When Subjekt reached out to me and asked me if I’d be interested in trying out their headphones and earphones I raised an eyebrow for sure. Why not? What I received in the mail was entirely unexpected. They sent a set of “Herphones” Petite Earphones. I reached for these immediately. Like a lot of girls, I have small ear holes. Nothing ever really fits or feels good. You get that stuffed in ache with most brands, but here in front of me were honest to goodness, tiny earphones I had only dreamt about. Hell, I didn’t even have the dream until they told me to dream it.

And they are heaven. I’m not joking. The really are the most comfortable earphones I believe I will ever own. Plus, at $24.99, its a sweet deal. They come with a built in microphone if you are listening to your music on your cell phone as well, which is always nice to have.

Subjekt also sent me a pair of their Brit, TNT low profile headphones ($49.99.) At first blush they remind me a bit of Skullcandy’s, which I’m sure are their main competitors for both style and color ways. A little bright for my taste, but sound great and are so light on your ears you sort of forget they are there. Also a bonus when they are such a daily accessory.

I’m not sure I would have reached for them off the shelf, but I’m super pleased to have been given the opportunity to take em for a test drive. If you pick up a pair let me know your thoughts for sure.

Words by Barbie Brady (@barbie5x5)

Last night I got to meet one of my all time favorite designers, Jonathan Adler. You may recognize him from such television reality series as Top Design (which sadly won’t be coming back). But well before “See You Later Decorator” fame, he was, is and always has been a talented and gifted potter, designer, and entrepreneur.

With 16 actual stores, and an amazing online store you have no excuse to not buy yourself or your loved one something with a bit of whimsy this year. Each year I end up dropping vast amounts of money in his shop on Melrose and I thought I would share with you all my 5 favorite Jonathan Adler finds this year for the holiday season! Trust me, when you give a gift as sharp and fresh as these, no one could possibly be disappointed!

5. The Muse Collection Teapot ($95), Creamer ($28) and Sugar Bowl ($28) – Although any one piece in the Muse collection is a fabulous gift, I think these three together really say “Should I call you for breakfast or just roll over and wake you up.” Isn’t it time for tea?

4. Charade Studded Taper Vase ($88) – This provocative piece says you’re not afraid to be a little naughty and nice. The perfect size at a pretty price. This isn’t exactly for your old Aunt Millie…or is it?

3. Jet Set Ornament Set ($48) – Christmas ornaments given as gifts at Christmas time are so… expected. HOWEVER, things I know to be true include, but are not limited to, the receiver of this gift will a) keep it, b) remember you every year they decorate their tree, and c) cherish it as a real quality gift. You just can’t do that with a bottle of wine.

2. Glitter Vice Candid Canister ($138) – These gorgeous containers actually come in a variety of shapes, sizes, sentiments and prices, I just love that the largest one says “Glitter” on it – cuz that’s an awful lot of the sparkly stuff. They are perfect for stashing your secrets. True story, my husband and I have a jar we put every receipt or piece of ephemera in that commemorates special things we do together. One day we plan to dump out that jar of awesome and rediscover the fun we had together. You should start your secret stash today!

1. The Banana Bud Vase ($68) – The banana has been a long standing symbol of… well… I was going to say Pop Art but yes… now that you mention it.. it is sort of penis like in design. NO seriously… its amazing! It’s this happy, unassuming, phallic fruit… AND it’s a bud vase! It also accents any decor since it comes in silver, gold, black and white. Gift it to your boyfriend, to your girlfriend, to your girlfirend’s boyfriend… whoever receives it will do so with a smile! I guarantee it!

As for meeting the man himself, it was one of the biggest highlights of my year. Thank you  Jonathan Adler for creating truly inspiring objects of design!

As for the rest of you…. you’re welcome! Christmas shopping… DONE!

Words by Barbie Brady (@barbie5x5). Photo of Jonathan Adler by Dustin Downing (@MeTakeAPhoto). Other images by JonathanAdler.com.

From July 15 to the 17th, downtown LA hosted Future City – Little Tokyo Design Week; a four-day festival celebrating innovations in design and technology. With the evolution of sustainable urban development as its chief goal, this first installment of LTDW showcased container exhibits, film screenings, fashion shows, dance parties, product demos, performances, music, and awards ceremonies. And a caravan of LA’s finest food trucks, of course.

