Heidi Taillefer‘s current exhibition at the Copro Gallery in Los Angeles, The Land of the Blind, will be closing in the next few days.  In this exhibition, she introduces new and unique sculptural works centered around the theme of Eros which are amazing and I encourage everyone to click on the link above to see images and a proper description of these hand cast dolls.

This brings me to Revelation, Heidi’s new limited edition print.  This print is a reproduction of her painting of the same name that was part of her 2010 exhibition at the Michael Berger Gallery.  Here is a description of that work, as per Heidi:

Revelation is a painting about transformation of oneself, from sinister and malevolent to an evolution towards the light. The horse is Pegasus of greek mythology, who grew from the blood of the head of Medusa. A symbol of wisdom, Pegasus rides out from a blood soaked coach shell as a cloud of ominous ravens, giving the horse it’s blackened color. But he moves from the sinister or left side towards the towards to glow of light and wisdom on the right, which characterizes his ultimate being.

DETAILS ABOUT THE PRINT
Edition: 40
Signed & Numbered
Technique: Giclée
Paper: Hahnemühle Photo Rag
Paper Size: 18 x 24 inches
Image Size: 15 x 23 inches

ON-SALE INFORMATION
The print will be available at http://www.vonscaramouche.com/ on April 11th and, on that day only, it will be sold at the special price of $265.  Starting the following day, the print will be sold at its regular price of $295.

If you have any questions or comments, you can write us at info [at] vonscaramouche [dot] com.

You may know Jeff Proctor through the gig posters he has done for the Black Keys and Mogwai or his Mondo/Alamo posters for movies such as Zombie, Dawn of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Back in August 2011, Jeff showcased a collection of his original works in the context of a solo exhibition at the Breeze Block Gallery in Portland, OR, where he was challenged by the gallery’s curator to bring some beauty into his typically gory art and the outcome was a somewhat unsettling yet very enthralling combination of gorgeous – gnarliness. We are extremely proud to collaborate with Jeff in offering a limited edition print to one of his stunning watercolor paintings featured in that exhibition.

DETAILS ABOUT THE PRINT
Title: Blue Skull
Edition: 70
Signed & Numbered
Technique: Giclée
Paper: Moab Entrada Bright White Rag
Ink: Ultrachrome HDR Archival Inks
Paper Size: 18 x 24 inches
Printed at: Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity

ON-SALE INFORMATION
Available at www.vonscaramouche.com on June 19th at the price of $75.

We are delighted to be, once again, collaborating with the extremely talented artist Heidi Taillefer and to be offering her new limited edition prints. Heidi’s work can be described as an original creative fusion of classical figurative painting, surrealism, contemporary realism, and mythology combined with popular figurative traditions ranging from victorian romanticism to science fiction.

These new prints, available on paper and on canvas, are reproductions of two of her amazing paintings, Detritus of Devotion (1999) and Govinda and the Heiffer Nymph (2007) (see images below). They are signed and numbered and will be available in the von Scaramouche online store as of this Friday April 20th. Their details are as follows:

Govinda and the Heiffer Nymph on paper
Technique: Giclée
Paper Edition: 40
Size: 24″ x 18″
Special Price: $265 on April 20th only (regular price: $290)

Govinda and the Heiffer Nymph on canvas
Technique: Giclée
Canvas Edition: 5
Size: 21.5″ x 15″
Wrapped over 1.5″ museum bars
Special Price: $550 on April 20th only (regular price: $600)

Detritus of Devotion on paper
Technique: Giclée
Paper Edition: 40
Size: 20″ x 28″
Special Price: $295 on April 20th only (regular price: $325)

Detritus of Devotion on canvas
Technique: Giclée
Canvas Edition: 5
Size: 16.5″ x 25.5″
Wrapped over 1.5″ museum bars
Special Price: $600 on April 20th only (regular price: $650)

If you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to write us at info [at] vonscaramouche [dot] com

A little while back I came across the site of Glasgow Press in the U.K. and, based on the photos of their work, they seemed like competent letterpress printers. As I recently received their latest self-promotional mailer, I can now attest to the fact that they do great work. The mailer consists of 5 colorful cards wrapped in a belly band and enclosed in a fuchsia pink box. Each card features the title of a song from a favourite Glasgow band (i.e. Belle And Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit, The Pastels, Camera Obscura, The Blue Nile) and, on the back of each card, an excerpt of the lyrics of that song. My favourite card is the Living In Colour which not only has 4 colours (relatively rare for letterpress work) but, one notices when looking at the side of the card, that it also has 3 layers of paper (white, red & yellow) which gives a beautiful effect. Another delightful touch is the black stamp on the belly band which simulates a vinyl on a turntable. The quality of the printing throughout the whole set is crisp and clean and the tactile aspect of the paper and printing is, simply said, a sensual pleasure. Kudos to Glasgow Press and designer Kerr Vernon!

