Jack Morton returns to Hope Gallery with Rethink Your Ink Laser Removal.
It's that time once again to get zapped. Jack will be removing tattoos November 7th-9th, 12pm-8pm daily. No appointment is needed, just come on down and get your unwanted ink removed.
Quick & Painful hits Miami during Art Basel this December!
Hope Gallery will be teaming up with Art Whino to present another exhibition of Quick & Painful at Miami's famed Art Basel.
Prints from some of today's most sought after pop artists will be avialable and tattooing elite Joe Capobianco, Eric Merill, Christian Perez, Jesse Smith, and Scott White will be branding fans with their favorite images.
For more info and details on all the Q&P Shows go to www.quickandpainfulshows.com
The Switcheroo Institute for Lower Learning Presents...
Custom Toy Workshop with Artists Huck Gee & Carlos East
September 25th at 1pm
Learn how to customize vinyl toys with the help of two of the best artists in the business as they team up and work with fans during this workshop at Hope Gallery in New Haven, CT.
The workshop will feature Huck Gee, one of the most popular toy customizers in the World, known for taking his unique Asian Pop style to 3D form; and Carlos East, one of the members of the Beast Brothers who is known for his highly elaborate customs that take detailing to the next level.
This unique and hand-on Workshop will be hosted by Nichole “Baroness” East, some of the topics that will be discussed will be History of Custom Toys, Character Design, Material Application, Priming and Finishing Techniques, Application Demonstrations, and of course presentations by both artists followed by a Q&A session.
The workshop will include an 8” Munny for you to customize along with all of the materials you will need to create an amazing custom. (Paint, Pens, Fabric, Flock, etc) At the end of the workshop you will take home a unique and special custom toy that you designed with the help of two amazing artists. And one very special participate will win a custom by The Beast Brothers at the end of the workshop!
Space is very limited and this workshop and will sell out so BUY TICKETS NOW!!
ABOUT HUCK GEE
A UK native, Huck Gee is a contemporary artist, illustrator, toy maker, and designer best known by toy enthusiasts for his iconic “Skullhead” character and “Gold Life” art creations. Heavily influenced by Japanese and Hong Kong pop art, Gee calls his style “Bastardized Asian Pop Culture”.
The demand for Huck’s Custom Toy Art and illustrations has grown quite immense, with small runs of hand crafted Art Toys and original prints selling out in seconds online and shipping to art collectors worldwide. Huck’s works have been exhibited in galleries worldwide and in 2007 his “Hello My Name Is” 8” Dunny was accepted into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. In addition, Huck has also consigned several pieces for one of the world’s leading fine art auction houses: Christie’s Auction House.
He’s released numerous limited production toys through Kidrobot including some of the most exclusive and sought after Dunnys to date, figures for The Standard, DJ Qbert, and a series of figures for Barney’s New York which came dressed in the 2005 spring collections of five of the world’s most famous fashion designers: Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Jil Sander, Rick Owens, and Duckie Brown. His extraordinary skills with customizing vinyl toys earned him the title of Best Customizer in the 2009 Kidrobot Artist Awards.
Most recently Huck collaborated with Ken Block and DC Shoes for Ken’s Monster World Rally Team WRC logo entitled “Blockhead”. Coinciding with this project were several limited edition shoe and clothing runs.
Huck currently maintains a studio in San Francisco and when not busy planning world domination, he spends his free time playing with his daughter and pretending to be a race car driver. Not necessarily at the same time.
www.huckgee.com
ABOUT THE BEAST BROTHERS
Born in an Aztec temple, deep inside the jungle of Mexico, The Beast Brothers spent most of their childhood developing their unique and distinct style of art. Through the years this royal pair have used their mighty twin powers to create memorable works for NIKE, KIDROBOT, REEBOK, BACARDI, and VANS. Carlos and Ernesto East continue to make paintings, illustrations, and sculptures in their secret jungle laboratories located in Mexico City, Miami, and New York.
www.thebeastbrothers.com
ABOUT SWITCHEROO INSTITUTE
The Institute of Lower Learning was founded by California-based artists Amanda Visell and Michelle Valigura. Over the years The Institute has hosted many different types of seminars and workshops all over the World, bringing artists and fans together in one room to get their 'learn' on.
