Joshua Budich's "Brutally Cool" Art Print

UPDATE (4/17): I completely missed the Four Rooms reference (Ted the bellhop to the left of Vincent Vega). Thanks go to Andrew Sigmund for the catch and Joshua Budich for the killer poster! The post has been updated accordingly.

It wasn't too long ago that I was praising Budich's The City of Lost Children poster, but damn if the man doesn't continue to create some of the prettiest film-inspired artwork around! If you couldn't already tell, today's entry is in honor of Joshua's Tarantino-centric "Brutally Cool" art print. Which by the way, is on sale RIGHT NOW! Check it out!

"Brutally Cool" Art Print
Joshua Budich
12" x 18" - Signed and Numbered
$25 - Limited to 150
Inspired By: Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill, Death Proof,
Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs, Four Rooms

Joshua Budich's "Brutally Cool" poster has me convinced that he needs to do an Inglourious Basterds print (and on the double). I mean, checkout that Aldo stubble and swastika-carving blade - it's a thing of beauty! Budich's ode to Tarantino captures the titular "Cool" with his usual style and aplomb, but more importantly exudes complete badassery - something Tarantino's films do often and without hesitation. Then again, if you're placing Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) at the forefront of your design, you're guaranteed at least an 11 out of 10 on the Bad Mofo scale (not to be confused with a Chromatic scale). And while "Brutally Cool" may not be the most colorful work in Joshua's arsenal, the use of color is wholly appropriate and really pops in all the right (and bloody) ways.

Joshua Budich's "Brutally Cool" poster is currently available through Budich's store for $25 plus shipping. The print measures 12" x 18", is signed and numbered, and is limited to an edition of 150. To learn more about Mr. Budich, be sure to checkout his interview with Nerdlocker, which will be appearing at nerdlocker.com and head over to joshuabudich.com. Alright, all this writing has really worked up an appetite. I think I'm going to grab a Royale with cheese. Good luck all!

Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen" Art Exhibit Round 3

Part three of Spoke Art's awesome "Quentin vs. Coen" show has landed in Los Angeles and with that comes some amazing new prints. All of the prints below were released yesterday, but as of this writing are still in stock and ready for purchase. I only chose a few of my favorites out of the new inventory, but rest assured, there's a lot more available through Spoke Art's online store.

"Walter" Art Print
Oliver Barrett
18" x 24"
$40 - Limited to 125
Inspired By: The Big Lebowski

"The Dude" Art Print Oliver Barrett 18" x 24" $40 - Limited to 125 Inspired By: The Big Lebowski

"Donny" Art Print Oliver Barrett 18" x 24" $40 - Limited to 125 Inspired By: The Big Lebowski

I've written about Oliver Barrett's quote-posters (quosters?) before, but what the hell, I like 'em so much, I don't mind blathering their praises all over again. Barrett's style is fully intact with his next wave of "Quentin vs. Coen" prints, where, this time, he decided to tackle the Dude's entire motley crew. My favorite by far is his depiction of Walter, which appears to be a study in anger and disbelief (two expressions Walter wore well in the film), and features a quote that cuts straight to the heart of everyone's favorite enraged Judaic bowler. In addition to the amazing "Walter" print, Oliver created another Dude-inspired print (check out the original Barrett "Dude" print in my write-up of Round 2) and an all new "Donny" print. Does anyone else get a kick out of the fact that a Walter quote made it into the "Donny" print? This will most likely be the final round of "Quentin vs. Coen" artwork, so if you're waiting, stop, and buy these immediately. Each of the posters is screen printed and is available for $40 apiece through the Spoke Art store. The prints all measure 18" x 24" and are limited to an edition 125. Check out more Oliver Barrett art at ohbarrett.com and oliverbarrett.tumblr.com.

"Furious Anger" Art Print
Serge Gay Jr.
18" x 20" (polaroid-style border)
$50 - Limited to 100

I've never mentioned Serge Gay Jr. on this site before, but his Life Aquatic-inspired "Life" painting is legendary in my eyes, and it seems like with every new painting or print he releases he manages to one-up himself. Serge's "Furious Anger" is a cool mishmash of a lot of elements from a film that's filled to the brim with cool elements, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that this print is, well, cool. Serge's artwork reminds me of a massive mural I might find painted on a brick wall behind a long abandoned video rental place; no one knows how it got there, who did it, and most importantly, no is willing to defile it. Pedantic meandering about a made-up backstory aside, I really dig this print and if I hadn't just secured my entry to next year's Fantastic Fest I would pick this up in an instant. Serge Gay Jr.'s "Furious Anger" print is available for purchase through the Spoke Art store for $50. The giclée measures 18" x 20" and is limited to an edition of 100. More crazy, wonderful, strange Serge Gay Jr. artwork can be found, purchased and oggled at sergegayjrart.wordpress.com. And if you're a fan of Serge's work it looks like he's having a solo show at the Spoke-Art gallery later this year. Nice!

