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The External and the Contemplative

Art Fans!

I think you’ll find this group exhibition extremely interesting:

“The External and the Contemplative”

RSVP:
G-mail: Info@americanlegacyfinearts.com
Phone: 626/ 577-7733

Group Exhibition:
The External and the Contemplative offers an introspective examination of the intent of featured American Legacy Fine Arts (ALFA) Artists to reveal the poetry and personal connections they find in life. With the collective works in the exhibition, the artists interpret their subject matter as forms of contemplation-often with a spiritual relationship-and encourage the viewer to experience art and life on a deeper, more enriching level.”
Elaine Adams, Director

Exhibiting Artists:
Peter Adams, George Gallo, David Gallup, Jean Legassick, Eric Merrell, Jennifer Moses, Alexander Orlov, Tony Peters, Daniel W. Pinkham, Scott W. Prior, Amy Sidrane, Christopher Slatoff, Tim Solliday, Alexey Steele, William Stout, and Jove Wang.

An online preview of the exhibition is available at:

The External and the Contemplative

To RSVP or to make a private appointment to view the exhibition, please call 626/ 577-7733 or e-mail the gallery at info@americanlegacyfinearts.com during normal business hours.

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A Public Apology

I just watched Electric Boogaloo. It’s a terrific documentary on Cannon Films, fascinating and very funny. I was totally up for this doc, as I made two movies for Cannon: Invaders From Mars and Masters of the Universe. I also heard lots of stories about other Cannon film projects.

I was interviewed for the documentary and appear in the film.

Unfortunately, I repeated a story I was told about when Sylvester Stallone visited our set and made a disparaging remark regarding Dolph Lundgren‘s acting abilities.

It was not my story to repeat. If it needed to be told at all (and it didn’t), it should have been told either by Stallone or the person to whom he made the comment (the guy who told me the story).

I felt deeply ashamed hearing that snark come out of my mouth. My deepest apologies, Mr. Lundgren.

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Best Convention Ever?

I just spent Saturday and Sunday at MondoCon 2015 in Austin, Texas. I was a guest there last year. I liked it so much that I agreed to be a guest again this year.

Man, was I surprised! As good as it was last year (and it was good), it dramatically surpassed itself this year, Big Time!

BTW, I think the quality of this year’s MondoCon experience was greatly better for BOTH artists and attendees.

People were camped out to get in on Friday (one person started the line on Thursday!). On Friday night I worked the line, introducing myself and greeting the art-loving folks who were determined to take advantage of Early Entry. To my amazement, I met fans from all over the world (Europe, Australia, Japan, etc.), many who had made the trip just meet me. I was humbled and honored.

The quality of the artists exhibiting at the show was the highest I’ve ever seen. Graphic design was at a new level there, with incredible poster art that reminded me of the Polish poster Renaissance. There was not one booth or table with work that made me ask, “Why in the heck is this guy here?” Every single artist was outstanding. In addition to the quality I was also impressed by the variety of styles exhibited.

The MondoCon volunteers were everywhere, helping attendees and guests alike. They were all smart, bright, knowledgeable and efficient. Whenever I had a panel, a convention volunteer would appear and escort me to where I needed to be…sometimes by car, even though the other convention building was just across the street.

The show had seven food trucks just outside the convention entrance, all serving fantastic food and drinks. As you may or may not know, the food truck movement began in Austin, Texas. Each morning the artist guests were given a sheet where they could choose an item from one of six food trucks. That item was delivered to their table or booth each day at lunch time.

I was flown out on my airline of choice, Southwest Airlines (free baggage). MondoCon pleasantly surprised me by springing for Southwest’s Early Bird boarding option, alleviating the stress I often have when I’m worried about the plane not having enough space for my roll-away bag in the overhead bins.

I appeared at the Masters of the Universe Q & A which took place after the screening of the MOTU documentary Toy Masters. That same afternoon I participated in a meaty podcast interview that greatly pleased both the audience, the interviewer and me.

