France part 2!

Better late then never! These are pictures from Lyon and Paris from last September.

The train to Paris. I was going into the city to attend the opening of "HEY: Modern Art and Pop Culture" at Halle Saint Pierre Museum. Wow the French countryside is amazing and beautiful...

 

Paris was fun though I was only there two nights. Got to explore underground with some friends... and I brought some chalk...

 

 

I suck at all nighters these days, but I had a great time. Got back to my hotel with enough time to take a much needed shower before going to meet press (and some clowns) at the museum. My friend Dave Cooper was in Paris as well! The opening was a bit later so I squeezed in a nap between press interviews and the nightime opening. I felt like I was squandering my time sleeping, but Paris will be around...

 

AlexOne had a nice piece in the show.

 

Got to meet and hang out with Jean Claude Mezieres, the famous French comic artist. Turns out, he's married to my grandma's cousin!

 

Turf One!!! Nice to meet this guy!

 These ads were all over the Metro... Bikini Burger Party!!!

The next morning, Dave and I met Jean Claude at his studio...

And back on the fast train to Lyon to paint some more...

Dinner with friends in Lyon! Reg Mombossa, Naoto Hattori, Caia Koopman, Nicolas Thomas, Odo, and Kevin, Jerome and the rest of the Spacejunk crew.... Yes, I tried a small piece of horse... and I'm kind of ashamed (dammit is was actually pretty good).

Happy Sperm!  I think all the wine gave me more courage than normal...

The next day got to finishing my large chat mural. 

More wine induced old school bubble letters. 

France= fun, wine, cheese and awesome people. I'll be back....

Jeff Soto- "The Black Keys- France 2012" Screenprint

The Black Keys are a great band that I've enjoyed for a number of years now. I was asked to do a poster for the French leg of their tour. Having experienced not only Paris, but smaller and friendlier Lyon last year, I wanted to give the people of France another taste of my work, and hopefully a nice poster to commemorate the show.

The inspiration was sculptural works I got to see in France, in particular those celebrating the French Revolution. I designed the poster loosely as a representation of Marie Antoinette's head. I wanted it to be beautiful and sculptural, and maybe just a bit tragic. I don't know where the Black Key's music fits in, but to me, it works well. There is something tragic in their music, there's passion and angst and sexiness, and I tried to put all that in.

The lettering was inspired by the fonts used in the Paris Metro. I couldn't believe them the first time I saw them. It reminded me of 60's era hippy letters, but older looking. I think my friends in Paris take it for granted that they're surrounded by this beautiful old design work. I live on the west coast, so we never see any signs that old!

This is a five color 18" x 24" screenprint on Cream Speckletone paper. Printed in Chino, CA at Inhouse Printing.

There will be three color variants available:


"Jaune" (Light yellow background)
The standard colored prints that were available at the shows.
Edition of 200 (much less will be available)
$50


"Pourpre" (Purple background)
Edition of 25, less available.
$70 + shipping



 
"Vert" (Lime green background)
Edition of 10, less available.
$100 + shipping

These will be available on www.potatostamp.com on Wednesday, January 25th at 1pm PST.

2011 recap

2011.... Man, what a year. So much good and bad! So much change and self discovery. This year will stand out I think. I didn't travel as much as 2010, which was a good thing. I was home much more, got to spend a lot of time with my kids. Some highlights:

• Our 2 year old broke her leg. It was tough, but she adapted and was hobbling around on her pink cast. Jennifer and I felt like crying (and probably did) everyday. It was a pretty dark part of the year for us.

• I started teaching college art (part time- one class per semester). It has been one of the most humbling "projects" I've worked on. I can't believe the amount of work it added to my schedule. I like it, though it kills me to have to give bad grades. Sometimes the most talented kids have the worst work ethic. I decided to keep teaching one class per semester.

• My kids continue to grow up. It kills me.

• I feel like I developed further as an artist, mainly I'm getting a handle on screenprinting with it's strengths and limitations. I'm still trying to push it, learn more, and make not only posters for bands but pieces of art.

• With art making, I'm continuing to find myself. I tried changing things up with oils, it was tough and it's a medium I need to revisit. I'm back in that same place I arrive each year, where I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with my art. But that's good. That's when the random accidents happen and it sparks a whole series.

• My daughter became a 1st grader!! What?!?!

• In September I went to France for the first time. Can't wait to go back, had a great time! I don't know why, but it peaked my interest in graffiti and vandalism just a little.

• I think Jennifer came into her own as a cook. Maybe this is not newsworthy, but I enjoyed chili, various soups, dishes and good, healthy homecooked food to eat throughout the year.

• I moved to a new studio, which has been a HUGE change for me.It was a good change, it's kept me very productive being around all these guys.

• In November our grandma passed away. It was a sad time for the family and we're still dealing. It brought us a little closer together I think. RIP Grandma Marian!

• My grandma passing coincided with a lot of love from my fans as I sold over 700 prints in November. It was an emotional time, such a mix of feelings. It was a real ordeal getting that many prints out in a three week span.I have the best fans on the planet.

• Much more in the works for 2012..... here's some pics from the year past. I am too lazy to put them in order...

See ya in 2012!