Lara Slater

Lara Slater is one of our unique tattoo artist from New Jersey and Cast In Plastics' seventh lineup.  

"A long time ago I heard the expression that a piece of art is a fingerprint of an artist... I believe this is true for the person who owns it or wears it. Spending a great deal of time designing originals for my clients, I will never do the same tattoo twice."

Lara Slater is an artist who was born and raised in New Jersey.   She is not only a tattoo artist, but also a gypsy of the North East, USA.  Lara is a child to the tattoo industry and has been a tattoo artist since she was a teenager.  Since 1996, she has made career in the industry, but she also lives and breathes the concept into her everyday life and surroundings.  Not only has Lara painted for 6 years, but designed and created images throughout her entire life.  Both of Lara's parents were very influential artists who helped paved the way for her and allow her to open mind at a young age.

Since painting is what she mostly enjoys during her free time, Lara tries to express a story or the depth of a concept most people never explore.  She focuses mainly on the style of organic bio, but always throws in a hint of surrealist images, seeing that things that are real are always twisted. The most important message Lara expresses or hopes people understand is that there is a monumental amount of beauty in things considered less desirable by the masses.  That thing of the purest elegance holds a mystery and deteriorated truth. She bases some of her ideas on her chronic night terrors; and like most artists, she tries to excel all that she creates to put her mind on paper.  She continues to tattoo (her first love), design, illustrate, sculpt and wood burn. 

Lara, who currently resides in New Jersey, will be moving to Melbourne, Australia later this year.  She will continue her love for art and tattooing for clients, no matter the time sacrificed for the greater good of the art and the people who fight for the same visions. 

For info on Lara's work, you can check her out at:

http://artdelirium.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42627584@N08/

**All photos are (c) all rights reserved by Lara Slater.

Chauskoskis

Meet Chauskoskis, he is Cast In Plastics’ six artist, a successful graphic designer, painter, sculptor, illustrator and one of the top five toy customizers in the world.  

Chauskoskis is a self taught artist, whom at the age of five grabbed a slab of clay and a pencil and decided to never let go of them. He has being inspired over  the years by  Mexican comic books, lucha libre, fantasy, terror, crappy movies, Sci-fi, classic cartoons and the big art masters; which makes him a multifaceted artist, who creates all sort of  weird and strange characters. You never know what he’ll come up with next.

His particular styles have quickly given him a spot on the toy scene as an original artist who always thinks outside the box.  Chauskoskis created his first Vinyl toy with artist Frank Mysterio  the "Karuzo."  He has also worked next to Jeff Lamm on the successful kaiju toy "Greasebat" where he was in charge of the master sculpt.  Along with his successful run of customs he has designed a few toys for the new "Skelanimals" series 1 and 2 by Toy2R . He is currently participating on the dunny “Most Wanted Series 2” and several other collaborations and projects. 

Chauskoskis has currently showcased all over the world, which includes:

MunnyGrubbers show, Arizona • Robolucha Custom Show, Germany • Dolly Oblong, Paper  Totem Toy • O Negative "Destroyer" Show for Operation Smile •  Custom Yoka Show, Pasadena, CA •  When Hell Freezes Over Show, Cranston Fellow Jr , New York • Sketchbot Custom Show, New York • Ganmetall Celsius Show, USA •  Press Start! Show, Canada • 15th anniversary QEE, Sacramento •  Jouwe Custom Show, Germany •  EGGCORE, China • Dem Cubez, NewYork Comic Con •  Alien Argus Show, Los Angeles • When World Collide, Portland, OR• For the Love of Vinyl, Sacramento, CA .

You can find some of his recent customs in “When Worlds Collide Show,” at the Screaming Sky Gallery, Portland, OR which runs until March 27, 2011 as well as in “For the Love of Vinyl Show,” at Dragatomi, Sacramento, CA which runs until April 2, 2011.   

