Apologies for the lack of posts! I had spent the last couple months of 2014 focusing on my other site. 2015 began with me revisiting one of my favorite theme, dinosaurs. I’ve created a series of studies on wood panels and other random surfaces.
Skull Study
Acrylic on cedar wood panel
Slave to the Traffic Light
acrylic on cedar wood panel
I’ve never really painted skulls, so this a nice practice. I plan to do more, on other surfaces as well. Recent trips to my parents house (and their requests to take my old stuff home with me) have yielded a treasure trove of old relics of my youth. I’ve been using some for installation pieces I’ve put up around Philly, but recently have been painting on them as well. This is starting to become a series of extinct animals on extinct items.
T-Rex
Acrylic on Nintendo cartidge (Super Team Games)
Tricertops
Acrylic and oil marker on Iomega Zip Drive (100mb)
Acrylic, Oil marker on floppy disk (Microsoft boot disk)
Herrerasaurus
Acrylic and oil marker on Legos
All work is available for sale, and I’m sure I’ll be making more of these in the future. A majority may end up as installations, but you can contact me (joseanriverafineart@gmail.com) for availability, or commissioned pieces.
I admit it, I’ve been horrible at updating my site. Although I’ve been creating new work, you wouldn’t think so by looking at this site (to be honest, I’m way better at updating my Facebook page and Instagram.) As the holidays approached, it seemed prudent to finally get motivated and post some new art up for sale on my Etsy, as well as share what I’ve been up to. I’ve been working on various series, ADD style. Some will continue into the spring, others won’t. But they are all up for grabs, and by using code FESTIVUS15, you can get 15% off! As usual, all orders ship with stickers and whatnot.
I’ve been continuing the Phish theme in my art this summer. Last weekend was their 3 day run at Saratoga Springs, NY (I made it to 2). I’ve spent the week recovering from those shows and preparing for 2 nights at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Coumbia, MD. During this time I’ve worked on a couple things, including some paintings and sketches for possible show posters. While working on sketches for Gamehendge, I’ve also been sketching random songs as well. I eventually ended up with a series that covers their first album, Junta. I’ll be giving these out/putting them up this weekend, as well as a few in Philly. Time permitting, I’d like to draw other albums, although some of the songs can be pretty abstract. Any requests? Just add a comment with your song choice, and I’ll try my best!
Fee, YEM, Esther, Golgi Apparatus
Foam, Dinner and a Movie, Divided Sky, David Bowie
Fluffhead, Contact, Sanity, Union Federal, Icculus
I also made this painting that sums up my weekend at SPAC, with the highlight of Sunday. They played one of my favorites, You Enjoy Myself (YEM) shortly after it stopped raining, and included an unique Run Like an Antelope (run like a meatstick!) I was debating making prints of it, but for now it hangs on my wall.
Meatalope/ Run like a meatstick out of control
Keep an eye out for my Antelope signs on the lot (They’ll be hard to miss!) If you miss me, I’ll have them up on etsy as well.
Find me in the lot at Merriweather, and I’ll give you a sticker as long as they last!
I’ve just finished (and have available for sale) the first four illustrations in the Gamehendge suite I’m currently working on. Inspired by a couple songs by the band Phish, Gamehendge was originally guitarist Trey Anastasio’s senior thesis at Goddard College. Originally called The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday (TMWSIY), it is a collection of songs that tell the story of a retired colonel who is transported to the land of Gamehendge and rescues a document called the Helping Friendly Book from an evil dictator named Wilson. I have been planning to work on a visual form of it (originally as a graphic novel) for a couple years. I have illustrated the song Esther as a series of block prints in college, and created 2 stenciled prints last summer. There are quite a few songs in the saga; 8 in TMTSIY, as well as some additions they released later. I hope to illustrate these, as well as the narration that accompanied the original thesis in the months to come. I’ll be offering prints for sale, and maybe a book of the complete series, along with visual interpretations of other Phish songs.
Divided Sky- watercolor and acyrlic 8.5×11
A chant performed by the Lizards, the race of people who inhabit Gamehendge and are dependent on the writings of the Helping Friendly Book for their survival. They would stand on the edge of a rhombus and shout to the sky, praising Icculus, the Supreme God of the Sky and author of the Helping Friendly Book.
