git wit theFunk

COLLECT 'EM ALL

2010-07-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

BASKETBALL JONES Art by Atkins of CDM

Going through the archives at Preferred Graphics and ran across these gems. I bought the frame shop four years ago and we are still finding framed art stashed away in the rafters. Signed sealed and delivered. These two are quite a find, evidence of PG's long history in the community and great souvenirs of the times.
When I first caught a glimpse of the Laker uniform I thought great a serigraph of Kobe and as I opened it up it just got better, Wham, MAGIC! Yeah Jordan he's good too!
But in my mind Magic is the Man!
Laker's 3peat!!! in 2011

late, theFunk

"WTF"

2010-06-16T07:14:00.001-07:00

CRUDE AWAKENING by Mofo

MORE MOFO

2010-06-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

MOFO THE MAGNIFICENT by MOFO :-)

It's been a great and long month with many new projects and some quality pieces produce for Mofo's clients. Here's a few to sum up the productive month.

Clothing Lines Logos, Mystic Branding and Surf Legends all in a months work for Mofo. Living the life and thankful for the opportunities. Portraits, tons of insights and great sayings for the book and wonderful positive people met along the way!

Peter Townend, Surfing's First World Champion. Always pretty in Pink. A true revolutionary surfer! We can thank P.T. for Color, Moves, and Movements. Grand achievements, that started 70's surfing down the road to greatness and on to conquer the world. The world of the eighties was shaped in closeup backdoor sessions on the North Shore. "Bustin Down the Door" those are fitting words!

Announcing the URBAN POTENTIAL Centers, remember you saw it here first, a door of another type to bust down, a change is on the way! The first of many branding posters to come based from our new positive philosophy. Fireball logo and poster promoting our friend Denis Murphy's new reality show and healing powers centers. The man can work wonders don't ask me how? Or maybe you should, remember it's your choice. Choose wisely......

late, theFunk

RECENT AQUISITIONS

2010-06-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

LOVE Poster 1967 by Peter Max

This a well known image to many from the 6o's. It is very hard to find a vintage one in good condition. We recently found all three of these Peace and Love Posters and we are hanging them the the Preferred Graphics gallery. Simple yet elegant and playful these images are peak MAX in my opinion. They set the stage and look for a lot of the Psychedelic Era concert posters and mind blowing images that were to come through the 60's and 70's.
The LOVE poster is the most famous!

PEACE SIGN with included running man images drawn in and out. A common figure in many of the Max posters of this era.

I freaked when I found this one! What a great image of a Peace DOVE. Everybody tries but only a few capture the essence with minimal line. I really dig the fade of the background colors, another signature mark you can thank the great Peter Max for.

Great pieces and wonderful feelings embodied in art. Great images to live with and to live by!

late, theFunk

ART X FRIENDS

2010-05-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

FADED GLORIES By Conrad Firestein

I wanted to start things off by posting some of our friends current art. These great photos of dead flowers are from an old college buddy from Art Center who has gone on to conquer the world with arresting Images.
We will be showcasing many of our local friends here at the "theFunk" blog.
Hope you like them and if you have any questions they are available through Preferred Graphics our custom frame shop and art gallery in Costa Mesa. 949-722-7554
More great Images to see! www.preferredgraphics.net
Late, theFunk

Link to Conrad's site to view more Images:
www.firesteinphotography.com/FADEDGLORIES

SILVER FROM SPAIN

2010-05-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

ABSTRACT THOUGHTS

It all started with Minor White. In High School I was introduced to to the Masters of Black and White photography. Weston, Adams, Penn, Frank, Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evens, then low and be hold there was Minor White (he was different). All the others masters shot nature, cities, situations and classic scenes of fantastic places, but it was Minor White that saw something different and that's what I was looking for!
Minor White taught me that anything could be beautiful and anything could be a great photograph and to always, always, always be looking! The Market in Barcelona

These abstract images are from a month last year in Spain, (Barcelona) to be exact. And these particular shots are from a new series and a new technique that I have stumbled upon and I refer to them a s SILVERS.
Printed in muted Grays with subdued Highlights and detailed Blacks. No Zone system here!
Just fields to wonder through over and over. Nothing to catch your eye except the over quality of the abstract forms. Nothing to stop you from dreaming!
La Famila Sagrada, Barcelona

We have hundreds of such images now, taken over a lifetime of looking and seeing. These are just the latest. Abstracts never cease to capture my attention, I see them every where and shoot them again and again. Fascinating!