The twenty “container galleries” -created inside 8’x8’x16’ Pods storage units throughout Little Tokyo- led visitors on a journey of discovery. Ducking into each of these temporary installations was like entering a new microcosm. Giant Robot’s container showcased toys, designer skateboards and fine art [including three James Jean skateboards!], Mystery Box contained an apparatus which allowed folks to see what their face might look like merged with another’s, Tokyo | LA Houses Exhibition featured photos, plans and models documenting outstanding architecture from California and Japan. Because of the lines formed by curious crowds, we didn’t manage to get inside professor Tatsuya Wada’s much-talked-about Robot Box. Fortunately for everyone who couldn’t make it, videos of the loveable Asimo and Aibo, as well as the Palette mannequins are readily available online.

Daiwa, one of the LTDW sponsors, set up camp on the Little Tokyo terrace. Next to a table with brochures and a video display, towered a small-RV-sized box of brushed steel and plexiglass: the EDV-01 (above). Maybe it was all the shiny bits and the dramatically-voiced video propaganda, but this Emergency Disaster Vehicle prototype had me hypnotized. Designed to provide housing in times of disaster, the EDV-01 includes a super-compact kitchenette, bathroom with a shower, toilet, two beds and an office area. My only wish is for attendees having been allowed to enter rather than admire from outside, faces pressed against plexiglass, eyes glazed with the promise of FUTURE. Thankfully, a couple of Paro’s therapeutic robot seals were stationed nearby to provide relief.

Artifact is a space dedicated to pop culture and to blurring lines between fine and commercial art – the collection of work at Burlesque is proof. This WonderCon-appropriate show includes comic book and illustration artists Anthony Ausgang, N8 Van Dyke, Adam Isaac Jackson, Greg Peltz, Sol Sallee, Isaac Bidwell, and Jim Mahfood.

With an exhibit title like “Burlesque”, one could expect scores of semi-clad ladies peering down from the gallery walls, and one was not disappointed. A massive painting of fetish model, Mosh, overlooked the 500+ attendees, while Jim Mahfood’s dynamic, ink-splattered cuties stared back from the opposite wall.

Guests had the opportunity to sign up for an art raffle, and were given a choice of beer or two specialty cocktails: a Whiskey Smash and a French 75. We may never know how the burlesque ladies/waitresses, dressed in according with the show’s theme, wiggled their way through the tightly-packed gallery, all while holding trays buckling under the weight of delicious drinks. What we do know, is that the party was a lot of fun.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb.

La Luz De Jesus recently hosted the 14th installment of Everything but the Kitschen Sync – a mammoth group art exhibit with no theme, that showcased over 225 pieces from over 100 artists.

Everything but the Kitschen Sync began back in ’96, when gallery director, Billy Shire, wanted to create a show dedicated to Dia De Los Muertos. All the featured art depicted traditional Day of the Dead imagery, such as sugar skulls and dancing skeletons, in a variety of mediums. The show’s theme underwent a few changes since then, sporting titles like The 21st Century Tiki Show and Uncommercial Art by Commercial Artists, until finally, in 2004, Shire settled on the current name, and never looked back.

This year’s show was yet another cornucopia of wonders. Picture this: work from emerging artists alongside established names, packed into one of the coolest galleries in town, with paintings, assemblage, and sculptures next to ink sketches, graphite drawings, and papier mache creations that evade description. Yes, every year this show is the mind-broadening, blazing portal to yet-undiscovered talent. The delicate, spidery ink birds of Caitlin Hackett and Roberto Morales, as well as the dreamy oils of Miso and Jasmine Worth stole my heart, and nearly my wallet, which has since been taken out of class and scolded for entertaining such extravagant thoughts.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb.

You’re an American expatriate in Paris.  Tell us about why you chose to live in Paris, and how it influences your work.
I think there was nowhere else I could live and work, long-term. Paris fascinates; it’s a city that’s always wishing it was the center of the universe, and it has a way of being kind to artists. I came to study painting, and found the inspiration I was looking for, not in the art schools but elsewhere, in the people, in the atmosphere of a city that’s all about serendipity.