"We are using our brains and workshops to host some of the best artists that we could beat at arm wrestling. We tie them to a desk and force them to teach you what they really excel in. This is a special program where you can really learn in a close environment with productive working artists that dont normally share their brain juice."
www.myswitcheroo.com
Thank You Brain Despain!
Brian gave a great painting seminar this past weekend, thanks to all the fans that came out learned the ins and outs of his unique and amazing style.
Check out more photos from the seminar on our Flickr!
Come Party the Summer Away with US
We are looking forward to Brain Despain's visit so much that we decided to throw a BBQ! It will be open to the public and FREE!!
We will have burgers, dogs, drinks, games and more. And of course, it will give you a chance to meet artist Brain Despin before his painting seminar on July 31st.
See you Saturday, July 30th at 6pm!
QUICK & PAINFUL EXHBITION BRINGS POP ART FROM CANVAS TO SKIN
Art exhibition hits major cities for one night only
Hope Gallery, one of the most prestigious tattoo art galleries, today announced that it will feature the work of more than 15 important artists and designers with backgrounds in fine art, graffiti, and illustration in a unique exhibition that will be held in New Haven, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; and Miami, FL; for one night only with dates starting August 27th.
Quick & Painful will feature today’s most elite low brow artists doing original Tattoo Flash. "Flash" is a set tattoo designs classically printed or drawn on an 11" x 14" piece of paper or cardboard. Flash is either drawn by the individual tattooer for display and use in his own studio, or traded and sold among other tattooers. By the turn of the new century, most tattoo studios have become custom shops with the flash serving as more of a reference for ideas.
Among the artists and designers that will be presenting Flash Prints for the exhibition are Alex Pardee, Amanda Visell, Brandt Peters & Kathie Olivas, Camilla D’Errico, David Horvath, Devilrobots, Greg “Craola” Simkins, Joe Ledbetter, Junko Mizuno, MIST, Ron English, Sam Flores, TADO, Tara McPherson, and Tokidoki co-founder and Creative Director Simone Legno.
Quick & Painful was curated by Nichole East of Hope Gallery. East reached out to iconic artists from her Pop Art background. Each artist was given the confines of 11 x 14 inch platform to create their own unique set of tattoo flash.
“After years of working in the low brow and pop art scene, I started to see how many fans were getting tattoos of my favorite artists. It seemed a natural urge to make sure it was done right,” said Nichole East.
The first event will take part at Hope Gallery in New Haven, CT on August 27th; Crewest Gallery in Los Angeles on September 3rd; Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago on October 8th; and during Art Basel in Miami December 1st-4th. World renowned tattoo artists like Joe Capobianco, Eric Merrill, Julio Rodriguez, Jime Litwalk, and Dan Smith, will be tattooing fans the night of the opening with their favorite designs chosen right from the wall. The nights will also be filled with events, giveaways, and contests for fans of Tattoos and Pop Art.
All of the Flash Sets created for Quick & Painful will be available for purchase at each of the show dates and available online at The Hope Shop starting October 9th.
See All Dates and Artist Details on the Quick & Painful Website
Interview with Artist Brian Despain
06.22.11
Brian Despain will be hosting a very special painting semniar at Hope Gallery on July 31st. We thought we'd let you get a sneak peek of what is to come by interviewing the man himself.
How long have you been painting?
