St.Ofle

Camera Phone Squares

2008-08-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

I usually take my camera with me everywhere I go.
I'm not that good of a photographer
(if you're looking for a good photographer, go here, or here, or here)

Anyway, the times that I don't have my camera on me have produced some shitty camera-phone photos.
(and by "shitty", I mean "magical gems")
I think the camera phone is to 2008 what the HOLGA was to the 1980s.

(click it to make it bigger)

Pineapple Bomber

2008-08-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

in the spirit of my favorite food blog I've decided to post a recipe.
careful, it tastes like god's tears, but there's enough alcohol inside to start a shitty night club.

this drink was featured on the inside cover of my favorite record
(a cookie goes out to those that know which album this is)

Pineapple Bomber
1x Southern Comfort
1x Amaretto almond liqueur
1x Spiced Rum (dark rum)
6x pineapple juice
a little splash of grenadine

iPod Battle

2008-08-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

as you can see, Corine and I are going to fuck shit up as team St.Ofle next Saturday.

if you don't come, you may not be forgiven.

Jer Punk

2008-08-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

(this is Jeremy and I this afternoon at my house)

My good friend Jeremy fancies himself as a prankster.
If I had a dime for every time Jeremy has punk'd me, I'd have a lot of dimes.
So I decided to fuck with him where it counts

You see, where Jeremy works, parking is a problem.
Jeremy has to leave work every few hours to move his car, and even then still he gets a lot of parking tickets.

One day while walking downtown a few months ago, I found a piece of gold.
It was an (empty) parking ticket envelope, the kind he's used to seeing on his car once or twice every month.
I knew right away what to do with it.

As you can see, I've publically dared him to punk me back, and I'll let you know if he does.

Self Mugshot (out of the fire)

2008-08-07T08:58:00.001-07:00

the sun was in my eyes, so you can't see the fire in them.
all criminals have fire in their eyes

don't believe me?
look

actual news

2008-08-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

ok
I admit it
I just wanted you to read this
there is no actual news
except that I'm back to life
back in Sacramento
back in black
and back to the future

I'll be writing a lot more often, but first the past has to catch up to me, which means that you'll see a bit of Guadeloupe first.

Corine Mugshot II (thank you rum expert)

2008-08-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

A lesson to us all that behind that cute smile beats the heart of one of Guadeloupe's most notorious criminals.
more proof perhaps that you can't judge a book by its' cover.

How to have fun on Second Saturday

2008-07-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Second Saturday is coming.
Don't act surprised.
While I'm gone (in Guadeloupe) until the end of the month, I want you to carry on without me.
It's the way I would have wanted it.

So in the spirit of fun, here is your homework for Saturday.

Step 1: Warm up
Just as you wouldn't get into a fight without screaming psychotic insults at your adversary, you realy shouldn't go out on Second Saturday without first getting at least a little bit drunk.
Places to do this?
You want to pace yourself, and save some money. Best stone to kill those two birds is your house. Invite people over, and hope they bring something to drink (even better).

Step 2: Meet up
Jessee James had Billy the Kid and some other dudes (or whatever) in his posse. Satan has Black Sabbath, and the dudes form Japanther. You need a crew too.
Chances are you already have one.
Trust me; don't do this alone.

Step 3: Know Where To Go
Fuck myspace
ferreal
but
That's the best place to figure out where the good shows are. Keep an eye on your bulletins the few days beforehand, and figure out where to go. (If you want to be the Jessee James, you're going to have to be the leader, and know this shit)
When in doubt, you can always go to Olipom, Toyroom Gallery, Bows & Arrows and the California Center for Contemporary Art.
Also, my pal Andy just designed the new Second Saturday Site.

Step 4: Nurse your buzz
By now, you're probably starting to see more clearly, so step four should be an obvious one, but I'll spell it out for you anyway -- get something else to drink. You don't want to do this sober.

Step 5: Browse
It's not a fucking museum -- and so many douchebags treat it like it is. Browse -- there's so much to see in one night (and by now, you're already drunk) so there no need in wasting time analyzing art that you don't like.
Move on.

Step 6: If you like something, BUY it
Bring your checkbook, or cash and buy it. We Sacramento artists are whiners and are always threatening to move because no one in Sacramento buys anything. If you like something, support the artist and buy that shit. You can always use it as an ironing board later.