"True Grit 1" Art Print Jeff Proctor 9" x 24" $45 - Limited to 50 Inspired By: True Grit

"True Grit 2" Art Print Jeff Proctor 9" x 24" $45 - Limited to 50 Inspired By: True Grit

This was a complete surprise to me. I've seen lots of Jeff Proctor artwork, and I've purchased practically all of his film-related stuff, so I was a shocked when I saw these posters and had no idea who the artist was (prior to reading Jeff's name, that is). I could be completely off base here, but these prints really seem like a departure from a lot of his Mondo stuff, and that really, really excites me. I'm impressed by the simplicity and restraint of the composition, but it's his use of the diptych format that I find really inspired. The majority of the time I see diptychs and triptychs, they're used to convey parts of a single image, but Proctor's True Grit-inspired artwork reminds me of a traditional film narrative (albeit a very short two frame narrative); point A to point B. Great stuff! Jeff Proctor's "True Grit 1" and "True Grit 2" are currently available through the Spoke Art store. Both posters measure 9" x 24", are limited to an edition of 50 and cost $45 apiece. The best way to keep up to date with Mr. Proctor is to visit makenonsense.com.

Didn't see something you were absolutely in love with? Well fear not, because there's a lot more available through the Spoke Art store at store.spoke-art.com. While you're visiting the Spoke Art website, I'd highly recommend signing up for their newsletter and following them @Spoke_Art. In closing, I'd like to leave you with one more thing.

"Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos." - Walter (The Big Lebowski)

Good night!

Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen" Art Exhibit Round 2

UPDATE (11/26): Darin Shock's Natural Born Killers poster is now available through Darin's site at stateofshockstudios.com for only $30. Grab one while they're still available!

UPDATE (6/24): The majority of the remaining "Quentin vs. Coen" prints will be released tomorrow (6/25) around 2:00 PM PST through Spoke Art's online storefront. The released prints will include: "Dead as Dillinger," "Dude, Donny & Maude," "Natural Born Killers," "Quentin vs. Coen Round Two," "Soggy Bottom Boys," "The Stranger, The Jesus & Walter," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "DeathProof," "The Dude," "Gulp Fiction," "Mia Wallace," "O Ren Ishii," "Zoe Bell" and "Margie." Yep, that's a lot of stuff! And from what I hear, all of these items are pretty low in stock. Good luck!

I've already written a post about the amazing Spoke Art "Quentin vs. Coen" show in April, but for those of us who are stuck on the beautiful West Coast (yep, life's hard) there's still a chance to see some awesome QvC artwork (hmm...not sure how effective that abbreviation was). Spoke Art will be opening round 2 of their "Quentin vs. Coen" exhibit tomorrow (6/2) at the brand new Spoke Art Gallery, located at 816 Sutter Street in San Francisco. The show will feature some of your favorite pieces from the recent New York showing, along with all new works. In honor of the second round I've decided to preview a few of my favorite pieces. Enjoy!

The Big Lebowski - Oliver Barrett

I loved Oliver Barrett's Pulp Fiction print, so it should come as no surprise that I'm head over heels for his new Big Lebowski print as well. There's something so awesome about his precise line work and choice of background color. Sure, the lines come together to form the Dude's face, but on closer inspection it almost looks like a fingerprint made up of concentric circles (I think The Dude would find that interesting). And Barrett has definitely shown himself to be a man that can pick a good quote, I hope he continues doing more movie artwork in this manner. This poster will be available at the show, but if you can't make it there's a pretty decent chance it'll also show up on Spoke Art's online store. If you've got some extra time on your hands I'd head over to Oliver Barrett's site, where you can check out his artwork and even purchase his prints.

Natural Born Killers - State of Shock Studios (Darin Shock)

I'm very fond of State of Shock Studio's Natural Born Killers print. I really like the fact that the artist didn't choose a super obvious QT film, instead they went with an Oliver Stone film based on a story written by Tarantino - very clever! I love the character design on display here. You've got Harrelson's Mickey Knox and Lewis' Mallory Knox both gleefully pointing shotguns at the viewer. And my god, State of Shock included basically everyone in the picture - an impressive feat. I don't know much about the artist Darin Shock, but I know I'm really digging his "Quentin vs. Coen" artwork. If you at all like this great Natural Born Killers poster be sure to check out the State of Shock website by visiting stateofstockstudios.com. These posters will also be available during tomorrow's show and through Spoke Art's store shortly after.

Pulp Fiction - Joshua Budich

It's kind of crazy how amazing Joshua Budich is now. Not that he wasn't insanely talented before, but he's reached a whole new level this year in my opinion. This Pulp Fiction poster is absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully this isn't coming off as an insult as I've always really enjoyed his work, but I just can't explain how impressed I am with this artwork. The initial stock has already sold out (yeah, they sold out quick), but according to Spoke Art's online store, a few more will be available at the show and some additional variants will be released by Spoke Art, so be on the look out and you should probably join their mailing list. There's sure to be some artist prints available at some point on Budich's website too, so be sure to also join his mailing list.

Well that's it for now, hope everyone is as excited about this show as I am. And if you're actually close enough to the Spoke Art Gallery to be there on opening night...I hate you. Good night!

Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen" Art Exhibit Round 1

You may recognize Spoke Art as the transient gallery behind the amazing "Bad Dads" Wes Anderson art show, which quite deservedly gained them a lot of nerd love. Well it seems they've done it again, but this time it's not Rushmore or Life Aquatic they'll be celebrating. No, this time it'll be films like Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Raising Arizona, O Brother, Where Art Thou and No Country For Old Men. Yep, Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen: A Tribute to Tarantino & the Brothers" show is sure to delight the cineaste in your life.

The folks at Spoke Art were nice enough to send me some promotional images in anticipation of the show's premier on April 7th, so I'll be continuing the Posterocalypse tradition by picking a few of my favorites and doing a brief write-up for each. After the show has premiered and the remaining art is available through Spoke Art's online store, I'll follow-up this entry with a part two reviewing their remaining stock. Now on to the artwork! As a heads up, I don't have all of the titles for the following prints or paintings so I'll sometimes just be referencing the films they're inspired by.

Pulp Fiction - Oliver Barrett

I think it goes without saying that this poster, inspired by the Coen brothers' classic Barton Fink, is an absolute delight. I kid, I kid! Oliver Barrett's badass Pulp Fiction print is sure to bring out the inner mofo in anyone standing within a five foot proximity. I love how he was able to take Samuel L. Jackson's no nonsense visage and transform it into a dangerous landscape with his careful attention to detail and small pen strokes. I've only seen a fraction of what will be on display at the Bold Hype Gallery in New York, where the show will be held, but I'm REALLY hoping that this is part of a print series from the artist. As more information becomes available I'll update this entry accordingly. And to answer the poster's question, no, Marsellus Wallace does not look like a bitch. Be sure to subscribe to the Spoke Art mailing list and follow their blog for more release information as the date grows near. Whatever doesn't sell out at the show will be available through the Spoke Art store sometime in April. I would also recommend heading over to Oliver Barrett's site, where you can spy his portfolio and purchase his prints (hint: buy an American Splendor poster).

Pulp Fiction Action Figure Collection - Max Dalton

Max Dalton's "Pulp Fiction Action Figure Collection" print really speaks to the collector in me (never take it out of the box!) and is perfect for anyone who's nuts about Tarantino and / or toys. I have a feeling that this print would really benefit from being seen in person as each toy has an action figure from the film, their name, a selection of accessories and a catch phrase. Can you guess what Jules Winnfield's catch phrase is (please refer to Oliver Barrett's print for the answer)? If you're familiar with Max Dalton's work, which can be found in his portfolio and blog, you can really see just how good the man is at not only appropriating pop culture and transforming it into something new (examples Ferris Bueller's Day Off board game and this very Pulp Fiction Action Figures Collection), but also seems to always find the lighter side of a sometimes dark subject. Can somebody please make these toys a reality? Again, pleases be sure to visit Max's blog and portfolio, as well as check out his store for some great prints (I'm looking at you "The Spaghetti Western Inventory").

True Grit Meets Kill Bill - Steve Seeley

This painting is fun, just incredibly fun. You've got a wacky mix of both the Coen brothers' True Grit and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and the connecting theme of eye patches. I think my favorite part of Seeley's artwork is its deadpan depiction. By that I mean, even though this strange collection of characters, eye patches, and animals are thrown together in a mishmash of references and oddness, there doesn't seem to be any winking at the camera (or painter) - the image works so well because of the disagreement between tone and content. It's strange, it's wonderful - there's not much more to say than that. Like everything else in this entry, Steve Seeley's True Grit meets Kill Bill painting will be available at Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen" show from April 7th to the 9th. To find out more about about Mr. Seeley check out his website at thedelicatematter.com.

Raising Arizona - Killer Napkins

And finally we come to Killer Napkins' tribute to the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona. It's been a while since I've seen the film, so I'm a bit rusty on what each element of this totem-like design represents, but if I had to guess I would say it's some sort of frightening shrine to Leonard Smalls / the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse. I chose this painting because, not only is it really, really well done, it's also damn creepy. I also really like the fact that this was painted on wood. I definitely wouldn't mind if Killer Napkins decided to make some screen prints of this, maybe prints on wood? To find out more about the disturbing and very cool artwork of Killer Napkins be sure to checkout his site and store - the man's got a gift for the gross. The Raising Arizona print by Killer Napkins will be on display and available for purchase at Spoke Art's "Quentin vs. Coen" show from April 7th to the 9th.

Well, that's it for this round of "Quentin vs. Coen" artwork, but once there are some posters and prints available through the Spoke Art store I'll be sure to post a part two. If you're lucky enough to be in New York and near the Bold Hype Gallery, be sure to drop by and then rub it in our faces for not living on the East Coast. Information about the show can be found at the Spoke Art blog, and signing up for their mailing list is probably a good idea too.

As a reminder for those of you that haven't yet entered the Posterocalypse Fighter giveaway, I'll be giving away The Fighter movie poster by Adam Hanson and a mystery print tomorrow (3/31) to one lucky person who leaves a comment with their name and email address (US only) in last Tuesday's blog post (it was titled "Giveaway - The Fighter by Adam Hanson"). You have until Thursday 6 PM Pacific to enter. Good luck!