"...somewhere between full-blown, howling death and a basket of newborn kittens" exists Jeremy Fish

San Franciscan Jeremy Fish has blown into Orange County vicariously through a slew of paintings and installations at the Laguna Art Museum called Weathering the Storm. It’s not hard to find. Just follow the trail of wood chip and curled shavings, the mingled scent of paint and lacquer, and the sounds of “Ahhhhh”ing wonderment.

Not sure whether his work will suitably entertain? Let me answer that question with an excerpt from Fish’s web site bio written by Aesop Rock...

“I would like to think that somewhere between full-blown, howling death and a basket of newborn kittens exists a climate where the malice and the mirth can mingle. A couple of daisies on your grave, a little venom in your cocoa, some broken glass in your bouncy castle. This type of polar mixer can serve as an intriguing, endlessly entertaining, true-to-life foundation from which a smidgen of lore can grow. Exaggerate the extremes even a little, and the stories, characters, and places that emerge warp accordingly. It is the recognition and exploitation of this tension that immediately drew me to the work of upstate New York-born, San Francisco-based artist Jeremy Fish.”

I imagine that Fish, otherwise known as “The King of North Beach,” was born in a lab by some marvel of science in which the ancient powers of Albrecht Durer were morphed with the dual artistic antics of Seymour Chwast and Milton Glaser in a sealed atmosphere filled with vintage air from the hazed San Francisco streets during the 1960s Psychedelic Art Movement. Somewhere in the process, a small 13 year-old skateboarding doodler was lost in the mix but to the benefit of the overall outcome.

The outcome is as thus follows:

THE LAST DUEL ACRYLIC ON WOOD / 2008

THE ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO ACRYLIC ON WOOD / 2008

ps- wanna know who the Robin of El Dorado is? Here's his headless history!

View of the Laguna Art Museum Exhibition, courtesy of the Laguna Art museum Flickr Site...

Another art installation by Fish, courtesy of the Laguna Art museum Flickr Site...

Fish’s work is on display at Laguna Art Museum for only a few days more! The exhibit ends after the 17th of January. And now for the final enticement for your attendance:



Jeremy Fish Opening Night Reception from LagunaArtMuseum on Vimeo.

Fish created a limited edition print exclusively for Laguna Art Museum.
 Available for sale in the Museum Store now through January 17, 2010.
 (Not available online)

Check out more of Jeremy Fish's work here. Prepare yourself for greatness.

Cheers,
Jen

On my iPod: "Somebody to Love" by Queen