Keckin' It

Not Rigby

You may recognize the above. It's the first piece of art I purchased (as in, not a poster from Ikea or a writing/drawing trade from a college friend kind of thing.) It's this blog's mascot, and those of you who know me in the real world also know that its framed, fatter twin hangs near the staircase in my home. 

What you may not recognize is the artist, Michel Keck.  I have been following her growth for about two years now and cannot wait to see where it takes her in the future.  What's coincidental is I just mentioned/praised her a week or so ago in a post about art at the day job with no intention of doing a post just about her just yet. I'm in her "fanclub" or whatever, and have intended on sitting down to showcase her for quite some time. Today, I got notice she is debuting Michel Keck Fine Art in Lowell, IN this weekend. If I could make it, I'd be there in two shakes.

She's totally insane, you know. She does mixed media collages like the dog stuff, as well as other ones. Here's a favorite of mine (click here to see it blown up, it's so, so rad):

Hard Knock Life

She has a way of mixing colors and ideas in ways that make complete sense to me and I definitely plan on buying more of her stuff when I finally strike it rich. Perhaps I relate more to the above examples because I also collage or am more of a pop culture type versus an old school (or even art-educated) type. However, that doesn't mean she isn't talented in more formal or traditional ways.

She's equally, if not more, well-known and talented in the medium of abstract painting. I've read praise (and agree with it) stating most young artists are in some way representatives of their influences, whereas Keck is truly original. It's like you're seeing her pretty, organized, deranged mind with each new piece. She's American, she's pop art, and she's abstract expressionism, yet she's not Warhol or Pollack. 

In fact, she isn't even represented by an agent or gallery. She's considered one of the world's most successful self-repped artists in the world today. From 2003-06, she sold original pieces on Ebay, where she regularly broke records (her high being $42,000 in one flipping month!) From there she opened her online store and her gallery. Now she's moving on up to her newer, better location and I hope to visit in person at some point. In the meantime, if you can't afford her multi-thousand dollar pieces, that's okay. She's got everything from mid-priced giclee prints (with original signatures) to postcards and iPhone skins. Girl's got skill, people. 

Weg the Dog

Hansel and Gretel

Here's another peek into the art collection at my day job, William Wegman's "Hansel and Gretel." Wegman is most famous for incorporating his dogs into his art. In fact, in 1982, the Village Voice named his dog Man Ray "Man of the Year."

This, of course, is prompting me to make Rigby AltDaily's "Woman of the Year" for 2012. She also looks good in art, so I feel she can accomplish this dream:

collage by me (jESiO)

Pets in art is a tricky, slippery slope. When done well, it's great, and I think Wegman's a prime example of that. Michel Keck, of course, rocks at it. (She does dog collage. I own the Boston Terrier piece used as mascot for this blog.) However, it can get gimicky real quick. The last few Stockley Gardens I've gone to (they're Norfolk's bi-annual art festival) have had mediocre, faux pop, dog and cat portraitists en masse. And more show up every time! Yes, everyone wants a cute pic of their pet. No, that doesn't mean a generic stencil of a dog and adding five colors in blotches counts as "art."

We only own the one Wegman piece above, but here are a few more examples of his work (aka: the right way to incorporate animals into art):

"On Set"

"Canon Aside"