JEWELRY CAVE I (GROOVE SALON)

INSTASINGLE SERIES

The Spark:

I’ve been thinking a lot about my design career lately. More importantly, I’ve been thinking about how I could meld my artistic side and my design side into a single unified aesthetic. I’ll be the first to admit that my artistic side is really just brain vomit. It’s an attempt to create from the subconscious and to embrace the freedom of making mistakes. In other words, it’s a place where I can make a mess and create without restrictions, rules, interferences or clients. Design is a much more calculated intention. I plan, sketch, and analyze a visually represented solution from a set of abstract problems. How can I get both of these worlds to play nicely together?

The Inspiration:

I launched my Instagram page on January 1st, 2016. Every morning I would sit down, create a new collage and then post it. This went on for a total of 365 days. On December 31st after I posted my final piece, my intention was to kill the page. Where else was there for me to go? Besides, I was completely exhausted. The demand of posting every single day had worn out my creative engine. I did learn a few important things from this project which were discipline, time management, and consistency. There were all practices that my design side needed.

At the dawn of 2017, I decided to keep my Instagram page. I posted new pieces here and there but my output had slowed considerably. However, once I had a less restrictive timeline, I could experiment with the format and develop new ways of displaying my collage work. I began turning my artistic endeavors into short animated sequences. I thought to myself that this could be a new avenue to explore. The thing that excited me the most was adding an element of sound into the mix. I’ve been home recording and writing songs since I was twelve. Adding an element of noise to my collage work just seemed like a natural progression. In addition, it helped bridge some of my design practices into my artistic side. At least from a production standpoint.

As I continued to deconstruct my design career path, it all seemed to lead back to that initial spark that got me interested in design in the first place. Record cover art. I was fascinated with Estrus Records when I was a teenager. Art Chantry’s branding directions had such a deep profound effect on the way that I not only listened to music but how I looked at visual communication. Ultimately, it’s how I look at the world around me. As I grew older and discovered the likes of Barney Bubbles, George Hardy, Linder Sterling, Reid Miles, Mark Farrow, Bob Cato, and Keiichi Tanaami, I could see the power that visual design had when attached to sound. For a period of my life, one almost couldn’t live without the other. Perhaps turning my art into record covers was the next evolution in my Instagram project. I’ve done my share of record covers for various bands and labels, but this was something different. This was an opportunity to create something out of nothing and to utilize my home recording skills. I came to the conclusion that my art is best left in my own hands.

The Concept:

My idea is to build a series of virtual records to be experienced in short bite-sized bursts. By taking the language that I’ve developed through collage and illustration, my goal is to construct an entirely new way of experiencing my brand of visual design. This would not only lend itself to the graphics aspect but to an audio one as well. I would initially create the art and then produce the music that best matched its aesthetic.

The second idea is to manipulate the Instagram format. As a product, its only real function is to post photos and videos. How could I ultimately use this platform in a way that it wasn’t intended for? Suddenly it clicked. I could turn my feed into a glorified record label of sorts. It’s not genre-bending. It’s format warping. It’s bite-sized singles made easily digestible on your Instagram feed. It’s like putting Instagram, Spotify, and my unique collage style into a blender and making a musical smoothie.

JEWELRY CAVE I (1234GO RECORDS)

Here is some photographic evidence of an art happening I had at 1234GO Records in Oakland over spring 2017. I had already been producing work for another show I had booked at Groove Salon in San Francisco, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a smaller show beforehand to show off some progress work and get some initial feedback from my peers. 

In addition to covering the walls with my art, I also decided to have a few bands play the opening event. I took it one step further by creating some props and projections for the stage. The whole idea was to make everyone feel like they were walking into an experience. A Jewelry Cave experience. 

Aesthetic wise, spring 2017 was a turning point for me. I had dedicated much of 2016 to designing and producing my floating frame transparent work. Since then, I had been really getting into print making as well as getting into working in larger formats. For this particular show, I included both art projects as a bridge from the old to the new. The styles tie into one another pretty well, so I didn't feel like it was too jarring going from one piece to the next. I mean, just look at these pictures... this shit is dope!

COLLAGE-O-MATIC: 2016 COMMEMORATIVE VISUAL ARTIFACT

At the end of 2015, I had this idea of producing a collage every single day and using Instagram as a platform to catalogue and post my work. I was initially apprehensive to take on such a big responsibility but I dove in head first regardless. 

I'm kind of insane like that sometimes. I can't tell if it's out of fearlessness or sheer stupidity. My therapist is still trying to figure that out as well. 

