bridge the void

Nobody Wins tee is now available!

2012-01-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the new t-shirt I made- "Nobody Wins" (slightly different drawing from the one posted below). It's a death's head, inspired by puritan tombstone designs. Available only at Double Break!! If you want one, stop into the shop, or paypal $28 ($24 for the shirt, $4 for s/h) to info@doublebreakstore.com. Be sure to specify size and color. Available in black and white (s-m-l-xl). Cheers!!

Nobody Wins

2012-01-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

I'm having some t-shirts made up soon:

a clear way to see

2011-12-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

I've been working on another site- I don't know too much about Cargo Collective, but so far it looks pretty good. It doesn't have any of my projects from 2011 yet, but it will, soon:

http://cargocollective.com/bridgethevoid

Chris Johanson's band Sun Foot live at Double Break!!

2011-12-04T13:29:00.001-08:00

This pretty much falls into the category of "ridiculously awesome" for me. Please join us DECEMBER 11, 2011 (4-7pm)!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOUBLE BREAK EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Closing Reception for our Double Breaks group exhibition!

PLUS Darin Klein& Friends present: Box of Books, Vol. IV (release party!!)

PLUS LivePerformance!! Sun Foot (feat.Ron Burns, Chris Johanson and Brian Mumford)

DECEMBER 11, 2011 (4-7pm)

Darin Klein & Friends touch down at Double Break inSan Diego for the release of the latest in the ongoing Box of Books series.This unique and affordable boxed set of 20 artist-made ‘zines is perfect for collectorsand gift-givers alike! A limited edition of 100, don’t miss your chance to grabone.

Box of Books, Vol. IV showcases the work of HeatherBenjamin, AA Bronson & Ryan Brewer, Julia Dzwonkoski & Kye Potter,Brennan Gerard & Ryan Kelly, Abel Baker Gutierrez, Darren Ankenbauer(Handbook Magazine), Johanna Jackson, Chris Johanson, Christopher Kardambikis,Dawn Kasper, David Larsen, Sarah Locke, Jeaneen Lund, Francesca Mirabella, ZacMonday, Erwin Ong, Davy Rothbart, Jen Smith, Chris Vargas & Greg Youmans,and e war.

Portland, OR and Los Angeles based trio Sun Foot createbarely amplified, feel-good vibes on electric guitar and bass nicelyintertwining with analog and digital percussion. At live gigs, they deliverspare, honest jams filled with friendly humor to appreciative audiences. JoinSun Foot on the San Diego leg of a California tour supporting their new LP, Songsin the Key of R, B & C, on AwesomeVistas/Teenage Teardrops. Recent appearances include a Quiet Fruit Party in theLos Feliz Hills and legendary venue The Smell in downtown LA; Breeze BlockGallery in Portland, OR; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Oh – did youknow that one time they even played on a barge at Art Basel, Switzerland? SunFoot members are Ron Burns (IS and Amen, again Amen), Brian Mumford (IS,Collectivo and Dragging an Ox through Water), and Awesome Vistas record labelfounder and Box of Books, Vol. IV contributor Chris Johanson (IS, Deepthroatsand Tina, Age 13).

Tonight is also the closing party for the fifth DoubleBreak exhibition, Double Breaks.Co-curated by artists Jay Howell and Louis M. Schmidt, Double Breaks brings together 30 artists working in nearly as manystyles. The show features a slew of fantastic artists, including Box of Books,Vol. IV contributor Christopher Kardambikis, 80’s skateboarding legend NeilBlender, iconic comics artist Bill Griffith (creator of Zippy the Pinhead),plus widely exhibited artists like Thomas Campbell, Mel Kadel and TravisMillard.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2011 (4-7pm)

Box of Books, Vol. IV Release Party

Live Performance: Sun Foot

Exhibition Closing Party: Double Breaks

(Free admission)

Double Break

1821 5^th Ave

San Diego, CA 92101

619.238.2325

info@doublebreakstore.com

www.doublebreakstore.com

www.facebook.com/DoubleBreak

www.twitter.com/DoubleBreakSD

2011-11-22T16:38:00.001-08:00

Last week's work... took me (ballpark) 25-30 hours for each of these three self-portraits. Who knew crosshatching could be so meditative? These look pretty good as a triptych, don't they?

and, individually:

Untitled (Self-Portrait), 9" x 12", Ink on Paper, 2011.

2011-11-11T12:37:00.001-08:00

Here's a few quick phone pics (please forgive the poor quality) of the new series I'm working on... the first one is in our group show Double Breaks (co-curated by Jay Howell and myself) at Double Break! The reception is today, November 11, 2011 (6-10pm). The show runs through December 11.

Untitled (Floating Heads)

Ink on Paper

16" x 20"

2011

(work in progress- also pictured below)

Ink on Paper

9" x 12"

2011

(Works in progress)

Image on left:

Ink on Paper

16" x 20"

2011

2011-10-28T02:27:00.000-07:00

Quick update...

