Perennial Escapism – Press Release
Hello Everyone,
I’m pleased to finally be updating my website and letting everyone know about my new solo show coming up. This show is one of my most personal to date, and marks a return to some of the imagery and technical precision that I became known for. This show will feature over 20 pieces of new work (both stencils and screenprints). If you live in Chicago, it would be awesome to meet you there, if not, follow the show here. If you’re interested in purchasing work, or getting on a preview list, contact the gallery directly.
Click Here for Maxwell Colette Gallery
Maxwell Colette Gallery is pleased to announce Perennial Escapism, a solo exhibition from Chicago-based artist David Soukup. The show will run from April 26, 2013 through June 1, 2013, with an opening reception on Friday, April 26, from 6pm until 10pm. Perennial Escapism presents a collection of richly textured mixed media paintings on wood, with imagery derived from the artist’s own photographs of early 20th century wrought iron fire escapes in Chicago.
Soukup’s paintings combine visual elements of graphic design and collage with the tactile elements of paint and reclaimed materials to create decidedly urban motifs. He hand-cuts the elaborate stencils, some up to four feet in length, that are utilized to create his paintings. The resulting latticework of iron bars and shadows echoes the visual experience of his everyday life, and reflects his obsession with meticulous detail.
“This work represents a personal ‘escape’ so to speak” says Soukup. “I went back to what first made me passionate. I drew inspiration not just from the city imagery itself, but from the textures, the grit, and the distress that makes up a city. Perennial Escapism marks the beginning of a new direction, one I’ve never been more excited to pursue.”
2013 and Beyond
It’s pretty obvious I don’t get the chance to update this as much as I’d like to, but it’s been a busy couple months in the studio for me. For the past 16 months or so (dating back to my last show at Phone Booth Gallery) I’ve taken a bit of a break. I had been cutting stencils for so long that I really lost what made them most important to me, and why I started doing them in the first place. Taking a break from major shows allowed me to reconsider what I wanted to do an focus on.
I’ve been working with small studies, and completed embraced a new direction that has me more passionate and focused than ever before. I noticed that most people got excited about my intensely detailed architecture stencils, which I first became known for. I’m committed to going back that route, but not in a way that mimics what other stencils artists (or other artists) have done before. I’ve gone back to shooting my own photographs, manipulating and collaging them where it’s needed, and rendering the finished image from stencils. I’m no longer interested in the print-cut-spray approach that so many stencil artists seem to use and stop with, but instead have begun to build and layer the surface in a similar way that the city walls and streets develop the same textures, decays, and surfaces. I’m exploring the urban environment even more, and have gone about reproducing wall textures and inspirations I’ve seen to become a part of the new works. I’ve picked up the paint brush (roller, stick, and a few other tools) and have been using painting techniques, mixed media, found materials, and bringing new depth to each piece that hadn’t been there before. I’m happy with the new direction and cannot wait to begin sharing pieces in this new approach and style that I will hopefully become known for. The depth and texture on each piece can sometimes take as long as creating the stencil itself, and really distinguishes each piece.
April 19th will be my first solo show since 2011, and my first major show in Chicago since 2010. I’ve made a ton of friends and met even more collectors along the way, and I believe that the new work will be something not seen before and cannot wait for the opening. The show will be at the Maxwell Collette Gallery in Chicago. Details will be posted here in a few weeks as we narrow down the specifics, but we’ll be making sure to get preview lists and teasers out to everyone not in Chicago. The new show will consist of plenty of new works on wood, some larger scale pieces than what I’ve ever had before, and I’m working with the idea of very limited editions of smaller hand painted multiples as opposed to large print releases in a way to bridge the gap between people that want originals at a lower price point. I’ll be posting new imagery to my instagram, flickr, and facebook accounts and updating this site alot more frequently as we get closer to the show.
October will also bring a new first, as I’ll be having my first solo show in Australia with the Espionage Gallery in Adelaide. Australia has always been very close to my heart, and I’ve always enjoyed a warm reception with the work I’ve sent down there, so I cannot wait to make the trip with my work down there. Once all the details are sorted out, I’ll make sure to post them up here.
Look forward to a relaunch of my online store in the coming future, as I’ll begin to release some one-of-kind pieces, originals, prints, and a slew of other new goodies. My goal has always been to be able to provide work to collectors on a more direct level, and 2013 will be the year I begin to do that.
Look forward to an exciting new year and the new challenges it will provide.
Violet Hour Mural
This project has been in the works for well over 6 months now, and I was happy to finally get it to come together.
The Violet Hour in Chicago is a ‘speakeasy’ type bar that is hidden except for the handle on the front of the wall. The only way people ever find it, is by the mural that is ever-changing. They give the opportunity to a new artist every month or so, and I was selected for the October-November rotation. Hopefully it stays up longer.
Massive thanks to Terry and the crew at Violet Hour for this opportunity, really happy it worked out.
I was initially worried about how one of my works would translate into a space that large (9×40 ft) and into a format that size. I’m not a ‘street’ artist. I’ve never claimed to be, and have never really done anything in public space, especially that big. I’ve always thought that my work was best suited at my normal gallery size, but I was happy to take on the challenges of painting outside. It was an amazing experience to get to meet and talk to so many people that I would never have had a chance to otherwise. Almost everyone was pretty positive of what I was doing.
I can’t thank my wife enough for all the help, taking the time talk to everyone while we battled 40 degree temps, and a bone-chilling 20-30mph wind that made keeping the stencils intact impossible at some moments.
