Memorial Day: Self Portrait of Repenance

Repenting from war this memorial day.

#Repentance #nofear #NoWar #nosotros #MemorialDay

New Work In L.A. Artist John Vasquez-Tallacksen Self Portrait Series

"The self portrait is one of the most intimate subjects in an artist's oeuvre."
- John Vasquez-Tallacksen

By: John Vasquez-Tallacksen

Self Portrait

2017

Acrylic over serigraph print on 100% cotton rag Stone Henge paper with natural edges

21 3/4 x 28 in (55.245 x 71.12 cm)



The artist enjoys making original works that are accessible in price and shippable to his collectors around the world.

Available works can be found at JohnTallacksen.com

John Vasquez-Tallacksen
Turning From White Lies
2017
Acrylic and pencil on paper
8.5 x 11 in. (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
www.JohnTallacksen.com

Buy An Art Piece And Preserve A Living Piece Of L.A. History

Up until the 1980's a multitude of artists like Charles White, Otis College of Art and Design students, and June Wayne would flock to the Los Angeles paper store McManus & Morgan. Today the store is 101 years old, and some of these artists still buy their paper here, but the younger generations of Angeleno artists are largely un-aware of this steel rooted institution of artisanship and dedication. Even fewer have ever heard of Gary Wolin the lone paper expert and unsung L.A. art historian behind the counter, nor do they know of his struggle to keep his once hollowed doors open. My readers have seen the short documentary Ink & Paper that tells the story of Gary and the neighboring letterpress shop, but a surge of new artists have come to L.A. and are still moving in to take advantage of the ever-expanding art and entertainment industries here. Well I am a young artist in Los Angeles, and I care about history. I care about quality local businesses too so I am going to put my money and art into the very place that cared enough to stick around all these years and offer what no corporate store could: knowledge, expertise, and unparalleled assortments of unique paper. God bless it, I think other young artists will care too once they hear about it!

... So LET THE ART SALE FUNDRAISER FOR MCMANUS & MORGAN BEGIN!

Buy one of my prints at McManus & Morgan and I will split the profits with the store. (the money I take in from the sale will most likely go towards buying paper from Gary anyway) We are asking $900 per print which is comparable to the price that Self Help Graphics and Arts is selling the same print for.

Now - Aug 31 2014, $900 for a limited edition 26" x 20" screen print by artist John Tallacksen and Self Help Graphics & Art, Four prints only #'s 41, 39, 37, 35 out of an edition of 50 all signed and numbered with a Self Help chop in lower left corner.

My work is about honoring the people and places in the communities of Pico Union and MacArthur Park in central Los Angeles. The scene in Serenata En El Callejón 12th and Alvarado was a real life moment not far from McManus and Morgan where my girlfriend and I saw a man serenading a woman in an alley with a small Mariachi band. It's moments like these, and places like McManus & Morgan, that expose the heart of our community. Please watch the short documentary in the comments section of this post and you'll see a small fraction of why I treasure Gary Wolin and his paper store so much. This limited edition that we are selling has enjoyed some amazing exposure. Having been created in collaboration with Master Printer Jose Alpuche in Self Help Graphics & Art's Professional Printmaking Studio, and then archived in institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Mexican Fine Art Center Museum in Chicago, I wanted to use this edition's provenance to encourage my friend Gary and help off-set some of his overhead costs even if for a short time. I consider McManus & Morgan to be one of the most important arts institutions in Los Angeles. Watch the film below and consider purchasing an expression of the community that Gary and I share.
Self Help Graphics & Art values prints from this edition at $900 each. We are selling four prints from the same edition at the same price being careful not to under-cut such a prestigious organization. To purchase, leave a comment below, call me at (213)290-6777, or visit Gary at McManus & Morgan 2506 W 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90057 9AM to 5PM Mon - Fri and 10AM to 2PM Sat.
We hope you join us in this unique celebration of community and the arts.

Go On "Comic Crawl" Self Guided Tour in L.A.: Also Good For Comikaze / Anime Expo Attendees

All comic books mentioned below are $1 each.

This post will let you know where you can continually find comics for $1 at different storefronts all in one area just West of downtown. Bring a friend, or 4, for a comic crawl adventure on a Saturday, or any weekday for that matter. You will be supporting local businesses and stimulating the economy in a low-income area of Los Angeles with just a fist full of dollars.

(this is also the perfect side mission for Comikaze and Anime Expo attendees since this area is near the Los Angeles Convention Center. Point values listed next to each mission location) 

1. Velasco's Video Rental  + 10 pts per visit 

       

Velasco's is a new store, current google image: 2nd door in red brick building

1433 Pico Blvd. L.A. 90015
  -1 short box is always present on the front counter with about 150 various titles replenished          once a week regularly
  -Regular store hours: 10am to 8pm 7 days a week
  -Street parking only, but easy to find
Yes, this is an old school video rental store still in operation in Pico Union serving the mostly Salvadoran and Guatemalan neighborhood. The owners are friendly, and if you don't know Spanish this is the perfect opportunity to learn some vocabulario.  
+ 10 pts if you locate the $1 comics box and prove it by posting a picture of you and the comic box in the comments section of this post
+ 15 pts if you bring home a movie related comic book from the $1 box