I know, I know... I haven't gotten the Big Cartel store up yet... I'm sorry! Getting ready for the Art Book Fair, now back to running Double Break most every day, has gotten the best of me. I AM working on some new work- from which I'll choose a piece to go into our November group show at Double Break, curated by one Mr. Jay Howell. The show will feature 27 artists, including several people whose work I have admired for a VERY long time... It opens November 11 (6-10PM). You don't want to miss it!

And please, stay tuned- the webstore and new work will be coming, soon! If you're interested in obtaining zines or original works, please send me an email: louismschmidt (at) gmail.com!

Thanks!

-lms

NY Art Book Fair!!

2011-09-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

Come visit my booth at the NY Art Book Fair, at P.S.1! I'm in the "Schoolyard" area outside, at booth SY29! The fair runs Sept 30-Oct 2. The preview is Thursday night, Sept 29 (6-9PM) and the fair is open Friday and Saturday (11AM-7PM) and Sunday (11AM-5PM). I've just finished two new books that I'm really excited about! They're smaller editions this time, unlike anything I have made to date and I would love for you to see them! I'll have a few copies of older books with me, too!

Each book is a hand-numbered edition of 50.

Below you can peek at the covers of each book:

I WILL FACE WEST FOREVER (SEPTEMBER, 2011)

THE GHOSTS OF THE LIVING WILL NEVER HEAR WHAT THE SEASHELL WHISPERS (SEPTEMBER 2011)

sneak peak at new zine pages!

2011-09-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here's sneak peak at a few new collages, which will soon be pages in my forthcoming zine, tentatively titled What You Are Doing Now is Forever. Edition of 50. Exact size and page count not yet final. It's going to be one of my best. The test pages look amazing... I haven't made much since opening Double Break, and I'm really loving this new series. I have seven collages finished, five-seven yet to go. You know you want like a collage and two copies of the zine right now! You'll just have to wait three weeks, then come to the 2011 NY Art Book Fair!!

I'm working on stuff for the NY Art Book Fair....

2011-08-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

http://nyartbookfair.com/

New work coming soon...

2011-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

...ish. Sorry it's been so long- getting Double Break open has required all of my attention! I have a new studio now, for the first time since June of last year and I'm very excited to get back to work... I'm once again thrilled and honored to be tabling the NY Art Book Fair at the end of September- so first thing's first- I have to make a new zine! Anyways- stay tuned, or come into Double Break and chit chat- I'm here most days, unless Matt has granted me a reprieve- at which point I'll either be at the movies or the bar.

Jay Howell, with Christopher Kardambikis

2011-07-20T02:54:00.000-07:00

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

Exhibition announcement: Jay Howell, with Christopher Kardambikis

Opening Reception: July 22, 2011 (6-10PM)

SAN DIEGO, July 2011-- It gives us great pleasure to welcome two fantastic artists into Double Break for our second exhibition: Jay Howell, with Christopher Kardambikis. A perfect match for Comic Con 2011, both artists will present new work- Howell with his trademark hilarious paintings and drawings reminiscent of the work of Al Jaffee; Kardambikis with paintings and illustration that draw inspiration from Jack Kirby and other great comics artists. We’ll also have two brand new books by Jay Howell: the latest issue of his hysterical zine Punks Git Cut and, hot off the presses, Pages from Books- Vol. One.

Along with designing the characters for Fox Television’s hit animated show “Bob’s Burgers,” L.A.-based artist Jay Howell has illustrated for Vans Shoes, Burton Snowboards, GNU Snowboards, Anti-Hero Skateboards, Creature Skateboards, OJs Wheels, Lifetime Collective clothing, Rebel-8 clothing and more. With art openings in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo before the end of the year, Jay has spent the last 10 years showing his art around the globe. He co-runs the Mt.St.Mtn. record label and publishing project and is currently developing an animated children’s show for the Nickelodeon network.

Christopher Kardambikis is exploring an absurd mythology for the future through drawings, paintings, and books. He has co-founded two artist book projects: the Pittsburgh-based Encyclopedia Destructica (with Jasdeep Khaira) and the San Diego-based Gravity and Trajectory (with Louis M Schmidt). He has been an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Millay Colony, and the Pittsburgh Center of the Arts. Kardambikis received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005 and is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of California, San Diego.

OPENING RECEPTION: JULY 22, 2011 (6-10PM)

Music and refreshments courtesy of M-Theory Music and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer!

Exhibition runs July 22- August 28, 2011

Come back on July 23^rd (6-10PM) for a book signing and release party for Ed Luce’s comic book, Wuvable Oaf #3, and the debut of a new Goteblüd print! The first 25 people to arrive will receive a free mini-poster!

Double Break

1821 Fifth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

phone 619.238.2325

fax 619.696.0441

info@doublebreakstore.com

www.doublebreakstore.com (under construction)

www.facebook.com/DoubleBreak

Regular Hours: Monday-Thursday 11AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 11AM-6PM

*Image courtesy of Jay Howell

Cy Twombly is Dead.

