The opening for I Am 8-Bit show last night was pretty fun and really popular. I’ve lots of pictures on Flickr for you to enjoy! (I’ve not labeled them all, so if you see someone or a piece of artwork that I missed, speak up!)

I got there good and early so there was still a few free parking spots on the street. I’ve never been to the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery before and it’s quite spacious and packed with floor to ceiling with great 8-bit artwork! The artwork was super, the music was groovin’ and the people were swarming. So many happy people in one place sharing their love for 8-bit artwork. Thanks to Jon Gibson, the fabulous artists and everyone who helped put on the show!

Update: I see we’re getting lots of visitors from 4CR, Channel Frederator and more! Thanks for visiting and be sure to keep up with OldManMusings!

Gabe Swarr’s artwork for this year’s I Am 8-Bit looks cool!

Tonight’s the Opening Night Extravaganza: 8 p.m. to Midnight

Performances by: Computer Jay and DJ R-Rated

World of Wonder Storefront Gallery
6650 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA
(corner of Cherokee)

Runs until Sunday, September 7

Be there or be pixelated. See you at the show.

It’s almost time for another Crazy 4 Cult art show at Gallery 1988 in LA. And here again is some amazing Scott Campbell artwork. This is an awesome poster which will first be available for only $20 at Crazy 4 Cult 2’s opening reception August 22nd from 7-11 PM, then available by phone or email order starting the next day! There’s so many characters on here. I like Alien taking on Tron, RoboCop vs. Terminator and E.T. biking riding with Pee-Wee! Be sure to check out the entire poster or go for the gold and buy your own.

The I am 8-bit art show starts Thursday, August 14 at 8 p.m. and runs until midnight at the World of Wonder Storefont Gallery, 6650 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Cherokee. Go to the show for some classic gaming art, free drinks and free posters as well as music by DJ R-Rated and Computer Jay. This show will be a blast just like last year! Shown above is just some of Scott Campbell’s great artwork.

( More photos here.)

I Am 8-Bit returns for its fourth installment in August. The annual group art exhibition will have its grand opening extravaganza on Thursday, August 14, 2008 at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery in Hollywood, California from 8 p.m. to Midnight. The show will run until September 7. (Having gone the last couple of years I can say without a doubt that if you like games and art, this is the show to go to!)

Lead by Jon M. Gibson, the show will feature 100+ artists with diverse styles and backgrounds including Joe Ledbetter, Scott C., Jim Mahfood, Ashley Wood, Amanda Visell, Jose Emroca Flores, Luke Chueh, Bigfoot, Yoskay Yamamoto, Kofie One, Angry Woebots, Gerald de Jesus, Tessar Lo, Gabe Swarr, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Carlos Ramos, Joe Vaux, Joe Shea, Benjamin Marra, Deseo, Mr. Jago, Jude Buffum, Michelle Valigura, Suckadelic, DGPH, Jim Stoten, Tanner Goldbeck, Scott Belcastro, Tony Mora, Nate Frizzell, Elizabeth Ito, ZOSO, The Chung, Ray Frenden, David Goldberg and many others.

Update July 31: PaperMonster has two neat paintings on display at his site. One called “Mario- The Original Banksy” and the other “The Return of Samus”", both of which are a stencil collage on canvas.

Dan Goodsell’s art show at Monkeyhouse Toys was superb and I got pictures! Dan invited his friends to contribute to the show and among them were S. Britt, Todd Franklin, Tokka, Michael Fleming, Jelene, Bubi Au Yeung, Jannie Ho, Todd Webb, Patches and Meomi. Their artwork was top notch. Dan also created lots of colorful, fun artwork just for the show. So there was plenty of Joe the Egg, Shaky Bacon, Clem Lemon and Mr Toast paintings to be enjoyed. Dan does great art.

This show is over, but it might be back next year. If you want to see more of Dan Goodsell, be sure to find him at the NY Comic-Con on April 18-20 (in the artist alley section), LA Times Festival of Books on April 26-27 and at Vinyl Toy Network (VTN) in Pasadena May 4th. So be sure to stop by and say hi.

P.S. Yes, Dan is wearing an official Shaky Bacon t-shirt. It’s all the rage in fashion!

I wanted to mention the upcoming Andrew Bell solo show, “Burning Desire” opening at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles on March 4th. The show features new paintings, sculptures, custom vinyl and drawings by the talented NY artist. If you get a chance you should see the show, it’ll run to March 27th. You may remember that I talked about him a couple of years ago. His surreal drawing style is quite appealing and I especially like his little monsters. Those creatures are just as creepy as they are cute.