One of your latest bodies of work has focused around anatomical studies, where fashionable beauties peel back layers of their skin.  What are your influences and motivation for these pieces?
I have always been fascinated by human anatomy. What interests me most is the outrageous medical mistakes made over history- the poetic misunderstandings of the roles of different organs, for instance. The body is a mysterious landscape that we go on discovering, and never fully know. The artist once had his place alongside the anatomist in the dissecting room, and this is reflected by the beautiful illustrations of medical tomes in the 17th and 18th centuries, where flayed bodies showed themselves off in near-erotic poses, wearing pearls and beautifully styled hair. They are instructive and serve also as a memento mori, a reflection on mortality. For me this imagery was a perfect starting point for a series of “Anatomical Venus” self-portraits in which one can peer into the wide-open body. A self-portrait is intimate by nature, but exposed organs create an ultimate kind of intimacy.

You’re an accomplished costumer who makes a yearly splash at the Venetian carnival, widely considered to be the Olympics of extreme costuming.  What are your thoughts on costume, glamor and disguise.
Anything worth doing is worth doing glamorously, including day-to-day life. There is no down-time; one’s clothing is an extension of the personality. If one is an artist, than one has no excuse not to dress up, and if one is a working bee, one can compensate for it by dressing up. It’s not about being seen, it’s a matter of self-respect. I have my own taste for costume and fashion, but I love diversity in others, as long as it’s visually extreme.

Your training includes stints studying Tibetan icon painting, Rococo wigs, Renaissance oils.  How do you bring together these diverse influences in your work?
Tibetan painting taught me to love tiny details, Rennaisance technique taught me patience (waiting at least one year before varnishing a painting!) and Rococo wig-styling taught me that “too much” is never enough. The hairstyle can always be bigger, the costume more fabulous, the art more complex.

You’ve been invited to a mysterious costume ball in Constantinople to party with the Marchesa Casati, Beau Brummel and Aleister Crowley.  But you have only one hour to get a costume together.  What do you do?
Here’s hoping that the Casati is the one throwing the party. I’d make a run for the costume closet (18th century black Venetian gown, sorry Brummel) and accessorize with tons of jewels and a snakebite kit, as the Marchesa tended to wear live snakes, and snakes will strike at glittery things.  One should always be prepared.

See more of Sorrel’s work at http://sorrelsmith.com/

Words and interview by Molly Crabapple

Being the resourceful artist that he is, Queral has found a creative ‘plan c;’ he collects phonebooks and uses them to create celebratory pieces of art. Queral takes an old trashcan-worthy phonebook and, with the use of a pen, exacto knife, and razor blade, transforms it into an intriguing work of art. The finished product reveals faces of some of the most notorious public figures sculpted into a phonebook. Queral has created his phonebook sculptures of everyone from Bob Dylan to Clint Eastwood and President Barack Obama.

In an exclusive interview with ChinaShop, Queral explains his obsession with hoarding phonebooks, his process for choosing his subjects to sculpture, and how he single-handedly may be elevating the market value of the paper phonebook.

What inspired the phonebook carving series?
The phone book faces started in ’95 when I was an undergraduate at the University of Washington in Seattle. I was painting a lot of self-portraits and using a heavy impasto technique, a lot of paint, sometimes combined with wax, to make the faces a bit more sculptural. Using so much paint was costing a fortune, however, and I happened one day to find a big block of Styrofoam from which I carved out a face for the first time. I didn’t like using the Styrofoam, however, and one day noticed a stack of old phone books outside waiting to be recycled. It occurred to me that they were not unlike blocks of very soft wood and there it all began.

How did you pick your subjects?
I pick my subjects by how interesting I think a facial expression is, or how much of a challenge it would be to capture a certain face. I started using well-known faces simply because they were much easier to find in the media, not necessarily because I am a fan of a particular person depicted. I like the challenge of trying to capture a well-known face, especially one that I have been familiar with for a long time. I also like the juxtaposition of a well-known face with the anonymity of the listing of names, addresses, and phone numbers. I’ve also done commissioned pieces where the face is a particular face that the person admires or a portrait of their father, relative or whatever. Occasionally, someone wants me to do their pet, but I only do human faces.

What is your background as an artist?
My background as an artist is as a painter. I started out painting landscapes mostly and I still paint. My paintings are sort of neo-geometric, non-figurative, and are mostly about creating depth and luminosity.

Do you consider phonebooks to be obsolete technology? Everyone tends to look everything up on a phone or the Internet these days…
I am currently hoarding white pages phone books as the process of eliminating them has begun. I do think they are of little use in today’s digital world, but think that the context of the artwork won’t really be affected. I’ve been told, actually, that if anything, it will escalate their value. I don’t really know.

