The ride that has been Sparks has come to an end. It was announced recently that Coors is stopping production of the energy beer. I had a lot of fun bouncing around the states, painting murals and getting drunk with friends new and old. It was great while it lasted. R.I.P. Sparks…
Hey guys. Here’s a really quick post. I recently received a copy of my latest magazine interview. I did it for MAXIM Magazine #37 out of China. I can’t read it but figured it cool enough to post. The photo is from the same session I did for the JUXTAPOZ feature I had recently. It was shot by my man, Dastardly Llamas. Enjoy
Here I am again with some pics from another awesome solo show. This time I was in Portland, Oregon. The guys at Upper Playground took great care of me. I made a ton of new friends and got a little sauced in the process. Here are a few pics from my week there.
The show is up now and will run until the end of January. So, if you are in the area go check it out…
23 NW 5th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
[503] 548-4835
Monday – Saturday: 11:00am – 8:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Let the games begin…
What good is an art show if it doesn’t have a mural?
Mo mural…
It was so damn cold in Portland that I stored my beer outside the hotel on the roof because I didn’t have a fridge in my room.
While walking back to my room I ran into the ceiling light in the walkway and busted it. It was a little odd to explain to the lady at the front desk that I busted a light with my head cuz I didn’t duck. I think it was a first for them.
The glass didn’t stand a chance against my thick head…
It’s show time!
Closer shot of the mural pieces…
Bring it!
Peeps start showing up…
I don’t know what this guy is saying but I bet it’s profound.
Explaining the process…
I always dig meeting guys who have been following my work. That’s the best part about openings. I’m also down to do the occasional sketch as long as I have a beer close by.
One of the many guys at Upper Playground that made drinking fun…
Taking a little break the day after the show…
It’s a wrap. Thanks to the whole crew at Upper Playground PDX for a great time.
Time to cram into a plane and fly back home…
Hey guys. So, for some dumb reason I thought a solo show in London last month wasn’t enough. I’ve got a solo show in Portland, Oregon which opens this Thursday. I’m in Portland right now prepping for the show and it looks to be a good one. I’ll be in attendance and so should you. The info is as follows…
Opening Reception
Dec. 4th 6-9:30 pm
Upper Playground
23 NW 5th Ave.
Portland, OR 97207
P (503) 548-4835
It’s been about a week since I returned from my solo show in London which was hosted by Upper Playground. It was a huge success and I feel like I am just finally catching up. One of those things I’ve been meaning to do is post pics and whatnot from my adventures in the UK. I’ll cut this intro short and let the pics tell the story…
The Queen announced my show…
My co-pilot…
Look at all of that leg room!!! Home for the next 10 hours.
They did not ask me what I thought when they designed the bathroom on the airplane.
The star canopies were lit up at night all pretty like.
My walk to the gallery.
Some park stuff on the way to “work”.
Entrance to the promenade where I spent all of my time.
The entrance to the courtyard my gallery show was in.
Right outside the gallery in this awesome courtyard.
The front door to the gallery.
The door covered up prior to the opening. Shhh! It’s a secret!
Mural messiness in the sketch stage.
More messiness about to be made into prettiness.
Caught working on the mural.
Dead chimps have feelings too
The monster piece. 3 feet by 6 feet.
My favorite piece in the mural.
First grouping of illos.
Second grouping of illos.
Blue. Skull. Shat glare.
Third grouping of illos.
The Queen in all her glory.
When out of town it is important to find a new bar to call home. This was mine.
My man OM who took care of me the entire time. I ruined his liver in return.
Let there be drinks.
The crew that made me feel at home. Miss you guys.
When out drinking… draw in the bar bathrooms.
Something dead on something white.
Breakfast of champions.
I think there are a lot of deaf people in London because a number of the tv channels had signers.
My girlfriend in London. She smiled at me everyday on my way to and from the gallery. I said I’d call her and I never did…
One of the Xmas displays. Santa drinks, too.
Santa’s lost. He’s used to delivering gifts in the States.
Bottled inspiration at the gallery.
Some of the fuel for the opening.
Opening night. Some of the show goers.
Some of the crowd throughout the night of the show.
People and pieces.
Part of my mess and some show goers.
The show was a success. Have a bottle of champagne. Don’t mind if I do.
Spark it up.
Pop and pound. I swear this was all one bottle.
My last day in London I did a mural in the Upper Playground shop.
Goodnight London. It was a fun week.
I am way behind on this blogging thing but figured I’d try my best to catch things up to speed.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to go down to Long Beach with a select handful of other artists and paint murals for a motorcycle/truck show that Toyota was putting on. The idea was to do murals involving the bikes that Roland Sands and his crafty team have created. The murals were also done in association with my friends at Upper Playground. The bike I got to work off of is called “The Glory Stomper”. It’s actually the bike that re recently won the tv show “Biker Build-Off” with. The idea was a chimp in the shop building the bike and this is how it went down…
Here are the tour dates. Don’t be too lazy to go if this comes to your city…
The sketch portion of the show.
Let the real piece begin.
Spray paint is a head mess if you don’t wear gear.
This wall is actually ten feet high. I’m THAT tall.
The sketches the chimp does of the bike. It’s fun to draw like ass.
We painted in a hangar. This was our back yard view.
My buddy Sam Flores making his wall all rainbowish and pretty.
My buddy Saber killing his wall as usual.
By the end of it I had no choice but to stab Roland Sands. Sorry.
Estevan Oriol taking pics and making my mural look better thanks to a model and a bike.
The end result doesn’t suck.
So, we finished up the Sparks Ignite What’s Next Tour out in the desert that is Phoenix. It was the first weekend in October and we were all well beaten up from the previous cities so we tried to take it easy on ourselves… which is never the case.
Here is the video proof followed by some pics. Enjoy…
Alex Pardee and I showed up a day early so that we could hang out with our buds at Todd McFarlane productions and so I could get them black-out happy later that night
The following night I decided to take a cross for a walk. This moment of comedy almost got me killed by recovering drug addicts. I give you… The Passion of Nate…
The next day we actually had to work. Here we are making pretty…
Shhh! I’m thinking…
The end result of our labors. Left to right is Sam Flores, me, and Alex Pardee…
Ship it!
It got pretty for about an hour that night…
Goodnight, Phoenix…
The five-man wrecking team…
This is horribly late notice but I am doing Sketch Tuesday in San Francisco (9/30/08). The basic idea of this is to corral a bunch of artists into a bar/gallery and let them art it up. The works are then tacked up and sold CHEAP for cash on the spot. I’ve done this many times in the past and people have seemed to really appreciate it. I sell 11″x14″ ink pieces done on the spot for $50 and down. There is no other way you will see my originals or most of the other artists for this cheap.
Here is the full info and list of artists…
Below we have an example a piece from one of the prior events…
We put our stink all over Boston last weekend. This was the second of three spots on the Sparks Ignite What’s Next Tour. Sam Flores and Alex Pardee were my pARTners in crime. In seemingly typical fashion we came, we saw, we drank, we head-butted, we arted… we enjoyed. Here is a video of the adventure along with some photographic proof… Phoenix is next… 10/04/08… get ready…
The tightest crew in town… L to R: Sam, Short Alex, N8, Tall Alex, Mickey
Breaking in the hotel after dinner…
Making it rain beer…
Sam and I love our sponsor…
Boston’s finest…
The kids and our canvas…
Apparently Sam has nightmares of Alex and I. A dinky shot of the end result…
Hey guys,
Here’s a t-shirt design I did a little while ago for the band Bullet For My Valentine. The shirt went on sale recently and you can find it on their site . Here is a better shot of the front design…
N8VanDyke