Update: My photos from the show on Flickr.

“Under the Influence: A Tribute to Stan Lee” is probably one of the biggest art shows at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. The gallery was abuzz with excitement as we surveyed the gallery. The gallery had a glow of grandeur and you could just tell this was going to be big, even before the doors opened for everyone at 7 pm. The line out front was growing and so was the anticipation. When would we see Stan Lee?

Stan Lee arrived at 6:30 pm to get a glimpse of all the artwork and meet many of the artists. (If you ever meet him, you’d notice that he’s really down to earth.) When making his way around the gallery he’d look at each piece with a big smile and give a big thanks to the artist, if they were there. We’d never been in that close of proximity to him before, as we were last night. He’s a really good guy and very appreciative to all his fans. He really enjoyed chatting and discussing the artwork so much that he had a hard time making it through the whole gallery before the doors were to open.

After checking out all the artwork in the gallery he headed next door to Golden Apple Comics. Once he exited through the front doors of the gallery, the huge line of adoring fans outside found it hard to contain their excitement as they almost spilled out into the busy Melrose street. Some fans dressed up as their favorite Marvel characters and a group of guys had pimped out their vehicles with a complete Marvel theme. Stan Lee took it all in stride and happily stood for several pictures with fans as he made his way next door. He’s a happy guy and he makes others happy too.

The artwork for the show was really amazing and you could tell that all the people there were in awe. The pieces in the gallery are a great tribute to such a great guy. We chatted with many of the artists and got pictures of them with their artwork including Daniel Danger, Plasticgod, Brandon Bird, Jen Lobo, Misha, Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins, Patrick Ballesteros, and Jimbot (a.k.a James A. Demski Jr.)!

Even if we hadn’t already met with some of them before, the artists are really approachable and fun to talk with too. It’s great discussing their artwork and learning more about them. A lot of time is spent creating these works of art and it really shows with the amazing quality and creativity. The abundance of talent is noticeable throughout the pieces and it’s quite inspiring. I think the masses were really impressed with all of the art, including the guest of honor. I know I was!

Want to see more photos from the show including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil and Doctor Strange? Please visit my Flickr collection or click on the pictures. (There was so much to cover at the show, that I couldn’t fit it all in here.)

Many thanks to all the artists, Stan Lee, Jensen and the crew at Gallery 1988. This was one amazing art show! I’m getting pleasantly spoiled by all these great art shows! (I’d also like to extend a special thank you to my loving and supporting wife!)

The Under the Influence: A Tribute to Stan Lee show was Marvel-ous! Tons of people waited in line to see some swell Stan Lee inspired artwork and maybe catch a glimpse of the Man himself. In the interest of time, I’ve uploaded a lot of snapshots from the show for you to enjoy. After I catch some Zzzzzs, I’ll add more pictures and provide a recap of the show.

I think all in all there was more Hulk related artwork in case you were wondering.

Update: Take a look at my recap of the show for more photos and details. Or you can visit my Flickr set.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008 from 7 to 11 p.m.

Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight
7020 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

After the craziness of the season is over and 2008 begins, don’t forget about your chance to see Stan “The Man” Lee. “Under The Influence: A Tribute to Stan Lee” show at Gallery 1998 in Los Angeles, CA. Opening night on Jan. 8, 2008 from 7-11 PM!

Gallery 1988 and Golden Apple Comics will present “Under The Influence: A Tribute To Stan Lee,” an epic art show featuring almost 100 artists paying homage to comic book legend Stan Lee by painting his creations and tales in their own styles. The show runs from Jan 8th - Feb 1st, 2008. Mr Stan Lee will be in attendance at the opening reception!

It will be a night to remember for any comic fanboy. It will be Marvel-ous!

The Crazy 4 Cult show was a packed with happy people coming to see their favorite art and artists. I had lots of fun seeing everyone and enjoyed all that super artwork. Everyone in LA must have been there after they heard that it was hosted by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. In the interest of time, enjoy my collection of snapshots from the show in this slideshow. Enjoy the entertaining artwork!

Opening Reception: Tuesday July 17, 2007 from 7 to 11 p.m.

Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight
7020 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Great work Jensen and Katie!

Update: Enjoy some of my snapshots of this fun event.

Don’t forget that the first annual Crazy 4 Cult is this Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 at Gallery 1988 in L.A. The show should be a lot of fun with over 50 artists showing off their skills with some original classic cult movie artwork. Here are just a a few thumbnails to whet your appetite. Just click to enjoy the full cult classic art goodness.

