H.P. Lovecat card from the Literary Pets 2 card set
“We shall see that at which dogs howl in the dark, and that at which cats prick up their ears after midnight.”–H.P. Lovecraft-born August 20, 1890
Category: News
Austin Craft Riot Summer Show
Next Saturday from 11-7 marks the first summer show event for the Austin Craft Riot. I’ll be there with a booth chock full of signed prints, limited edition books, trading cards, magnets, buttons and more. Visit the ACR blog for an ongoing series showcasing the wealth of creatives that will be represented.
ChetArt 2013 Desktop Calendars
Mark the days with The Union of Superlative Heroes, The Order of Nefarious Villains, Wrestle Pets and Steampunk Monkey Nation calendars.
Just released: a selection of desktop calendars featuring characters from the ChetArt shop. Each calendar is presented in a sturdy plastic CD case which flips open to easily display on a desk, table or any other flat surface. 12 individual, one-sided pages for each month. Each month’s page measures 5.4″ x 4.65.”
Be the first on your block to own one of these handsome and informative mini art display items and thumb your nose at the 2012 end-of-the-world Mayan prediction!
~Browse the online shop here to see them all~
Also visit their individual shop sections with the links below:
Click Here for the Superlative Heroes and Nefarious Villains
Click Here for Wrestle Pets Desk Calendar
and
Click Here for Steampunk Monkey Nation Desk Calendar
2012 Toy Joy Art Show
The Good, The Bad And The Monkey will be among the four ChetArt pieces chosen for the 2012 Toy Joy art show. Artwork by the Toy Joy staff and 30 local guest artists will be represented, along with fellow Austin Craft Riot members Erin Mason Flynn, Lauren Hemphill and Mamus James Judd.
Reception will be held at Tom’s Tabooley, Thursday August 9th from 6-10. Show runs through September 1st.
Woodland Wisdom Limited Edition Book
Woodland Wisdom is a limited edition, hand bound book showcasing illustrations and haiku poems by Chet Phillips, based on a selection of Aesop’s Fables. This hard cover book measures 10″ x 11.5,” bound by Julie Sullivan of Dancing Cat Bindery. This “Sew Boards” binding style has covers comprised of Japanese Asahi brown and green book cloths. Each copy of the edition of 5 is signed and numbered.
(Click “The Dog and His Reflection” spread to enlarge)
(Click “The Rooster and the Jewel” spread to enlarge)
~Click Here To Learn More About Purchasing~
Toy Joy Art Show
I’ll be represented with 4 pieces in the upcoming annual Toy Joy art show here in Austin. More details to follow soon.
San Diego Comic Con 2012- Wrap Up
With the third year of exhibiting at San Diego under our belt, we were proud to have our best year ever. The crowds were very responsive to the my new offerings and our stock of Simian Playing cards was depleted early on Saturday. We loved our new location at the end of the aisle and hope to make it our permanent home for the future. If you’ve never attended the event, it’s hard to describe the enormity of the exhibits hall. I’ve tried in the past to capture it with one photo, but it’s just too large. With so many sections representing different industries, the hall could be described as a country with individual states within. The Small Press area is certainly a world of its own with an seemingly endless well of creativity. The folks that inhabit it are passionate about what they do and eager to share with the world. I recorded the G-4 coverage of the event and, though I haven’t watched it through yet, I suspect as with previous years, Small Press didn’t make the cut among all the coverage of TV, film and other corporate giants. Truly a shame because that’s where so much of the inspiration springs forth. What follows is one last round of photos of various sections, some more fun costumes and a tribute to some new friends we had the pleasure of meeting in our area. Paperwork completed for 2013 and already anxious to return!
SDCC- Day 3
Day 3 of selling on the exhibit floor brought a truly special moment when one of my personal heroes, April Winchell, a.k.a. Helen Killer of Regretsy fame walked up to my booth for a visit. April has been an incredible champion of my work, heaping high praise and support of my work in the past. She and her husband John presented me with a signed copy of their Regretsy’s Big Book of Fabricated Folktales From Finland and in turn they walked away with a set of Simian Playing Cards and a Bubbleshard Commemorative Badge. They were both so gracious and kind to me and the visit really was brimming with a radioactive level of awesomness. Thank you April and John!
