We want to send out a huge Thank You to DKE Toys for organizing The Art Hustle Scavenger Hunt, and to all of the participating artists and exhibitors.
Thanks to all for stopping by to play, and congratulations to all who completed the hunt!
THE CRYSTAL PHAROAH
TAH: The Crystal Pharoah is a masked bad ass. Where is he from?
TCP: Born in Brooklyn. Died sometime in the future.
TAH: You have a distinguishing scar over your left eye, how did you get it?
TCP: Part of the mystique is in the mask, not just what lies behind it. I was obsessed with Darth Vader as a kid, I thought he was the scariest dude, apart from Jason Voorhees and Blacula. The mask can be viewed as a symbol of strength, mystery and even a shield. The mask I rock is actually a mash up of Vader, Scarface and Cobra Commander, some of my all time favorite villains. Also, the Egyptian God Horus (meaning Pharaoh) managed to lose an eye to the God Seth (God of the desert, storm and violence) when he tried to avenge his father Osiris’ death, hence the scar. The eye was later healed by Thoth (God of Wisdom) and became sort of a magic charm. Mine is more like a Lucky Charm and can be found inside select boxes in your breakfast cereal aisle. The mask also offers protection against harmful UV rays.
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TAH: Your art cards are digital collage and incorporate some iconic imagery. What was your inspiration for these cards?
TCP: I grew up in an era of arcade games, home computers and action figures. Some of my earliest memories are of the music and movies my older brother introduced me to. Both left a lasting impression on my childhood. We used to lift Star Wars figures from the local toy stores and hit up “Crazy Eddies” with whatever money we had for all the latest Atari games. Ultimately all of the imagery I grew up with would be influential to my music and art. From obscure sci-fi samples to iconic logos and characters, the art I make has always been about incorporating the stuff I grew up with but flipping it with a bit of comic relief or social commentary.
TAH: You are a music producer. What projects are you currently working on?
TCP: I am in the process of finishing a third album for my group Si*Sé as well as concentrating on remixes and producing video projects for brands like ALIFE and KRINK. “Band of the Lost” is a DJ project I have with the Sucklord, which is in constant demand. DJ’ing is one if my favorite pass-times. I love mixing funky tracks with dialogue from classic sci-fi and nerd-cult movies. Seeing a crowd’s response when they finally recognize the quote or song is priceless.
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards. If so, what kind?
TCP: I loved trading cards but don’t remember trading. I wanted all of them. From Star Wars to Evel Knievel, Battlestar Galactica to Mork and Mindy, I had a bunch. Wacky Packs were my favorites. The illustrations and parodies were always so well done. I think subconsciously my art reflects a similar sensibility. It’s like a big “F*CK YOU”, but subtle.
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Visit TheCrystalPharoah.com for a cool interactive experience and to check up on his latest projects, as well as www.sisenyc.com for band and release information.
Go to Bandofthelost.com for more information on The Crystal Pharoah/Sucklord collaborative beats. “In constant demand”…we agree…we can’t get enough of it.
Listen
Right On! : The Crystal Pharoah Presents Blaxploration
Episode 7 : Band of the Lost, The Crystal Pharoah/Sucklord, at the Ziegfeld
Posted in Posts & Updates, The Art Hustle Profiles... Tagged band of the lost, gearopolis, the crystal pharoah Comments closed
Card of the Week
A 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken “Fuck Face” Card
View CNBC article by Darren Rovell (scroll down page for article)
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The Art Hustle Scavenger Hunt at SDCC
The Scavenger Hunt begins at noon on Thursday, July 22, and continues through Comic Con dates…or until cards are all given out!
Stop by the DKE Toys booth #4732 to play, and pick up the exclusive SDCC 2010 The Art Hustle gold stamped editions.
Participating artists include, Frank Kozik, Alex Pardee, Buff Monster, Tara McPherson, Ron English & more.
Good Luck in the Hunt!
Gold Foil Stamped SDCC Exclusives
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THEGODBEAST/ Marty Hansen
THEGODBEAST/ Marty Hansen's Artist Profile Card & Art Card
TAH: Where was the picture on your Profile card taken, and can you tell us a little about that day?
TGB: That photo was taken on summer vacation 2009 at the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota. It was a great time with my sons and my parents!
TAH: Who, or what, is THEGODBEAST ?
TGB: When I started mold making and casting resin plastics, a Beastformers collector asked me to sculpt the “The God Beasts.” A collector in France sent me a scanned page from the Japanese Laser Beasts book (photo below) for reference. It was/is the only known concept drawings of the “The God Beasts.” I dug the name THEGODBEAST so much, I adopted it as my artist/user name. Years later I took the printed page from the Japanese Laser Beast book to a friend (a Japanese store owner in Omaha, Nebraska) for translation and discovered that they were not called GodBeasts at all…they were called the “Three Wise Men.” So I guess you would say my artist name was collector created.
