BoJack Horseman - Gallery 1988

Hi Everyone!

I am pleased to announce that I am part of the Official Netflix BoJack Horeseman Art show with Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles! The show is now up to see and artwork is available on their website for purchase.

Here is my piece, "The Dark Truth", which explores the dysfunctional relationship of young BoJack, and his parents Beatrice and Butterscotch Horseman.

"The Dark Truth"

Acrylic, Pencil, and Ink on wood board

6"x12"

Painting in progress in this picture - working from the digital drawing as a guide. 

The Show runs from September 8 to September 30, 2017 at 7308 Melrose - Definitely check it out if you love the show!

Stephen King - Gallery 1988

A Spectacular new show has just opened at Gallery 1988 - a tribute to the works of horror author Stephen King. Be sure to check out all the pieces on G1988's site, and if you live in LA, be sure to check it out in person. Show runs through the May.

Gallery 1988 

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

"It's That Damn Road!"

11"x17" - digital

My piece is inspired by "Pet Sematary" - the road that no one in their right mind would choose to live next to - and the cause for many a critter to get the life squished right out of them. There is a way to have them live on, but as you know, "Sometimes Dead is Better."

Welcome 2017

Since I don't get around to doing blog updates as often as I used to, I figured i'd compile a few late 2016 update post. So... going backwards in time, here we go!!!

First of all, Happy 2017! 2016 has been a great year for me artistically. Finished lots of personal art goals and I was happy to have gotten a few mini animations completed. I've gotten back to doing animations just for fun, taking only a day or two to crank something out. Not sure if I will ever go down the road of a film project like Alien for Christmas again, but who knows!

Here is my New Years animation called Burst out of Your Shell. It's a simple statement that we should all shed our skin each year and start something new!

Burst Out of Your Shell 2017 from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

Right before Christmas, I updated Alien for Christmas (which you can watch on Vimeo) with an all new HD version of the short. It was really starting to show it's age with the 640 format - so it was overdue for an update.

Alien for Christmas from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

Now that I'm using Instagram much more than the blog, I put up a widget at the top of the page that shows the latest posts. This way, the blog stays a little fresh, even when I'm not updating it here.

In early December, I was part of 2 gallery openings at Gallery 1988. One was "The Coen Brothers show" (which you can see more detail on in the previous post below), and the other was "Another art show about Nothing" - a show dedicated to one of my favorite shows of all time, Seinfeld (which, coincidently, we have been working on a slot game at work for Seinfeld for the past year!)

"The interview"

Ink on paper

I chose to do an homage to one of my favorite episodes to a bit where Kramer and Newman work up a scheme to have the homeless pull a rickshaw cart around New York City. A fun moment when Kramer and Newman perform ad-hoc interviews with the 3 candidates that shows up - one of which wanders off right at the start, and another that ends up just running off with the cart!

I was using a new ink stain technique on this image - so if you now own it from the show, a fun fact that this is the first time I worked in this medium. I really wanted this to have a personal quality. 

Here are a few more images of the process:

At thanksgiving I had a chance to work up a couple fun bear-eating images. Who doesn't love a good guilt-snacking furball? 

After seeing "Fantastic Beasts" - I worked up this Bowtruckle image below - loved this little guy and how he would hide under Newt's lapel in the movie!

On November 19, I was part of an art show at Creature Features in Burbank CA dedicated to "MYTHBUSTERS"! What a treat. The show, curated by Chogrin, and featured a select group of artist works that featured portraits of Jamie and Adam from the show.

"Cheers!"

11x14 - Digital

My piece showcases, from what I was told by the curator, something that never happened in the shows history - Jamie and Adam dining together. Another thing it showcase is a drink that Jamie created called 444 - a mix of 4 fruits, 4 veggies, and 4 grains. I thought it would be fun to have these 2 cheering each other for their awesome success! The art is now on tour as part of a Mythbusters exhibit. Check out the review of the show on Nerdist

On November 18 and 19, I had the chance to experience CTN and DCON for the first time. Both conventions were fantastic, and I came home with more that a few bags worth of artwork and artist cards to enjoy.

CTN gave me a chance to talk with many folks that I normally only get to see online, and a chance to rub elbows with may of the industry professionals that I admire, and worked with on previous occasions. 

DCON was a real artists show - independently produced works (art, shirts, toys) from a wide range of passionate creatives. The price was right - only $10 to get in, and just about anyone who wasn't at CTN already was located here. 