At first, it was smooth sailing. I churned out a few months worth of work ahead of time and scheduled it accordingly. However, about halfway through the year, I found myself scrambling to make these looming daily deadlines. I managed it fairly well. There have only been a few times where postings were slipped in at the very last second. 

"11:59:59... Eh, it counts."

I can honestly say that I truly know what it's like to suffer for one's art. I found myself burnt out and exhausted at times. I felt like I had no more creative energy to give. But I pushed through. In a way it made me a better artist, designer and human overall. 

Accomplishing goals feels great!

Holistically speaking, I did enjoy the 'push-and-pull' aspect that came with producing so much deadline driven work. You can't love everything you do. If you're passionate about something, you need to let the negatives drive you forward as much as the positives. It's all about balancing it and controlling it. Let the art brutalize you. Let it drive you crazy. Let it become an extension of all your emotions. The good ones and the bad ones. You'll discover new things.

Here is a compilation of all my favorite collages that I built over the year. Watch the video. It's hypnotizing in a weird little surreal way. 

Dig through my Instagram too. I've decided to keep it open for 2017. I'll continue to churn out work for it, but I'll only be keeping it down to a few posts per week. 

WATCHED ROBOCOP FOR THE 9,000TH TIME TODAY

NEO NOUVEAU II SHOWING AT OPUS ARCADE

Opus Arcade in Palo Alto reached out to me a few weeks ago and was interested in having some of my collage work adorn their walls. It was perfect timing as my show at Chromatic had just ended and I was already looking for new opportunities to show more work. I dig when things just fall into place like that. So, I gathered up around 20-30 pieces that I thought would best suit the space and brought them down. I took the train too. 

Here are some pics of the space as well as the cards made for the showing. 

Cruise by, dye your hair purple and check out my stuff. 

PANCAKES AND BOOZE TRANSPARENT COLLAGE SHOWING

Here is some recent transparent collage work that I displayed at this years Pancakes and Booze show. Nine new pieces on dual layer transparency. 

I also released the first volume of the Spraypainted Prism Art Kit which included things like a postcard, some stickers, a few mini-art prints, some transparent samples and other weirdo knick knacks. I made a 100 in total and they're all gone. 

Good times were had by all!

CHROMATIC COFFEE ART STUFF

NEO-NOUVEAU ART HAPPENING - CHROMATIC COFFEE

I’m pretty stoked to announce this upcoming solo exhibition. I’ll be showcasing up to 50 new transparent collages for the month of August at Chromatic Coffee in Santa Clara. Cruise by and you’ll see a technicolor array of psychedelic collage gone wrong. Or right… Either way, it’ll make for some delicious eye candy. 

Chromatic is a cool spot as well. They’re coffee is top notch and the atmosphere they present is chill and welcoming. I'll be talking over their walls from August 5th through the 31st. 

SELECT TRANSPARENT COLLAGES

If you’re living under a rock and are totally out of the loop in terms of my awesome Instagram, then you should leave this blog right now and go follow me. —> instagram Here’s the deal. I started my Instagram as a way to continuously output new artwork on a regular basis. My objective is to post one collage a day for the entire year of 2016. I started posting on January 1st and will end the page on December 31st. 365 total days of weirdo Adam Widener collages. I love the idea of giving this project a lifespan. It was born and it will die. My mid-July, I'll be well steeped in the middle age years. 

Anyway, I am gearing up to hustle some art for some Summer public showings and have been experimenting with ways to displaying these collages. I really like the dual layer transparency comps I’ve been doing. But if I want to pump these out pretty quickly, then I may only stick with one layer. 

At any rate, its given the artwork a whole new life. I took some of the Instagram pieces that I’ve been working on and printed them on transparency paper. Then I housed them in floating frames. I like the sleek delicate quality that emits from the art. It’s futuristic, yet primitive. It’s so 2016, yet so 1978. Does that make any sense? Does it even really matter?

Anyway, dig some of these transparent collages. It’s total tripsville, man.

GESTALT ART SHOWING

Gestalt is a rad little bar. With its abundance of awesome pinball machines and overall chill decor, its got just the right mix of homely scenery and rustic elegance. It’s dive-y, but not gross. It's a chill spot to swing by after work for a delicious bratwurst and a few games from the Kiss pinball machine. Check it out. 