Photo courtesy M. Hansen
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TAH: You are known for your remarkable resin work, what inspired you to start sculpting?
TGB: First of all, thank you for the compliment. I have sculpted since I was a kid. My mom and dad always encouraged my artistic endeavors. When I was a visual arts teacher (K-5), I saw the purity and minimalism that helped me to break down art (my art especially) into it’s simplest form. I learned more about art in the 7 years I taught art than I did earning my BS of Art Education.
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TAH: You often do art projects with your sons, including some really cool sculpted figures. What’s it like collaborating with your sons?
TGB: It is like a dream come true. After teaching visual art for 7 years I restructured my career & life around my sons, becoming a stay-at-home father while building TGB CUSTOMS. For years MJ & Kobe would ask, “Dad, when can we make toys with you?” So in 2009 MJ & Kobe (10 & 8 years old @ the time) took their character sketches and sculpted them. Of course the molding and casting are my contributions to the collaborations.
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TAH: Your original art cards are stunning, so many layers. Can you describe the process of creating them?
TGB: Thanks again! I sketched them with pencil, inked them, mixed clear gloss medium with Dr. Ph Martin’s concentrated water colors, then I layered the colors to create shading/depth, and finally I mixed holographic micro glitter with clear gloss medium and added that to the vast backgrounds to add even more depth. My hope was, collectors pulling these art cards would be excited to get an original mini painting.
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TAH: You are an “avid hunter and fisherman.” What’s your proudest catch?
TGB: Hunting and fishing are my favorite times with my father & my sons. It is more the lessons learned and time spent than the hunts/catches. Pheasant & Quail hunting are my favorite types of hunting. My best shots were 5 Quail with 1 shot from my 12 gauge and the 4 times I shot 2 Pheasants with 1 shot (twice just last winter)! My favorite hunt (most recently) was this winter when my sons MJ & Kobe both shot their first cottontail rabbits with a .22 rifle. Bass & Crappie fishing on still ponds are my favorite type of fishing.
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards, and if so what kind?
TGB: I collected Star Wars and movie cards as a kid. My brother collected Baseball cards.
For more information and loads of great images of THEGODBEAST’s custom figure creations visit www.godbeast.com, and for the latest news, projects and availability of custom pieces, visit his blog at http://thegodbeast.blogspot.com/.
Additional photos provided by THEGODBEAST/Marty Hansen. All rights reserved.
Posted in Posts & Updates, The Art Hustle Profiles... Tagged marty hansen, thegodbeast Comments closed
San Diego Comic Con Scavenger Hunt!
DKE Toys has something very cool planned for attendees, The Art Hustle Scavenger Hunt. More details to follow, but here’s a sneak peek at the exclusive SDCC 2010 The Art Hustle cards.
Gold Foil Stamped SDCC Exclusives
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Card of the Week
1978 Topps Star Wars Sticker Card
Featuring Han Solo
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NATALIA GIANINAZZI
Natalia Gianinazzi's Artist Profile Card (Left) & Art Card (Right)
TAH: Does anyone know who shot bunny???
NG: I do. But you could find out as well…the solution is not so far away from the shotted bunny…
TAH: Your Original Art Cards (Shown below) are paper cuts, the same technique you used for your Grüsli Family Tree piece that is featured on your web site?
NG: Yes.
TAH: They appear to be one piece, are they?
NG: If you mean the family tree: Yes, the whole tree is one piece of paper, every element is connected. The Grüsli on your cards are pieces of a trial I made, the paper was too thin so for the final 3 Family trees I used a thicker paper to have more thickness. So, the result on your cards is as well that each one is one piece. There are no doubles.
TAH: They’re incredibly intricate and beautifully and so precisely executed. When we first opened your cards, and realized they were cut out of paper, we stared at them in disbelief. How did you do these!?
NG: I did that when I was staying at artist Carlos Amorales Studio in Mexico City. He has this great lasercut machine. So, I first drew by hand all the Grüsli than scanned them, made the composition and the tree and finally lasercutted it. After that I had to take out all the parts I did not need, this was a lot of work because there are many textures and little details. Final step was to put very little pieces of tape behind the whole so that I could attach it to a white support paper. The whole thing took a very long time, but I like the way it came out.
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Family Tree paper cut detail / Photo courtesy of N. Gianinazzi
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TAH: The Grüsli definitely exude personality and a wide spectrum of attitude. One in particular, Number 644 Steffi oh La La Grüsli, who is she and what is her story?