Rutherford the Brave- watercolor, ink, and acrylic. 8.5×11
Rutherford the Brave is the head knight of the Lizards who leads a team of allies to help overthrow Wilson, a traveller who arrives in Gamehendge and eventually captures the Helping Friendly Book from the Lizards and locks it in the top of his castle, thus becoming the sole ruler of Gamehendge. He appears in the song “Lizards”, telling the retired colonel (Col. Forbin) tales about Gamehendge and the Helping Friendly Book. At one point, he attempts to lead Col. Forbin across a river while still wearing his armor, causing him to sink.
AC/DC Bag- ink, watercolor and acrylic. 8.5×11
AC/DC Bag is a robotic hangman with a bag on its head used to hang traitors and enemies of Wilson, the dictator of Gamehendge. The song “AC/DC Bag” tells the story of the execution of Mr. Palmer, Wilson’s accountant. Palmer was using Wilson’s money to secretly fund the revolution, and was therefore hanged in the town square by the AC/DC Bag, a mechanical hangman.
Fly Famous Mockingbird- ink, watercolor, acrylic
The Famous Mockingbird is a bird who is sent by Icculus to fly to the very top of Wilson’s castle and retrieve the Helping Friendly Book for Colonel Forbin, thus saving the people of Gamehendge.
I’ll be selling these at the Phish lots at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) July 6th and 7th, as well as Merriweather Post Pavillion July 13th and 14th (Fingers crossed for Holmdel, NJ July 10th). I also have them on sale on Etsy, with a special deal if you buy all 3! Stay tuned for Series II, coming sometime in July!
It’s been a bit since I’ve last posted, but for good reason. Time constraints have pushed the printmaking back, but I’d been sketching a lot which eventually turned into some paintings.
I’ve also been working on some stuff for a couple shows this summer. I’ll be showing with a couple great artists so stay tuned for more info on that soon.
I was also lucky enough to be able to put up some installs at Tattooed Mom‘s on South Street in Philadelphia. I’ve gotten to know the owner and he’s a big promoter of the arts, especially street art. If you ever been upstairs, you’d totally understand. I put up a couple masks up, which I’ve had laying in a back room for a couple years. I also put up some tiny canvases, about 2×2 each. We’ll see how the glue holds, since people love their souvenirs (although I say if you can get if off the wall, you deserve it).
I’ll be posting updates regarding new work and the summer shows, but you can keep up with up to the minute tomfoolery on twitter, facebook, and now on instagram! Don’t forget to check out my esty shop for original art and prints (new work coming soon!)
I’ve updated my Etsy shop with a ton of new prints, etchings, drawings, and paintings! I’ll be adding more in the coming weeks, as well as offering some special sales these coming weekends, so stay tuned!
Friday, November 2nd was the opening for the All Saint’s Day show at 161 West. I shared the space with the work of Mike Ellyson, which couldn’t have been a better match. Our work, heavily influenced by religious symbolism and imagery, nicely complimented a day that celebrates All Saint’s Day as well as Day of the Dead. 161 West, a gallery in the Fishtown area of Philadelphia, once housed a die cut factory, giving it a large space with high walls. This space worked well to create a church-like atmosphere, which worked perfectly with our work.
Many thanks to Jessica Murphy for setting these up! These little altars she made definitely made my calavera stickers a lot more eye catching!
Once it got late, we turned out the lights for a more appropriate ambiance
Mike Ellyson’s altar to college football. This epic installation features an altar surrounded by 245 paintings, each one representing an individual college football team. An undertaking that took 3 years, this was the first time all of them were shown together.
The show will be up a couple weeks, so be sure to check it out if you are in the Fishtown area. You can contact the gallery for times, or set up an appointment.
Various Icons on wood panels. I started buying wood plaques for Free Art Fridays, since they tend to fare better in the outdoors (There was a tendency to rain after I put art out). I started out with small 3 inch panels, and slowly moved up. Some were done with a wood burning tools and paint markers, while the larger ones are acrylic and ink.
I made these for free art Fridays, which I find to be a great idea. It’s been picking up momentum, and you can find sites that document the artists, as well as the people who find them. These 5×5 canvas panels will be around Philly, and expect more all summer long!
T-Rex
Josean Rivera 