In November, I took part in the Back to Bits project, a multi-animator effort that collected GIFs from animators and showcased them as an homage to the games of yesteryear. This is the first "volume" of the show with (hopefully) more to come. This effort is curated by Jerry Liu.

My animation - The Life and Death of a Marble - based on the Atari game Marble Madness, ended up being a little long for the GIF format - but you can see my directors cut here

The Life and Death of a Marble from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

On November 5th, Gallery 1988 feature "Postcard Correspondence" - a show entirely dedicated to postcard art that you could buy and use as cards to display  - or better yet - mail to your friends! My piece featured "The Blues Brothers" at christmastime, and was aptly title, "Let the Good Times Roll". I was inspired by Elwood's tiny apartment in the movie, and I loved the idea of the brothers sharing that space at Christmas.

"Let the Good Times Roll" 

5x7 Postcard

And one of the biggest moments of 2016 - Cubs winning the world series! It doesn't get better than that for a Chicagoan. 

Geez - I have more to get to - Inktober, the Wonka show, SDCC... I'll need to do the rest in a post update when I get more of that precious time! 

-Dave

Coen Brothers Art Tribute Show - Gallery 1988

A first of it's kind show for Gallery 1988 - a tribute to Joel and Ethan Coen, directors of films such as "Fargo", "The Big Lebowski", "True Grit", and "No Country for Old Men". Check out the show at:

Gallery 1988 West

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

Show runs December 9-23, 2016

My Piece is titled "Civilized Conversation", and depicts the scene in "O Brother Where Art Thou" where the jail-breaking Soggy Bottom Boys (Everett, Delmar, and "Toad" Pete) encounter Big Dan Teague, wonderfully portrayed by John Goodman. If you have not seen the film, I strongly urge you to give it a view and enjoy this little masterpiece from the Coen Brothers collection. 

The entire show is viewable online and artwork is available for purchase through Gallery 1988.

http://nineteeneightyeight.com/collections/coens

20 Years Later - Gallery 1988

It's been 20 years since Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!", and in celebration of this milestone, I've worked up a new piece that is part of other 1996 films showcased in Gallery 1988's new exhibit, "20 Years Later". I still remember being wowed by the CG aliens - and you can be wowed all over again by all the love this movie gets in this art show!

Gallery 1988 West

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

Show open July 1-16, 2016

"They Blew Up Congress"

14"x11"

Acrylic on birch board

Rough iPad sketch of the concept. The scene that is in the movie is actually a pretty cheesy effect shot of a bunch of old dudes getting blasted by lazers, ending in a wonderful moment with Grandma Florence Norris (played by actress Sylvia Sydney) shouting happily "They blew up Congress!"

I did originally think about doing this painting with have skeletons and half old guys, but after working up the skeleton pattern, I found it impossible to go back. 

A shot of the painting workspace - I did most of this at the Elmhurst Art Museum while folks were checking out the Red Wagon Gallery. This was a fun one to explain!

I added some extra sparkle paint to the lazers, which looks kind of cool as the light catches it. 

So check out the show before the 16th if you live in LA, or online if you are out of town at this link. Thanks for checking out the page! -Dave

Idiot Box - Gallery 1988

Now showing at Gallery 1988 is a show called "Idiot Box", which celebrates a huge range of classic and contemporary television shows. This is my first time exhibiting in this particular show - I believe this is the 3rd in their series.

Gallery 1988 West

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

Exhibit open May 13-28, 2016

I chose to cover ALF - the beloved alien/puppet of 80's television - who was stranded on Earth and had a healthy appetite for cats!

"Dinner Is Served"

8"x24"

Acrylic on canvas

As an artist and lover of puppets, this seemed like a fun one - first ever ALF piece. These long canvases seem to inspire me quite a bit, and this image of cats falling out of the sky right into ALF's mouth hit me pretty quickly. 

Original iPad sketch of the concept. I had seen the palate as browns, whites and oranges )with speckles of teal), but as I painted it up, the greens seemed to feel better to me. 

Here is ALF cheering me on as the Golden acrylics get set out.

Sketching up some pencil reference on the canvas. 

Laying in the background color - this is where it took a turn towards greens and the browns and teal colors took on a life of their own. I really started to dig what I was getting here and I chose to roll with it. 

More of the character colors blocked in - I was thinking of this one pretty flat, but once i started getting into ALF's fur, a bit more highlight and dimension felt appropriate. 