NG: Steffi oh La La Grüsli, is a very lovely but a little bit naif Grüsli. She first met nr. 614 hungry wolf and fell in love with him. But he is an hungry wolf and as everyone knows one little white rabbit is not enough, so the poor Steffi oh La La was confronted for the first time with the hard reality. (I’ve attached an archive picture when they where still happy together). After this sad adventure and a couple of flirts she met the nr. 605 french Tapiruz, a very charmant personality. They fell in Love and had 2 children: 708 Surprised flying Rabbiruz and nr. 709 Striped Rabbiruz (Rabbiruz are the result of the mating between Grüsli rabbits and Grüsli Tapiruz).
But life goes on and the novelas never end. So, here is the last info I have: Steffi lives in Germany and is happy with her new adoptive family (rumors say, she sees hungry wolf again sometimes), french Tapiruz and son Striped Tapiruz are living in Switzerland near Zurich. About the Surprised flying Rabbiruz I have less news, but probably is flying around the world discovering things with his half-French half-naif charme.
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TAH: There is one Original Art Card that is a silhouette, anything you can add about this one?
NG: This is the soul of one of the Tapi on the tree. Can you find out from which one? View Family Tree
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TAH: What are the 5 languages you know how to speak, and how did you come to learn so many languages?
NG: I speak Italian (native language), French, German, English and Spanish.
I’m Swiss, and in Switzerland we have 4 national languages (Italian, French, German, and Romansh). I was born in the Italian speaking sector so I learned French and German in school, well I actually really learned german when I moved to Zurich 8 years ago…when you just have it in school 2 hours a week doesn’t help that much(mostly when you are a teenager and have other things in mind). I learned Spanish when I was 18 years old and travelling in Mexico for 1 month. At this time I could not speak English so because spanish is so similar to Italian I listened to it and learnd it. I learned English in 1999 when I lived for more than one year in San Francisco. I fell totally in love with this city and still now feel that I belong more there then in Zurich.
The good thing about knowing different languages is that it makes your life abroad much easier, and it is for me a sign of respect to the locals.
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards, and if so what kind?
NG: No, I don’t. I collect old metal boxes. When I was a child I use to play with these train and airplane cards. You know the ones where you have the picture and on the backs all the technical info. Then you ask, for ex: How heavy is your plane? And if yours is the heaviest, then you take the card. (Mini-Trumps Fact Cards)
We encourage anyone who pulls one of Natalia’s Original Art Cards to go to the Grüsli web site to view the Family Tree, and also to find the Grüsli on their card in the “Collection” section.
Additional images provided by Natalia Gianinazzi. All rights reserved.
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COMETDEBRIS / Koji Harmon
Cometdebris' Artist Profile Card (Left) & Art Card "Tokoji Seijin" (Right)
TAH: Your profile card features an awesome picture of you as a young boy standing in front of a statue of Ultraman. Where was this picture taken, and what do you remember about this day?
KH: I actually do not know where that photo was taken. I just know it was taken somewhere in or around Tokyo. I also do not specifically remember taking the photo. What I do remember is how much Japanese toys and characters meant to me growing up. Those same toys influence me today.
TAH: What was the inspiration for Tokoji Seijin? What does “Tokoji Seijin” translate to?
KH: The name Tokoji Seijin does not really have much meaning. “Seijin” however translates to something like alien, something from space. Those familiar with the mythical Japanese creature “kappa” will probably see a resemblance. And just like kappa, the origin of Tokoji Seijin is not known. Is he animal? An alien? Maybe even a robot? Who knows?
A Customized Original Art Card by Cometdebris
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards? If so, which ones, and do you have a favorite?
KH: I collected the original Star Wars cards back in school, the ones with the green and yellow borders. Those probably got me into cards. From there, I collected Indiana Jones cards, then Garbage Pail Kids. And I love the Wacky Packages series. Though I’m not super serious about collecting these days, I still have my original collection of Star Wars and Indiana Jones cards. And sometimes I get repro cards.
For more information about Cometdebris and his latest custom figures, check out www.cometdebris.com.
Posted in Posts & Updates, The Art Hustle Profiles... Tagged Cometdebris, Koji Harmon, Tokoji Seijin Comments closed
STEVEN AGIN
Steven Agin's Artist Profile Card (Left) & Art Card (Right)
TAH: Will you describe the day when you drew the image that is featured on your profile card?