Missed Call - side of a broken phone booth

Life on the Streets - moss on a sidewalk

The Apocalypse - graffiti on a iron gate.
late, theFunk

SPACE?TIME

2010-05-07T14:37:00.001-07:00

O.K. HERE'S THE BIG QUESTION? by theFunk

I found some great space shots from the Hubble Telescope this week and they always amaze me! But I also heard a new report on the age of the Universe and it made me think of this question.

The agreed upon, estimated age of the Universe, was 13.5 billion years old up until last month when scientists measured the background microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang. Now they tell us the Universe is 13.7 billion years old. Just a slight difference, but they were able to figure it out and then they refined their date based upon precise data. They changed what they thought was true based upon real data.

They know this because the speed of light is always the same, "light moves at the same speed" no matter where it is or where you find it. Even in the wave above! It took 13.7 billion years for the radiation from the Big Bang to get here, so we could witness it, record it and see it!

Yes, WE CAN NOW, see the radiation from the Big Bang, the first event ever to happen in this Universe. Think about that, now think about this, in the future we should be able to peer through space & time to see the BIG BANG, the actual point of explosion and even beyond (which would be?......)
So as you look at these photos and realize to yourself that these images are actually real photos of some far flung and distance galaxies, Light years away!
Ask yourself this question:
If the Universe is only 6,000 years old as many Born-again Christians believe. How did the Light from the Big Bang (the beginning of time, some 13.7 billion years ago) get all the way back here from the edge of the Universe for us to record in just 6,000 years?
If light always moves at one speed and at that speed, it took 13.7 billion years to get here, doesn't that PROVE that the Universe is older than 6,000 years old.
And doesn't that prove that time as presented in the Bible is wrong, and doesn't that prove that the Bible or whoever dictated the Bible to us was wrong (fallible, i.e. capable of making an error) and doesn't this make that being, NOT A GOD! Wouldn't a true god be unfallible?
So either the Bible is wrong or the god who dictated it to us IS! or both.......
The god who wrote the Bible also gave us this beautiful photo below! take a look.....

OOOPS! sorry that's Oil in the Gulf this week and Forever! Think about it!

late, thefunk

WHAT I FOUND this week

2010-05-01T10:05:00.001-07:00

WHAT CAN I SAY

I have always loved Vampires and Vampirella!! But this is really just a shout out to the infamous "COOP"! Always the tightest and curvaceous blackline work around. We have several of Coop's hand-drawn women in our collection and I am always on the look out for his vintage drawings. This is a signed comic book cover showing off the Vamps wonderful hourglass figure as only Coop could render it.

And the hits just keep On Coming! Great graphic edge and colors. I am into faces now, illustrating them through "MOFO the Magnificent" so of course now I have a collection. Maybe I need to get on that hoarder show, "Clutter Cleaners" or is it just "Hoarders" you know what I mean. People amaze me. Stranger than fiction!

This was always one of my favorites, Great girl illustration and fantastic 50's robot. It doesn't get any better, wonderful poster!

One more.... good old Red & Black, you just can't design with anything better. Bold, Stark and at the same time sinister, you want attention, you got it red & black!

Late, theFunk

"IT"S A BEAUTIFUL WORLD WE LIVE IN"

2010-04-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Every day I am on the web for one reason or another and I find great images that touch me in many different ways. The Art Director in me wants to compile and share the beauty of this world and life with you. I have a large found archive of such beautiful photos as well as my own images, shot over the past 30 years ever since my junior year in high school. Some of the photographers I will know and some I won't, but I still love the images. Here are a few, enjoy!