Step 7: Repeat
A while ago, I was talking to my pal Yankee Tag about how he hates instructions where the last step is "Repeat", because, as he put it, if you really follow those instructions, you'd be washing your hair all day long.
This last step is for him.

photo of the day

2008-06-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

photos actually
plural

The Mystery Note -- Silkscreen

2008-06-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Ok
so we're doing shirts this week for the Gendarmerie, which is the French version of the Police, or National Guard.
anyway

I decided to change the medium a little
and do a Gendarmerie Mystery note, for some Gendarme to find

I wrote this on the inside sleeve of the shirt
so chances are, he'll have the shirt for months before he notices it.

imagine what killing someone with kindness would look like

(click to make the images bigger)

Verveine

2008-06-15T01:23:00.001-07:00

Here's a look at what I did this morning and afternoon

if the pictures don't tellt he story, I'll tell you myself;
I went to a small Guadeloupian village called Aigles des Abymes
and, while the rest of the world was watching a triathalon
I went up a little mountain
and saw an ancient church
ans an ancient cemetary
and some other ancient things

(I didn't rotate these -- rotated images are ugly)

Caille-Lait

2008-06-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

getting there squares

2008-06-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

so
I spent all weekend on the airplane
really
all weekend
well -- the plane and a hotel

here's what it looked like

France 0 -- Romania 0

2008-06-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

I only know two people that wanted Romania to win yesterday. One, is Romanian (Patricia, you're off the hook) and one who just wanted to be an asshole because I wanted France to win.

Needless to say, a 0-0 tie with Romania sucks.

the Mystery Note -- Air France

2008-06-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not dead
in fact I'm alive

During my many hours spent on the Airplane this weekend, I decided to do a mystery note!

So I grabbed a barf-bag (is there a more polite way to say barf-bag?) and wrote on it.
The quote comes form Plato's The Apology of Socrates, which is what I'm reading now.
The point he's trying to make is that many of his (our) fellow humans look at an immediate problem, and not its' cause.
I thought it was beautiful.
So now it's a present for the next passenger
or at least the next person to vomit

Later Dudez!

2008-06-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

So
As all of you know/don't know, (you all fall in to one of those two categories) I'm leaving.
Today.

If you don't see me on a regular basis, consider this more of the same.
If you see me every day, or often, chances are you already knew about this and it's no surprise.
This for the people that see me semi-regularly, and didn't already know.

First, I'll be in Guadeloupe from tomorrow until July 8th (both Erik Norgaard & Daniel St.Ofle's birthday).
Guadeloupe is Corine's birthplace, so to use her as an indication, you can imagine all Guadeloupians being funny, well-read people with French accents and nice clothes.

From then until August, I'll be in Switzerland.
Switzerland
An enchanting land full of good Swiss pepole, free healthcare, WWII gold, and magic.

I'll still be writing, so still be reading.
Love,
Richard

Sean Stout Mugshot

2008-05-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

It was recently pointed out to me that Mugshot means something else.
That does it.
Assholes and douchebags have officially corrupted the last word in the English language.

obviously I was shocked to hear that.
You probably can't tell if i was kidding or not.
I am not
(kidding)

anyway
Here's my old pal Sean Stout
sans cum on his face.

Best news I've heard all day

2008-05-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I don't have a single female friend that like football (soccer -- ugh - -I hate explaining that).

So here's a quick test;

1. Are you female?
2. Are you my friend?

If you answered "yes" to both of those, please click here as you'll surely find this more interesting that what I'm about to say.

Anyway dudes,
I'm pleased to announce that Zenit St.Petersburg beat Rangers in the UEFA Cup final.
If you know anything about me, or anything about anything, you'll know that Rangers are the most boring bunch of douchebag assholes in our galaxy.

I'll concentrate on the good;
I like Zenit.

Natalie Gordon Mugshot

2008-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that on of my favorite people in Sacramento is Natalie Gordon.
Not only is she in this kickass band, but she's pretty cool on her own as well.

We were playing a game, trying to guess what she was arrested for.
I think drunk & disorderly was what we came up with.
(Natalie, if you're reading this, I think you're pretty orderly)

Jairus Tonel

2008-05-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to my pal Jairus Tonel.

