Rey Ortega: Interview with the artist

I hunted down and gathered up some information on emerging artist, Rey Ortega. I saw his work on the Juxtapoz website and had the desire to find out more about his work. So here is a little interview with Rey, so we can call have the pleasure of getting to know him a bit better.

1. Where do you live and work?
I both live and work in Toronto, Canada. It’s nice.

2. What mediums do you use?
I like to experiment with different tools, although at the heart of it, you will always find pencil. Even though I might use ink, water colours, acrylics,tea, computer,or gouache, I still think of the work as a drawing.

3. When is your most productive hour to work?
Early in the morning, scribbling away as the sun comes up, and later in the evening, after having a coffee or tea.

(image to the right:last boss 10.5″x23″)
4. What sizes do you normally work with? You like to paint small or big?
I’m most comfortable working at approximately 11″x17″. Recently I made pieces that were either much larger or much smaller than I’m used to. I think it helped me to understand my process better. Right now I’m preparing to work on a 30″x18″ surface, I’ve always wanted to do a long horizontal piece.

5. How did you get started on this path?
Like most people, it started with my first box of crayons. I liked cartoons and comics, and I started to draw my own stories. I didn’t really have a plan or a plot, I would just draw and make stuff up as I went along. In a way, I’m still doing the same thing!

I feel like I’m still exploring the different paths ahead of me, things like gallery art, editorial illustration and comic books all have their unique charms.

6. In the work that I have seen, you use a lot of earth tones, and natural shapes,any reason or inspiration behind that?
I think it comes from my exploration into ‘simplicity’. Everything from the media, to the composition, forms and ideas stems from that. Nature as a subject evolved from that, and now I’m looking at things like decay and ruins.

7. Favorite food? 😉
That is a tough question! I like lots of food! Pho (Vietnamese noodles) will always have a special place in my heart, slow cooked ox-tail stew (Filipino), and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. But I could probably eat just noodles and fried rice all day.

If folks want to get in contact with me for illustration or gallery work, or just to say hey, reyo@rey-o.com. You can of course, find me at my website www.rey-o.com, and blog www.reyortega.wordpress.com.

(image to the left:drifter 6″x9″)
Alright make sure to view more of Rey’s work and give him a shout out.
Thanks a lot Rey for the interview and photos~!!

Ledgends of Style- From Boston to Delaware

Legends of Style just had their annual two day event in Boston, from the 26th to the 27th. Attracting almost 1,000 attendees per event, Legends of Style is a four-year old
event featuring urban inspired artists, top deejays, dance performances and new fashion. This years LOS is with over 225 works from usa and international emerging artists being one one of the top art events in America.

The next stop is Wilmington,Delaware, from the 3rd to the 4th of May.
The two day event will be jam packed with art, music and fashion. Get all the information HERE.
This is a must see event if you are in the area of Delaware!!

World of Found clothing!

The Black house by World of found

I just started working with this clothing brand called World of found.
A very conceptual brand that has a interesting philosophy, with the image of a mysterious girl and her rabbit as the brands identity, taking life by chance and not by design. The brand is from Barcelona and sells around the world. You must check out their website and the open artist collaborations they do. Very interesting stuff.
The current collection, titled 1968, takes a look back to the revolutionary year and the most memorable and important events from 68. And this new shirt, The Black House!
The brand is open to work with artists, so give them a look on their website, or their myspace.

Update: Art Chicago- video

Im hoping to get some pictures soon of the Art Chicago fair that went on over this past weekend. For the moment, I found this nice video that explains a bit the show and the different divisions…helped me understand a bit more about this art fair, and how it all works.

Check it out Here.
Takes a minute o two to load.

Sean Anderson open studio-tonight! LA

Well to bring you another event going down in LA this weekend, here is the open studio of Sean Anderson, friend and also artist in Hunt & Gather. Sean’s work is very inspiring, his newest series is part of the El puente Health Project in Bolivia, the image above is from the series Luchas y mas. Visit his web here to see his complete portfolio.
From Sean’s Studio you can then pop over to the Munky Kings, Joe Beats party..making it a jam packed evening of art and music.

Enjoy!

Munky King presents Joe Beats.

Tomorrow night, Munky King Presents Joe Beats, with special guest Maker. With appearances by Dj Colby,and R-Rated. All going down at the Bordello Bar in Los Angeles, where Joe Beats will drop his new 7”vinyl record for your listening pleasure.
4.26.08
9-2am
BORDELLO BAR

>Instrumental hip-hop at its finest!
Get all the info Here.

New Gallery NYC: LAST RITES

This month marked the opening of the new art gallery in New York, Last Rites. Their grand opening was nothing short of grand, with a group exhibitions with artists such as Matthew Bone, Michael Hussar, HR Giger, John John Jesse, Travis Louie, Dan Quintana, David Stoupakis, Chet Zar and more.
The space looks amazing due to the collaborative effort between Genevive Zacconi -gallery director, and Paul Booth– the gallery owner, the two of them have opened the gallery with the idea to exhibit the works of artists that explore the darker side of their imagination, a growing genre that sometimes can be overlooked.

I love the dark surrealist work from these artists and the many emotions it sparks up inside you when seeing it. I really hope this gallery stays open for a long time to come! Send your support, view the online store and check out the current exhibition which closes on the 28th of April.
Link here.

Today starts ART CHICAGO

Im not going to say too much, but more so just point you in the right direction. If you are in the Chicago area this week, make sure you take a visit to the Art Chicago and NEXT art fairs, the two very important art celebrations going on there at the Merchandise Mart.

“Art Chicago™ 2008, the annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, brings together 180 of the world’s leading emerging and established galleries, representing 56 international cities to showcase the work of over 2,000 renowned artists. “
Visit the website for all the information > Here.
Preview night opening: April 24th
Days: April 24th -April 28th
Times: Open 11am to 7pm
-if one of you do go, and end up taking pictures,,let me know I would love to see them.

European Media Art Festival: April 23 to 27th

21st European Media Art Festival. This year’s Media Art Festival is in search of individual identities in a globalised world.

Who: The EMAF is one of the most influential forums of international Media Art. As a meeting point for artists, curators, lenders, gallery owners and an audience of specialists, the festival has had a great impact on the topic and aesthetics of Media Art.
What: Current overview of experimental films, installations, performances, digital formats and hybrid forms, ranging from personal and political subjects or formal experiments to provocative statements.
When: April 23rd to 27th
Where: Osnabrueck, Germany

The main exhibitions is titled
Young Identities -Global youth, an exhibition completely devoted to youth. “It demonstrates attitudes towards and images of adolescent realities from a variety of continents and cultures.”
From discussing western youth’s attitudes towards music,fashion and consumption to the everyday lives of youths in the Ukraine or Mexico.
(Information taken from EMAF website). Get all the details for the festival HERE, including
the complete program.

Barrie Mcgee.. a different kind of interview

Barrie Mcgee was recently interviewed on Art Talk Tv. But this is no normal interview report, this is an art piece in itself, created by the Mr. Mcgee, with all his creative & innovative talent.
I got to say the best part about it for me was Barrie’s characters voice,
muy bien mr. Mcgee, muy muy bien.

The video is split in two..so view PART ONE here and PART TWO here.
sit back and enjoy..never can get too much of Barrie.
(link taken from Juxtapoz website.-thanks guys!)