I’ve been painting with oils for about six years. Of course that doesn’t include the undirected, feverish dabbling I did in the two painting classes I took in college but that was more flinging and/or smearing paint on whatever surface I could find in a desperate attempt to have the required number of “paintings” by the end of the week. In other words I didn’t learn a whole lot. So, six productive years... Now before I come across as some kind of self proclaimed genius (even though I am in fact a genius) I’ve been painting digitally for much longer, since ’95 if memory serves. In other words I learned all my color theory, composition, painting style, etc, years ago, so when I picked up oils I had all the fundamentals in place and only had to learn the idiosyncrasies of the medium. It made the whole process much easier.
How would you describe your style?
I’m often lumped into the pop-surrealism group but honestly I don’t really think I’m truly a pop-surrealist like Todd Schorr, Ron English, or Robert Williams. If pressed I’d say I’m more of a neo-symbolist. I try to infuse my art with a lot of symbolic references and emotional triggers which much closer mirrors the idiom of the Symbolist movement of yore.
What are some artists that you look up to?
Wow, how much time do we have? There are so many artists that I enjoy looking at or are envious of their talents it’d be impossible to put them all here. But for the sake of a good interview here’s a few. John Singer Sargent and J.W. Waterhouse for their ability to handle paint, W.A. Bouguereau for his ability to render light, Alphonse Mucha for his unerring sense of design and composition and so this isn’t a list of dead guys... Phil Hale for being a monster painter, James Jean for his unholy talent, and Mike Mingola for being a god damned visionary.
What is one of the most important lessons that you have learned as a painter?
That no matter how much you think you know there’s always something new to learn. Every time I start a painting it’s like going into battle. The paint reacts almost like a living creature and it’s when you become complacent and stop paying attention to it that something goes horribly awry. Even when you ARE paying attention stuff can still go wrong. I think in every single painting I’ve ever done there’s an area where the paint did something radical and I ended up having to “fix” it, probably while swearing a lot.
Where have you found some of your reference material?
I find a majority of my inspiration from the internet. There’s a wealth of sites dedicated to imagery of all kinds CGHub.com is a great place to go see some wicked illustration, mostly sci-fi and fantasy stuff but really amazing stuff none the less. Illustrationmundo.com hosts more main stream illustrators but again there is a certain bent to the majority of the artists there that may or may not suit one’s tastes. And of course there’s always places like ffffound.com or Stumbleupon.com that use the shotgun approach and just sort of deliver whatever to you, however, there are gems in amongst the noise.
What can people expect to learn at your seminar?
Though it’s being sold as a “painting” demo I feel that watching someone paint, no matter how cool you think they are, is mind numbingly boring outside of five minutes. As such I’m planning on talking a lot more about the nuts and bolts of art. Based on the “give a man a fish, teach a man to fish” adage I feel there’s a wealth of behind the scenes knowledge, i.e. not just the “how” of painting but the “why” as well, that is rarely touched upon in art schools. I’ve spent a good amount of my own time philosophizing and conjecturing about what goes into making a good painting and why people think and act the way they do and as such have formed some pretty broad theories that if applied to art can, in my opinion, raise the artistic experience for all involved. I’m planning on sharing some of this knowledge in the hopes that the audience can take that information and use it to amp up their own art. That and I’m going to run through my labor intensive process of how to put together a painting. Maybe I’ll juggle too.
Learn more about the Brian Despain Painting Seminar on our Events Page.
Brian Despain Painting Seminar Coming in July
06.09.11
We are very pleased to announce that Florida based painter Brian Despain will be making his way up to Hope Gallery to host a 4-hour painting seminar July 31st at 1pm.
Learn the ins and outs of being a professional painter from award winning artist, Brian Despain. Brian will reveal his complex creation process as well as share insights and answer questions about his life long career as a professional artist in this four hour painting seminar.
Learn more about this on our Events Page.
"WE ARE 138" Artwork is now FOR SALE!!
06.04.11
We have over 100 pieces of art for sale right now! Check out all of the 7x7 artwork for the "WE ARE 138" show. A whole art show dedicated to The Misfits! Check our Facebook Page to see the artwork and purchase these one of a kind works!
