Posted on

“Well Read” Exhibition FAQs

“Well Read” Exhibition – April 6th – 8th 2017

What is “Well Read”?

Well Read is a new body of work by Justin Hillgrove consisting of over 20 original acrylic paintings and more than 15 framed drawings, all themed around reading and books. Each piece of art is accompanied by a short story, description or poem. “I wanted an exhibition that would allow viewers to stop at each piece and become immersed in the story and details for a time before moving on to the next. A show that was a complete experience…”

Joining Justin will be Author/Illustrator John Skewes, celebrating the tenth anniversary of his best-selling children’s book series “Larry Gets Lost” with a show of artwork from the series. John will be signing Tenth Anniversary Editions of “Larry Gets Lost in Seattle” and “Seattle ABC” during the art walk.

[Click HERE for Facebook Event Page]

Want to see the show, but can’t make it in person?

The show preview will be posted on Justin’s blog Thursday at 7:00pm, an hour after the physical show opens. If there is an original you are interested in purchasing during the opening (4/6/17 6-10pm PST), you may call 206-799-3863 to see if it is still available and make the purchase over the phone (shipping extra). Originals still available after the show will either be sent to galleries or may be purchased on ImpsAndMonsters.com.

Just will also likely be posting show images (and maybe video) via social media during the exhibition, so follow him here:
Instagram: @impsandmonsters
Twitter: @impsandmonsters
Facebook: @impsandmonsterspage

Giveaways

I will be giving away a bookmark (while supplies last) to those attending the opening. Additional bookmarks may be purchased at the show or online.

If I purchase an original, can I take it with me right away?

No – The original paintings and drawings will stay hanging until the show ends on Saturday night so that they may be seen and enjoyed by all who attend. Purchased originals may be picked up at the Piranha Shop at 7pm on Saturday(4/8), and those remaining will be shipped or otherwise delivered to their new owners starting on the following Monday.

Will prints be available?

Yes – Both open edition and giclée prints will be available for purchase during the show. They will also be available online once the show opens.

When and where is the exhibition?

Opening Night:
First Thursday, April 6th, 2017 6p – 10p PST

Show Hours:
Thursday, Apr 6th, 6p – 10p
Fri, Apr 7th, 11a – 8p
Sat, Apr 8th, 11a – 7p

Location:
The Pirahna Shop – 1022 1st Ave. South Seattle, WA 98134

Who is Justin Hillgrove?

Justin is a Pacific Northwest artist, well-known for his paintings of monsters, robots, pop art and parody.  He also creates board games, comics and toys. He has been showing his work in shows and galleries since 2005.

Who is John Skewes?

John is a former Disney artist and illustrator of more than 20 children’s books. He is the author and illustrator of the award-winning Larry Gets Lost picture book series.

Posted on

New Beginnings

Preview

Justin’s Exhibition Preview Online – CLICK HERE

Jesse’s Exhibition Preview Online – CLICK HERE

NEW BEGINNINGS

ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
6pm – 11pm

THE PIRANHA SHOP • 1022 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 • www.thepiranhashop.com

“New Beginnings” is an exhibition of new, original works by Justin Hillgrove and Jesse Link opening for 1 night only during First Thursday Art Walk at The Piranha Shop, located in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. Originals will become available during the show (6-11am PST) and if you cannot make it in person, don’t panic. You can check my back here a few hours before the show to preview Justin’s pieces and there will be a phone number listed that you can call during show hours for checking availability and purchasing originals. 

See Jesse Link’s website for more info on Jesse and his pieces or email him at JESSELINK1@GMAIL.COM

Note: After the one night show, the remaining pieces will be hung at Bauhaus Coffee on Market Street in Ballard.
So, Jesse Link and I talked off and on about doing a show together for awhile last year and we are excited that it is finally happening. We both have very different but complimentary styles, and so one of the highlights of preparing for the show has been working on a large collaborative painting with him. We passed it back and forth, adding our own touches and style to the piece and we are both really happy with the result.

My pieces for “New Beginnings” are comprised mostly of scenes where the remnants of old robots are laying about like the leftovers from an old war, and nature and its creatures have reclaimed the land making their homes in or around the wreckage. It was so great to be working on a cohesive body of work again. It’s been 2 years since I’ve done that and it lends a sense of purpose and direction to the work. I’m really looking forward to the show and have really enjoyed planning this all out with Jesse, along with the help of our friend Sheri Hauser (United Creations), former owner of the gallery “Tasty” in Greenwood.

