WOW! I LOVE the work of San Francisco based Akira Beard!

“Made in America, by an American, for all Americans…” …the artworks consist of pop-iconic portraits that best symbolize the concept being described for that particular painting. Some of the ideas that I work with include identity, consumerism, defining art, altruism, individualism, and so on. The medium is watercolor, acrylic, paint marker, ink, and graphite on paper. The process begins with the concept, and from there I choose the figure that would be the poster person for such. From there it becomes a form follows function pursuit using the aesthetics/ mediums to visually express the desired idea/feeling, resulting in a loaded portrait. ~ Akira Beard

This just in from our buddy Jason Polan: I am excited to announce that Taco Bell Drawing Club is five years old!  We have grown from one member to over 150 laminated membership card holders, we have made exclusive apparel (a t-shirt), we have had meetings in over 25 states, we have made over 10 books, and we have drawn a lot of terrific pictures!

There will be special meetings over the next month all over the country.  A meeting will take place this Thursday from 7:15pm on at the Taco Bell on 14th Street in Manhattan.  The following week there will be meetings in San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento, and the week after that there will be meetings in the Los Angeles Area.  There are also upcoming Taco Bell Drawing Clubs in Michigan. More info @ drawingattacobell.blogspot.com/

As a long time card carrying member of the Taco Bell Drawing Club, i’m very excited to help celebrate. Just as we begin to celebrate 10 years of Faesthetic, the Taco Bell Drawing Club is entering the second half of their first decade. 3 cheers for self initiated fun!

An animated gif paranoia about nonstop design workers.

I’m looking forward to picking up this new book by Billy Schon featuring a ton of graffiti from NYC’s constantly evolving scene. As Billy puts it, “Because New York City has made a concerted effort to remove graffiti from the city, the images captured here will never be seen again.” Which to me is a compelling enough reason to check out the book. We need more graffiti archivists!

OK… I KNOW… I POST TOOOOOO MUCH ABOUT JASON POLAN! thing is… I don’t care. I love the motherfucker. Here’s a link to a BBC story about Jason. How fucking awesome is that?

Don’t let this shitty economy stop you from buying art to cheer up your life. Why not take a look at Marcie Paper’s Recession proof paintings? Dirt cheap, and quite nice.

Our good buddy Jason Polan has been written up in a fantastic Los Angeles Times article. Congrats buddy boy! You’re going far!