Ledkins - Mono

I haven’t always liked stretching canvas and never thought I would be doing it on a regular basis but these days, it has become more of an adventure than a chore. It is the sponge that soaks up all the thoughts going on in my head. Having an overactive imagination since a very young age, it has always made sense to me that any artwork I develop should be composed of these vivid thoughts. What used to take form in crayons and pencil, evolved into pen and ink drawings, spray painted murals and computer graphics, and has further morphed into the acrylic paintings I create these days. My childhood obsessions with Disney cartoons, Lorne Greens’ New Wilderness and books such as Watership Down and The Phantom Tollbooth have become fodder for my work as it develops today. I have become increasingly interested in the rabbit holes we fall down when daydreaming. So many have created worlds in their art in which to escape and inhabit, and for others to enjoy. We have seen glimpses of them in Narnia, Wonderland, Middle Earth, Neverland, and Hanalee. As homage to these types and shadows of other lands, I have attached the all-encompassing title,Influenced by classic animation, graphic design, and daily life, Joe Ledbetter's art is... well... a lot of things. Light-hearted in its approach, he often combines cute and cuddly creatures with unfortunate — albeit humorous — situations. With a lean on the subversive and absurd, these scenarios are all too familiar, questioning our tendency of taking life (and ourselves) too seriously. While working as a graphic apparel artist for three years, Ledbetter got involved in the Los Angeles underground art scene, beginning with group shows like Cannibal Flower. By the summer of 2004, he had honed his trademark visual style of emblematic line-work, vibrant colors, and endearing characters to the point of quitting his day job. With international appeal, he has had numerous solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Paris, Rome, Toronto, Taipei, Istanbul, and Amsterdam. His incredible cast of creatures have since been emblazoned on over 100 designer vinyl toys, as well as apparel and lifestyle brands, the world over.The Vivisect Playset thematically focuses on the dissection and reconstruction of animals to demonstrate human emotion, and 7 artists that particpate regularly in the annual show have devised an incredible range of original character designs. The series features designs by Anthony Ausgang, Luke Chueh, Thomas Han, Peter Gronquist, Joe Ledbetter, Greg Simkins, Amanda Visell - plus a special collaborative design by Joe Ledbetter and Greg Simkins.Based in San Francisco, CA but catering to the world at large, STRANGEco creates and distributes unique, high-quality design-oriented consumer products. Working closely with contemporary artists from a variety of subculture art genres – pop surrealism, graffiti & street art, independent comics, illustration, graphic design and others – STRANGEco takes original character design and transforms it into beautiful three dimensional art objects. Founded in 2002 by Gregory Blum and Jim Crawford, STRANGEco has become a dynamic force in the worldwide “Art Toy” movement with a reputation for the highest quality, best produced and intricately realized items. STRANGEco has produced hundreds original products from designs by a literal “who’s who” of contemporary art: Gary Baseman, Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Jeremy Fish, FriendsWithYou, James Jarvis, Mars-1, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Todd Schorr, Tokidoki, Jim Woodring and others. STRANGEco goods can be found in fine retailers worldwide, including art, design and gift stores, boutique toy stores, lifestyle and apparel shops, museum stores, comic, record and bookshops, and a select number of lifestyle-oriented national retailers.STRANGEco presents The Vivisect Playset, our new multi-artist mini figure series featuring Anthony Ausgang, Luke Chueh, Peter Gronquist, Thomas Han, Joe Ledbetter, Greg Simkins and Amanda Visell! The Vivisect Playset is based on an annual group art show, curated by artist Luke Chueh and hosted by Gallery 1988. The show runs every December at Gallery 1988's San Francisco location and thematically focuses on the representation of animals that demonstrate the human condition. With the toy series, we have chosen seven of the core artists from the art show, whose designs lend themselves well to plastic. The Vivisect Playset toy series features seven original designs, one by each artist, plus a special collaborative design by Joe Ledbetter and Greg Simkins. Blind/mystery box packaging, with special "chase" figures, too. See below for figure and chase ratios! UPDATE - BLIND BOX ASSORTMENT RATIOS: * Clean One/Anthony Ausgang: 3 in 24 * Mugs Bunny (sad face version)/Luke Chueh: 3 in 24 * Stella and 'roo/Peter Gronquist: 3 in 24 * Slugworth/Thomas Han: 3 in 24 * King of the Deadbeets/Joe Ledbetter: 3 in 24 * Scurvy Nevil/Greg Simkins: 3 in 24 * Baby-Eating Crocodile/Amanda Visell: 3 in 24 * Ledkins/Joe Ledbetter and Greg Simkins: 1 in 48 * Mugs Bunny (jagged mouth version)/Luke Chueh: 2