Jairus, these are my friends;
Friends, this is Jairus.

Jairus and I met in 2005, because we were in the "I.Y.D.M.I.D.Y" show together.
Here's the flier for that show.
See us?

Jairus is one of my favorite Sacramento artists, and if my calculations are correct, he'll be remembered in what Duchamp calls "the posterity of important art".
(I know how pretentious it is to quote Duchamp)

Anyway, Jairus is a Manchester United fan, but don't hold it against him.
You'll see how cool he is.
Trust me.

(Sparkies For Breakfast
24in x 24in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

Anyway, this is word-for-word a conversation that we had via email a week or so ago.
I'm in bold and he's in italic.

Hey
I wanna interview you for my blog
are you down?

Yeah I'm totally up for it .
How did you want to this?
Email, phone, over drinks.

Let me know dawg.

(Flower Drum Song
12in x 12in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

email is probably best, right?
that way you can delete anything that you didn't mean to say.
maybe we should get a beer though, to celebrate when the interview is over.

You seem to incorporate a lot of vintage icons and old advertisements in your art. Does this have a particular meaning for you, or a particular place in your heart, or is it strictly visual?

I've always liked illustrations that would fill magazines from the 1940s up to the 1950s.
During that time many magazines were just predominately black and white.
So, at that time in order to get your point across via adverts many illustrators used line weights, odd ball looking characters and typography—and, I really enjoy that.

Presently, adverts are just splashed with colours and nonsense that you forget what product you're trying to buy into.
Just the other day I saw an advert with a black women breast feeding a white baby, and for a second there I was to believe that the advertisement was focusing interracial mating.
But, in actuality it was an advert for a clothing line called The United Colors of Benneton—some piss posh shop.

But to answer your question, they do have a lot of meaning for me and in the same sense are strictly visual.
I channel most of my sadistic comedy into my paintings in a very light hearted way and what better way to compose them than some fucked up and cooky looking advert. People are already aquaint to consuming them—why not.

Most of those images and icons you see in my work are just basic ideas and then I like to see how far I can twist them.
Sure, it may be a bit cartoonish, a bit Disney meets Gacy the Serial Killer Clown, but if you get a kick out of it, then my job is done and we can both laugh together tinker around a glass of scotch single malt—the older the better—and come up with more stupid ideas

(Captain Evil
24in x 24in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

I've noticed that you use a lot of text in your work as well. Could you talk about that?
Where does the text come from? I've always been told that text is to art what salt is too cooking (a little is great, but too much and it's uneatable) yet you seem to really incorporate it well, and it really works for you.

You know I've never actually heard that saying before, but I like it.

When I was younger one of my first jobs I had was a sign painter.
You know, one of those guys who would paint "sale" signs and "bargain" deals on mom and pop shops around town.
I think I was 17 or 18 at the time.
I didn't want a "real" job, but I wanted something that paid me well and good—and you would be surprised how much those guys make now a days.

So, that experience got me into typography and that lead me to Emigre and that lead me to more typography related books, magazines, et al.
Then, I started drawing my own typefaces; which included the entire alphabet, numbers, ligatures and variants of the same typeface—bold, italic, etc.

The larger text, or what some of my friend's call "headlines", of my paintings are typefaces I've drawn and collected over the years and just reuse them.

The text also serves as another form of shape, line, contour, and negative space for my paintings.

I'm glad you think they work well, because at times I think I've just gone over board hahah.

(Salute Your Toast
12in x 12in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

So would you say that you're as careful about content, or meaning of the text as you are with the typography?

I would say so.
I think everyone needs to be careful and thoughtful about what they present and put on canvas/paper/et al...

You are, after all, sharing a bit of yourself to the world when you put pen to paper.
To not be careful and thoughtful of the content, to me, is to not care about your work and the people that would like to enjoy it.

Painting to paint is far different than painting to paint with no motive.

(Yew Stoopid Dummy
24in x 24in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

1. as an artist in Sacramento, can you describe the scene here?
2. who are the three best artists that no one had ever heard of?
3. if crepeville had a "Jairus" what would be in it?