Melissa Di Menna’s work combines photography, drawings and patterns in a collage form assembled through screenprinting. She often recontextualizes found images while exploring texture and depth. Her work is inspired by vintage imagery and captures a certain nostalgic feeling. Melissa lives and works in Montreal and she regularly collaborates with Julien Bakvis, at their studio Sel et Vinaigre.

Here are the details about the two limited edition screen prints shown above as well as their on-sale information. You can find further information and photos about each print on their respective pages in the gallery.

DETAILS ABOUT THE PRINTS
Name: Untitled I (women with umbrellas)
Edition: 8
Signed & Numbered
Technique: Screenprinting
Colours: 8
Paper: Stonehenge (archival coton paper) 

Size: 22 x 30 inches
Year: 2011 

Printed at Sel et Vinaigre by Melissa Di Menna

Name: Untitled II (girl with headphones)
Edition: 10
Signed & Numbered
Technique: Screenprinting
Colours: 4
Paper: Stonehenge (archival coton paper) 

Size: 22 x 30 inches
Year: 2011 

Printed at Sel et Vinaigre by Melissa Di Menna

ON-SALE INFORMATION
The prints will sell for $85 each starting on February 10th at around noon (EST) at http://www.vonscaramouche.com/

If you have any questions or comments, you can send them through the Comment box below or you can write us at info [at] vonscaramouche [dot] com.

British film maker Danny Cooke has recently done a great short documentary about letterpress titled Upside Down, Left to Right. The documentary features Paul Collier, the letterpress and typography technician at Plymouth University in the U.K., who says “the digital age removes us from tactile, hands-on work, and there’s a longing to get back to that.” Enjoy!

A few days ago was the opening of Le Carnaval de Québec, a very popular winter festival which has been taking place in Québec City since 1955. On the grounds of the festival, one can see amazing snow sculptures, dog sled and ice canoe competitions, an ice palace…and the nightmare-inducing and creepy mascot of the festival, the Bonhomme Carnaval. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine a blood-fest horror B movie with a psycopath wearing that costume.

About 10 years ago, the freaky mascot inspired Pierre Brisset des Nos to write a novel titled Les Années Fantômes which portrayed the Bonhomme Carnaval as a cocaine smuggler (he packed the drug in the head part of the costume) and the cover depicted the mascot pointing a gun at a woman in high heels. The Carnaval people threatened to sue the publisher, who ultimately agreed to change the novel’s cover.

This prelude to introduce you to Seripop‘s take on the Bonhomme for its amazing 2010 limited edition screenprint, C’est Ça Qui Arrive Quand On Mange Trop De Bines (shown above). The print can be purchased at their Etsy store.

Ericailcane is an italian illustrator and muralist whose beautiful work is equally playful and thoughtful. He has published a new book of his color and black & white drawings taken from his “Il canto della foresta” project (this is his third or fourth book). It is available in both a regular edition and a limited edition of 100 copies which has an embossed hard cover, a canvas binding (see image below) and it comes with a signed & numbered etching. Both editions can be purchased from the online shop of the italian collective Zooo Print & Press.

Robert Crumb is the author of numerous comic works and one of the pioneers of underground comics. Though one of the most celebrated of comic book artists, Crumb’s entire career has unfolded outside the mainstream comic book publishing industry. Some of his more popular characters are Keep On Truckin, Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural.

Robert Crumb’s best known work is probably the illustration he did for Big Brother and the Holding Company ‘s 1968 Cheap Thrills LP cover (which is itself available as a limited edition giclée print here). His most recent book is actually a compilation of the record covers he created, R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection

It was upon glancing at Crumb’s online newsletter today that I learned of his new print offering. From the newsletter:

The image is from one of Robert’s best-known stories Whiteman Meets Bigfoot. It’s the last panel, in fact, and as close as Crumb ever gets to “happily ever after”. This story first appeared in Kitchen Sink’s Home Grown Funnies, which was their best-selling comic book of all time. Publisher Alex Wood explains,”I proposed the idea to use the last panel as an etching to Crumb some years ago. Robert thought the drawing was too crude, and didn’t want it released in its original form; he would have to rework it for the etching. He ended up starting over from scratch, completely redrawing the image for this edition.