2011-07-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty upset about this. the image below is from his Lepanto series. the most beautiful paintings I have seen.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/cy-twombly-idiosyncratic-painter-dies-at-83/?hp

Double Break is OPEN!

2011-06-21T20:57:00.001-07:00

get your asses in here!

Announcing the Grand Opening of Double Break - Gallery // Shop

2011-06-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Announcing the Grand Opening of Double Break – Gallery // Shop

June 17, 2011 • 6-10PM

SAN DIEGO, June 7, 2011—Break-Break! A call-to-arms! Take heed; this message is priority! When uttered over radio frequencies, Break-Break raises the alarm, alerting listeners to an event in their midst. It is a directive to listen up and pay attention. Inspired by this urgent communiqué, artists Matt Coors and Louis M. Schmidt are pleased to present Double Break, a new art gallery/shop in Banker’s Hill unlike anything currently available in San Diego. Double Break is both a gallery with a rotating exhibition and programming schedule featuring artists from San Diego and beyond, and a shop selling art books, design objects, prints, clothing, original artwork and more.

Brought to you by two local residents and recent graduates of UCSD’s MFA program, Double Break enters into San Diego's vibrant creative community, extending and adding to what is already established. We are committed to San Diego, and deeply invested in the idea that artists and art spaces can make tangible, important contributions to a community. While there is a lot happening here, there is also a burning need for more: more options; more creative platforms, outlets and spaces; more community-based and -oriented enterprises; more exciting contemporary art. Our goal is to respond to the palpable demand for more, collaborating with our friends and neighbors to present San Diego audiences with unique exhibitions and programming.

Double Break will open its doors on Friday, June 17, 6-10PM! Held in honor of our opening, this event will also be a celebration of our first exhibition and a book-release party for the Gravity and Trajectory publication Stopover in a Quiet Town by Scott Lyne. In keeping with our dual focus, the first exhibition will feature Gravity and Trajectory, an artist-book publishing venture. The first three volumes will be on view in the shop, and the exhibition will showcase new artwork by their creators Sadie Barnette, Micki Davis and Scott Lyne. We will have art on the walls, objects in the store, refreshments, and entertainment by guest DJs Tristan Shone and Kelly Eginton!

Stay tuned for our upcoming events, including a reading and film screening with Micki Davis and Scott Lyne on July 1; our second exhibition featuring Los Angeles-based artist Jay Howell, with Christopher Kardambikis, opening on July 22; a book signing and release party for Ed Luce’s Wuvable Oaf #3, including the debut of a new Goteblüd print, on July 23; and a third exhibition coinciding with the San Diego Art Fair on September 1!

*Images courtesy of Louis M Schmidt and Scott Lyne

Double Break

1821 Fifth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

619.238.2325

info@doublebreakstore.com

www.doublebreakstore.com

www.facebook.com/DoubleBreak

Hours: Mon-Thurs 11AM-8PM, Fri-Sat 11AM-9PM, Sun 11AM-6PM

I'm in Drawing Center's Artist Registry!

2011-05-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

my work was just accepted for Drawing Center's Artist Registry! I'll post new work there regularly, so keep checking back!

http://www.drawingcenter.org/viewingprogram/portfolio.cfm

Drawing Expanse, upcoming at Space 4 Art

2011-05-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

I've got a few drawings in an upcoming exhibition titled "Drawing Expanse" It opens June 11 (my birthday) at Space 4 Art in San Dawg. check it out!

here's the info:

http://www.sdspace4art.org/2011/03/june-11-2011/

ArtPadSF

2011-05-21T01:57:00.000-07:00

check out ArtPadSF! May 19-22!! At the Phoenix Hotel! (601 Eddy, at Larkin, San Francisco)

I have new work in Park Life's "booth".

Like this one:

Ghosts: Stan, Ink and Acrylic on Paper, 11" x 14" (2011).

Double Break!! Opening June 11, 2011!!

2011-05-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

Matt Coors and I are opening a small arts boutique/gallery in San Diego, CA. It's called Double Break, and it opens on June 17, 2011!!! Our first show is a three-person show called Gravity and Trajectory, featuring Sadie Barnette, Micki Davis and Scott Lyne, the artists behind the first three volumes of Gravity and Trajectory books (my artist book publication project that I do with Chris Kardambikis). Our second show will feature the work of one of my favorites- Jay Howell, with new drawings by Chris Kardambikis in the shop!

Upcoming Exhibitions

June 17, 2011- Gravity and Trajectory (Sadie Barnette, Micki Davis, Scott Lyne)

July 21, 2011- Jay Howell (with Chris Kardambikis)

September 1, 2011- TBA

Double Break

1821 Fifth Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

United States

619.238.2325

info@doublebreakstore.com

http://doublebreakstore.com (coming soon)

Gestalten book, "Behind the Zines" is OUT!! go get it!

