A SPECIAL TREAT JUST FOR YOU FROM MARK BODE!
July 28, 2010
“Wizards, Lizards, and Broads” Closing Reception this Friday from 6:30 – 9:30PM!
We invite you to join us for Mark Bode’s “Wizards, Lizards, and Broads” closing party! We have an extra special treat for you… Mark will be performing (drumroll, please)… BODE’S CARTOON CONCERT! It is a performance that his father, Vaughn Bode, started back in 1972 during the New York Comic Con and Mark continues the tradition to this day. Enter the world of Bode with us and get lost in the stories of the Wizard, the Lizard, and the Broads.
The closing reception is this Friday, July 30th from 6:30 – 9:30pm. Due to the erotic nature of the show, this may not be suitable for people under 18 years old.
See you Friday! Be here.
WHY DO YOU BUILD ME UP? BUTTERCUP, BABY. JUST TO LET ME DOWN.
July 24, 2010
Mark Bode’s “Buttercup” is definitely not a let down. It will brighten up any room with the vibrant colors bursting off your wall. The original is currently on hold for one of our art buyers but we have a limited number of giclee prints that will be a great addition to anyone’s art collection. They are all signed and numbered by Mark and there are only 10 available! So, get on it people, don’t miss out!
Limited Edition Buttercup Giclee Print (only 10 available)
If you are interested in purchasing “Buttercup”, please email us at info@1AMSF.com and we will make it happen!
Mark Bode’s “Wizards, Lizards, and Broads” at 1:AM for only 1 more week! C’mon by and check out this amazing show!
COMMUNITY SERIES #11: F1RST GRADUATE IS OUR FUTURE
July 21, 2010
“I wanna be a ‘street artist’ so frickin’ bad…buy all of the things I never had..” The glitz, the glamor, the fame: artists must have it all, but is that a true depiction of an artist’s day to day life? Last Friday, we hosted 10 students from F1rst Graduate (a non-profit in the Presidio) for their Career day. For those who don’t know, F1rst Graduate is an amazing organization that helps students become the first in their families to graduate from college. On their career day, the kids heard about the highs and lows of being an artist and a gallery owner, as seen through the eyes of resident artist and art director, Roman and gallery founder, Dan. After the discussion panel and a mural walk tour around SoMa, everyone got to practice their letterstyling. Future graff artists in the making? We think so!
Roman at the projector.
Practicing letterstyles!
Shoot for the stars, kids!
Thanks for being an awesome group and best of luck with your schooling, career, and whatever future endeavors you may pursue! And remember what Roman said, “never give up!”
PEERING INTO BODE’S WORLD
July 19, 2010
1:AM interviews Mark Bode, underground comics, tattoo, and spraycan artist. His show is on view now through July 31st at 1:AM Gallery.
Valerie Leavy: I was doing a bit of research about you and according to the interwebs, you’ve lived in Northampton, Oakland, Manhattan, and San Francisco. You’re in the Bay Area now. So where did you grow up?
Mark Bode: I was born in upstate New York, in a small town called Utica. Utica was kind of a boom town in the 20’s and 30’s, kind of a mob town that blew up the city, and then when the mob moved out in the 60’s, 70’s, it kind of deflated. But I remember it being huge, you know, people bustling in the streets and stuff. It’s not quite like that anymore, it’s more of a suburban town.
VL: So, you and your father have had a real influence on visual culture. Is there anything in Utica that is kind of a monument to that? Any graffiti?
MB: Um, the only famous people that came out of Utica were um, Dick Clark and Annette Funicello. And my father.
VL: (laughing) What a legacy.
MB: Um, yeah, so there’s not a whole lot in Utica as far as art and culture and stuff. But I did a mural at the Children’s Museum in Utica about 10 years ago, not sure if it’s still there. But I did a mural inside, you know, for the children. That was the only museum I could get down with at the time. But, maybe things’ll change.
VL: So I read that your Miami Mice comic was wildly successful; in its first year it sold 180,000 copies. What do you think were the factors that led to the widespread popularity of this underground comic?
MB: It was published by an underground comics publisher, Rip Off Press, and they just lived down the street when I came up with that [Miami Mice]. But there was a black & white comics boom that was spurred by the creation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and that boom was like, Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters and uh-
VL: (laughing) Is that real? Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters?
