Sezio

Arrrgghhh! by Andy Ralph

"I have an impatience for most nonfiction, and this is why I create these unlikely objects."

Andy Ralph is one of the most fascinating characters I've come across in San Diego. The frontman for Writer is also a talented conceptual artist, and it's tough to tell which career will blossom first. A cabinet builder by day, Andy's projects tend to draw from his handiness; lead tools, rubber nails and the piece below, entitled 'Ben, Walt and Frank.'

Luis de Jesus's gallery, Seminal Projects, has backed Andy from the get-go, and the partnership seems to be paying off.  His latest work, 'Arrrgghhh', initially showed and sold at Cocked. Luis then asked Andy to complete a dupilcate of the piece for Aqua Art in Miami, where he recieved a few more commissions... congrats Mr. Ralph.

Check out more of Andy Ralph's work here.

Short Term 12 Wins Best Short Film at Sundance

I could hardly believe what I was typing when I made a news post about Destin Daniel Cretton's Short Term 12 making it into Sundance, but this one is completely surreal.  A few nights ago, our local hero was astonished to hear the name of his latest film announced as winner for "Best Short Film."  Sundance is the film market for North America and winning there is an incredible honor and opportunity for Daniel.  Lucky for us, Sundance already produced this video so that we can beam and cheer from home.

HACER : Tonight @ Luce Loft

We spent last night setting up Luce Loft for tonight's event. In between an intense game of S.K.A.T.E., we filled pinatas, hung Tocayo's art and sampled some adult beverages. Make sure to bring cash tonight for tacos, the bar ($3 dollar beers), and live screen printing.

Hacer @ Luce Loft - 1037 J. Street (6-10pm)

view more photos by Carly Ealey

Jolynn Krystosek @ Lux Art Institute

Jolynn Krystosek is in town and the new resident artist at Lux Art Institute.  Hailing from New York, Jolynn's wonderfully detailed work ranges from paper cut-outs to watercolor birds adorned with real feathers to wax floral relief carvings.  We asked Jolynn a few questions about her work and specifically about her large gallery installation piece at Lux.  

Sezio: Your carved wax pieces are really unique.  What made you start working with wax?  What are the major challenges of working with such delicate projects?

Jolynn Krystosek: Five years ago I was making large-scale enamel paintings with fabric collaged on the surface. I was using wax as an adhesive. I became really interested in the material and what could be done with it and started experimenting. It was through this experimentation that I began the wax relief carvings. What interests me about a material is being able to push it to its limits of sustainability.

SZ: Your work carries a theme of having beautifully intricate texture.  Do you always strategically map out your compositions or do you concentrate from layer to layer?

JK: With the wax carvings I never do any sort of preliminary drawings. I work layer-to-layer or cut-to-cut. I usually begin a piece by choosing a type of plant whose form I am interested in carving. I always have a lot of source material around the studio to reference. One of the reasons for this is that the wax works are very unforgiving. There are no corrective measures once I pull a mark up. So, I like the compositions to have a natural growth, where I am responding to what is happening with the wax, how it is curling and pulling up. The paper cut outs on the other hand are totally planned out prior.

 SZ: What in your life influences your work most directly and where do you find inspiration?

JK: Nature is where I gain my inspiration. I am also influenced a great deal by old botanical illustrations and Dutch baroque still life paintings from the seventeenth century.

SZ: Tell us about the 8' by 10' paper installation you are creating for LUX.  Is it common practice for you to make something of this scale?  What is your approach?

JK: I will be at Lux during the month of January working on a site-specific piece, which will be permanently installed in the artist residence. The piece is a new venture. I will be building a large scale paper wall collage, layering white on white papers adhered directly onto the wall creating a botanical scene of native flora from the region.  The piece is similar in scale to my paper cut outs, but drastically differs in its approach. It will be entirely flat and the spatial elements will be achieved by the various textures and tones of the papers. It will be a very perceptual piece due to its subtle presence in the space. One's awareness of the work's presence will shift with the time and light of the day; sometimes standing out, while at other times slipping into the most subtle moments we can visualize.

The exhibition runs January 10 - March 18, with Jolynn in-studio through January 31.  Come by tonight's Lux @ Night event and meet the artist-in-residence herself, Jolynn Krystosek.

Subtext's Re-Grand Opening

Owners, Don Hollis and Dylan Jones - Photo by Lou Mora

Has anyone noticed that Kettner is the shit these days?  From hip furniture stores to cutting edge design studios, Kettner Blvd. is quickly becoming one of the best streets to wander in San Diego. (and it just got a lot better)  Subtext, design bookstore & gallery, is leaving their Little Italy location (pictured above) and moving into the design lofts across from the Casbah.

366 - 7 by Frank Rogozienski

Tomorrow's grand opening event (6-10pm) will be their first show in the new space, 366 l 08 - A picture a day by Frank Rogozienski.  In addition to the always amazing art, Sezio has partnered with Subtext for their '09 season to provide live music in the building's community courtyard.  We are stoked to introduce The Traditionist to San Diego, a new project from Huntington Beach based singer/songwriter Joey Barro.  Check out a couple tracks below, and we'll see you tomorrow night.

'A Sleep be Told'

'I Know my Ocean'