What is the process involved in creating your phonebooks?
I begin by finding as high a resolution picture as possible of the subject and blow it up to the size of the book. I place it on top and use a pen to poke through the perimeters of the face to get the basic proportions. I remove the picture and connect the dots, kind of an old master technique used in the days of frescoes. I use an exacto knife and razor blades to carve the faces out of the book, using tweezers occasionally to grab cut paper out of nostrils and ears and such. I use an acrylic polymer to glue it all together. I cut until it’s on the verge of falling apart, then I brush on the polymer, which dries quickly, then cut some more, back and forth until it’s done. Then I paint it. I do use a fair amount of polymer in between pages to hold the piece together and to stiffen the book, then four or so coatings to seal it completely, including two coats of polymer that protects it from ultraviolet light to help prevent yellowing. I usually work on two at a time so I can work on one while the other is drying. I normally make two of them a month.

What’s the most difficult part about the process?
I’d say the most difficult part of the process is finding a good, high quality image from which to work from. The second most difficult is actually getting started. I ask myself “how the hell do I make these?” About three-quarters into it I’m pretty sure it won’t come out right, but they almost always do. I can’t really tell for sure until I use the black paint to really bring out the face.

Has the process changed over the years?
They were quite flat at first, and crudely rendered, using a razor blade as a drawing tool, if you will, and still using a fair amount of paint, usually to the point where you couldn’t immediately tell it was a phone book. Over time they became more portrait-like and sculptural where I was using more of the book, instead of just a sliver of it. About four years or so ago, I started to let the background listing of the white pages show, as if to “put a face on” the anonymous listing of the thousands of names that comprise a local community. Then after a while I began to use only black paint to bring out the details of the eyes, nose, mouth, etc, and let the listings show on the face so as to complete the illusion of a face emerging from the phone book.

Have you done other carvings other than celebrity faces?
Future plans include sculpting pieces that sit on a pedestal or table or what have you and are cut all the way around, like a bust. I made one like that so far of Salvador Dali. I also plan on doing a series of self-portraits, as I have yet to attempt this using this medium.

What do you do with your carvings?
The pieces are sold by Projects Gallery in Philadelphia (projectsgallery.com) to collectors and people who commission specific works. Ripley’s Believe it or Not! has bought 12 or so, so far (they have 31 museums around the world). The work has also been exhibited by Projects Gallery in international gallery conventions in various cities like Miami, New York, Toronto, London and others and have been shown in several museum exhibits. Also, many on-line news outlets and blogs have featured them.

To view additional samples of Queral’s phonebook art, visit: http://www.projectsgallery.com/Queral.htm

Words by Nicole Pajer. Photos courtesy of Alex Queral.

Fig’s research led him to publish his comprehensive findings in a book titled, “Inside The Painter’s Studio.” The book takes the reader inside the mind of 24 of Fig’s idolized artists and walks you through a day in the life of their artistic process.

Fig gave ChinaShop a behind-the-scenes peak inside the project and shared his techniques for completing such an intriguing task.

What originally led you to be interested in exploring the working methods of artist’s studios?

I’ve always been interested in other people and how they spend their days. People spend so much time at work I’m curious about their day-to-day routines.

How do you spend your day?

Well, eventually after years of making art I was back at grad school and realized I’d been an artist for 10 years and that this was my profession. So I was curious as to how other artists really spend their days and wanted to get a better understanding of the real day-to-day practicalities of the life of the contemporary artist. I wanted to demystify the myth.  I also thought that if I understand how other artist’s work and how they set up their studio’s it would make me a better artist.

How did reproducing mini studios of your idol artists help you to understand them better?

Well, I’d say that actually my whole process gave me a better understanding. That would include the one-on-one interaction, the formal interview I conduct and the types of questions I ask which don’t necessarily focus on their work but more on how they go about making their work.

Tell me about your process of recreating the studios…

I start with a visit to an artist’s studio and then conduct a formal interview, which I record. I then photograph and measure everything in the studio. So armed with all this reference I decide on the composition and size and just begin building.

All this research led to your book, “Inside The Painter’s Studio.” What is your book about in your own words?

My book, “Inside the Painter’s Studio,” offers a rare glimpse into the universe of the artist’s studio. The book contains interviews with – as well as exclusive visual documentation of artists and their studios. The questions asked deal with the day-to-day creative life, and the real practicalities of what it takes and means to be an artist.

How did you decide on the 24 artists you feature in your book?

