workshop to New York, we have artists traveling to Minneapolis for a workshop, we have an all-night art Lock-In next week... in general we're thinking about getting up and out after a long winter! Let's go!

Download the MP3 or Subscribe via iTunes!

Let's Go
Length: 01:08:32
Music: Barbarian by Pierlo
Synopsis: Spring has sprung and Lindsay, Chris, Francesca and Jenny are thinking about travel. We talk about travel workshops, getting outdoors, vacations, awkward travel situations, the difference between visiting and living somewhere, and more.