THE PIRANHA SHOP • 1022 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 • www.thepiranhashop.com

Produced by Sheri Hauser at United Creations
Print

join-event-facebook

About Justin Hillgrove

Justin Hillgrove grew up in Snohomish, WA and has been enjoying artistic expression since he was old enough to color on the walls. Mostly self taught, he spent many years in the design industry before setting out on his own to spend his days paintings monsters, robots, and other such nonsense. In the last 15 years Justin has worked on everything from books and magazines to collectible card games and toys. His art can be found hanging in many locations and galleries in the USA and in homes all over the world. He currently lives in Washington with his wife, four kids, a host of chickens, and a dozen or so imaginary friends.

About Jesse Link

Jesse Link was born and raised in an small steel town outside of Pittsburgh P.A.. He graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Industrial Design and studied graphic design at West Liberty University. Jesse also fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom and spent a couple years in New Orleans helping the Post Katrina re-construction effort. In 2007, Jesse moved to Seattle, WA and to pursue Visual Art as a career. Since that time he has participated in numerous Solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout Washington and California, has been awarded two public projects from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and has been invited to participate in many juried Art festivals, including the Bellevue Festival of the Arts, Bumbershoot and Folklife. Jesse has also completed commission work for Target and Apptio.

Posted on

“We’re All Mad Here”

Were All Mad Here

“We’re All Mad Here” (Steam Punk Alice in Wonderland). 18″ x 36″ Acrylics on canvas.
CLICK HERE FOR PRINTS

About once a year I like to do a new Alice in Wonderland painting and I decided awhile back that this year I’d like to tackle a steam punk version of the story. “We’re All Mad Here” started out as a REALLY rough sketch on part of an old mailing label during a frenzied moment of inspiration. I spent a couple hours doodling different layouts and then spent the entire next day fleshing out a good, tight sketch (pictured below):
sketch0204_800

I almost always struggle with what colors to use so I decided to do a rough color study in PhotoShop so I could at least get an idea of what values and colors to use in the painting. (pictured below). I tried a variety of different color schemes like desaturated siennas and browns and then a black, white and red scheme. They all looked okay, but not great. Finally I tried the variation below and felt really good about but I had been staring at it so long that I showed it to a few people first to make sure I hadn’t gone mad.
sketch0204 color FLAT_800

From there the actual painting on canvas progressed smoothly. Here are some work in progress shots (click on them to make them bigger) and the finished image is at the beginning of this post. I mostly kept to the sketch just deviating on the details. My favorite detail are the tea bags sticking out of the Hatter’s suit pocket. Anyways, hope you like it and thanks for reading…

Alice WIP_800 IMG_4370 AliceWIP2 AliceWIP3 IMG_4375 AliceWIP4

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTS

Posted on

Time Lapse Video “The Rescue” Acrylic Painting

 

Rescue_JustinHillgroveSketch-A-Day #162

Well, I finally took the time to finish editing and uploading the time-lapse video of me painting “The Rescue”, a 18″ x 36″ Acrylic painting on canvas based off one of my Sketch-A-Day’s (pictured above). Hope you enjoy the video!

 

Timelapse video – Justin Hillgrove (Imps and Monsters) creating a painting in acrylics from start to finish. “The Rescue” 18″ x 36″ Acrylics on stretched canvas.

Prints of “Refreshed” available here:
http://www.impsandmonsters.com/produc…

http://www.impsandmonsters.com
http://www.facebook.com/impsandmonste…
http://www.twitter.com/impsandmonsters
Instagram – impsandmonsters
Pinterest – impsandmonsters

©2014 Justin Hillgrove. All rights reserved.

Posted on 2 Comments

Timelapse Painting Demo

Here’s a timelapse video of me creating a painting in acrylics from start to finish with commentary. “Refreshed” 16″ x 20″ Acrylics on stretched canvas.

Prints of “Refreshed” available here:
http://www.impsandmonsters.com/shop/p…

PRODUCTS:

M. Graham Acrylic Paints-
http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UT…

Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid –
http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UT…

©2013 Justin Hillgrove. All rights reserved.