Anthony Lister : Quit your sobbing...

New Image Art is currently featuring Australian artist, Anthony Lister and his solo exhibition entitled, "Quit your sobbing and call me in the morning." If you are into collecting fine art and love emerging artists, Anthony is a sure bet. His graphic narrative embodies a street sense while capturing his humorous points of view. Oversized super heroes and their villains intermingle with fallen pop icons and cartoon heroes of days gone past. Anthony's exhibit featured a live performance of a female version of Captain America, outfitted in stiletto heels, large sucker and a tall neck beer. The performance was isolated in one of the viewing rooms, where the majority of the show was on view through a narrow slit through wood that was nailed into the door, permitting no escape.


Anthony's message is further illuminated in his homage to the late Heath Ledger depicted as the "Joker" while addressing the less glamorous aspects of pop culture. "Quit your sobbing..." is presented on many artistic levels including: performance, sculpture, paintings and drawings--which all together help define the fallen hero. No one is safe, including the once " Thriller King," Michael Jackson.


Lister hails from Brisbane, Australia. He's shown throughout Australia and has exhibited in NYC and London. He's prolific and tours often with his 2 children and wife from one major city location to the next. Anthony is returning to his second home, Brooklyn after his short stint in Los Angeles where he will be collaborating on a new book project with Murphy Art Books. Anthony is a great guy and delivers a "Rad" exhibit in Los Angles that everyone should check out.


Fortunately, I was able to acquire four drawings at the show to add into the Mark Murphy Art Collection. Kind thanks to Marsea Goldberg owner of New Image Art Gallery. And super thanks to Anthony for hangin out over lunch to chat it up about collaborating on a new book project. More soon.

Comic-Con + SuperHero Exhibit

Comic-Con, San Diego will be held July 23 through July 27 and will feature Murphy Art Books and Jeff Soto at booth No. 4833. The booth will feature new zines, prints, toys and artworks by Jeff Soto, along with a new art book. Other art books will be released for Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters, “Ghosts and Martyrs;” Ray Casesar’s first art collection; SILA, “No. 45 Art Collection;” along with new tShirts and zines.




Comic-Con, San Diego will also serve as a backdrop to celebrate art and culture in an exhibition entitled, “SuperHero.” “SuperHero,” curated by Mark Murphy, will feature artistic works by Jeff Soto, Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Alexei Vella, Joel Nakamura, and 25 other emerging artists.


Joel Nakamura : Cryogenics : 24" x 36"

More information soon, mark it down in your calendars and travel on down to San Diego, as Comic-Con is a not to miss event. More soon.

Kathie Olivas + Brandt Peters Exhibit

Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters have put together a great collaborative show together and featured at ThinkSpace Gallery entitled, “Mergers and Acquisitions.” The show features 20 new paintings and 10 inspired custom sculpts. One of the great stand out pieces, is “Hysteria,” which features one of Kathie’s “Misery Kids” and Brandt’s curious devil creatures. And if you look closely, you will find a new rabbit character featured in Kathie and Brandt’s upcoming book “Ghosts and Martyrs” or “Martyrs and Ghosts” depending on which side of the book you start off with.


What is cool about Kathie and Brandt’s book, to be released in June 2008, is that you get a collection of paintings painted by each artist individually and collaboratively. This is the premier collection of their works and it is sure to sell out, so get your copy soon.






You can check out Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters collaborative paintings at Thinkspace Art Gallery located at 4210 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90029. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm. You can check them out at www.sourharvest.com/thinkspace/

Brandon Boyd and Jeff Soto Winners

Before this entry begins, please note: "Awards and accolades for accomplishments are moments of realization that I can do better than this."