This edition of 50 etching prints is signed, dated and numbered by Crumb. The image size is 8″ wide by 7″ tall and the white archival Hahnemuhle paper is 14″ wide by 13″ tall. Whiteman Meets Bigfoot can be purchased here for $430 each.

Photographer and digital artist Jeffery Scott conjures amazing characters, environments and situations that thoroughly blur the line between the real and the imagined. His works reveal in-depth philosophies, concepts and stories inspired by the world and society in which we live. Here is a brief interview with this amazing artist:

von Scaramouche: Do you recall the first artistic work that made a tremendous impression on you?
Jeffery Scott: Yes. The Persistence of Memory, by Dali (shown below), and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

vS: You started your artistic career as a painter and sculptor. How would you describe the artistic direction you had at that time?
JS: Confused. Searching. Frustrating. I had spent years searching for the proper medium to express the images in my mind. It was like trying identify a certain sound that no musical instrument could produce. I have now found the instrument.

vS: What prompted you to adopt photography as your medium of choice and what drew you to art of compositing?
JS: I remember when I was painting, all of the images started out with satisfaction. Seeing the sketch. I would be happy with it. It seemed to be an accurate portrayal of what I was seeing in my mind. Then, there was the transfer to canvas. That was the first indication of great disappointment. Then, when I would stand back and look at the “finished” image, I was completely let down. It was not the image I was trying to communicate. Painting was, and still is not the proper medium for me. I went back to photography when I saw the possibilities of image editing through Photoshop. Now I achieve EXACTLY what is within me. It contains all elements of what I have done in the past. At times, I can identify with the sculptor in me. The painter. The illustrator. The film maker. All of these elements collide in this one medium for me. I can not imagine being able to do what I do, without what I have done.

vS: You have divided your works in three series (Machines Like Us; Flesh Machines; Surreal Statements). Can you tell us about each series?
JS: On the website, yes. The three categories, as I see them for my next book, are a visual narrative from beginning to end. The Artificial people (or Bio Mechs) as seen in my images refer to humans as “Flesh Machines”. “Machines Like Us” refers to the Bio Mechs. “Surreal Statements” is how I see life and the world around me.

vS: What inspires and informs your work these days?
JS: Life and the world around me. My participation in that life. Human sexuality…..and I am not just reflecting on the act itself. The act is irrelevant. Relationships of any kind. Our sapient relationships as well as those that we have now with technology.

vS: From your perspective, who matters today in photography / compositing?
JS: I don’t follow it. I am not part of some “club”, if one exists. I know that my work matters to some, simply because they express that to me. They buy my prints and my books. Go to my shows, etc. So my art must matter to them.

vS: Will you have music playing during your photo shoots? Any musical artists whose music you find particularly inspiring when you do shoots?
JS: Occasionally I will play music during a shoot only for the model. I prefer quiet. I do, however, need music, or sound, during my creative process when I am alone and making the Art in front of my computer. It is part of the system of things. It comes in many forms. Everything from NIN to Beethoven.

vS: Can you tell us about the shoots for A Modern Day Sagittarian and A Modern Day Love Affair and the final works themselves?
JS: I can’t tell you much about Modern Day Sagittarian, simply because the image was done so long ago. I can say that it was probably the first successful realizations for me of humanity fusing with technology, and how I see that as a form of de-evolution. Hence the vintage look. Modern Day Love Affair is an extremely personal piece to me. It reflects where I am now, and Modern Day Sagitarrian shows where I was at then. Artistically. Technically. Emotionally. Modern Day Love Affair reflects on my relationship with the model, and her relationship with herself.

vS: Do you collect prints? If so, can you tell us about your collection?
JS: James Jean. Michael Hussar. Brandon “Ragnar” Johnson. Nigel Sade. Salavador Dali. There are others. But I can not remember. They are in storage.

vS: How would you describe the impact the internet has on the professional lives of photographers in general and yours specifically?
JS: Mass communication on an epidemic scale. If it were not for the internet, I don’t think my work would have been seen.

vS: Could you recommend one or two photography book(s) that one must have in their library?
JS: Anything about the collective works of Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton.

vS: What will be the title of your follow up book to Visions From Within?
JS: Existence Within the Mechanism: The Re-Engineering of Human Society

Thank you Jeffery!