I’ve interviewed over 50 artists and it was hard to whittle down the list to a manageable 24. In the end, it was about choosing a cross section of artists who are at different stages in their careers from the then 26-year-old Dana Schutz to the octogenarian Philip Pearlstein and everyone in between.

What is your favorite thing about art?

Creating something from nothing.

What is your favorite type of art to create?

It changes. Currently it is painting. I never know which direction my work will take and pretty much follow one piece to the next. I have to be excited about what I’m doing and challenged by it. Once you have a formula it becomes boring and derivative.

How long have you been creating sculptures?

Well maybe I’ve been making sculptures my whole life? Lego’s as a kid, building forts for my GI Joe’s, that kind of stuff? But, the body of work I’ve become known for (miniature sculptures of artists in their studios) I began in the spring of 2000.

Were you the kid in elementary school that had to make a window box diorama that went above and beyond with intricate details?

Not that I remember, but I could always draw and enjoyed drawing.  I have an identical twin brother named Thom and when we were kids we would both draw all the time, mostly baseball and football players.  It was a lot of fun.

What was your favorite studio to recreate and why?

The parallel studios of April Gornik and Eric Fischl. It was a huge undertaking, which took over half a year of work. I think it was my most ambitious undertaking and I was just really happy with the way it came out, it’s presence as a sculpture. Not to mention that I adore both those artists and appreciate their generous spirit.

What is your biggest source of inspiration?

Making my parents proud and debunking the myth of the lone crazy artist. I found that the most successful artists were successful because they were incredibly dedicated, hard working and generous. No assholes.

What is the next direction you see your art taking? Any new endeavors?

I’ve gone back to my roots and began painting again. The new paintings, which I’m excited about, will be showing at Cristin Tierney in NYC. The show runs through April 9. I was inspired by the book The Judgment of Paris by Ross King and the subject of these new paintings allude to the art historical moment in Paris during the 1860′s.

For more information on Joe Fig including upcoming exhibitions, news and images please visit his official website: www.joefig.com

Words by Nicole Pajer (@NicolePajer)

The top floor of the Mohawk provided the crowd with 20 ft screens upon which was projected the live renderings from the digital graphics artists as they sketch, manipulate, and transform the painted muses posed before them. All in attendance got to watch first hand what it takes to create a creature in the digital realm.

The balcony not only provided amazing hot dogs but an array of artists in a myriad of mediums. Two more giant screens created a back drop where one could see the digital renderings happening of the model right in front of them, but it also created a space where one could enjoy traditional charcoal, pencil, and ink artists capturing the essence of the painted figures.

Inside, just past the bearded wonders, on platforms stood elaborately costumed ladies reminiscent of scenes from that movie The Cell. Below, once again artists sketched in pencil, charcoal, watercolor, and ink whilst a DJ rocked the attentive crowd dancing behind them.

Outside on the main floor was the stage featuring music from Ancient Astronauts, Moldover, HOBO-TECH, Govinda, DJ Manny, Starlynx, and more. Through out the evening the undulating crowd was treated to a bevy of sexy performances by hoop maidens, pole dancers, and culminated with a burlesque number by the world renowned Eva Downing Strangelove. And bears, oh my!

Words and images by Dustin Downing

Best of all is that the PTG is all in Navidad’s own backyard. House parties don’t get any more surreal than this. Oddly enough, the entanglement of L.A.’s hinterlands and pockmarked, potholed city streets is kind of a compliment to this out-of-the-way glammy little bijou in the dwindling grandeur that was once Golden-Era Wilshire. Most people have a white picket fence, maybe a doghouse. Yet Navidad and Claire have been hosting exhibitions here for years, and does just what she says (transcending gender boundaries). Best of all? The gallery is in Phyllis’ own backyard. House parties don’t get any more surreal than this.

The atmosphere is electric tonight, (doesn’t hurt that early Spring weather is bringing in the warm breeze, blowing off a wig or two) and the energy is damn near contagious. Even the coldest of souls are finding themselves sucked in. But semi celebs agreed to have their pic taken for In Your Face, and at tonight’s reception, there’s even a photographer and several on-hand makeup artists for any patrons who want to get dolled up.

Next up on Pop Tart’s list of shows is “realiTEASE”, a decadent and groundbreaking group exhibit featuring pin-up shots of TV reality stars.

Words by Jeff Nau. Photos by Zoetica Ebb.