I recently took over their walls to display some art and had roughly a total of 35 to 40 pieces adorning their space. I honestly could have hung up more if I didn’t run out of walls. But regardless, walking into that bar felt like you fell into a surreal wonderland of 70’s cut up magazines and blinking clanging pinball machines. I imagine this is what heaven looks like.

As I was hanging up my frames, this hippy dude and his friend were enamored by the art. He was interested in buying some. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't even done hanging and I already had some buyers. It turns out he was from the Lake Tahoe area and was visiting the Bay for the week. He mentioned that these collages would look great in the commune house he was squatting in. We went back and forth on price for awhile until his final offer came to a huge stash of killer weed he was holding. This would have been a more than fair trade, but I decided that cash was more in line with what I wanted. I gave him my business card and told him to call me in the next day or so. Unfortunately I didn't hear anything back from him. Too bad. This stuff would have looked awesome hanging in a squatter house. His loss, I suppose. 

In addition to the array of fabulous pictures shown here, I threw together this little video highlighting some of the artwork in action. I even managed squeeze in a song I recorded about a year ago. It's a jangly weird track that I had lying around. You're the first to hear it here. The soundtrack to a crummy quality video. Sure, why not. 

Here's a bunch of pictures of the space. The red walls really make the compositions really pop. They're like little spurts of angular chaos drifting through a sea of blood. Whoa, that's a weird way of putting it. 

VANITY 6 TRIPTYCH

I’ll be the first to admit that Prince just doesn’t do anything for me. I’ve tried. Oh lord, have I tried. ‘Controversy' is the only record that I’ve given multiple listens to. I really want to like what he does, but it just doesn’t resonate. 

But what I can can do is appreciate his artistic genius. I can’t deny that he has single handedly created a style and sound that has permeated through our current pop landscape. It’s almost as relevant today as it was in 1982. I can really get behind that. I also love the fact that he sort of divided up his talent and formed these little side bands fueled by his vision. One of those bands, Vanity 6, has always held a special place in my heart.

TANGIBLE TRANSPARENCY / PHYSICAL PARALLAX TRIPTYCH

Transparent things fascinate me. I can’t exactly explain why. It just conjures up this sleek futuristic-like visual experience that I really like. The ability to see through strong matter constructed of no color is really nothing short of an earthly miracle. Glass has been around for centuries. Plastic is somewhat of a new revolution yet extremely well engrained in our modern culture. New materials are being designed and implemented everyday. The possibilities in transparent technology is endless. I've heard scientists have been experimenting with light bending technologies in order to achieve invisibility of physical objects. That’s insane!

I like to use a lot of transparency in my art. I like to see colors overlap one another yet have the ability to mix at the same time. The visual blending that it creates is wonderful. Throw a some light in there to get a nice glare or reflection. Oh baby… That tickles my brain in just the right way. 

Anyway, let’s get down to business. I’ve been taking some of my vector art and thinking up ways on how to best display it. I like the idea of just doing a a giant black and white xerox print. But I don’t know if that is the strongest option. I have been experimenting with silk screening and making simple two color prints. That has been working out really well. However, I always like to try new things. The exploration phase in making art is the most exciting part in my opinion. How do I go about transferring my art from the screen to a tangible canvas? And how do I do it in the most exciting way possible?

A NEW DIMENSION IN TERROR TRIPTYCH

You know… 

This is really silly but I gotta get this off my chest. I made my first triptych as an homage to my second favorite film, Belle De Jour. Now I’m making my second triptych based on my number one favorite film ever, Friday the 13th Part Three. See the parallel? It’s because I’m an artist and stuff. I think about these things and how they are relevant to our way of modern life. Then I reflect that onto the world. Pretty cool, huh? Don’t you feel really enlightened? It feels good. 

"Think of a far off realm twisted by the absurdly morbid. Its consumption of entertainment are these tiny bursts of blood drenched realities."

Anyway, I look at this piece as a surreal alternate reality to where this film might have existed. Simple. Clean. Organized. Efficient. Yet slightly off kilter. What a world. I wouldn’t mind taking a stroll through that someday. The story of Friday the 13th Part Three is a simple one. Kids go into the woods for a weekend to party. One by one they are picked off by an axe wielding masked maniac. There isn’t much rhyme or reason as to why this film exists and that’s honestly the best part of it for me. It’s ridiculous. I love it for its atmospheric nostalgic quality and low budget aesthetics. Also, let's not forget that this film was at the forefront of the early 80's short-lived 3D craze. Truly, this is a pioneering achievement in film making. Dig?