Many thanks to Mr. Tim Brehm for setting me straight on course and showing me how it's done.

This one I copped from Shawn Stussy (yes,that Stussy) I check out his blog (Shawn Stussy's Joint.blogspot.com) everyday to see what cool images and insights he posts there. You should too! Check him out! Thanks Shawn for this one! Shot on a recent vacation he says....

Mirror Image, I can't remember where this came from but I love the nature of duality it imbues me with.

I have many many such texture shots to share with you all. Enjoy!

Late, theFunk

ART IS NOT A CRIME

2010-03-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

THE ELECTION POSTER FOR HOPE by Shepard Fairey

A creative leap for election posters and one that ended up in the Smithsonian!

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT!! First let me point out that this AP photo is not a good photo of candidate Obama, he is hunched over and looking quite bored. It took the eye of an artist to straighten up the shot, change the background and come up with a very creative yet simple color process that makes this "illustration" look heroic and arty enough to arouse the interest of a nation. I did not see many people wanting or buying a print of the AP photograph to hang in their houses or post on walls all around the nation.

The addition of the word HOPE is really where Shepard took it all to another level. Using his signature style "the big word at the bottom" like so many of his previous posters, Shepard made this a new "Image" and gave the nation a rallying call to all Democrats and Independents across the country.

Artists have appropriated images for use in their art for ages, the mere fact that Fairey has redrawn this image is change enough to take it away from the Photo copyright. If he would have used the tried and true "Warhollian" technique of adding color over a contrasty and grainy photo image of the photograph that could have been cause for concern. But what we have here is a redrawn, colored and fixed up new art piece, a painting. ART! Art is not a crime!

And then the AP goes and threatens to sue over a drawing of what they say is their copyrighted photo! Well last week I ran across another image of Obama and I'll be damned, it looks just like the AP Photo.... but it is not!

Taken by another photographer in another situation (check the background) but looking just like the original pose. I guess the second photographer must have copied the first AP photo. Or maybe Shepard used the second shot for his "artistic reference" to get the now famous and Heroic Leader pose so prevalent in the HOPE Poster! Take a look below and compare this with the AP Photo above!

Let me know what you think!

Late, theFunk

WHAT I FOUND this week

2010-03-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

WORKING ON A RED THEME

Just a couple of FUN guys I ran across down the street! Black cats and devils! This update "Found Today" is always about showcasing things I find online while I am searching for reference materials and taking care of day to day biz. I thought these guys seem to be having fun!

Running down a red theme here are some great Flames and pin stripping stolen from the Juxtapoz site. Hod Rods and Pin Stripes some of my earliest memories!

Here's a great red "Vargas" from our friends at The Matador Alcove in Costa Mesa.

Alberto Vargas is the King of the Pin-Up and very collectable! He was a main contributor at Playboy in the early days (50's ,60's, and 70's )and has always depicted women in fun and unusual poses as well as capturing their best assets, pun intended!

Late,•theFunk

KNOW YOUR ICONS

2010-03-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

NEW ILLUSTRATIVE PORTRAITS by Mofo

Great new stylized portraits of your favorite Icons and celebrities by that scoundrel Mofo. Printed on Canvas and ready to frame. We are handling all sales and commissioned work for Mofo now through Preferred Graphics.
Over 45 different face to see! Check them out! Bono above

James Dean always the Icon of Rebellion!

Elvis lives on! In this cool take of an Idol Portrait from the early movie days.

