Megala...what? An evening with Abe Coley

Look at all those health food snacks!

Abe Coley made a run for dictator of West Montanastan this last First Friday with six separate shows at six different local businesses.  The overall event is titled Megalobamboozlementarianism: Abe Coley for Dictator of West Montanastan. His works are outrageously fun, overloaded, and filled with ingenious anecdotes and witty observations.  Many of the works are rather large and painterly with simple drawings of figures, faces, animals, plants, words and all sorts of other hullabaloo; while others remain simple little collages and drawings. The small drawings and collages seem like little jokes put in visual form.  

Abe led us on a walking tour of the different venues, feeding us health food snacks and pretty much just chillin' out with us.  I was kinda hoping he would make some kind of proclamation or speech at each venue, but no he kept it simple, non-nonchalant and let the work speak for itself....here's to that!  I am not sure there was a specific theme for the night, but some of the themes I found where love, love lost, scary, funny, prolific, animals, plants, big, overload, mashing, smashing, dripping, naked-ness, death, life, truth. Although, when I met with him the week before he did mention something about people getting screwed by rich people, a book about the conquest of the West, a sneaky politician, a grandiose weirdo, and that it is easier to ask for forgiveness later then ask permission first. So yeah.

The work is up for the month at 6 different venues.  To learn more and to find out where the different venues are go to www.abecoley.com.  Now...the pictures!

Terrorizer...one of my favs.

Detail

almost naked self-portrait in the garden! Yeah Abe, I like your style!

another detail

Peek-a-boo

Doilies, drunk rabbits and fire = dangerous

awwww he has a pet kitty

If you can tell me what instrument and what band this guy plays in then you will get a free artmelt book-when it comes out, and if we remember.

Abe makes you think!

Shit bro is right!

Abe's work accentuates anyone's style

Dogs on acid

 

detail

This was part of the 18 and over portion of the show

Tricia really liked this...how can you not!

Dig the Face & Party Lion!

i love this simple portrait...its like "Hey!"

what an awesome skull!

HA!

These were littered throughout all the shows...what's cooler the words or the lines?

Abe traveled by scooter to each show

Calling you....artmelt is a BOOK

artmelt is really excited to announce that we are making a custom, hand-bound, book of awesomeness, and we want you to be in it! See the call to artists at the end of the post.

When notions of artmelt first emerged 3 years ago or so, the idea was for it to be a print gallery. So every First Friday there would be this gallery that existed in print.  However, due to procrastination and lack of time and money we figured a blog would be the most tangible way to begin the melting of art.

But alas, the times have changed, and procrastination doesn't stand a chance.  artmelt will be releasing a custom made, hand-bound book, with multiple types of printing and original artworks scattered throughout. Yet, we need your help to fill it with great art, writing, information, rants...you name it we want it.

So here we are, doing the typical...we are posting a call to artists, and we might even be able to pay you...maybe. Click on the link below to read the full call to artists.

Link to full call to artists

Deadline is July 30th, 2011 for submissions and you can email your proposals and works to artmelt@gmail.com.  If you have originals to put in the book then we can arrange a drop off.