The day was packed with an amazing amount of costumed creativity. I managed to capture some of the more clever and bizarre versions from the comfort of my booth.
SDCC-Day 1
(A local San Diego news station included me at the end of a short piece about the event.)
The first full day of exhibiting proved to break our single day record of sales. We had lots of interest in the Simian Playing Card sets, the new Monkopolis book and the wooden badges. Here’s a few more shots of the show floor along with a couple of failed attempts to capture celebrity sightings.
SDCC-Preview Night
(Click all pictures to enlarge)
Preview night was a big success for us, with lots of sales, visitors to the table and a potential wholesale deal in the works with a local company. What follows are a few shots on the floor moments before the thongs descended. Looking forward to our first full day of fun.
San Diego Pre-Game Set Up
San Diego welcomed us with cool breezes in the upper 60s as we settled in. As preview night approaches, the ChetArt booth is set up and ready for the crowds. (Pictures soon to follow.) In the meantime I took a cautious stroll through the forklifts and mountains of unpacked boxes scattered throughout the exhibit hall to see what’s ahead for the next few days. Here’s a small sampling of pictures of the work in progress. Be sure to click on the pictures for a larger view.
Sanctuary
New image available in the ChetArt online shop: “Sanctuary” depicts familiar super characters presented in a crossover setting in the style of a Japanese print. Raging radioactive monster roams in the background.
(Graphic in upper right reads: “Vacation Day.”)
Available in 2 sizes signed by the artist: 8″ x 10″ with white border and no mat plus larger version in 11″ x 14 mat.
(Available online and at SDCC 2012- Small Press Booth O-01)
(Click for larger view)
Click Here For More Info
Monkopolis
Introducing the latest limited edition book from ChetArt: Monkopolis. This field guide of sorts presents a collection of 35 monkey and ape character portraits along with amusing and informative biographical information. Interspersed throughout the book are additional illustrations representing some key moments in some of the character’s lives. Robots, ghosts, vampires, spies, magicians, zombies and so much more. You can also discover these characters, including additional royalty figures, displayed on the Simian Playing Card Set.
This soft bound, signed limited edition of 100 measures 7.5″ x 5.5″. It is sewn by hand and features a bronze, wood-grained textured paper cover. Inset Lenticular label offers a colorfully bright and cheerful dapper monkey tipping his hat in true Victorian gentlemanly form. End papers are high quality olive Thai reversible paper and interior pages are printed in full color on 100lb matte book paper. Each copy of the edition is signed and numbered by the artist. Click Here to view a sneak peek video flip through of the book.
(Click the two binding photos above to enlarge.)
Below is a small selection of pages from the book:
35 monkey and ape character portraits with biographies. Supportive simian tableau illustrations representing key moments in the history of Monkopolis. All hand bound together in a signed, limited edition book complete with “Action Lenticular” cover label.
Click Here To Visit The “Monkopolis” Online Shop Listing
8″ x 10″ signed Monkopolis portrait prints are available HERE.
In honor of the valiant efforts of the Monkopolis characters Elijah Bubbleshard and Archibald Scorchplate, two commemorative badges have been produced. Each measures 2 inches square and are laser etched, black lacquered maple wood with sturdy metal clasp.
~Click Here For Monkopolis Badges~
Steambat!
What do you get when you combine the awesomeness of the bat with the flavor of the Victorian goggled Steampunk world? Why the Steambat, of course. Austin, Texas is world renowned for its bats. So with a Steampunk treatment, the town’s winged residents take on an additional level of weirdness mixed with turn-of-the-century fun.
This “Dapper Darksinger” is available on a variety of apparel, tote bags, (flying) mouse pads, coffee cups and more. Choose with or without the “Austin, TX” designation.
Click Here to browse the official Steambat! merchandise shop.
Just a small sampling of merchandise available below. Dozens of colors and styles available in the ChetArt shop.
