Posts tagged 6th street mural
The Ice Cream Cone man keeps watch on the 6th Street Mural at The Standard, Downtown LA
Buff Monster’s original sketch for his 6th street mural concept…see the mural here!
Mark Licari’s 6th Street Mural
60 Seconds on Sixth Street from dick thompson on Vimeo.
Changing out the work on the 6th Street Mural at The Standard, Downtown LA, is always a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It’s sad to see the previous work go but painting over it to create a fresh new canvas gives us a sense of excitement about what’s coming next.
(Mark’s work in progress)
Last week we had a mean case of the butterflies as Mark Licari was out on the sidewalk for three days creating our latest featured artwork. We love the frenetic energy that’s evident throughout his work and knew that his piece, designed specifically for the mural space, would attract tons of attention from passersby.
He did not disappoint.
(Mark Licari’s finished mural)
Between brush strokes, Mark answered our questions about his process, inspiration and LA as an influence.
The Standard: So much of your work seems to incorporate motion, along with elements of chaos and disintegration. What are these components meant to communicate?
Mark Licari: I see this dripping, cracking, rusting and perpetual motion all around and have yet to really understand it. There is obviously some kind of science behind it but I believe there is definitely some art behind it too. These elements in my work mostly communicate in the form of questions, rather than converging on answers. But could also be as simple as appreciating a sort of energy or beat to things that is mirrored in the work.
How does being an LA-based artist contribute to themes that show up in your work?
Los Angeles is a land of mismatched hubcaps, rats peering down at you from the tops of palm trees, and swarms of loud screeching parrots. It ”never rains” but when it does, every ceiling leaks. Despite all the potholes everyone gets along with a very wide range of acceptable driving skills. This is somehow interesting to me.
Does creating a site specific piece like your work for the 6th Street Mural have further influence?
Certainly for me it will. The experience of making art is cumulative so each project helps to influence the next one in different ways. However, to measure the influence on other people and the surroundings we would need a team of experts, a box of legal pads and no. 2 pencils, and a lot of erasers.
(The mural, ready for its close-up)
You work in a variety of media… are there things that are easier to express in sculpture vs. a drawing or print and vice versa?
For me the work starts with drawing as kind of the first step and this leads to other materials, however the different modes of working all relate to and influence each other. So at a certain point it is not about what is easier so much as just where the path of thinking leads me. But this path is more like a messy web spun by a spider on caffeine rather than a linear thought process.
What’s coming next for you? What are you looking forward to in the rest of 2011?
Two site specific mural projects, one at Disjecta in Portland in December this year and one at MOCA Jacksonville in March 2012. This year I am also working on a new lithograph at Hamilton Press in Venice.
Where else can we see your work?
I currently have a show up at Cueto Project in New York through September 10th. My gallery here in Los Angeles is Honor Fraser. My website is marklicari.org.
Skullphone Strikes Again
THE STANDARD x SKULLPHONE from Tyler Kindred on Vimeo.
The name Skullphone is basically eponymous with LA street art. And while he’s best known for the now iconic image of a skeleton on a cell phone we love the evolving direction of Skullphone’s work. Last week he took over both The 6th Street Mural at The Standard, Downtown LA and The Box at The Standard, Hollywood with two different digitally inspired pointillism installations.
(Skullphone’s Box Installation)
At the end of the month, we’ll celebrate with the man behind the moniker at The Standard, Hollywood. Stay tuned for details! Skullphone put down the cellular for a few seconds to tell us about the past, present and future of his work.
Team Skullphone puts finishing touches on the 6th Street Mural.
The Standard: Tell us where Skullphone comes from and what the name/work represents.
Skullphone: Skullphone is an image I started posting around Los Angeles in 1999. As a frame of reference I was called “the guy who puts up that skull on cell phone image”, which I eventually condensed to my moniker “Skullphone.” Interpretations of this rudimentary image are left up to viewers regarding technology, social systems and every day sort of stuff.
You work in a variety of media, is there one you go to more frequently? How is each unique?
My time is now spent hand painting thousands of dots on aluminum panels. These pieces are made to intrigue within an indoor setting the same way outdoor art impacts commuters.
I still use standard tools for outdoor work: stencils, posters, etc. The two worlds are linked with outdoor imagery working its way into the dots and the dots now working their way outdoors.
(Pirates? Nope, it’s Skullphone)
Do you have a favorite piece or project you’ve worked on?