Late, •theFunk

If you have any questions they are available through Preferred Graphics our custom frame shop and art gallery in Costa Mesa. More great Images to see! www.preferredgraphics.net

GIANT 4 SALE

2010-03-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

EARLY OBEY GIANT PRINTS by Shepard Fairey

Here we have some early prints from our Obey collection. "Nixon" part of a series of black over-prints on red design collages that Shepard was experimenting with. Others in this series include Mao and Lenin. This first attempt at over-printing led to another series of money inspired portraits with the same three Nixon, Lenin ad Mao. It was just at this time that the named switched from Giant or Obey Giant to just "Obey" as everyone knows it now. Early print get it here for sale $375.00!

About the same period Shepard got into Chinese style propaganda. He produced three of these banner style red and paper prints. We have two of three, and the last one is hard to find these days. Earlier in the Giant days, Shepard was influenced by Soviet style propaganda which in turn led to these Chinese inspired prints.

Another outstanding period in Shepard's career. This is entitled "Playboy" and features some earlier collage work as well as the rip & tear style that preceded all the punk influenced prints of the Sex pistols and Sid Vicious. Great style, get it here!

late, •theFunk

ART OPENING - Lorin Fleming

2010-03-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

JOIN LORIN FOR "WEST COAST COOL"
Lori Fleming has a new Art show this weekend at "Sunsets" Capo Beach.
Check below for some examples and descriptions. Come and see the show!
Hope to see you there! theFunk

NEW NOSTALGIC SURF By Lorin Fleming

Surfing in the Era before Hollywood, Gidget and Branding. Casual, Candid and Sepia for the nostalgic in us all. Lorin is at his easel with brush in hand mining the California and Hawaiian surf scene, luring us all back to a simpler time when men were boys and surfing all day was what it was all about!

New Commissions wanted, Picture your dream?

Think back, over all the good times "On the Road" with your pals!
Did you almost get caught? I can't count the times.

Hope you like them and if you have any questions they are available through Preferred Graphics our custom frame shop and art gallery in Costa Mesa.
More great Images to see! www.preferredgraphics.net

Moondoggie, after a surf, love it

Late, theFunk

ART X FRIENDS

2010-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

VAN HAM OPENING
John Van Hamersveld new art show will be "Waterworks" opening at the South Laguna Ritz Carlton in lobby from March 6th to the 14th. John is a longtime friend from the Gotcha days and is continually producing outstanding and color graphic Posters and Serigraphs.

We just happen to have a great collection of old and new works from the famous "Endless Summer" to more recent editions of classics like the new colorway above of the timeless "Jimi Hendrix." seen above.

Last year John produced this new edition from his vintage poster for the Cream's Reunion Concerts at The Royal Albert hall in London and Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Johnny Boy" or "It's a Crazy World Ain't It" lifted from a famous 70's t shirt John made back then and recently up scaled to this fabulous Serigraph we purchased just last year.
The crazy tees have been worn by all, from Mick of the Rolling Stones to more recent guitar hero John Mayer. One of my all time favorites!

The Classic Absolute Poster (multi-dimensional) art piece done for the Absolute Vodka Campaigns back in the mid eighties.
Preferred Graphics carry's a big selection of John's work spanning the years. Come on in and take a look at his colorful graphic "Pop Art" classics and hang one on your wall.

late, •theFunk

ART X FRIENDS

2010-02-18T15:41:00.001-08:00

FOUR STYLISH COMPOSITIONS by Terry Miller

Terry is our close friend and a professional photographer from Costa Mesa. She has a great eye for the unique sights and soothing picturesque settings. Above we have The Ivy Room in Richmond, California. A good example of old California neon from the forties.

Next a wonderful shot of the Disney Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Terry caught the gentle curves and gradations light on metal of this unique landmark by Frank Gehry.

A gentle essay on light! Diffused and pale colors blend together to form this contemplative composition.

This is a fantastic shot from Europe, the kings garden at the castle outside Copenhagen.
We hope you have enjoyed our friends art and please check back for more of Terry's work in the future. Have any comments or sales questions please feel free to call us at Preferred Graphics and we can put you touch with any of or featured artists! (friends)

late,•theFunk

WHAT I FOUND this week

2010-02-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

OUTSTANDING DESIGN AWARD!

