This book just came out this month, and it features the work of Canadian graphic artist Marian Bantjes. I just wanted to draw some attention to it, as it is a beautiful book with some pieces that seem inspired by textiles and patterns of all kinds. Every page bursts with a different full-color layout, and it might be right up your alley! I can see everyone from housewives to graphic designers being into this. The cover alone is a beaut. Available at many bookstores and at Amazon.

Dude, Matt W. Moore has an amaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing geometrically patterned book for sale. Please just look at the images below.

With the proliferation of text-messaging and chat conversations and all sorts of data! being! transmitted! at! amazing!! speeds!!! throughout the world at any given SECOND, and in all sorts of RiDiCuLuZ FoRmZ, it seems only appropriate to base one show… or maybe even tons of shows… off of this theme. Which leads me to this post.

James Harris Gallery in Seattle currently has a group exhibition going on entitled TXT. Graphics and text converge to create two- and three- dimensional works that can be interpreted on multiple levels by viewers. This show runs through August 20th. Here are some of the pieces:

Lawrence Lemaoana‘s Things Fall Apart, 2009
Textile (49″ x 32″)

Walter Robinson‘s Forest, 2008
MDF, Epoxy, metalflake (84″ x 62″ x 1″)

Anthony Discenza‘s EVERYTHING YOU’VE HEARD, 2009
Vinyl on aluminum, Ed. of 5 (24″ x 18″)

Alejandro Cesarco‘s Footnote #7, 2008
Vinyl text on wall, Ed. of 5

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On a similar note, Portland’s Recess Gallery has an open call to artists who are working with text. Call is as follows:

Work that recontextualizes the text. Work that informs, invites, or inquires. Work that sends, receives, documents messages/ideas. Work that does work. Work you made. Work that you and someone else made. Work that you want to make with people. Work that is technically proficient? Sure. Work about ideas about ideas about ideas. Work in Helvetica. Work in Garamond. Work in video. Works on paper.

Do you have something that seems to fit? Does it coincide with at least three of the above statements? That’s okay, even if it doesn’t, you should send it to

recesspdx@gmail.com by the end of July for a show opening in the middle of August.

Please include your proposal/project description/artist statement along with some contact informtion, artist bio, or link to a relevant/personal website.
Suggested Additions:
Images of proposed work
Images of recent work
Your phone number

If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to recesspdx@gmail.com.

Issue #5 of Good Vs. Evil zine features 84 pages of art on the theme of “Man Vs. Metal”! It’s limited to 150 copies. Not enticed? Here are some sample images for your eyes!

Artists in the issue include:
KOKOFREAKBEAN
MICHAELA COLETTE
ZEKE CLOUGH
ALEXANDER BINDER
ARNE MENSCH
BENEDIKT RUGAR
JON VAUGHN
JASON OVERBY
E ROCK
CAZZIMIR
PAKITO BOLINO
JASON FISCHER
PAUL PAETZEL
STEPHANE SOMA
LEON SADLER
ALKBAZZ
TETSUNORI
VAL GESTO
DIEGO MIEDO
HERRSCHULZ
DUY THANG NGUYEN
CRIPPA
LL COOL JO
THE HORROR
ANGO
ANDREW JAMES JONES
JAMES UNSWORTH
THOMAS RAIMONDI
ALEX CHIU
CHRISTIAN MARRA

Check it, and buy it here. It might be my favorite of Vannen’s artist watches yet.

I’m getting a little bit tired of all of the collage artists who think that cutting a few triangles and overlaying them with another image makes unique art. Yawn and a half. Luckily, Arn vleespapier is trying at least a little bit harder to be creative, and you know what? He’s succeeding. Some of his works feature rips and tears rather than scissor-cut geometric shapes, but even his pieces that are neat and symmetrical stray from feeling stale or calculated. Perhaps it’s because his body of work is so diverse and spans so many styles that there isn’t really a question of whether it’s genuine or not, but there’s just something more to this artist than all the other recycled mofos.

Also notable are some “printer jam” images. Beautiful abstractions.