Gallery Stroll Tonight!

Tonight is the night. Artwork depicting one of the most epic movies of all time is now adorning our walls and ready to tickle your eyeballs with delight. Come stroll 3rd South tonight and check out our latest group show featuring art work honoring Star Wars. Here is a sneak peak to get you excited.

By Kat Martin

By Nic Miller

By Troy Henderson

By Darrell Driver

By Anthony Granato

By JJ Shelton

....And there's plenty more where that came from! We look forward to seeing your shining faces TONIGHT!

Upcoming: Star Wars Group Show

Hot off the heals of Stars Wars day, Blonde Grizzly is announcing it's newest group show themed around the beloved 1970's saga. Now, I am no Star Wars expert, but I am at least not as dumb as this.

Nevertheless I find my Star Wars knowledge lacking and therefore decided to look up some facts and trivia. Here are 19 Things You Didn't Know About Stars Wars as gather by Ellie Koning on her wonderful infographic.

1. When production began, the movie was titled "Adventures of Luke Starkiller As Taken From The Journal of The Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars." It was eventually shortened and Luke's name was changed to Luke Skywalker.

2. It took 3 different actors to portray Darth Vadar. Voice: James Earl Jones, Face: Sebastian Shaw, Body: David Prowse

3. Star Wars is the most successful movie-related toy line ever sold, with 250 million figures sold between 1978 and 1986.

4. George Lucas created a special effects company, "Industrial Light and Magic," after discovering that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down shortly after he was given the green light to film Star Wars.

5. The voice of Yoda was provided by Frank Oz, who is also the voice of 'the Muppets' Miss Piggy.

6. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, damaged his face in a car accident following primary shooting, making reshoots impossible.

7. A scuba regulator was used to achieve the sound of Darth Vadar's labored breathing.

8. It took as many as 10 pupeteers using both hands to operate Jabba the Hutt.

9. George Lucas was diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion as a result of Star Wars.

10. The character of Han Solo was based on Lucas's friend Francis Ford Coppola who directed the classic film the Godfather.

11. Every Star Wars movie in the U.S. has been released in May, always one week after George Lucas's May 14th birthday.

12. John Williams won an Oscar for the Star Wars score. The music was later named by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time.

13. Sissy Spacek auditioned for the role of Princess Leia.

14. There were also some alternate candidates for the role of Han Solo: Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, and Perry King.

15. The Chewbacca character is based on Gearge Lucas's dog, Indiana. The dog is also the inspiration for the name Indiana Jones.

16. The Ewok are named after the Miwok, a Native American Tribe indigenous to the Redwood Forest where the Endor scenes were filmed for Return of the Jedi.

17.  The Millennium Falcon was inspired by the shape of a hamburger with an olive on the side.

18.  R2-D2 is named after a piece of film editor's jargon. It means "reel 2, dialog 2."

19. Model airplane parts and egg-shaped panty hose were among the items used to make the spaceship models in Star Wars.

Ahhh, the magic of movie-making back in the day. I suggest everyone sit down this weekend and watch episodes IV-XI and get ready to see some of your favorite characters and scenes reinterpreted by some of your favorite local artists on Gallery Stroll night, May 18th. (At the new location: 213 East 300 South) If you don't have time for that, you can always watch this little girl try and explain the plot line in 1.5 minutes.

Tara McPherson In-Store

Tara McPherson is an art/rock goddess. If you have never seen her work before, well, your eyes must not work very well, and you should get them checked out.

Tara's work appears in many mediums including absolutely legendary screen printed posters, paintings, vinyl toys and actions figures, comics, and her very own line of clothing called the Cotton Candy Machine. She owns and operates a store in Brooklyn under the same moniker. Her list of accomplishments is long, as she has lectured, been highlighted in and worked for some of the biggest institutions, bands, and companies in her field. Check her complete bio out and be astounded.