On Friday night, April 4, 2008, The San Diego Ad Club hosted the Addys Creative Show : It was a fun event, as my partners in crime, Ninthlink, were on hand to rebel rouse and stir the goodness : There were many non traditional pieces that earned awards for their clever copy writing and innovative creative. The "best piece in show," in my opinion, was the animation and production work of SHILO, check them out at www.shilodesign.com, they did a series of inspirational television spots for SCION, and they are one of the best studios in San Diego :



Murphy Design was honored with a few rewards/awards and the prized bronze Addy statue : Congratulations goes out to Brandon Boyd, "From the Murks of the Sultry Abyss," who has continued to believe in me, the design process and has continued to push his art. The second Brandon Boyd book earned a Gold Addy and a special Judges Choice award--pretty rocking :


Special congratulations goes out to Jeff Soto, for the "Lucky 13" Calendar and Zine package, as this handsome gift set earned a "People's Choice" Award and a Silver Addy : This was a cool honor, as the Ad people selected this package as an innovative example for self-promotion in the arts category :



And then there were Mark Murphy/Murphy Design projects that are all about spreading the good word, promoting and developing non-traditional creative works : The first was the "OIL" zine, which received a "People's Choice" Award and a Silver Addy : The "OIL" zine was featured in "Newsweek" Magazine in July of 2007, and was described as a "HOT" tip of the week, letting the "Newsweek" faithful know that oil and monsters do make sense on a national scale :


The second Silver Addy received by Murphy Design was for the Murphy Books catalogue that promotes great artists: Ray Caesar, Jeff Soto, Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Cathie Bleck, Martha Rich, Brandon Boyd, Joe Sorren and so many others : This catalogue was handed out at last year's San Diego Comic Con and Art Basel in Miami : If you are interested in receiving one, just send me an email with your address and I will make it happen :

Award shows are cool, as it rewards clients willing to take a chance to promote their business, visually define their brand and make a statement : The San Diego Addys has been a great form over the past 6 years, as Murphy Design has acquired 2 Best of Shows (back-to-back), 3 People's Choice Awards, 12 Gold Addys, 8 Silver Addys and 2 Bronze Addys : Special thanks to the culturally aware, an amazing army of artists, great friends and partners--Ninthlink, Tim Mantoani, P-Jay Fidler, and so many other talented folks : Super thanks :

Jeff Soto Book No. 2 News

Jeff Soto and Mark Murphy will be teaming up to work a new art book, the follow up to the sold out “Potato Stamp Dreams.” This book has not been titled as of yet, but will feature paintings from 2005 through 2008 and the successful exhibitions, “Super Nova,” “Cold Ice Age,” “Storm Clouds” and will feature all of his paintings featured in national exhibitions.


The second Jeff Soto book will be a featured at at Comic-Con, held in San Diego, July 24 through July 27 -- Booth No. 4833. Comic-Con will also feature a shared booth between Jeff and Mark Murphy at the Murphy Art Books booth. If you attend, every purchase comes with a free Jeff Soto calendar and we will have mini zines, specialty prints, and a few of the Potato Stamp Dreams books available. Jeff will be on hand to custom draw and autograph one-of-a-kind products.


Jeff Soto will also be featured in his first solo museum exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, California) in December of 2008. Jeff will be creating all new work, as well as a dimensional wall and ceiling installation. All work will be carefully archived including concept sketches, preliminary drawings and paintings and dimensional studies. Murphy Design, Jeff Soto and the Riverside Art Museum will be collaborating on an exhibition catalog that will document the entire exhibition, as well as review the development of Jeff’s latest creative output.


More information to be posted about all of the events listed above. Until then, feel free to check out www.comic-con.org and www.riversideartmuseum.org

In the Land of Retinal Delights

In the Land of Retinal Delights, the Juxtapoz School logo design


In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz School is a summer exhibition organized and featured at the LAGUNA ART MUSEUM. The show is curated by Meg Linton and Mark Murphy has been chosen to design and produce the catalogue along with Ginko Press featuring essays created by Michael McManus.