SA: Funny you should ask. It was a million years ago (or maybe about 35 / 1975) and I was living in my first loft – on Lawrence St. in downtown Brooklyn. In those days we worried all the time about the Buildings Dep’t. busting us for illegal loft living. Man, we never answered the door if we weren’t expecting a friend. So, I heard that getting a ‘legal’ A.I.R. (“artist-in-residence”) for yourself, deemed such by the city, could help mitigate, possibly (and the fire dep’t. wanted to know anyway so that they could come save you in the event of a fire – you posted the A.I.R. and floor # on the outside of the building for them). So, I applied for one – to the “Parks Dep’t.” (- crazy, huh?). You had to submit slides, prove you were a working artist, and so forth. Well, surprise if I am not ratified by the city of NY. And the document (a quite unprepossessing one) arrives in the mail. And I open it up and am buoyed to have won a small validation as an artist (very small to be sure). And, I was moved, right at that moment, staring at the ancient, green, wooden-framed mirror, above the shallow, cast-iron slop sink (that served as my kitchen and bath sink – for washing dishes and morning ablutions) to, draw my “artist’s” face. With the nearest pencil to me.
Now writing, it doesn’t sound like much of a story but, I liked the drawing (I’ve done 1,000’s and 1,000’s), I love drawing, and I hung it up and it has survived to this day. Every drawing, of anything is a self-portrait, this one is just a more overt and memorable one than others.
TAH: The name “Susan” appears frequently on the cards you created for The Art Hustle Series 1. Who, or what, is “Susan”? Is “Susan” an ongoing element in your work?
SA: Susan is the human being I have ever been (and am ever) closest to. She is the subject of much of my work when it is about beauty, and woman, and love and sex, and my place in the history of art with regard to the female which is an example of and metaphor for the artist’s quest to reach, plumb, and define (and define one’s relation to/with) something outside oneself, and the cosmos in total.
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TAH: How would you describe the philosophy of your creative process?
SA: I couldn’t. It would take so long as to vitiate its value. What’s more, it is left for those who would know it to examine my work and guess it for themselves. And that, hopefully, would do them more good. I will say however, simply because it gives me pleasure to, that the process, is: constant, intermittent, violent, passive, aggressive, indolent, perspicacious, immodest, humble, certain, and hopeless. As my friend has said, perfectly: “Lightening steers the universe”.
A Customized Original Art Card by Steven Agin
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TAH: What artist(s) working today inspires you?
SA: Anselm Kiefer and Cy Twombly. Truly, mostly those under 7 years of age (I have probably never seen any such work that: I did not admire, and inspired envied and theft). I like to see the work of living artists like seeing faces emitting from NY subway exits at rush hour.
TAH: Did you, or do you, collect trading cards? If so, which ones?
SA: As a kid, I treasured my baseball card collection but probably more for the color and variety of graphics (as with DC comic books) than from a knowledge of the players. And also for the power of the fetish of possessing a bit of a hero’s identity.
Posted in Posts & Updates, The Art Hustle Profiles... Tagged Steven Agin, Subway Graffiti Crucifixion Comments closed
Cards of the Week
Late 1950’s Japanese Menko Playing Cards
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Online STORE opens July 1 at 12PM EST
The Art Hustle Series 1 Boxes will be available through our online store beginning Thursday, July 1st, at 12PM EST.
Individual wax packs will not be available through our web site. Please check with your favorite retailer.
For wholesale inquiries, please contact www.DKEToys.com.
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The RAMMELLZEE
We came to personally know The Rammellzee, the New York City graffiti and hip-hop legend, through artist Jason Atomic. We were honored that he agreed to participate in The Art Hustle project, and will always appreciate the enthusiasm that he had for it.
Rest in Peace, Rammellzee.
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Card of the Week
A 1967 Leaf Brands Star Trek Card
One of the more unusual sets of all time, this rare test issue features bizarre and totally irrelevant story descriptions to accompany the still images from the show. They were only sold in Chicago, and are extremely rare since they were ordered to be destroyed after the manufacturer was denied the license. This particular example features one of the stranger story lines…it was the Sixties, man!
Front
Back
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Cards of the Week
A fold-out triptych tobacco card from 1888
Produced by W. Duke Sons & Co. (Founders of Duke Univ.)
Manufactured in New York City by Major Knapp & Co.
(later American Lithographic Company)
Front
Back
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Cards of the Week
In honor of The World Cup and truly fantastic hairstyles we present…
1975 Topps Scottish Footballers
A very obscure and cool 1970’s card set
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Cards of the Week
1979 Canadian O-Pee-Chee Cards: The Edmonton Oilers
You don’t have to be a fan of hockey to like these.
Genius use of the back stats design.
Fronts
Backs
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A Special Behind-the-Scenes Peek of it Gettin Done!
Here’s a peek inside the Vermont SideKick laboratories showing The Art Hustle being assembled. Give it up for these extremely organized and hardworking folks!
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Cards of the Week
1950’s Japanese Menko playing cards
Fab die cuts!
Fronts
Backs
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