Closer up on the comedic genius. Mouth open for whatever fur-ball happens to land in it! 

I crack myself up with these dumb cat faces. 

Signature as the last detail. I usually do first and last name with the year, but this one was an exception. 

And coincidently, "The Goldbergs" featured the ALF puppet and show on a recent episode! Here is Adam showing off his furry friend to his Dad, Murray, who had the creepiest ventriloquist dummy as a youngster. This show is one of my absolute favorites, and if you are a true 80's geek - you should surely check it out. 'Til next time! -Dave

Bob's Burgers - Gallery 1988

Today is the last day to see the Bob's Burgers show at Gallery 1988 West in LA. Thanks to everyone who went out and to everyone who purchased my limited edition prints that were part of the 100th episode celebration of the hit animated series!

Here is the animation I did to celebrate the show's milestone and a view of the piece I did.

Bob's Burgers 100th Episode Celebration from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

"Steam-Bot Grilly"

11x14 digital print

My idea for the theme here was to get the whole family working together and feature parts of their personalities. Bob is the punching bag, but still strong-willed head of the family. Linda is the true heart of the family, always providing support. Gene is the loudmouth, musically inclined goofball son. Tina is the oldest daughter in her awkward years of exploring love and relationships. And Louise is the youngest daughter and hellion, always playing dangerous! Of course, there is the obvious nod to animation - and for those not in the know, "Steam Boat Willy" was the first Disney Mickey Mouse short with audio. 

Thanks for checkin' it out - until next time! -Dave

The Fly - 30 Years Later - Gallery 1988

It's hard to believe that I was 15 years old when "The Fly" was released. I was always enamored with Jeff Goldblum's performance as Seth Brundle, the confident scientist that you felt for as he slowly transformed and fell apart in every way. Hard not to feel for a guy reaching up and losing an ear!

Gallery 1988 Is now presenting the show "30 Years Later", showcasing movies that are 3 decades old this year! A difficult choice when you have such classics in the mix as Labyrinth, Stand By Me,  Little Shop of Horrors, and Aliens to choose from. I felt "The Fly" was one of those rare remade B-movie-esque horror flicks that really deserved some attention.

Gallery 1988 West

7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles CA 90046

Opening Reception Friday March 25, 2016 - 7-10pm

"I'm an Insect Who Dreamt He Was A Man and Loved It."

8"x24"  

Acrylic on canvas.

As with most of my traditional pieces, this one started out on the iPad. 

There is a classic photo of Goldblum naked in the teleportation device that served for the inspiration here. I elongated his frame and (of course) stylized his face.

Rough drawing on canvas (above) - the nose is meant to harken back to the baboon in the movie - the one that didn't quite make it through the experimentation phase. Goldblum reminds me a bit of a monkey-man with his lean structure, and his nakedness openly embraces the primate feel.

Some blocked in color - I was purposefully using those hot pinks and teals that the 80's embraced.  

One of my favorite parts of the movie is the synthetic-tasting steak (getting blocked in below). I loved the idea of a machine doing it's best to replicate the original product, but somehow failing simply because of it's nature of being a machine. The steak lacks the essence of what makes it steak! Only Geena Davis had the pleasure of tasting it and conveying this to us. Someone has got to start a band with the name - "Geena Davis' Tongue"

I added black in-between the over-lit and under-lit areas. I've really never done an illustration like this before. I like the idea that there is this growing "darkness" somewhere between the fly and the man.

Below you can see a bit of double checking the "Fly monster" details. Those coarse hairy fly arms were terrific in the movie! [spoilers] The splitting head in the illustration is pretty much how the creature meets it's demise. Poor tortured soul. I needed another color to promote that wonderful regurgitated goo that The Fly kept barfing up. I experimented and ended up defining the outer edges of the monster parts in that bright yellow acrylic - giving a bit more energy and a pop feel to the art. 

 It was late in the game when I reconsidered the eye direction. A tough call since I liked Goldblum engaging with the viewer, but I decided that his connection to the bitty fly above was more important, and I turned his gaze upward. I also colored the human and fly eyes yellow to draw a subtle connection to the monster parts.

The whole piece sitting complete and ready to ship! Had fun working this one up. If you are in LA, I hope you get a chance to stop by Gallery 1988 and see it in person. I've already seen a teaser for another great Fly piece and I hope Goldblum gets a good nod from us for his 30th anniversary!