"Everybody's A Somebody!" Opens Tonight in LA!

"A Helpful Rampage" / 14 x 18"/

watercolor, acrylic & ink on paper

The wonderful folks at iam8bit have teamed up with Sanrio (of Hello Kitty fame) to put on "Everybody's A Somebody!" It's a group exhibit of works dedicated to the world of those childhood favorites, the Mr. Men & Little Miss.

My latest illustration (see above) will be featured in the show, which opens tonight in Los Angeles. For more info on the exhibition and tonight's opening reception, peep the show flyer below or visit www.iam8bit.com.

Hope you can make it out!
- Dave C.

Danger Mouse Strikes At Iam8bit!

"You Can't Hide Forever" / 14x18" / watercolor, acrylic & ink on paper

When the gang at Iam8bit asked contributors to their Nickelodeon Studios-themed art show "It's The ShizNICK!" to dig deep for their inspiration, I had no idea just how deep I would go. But in the 11th hour, I mined some creative ore from my early, EARLY childhood -- Danger Mouse!

I'll never forget the exhilaration I felt when the theme song kicked in. I was enthralled, watching DM & Penfold race from their pillar box hideout, flipping, fighting & outsmarting the evil Baron Silas Greenback at every turn! As soon as I began drawing the image, my aim was to bring my love of adventure illustration to this cartoon. Strange to say, but Danger Mouse is as deeply rooted in my well of inspiration as Star Wars, Transformers & Conan The Barbarian. So that's the level of respect I chose to show it, with my piece.

"It's The ShizNICK!" opens at Iam8bit in Los Angeles, next Friday, April 19th. For all the reception & gallery info, visit: www.iam8bit.com/the-gallery/its-the-shiznick. Many of the contributing artists, including myself, will be in attendance. Hope to see you there!

"For all of the time in the world, to spend it wild and unwise. I wanna be mesmerizing, too..."

- Dave "King Gum"Crosland

"Technical Difficulties" in Seattle!

Just a reminder that "Technical Difficulties" opens tonight. The works will be hanging at Halogen Gallery from now to April 3rd. If you're in the Seattle area, chiggy-check it out! Also, the cool kids at Redefine Magazine gave the show a nice plug on their website. It includes an interview I did with their magazine, a few years back. Gnarly!

Redefine shows a lil' love!

For more info on the show, hit up Halogen Gallery's website.

- Bunker, out.

Bastards of the Universe!

"Wondertwin Powers, ACTIVATE! Form of: Pumpkin Cutter & Hiredmeat!!"

So the week of that group show, "Bastards of the Universe," has come and gone. The reception was a pretty incredible gathering of hobo-hipsters. But molester-mustaches and obnoxious plastic sunglasses be damned, it was an awesome time. The wine flowed, along with the melted cheese poured over about 500 lbs of nacho chips. Oh, and there was even some sweet artwork on the walls, too!

"Free wine brings out the freaks!"

Some of you may remember me having my sights set on getting something like 6 new paintings done in about 3 days, for the show. I must admit, I overestimated myself on that one. But hell... can't blame a brother for aiming high. I actually did work on 6 pieces simultaneously and, as the hanging date got closer, I edited down based on how far along each piece was. In the end, was only able to get one new piece done. I showed it, along with 5 pieces from previous exhibits. Luckily, I'm presenting work in 4 gallery shows in September. So I'll have use for the half-done newbies, and then some. Never a dull moment in this wily world of art!


The one that got done was "Banzai, G.I., YOU DIE!" It's a big ol' collage and paint piece where I pit G.I. Joe against their late 90's counterparts, Pokemon! It's a total mashup, with elements from an old Joe comic that I had, plus combat photography from battles on both the Eastern and Western fronts of World War 2. And then I painted on the massive Pikachus storming over the hill -- decked-out in Japanese, "Rising Sun" bandanas, shooting lighting from their cutely-furrowed brows. Funny, working on this and the other pieces me a little excited for toys, again. Call me a dork, but I gave the action figure party that's happening on my computer desk a bit more attention, last week.

Ahem... anyway, dig on these details of "Banzai...":



Some of the other work:


Big-bad Brent McHugh came through with his delicately painted, haunting bird characters as some of Marvel's more badass villains and heroes -- Dr. Doom, The Punisher, Mr. Sinister, and Iron Man. He also did the interesting Batman and Robin portraits up above.


Then there's the art of Super Ugly. This is his "hard on intergalactic terrorism" series, "JLUgly."



And I can't forget my boy, Richard Jule of Pumpkin Cutter Industries. He's the one who organized us all and curated the show. His pieces were painted on wood, and sealed in a super-slick layer of resin. Between the shiny coating and the bright colors, Rich really got across the plastic, cartoony feel that I remember everything around me having, as a child growing up in the 80's.

Many thanks to Rich, Brent, Matt Richie, SuperUgly, DIA, and all the other amazing artists who came together to rock this group romp. Muchas gracias to the people at Shoe Biz for being such fine art enthusiasts. And big hugs and kisses to the kids who came out to show support, friends and strangers alike. Hope you enjoyed the wine.

-Bunker, out.

ps-- "Bastards of the Universe: A Pop Culture Mess" will be on display from now, into September. You can stop by Shoe Biz during store hours, to check it out. For more info, go to: www.shoebizsf.com