Edward’s Losing by Greg “Craola” Simpkins	Reefer Madness by Dan Goodsell	Leon the Professional by Andrew Wilson

I really enjoy trying to guess the obscure classic movie references. What about you?

The first annual Crazy 4 Cult opens on July 17th, 2007 at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, CA. Over 50 artists put their own spin on classic cult films creating fantastic original artwork. The opening reception is co-hosted by cult movie icons Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier and Michael Rapaport. You can watch the trailers for this show and test your cult movie skills.

Gallery 1988 had a great iam8bit show and I expect this show will rock as well.

Note: Plasticgod’s Alex (from “A Clockwork Orange”) looks spot-on.

This year’s I Am 8-Bit show was super, and it’s getting bigger and more popular every year. This year I made it to the opening night of the show and thankfully got there early. A long line formed out the door and around the block by the time they opened the doors to the public. I ran into Jon Gibson, the man behind the show, and congratulated him on getting everything ready for this big show. He was busy, but took some time and chatted with me for a bit as we entered Gallery 1988. A lot of press crews were there setting up their cameras and lights while interviewing some of the artists. The gallery was pretty busy, even before the doors opened for everyone.

Luckily I was able to make it once around the gallery before too many people starting flowing it. That place was packed and it was shoulder to shoulder as the evening progressed. There were lots of excited fans, artists and lots of swell 8-bit art. I first saw Plasticgod since he stands out dressed in his unique stylish way and had a good chat with him. He suggested I take a look around and find his multiple pieces of artwork which were on display and catch back up with him later. So I started wandering around some more.

I looked for my friend Gabe Swarr, who I’m always excited to see. He was chatting with the press and doing some sketches for the camera. I had to come back and chat with him when he was less busy. Onward to more 8-bit art as I circled through the show amazed at all the different types of art that were on display. Paintings, sketches, figures and plush decorate the walls along with projected videos of old 8-bit games. I think I just saw Kid Icarus fly across the ceiling!

Next I see Liz Ito and her cute Link photo booth artwork. I know she’s been busy with a new job and moving, but it was great to see her. I know I mentioned this before, but you must check out her Tiger Lover with a Golden Voice clip. It’s groovy and really funny. As I continued, the place was starting to fill up fast and it became harder to navigate around.

I made it back to Gabe and he introduced me to his new wife, Carla. He’d talked about her so much before and we were so glad to finally meet her. Jon Gibson joined us as we all chatted for awhile to catch up on things, it was great. (Gabe and Carla make a really cute couple.) Then Gabe showed off his masterpiece paintings which included multicolored Marios and a Wario in need of some love. I could have chatted for longer, but more of his adoring public wanted a chance to chat with him. As I moseyed on along, a guy in red Mario overalls and hat began chatting with Gabe.

While making another lap around the gallery I noticed Luke Chueh was being interviewed by G4. He always does fine artwork and his Joust painting is no exception. Then I saw Greg “Craola” Simpkins who was being interviewed by Coin-Op TV. I waited until they were done, so I could chat with him and marvel at his painting. His Pac-Man pieces always make me feel like Pac-Man is growing old with me.

I met back up with Plasticgod to discuss his artwork. His Tron inspired acrylic on styrene piece really stands out with the bold primary colors. We discussed his upcoming projects and he’s got some great stuff coming up. As I wrapped up our chat, I noticed that the place was completely packed and it was about time to go. I said my goodbyes to everyone and shuffled off to the back of the gallery for one last final piece of 8-bit fun.

Behind the gallery, in the dim light, people were mingling, smoking, drinking and having a good time. In the midst of the crowd was the working 5-and-a-half foot Atari 2600 controller with some folks enjoying a game of Pitfall. Even in the darkness, I was lucky enough to spot Joe Ledbetter and he was glad that I spotted him. I got a snapshot of him and his friend, but I think I blinded him. After chatting with them for a bit it was time to head out.

I had a great time at the I Am 8-Bit show and recommend that if you have a chance, check out the show. It’s open until May 12 at the Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight in L.A. Thanks to the gallery, Jon Gibson and all the artists for everything and lets hope for another super show next year.

(I’d like to extend a special thank you to my lovely wife and my friend Dan Goodsell who accompanied me to the show.)

The I AM 8-BIT 2.007 was a blast and lots of people came to see their favorite art and artist. For me, it was great to see a lot of the talented artists again from last year’s show. In the interest of time, I’ve uploaded a lot of snapshots from the show for you to enjoy. After I get some sleep, I’ll add more and provide more details.

Update: Take a look at my recap of the show for more snapshots and details.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007 from 7 to 11 p.m.

Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight
7020 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038