2011-05-06T22:32:00.001-07:00

I just got my copy of Behind the Zines: Self-Publishing Culture, the brand new, beautiful book by Gestalten that two of my zines are featured in! check it out!!

don't let these crappy pics deceive you!

ghosts of the living

2011-04-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

here's some work from a new series, tentatively being called The Ghosts of the Living.

bookmarks?

these next few are 8.5" x 5.5". my favorite scale, although I am working on a number of larger and smaller pieces, too.

2011-04-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

2011-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

2011-04-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

imagine a couple thousand of these painted, cut out heads collaged on the walls, with a bunch of framed drawings.

these two are in progress.

10" x 10" each.

Proposals, grants, residencies, etc..

2011-03-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

hey y'all,

If you're wondering where I'm at, I'm busy developing installation proposals, applying for grants and residencies, etc.. the normal (?) stuff a recent MFA should be doing, I guess.... If you want to see a proposal, just send me an email! I don't really want to post proposals until the shows are good to go, you know?

In the meantime, I'm holding my breath.

I'll post new drawings soon, I swear! And, stay tuned- I'm gonna do a little giveaway, here in the next couple weeks...

-lms

Ultimate Portfolio (Work: 2008-2010)

2011-01-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Howdy!

Below, you'll find 120 or so images, many of which were on the blog earlier. I've re-collected all this stuff and regrouped it here in an attempt to provide a nice overview of my work from the past couple of years. Take a look! Just keep scrolling until you see the words "THE END".

(Also- There was so much more that I didn't include! Several great photo books and zines that I made, little shows I curated or that my friends curated, TONS of other drawings...)

Anyways, hit me up if you have questions, observations, ideas or whatevers. my email is listed over there on the right!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ENJOY!!

This is the most recent place one could find my work, in a December 2010 show entitled "Special Choice Book Arts, part 2" at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn. You see that little diamond back there on the right?

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

views of my table at the 2010 NY Art Book Fair, at P.S.1 in New York. Each unit in the diamond pattern installation contains a drawing from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #7. (see the older blog entry about this for more info!)

select drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #7:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

select views and details of my installation Thick as Brick, for the September 2010 group exhibition You Knew This Was Coming that I curated at Park Life in San Francisco.

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

Installation views and details of No One Gets Out Alive (Nobody Wins), a September 2010 solo exhibition at Periscope Project in San Diego. Work for the show included these seven framed drawings and a (thematically related) permanent mural in the courtyard (see below):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

sketch for No One Gets Out Alive (Nobody Wins), the mural I created in August 2010, for the (above) show of the same title.

select views and details of the mural. see posts on this blog from July-August 2010 for more images):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

sketches for three of the walls in my solo exhibition We're All in This Together for Ourselves, an immersive installation I created for Agitprop in San Diego in July 2010:

select views and details of We're All in This Together for Ourselves. A mixed media show, it included works on paper (mounted on wall painting), murals and a large chalk drawing on black cardboard panels (which were recycled from my MFA exhibition):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

sketch for a mural entitled Everyone You Know is Currently Dead (after a mini-zine of the same title), included in the June 2010 exhibition MFA 2010, at UCSD's University Art Gallery:

the mural was half inside the gallery, half outside (the two halves separated by large double-doors). the two groups of figures are both trudging away from the (barely visible) pyramid in the center of the piece. this was the best photo I had to illustrate that situation:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:57:00.002-08:00

view across the threshold of door... I specifically designed the mural so that this juncture was the perspectival focal point:

the outer half:

the inner half:

select installation views of my June 2010 MFA exhibition There's No Place Like No Place. a completely immersive, extremely dark installation that required several minutes of fumbling in the dark until one's eyes adjusted, so that you could carefully navigate through the "towers" to behold the large abstract "voidscape" on the back wall. (see posts on this blog from June 2010 for more information and pictures):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:57:00.001-08:00

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

selected images from a zine entitled Hold This, It's Nothing, which I made on a xerox machine from a series of my own photographs and gave away (in the spirit of, and in homage to Felix Gonzales-Torres) at my MFA thesis show reception. (edition size: 200):

select views of my April 2010 UCSD exhibition (and sort of one half of my MFA thesis work) Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here, which showed all 176 drawings from issues 1-6 of my now-concluded zine series.

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

the small works here became the pages for an untitled zine (edition size: 10). I need to do a second edition of that one.

selected drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #6 (from Feb, 2010. edition size: 150):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

the storefront studio of L.A. based artist Amy Adler, who invited me to "reside" in her studio for a month and to work with curator Darin Klein on an exhibition of my in-progress works. The title of the show was Black Hole, Son and Darin and I staged a different event each of the four weekends that the show was open, including video screening, a zine fest and a cornhole tournament.