I delivered my own illustrated lecture, William Stout Career Retrospective, on Sunday afternoon. The place was packed. Mondo was completely prepared audio-visual-wise, which is always a relief. I showed the audience lots of my art they had never seen and told some of my favorite stories. I got a huge round of applause at the end and, afterwards, lots of kudos throughout the day for my talk.

Although the entire event was well-planned and structured, the Mondo folk still allowed opportunities for more informal meetings and get-togethers. I met lots of great young artists and made some new friends. I won’t even go into the incredible parties that MondoCon hosted each night. I do have to mention that the fans who attended this event were of the highest caliber. It seemed that nearly every single one of them exhibited taste, intelligence and artistic and cultural sophistication — and were really nice folks, every single one of them.

Heavy Metal magazine was well represented and, by coincidence, they were selling their big hardcover anniversary book that included my Arzak collaboration with my friend Jean “Moebius” Giraud. I happily signed lots of those.

A movie theater was part of the event and there were screenings all day. Tickets to the screenings often included a rare limited edition silk screen print of a specially commissioned poster of the film. Fans could watch as Sam Wolfe Connelly painted a terrific mural during the show. There was lots of limited vinyl being exhibited and sold at MondoCon, too.

I sold loads of original art (thanks to my fans who asked me to bring originals prior to the show), prints and books — completely selling out of lots of what I brought.

There were only two downsides to the show for me. I tried like crazy to finish my White Zombie poster art for publication by Mondo (or at least, to preview at MondoCon), but I failed. I’ve still got about two more days to go on it. Also, my pal Bernie Wrightson was scheduled to appear but had to bail at the last minute, apparently for health reasons. I had been really looking forward to seeing Liz and Bernie.

The Mondo folks asked if I’d be a guest in 2016. My response?

“Are you kidding? In a heartbeat!”

See You There!

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Mondo Con! Austin!

FaunoBlueBlog1

I’m looking forward to being a guest at Mondo Con this weekend. It’s in my favorite Texas city: Austin.

Why do I love Austin?

Easy: Franklin’s BBQ; Waterloo Records; the Arthur Rackham Poe illustrations at the university; the food truck movement; the bats under the bridge; “Keep Austin Weird”; the music scene; Antone’s; memories of seeing Doug Sahm, Lou Ann Barton, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Albert Collins; recent transplants Liz and Bernie Wrightson…I could go on and on.

If you don’t know about Mondo, here’s the skinny: They hire top contemporary artists to create new movie posters for old classic films. They sell these as serigraphs (limited edition silkscreen prints). Drew Struzan drew a new Frankenstein poster for Mondo; I did King Kong and Nosferatu. Today, I’m finishing up a poster of Bela Lugosi‘s White Zombie (the very first zombie movie) for them. Typically, their prints sell out out in less than two hours. There’s a huge secondary market for them.

I look forward to seeing all my Texas friends and fans this weekend. I’ll be giving an illustrated talk covering my whole career (funny stories and lotsa eye candy) during the event. Don’t miss it!

Details regarding Mondo Con: October 3 & 4 (Saturday & Sunday); Marchesa Hall & Theatre (6406 N. Hwy 35 #3100, Austin, Texas 78752) and at the Holiday Day Inn Midtown Conference Hall.

MondoCon is a celebration of everything you and I love, including movies, art, comics, music, toys, and food. It’s a weekend curated with the fans in mind, featuring incredible Artists & Creators from around the world, Panels, Screenings, Food Trucks, & Interactive Events. This is the second annual MondoCon; they can’t wait for us to see what they have planned.

For more information about MondoCon check out their website mondo-con.com!

Tickets will be on sale Thursday, April 30th at 11:00am CST. 

Due to capacity restrictions MondoCon has a limited number of tickets available for each day. There may be a limited number of stand-by tickets available at The Marchesa Hall and Theatre on each day of the event, and will be sold based on available capacity.

See You There!