Above emailed some pics from his recent show Jet Set which ran during the first couple weeks of July at Melbourne's Metro gallery featuring Above's internationally themed show... Street artist Above travels the world adjourning walls like this and also tosses high his arrowed wood works... The stewardesses handed out "Above Airlines" boarding passes to arriving guests. Check out Above's recent book featuring work from his travels.

Last week hundreds of people came down to Backwoods Gallery to see off one of Melbourne's most prolific street artists, James Reka. Before moving to Europe next month, he put on a pop up show that tied together all of the loose ends of his decade long career. Featuring a final fresh body of exhibited work alongside selected works from 2004 to 2006, fans came down in hordes to pay their final respects to one of Melbourne's finest.

In addition to this new body of work, Reka pulled a large collection of old works out of the vault from some of his original shows in the early to mid 2000s. Many of these canvases haven't been seen for six or seven years and produced a huge, esteeming response from the crowd. Displaying works that have been painted over a decade apart, the audience could see Reka's transformation from being known as having the strongest graffiti inspired line-work in Australia to his now renowned free-form canvases. Whether it is one of his iconic characters from the early 2000s or an incredibly intricate new work, Reka's style is revered within the community and has continues to influence younger artists. There is no doubt it is commendable to already have such a strong retrospective of work and such a huge turn out of admirers in what is guaranteed to be a long and illustrious career.

Australia is losing one of their best to the bright lights and bigger walls of Europe, but there is no doubt that Reka's legacy will continue both on the laneway and gallery walls for years to come. Gone, but not forgotten.

Last Friday was the opening of Shinkansen Conspiracy at 111 Minna, a group show curated by Last Gasp, the largest and oldest publishers and purveyors of underground books and comics in the world. Works by Shawn Barber, Clayton Bros, Kevin Taylor, David Choong Lee, Henry Lewis, Jay Howell, and many others.

We were there early and left early before, what we imagine, was a good time later on. High fives to Last Gasp for not only being in business for over 40 years, but doing a damn great job.

For over 40 years Lasp Gasp has been publishing the art, writing and photography of the underground. Over the years they have published, and in some cases brought to light, some of the most respected and talented artists working today, including R. Crumb, Justin Green, Bill Griffith, Mark Ryden, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Frank Kozik, Todd Schorr, Winston Smith, Spain Rodriguez, Robert Williams, and countless others.

Kevin Taylor

The mood lighting of Minna.

Always a fan of LA based Clayton Brothers. We visited their studio back in 2009.

Last Friday, the 22nd, was the opening of Edible Complex at FFDG featuring the works of Kelly Tunstall & Ferris Plock. The two person food-centric show runs through July 14th in San Francisco.

All the work in the show can be viewed here: ffdg.net

Eric Shaw opened Through the Blinds at Park Life here in SF last Friday. Great show that runs through July 15th. Eric will be showing with Henry Gunderson at FFDG in September.

This one is really great.

Poaching a Bamberger photo of Eric Shaw.

Park Life = a gallery and shop in the Inner Richmond selling art books, clothing, etc.

LOS ANGELES, CA: New Image Art gallery's latest exhibition "The Goblin Universe" featuring the works of Matt Furie (SF) and Michelle Devereux (TX) opened Saturday, June 2, 2012. Furie returns to New Image Art with new colored phantoms, monster sluts, to other mythical creatures which shown along side the color penciled and airbrushed works of artist Mchelle Devereux's "Dudes on Pizza" series something you don't want to miss. We were there to check out the opening but The Goblin Universe runs through July 7th.

The Goblin Universe
Works by Matt Furie & Michelle Devereux
New Image Art
7920 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046

The Goblin Universe featuring works of Michelle Devereux and Matt Furie opened June 2nd at New Image Art. Thanks to artist Luke Pelletier for snapping probably the clearest and nicest photo in my entire set. haha.

New Image Art's new gallery space.

Close up of Matt Furie's piece featuring some of the raddest collection of weird creatures.

Before I even saw Michelle's work, I've seen this one floating around in interweb space.

Will Sergeant's Art Opening at Substrate Gallery in Los Angeles. Everyone from Moby, to Members of the Dandy Warhols, to Rodney Bingenheimer were in attendance. Photos: Douglas Neill

Will Sergeant has recorded and performed worldwide with Echo & the Bunnymen for thirty years. He also has long-term experience in various fields of performance including recording and the visual arts.

Last Friday we were invited to the preview of two new solo shows at SF's Guerrero Gallery featuring Ben Venom's heavy metal handmade quilts and the xacto mastery by Adam Feibelman. Remember our studio visit from a couple years back? Adam used to spray through his stencils and now he layers them to create these incredible works. See for yourself.

The sewn fabric/ old heavy metal rock tshirts and jeans by Ben Venom.

Stencils by Adam Feibelman

Closer inspection.

Last Friday evening we caught wind of the opening of LOUD NIGHTS AT HOME featuring works by MIKE TAYLOR, ARWEN CURRY, COLIN LAPUYADE, and SARA SANDBERG at Needles & Pens here in SF.

We know none of these artists, but no worries. Needles and Pens always has solid shows, and I love to be surprised. Bonus was that there was to be live music by bands THE YOUNGER LOVERS and PINS OF LIGHT (featuring Jake from Hightower). Drink a corner store beer, check out the work and see some live music... The life of an art enthusiast is a great and inexpensive one.

It was loud. It was crowded and PINS OF LIGHT were great. See them live on Saturday, June 9th at Thee Parkside with Hightower and other bands for FREE at 3pm. Hightower's last show for a long time as Shane's off to NYC.

Loud ass music in a small crowded space. Always a good time.

Paintings by Colin Lapuyade

Double Break's (San Diego) show Digging A Hole, Looking For Something featuring new works by Michael Krueger and Travis Millard opened Friday May 18th and runs thru June 16th. Coming from Lawrence, Kansas and Los Angeles, CA respectively, Krueger and Millard's first connected at the University of Kansas and have long drawn inspiration from one other. Both artists explore the figure of the "common man," displacing the mundane and the mythic from everyday life, weaving threads between past and present. Their search for the sublime in this densely hyper-visual yet vacuous post-industrial age is rife with humor, longing and discovery, as is apparent in this selection of new works on view at Double Break.