BELLE DE JOUR TRIPTYCH 24 x 36 (AND OTHER STUFF)

Here are some process shots for the Belle De Jour Triptych at 24" x 36". After I made these, I concluded that perhaps this is just too large of a size to work with. It took about 8 letter sized sheets of transparency just to burn the screen. Then it took a lot of time to cut down the mat boards, burn the screens, the amount of ink used. etc… The whole thing was just a tad too troublesome for the initial outcome. When I was done, I stood back and looked at them and it just didn’t feel right. 

I think I’m going to go back to the drawing board and resize these differently. Already leaning towards an 18 x 24 size. Heck, I’ve already got some other designs ready to go for that. 

BENGUIAT CASLON SWASH

Been on the hunt for a cheap alternative to the Benguiat Caslon Typeface for awhile and I stumbled upon something called Emfatick NF on myfonts.com. It seems to do the trick, but I'll more than likely play around with it as I find more important uses for it. 

Right now, I'm sitting on my couch watching my favorite film in the whole wide world and I decided to make this. Ya know... hanging out on a chill Monday night. A glass of peach sparkling water by my side. A cool crisp chill in the air. Getting lost in some random art project. A roaring fire. These are the glory days, people. 

PROGRESS WORK FOR LARGE SCALE PRINT PIECES VII

1982 PITTSBURGH KMART

If I had a time machine I wouldn’t use it for any sort of good for humanity. Well, maybe… I mean, I wouldn’t interfere too much with the space-time continuum, but maybe I’d prevent a few disasters here and there. Or not… I don’t know. 

What I would do is go back in time and immerse myself in the super average. I’d set the time machine to drop me off in 1982 and then I would seek out a Kmart. I would walk around that Kmart for hours just to marvel at all the average american necessities. If possible, I’d love to select any specific location. Maybe I can program it to take me to a 1982 Minneapolis Kmart. Or Akron OH or Boulder CO… The possibilities would be endless. 

First I would grab a thermos of delicious black coffee and a few vanilla wafers to stick in my backpack. Then I would program the time machine to take me to mid October 1982, Pittsburgh PA. Pittsburgh would be the ideal location because it’s a little midwest and a little east coast. Great dichotomy if you ask me. Just imagine it. 

"A real average mid-century american rust belt dream. Plain as butter on bread. Everything is just soaked in mediocrity. So magical."

I’d arrive in the morning just before the store opens. A crisp wind circles through the early morning air. I’d walk through the parking lot sipping from my thermos. The shopping center surrounding the epicenter that is Kmart awakens to a new day. Cars begin to arrive. Nice! Did you see that? An olive green ’73 pacer. Beautiful! *tears begin to well in my eyes. 

BELLE DE JOUR TRIPTYCH

Here is my Belle De Jour triptych in a sweet frame mock up. I'll be showing the middle one at Feet Wood this month for their "Constructive Chaos" show. I made a two color print at 24 x 36. It's huge. I may not go that big again. It's just to troublesome to produce and who the hell is gonna have something that big in their home anyway? I wouldn't. Unless I had a really big home. That would be awesome. A big house filled with big art. Nice!

So anyway... I've explained what this piece represents before. It's an homage to the French film, Belle De Jour. It's kind of a dry watch, but I don't know... I really like it. I like the whole atmosphere that it invokes. It's kind of the same feeling I get from watching Friday the 13th part 3. There's just this presence that it has that I really respond to. Like... Like... there's this universe on film that I want so desperately to immerse myself in. ...to live among the saturated sun damaged colors. 

PROGRESS WORK FOR LARGE SCALE PRINT PIECES VII

 

I began work on another one of these large scale print things. I'm finding it a bit troublesome on how to put something like this into production. Last night, I took my Belle De Jour Triptych and made the transparency for the 24 x 36 print compositions. It took 8 legal sheets to composite just 1/3 of the triptych. So.... let's see... that's like 24 sheets in total. Then I had to cut and tape them all together all the while filling in as much of the gaps that I could with a black magic marker. Don't worry. I'll go into much more detail in a later blog. 

I'm taking a different approach with this one. Instead of relying heavily on logo and type design, I've decided to construct the basic skeletal frame by using simple shapes. Circles and squares if you will... This will act as a foundation for all the wordplay that I'll eventually throw all over this. I'm hoping that it will create an interesting dichotomy in which these basic shapes will dictate how the type design will play out. Before, the type was the foundation with the structure built on top. We'll just have to see where this goes. As you can see, it's pretty barren right now.