If you are a fan of her muted peach, teal and black creations, then you will want to mark May 5th on your calendars because Tara will be in our store doing a signing. Come out and meet contemporary illustration's darling at our new location 213 E. 300 S. Salt Lake City. Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with us and show Tara some Salt Lake City love THIS SATURDAY from 7-8pm!

BIG NEWS!

Everyone knows that on Gallery Stroll evenings 3rd South is a hot spot. The area is abuzz with so many wonderful local businesses including: Kayo Gallery, Q Clothing, Retro Rose, The Red Ant, Nobrow Coffee and more. Walk around the corner and find Ken Sanders Rare Books, Fice, The Guthrie Studios, Este Pizza and Copper Palate Press. Walk a block west and catch a movie at the Broadway Theaters or eat out at the Copper Onion. Well, it's about time Blonde Grizzly joined the party. The store has moved to 213 E. 300 S. Salt Lake City. The store will have free parking behind the building and plenty of meters on the street. Hooray! It will be exciting to have all these wonderful businesses together, and hopefully more convenient for your evening strolls and shopping excursions. Stop by and see the new location this week.

Best of Utah 2012

City Weekly has announced it's Best Of 2012 Awards. Blonde Grizzly was given the title of Best Local-Pop Gallery. Read the snippet about our store on their website or pick up a copy of City Weekly to see the store highlighted as well as many other great things happening around the Beehive State.

Granny's Attic

One of the biggest movements in the current art world is pop culture referencing. If LA's recent art scene has proven anything to us, it's that people love reinventions. We can't seem to get enough paintings about our favorite cultural phenoms, whether it be Dr. Who, Zelda, Mario or horror icons. In the last few years, Comic Con has gone from being thought of as incredibly dorky, to incredibly hip. Don't believe me, check out Gallery 1988's insanely popular and ever-selling-out prints from their pop culture themed art shows, or just Google "zombie art." People can't seem to get enough of it. On the other hand, your grandma and the rest of the clueless-about-art population can't seem to get enough horrible paintings of serene landscapes. One of the most hated/beloved painters of these kitsch pieces of art is Thomas Kinkade, who recently passed away. It is estimated that one in every 20 homes in America is decorated with a Kinkade image. No wonder his work has garnered so much criticism, criticism which comes in many forms. One way to pay homage to bad art is to try and make it better. Many artists do this through photoshop, but a few, like local Kat Martin have turned to a collaborative painting process to combine some of the most beloved imagery with some of the most hated. As long as bad art has been mass produced, it has been subject to reworked replication. Lately these types of collage regularly employ pop culture. (You can even get a Threadless shirt of a robot taking out a Kinkade cottage!) Kat takes kitsch landscapes and adds in zombies, monsters and other imagery subtlety so that they are bound to get many double takes and closer inspections. Have one on your wall and your friends will definitely get a laugh. The images are funny, honor your favorites from pop culture and simultaneously back hand the art of your parent's, what's not to love?
Kat Martin will be showing her works at Blonde Grizzly from this Gallery Stroll, Friday April 20th. Check out a post I wrote a while back about her to see some more of her imagery and stop by the show to see her newest reworks.

Second Annual Utah Jazz Group Show

Gallery stroll is this Friday, the 16th of March and will feature the works of many local talents, including Dan Christofferson, Trent Call, Andrew Sato, Ryan Harrington, Kat Martin, Troy Henderson, Andy Chase, Austen Stanton, JJ Shelton, Christopher Henderson and many more, all honoring the Utah Jazz. Come see what the artists have come up with this year to show their love for Utah's basketball team.
Not only will there be one of a kind works of art for you to purchase, we will also be debuting two new Utah Jazz shirts to add to our already awesome collection, including the Mailman as pictured above. And the fun doesn't stop there. Copper Palate Press is designing a special limited edition Jazz print for the show. So however you want to honor the Jazz, we have you covered. Be sure to come out Friday night for stroll and participate in the fun.