2. World 8 video games  + 20 pts per visit for traveling this far

1057 S Vermont Ave Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 389-5212
world8.us    World 8 Yelp Page
  -1 short box with about 150 various titles replenished once a week regularly
  -Regular store hours: Mon-Sat 11 am - 8 pm Sun 12 pm - 8 pm
  -Small parking lot available
If you're a gamer in L.A. and you don't know about World 8 yet you need to take a break from the PC or console and make yourself aware of this amazing game shop. They know everything there is to know about all platforms and games. Their stock reaches back to many blasts from the past like the old school brick Game Boy to obscure games from every platform that you haven't been able to play since you were 8. They have a very comfortable gamer's lounge where you can challenge other customers on your favorite PVP and gain neighborhood champion status... if you're good enough. 
+ 10 pts if you locate the $1 comics box and prove it by posting a picture of you and the comic box in the comments section of this post
+ 15 pts if you bring home a video game related comic book from the $1 box


3.McManus & Morgan Artist Papers  + 15 pts per visit for the journey

2506 W 7th St Los Angeles, CA 90057
(213) 387-4433
mcmanusmorgan.com    McManus & Morgan Yelp Page
  -9 long boxes of $1 comics. Replenished regularly. This is the comic book hunter's dream.
  -Regular Store Hours: Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm Sat 10 am - 2 pm
  -Metered street parking so consider a bike and backpack combo
This art paper supply store has been around L.A. since the 20's. If you like drawing comics you'll do well to learn the owner Gary's secrets. Speaking of secrets, there is a hidden treasure in every corner of this small shop. They specialize in paper so they carry: all kinds of unique paper from all over the world, new/used/vintage books, ephemera for collage, Art Trading Cards for trade by local artists, envelopes, old post cards, creepy old assoreted family pictures, and much much more... believe me. Have a blast in this slice of L.A. history.
+ 10 pts if you locate the $1 comics box and prove it by posting a picture of you and the comic box in the comments section of this post
+ 15 pts if you bring home a non super hero comic book from the $1 box


UPDATE: Sadly this location has closed down. Thank you Moon for your service to our neighborhood for so many years
4.A & B Video Rentals
Corner of Valencia St and 6th in the shopping plaza on the South West corner
  -1 short box with about 150 various titles replenished once a week regularly
  -Regular store hours: Mon-Sat 11 am - 8 pm Sun 12 pm - 8 pm
  -Small parking lot available
This is yet another old school video rental store, and it is very small with two arcade games crammed in the corner. The owner is a very nice older man named Moon (not sure on the spelling). The neighborhood loves him and often rents videos just to visit with him for a while. If you're here you might as well stop in the Thai restaurant a few doors down in the same plaza- it is the kind of eatery only the locals know about, and with amazing lunch specials, you'll be glad you know about it too. 


If you're still looking for more
5.Blue Elephant Cafe  + 30 pts per visit- You have journeyed to the farthest reaches of this side mission Congrats!

2024 W Washington Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90018(323) 641-0466
Blue Elephant Cafe Yelp Page
  -1 short box with about 150 various titles replenished once a week
  -Regular store hours: Mon-Sat 9 am - 8 pm    Sun 10 am - 6 pm
  -Street parking on a near-bye residential street is suggested
Blue Elephant is a relatively new yet friendly neighborhood conscious cafe. Many of their ingredient and product suppliers are local businesses. You'll find the short box of comics on a table near the counter. 
+ 10 pts if you locate the $1 comics box and prove it by posting a picture of you and the comic box in the comments section of this post
+ 15 pts if you bring home a Marvel comic book from the $1 box
+ 15 pts if you bring home a DC comic book from the $1 box

This network of comic book sales is another 

L.A.I.C. Book Collective project

  

ACEO and 9"x12" Original Print Auctions

My ebay.com Auctions

Both auctions have a starting bid of .99 cents. The first House Sparrow: Neighbors is an Art Card Editions And Original (ACEO) 2.5" x 3.5" of a House Sparrow family that lives next door in the crevice between a pipe and the wall of an apartment building. This is a black and white linocut print with hand painted watercolor embellishments signed, titled, and numbered. Number 10 out of 19.

The second original print auction is number 2 from a limited "off-shoot edition" of only 4 prints. La Lavandaria On Pico is a linocut print on 9"x12" tan paper depicting my observation on a typical Saturday visit to the lavandaria (laundromat) in my L.A. neighborhood of Pico Union. The larger black and white edition (not offered in this auction) had 31 total prints offered to my monthly subscribers. Be among the first to receive a print from my monthly editions by subscribing: JohnTallacksen.com/Shop (online order form). Prints are shipped or available for local Los Angeles, CA pick-up on the 10th of every month.

My ebay.com Auctions

Two Major Announcements

First-

For the last week I have been working on a screen print serigraph edition as an artist in residence with Master Printer Joe Apuche at the historic Self Help Graphics in East Los Angeles (Boyle Heights). This has been a tremendous honor to print in such a hallowed place with the great Joe Apuche. Some of my favorite artists ie Gronk, John Valadez, El Mac, Sonia Romero, Fabian Debora and others have held the same residency here. Like the artists who have gone before me, the result will be a color serigraph edition that will be collected by institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the National Museum of Mexican Art among other museums archives and collections. If you follow my facebook art page John Tallacksen Studio you can follow the progress and view pictures taken while working in the studio. More details to come.

Second-

John Tallacksen Editions are open to subscribers! You can receive one of my original prints every month either by mail or by local will-call pick up. Prints from the serigraph edition mentioned above will be sent to subscribers one of these months in the near future. The first 10 subscribers will pay only $50/print even if they renew their subscription later. Once the 10th customer has been paid for their account, the monthly cost will go up for the the 11th and so on. This is your chance to own multiple original works, some of which will be collected in museums around the U.S., for the same amount of money you would spend on one painting in the average selling gallery. Go to JohnTallacksen.com/shop to order now. There are 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month options available.