Lutz Bacher at Ratio 3

Tonight at Ratio 3 in San Francisco Lutz Batcher exhibits her newest work.

Lutz Bacher: ODO

October 31 - December 13, 2008

Ratio 3, 1447 Stevenson Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

Opening reception: October 31, 2008, 6-8pm

Butterscotch Pudding too

Treeson

Treesons are adorable and a great gift idea for any art toy lover (hint hint). Available online through Giant Robot.

Yves Saint Laurent at the de Young

The Yves Saint Laurent exhibit opens tomorrow at the de Young. This exhibition contains nearly 130 accessorized garments and sketches illustrating the lines, colors, and fundamentals of Saint Laurent’s work. You can find out more here or here.

Arts & Architecture reprint

This fall sees the publication from TASCHEN books: Arts & Architecture, 1945-54: The Complete Reprint. This collection of the magazines known for their residential Case Study program is awe inspiring. A hefty collection with a hefty price tag, this is a design lovers dream gift.
This collection comes with ten boxes, each containing a complete year’s worth of Arts & Architecture magazines from 1945–1954. The collection begins with the January 1945 announcement of the Case Study House Program. Also included is a supplement booklet with an original essay by former A&A publisher David Travers, available in English, German, French, and Spanish. Arts & Architecture 1945–54 will be followed in autumn 2009 by a second set, 1955–1967, bringing together all the existing issues of the modern era.
Purchase your copy here or find out more about the magazine on their website.

Scarecrow by John Casey

EVENT: SCARECROW book release with artist John Casey.

WHEN: Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 7-10pm
WHERE: Rowan Morrison Gallery
330 40th Street
Oakland, California 94609

Oakland’s Rowan Morrison Gallery is hosting a book signing celebrating the release of Scarecrow, a collection of artist John Casey’s new drawings on Thursday October 30th.
Casey’s drawings are a carnival of the grotesque, depicting human bodies deformed by their own inner emotions. Inspired by his own fascination with “fictitious human morphology” and the expression of his inner psyche, Casey’s work exists as a study of how we might look if our physical state reflected our emotional one.
A perfect way to get into the spirit of Halloween, this reception will exhibit original drawings from the book. John Casey will be on hand to sign books and answer questions. Refreshments and candy will be available. This event takes place on Thursday October 30th from 7-10pm.
John Casey’s Scarecrow can be ordered directly from the publisher:
http://www.rowanmorrison.com/scarecrow/
You can see more of John Casey's work at his website: http://www.bunnywax.com/

Art toys galore

Starting today you can preorder your Big Vinyl Yeti through Gama-Go. This toy is beautifully rendered. Check out the development process through Vinyl Pulse. Take advantage of the presale and get a free tee shirt!
Also, today you can purchase the new mini figure Series II Scavengers by Katie Olivas (series 1 posted here).

Commes des Garcons H&M preview

Finally, the Commes des Garcons exclusive collection for H&M comes out in just a few weeks. You can purchase it at Tokyo stores November 8th and then select other stores around the world November 13th.
For more information check out the H&M press release and the entire collection online.

L'Affiche Moderne

Sometimes I get lucky and don't have to look around like mad to find the newest coolest art. Sometimes it comes to me. The people over at L'Affiche Moderne found me and pointed me toward their e-shop. They have so many awesome exclusive prints available you'll be hard pressed to choose. Of course, prints are fairly inexpensive so why just choose one? The above prints are a few of my favorites including the last one by previously posted about Havec.

Maya Lin at the de Young

Maya Lin's new exhibit at the de Young opened this past weekend. I saw it being set up the previous weekend. It looks amazing and I can't wait to go see it in its entirety. Maya Lin is best known for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. she designed while only 21 years old. Her more recent work deals with landscapes.
From the de Young website:
"In recent years, Lin has focused on a reconsideration of landscape in a time of ecological tension and change. This new body of work engages the issue of our fragile connection to the environment in timely and poetic ways."

Tomorrow - It's time to Vote!

This great poster and two others by design studio Tomorrow are now available to purchase as limited edition screen prints or to print yourself and post all over your town.

via grain edit

Kathie Olivas Exclusive Toy

Vinyl Pulse is offering the exclusive Kathie Olivas Scavengers 2 Lainey and Fernando First Day Release figure (ed. of 300 pcs) from MINDstyle starting at 6PM Pacific on Friday October 24th for $25 each. This special edition figure is a blank version of the Series 2 chase -- a collaboration between Kathie and her husband Brandt Peters. It comes with a special white FDR box sleeve and will only be available on Friday. At the stroke of midnight, it's history and will not be available at retail again. These will be strictly limited to one per household. Get yours at Vinyl Pulse Exclusives.

Alex Garcia at Propeller Modern

Tonight is the opening for Alex Garcia's show at propeller modern furniture store in Hayes Valley. The show runs through November 24.

Prospect New Orleans

Mark Branford - http://www.sikkemajenkinsco.com/markbradford.html

Cai Guo-Qiang - http://www.caiguoqiang.com/

On November 1, 2008, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1], the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States, will open to the public in museums, historic buildings, and found sites throughout New Orleans. Check out their website for more information including a list of the artists exhibiting and locations of exhibits.

Richard Prince at Gagosian Gallery

Richard Prince was born in 1949 in the Panama Canal Zone and lives and works in upstate New York. Mining images from mass media, advertising and entertainment since the late seventies, Prince has redefined the concepts of authorship, ownership, and aura. Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris, in collaboration with Gagosian Gallery, is pleased to present a new series of work by Richard Prince. This will be the artist's first exhibition at Galerie Patrick Seguin, which focuses on 20th century furniture and architecture. This show opens today and goes through November 29, 2008.

Kathie Olivas

In the spirit of Halloween here's some cute and creepy work by Kathie Olivas, a multi-media artist who resides in Tampa, FL. Her work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the nation.

Stuart Kolakovic

Stuart Koloakovic is a great artist and illustrator from the UK. I love the look and old timey feel of his work. You can buy an exclusive Tiny Showcase print or check out his Etsy shop.

The Decoder Ring Design Concern

The Decoder Ring Design Concern is a multidisciplinary design partnership based in Austin, Texas. The studio was founded in 2004 on a boldly simple mission statement: "Do work we love for clients we admire." This comes through in their work. You can purchase your own copies of these cool posters at their online shop. Also check out their fine art prints done for artists such as Gary Baseman, Dalek, Tara McPherson, and James Victore.

Jess Hutchison

Jess is another great artist and craftsman that lives and works in San Francisco. She creates these beautiful, fun, and whimsical creatures that reflect the city she lives in and Guam, the city she came from. You can buy her stuff online through her Etsy shop.

New Miss Van Art Available

Miss Van has new prints and a new postcard set available at her shop Princesas Market. She also has a solo show coming up at Upper Playground's gallery Fifty24SF in San Francisco the end of this year.

Nikki McClure

Vote For Survival is a train traveling art tour of the West Coast of Nikki McClure's work. This Saturday the show moves from SF to LA opening at Giant Robot 2 in Los Angeles.

Vote For Survival is a call to action, a reminder of what is really important as this election nears.

Original papercuts will also be exhibited including artwork from the 2009 calendar “Wake Up”, book covers, and new work inspired by the summer of berries and boats.

Check out her online shop as well.

Trenton Doyle Hancock

Trenton Doyle Hancock is a contemporary artist from Oklahoma. His work is vivid and often tells a story. You can find out more about him here on PBS's show Art:21.