Surf Junkie
at POPgallery
Kevin
Butler, Herbie Fletcher, Ned Evans & Dane Peterson
Opening Reception: Saturday August 25th,
3pm – 8pm
3505
Helms Ave. Culver City, Ca 90232
Show Runs: August 25th until October 5th
We are not interested in simply doing art shows
at POPgallery. We enjoy producing installations with a narrative and
deeper conceptual meaning. Our single goal is to inspire people and
support the artists that inspire us...we do not operate the gallery side of our
business for money. That's why we do not take a gallery fee, and 100% of
the proceeds go to the artists. We also like to bring unexpected talent
together, emerging and established artists across various mediums, and thus
create an intersection of creativity, ideas, and ultimately, good energy.
This show, like many of the shows we have
produced before, have been born out of a personal connection with some of the
artists involved, and thus this show revolves around the idea that in our
coastal culture (including these friendships), we are obsessed with cool cars
and the surfboards we throw on top. An emerging artist who I have been
surfing with in Venice for the last few years is Kevin Butler. Kevin, who’s
originally from Santa Cruz, will show more than 60 original illustrations of
vintage cars with surfboards on them. Kevin’s
work is quite amusing for humans of all ages, which is another tenant of our
space...to put on shows that are inclusive and inviting for everyone vs. elite,
stuffy and intimidating. Kevin has never shown his work before, so this
will be his first professional relationship with the gallery wall. With
this in mind, we love the idea of putting his work amongst some more
established artists like Herbie Fletcher’s abstract “Archipelago” sculpture which
spans more than 6 feet in circumference and Ned Evens’ larger-than-life
painting, entitled “Ankone” which is 8 feet across. I have known photographer, Dane Peterson, since
he was a little grom with a funny haircut. He still has the funny
haircut, but his ability to shoot surfing images in an abstract way constantly
inspires us. In a digital age, his obsessive use of film, and all the
imperfections that come with it, is a breathe of fresh air.
These four artists will come together in an
environment charged by a common love of surfing. And from this spark, each artist will
translate their vision in their own signature medium. Sculpture, painting, illustration and
photography will intersect at their extremes.
Ranging from the fluid and abstract to childlike realism, and in scale from the
absurdly large to something delightfully small.
A vintage 1956 356 Porsche coupe will occupy the center of the gallery
space with surfboards of all era’s strapped haphazardly from its roof, to the
rafters above. And our friends from friends
from Santa Cruz to San Diego will be parking about 20 more rad cars with
surfboards on them in the parking lot, and the street directly out front. There
are too many makes, models and years
to mention, but we can tell you that a ’68 Volvo 122 will sit in the same lot
as Kevin’s own ’83 Volvo 240 DL. There
will be BBQ style food all afternoon, our kids will be manning the lemonade
stand, and the grown-up kids will be downing Primo beers to revolving DJ sets
from Bumrocks and Buzztronics into the early evening. A price list will be
available, upon request, from August 25th onward. Look forward to
seeing everyone at the opening!
About Kevin Butler
& his obsession with
Rad Cars & Surfboards:
Kevin Butler
grew up around classic cars. His dad made a hobby of restoring old beaters into
show-pieces. He’d buy some old POS on a Tuesday for a grand, strip
it, paint it, the whole family would fall in love with it, then he’d sell it
for some ridiculous amount to some guy to "had to have it". At any
given time at the Butler house there'd be something rad under a tarp, something
rad being painted in the garage and something rad to drive on the weekend. His
parents drove him home from the hospital in a 56 Chevy 2-door Hardtop, So…
guess that explains the car part. As far as
the surf part goes… Kevin was fortunate enough to grow up a few blocks from the
beach in Santa Cruz. He cleaned up shaping rooms and sanded boards at Peason
Arrow when he was 13. And In high school him and a few friends of his started
shaping their own boards. Being close the creation of boards, helped him to
develop a real respect for the the craft. That’s the long answer. The short
answer is Cars and Surfboards are Kevin's two favorite things on earth, so he
put them together.
Kevin Butler
attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco to study illustration... but
graduated with a degree in copywriting for advertising. It's a long story. He
currently works as a Senior Copywriter at TBWA / Media Arts Lab, making ads for
Apple. He spends his free time surfing... and drawing cars with surfboards on
them. Click here, for a link to Kevin's site.
Herbie Fletcher
From shaping surfboards to
making movies, I’ve always been creative. Everything is art, whether business,
design or surfing, so I never thought in other terms. Dreaming of creating a
faster surfboard, I designed air flaps on the bottom to direct the flow of air
coming from the holes I drilled on top to create less water drag so I could fly
down the face of the wave. I’d shape at night and be in the lineup in the
morning testing my new theory. While in the glassing room at night, I’d use the
left over pigment and resin to create intense color paintings. Fascinated by
the surfboard itself as a perfect example of contemporary design I’ve used it
as the basis for much of my art. Pushing the traditional surfboard materials
ever father, I started shaping then into various pieces to create the recent
paintings that are a part of a larger body of work that further explores my
fascination with the world…
Click here for Herbie's site.
About Ned Evans:
Born in Burbank, California in
1950, with an MFA from UC Irvine, Ned Evans has lived in Venice, California
since the early 1970s. Working primarily in acrylics and on canvas, his work
has been exhibited worldwide. While his work is unquestionably influenced by
the southern California landscape, the contours and colors of the sea, surf,
and sand, ultimately and inevitably, he is re-constructing and building edifices
and foundations, on top of which exist the nuances of illusion and imagery.
Click here for Ned's site.
About Dane Peterson:
Dane spent the better part of his teenage youth on the beaches of Southern California, Malibu more specifically, surfing and living his dream. His skills in the water took him to many an exotic spot on this vast marble in space known as earth. Along the way some smart person put a camera in his hand and the rest is visual history. Dane's knack for capturing the essence of what surfing is to so many of us is top dog in our book. Whether it's a double page spread, a soft focused soul arch or just two bros sipping tall cans as the sun falls for the night, one can't help but feel as if they're are right there in the mix of it.
Click here for Dane's site.
Special Thanks:
Charles
Adler, Randy Hild, Lauren Woodward, Shawn Wieland and the Lemonade Gang…Eileen,
Lennon, Ever, Lake and Reza!