MB: Yeah, they were real comics, yeah. And everybody was jumpin’ on that bandwagon, tryin’ to get part of that light. And it was, you know, Fish Police, and Hamster Vice, and all these different things. And I came in right at that time and I knew that I wanted to ride that wave. My wife and I were walking through a mall, and we saw a Miami Mice t-shirt and she goes, “Wouldn’t that make a good comic book?” and I was like, “Yeah, it would.” And Miami Vice was huge, it was the biggest thing on TV pretty much. Knowing that you can’t copyright a parody, I knew the Miami Mice t-shirt people were just makin’ money off the shirts and I had a better idea. Well, my wife did actually. And I banged out a comic book in about a month, it was 30 pages. And I didn’t spend much time on the art, I’d just, like, bang it out as quick as I could, get on that wave.
VL: So were you surprised when it was that successful?
MB: Yeah. But we had some warnings, you know, I was hangin’ out at Rip Off Press waiting for the first issue to come in, and we had Chinese speculators calling us.
VL: Wow.
MB: Yeah. And so we knew that something’ was up. And it’s like, Chinese speculators, wow, that’s something. And so the first print run was 40,000. The second issue went to 60,000 and then it went down again to like, 50 or 40. And then it went to 20 on number four. And I called it quits at that point. I didn’t know any better, but 20,000 is still a really nice print run. But I had illusions of grandeur, that I could just dump it, and go do something that was really cool, more Bode-ish, and get those numbers, and since I did that my print run went down to less than 10. So I kinda lost that gamble, but I didn’t wanna be known for creating a parody of a TV show, so I dumped it. But in a year’s time, we sold 180,000 copies. It was a good run, and I got a first taste of a nice day of it as an artist.
VL: Is there a comic or a group of characters that you enjoy illustrating more than the rest, or that you did enjoy even if you don’t do it anymore?
MB: Absolutely. My father’s work is always… I mean, I was brainwashed as a child, you know, my father taught me that these characters were real, before I knew what reality was. When you’re four or five years old, reality is whatever it is.
VL: Oh yeah, you close your eyes and think no one else can see you.
MB: Yeah. The whole world stops. When you close your eyes. And in fact I’ve contemplated that many times. My father said, “Yes, son. Everything DOES stop.” And you know, I thought that his stuff was real, ‘cause he’d show me the comic, and a day later he’d say, “Let’s go to where I saw Cheech last and wait for him,” So as we’re eating lunch, up on the hill waiting for Cheech, I found myself wondering where he was, and he’s like, “Oh, he’s busy, just hasn’t shown up yet. But at least I can show you the drawings from when we hung out.” So I started envisioning the characters coming up the hill. And that’s what he was doing, he was systematically, in a good way, brainwashing me.
FAST TIMES AT 1:AM WITH RACEPOINT GROUP
July 16, 2010
It’s 9AM. Can you honestly say you’re brimming with energy and ready to paint? Well that’s exactly how Racepoint Group was this past Monday. Their team was prepared to get their “learn and paint on,” bringing lots of enthusiasm and blank skate decks to customize during their private workshop (hosted by none other than 1:AM)! And to top it off, add one part Nate1 and two parts Robert and you’ve got a killer team ready to lead these students on their street art journey. From a brief rundown of the history of graffiti, to personalizing their own skate decks, to painting a mural for all of 6th and Howard street’s traffic to see, Racepoint Group did it all and with tons of style and finesse. Thanks for being such a dope team to work with!
Spray practice!
Deck fun.
Customized boards.
Race to the finish!
“I felt completely comfortable with my limited skills. The instructors helped when needed but really let me jump in head first and explore my talents. One of the coolest things I’ve done in San Francisco.”-Allison
“1AM workshop blew me away! One of the must-dos in SF and in life!”-Candice
“The 1:AM crew was friendly, knowledgeable and completely authentic. They guided our team through the process of creating original art for our office space and helped us to throw up a sweet mural. It was a fantastic experience. I want to do it again!”-Raymond
Racepoint reppin' hard.
And to think, it all began months ago with a chance encounter between 1:AM’s Marketing Director and Racepoint Group’s executive Vice President Bill Orr at the S2 Consulting Company Holiday Party. He wanted a dope activity for his team and 1:AM did its best to deliver. If you’re also interested in having a private workshop for your team, business or group of friends, please contact Class Director Gina at: gina@1amsf.com for more information!
More photos on flickr.
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