erik otto :: sf dump residency

first let me say i am in awe of erik otto's paintings. the way he uses paint and texture is something i truly relate to and feel akin to... its dirty and beautiful all at once.

he is at the end of a 4 month residency at san francisco recycling and disposal, collecting material and working on new paintings for his most recent show.

you should all check out the videos of erik working on this body of work. you can view the videos here. ((if you are not familiar with how flikr works, to proceed to the next video in the series, select the furthest thumbnail in the top right portion of the screen.)) its nice to see these videos because it shows how important the process of making art is. its not always as direct as: get canvas. sketch. paint. hang and admire.

if you ever get the chance, check out some of erik's work in person. ((or at least check out his website.))

artist of the week :: erik otto

erik otto is another artist i stumbled upon while reading JUXTAPOZ... usually i find the best artists in the ads for shows, rather than in their feature articles... and he is another example of this.

i was immediately drawn in because of the wild textural surfaces mixed with the really smooth forground objects. its the perfect combination of pop art and street art - the clean and crisp right next to the grit.

if you want to see more, check out his website