Shop Steambat! Here
Ray Bradbury 1920-2012
Prolific and iconic science fiction author Ray Bradbury has passed away. Sad to see him go but thankful for the wealth of imagination he bestowed upon us in his long career. The world would be seriously lacking in its level of wonder and magic if not for his incredible mind.
Above is my “Stray Bradbury” tribute from 2009 series “Literary Pets 2” of dog and cats as famous authors.
Rayguns & Robots! Show- Ltd. Art Gallery
Rayguns & Robots! Show Ltd. Art Gallery Opening Reception-Sat. June 16th.
I’m proud to be included in the upcoming show at Seattle’s Ltd. Gallery titled “Rayguns & Robots!,” a tribute to classic science fiction, curated by Chris Jackson of Acme Achives. I’ve contributed 2 pieces, created fresh for the show, to add to the stellar cast of creative talent. I was given the monkey back flip honor of having one my entries, “Captain Monk-o-tron 5000” chosen for use on the poster. The opening reception will be held on June 16th at 7PM and the collection will be on display through July 22nd.
The hybrid monkey robot space warrior gracing the poster is an original character I created with the flavor of 1950’s fantasy. His back story reads:
“The fearsome Captain Monk-o-tron 5000 is the result of the marriage of organic and mechanical components. A super strength robotic armature outfitted with state of the art weapons and defense system was combined with the head and brain of assassin Elijah Sprocketmark. Among the countless missions, wars and undercover operations he took part in, his proudest moment came from being part of the first wave of simian robot soldiers that invaded and ultimately conquered the planet earth in the year 2525.”
“Captain Monk-o-tron 5000” (Click Image to Enlarge)
The second entry is a tribute to Mystery Science Theater 3000. I imagined the MST3K crew, watching themselves on screen, as their alter egos attack a defenseless city, all the while throwing out satirical barbs about the cheesy special effects, bad props and awful dialogue dubbing.
“MST3K Attacks” (Click Image to Enlarge)
Both images will be presented in the gallery as signed, framed Giclée prints. A limited edition run of each will also be available. Mark your calendars if you’re in the area or check the web site after the show opens for purchase info.
ChetArt Father’s Day Gift Guide
With Father’s Day just around the corner, now is the time to shop for the perfect gift that says, “Thanks Dad, for your support with your worldly advice/bail bond/love.” Bypass the usual Sharper Image drudgery, such as the golf tee meat thermometer or universal remote tie clip in exchange for some truly foolish fun.
The ChetArt shop offers a massive gallery of Tiki flavored signed prints. Choose one that best represents dad or go for the “two fer” special to treat yourself with an extra.
Also available: “The Twilight of the Tiki” limited edition hand bound and signed book.
For the superhero loving Dad, choose the Union of Superlative Heroes and Order of Nefarious Villains. Available as trading card sets and a limited edition, back to back hand bound book.
Visit the section HERE for card sets, books and signed prints.
You say your Dad likes monkeys? Well, look no further for an enormous wealth of simian silliness.
ChetArt offers unique and original portraits of monkeys spoofing the Victorian Era, imaginary worlds of Steampunk and a cavalcade of historical tomfoolery.
These images are available as signed prints, trading card sets, limited edition books, coloring books and the newly released poker sized playing card set.
Simian Playing Cards—-Society of Sinister Simians Book—-Monkey Coloring Book
Hand stitched leather paperweight
Steampunk Monkey Nation—-World War Monkey—-Society of Sinister Simians
Let the monkey decide!
Caution: If your Dad receives one or more of these simian gifts, there’s a high likelihood he’ll substitute relaxing in the backyard hammock for swinging from the tree.
MailChimp for Online Sellers-ChetArt
Thanks MailChimp, for the nice spotlight with your Online Seller series.
Thrillist Monkeys Around
Thrillist highlights ChetArt today with a great feature, combining news of my playing card set with a trip to the zoo. Thanks Dan!
Avengers Art Show
An art show collection with an “Avengers” theme is up at Gallery 1988. Pictured above: “Iron Legacy” by N.C. Winters.