For the scoop on Chauskoskis, you can find him at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chauskoskis/155385251174470

http://twitter.com/chauskoskis

http://walterjacott.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walterjacott/

**All photos are (c) all rights reserved by Chauskoskis

Valerie G

Meet Valerie G from Houston, TX, Cast In Plastics' fifth artist in the show.  

Valerie G., is an urban vinyl and mixed media artist, who was born in New York City.  Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States, including galleries in California, New York, and Texas.  Valerie’s custom vinyl designs, custom plush and photography have been featured online in Juxtapoz, Evil Monito, the OC Register, Culturemap, Spacetaker, the Toy2R USA Qee Gallery, Supahcute, Spanky Stokes, I Love the Yeti, Vinyl Pulse, Elite Gudz, Delicious Drips, Thrillist, and in Noupe’s 30+ Incredibly Beautiful Custom Designer Toys.  

During 2010, Valerie participated in exhibits at New York Comic Con, Halcyon/Genuine Artikle (Brooklyn and Lake Ronkonkoma, NY), Munky King (Los Angeles, CA), Spaghetti Project (Fredericksburg, VA), and in Malaysia, at One Academy Gallery.  She also exhibited her designs in the Houston area at several venues, including Sculptures by Design, Winter Street Studios, Aerosol Warfare Gallery, and the Lawndale Art Center.  

Some upcoming shows include the 2011 March Group Show at JoMar Visions/Hardy and Nance Studios, and Above the Radar at Crewest Gallery (Los Angeles, CA).

For more info on Valerie and her Cultured Critters, check her out at:

http://www.culturedcrittercollective.com/
http://www.facebook.com/culturedcrittercollectiveective

http://culturedcrittercollective.blogspot.com/

**All photos are (c) all rights reserved by Valerie G.

Evoker

Cast In Plastics' fourth artist comes from Boston, MA, graphic designer and painter Evoker! 

Evoker is a professional graphic designer/painter currently living in the beautiful city of Boston. He has created murals and done live painting for such clients as ICA Boston, Coca Cola Japan, Nickelodeon, Fuel TV, Mountian Dew's Dew Tour, Bodega, Microsoft, LAB Boston, Proletariat, Chuck D and Adidas. Ryan is currently the art director of Fast Life Urethane, a skateboard wheel company, and has created skateboard deck graphics for Mobb, 7ply, Orchard, Credo, Capra, Proletariat, Civil, Watershed, Gansett Juice, and Academy.    

Ryan has been interviewed and featured in Peel Magazine, Issues 1 and 7, and is currently  showcased in the book Peel: The Art of the Sticker, Stuck Up and the book Label 228. He has exhibited paintings and installations at galleries including the Fourthwall Gallery in Boston, Wootini in North Carolina, One Way gallery in Rhode Island, LAB Boston in Boston, SXSW festival in Texas, St. Robots Day Massacre in New York, Vinyl Killers in Oregon and has a piece currently on display in the Street Art collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

When not working, Ryan can be found obsessing over old skateboard graphics, painting murals with Project SF, making stickers and exploring the city's around the world. He is currently in the Blood Brothers three man show with MCA and Abe Lincoln, Jr. at Wootini Gallery until March 31, 2011.  

For more information on Evoker, you can find him at:

http://evokerone.com/

http://www.twitter.com/evokerone

http://evokerone.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/people/28407225@N04/

**All images are (c) all rights reserved by Evoker. 

 

Abe Lincoln, Jr.

Cast In Plastic is excited to announce our third artist, Mr. Abe Lincoln, Jr.  

Abe Lincoln Jr. is a Graphic Artist living in Brooklyn NY and hails from Northern California. Abe's work is informed by skateboarding, punk rock,mid-century modern design and a healthy dose of sarcasm.  Abe's work has appeared everywhere from the Streets of NYC to the foothills of the Indian Himalayas to the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. Abe has returned to his roots doing much of his new work by hand as well as returning to Street Art with both analog and digital sticker designs.

He is currently in a three man show with MCA and EvokerOne at Wootini Gallery, located in Carroboro, NC.  The show runs until March 31, 2011, go check it out! 

