Micromentalist Group Show: featuing James Peterson

HOWL GALLERY PRESENTS: MICROMENTALISTS GROUP SHOW

OPENING RECEPTION SEPTEMBER 3RD DURING FORT MYERS ART WALK

The Micromentalists are an art collective originally based out of Chicago. The general philosophy of the group is that art need not be "monumental" in scale to be important. The group was created in 2006 by the late painter, sequential artist, and Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago Animation Professor, Patrick W. Welch. The show will feature work by founding members Patrick Welch, Bill Drummond, Steve Keene, Paul Nudd, James Peterson, and Eric Doeringer. Additionally, James Peterson will be taking tattoo appointments on Friday, September 3rd, before Art Walk, and also on Saturday, September 4th, as a guest artist at HOWL Gallery/Tattoo.

Excerpt from the debut Micromentalists show in Chicago, 2007:

Art movements don’t come around very often. It’s been 40 years since the Hairy Who put Chicago on the art-world map. Now there’s a new art movement, complete with a manifesto full of bluster and pseudo-Marxist rhetoric, they’re called the Micromentalists. They reject the idea of monumental art in museums and commercial galleries. They think art should be small and affordable but still challenging, and hanging in EVERYONE’S home.

Micromentalists founder Patrick W. Welch, best known for his “miniature hate paintings,” has assembled an extraordinary group of like-minded artists to launch the movement. There’s Bill Drummond, the man who once burnt 1,000,000 pounds sterling, Steve Keene the self-proclaimed “most prolific artist in America,” and Brooklyn enfant terrible Eric Doeringer whose bootlegs—copies of modern masters—are sold from his table on the streets of Chelsea daily.

Work will range from Smoov Brainz and Grave Dubz’s tiny collaborative paintings, Paul Nudd’s strange little blobby doodles, to 20,000ths of a Richard Long photograph, which Drummond is offering incrementally for a few dollars each.

The late founder of Micromentalism, Patrick Welch, was also a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design during the years that HOWL Gallery Co-Owner, Andy Howl, attended the school. Andy was in talks with Patrick to do this show around the time of his death, and this show is dedicated in his memory. The Micromentalists are now coordinated by James Peterson, MFA The School of the Art Inisitute of Chicago and currently a tattoo artist at Rogue Parlour Tattoo in Arizona. James will be in attendance during the Opening Reception and is now taking tattoo appointments for Friday September 3rd during the day and Saturday September 4th. See below for tattoo photos and appointment information.

An Opening Reception will be held on Friday, September 3rd, in conjunction with Fort Myers Art Walk from 6-10pm. Light refreshments provided. Live music by Cosmic Mountain on the HOWL back patio from 8-10pm. Exhibit continues through September 29th.

GUEST TATTOO ARTIST JAMES PETERSON AT HOWL
September 3rd & 4th ONLY
Now booking appointments. Call 239-332-0161 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

THE UPCOMING HOWL GALLERY MICROMENTALIST ART SHOW WILL BRING GUEST TATTOO ARTIST JAMES PETERSON FROM ROGUE PARLOUR TATTOO IN TUSCON ARIZONA.
James is part of the Micromentalist Art Collective from Chicago and current torch bearer since the untimely death of Micromentalist founder Patrick Welch in late 2008. James holds an MFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

CALL NOW TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH JAMES (239) 332-0161
Available during the upcoming September Art Walk Weekend only. Friday until 6pm and Saturday.

HOWL GALLERY/TATTOO PRESENTS GALAXIES UNITED

OPENING RECEPTION APRIL 1^st DURING FORT MYERS ART WALK

HOWL Gallery/Tattoo presents “Galaxies United”, a new exhibit featuring the artwork of Stephen Hayford and Robert Hendrickson, both Lucasfilm artists living in Southwest Florida. The show features photographs of hand-crafted dioramas by Stephen Hayford and the graphically bold watercolor works of Robert Hendrickson.

Stephen Hayford is an award-winning photographer, working in photojournalism for more than 20 years. His journalistic work influences his art, which is approached from the perspective of a documentarian. Hayford creates elaborately detailed dioramas which he populates with customized action figures which are less than four inches tall. He then photographs these unique scenes with great attention to light, subtle gestures, and compositional storytelling. Thus he creates realistic, and sometimes exaggerated, portraits of human behavior in plastic.Hayford’s interest in plastics grew out of his childhood fascination for toys and passion for Star Wars. He channels this youthful passion as an official artist for Lucasfilm. His personal work reflects the peculiarities he encounters as a Florida resident.

Robert Hendrickson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. At a young age he showed an interest in the arts that eventually lead him to the Art Center College of Design. Since launching his career as a freelance illustrator, Robert has created artwork for the entertainment, advertising, book and magazine industries. Past and current clients include Lucasfilm, The Jim Henson Company, Time Inc, Topps, IDG Entertainment and more. In 2005, Robert began officially creating artwork for the Star Wars universe. His work can be seen in the pages of Star Wars Insider to limited edition prints for Star Wars Celebration IV, V and Star Wars Celebration Japan.

The opening reception for “Galaxies United” will be held Friday, April 1^st, in conjunction with the downtown Fort Myers Art Walk, from 6-10pm. The evening will also be a celebration of HOWL Gallery/Tattoo’s 2 Year Anniversary, and will feature a raffle with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Animal Refuge Center in North Fort Myers. The exhibit continues through April. For more information, please visit www.howlgallery.com, www.stephenhayford.com, or www.roberthendrickson.net.