Saturday, May 22, 2010

Bubble Rap Up





Last night, I attended the Bubble Rap 3 exhibition at coolspace at artspace at downtown Shreveport at whatever. It was a very cool show. There were lots of new faces in the crowd and a few familiar ones. It wasn't just the Bubble Rap show, but two other art shows as well. Let me attempt to explain for those not in the know.

Artspace is a art gallery in downtown Shreveport. The building has two levels: the lower level is artspace and the upper level is coolspace. Occupying the artspace area was an exhibit called Pop! It was a very neat idea for an exhibit and I was very much looking forward to checking it out. However, the band Mudfoot, I mean, Dirtfoot was playing EXTREMELY LOUD ANNOYING MUSIC the entire time, so I didn't spend much time in the POP exhibit. (Not a Dirtfoot fan, just wanted to make that abundantly clear). Also, Mudfoot's stage took up almost 50 percent of the exhibit room and their annoying groupies were dancing their pretentious asses off. I felt embarrassed to be there. If they wanted a band to play at POP!, they should have called these guys: Click me.

In an attempt to reclaim some dignity, I retreated upstairs for some peace and quiet. The coolspace vibe was  much cooler. There was a laid-back, artistic atmosphere in the air. I like hobnobbing with fellow artists, but I always feel so out of place at these functions. Everyone looked so hip and trendy or bohemian. I was by far the biggest square there. But I'm fine with that. I gotta be me. So the coolspace area was divided into two sections: one section was devoted to the Tony Reans exhibit and the other was Bubble Rap 3. I enjoyed Tony Reans' artwork. My favorite piece was the Ray Gun. You can see his work: Click me.



Finally, last but not least, Bubble Rap 3. I had a great time talking with veteran Bubble Rap artist Micah Harold. He was exhibiting a great cartoony depiction of 9-11. You can see some of his other art here. I spoke briefly with Michael Phillips, creator of Adequate Man. He also was showing a fantastic oil painting. I had a great conversation with Chris Jay of the Robinson Film Center. He really loved my Roofus strip and he is now a fan.

Artwork by Micah Harold. The title of the 9-11 piece is Smile, Darn Ya Smile. 

Michael Phillips with Adequate Man art.


So that's pretty much it. It was great opening reception. Remember, all the exhibits I mentioned open today. If you're in the Shreveport-Bossier area, get cultured and check out some cool art by some very cool people. All the info you need is right HERE.

One Last Thing: When I was talking with Michael Phillips, I was approached by an inquiring gentleman. He asked me, "Are you Brad Campbell?" I replied, "Yes." He then introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Brad Campbell." His name was actually Brad Campbell. It was very humorous to me to meet another person with my exact same name. I found that it was very appropriate to experience such a surreal moment at an art show.

Here are some of my personal favorites:
 Tangerine Girl by Brandon Jenkins

 Calling Card by Brandon Jenkins






Update: Here are some pics from the POP! art exhibit that was being held on the main floor of artspace. It was a cool exhibit featuring artwork created with bubble wrap.





7 comments:

  1. Wait, so downstairs was a bubble wrap exhibit called Pop!, and upstairs was a pop art exhibit called Bubble Rap?

    Looks like it was a good time, minus Mud Butt. I mean Toe Jam. Whatever they are called.

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  2. I'm such a schmuck for not going to that.

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  3. Don't sweat it Jeff. The exhibit hangs thru July 10, so you've got ample time to check it out.

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  4. Brad, thanks for posting the art. Wish I coulda been there. Rufus looks like he's evolved. It has that signature "vector art" look to it. I'm teaching Illustrator cs4 over the summer. brings back distant memories of your class in the 90's.

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  5. It was a fun opening reception. It's a very good collection of artists this year. It is without a doubt the strongest Bubble Rap exhibit ever. Yeah, Roofus has evolved a lot over the years. His design has been simplified from my college days. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  6. Hey Brad, I loved your pieces at the show! Sorry I didn't get to actually meet you in person. I painted two of the pieces you included above - tangerine girl and the calling card (the joker). Glad you liked them and posted them! =)

    I just added you on facebook. Hit me up sometime, I'd love to check out more of your work.

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  7. Thanks Brandon. Be sure to check out my blog. I also post blog updates on FB. Great work on your two entries. I'll add the titles and your credit to my blog post. Thanks for commenting.

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