A recent find as I search through the web each week. Here we have a classic example of DADA art turned advertisement. Stare at it and let the composition soak in!

Take a long look at this butterfly, outstanding line work! Another great looking piece found on Juxtapoz magazines website. A must see once a week for me! Wonderful, thrilling and compelling art can be seen first at Juxtapoz! The kings of lowbrow and street art all started by "Lowbrow King" Robert Williams and run by our friends Craig Stecyk III and Greg Escalante.

A new piece by Mofo Illustrations, taken from an old 60's poster by Rick Griffin published in the heady days of the Summer of Love. This is an updated version and an homage to the Great One the original "OG" Rick Griffin.

late, •theFunk

"SELLATHON"

2010-02-18T14:36:00.000-08:00

LOOKIN GOOD! Peter Max

Things have picked up on the art sales front. Above a vintage poster by POP guru Peter Max! Seems like after we alerted the public and started up our art blog many clients have gotten interested in what we have to offer. More great things to come but here are the highlights for the last three weeks.

Next we have two greats combined to give us this wonderful portrait of The Champ. Shepard Fairey did this silkscreen of Ali for Addidas in 2008 and I was lucky enough to pick it up at a poster convention.

Another stylish piece from Shepard Fairey of recent "OBAMA" fame.
He is the artist behind the "HOPE" campaign posters and has created a look all his own.
I started collecting his work about a year before the last campaign began and thus we have quite a nice collection of early work by Shepard. Come on in to Preferred and take a look around there are always new pieces that we have acquired to fill that void on your walls.

late, •theFunk

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

2010-02-01T15:39:00.001-08:00

THE BIGGEST EVER!

This elephant piece was brought into Preferred Graphics to be framed by our local friends at RVCA. It was quite a challenge 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide we could barley get it up on the tables to work on it. But Paul worked it out and rushed it through just in time. It always great to see unique pieces of art come through the shop and I will be posting some of the better ones as we go.

Paul Iverson and the Elephant in the room!

Another big piece 5 feet wide that had to be floated on black felt background with a unique gold Baroque frame. An outstanding Piece framed for Michael Tomson for O'Neill.

This piece I loved! Framed in a dark satin silver frame for some friends from Volcum.
I wish I could get a Dr. Suess for my collections.
Great jobs and great Pieces, Onward.......

late, •theFunk

WHAT I FOUND this week

2010-02-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

DREAMS & MEMORIES

Don't we all remember the Pee Chee. This is where my dreams started...
I wanted to do all these things when I grew up. I would sit and picture myself doing them.
Then later I started drawing on the cover of the Pee Chee's and on it went from there.
Didn't we all.....

Some great shots I ran across of Rincon. I spent a great deal of time learning to surf at Rincon in the late sixties and seventies as we started to gather in Carpenteria for Surf Party weekends.

Here's a great late afternoon wave just inside the point as it starts to wrap.
all photos by Larry Day.

and last but not least... Is it Stanleys or there abouts...
Oil Piers? Great memories of surfing Ventura County
Thanks larry, enjoy all!