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

here's a few shots of the reception for the Zine Fest we hosted over one of the weekends during the show. we invited a smattering of LA and San Diego artists to bring work to the Fest and offer it up for sale or giveaway; we expanded the building towers to include empty boxes, within which people could put their goods:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

some of my hand-painted bags. no two have the same painting on it:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

selected images from Black Hole, Son, the zine I created to accompany my exhibition of the same title at Amy Adler's studio in Los Angeles. Spray paint, pencil, and the magic of a xerox machine:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

selected drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #5 (unlike the other issues, which are comprised only of ink drawings, this one was done completely with pencil and spray paint):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

selected drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here, on display at Darin Klein's booth at the 2009 NY Art Book Fair, at P.S.1:

an installation entitled The Source of the Truth is Neither a Source Nor the Truth, for the 2009 Greater LA MFA (GLAMFA) exhibition:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

selected drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #4. this issue was created to accompany the above installation and was given away at the reception. each of the 15 windows in the installation became a page in the 30-page zine.

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

two ink drawings, both titled The Dark Tower (#1 and #2); commissioned by Cauleen Smith for a show (entitled "The Dark Tower") that she curated in Los Angeles:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

selected drawings (page spreads) from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #3:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

large ink and charcoal triptych titled The Distance Between Us, from early 2008:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

a grumpy guy for scale reference:

a few copies of issue #2 of Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here, all of which had a unique, hand-drawn cover (edition size: 150):

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

selected drawings from Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #1:

(Ultimate Portfolio cont.)

2011-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

custom painted Vans shoes, commissioned in early 2008:

THE END

(of the ULTIMATE PORTFOLIO, work: 2008-2010)

STAY TUNED!!!

2011-01-20T02:13:00.001-08:00

a giant "master portfolio" (aka "dream portfolio" aka "a perfect world in which you don't have to choose 10-20 images portfolio" will be posted here by Sunday night. 120 images of my best work from 2008-2010. a HUGE recap. recognize!

STUFF I'M WORKING ON

2011-01-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I guess it's a little quiet on this end- I'm working on transitioning my life from MFA life to REAL WORLD life and I'm.... having issues dealing.

So... I'm finally recovered from 6 very intense months of working, showing, talking, graduating, etc... what am I doing now? Looking for opportunities to show, working on Gravity and Trajectory (and prepping Volume 3, by Scott Lyne), sketching a little, thinking a lot, planning a bunch of new drawings, checking out shows in LA and SF, talking to people who are smarter than me, reading books, considering the futility of submitting proposals, looking for a art-related job... got one? I'm pretty good at stuff.

I'll keep posting as new work and news comes up- I'm working on a couple possible shows in and around San Diego, I might participate in an art book fair in Leipzig in the fall, I'm sending zines off to a zine show in Turkey (if you happen to be there), I might curate a couple shows in San Diego in the late spring.... so- check back soon!

Happy New Year!

-lms

pics from Special Choice Part 2, at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center

2010-12-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

have a look- that black diamond on the wall over there- that's mine! looks awesome, right? It's a selection of 25 drawings (out of over 200) from my Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here zine series! the show is up through the second week of January, at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn, NY. check it out!

closer upper:

RIGHT NOW

2010-12-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

I need a job. Got one?

I have drawings in a show at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, in Brooklyn, NY. Opens December 4th, 4-6pm. there's a link in a recent post. A couple of my zines will be featured in D.I.Y. Self-Publishing,a forthcoming book from Gestalten, due out in the spring of 2011. Hopefully a STORE will be on the blog soon, with zines, hand-painted bags and drawings and whatever the hell else. Working on it now. Stay tuned. In the meantime, email me if you are interested in buying one of those thingys. Seriously. I need the money. Our third Gravity and Trajectory title, by Scott Lyne, will be out within the month. Release events coming in Jan/Feb 2011.

Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #7!!! (special edition)

2010-12-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pages from my newest zine: Move Along People Nothing to Feel Here #7. It was a special edition that I made especially for the NY Art Book Fair, and to go in limited edition box sets. I sold a few at the fair, but still have some left! Each box is signed and numbered (in an edition of 25) and comes with: all seven issues of the (now concluded) zine, reissued for the occasion (and hand-numbered) plus a special "table of contents" zine that includes a letter from art/zine renaissance man Darin Klein, AND an original drawing from the pages of #7! (such as those below)

what's MORE- the boxes are pretty slick- each cover has the image which corresponds to the drawing you choose! say you choose page #1 (which is the first image below)- you get box numbered 1/25 and the eight zines which correspond to that edition number. (Confused? Don't fret- just pick a page! It's cool!)

That's right! Eight zines AND an original drawing! Be in touch if you want one, and I'll email you a selection of drawings to choose from! $50! (plus a small shipping fee of $5...) I can have it to you within a week! (!)

I feel like a used car salesman... sorry!

all the drawings are signed and dated on the back; ink on paper, 5.5" x 8.5", 2010.

