MARCEL DZAMA

Winnipeg, Manitoba | CANADA

Well established in the modern art community worldwide, Marcel Dzarma is known for small, ink and watercolor illustrations depicting simplistic scenes featuring people and animals in a variety of situations (although he does do a considerable amount of work in larger format sculpture).

"Using watercolors and inks and root beer - his secret ingredient - Dzama draws delicately shaded, finely realized figures in all sorts of trouble. His works on paper are small in scale but impressive in their range of subjects and in the finesse of the draftsmanship. This is surrealism that treads the line between humor and tragedy, and teeters between normalcy and perversion." - Brut Sauvage in a review of Marcel Dzarma's work.

WEBSITE: N/A
INQUIRIES: Dzarma has managed to become a very hot artist among Collectors, and the prices fetched for his works have risen to levels beyond the scope of this site ($2500 and below). However, some of his pieces can be found at or below $2500 if you're willing to look around. Start at David Zwirner (NY). Also try Greg Kucera Gallery.
All images Copyright Marcel Dzama.

SHEPARD FAIREY

San Diego, CA | USA

Shepard Fairey's work is typically more familiar to kids skateboarding on the steps of museums, than it is to the people browsing inside. With his iconic Andre the Giant "Obey" sticker campaign, Fairey's mocking of commercialism has become omnipresent in many cities throughout the US and beyond.

But Fairey's work is far more than just the stickers and stencils he is best known for. His art is always clever, often political, and typically very divisive depending on where the observer stands on war, social acceptance, and the role of politics and big business in shaping culture . By utilizing polarizing figures such as Mao and Lenin in his work, Fairey champions individual thought over the blinding forces of oppression of the masses. Although most of his work is driven by the concepts behind the "Obey" sticker campaign, his pieces are anything but simplistic graffiti works.

In his art, Fairey covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to music. Rappers; rockers; Republicans ... they all have a place in Fairey's work, even thought they may not be treated with equal reverence and respect. Fairey's work is addicting and interesting, no matter what the subject matter, and he is in extremely high demand both as an artist, and as a progressive iconic figure of today's youth.

WEBSITE: www.obeygiant.com
INQUIRIES: Shepard Fairey's work can be found at galleries throughout the country, such as Merry Karnowsky Gallery , but the best place to go is his own website, Obey Giant. Prices start at $30+ for limted edition prints signed and numbered by the artist (a typical edition size may be of 300 - 400).
All images Copyright Shepard Fairey.

AMY RUPPEL

Portland, OR

Amy Ruppel was suggested by GALLER|b visitor Holly of holly's plate (she just happens to also be my significant other). Ruppel's work is gaining quite a bit of noteriety through the blogosphere, and has also shown in galleries concentrated in the Pacific northwest U.S.

Her work has a gentle and inviting tone, and a lot of it is on a small scale, which works well with the subject matter and colors. If you dig a little deeper, you'll find out that Ruppel is a very talented graphic designer. Her background in commercial design can be seen in some of her pieces where sketches creep into the overall painting (I like this style), but her work doesn't give any hints that she's having to force herself from her graphic design background.

She uses an interesting assortment of materials, including paper, oils, wood (panel and box), and a beeswax/resin mixture. Find a nice small space and her work will brighten it, for sure.

WEBSITE: www.amyruppel.com
INQUIRIES: Start with her website. Her original work ranges from $100 to $450 and beyond. Interestingly, she also offers up new work periodically on her site, which she makes for available for sale. The next one is September 13th at 10am (PT).
All images Copyright Amy Ruppel.

SHAG [Josh Agle]

Los Angeles, USA

Over the past six months, it seems there are a mass of websites, articles, and magazines that can't get enough of the work of American contemporary artist Shag.

Shag, whose name is a combination of two letters from Agle's first and last names, is a highly popular and wildly creative artist who's style is often duplicated by others. A cross between lounge-lizard and tiki tacky, Shag's work is decadence at its finest, always integrating scenes of people enjoying life.

Although his original paintings are out of the scope of this site from a cost perspective, signed and numbered serigraphs of Shag's paintings are available for even a couple hundred dollars.

His subject matter, colors, and the comic/fun feel of everything he creates blends to leave behind unforgettable works that are easily recognizable and appreciated. You'll want to fill up a high-ball, put on some Dean Martin and start throwing around retro-hipster lingo.

WEBSITE: www.shag.com
INQUIRIES: Several websites on the Internet, but try Shagmart or Modern Gallery Palm Springs. Signed & numbered serigraphs starting around $200+.
All images Copyright SHAG.