To find out more about Abe, you can view his portfolio at:

http://girlsbike.com/

http://twitter.com/abelincolnjr

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abe-Lincoln-Jr/115900372633?sk=wall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abejr

http://abelincolnjr.posterous.com/

**All images are (c) all rights reserved by Abe Lincoln, Jr. 

Martin Hsu

Our second Cast In Plastic Artist this week is Mr. Martin Hsu ^_^, based 
out of Los Angeles, California. 

Martin Hsu is a horse and two fish, of Chinese blood and Taiwan born.  

He draws inspiration from nature, animals, blush in the young, and wrinkles in the old.  

He is grateful for the road that’s been paved by ones before him, 

and hopes to express his gratitude by taking each step firmly and respectfully.  

Above all, he loves his family, honors his heritage, and 
treasures his friends, and misses his dog.

Martin has been featured in numerous galleries across the country, such as Giant Robot Gallery, Rotofugi Gallery, Munky King Gallery, 1988, Nucelus Gallery, etc. Aside from his solo exhibits and group shows, he has done various animation designs for Walt Disney and Nickelodeon. His show "Primavera" with Andrew Brandou opens today at Subtext Gallery in San Diego, CA and runs until April 3, 2011. So if you're in the area, check it out!

For more information on Martin Hsu's work, you can find him at:

http://www.martinhsu.com

http://twitter.com/MartinHsu

http://www.facebook.com/martin.hsu

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinhsu

http://martinhsuillustrations.blogspot.com/

**All images are (c) all rights reserved by Martin Hsu

Jeremiah Ketner

Cast In Plastic is proud to introduce our first artist, Jeremiah Ketner from Chicago, Illinois.  

Jeremiah Ketner's paintings are instantly recognizable amongst his contemporaries in the pop surrealism movement. His early work, characterized by mischievous sprites and whimsical patterns, has evolved into lush, richly colored environments inhabited by a cast of pensive, dreamy young women. Each character presents a unique brand of beauty, created entirely within Jeremiah's imagination and painted completely from memory. 

The sprites (which grace the walls of Nordstrom department stores nationwide) still appear as inspiration for custom wooden and vinyl toys. Bringing a three-dimensional surface to life is one of Jeremiah's favorite challenges; the intricate, colorful one-of-a-kind creatures are immensely popular amongst his collectors. The next step, he says, is to create and produce his own wooden toy design.

Beyond the designer toy phenomenon, other aspects of Japanese culture — the fabrics and motifs, the meticulous taming of and tending to nature — provide an ever-flowing spring of insight, and Jeremiah travels there as often as possible. "I love the gardens," he says. "They do an amazing job of taking a small space and making it feel like a large environment." 

During one trip to Tokyo he observed, "Everything in Japan is small and round," which became his mantra of sorts, an enigmatic interpretation of his overall aesthetic. "It loosely describes work from long ago, but I guess it's more of a pen name," says Jeremiah, whose Internet-savvy fans know to look for his "smallandround" persona for frequent updates and photographs of new art. 

Though Chicago may be lacking in things small and round, the city features a flourishing artists' community as well as a world-class collection of parks and museums, which Jeremiah frequently explores with his two young sons. Reflecting on the day's adventures gets him in the proper frame of mind for painting. "When I'm in the studio at night, a lot of these things come through… flowers, vines, different types of trees," he explains. "I like the fact that being in the city, everything is more arranged. People tend to treat their gardens differently than if they had sprawling space." 

Jeremiah's style and unconventional creations have a traditional foundation. With his family's encouragement, he began formal art studies at the age of 12. He holds a BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design and an MFA from Southern Illinois University. Jeremiah's paintings and toys have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in more than 50 galleries across North America, and he's acquired a strong international following through his dedication to the Internet and social media.

For more information on Jeremiah Ketner's work you can find him at:

http://www.jeremiahketner.com

http://twitter.com/smallandround

http://www.facebook.com/JeremiahKetner

http://smallandround.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smallandround/collections/

**All images are (c) all rights reserved by Jeremiah Ketner