IT'S THAT JESUS TIME OF YEAR...

where he shows up pretty much everywhere.

Like here....

Full Story

















and here....

full story

RESALE ROYALTY RIGHT - CAN YOU IMAGINE...?

Australia just passed new legislation that allows artists to receive 5 percent of the resale of their work 1,000 dollars or higher. I can't imagine those fat-cat American collectors having to give up an extra 5 percent at auction after already paying the 30 percent to the auction house....here's the article in full (link)

NEW SHOP UP AND RUNNING

Finally.....(link)

THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE TORTURE

I can't help but look at this photo of the New Zealand Santa being refurbished and think of those Abu-Ghraib abuse photos.

MY WIFE'S SHOW OPENS TONIGHT

My wife Elizabeth Lambert Mararian has a show opening tonight that she has put together with her Brother William Lambert. The work looksgreat - large scale colorful pieces that examine landscapes and leftovers in and around the city of Buffalo, New York.

I'm very proud of my wife - she's also featured in a book coming out this Saturday of photography and poetry - but in this case not for her photography, but for her haiku.

Good luck sweatheart....!

MULTI-PLANE GROUP SHOW

Amidst working on my January show I was asked if I want to
do a piece for the Corey Helford's one week group show
called the Multi-plane show, which hearkens back to the old
animators who used layers of glass to achieve depth in their work.

I have to say it was a challenge for me to paint of the glass
but I was happy with the concept (an Edgar Allen Poe theme)
i did for it. I got to flex my muscle at a more painterly approach
with this piece than my typical work

Anyhow, it opens in a few weeks...

GETTING CLOSER

Ron Magliozzi, the Museum of Modern Art's assistant film curator, who recently organized show of Tim Burton's private paintings, sketches, photographs, and sculptures in a major retrospective acknowledges the pop surrealistic movement going on.

"I started to think that pop surrealism was a much more appropriate and more rewarding way of framing the work" in the exhibition, says Magliozzi, referring to the genre that took root in California during the '60s, when painters like Robert Williams began to base their work on "lowbrow" consumer culture—tattoos, cartoons, pinups, and toys—rather than on fine-art traditions. Pop surrealists share a "hip outsider perspective," writes Magliozzi in the show's catalogue, and promote "an alternative to the usual museum fare."

Just a matter of time before this movement is fully realized by more institutions I imagine....rest of the article is here via Artnews.com

FINNISHED MY SHOW - ALMOST

I have a few - 3 or 4 - small straggler pieces I have yet to do but the bulk of it and the very large pieces are in the can! Now I can celebrate the holidays and relax a little - get back to the gym so I can fit in my thong again before L.A. in January...ha

Anyway I'll post an image from the show soon....

POWER OF SUGGESTION

All Week I have been intensely working on a detail painting of an M1A Rifle. As I have been doing it all week there have been two shooting rampages so far- both in Fort Hood and now in Orlando, Florida. I better stop painting for awhile and let everyone catch up....

THE KEY TO A FULLFILLING ZOMBIE WALK

They had a Zombie Walk in buffalo today - the middle of the day- and i missed it. However I did catch some photos which were posted on Facebook and I found myself looking at each person's rendition of a zombie. Most were people in white tees with blood but some worked really well and it occurred to me the key to being a successful zombie is to make sure you have a unique enough character or occupation.

A 1970's jogger zombie could be cool or maybe even a womanly shaped 1920's wrestler zombie. How about a Terminex exterminator?! What makes all those film so creepy are are when the zombies are part of our every day life. Any zombie in a a uniform woud be perfect. A UPS guy would be fun and understated as well because the blood would probably look like chocolate syrup on the "what can brown do for you?" outfit.

BEEN ON A MANSON KICK LATELY...

I guess probably because of the fact that it's the 40th anniversary of the slayings that occurred in California. I was asked if I wanted to contribute to a local "Artists and Authors" fund raiser at the Carnegie Art Center this week in Buffalo, NY where they have artists create book marks to auction off.

I did this one.... It's good old Charlie with one of his quotes.

As I told the woman running the auction
"Everyone needs a Manson Bookmark"

I don't know what it is, but he's fun to draw. I think I will use him again as a subject for my upcoming January show.

I'm not sure if you can bid remotely on this but here is their info if you want to contact them directly

Please contact Mary Simpson at the Carnegie Art Center at 716-694-4400 x301 or msimpson@carnegieartcenter.org for more information.

9 MORE PIECES TO GO...

This show has been grueling for me only because i have decide to tackle some larger pieces 44 x 60 inches. They look really huge in my studio, but then again, even though my walls are 12 feet high the pieces still may seem small in the gallery space whose walls are much higher. It's been a challenge though and I like that. Also have been using more paint than ink on this newest show and more color as well so it should prove to be a nice departure for me and give any collectors I have out there something new to look forward to.

I need to wrap this show up before November and then start framing.....

WWW.MICHAELMARARIAN.COM

Launched the new site this weekend - it will take awhile for it to show up in search engines and i have to work out the kinks as far as my email address but here it is, www.MichaelMararian.com . Let me know what you think. My old site was a Little too clunky and never showed up quite right on Mac computers. All in all it's a bit more sleek in it's appearance and functionality.

The old site will go offline mid November.....

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON

I need to revamp my site and am looking to put a new one together come September or October. I'll keep you posted....

"YOUTH PARADE"

Will be the title of my next show (a solo) at the Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles - January, 2010. Thanks to my wife Elizabeth for suggesting it. I think it will encapsulate all the of themes on childhood violence I'll be enlisting.

THE END OF INKY DREADFULS

Starting in November I will be dropping the Inky Dreadfuls moniker from my name and presenting my work simply by my real name, Michael Mararian.

When my work was all created using only ink it was a fun title to use but since my newer work has evolved into using paint as well as ink I feel a need to drop the title and also it has gotten to the point where I'm known by so many names it's confusing. Am I Inky Dreadfuls? M. Mararian's Inky Dreafuls?, M. Mararian?, or Michael Mararian?.

Every gallery has me listed differently and sometimes they send me checks I can't cash because they'll make them out to Inky Dreadfuls. So I think come this Fall ,when I put together my new website, I will go by my real name, Michael Mararian.

Until then call me Inky all you want for at least this summer.

UPDATE FROM RYAN

Ryan, with whom you may remember from my earlier post back in December 2008 hit me up with the latest images of my Inkwork artwork turned inkwork again. Check 'em out....

GERMAN NEWS ARTICLE

A write up about the gallery -- Can anyone translate? I would have copy pasted the text myself but it's a PDF...and I'm too lazy to re-type it all ;)

DOODLE BREAK

Taking a break from painting - thought i would just doodled for awhile - came up with this, i thought he was cute....

DUSSELDORF SHOW IMAGES