01. You know, I don't go out too much but when I first moved here I met a lot of great people who were and are still in the art world. A lot of them are my friends today—including you. What I have noticed from time to time, when I set a day to leave the house, is how Sacramento can easily accept new styles once it is spotlighted.
When I first moved here stenciling was nowhere near what it is now in Sacramento, but it slowly became another medium for people to exercise. What I have also noticed is that more and more of the audience is willing to accept this new wave of art. Almost to the same effect as when neo-expressionism first came out. The audience had no idea how to react, but slowly and surely they came to accept it. Now a Basquiat painting can go for well over $10 million, before they wouldn't even spare to leak change in a cup for him.

02. My Dad, My Mom and Penelope Magnussen.

03. You're going to have to elaborate more on this question haha. At first I thought it read creepville. haha.

(Rot, Ok?
12in x 12in
Mixed Media on Wood Panel)

Nick Avey Squares

2008-05-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

I saw Nick Avey recently.
He was riding his bike, and looked really sad.

A while ago, I asked him to do a set of squares for me.
"Nick you're my favorite photographer, would you do a set of squares for me?"
Nick said he would.

Riding his bike all sad like that must have reminded him of how squares make people feel.
(good)
Now you know what?
Nick feels so good.
Unicorns are leaping outside of his kitchen window, and if you think I'm kidding, roll over to his house and see for yourself.

Anyway
Nick doesn't disappoint.
Every photograph in here is a little miracle.
good job pal.

(click to make it bigger)

(more of NA's work can be found here)

Notable Lantern Eve -- May 10

2008-05-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Notable Lantern Eve opens at Bows & Arrows on the 10th!
Graciela and I are killing it.
ferreal
be there

Sacramento Won't Take Your Abuse, Steve

2008-04-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Sacramento, and the shithole known as Stockton share an erotic and sensual rivalry as old as Barbara Walters.

What a lot of people don't know is that my ol pal Stephen Malkmus is actually from ~~Compton~~ Stockton (but he’s reluctant to show self disgust). So when I saw Stephen at Harlows last night, I was shocked to hear him berate lady Sack-a-potato. Stephen Malkmus must have been blinded by all the big city lights, and perhaps his virgin eyes weren’t able to physically view our wonderopolis. Much to our hometown’s dismay, his guns were-a-blazin’.

Stephen tried to incite a riot by saying things like "Stockton is sick & tired of being Sacramento's attention seeking, sluttier, pregnant sister".

Just who do you think you are?

I'm kidding.
Stockton is nice.
So is Stephen Malkmus.

Here is a brief comparison for those of you unfamiliar.

Stockton has a strawberry stand
Sacramento has a Church of Scientology

Stockton is the capitol of San Wahkeen county
Sacramento is the capitol of Killafornia

Stockton has Scott Donahue (who?)
Sacramento has Gary Busey

Cool Hand Luke was filmed in Stockton
Sacramento has Triple XXX

Stockton's sister is Jamie Lynn Spears
Sacramento's sister Miley Cyrus

Most people can't find Stockton on a mappet (similar to a Muppet but geography based, and not furry)
A famous Cyborg from the future works in Sacramento even though he lives in Los Angeles.

Stockton, known as "California's Sunrise Seaport" is nowhere near the sea.
Sacramento is "The river city" cause it’s ON THE GOD DAMN RIVER.

(guest co-written by Jer)

the East London Decapitator

2008-04-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

I read about the East London Decapitator a while back, and was totally impressed.

Basically, this guy takes adverts, chops of the heads (or I suppose if he's in England, he "lops" them off) and redistributes.

Incredible.

Check out his Flickr Photostream for more.

Jake & Lizzy Mugshots

2008-04-21T07:55:00.001-07:00

My Very good friends Jake Sinetos & Lizzy Barns agreed to a mugshot over the weekend.
(It was recently pointed out to me, by the was that I often spell it "Mugshits" which is accidental, but great)

Jake & Lizzy are both social workers in a dangerous part of San Francisco.
They have crazy stories about schizophrenic people trying to kill them, and crack addicts that save them from being mugged.

If you know them, you're obviously already aware of what wonderful people they are.
If you'd like to meet them, take the train to San Francisco. Get off on Montgomery, and scream (the louder the better) any nonsense you can think of. For as long as you can.

You'll be taken to my friends.