late, •theFunk

CLASSIC LESSON

2010-01-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? JFK? Girls? (or not)
Here we have a classic lesson on how things have changed in our new media age.
This shot or old print as it is, was first published by Playboy back in an era long gone, a simpler time. When that was the only place you could find such a shot (real or not). It would run for one month as a gag, cause a laugh or small commotion and then it would pass out of sight.
On to the next tantalizing image!
Of course it is not real, but in today's Internet age this image would have year long legs. It would be picked up by the morning Google news, added to several web blogs from there, with added comments and speculation by "know it all bloggers with an agenda". Then it would be read straight into the morning show cameras on early morning political shows. As News! Without any attempt at fact checking.
Now here comes the the real teaching point!
This image of JFK, Tiger or Obama would be picked up by the evening cable shows and splashed all over T.V. to be oogled by the zealots of hate, to make the cable news shows sizzle, to hold the attention of their right wing audience. Here it would be presented as the truth, cause after all it has been on several internet news sites and on T.V. all day and talked about endlessly by the cable news talking heads, showed over and over by them to enthrall their disciples, until it would actually become the truth. Made-up in the morning, instant truth by nightfall, then run over and over and talked about for weeks!
Happens everyday!
Of course it would never even make the regular news shows cause you can tell it's been doctored. And during the whole spectacle the cable shows would condemn the mainstream media for not covering the made up story. They would then make that the story and so it goes, welcome to the never ending present. I understand the need to fill space in every sort of media, but common on, enough is enough there are real problems out there and they need us to work together to solve them.
I preferred that simpler time, when a news story was news and hard to come by. They needed to be vetted and fact checked so we (the regular public) would know it was true.
Late, • the Funk

I found this on TMZ

RECENT FIND!

2010-01-14T17:03:00.001-08:00

Classic Vintage Beatle Portraits

by Nicholas Volpe

NEMS circa 1964

Recently added to Preferred Graphics Expanding Vintage Archive. A great addition to my large Beatle Collection, the original painted portraits were just put up for auction with a minimum bid of (1) One Million Dollars for all four!

These were published and sold during "The Beatles" visit to L.A. to play at Dodger Stadium in the early sixties. To find this portrait series that are flawless and in prime condition is a rare achievement!

Volpe also painted portraits for big stars in Hollywood and the L.A. Dodgers. I had a set of his L.A.Dodger tumblers that were given away at Union 76 stationswhen I was a kid! Once I saw these Beatle prints, I went for them. I would recognize that classic style anywhere. • theFunk

For more info please read below.

The Beatles first sat for Nicholas Volpe in 1964 at New York's Waldorf Astoria. These portraits were not finished at the first sitting, and Volpe's next session with the Beatles took place in Las Vegas after their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was after the Las Vegas sitting that the paintings were completed by the artist.

The current owner of the paintings resides in southern California, and has a plaque that reads: "These original paintings of the Beatles are the work of Nicholas Volpe, world renowned artist, who was commissioned to paint such great personalities as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra."

On the morning of December 8, 1980, the day that John Lennon would be assassinated by Mark David Chapman, the painting of John Lennon inexplicably fell from the wall and landed on the floor. The artist himself, Nicholas Volpe, repaired the painting soon afterward.

That quite a bit of showmanship don't cha think?

ART X FRIENDS

2010-01-05T11:53:00.001-08:00

NEW NOSTALGIC SURF By Lorin Fleming

New Commissions wanted, Picture your dream?

Moondoggie, after a surf, love it

Late, theFunk

ART X FRIENDS

2009-12-28T12:21:00.001-08:00

FADED GLORIES By Conrad Firestein
I wanted to start things off by posting some of our friends current art. These great photos of dead flowers are from an old college buddy from Art Center who has gone on to conquer the world with arresting Images. We will be showcasing many of our local friends here at the "theFunk" blog.
Hope you like them and if you have any questions they are available through Preferred Graphics our custom frame shop and art gallery in Costa Mesa. More great Images to see! www.preferredgraphics.net Late, •theFunk

Link to Conrad's site to view more Images:
www.firesteinphotography.com/FADEDGLORIES

GIT STARTED

2009-12-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

PROPS TO THE FINEST

Thanks to Ron Leighton and Shawn at S/Double for showing me the simple way.
Thanks to Tom O'Hara for starting the process, plus a big shout out to ANDY,
JVH and SHEPARD for the over-all Inspiration.

This will be an ongoing posting of everything that is getting done at the shop
"Preferred Graphics" and the growth of Mofo Illustration (Warhol & Fairey
style custom Portraits, check'em out), as we all build to a better future.

"Git wit theFunk". subscribe now!

Somethings just need to be said, Somethings just need to be seen
and Somethings just need to be done!

Late, •theFunk