The digital billboards in Los Angeles back in 2008 impacted my current trip the most - it bridged me over to painting RGB dot patterns. I also enjoy the text messages every December when the hollow glass Skullphone baubles hang on Christmas trees. They have an insane craftsmanship since they were produced at the original glass ornament factory in Poland. They’re very fragile. (Note: a very limited quantity of Skullphone’s ornaments will be available for purchase at The Shop at The Standard, Downtown. Run don’t walk!)
How do you approach projects like the mural at The Standard, DTLA and the vitrine at The Standard, Hollywood differently?
The downtown mural is made for people walking and driving past it, so it’s not necessarily made to be seen from a direct view. The Hollywood Vitrine piece is visible from far away but falls apart as it is approached. When standing at the reception desk it hopefully will be abstract nothingness. Of course the Hollywood vitrine will also have a Digital LED with information overload. Welcome to The Standard, Hollywood…
We see your work all over LA – where else can we find Skullphone?
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, SocialCam, Google Suites, Myspace, Bebo, Friendster, Zorpia, Netlog, Habo, Yahoo Messenger, Live Profile, Convore, Postman, LiveShare, FreeSpeach, Crowdstory, Ditto, hi5, Groupie, Honestly Now and Skullphone.com.
Ryan McGinness is lovin’ himself a little LA
Ryan McGinness has been visiting Los Angeles and the palm trees and constant sunshine seem to be suiting him just fine, not that he’s had much time to enjoy them. In the past week and a half he’s had two art openings and set up elaborate installations at both The Standard, Hollywood and The Standard, Downtown LA.
Here are some of the photo highlights:
(Ryan putting the final touches on The Vitrine at The Standard, Hollywood)
Ryan McGinness’ Nudie Cards
The time has come for Ryan McGinness’ next installment of Women: The Blacklight Series. We covered his previous exhibits within this series at Ryan’s premiere at Miami’s Art Basel last December and at Le Bain at The Standard, New York during Armory Week (missed it? Check out the video from that event).The Standard is proud to present Ryan’s latest installation on the west coast at The Standard, Hollywood and The Standard, Downtown LA with installations, events, live drawings, and exclusive Blacklight Nudie Cards.
The 6th Street Mural Installation – HAZE
We are extremely honored and excited to share the new piece that adorns our 6th street mural from prolific artist Haze. NY-based - and born and bred – Haze has spent more than 30 years making art, from graffiti to abstract painting to graphic design.
While Haze may be best known for his logo work – which incidentally is what landed him amongst a heavy-hitting roster of his peers in MOCA’s new Art in the Streets exhibition – the work he created for us shows a true intersection of all of his methods. Straight from the mouth of Haze:
“This mural project represents an ongoing dialogue between my work as a graphic designer and abstract painter, tempered by my style and identity as a graffiti artist. Using both spray paint and traditional brush work, the subtext of this painting is about straddling these worlds; starting and ending with my recognizable vocabulary of stars and arrows, reduced to a freestyle abstract gesture in between, while capturing the inherent speed, flow and exaggerated scale of graffiti throughout.”
Further explaining the mural, Haze says that “the artwork is also the product of the very first sketch I created when considering a photograph of the blank wall. Working against the grain of certain ingrained design methodology, I have been seeking to achieve a more organic and emotional result with work done outside the studio environment.”
Haze has been super busy on his LA trip, between the mural and MOCA installation, but took a moment to answer a few of our questions.
The Standard: You’re in town (at least in part) because you’re one of many prolific artists/designers in MOCA’s new Art in the Streets show, opening April 17. How does it feel to be part of this huge exhibition?
Gregory Siff x The 6th Street Mural Installation
Gregory Siff has been a long time friend of The Standard - he’s hosted multiple art shows in Hollywood and painted the vitrine several times - so we were delighted to bring him over to our side of town to take over The 6th Street Mural.
Oft-inspired by the art and life of Vincent van Gogh, his mural installation was filmed for painT, a modern day adaptation of the artist’s life that Greg will also star in.
We have a feeling that Greg is the kind of guy who never sleeps, as evidenced by the fact that he answered our interview questions in the middle of the night. We feel honored that he managed to give us a minute. Learn more about Greg’s work and inspiration straight from the horse’s mouth.
Skypage x The Standard x HVW8
Anyone who’s been by The Standard, Downtown LA recently (or is our buddy on Facebook) may have noticed our latest 6th Street Mural Installation, a vibrant and colorful tribute to our home state by LA-based artist Skypage.
While the mural won’t live on forever, we’ve teamed up with Skypage and HVW8 gallery to create a set of 50 limited edition prints in reproduction of the original artwork.