In the Land of Retinal Delights, the Juxtapoz School Book Cover featuring Robert Williams


Exhibition Overview :
In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz School is an exhibition that presents the work of 150 artists and posits that there has been a huge, but unacknowledged art movement taking place in this country for the last 40 years. Since 1994, this ground swelling of lowbrow, surrealistic, pop, figurative, narrative work has coalesced and found a voice in the pages of Juxtapoz magazine published in San Francisco. This rag has become the most widely read art magazine in the US. It is an influencing force on the aspiring artists of Generation Y and the Millenials, who are now enrolling in art schools in numbers never seen before.

In the Land of Retinal Delights: The Juxtapoz School on exhibition in Summer 2008 and will available for travel to other museums. Exhibition opens June 21, 2008. The following artist feature is only a partial listing :


Camille Rose Garcia grew up in the “vanilla” land of Orange County where she discovered her rebellious roots and love for Disneyland and old film noir cartoons. Camille paints from self published manifestos, that report her critical analysis of failed capitalistic enterprise and fallen utopia. Her characters occupy creepy, yet enchanted, dreamlands that capture creative inspiration from Phillip K. Dick, William Burroughs, Henry Darger, Walt Disney and Punk music. Camille actively exhibits, so check her out at www.camillerosegarcia.com


Andrew Shoultz currently resides in San Francisco, after traveling the United States to find a suitable home. Andrew practices a tireless exploration of “Man vs. Nature” themes, constructing modern day icons that service the art viewer with large-scale mythology that communicate social and political issues. SF Weekly reports “It's true that many so-called experts -- including curators at SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and owners of major galleries in San Francisco and Los Angeles -- believe he may be the next artist to make the crossover from the streets to the gallery in a big way.” Andrew’s work is complex and layered, check it out at www.andrewschoultz.com


Anthony Ausgang attended custom car shows and demolition derbies, in kind thanks to his Welsh Father who was looking for creative ways to assimilate into American culture. It was at this time when Anthony discovered Ed Roth and his infamous “Rat Fink.” Anthony’s Dutch Mother introduced her son to opera, fine art museums and orchestras. Fortunately, Anthony met Robert Williams who introduced him to “Low Brow” where it was possible to sell art work and develop a consistent voice for his work. Anthony has been featured in many museums exhibitions and collections. Check out one of the major contributors to the “Low Brow” art movement at www.ausgangart.com


Chris Mars was an integral part of the famed indie band, the Replacements, that is the past. Today, Minneapolis, Minnesota based artist, Chris Mars is a surrealist painter who captures the spirit of the mentally challenged, the disregarded, the oppressed and the persecuted. Religious and politically inspired themes captivate us, as an uncomfortable collection of portraits look back to you, inviting you in to analyze their unfortunate circumstance. More and more you look within the painting and discover castle walls, that enclose you in this hauntingly beautiful collection. For more information on Chris Mars and his book “Tolerance,” please visit www.chrismarspublishing.com


Moira Hahn, once worked for New York’s famed artist collaborative and design company, the Pushpin group who featured the illustrative talents of Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast. Moira illustrated books and animations for the group before moving on to study Japanese art in Hawaii and Japan. Moira is inspired by Persian miniatures, Tibetan Thanka paintings, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, Indian animal drawings and the guardian figures of China. Once all of these interests are mixed along with animae, sci-fi, and Tokyo pop icons, you end up with a colorful mix of god meets monster packed with supreme being surprise. Enjoy Moira’s inspired paintings at www.moirahahn.com

More soon, as there are many amazing artists featured at this exhibition :

Tim Mantoani Photo Web Site

Murphy Design was chosen to design Tim Mantoani's web site. Tim is a talented photographer who has an amazing eye for creative composition, especially when it comes to making professional athletes and celebrities look their best. Tim has helped me with all of my promotional images and image making for clients including Hanna-Barbera, Brandon Boyd, Chris Roberts and many other artists. Tim loves to photograph moments in culture that do not readily appear on the radar. He is a great talent and does a great job making photography look easy.

Featured below are some of Tim Mantoani's photographic images: Cuba, Lucha Libre of Mexico, Superman Festival and African American Rodeo. Enjoy. http://www.mantoani.com/