NY Art Book Fair splash page

2010-11-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

check it out! i'm down on the bottom row, second from the left! you can see me, and part of my lil' diamond!

http://nyartbookfair.com/

Williamsburg Art and Historical Center: "Special Choice Artbooks, Part 2"

2010-11-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

I have a bunch of drawings in an upcoming show at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center. The show, which is titled Special Choice Artbooks, Part 2 opens December 4th, from 4-6pm.

here's a link to the place:

http://www.wahcenter.net/

get over there and check it out!

NY Art Book Fair! My table!

2010-11-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

NY ART BOOK FAIR NOVEMBER 5-7 at MOMA P.S.1

2010-11-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

I'm in NYC all week, participating in the NY Art Book Fair at MOMA P.S. 1 from November 5-7. I have a ton of awesome stuff with me- come check it out! limited edition zine box sets (that come with ORIGINAL DRAWINGS!), hand-painted bags, zines galore and a brand-new artist book publishing project that my friend Chris Kardambikis and myself are doing- it's called Gravity and Trajectory. we'll be releasing our first two volumes (Sadie Barnette's Plus One and Micki Davis's Ramble on the Upslope, Ramble on the Downslope). they are sooooo awesome- you'll have to come see for yourself!

http://nyartbookfair.com/

You Knew This Was Coming, at Park Life in San Francisco

2010-09-24T03:21:00.000-07:00

Hello!!!

it is my great honor to have curated a small group show for one of my most favorite spaces in the country (yes- seriously!): Park Life, in San Francisco. the show is titled You Knew This Was Coming, and features the work of eight artists: Sahar Al-Sawaf, Sadie Barnette, Rich Bott, Mike Calway-Fagen, Thomas Helman, Vince Manganello, Clare Parry, and myself! the show turned out absolutely terrific, and i'm really excited for you all to see it.

the work is all loosely tied together with the concept of patterns: sometimes literally, as in the pattern paintings of Clare Parry, the processing utilized by Thomas Helman, or in the brickwork of my drawings and wall painting; at other points, "pattern" is more about the weaving of our social fabric- see the work of Sadie Barnette, Mike Calway-Fagen or Sahar Al-Sawaf. lastly, there's a hilarious grid comprised of the quasi-Warholian jam that is Rich Bott and Vince Manganello's collaborative collage/paintings, which poke fun at celebrities-turned-painters.

if you're in San Francisco, stop in and take a look at the show. talk to Jamie Alexander and Derek Song, Park Life's wonderful owners- they'll be sure to fill you in on all the interesting details of the show, their favorite San Francisco exhibitions, or the finer points SF Giants baseball!

at any rate, enjoy- and be in touch! i'd love to hear your thoughts!

and, uh.... get 'em while they're HOT!

-louis

p.s. the show runs through October 17, 2010. if you would like to see closer details or check the availability of specific works, please contact jamie@parklifestore.com, or myself: louismschmidt@hotmail.com.

click on the pics!

here's Jamie and wonderful artist-employee, Marina Luz:

you can see Rich & Vince's work from the street... it looks SO awesome!

Sadie Barnette's works on paper start off the clockwise rotation, followed by Thomas Helman's print, then the first of two paintings by Clare Parry:

after Clare's painting, we see the grid of six collaborative works by Rich Bott and Vince Manganello, next to which is Mike Calway-Fagen's large print:

following Mike's print is Clare's second work in the show, then a triptych of insanely detailed ink drawings by Sahar Al-Sawaf. lastly, you can see the edge of my own drawings, which i hung over a brickwork pattern i painted directly onto the wall:

2010-09-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

here you can see half the show: Sadie, Thomas, Clare, Rich & Vince, and Mike. Sadie's works variously utilize spray paint and collage to amplify/offset acutely rendered, completely meticulous graphite drawings:

Thomas's piece (at center), a one-off digital print titled come and knock on our door, is just one of the outcomes of his many years applying original, digital processing techniques to found-footage imagery. if you like this print, you should see his incredible video work....

though hard to really tell, the surface of Clare's painting (on the right) has been beautifully built up with dripped wax:

Rich & Vince's work features heavily impastoed acrylic figures on flatly-painted backgrounds, with the eyes and mouths of celebrities-who-paint collaged in... who are these celebrities? let the titles of the works leave you guessin': sly, joni, billy, tony, christie and peter.

Mike's photo is of a chalk drawing which reads "i was here but now i'm gone". the drawing is on Tennessee highway, the photo taken from an overpass high above.

here's the other half... Clare, Sahar and myself.