Mini Interview with "WE ARE 138" Artists
05.17.11
For the next two weeks we will be posting new mini interviews with "WE ARE 138" artists about, what else - The Misfits! Check out our Facebook Page every day for a new interview!
Hope Gallery is an Industry Icon in "Skin Art" Magazine
04.19.11
It seems like we are in every magazine on the shelf this month! Skin Art just released a MEGA article on Hope Gallery in their February issue. Check out all of our talented artists in one place.
Phil Young Interview in "Tattoo Society" Magazine
04.14.11
Pick up the April issue of one of our favorite magazines "Tattoo Society". There are two great features on Russ Abbott and Hope's own Phil Young!
Christian Perez in this months issue of "International Tattoo Art"
04.14.11
Cristian Perez has a HUGE article in the May issue of International Tattoo Art. It's on news stands now, so go pick up a copy and read about Hope's latest addition.
EASY GLOW Tattoo Pigments Now Available at Hope Gallery
04.12.11
Artists Joe Capobianco and Jime Litwalk are proud to finally release Easy Glow Tattoo Pigments to all professional tattoo artists Worldwide. We have a new website and all the colors are avialable, so check it out at www.easyglowtattoo.com
Julio Rodriguez in this months issue of "Tattoos For Women"
04.6.11
Congrats to Jennifer Pantuosco for getting a well deserved spread in this months issue of "Tattoos for Women" magazine. In addition to all her amazing pieces we have to say we are partical to her amazing backpiece done by Julio Rodriguez. Go JRod!
Tiny Trifecta Art Opening in NYC
04.4.11
Our good friend Tara McPherson is having the grand opening of her new store "Cotton Candy Machine" this weekend and to celebrate she curated a 'small' art show.
"Tiny Trifecta" is 100 artists, for $100, on the 100th day of the year. Joe Capobianco will have a piece in the show, so be sure to check it out this Saturday, April 9th, 7pm- midnight.
"INLE" Show in LA
03.28.11
We had a great time in LA for the opening of the "INLE" group show at Gallery 1988. There were a TON of people at the opening but we were lucky to score a few miutes with curator Greg "Craola" Simkins and took some pics of the opening.
Check out The Baroness' Flickr to see photos from the opening. Including detailed shots of Joe Capobianco's and Eric Merrill's contributions.
INLE will be on view through April.
"INLE" Show opens tomorrow in LA
03.10.11
When Greg "Craola" Simkins asked Joe Capobianco and Eric Merrill to be part of a group show he was curating, they jumped at the chance.
Over 100 artists will be displaying their interpretations of the classic "Watership Down" this Friday at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. If you can't make it to the opening, be sure to stop by the gallery and see the amazing work.
We'll be posting more photos after the event!
Laser Removal at Hope Gallery
03.07.11
Jack from ReThink Your Ink will be back at Hope Gallery April 11th-13th doing laser work on your unwanted tattoos.
As always, there is no appointment needed and walk-ins are welcome! See you there!
Jime Litwalk at Hope Gallery
02.12.11
Jime Litwalk will be guesting at Hope Gallery March 3-6th.
Appointments will start Monday, February 14th at 1pm. First Come, First Serve.
Call 203-467-1622
Joe Capobianco is BIZARRE
01.18.11
Pick up this month's issue of BIZARRE Magazine which features an article on Joe Capobianco called "The Godfather of Pin Up"
New Capo Girl Stickers
01.08.11 - New Capo Girl Stickers
We have a bunch of new Capo Girl stickers available now in The Hope Shop. Each sticker is 5-inches tall and full color
NEW YEAR - New Tattoo!
01.03.11
Our first tattoo of the New Year! Joe Capobianco pulled off this mermaid for a fan in the Navy. What a way to start the year! Happy 2011 everyone!