MASH-UPS

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I can't throw anything out, so the vine which was attached to the tomato I bought, was left on the kitchen table to dry. Then I noticed what perfect arms and legs it had. "I've got the perfect head for you, little guy, but where was it?" It took six months before I came across it. (I don't look for things anymore at the studio, I just have to come across it again.) As the vine dried up more its shape changed and the lovely green changed to brown so I painted him up nice and green again. Don't get scared. 

 

Here is the Mars-1 figure that I was saying I did not like so much because it seemed that the head was missing. There was a stump but no head.  Then I so happened to find a cowboy guy with no head....and their colors were so perfect for each other. More exciting than the Cowboys and Aliens film, wouldn't'cha say? 

INVISIBLE PLAN

These are the most incredible vinyl figures I own! Designed by the out of this world artist/ painter MARS-1 and produced through the company Strangeco in 2006. I am showing 9 of the 12 in the set which is called INVISIBLE PLAN. There is a set in each of the two color fields, brown or green. The one drawback or mystery (whatever you prefer) is that you did not know which one you were purchasing when you bought a box. The only thing you could do is feel the weight of the box to see if you have a larger figure or smaller figure. I only have 10 of them because of this. I was pretty lucky using this method and only had a couple doubles. 

I am only unhappy with one of the figures that I have  because it seems that it is missing a head. I know this is a weird statement because it's not as if the rest of them are normal figures. These are certainly way out of the box more so than anything I have seen. This one below is one of my favorites because it is of the regular two inch size like a lot the other small plastic figures such as army guys or cowboys and indians, so amongst them all this figure is truly alien.

  

Merinuk's Huge Brains

©2011 Darren Merinuk - 11 x 17 poster

Aside from Merinuk's poster making abilities he may also have a huge brain. I'm not sure. I do know that he does have a huge collection of posters and vinyl covers that he's made throughout the years.

 

Here are a couple fabulous posters worthy of Smashmonster. The Misfists poster is from last year and my copy is a huge silk screen that I was lucky enough to stumble across while visiting my friend Frieso Boning who owns Omniscreen, who are the ones that printed this. The Brains is from right now and is all over Winnipeg as a 11 x 17 poster. I hope there is a large SS version as well. Love that Yellow, Green and Black combo. Good job! You can find Darren on Facebook.

©2010 Darren Merinuk - 15.25 x 23 in. -3 color silk screen - printed by Omniscreen

 

Minotaur_Hong_Kong_Phooey

No one told me Hong Kong would be like this!

©2011 Don Bindas  - acrylic on wood - 26 x 26 inches  

Yay, I own this panting and I LOVE it!

 

Its got COLOR smashing your brain, It's got ACTION to to keep you on your toes, it's got VICTORY to keep you happy & it's got MYSTERY to get you thinking!

 

Well it's got me thinking anyway. I don't think the artist will agree with me, but I think these two characters look pretty happy together. I think they're a team and ready to chop and strangle some heads. They just pretend to fight, then when the enemy gets curious enough and decides to pick sides and help out to eliminate one of these dudes, POW! The enemy is no more.

     

This is what Don Bindas has to say -

"The minotaur painting (I don't remember the title but it probably seems inappropriate at first)... Hmmm. It originally started out as a painting about Canadian troops disembarking in Hong Kong during WWII but things changed about halfway through and it just got silly after that. It is mixed media. There is a lot of tissue paper incorporated in it as well as cheap acrylic paint used for textural purposes and it is painted on top of a thin plywood (balsaboard?). I used to play dungeons and dragons so maybe there is some of that leaking out. In addition to history and mysteries, have read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, some of which was dreadful, and that may also be influencing me."

 

"Is there any deeper message underlaying the piece? Possibly but if so it hasn't revealed itself to me. I often wonder why I am painting something only to understand it after it's finished. Sometimes there is humour or playfulness but there can be a deeper or darker aspect to it as well. Some are still too personal for me to discuss."

Don Bindas is my friend and I feel is turning into a fine painter who I can see has loads of fun. Through his wacky ideas and methods he works up a storm, then like a tornado, his work leaves your brain all twisted and scattered across the room trying to find its way back to sanity.