Sahar's triptych of ink drawings are indescribably detailed: figures cling to a monstrous ocean wave composed entirely of innumerable human bones- a wave which finally crashes down upon those too dumbstruck or terrified to flee it's tragic implications:

one side of my installation:

2010-09-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

here's the other side of my installation, followed by some details:

2010-09-24T03:16:00.000-07:00

Reception for You Knew This Was Coming, at Park Life

2010-09-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

there's Jamie Alexander (one half of the Park Life duo) in the background, chatting with some gentlemen at the beginning of the evening:

one of the cutest little kids ever, doing what kids do best:

some peoples start arriving:

Rich Bott (whose collaborative paintings are in the background) and his special lady friend Anne McGuire:

Rich Bott, ladies and gentlemen:

2010-09-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

Rich Bott, Chris Kardambikis:

Mike Calway-Fagen in the immediate foreground, and near his piece:

an early view, from the front of Park Life:

2010-09-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

i see a certain artist's parents:

artist Clare Parry, in the far back:

Sadie Barnette:

it was Jamie's birthday! Derek's preparing some candles:

Rich Bott and.... what was your name? you were awesome!

2010-09-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

Clare Parry, in front of her piece (which is obscured by the gent she's chatting with)... note Thomas Helman's awesome print on the left:

Mike Calway-Fagen chatting with an art appreciator:

i see... Sadie & Mika, Mike and.... who else?

on the way to the after party:

still on our way... looks like Chris and Sadie here:

2010-09-24T02:53:00.000-07:00

Sadie, myself and Chris:

Cheers! Rich and Jamie:

Derek and great SF artist Ian Johnson:

gnawing Chris:

looks like the good times are rolling... Chris and Rich:

2010-09-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

night's winding to a close...

Jamie... did you see the girl passed out behind you?

Clare Parry and friend whose SFAI performance we coincidentally stumbled into a couple days prior:

Sadie? i take offense, madam!

a classy end to a classy evening... the cab ride home...

Installing the show at Park Life

2010-09-24T02:42:00.000-07:00

alright, alright... my photos aren't always the best, but you'll get the idea...

here's Sadie Barnette putting up her work while my install wizard Chris Kardambikis crunches some dimensions on the floor:

Derek Song, one half of Park Life, and our overseer for the evening:

Rich Bott and Chris Kardambikis installing the collaborative works of Rich and Vince Manganello:

here's Chris helping me to mask off the brickwork background for my pieces:

the masked brickwork, after its paint-job:

2010-09-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

No One Gets Out Alive (Nobody Wins)

2010-09-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

here's a few iphone photos of my show No One Gets Out Alive (Nobody Wins) at The Periscope Project. I'll post some nicer photos as soon as I get them!

the work is a series comprised of seven drawings, meant to be looked at in linear order, with this being the first:

No One Gets Out Alive (Nobody Wins)

2010-09-05T12:02:00.001-07:00

....continued from above:

Park Life show: You Knew This Was Coming

2010-08-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm VERY excited to announce this: I'm curating a show at one of my very favorite places, Park Life (in San Francisco), titled You Knew This Was Coming.

The show will feature the work of eight artists: Sahar Al-Sawaf, Sadie Barnette, Rich Bott, Mike Calway-Fagen, Thomas Helman, Vince Manganello, Clare Parry and me!

Reception: September 17, 2010

i hope to see you all up there for the show!

http://www.parklifestore.com/

We're All in This Together For Ourselves

2010-08-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

here's some pics and a link to a really nice review of my upcoming Agitprop show We're All in This Together For Ourselves, written by Drew Snyder. the show opens on Saturday night at 7pm. I hope to see you all (the whole internet) there!

http://andrewsarts.org/2010/08/louis-schmidt/

2010-08-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

what's happening NOW, and soonish

2010-07-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

hey! check out all this crap I'm up to:

1. I'm 96% done with a mural at The Periscope Project (downtown San Diego, on 15th between J and K)- I'm doing a show of my crowd drawings there next month. stay tuned for date and time. see install photos below!

2. all this week, I'll be installing an immersive drawing/mural at Agitprop (up in North Park, 2837 University, behind Glenn's Market, on Utah). the opening is August 7th, 7-10pm! come over!

3. Chris Kardambikis and myself are launching a new publishing project, called Gravity and Trajectory, in September, with Volume Zero releasing (we hope) at SF Zine Fest. Volumes 1-3 will follow later that month. each will feature the work of one artist. this artist will work within a set format and page count. Chris and I will print, collate and bind the books ourselves. stay tuned for the info!

4. so, in the fall, Chris and I are going to be at a bunch of book fairs/fests: the SF Zine Fest, A.P.E., and CanZine. maybe more. hawking our new project as well as our individual work.

5. I'm VERY excited to be at the NY Art Book Fair in November.

exciting!!!

cheers!

here are some in-progress pics of my mural for The Periscope Project... unquestionably the largest piece I've ever done- the long wall is 35', the short wall is 17'. it's 11' high. stay tuned for some nice pics of the finished deal, or come to the drawing show next month and check it out yourself!

"There's No Place Like No Place"

2010-06-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

well, here it is. There's No Place Like No Place... my "dark/sublime" MFA exhibition. i've only posted 15 images. if you want to see more, let me know.

The title of the show is a pun on the word "utopia", which translates to "no place" or "not-place" but is also a way of defining an "ideal place." The word "utopia" has long been defined by its ironic double meaning- a utopia is called such because it was (and is) considered impossible to realize. Ideal places are impossible to realize, just as “not-places” are impossible to realize. There's No Place Like No Place capitalizes (quasi-utopian/socialist pun-intended) on the positive/negative duality of "utopia" and uses it to chisel into the diseased foundations of the present. It’s kind of like saying “there’s no utopia like utopia,” and it’s kind of like saying “there’s no place like utopia;” it’s kind of like saying “there’s no place like home,” and it's kind of like saying "there is no home."

the show was, literally, incredibly dark. it was lit by four clip lamps bearing 60 watt, energy-saving, daylight bulbs. upon entry, it would take the average viewer's eyes around five minutes to adjust completely. so the show became, in-part (and inadvertently), an optical experience. the space would be completely pitch-black for a full minute, but by the time one had stumbled all the way through to the Voidscape on the back wall, the space seemed nearly too bright. it was crazy. so were the shadows on the ceiling. i wish you all could have seen it in person, because it was really something else.

viewers were also invited to take a copy of zine made specifically to complement the show. you can check it out below this post.

(all photos were taken by my colleague Shane Anderson. many thanks are owed to him!)

2010-06-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

2010-06-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

"Hold This, It's Nothing"

2010-06-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

here's a few images from a new zine. i made it all special-like, to give away at my MFA show. it's called Hold This, It's Nothing. it's twenty pages long, and oversized by zine standards. i took the photos, too. it's (essentially) a slightly shuffled, digital sequence of a bird flying... it was designed specifically to accompany the dark/sublime concept of the show. i can tell you more about it- just ask me... definately an homage to Felix Gonzales-Torres. i've got a bunch left. if you want one, send me your mailing address!

Everyone You Know is Currently Dead

2010-06-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos of the mural I did a couple weeks ago for the MFA 2010 exhibition at the University Art Gallery. (forgive the photos, please- I'll have some better ones, soon enough...) the outside portion of the mural was recently vandalized, actually. I'll have to fix it before the final documentation can happen. whatever.

the photos move from right to left, from inside to outside.

starting on the right hand side, the interior portion of the mural:

2010-06-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

2010-06-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

here's the best view, straddling the threshold of the back door. i designed the mural around this idea of the people streaming out of this threshold between the interior/exterior worlds.

here's what i wrote for a little talk i had to give:

Use of the exterior wall is crucial for the success of the piece, as the physical doorway that divides the image plane conjures a large degree of agency- acting as symbolic threshold between interior and exterior realities, helping to expose a sort-of tragicomic “the joke’s on us,” wherein the truths revealed by complete physical and spiritual transparency are the punchline. In a way, the doorway is the real arbiter of mural…. Inside or out, the doorway the stopping point for the inquisitive viewer. As one flows against the crowd in order to inspect the pyramid, the doorway is the point at which one must turn back and thus, move with the crowd away from the pyramid, away from the mural. It is this turning away that impregnates the mural with its meaning and power… this is the point of agreement, where the viewer must position him/herself within these scapes and within this crowd, in order to really consider just exactly what the hell it is that’s going on with all of us.

not to shabby, huh?

so, here we're exiting the back door. we'll start with some details of this wall:

2010-06-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

here's the whole wall, finally:

these two photos were actually taken before i took the blue painter's tape off of the mural... i had to use these, as some hotshot hit three spots on the mural with red spray paint. can you guess where they might have hit?

Installing my MFA Exhibition "There's No Place Like No Place"

2010-06-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

i was very fortunate to have three great folks from the UCSD grad program helping me install my show. many, many thanks go out to Mike Calway-Fagen, Vince Manganello & Matt Coors!

Mike and Matt....

2010-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Vince and Mike:

Matt... always ready with a pose:

Vince and Mike hang a panel:

Mike on a ladder:

see what i mean?

2010-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Vince manhandling a panel:

up the ladder:

the Voidscape coming together:

getting closer now:

2010-06-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

walls are done. here's the floor going in:

oops! this should've been before that last image:

Matt stayed through the wee hours of it all. thirteen hours later....

making an MFA show

2010-06-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

here's some shots of the thesis show work, as it was in-progress.

with countless hours of spraypainting comes the ever-important air filter.

push pin through the fingernail:

2010-06-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

my studio gettin' straight wrecked:

i was fortunate enough to be able to use faculty member/esteemed artist Haim Steinbach's studio to see the project through to completion:

2010-06-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

2010-06-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Recent Work (two-person show) at Agitprop Gallery in San Diego

2010-06-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

here's a few shots of Recent Work, a two-person show featuring works by Christopher Kardambikis and myself. It was up for a couple of weeks at David White's Agitprop Gallery in San Diego, CA.

2010-06-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Crowd Drawing #1

2010-06-18T21:00:00.001-07:00

Crowd Drawing #2

2010-06-18T20:55:00.000-07:00