At the end of the day, cars parked in front of the mural so it blocked a good view from the other side of the street. I hope to have another few pictures up in a few days when traffic is a bit lighter during the weekdays.
Art Whino Feature
I’ve been way to busy these past few weeks to answer emails or update anything. I did want to take time to give a shout out to Art Whino for giving me a small feature in Whino Mag (their first edition). Really nice of the guys to take some time to feature my work after an awesome G40 show. Tons of other great artists in there as well, and it’s only 5 dollars. WHINO #1 is everything G40 with giant, full-color spreads of the murals, interviews and art from the show
First issue with indepth interviews and 8 page spreads with ROA, LELO, ARYZ, JAZ and PIXEL PANCHO.
Also featuring Aaron Reichert, Allison Torneros, Charlie Immer, Chris Sheridan, Craig “Skibs” Barker, David Soukup, Glenn Arthur, James Walker, Jason Levesque and Jesse Smith.
If you are looking to pick up a copy, head to Art Whino
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Instagram! I’ve been using it to share photos of locations, teasers, studio shots, and inspiration I find throughout the day. Find me on android or apple, under username: soukupvisual
Here’s an example, enjoy!
Thanks Organic Themes!
Just a quick shout out to the guys at Organic Themes for featuring me in their showcase. I can’t speak highly enough of how awesome they were to work with and give me a website that does everything I needed it to do. Well worth the money I paid to get it online, and the forums made everything super easy.
It goes without saying, but their customizers (especially Jeremy Paavola @ JPaavola.com) are awesome. If you’re looking for a few custom tweaks to the theme (which my site clearly is) contact him.
Thanks for the love, and hope you enjoy the site!
New Website Live
Welcome to the new home of David Soukup’s artwork and online portfolio. It’s been several months in the works, but I took it upon myself to learn coding, programming, and with the help of a few experts, I’m happy to showcase my new website. The goal I’ve had since I started soukupvisual.com was a place to show all my work in one place, in the best way possible. I’m happy to say that this version has more than accomplished that. In the coming weeks, I’ll be uploading more and more information and updates to get this site up and running the way it should be.
I’ll be using the individual artwork, edition, and design pages to showcase information from each of my various projects and pieces and showcase the detail and time that goes into everything. Stay tuned for more updates.
On a side note, I wouldn’t be anywhere without the fine help of Jeremy Paavola. In the world of website programmers, it’s almost always impossible to find one guy who really knows what he’s doing, and does a great job at it (and does it quickly). Jeremy is by far the best I’ve ever worked with, and if you ever need any wordpress help, or general website programming.. contact this guy! His website is: jpaavola.com
New Prints on the way
I’ve been posting teasers on facebook for the past few weeks, but it’s time to share some great photos I’ve what I’ve got coming down the road. Starting in Early november, I was approached by 1xrun to do another release. Fresh off my last show, and first screenprints ever, I wanted to do something that was more hands-on than just letting someone else push print, or do the screening themselves. I spent over a month of trial and error learning how to screenprint, and experimenting with various ink and paper mediums to find a result that was both archival, and felt more like my paintings.
The result is 2 prints, from the Metropolis series. Both will be released with 1xrun in the near future (details will be posted once the release date is finalized). Below are some progress photos and close-ups. More will be revealed in a few weeks. I’m really excited to be able to offer these prints to everyone, and can’t wait to hear the feedback.
In the moment wrap up & what’s next
It’s been a while, and I apologize for the massive delays. The past 4-5 months have been amazing and insanely crazy at the same time. Normally I share only art-related updates here, but in the coming months there will be some big changes and updates happening.
First off, the ‘In the Moment’ opening was amazing. Had an absolutely amazing time. Garry Booth (owner and all around awesome guy) couldn’t have been a better gentleman, and I enjoyed my first opening in the LA area. Looking forward to many more. I temporarily took a break right after that to enjoy some time to myself (and celebrate my engagement to my wonderful fiancee and the absolute love of my life, Dani). I’m currently working on a variety of projects and expect to be releasing some new work with some very very new elements and approaches that I’ve never done before, sometime in the middle of 2012. Also, some new and older work will find it’s way into the store (which has been vacant for a while). If you missed your chance to get a Bumblebee Sunrise Print a year ago, I’ll also be selling a few limited edition APs from the original run, so stay tuned.
Being able to see some of the first screenprints I’ve ever done was a unique experience. After 3 years, I’ve finally been able to look at stencil art as more of a printmaking approach, and not so much a painting approach. The result is that I will being doing at least 2 new silkscreens with 1xrun.com in the early weeks of 2012. Really looking forward to them. They will be from the Metropolis series, and will be completed by me every step of the way. I took it upon myself to learn the ins and outs of printmaking, and each print will be burned, pulled, and finished by myself, so it presents a very unique opportunity. Updates regarding this release are coming soon.
Finally, just some shout-outs to a few websites that did some great features on the work. Artist-a-day and Hi-Fructose wrote some great articles regarding the new work. You can visit the sites to see them here:
Stay tuned for updates after the holidays. Got some amazing projects and releases on the way.
Enso & Wheelhouse ScreenPrints
I’m excited to release my first screenprints, and I’m blown away by the quality and detail in both of the prints. They will both be sold at the show, and the remainder will be available on Sunday Sept 18th around mid-afternoon. Prints will be available for $45 each, or $80 for both.
Each are 3 color Silk Screen Print on 100lb Cougar Smooth Cover. 24×18″ (16×22 total image size with a 1in bleed on all sides). Signed and numbered, an edition of 40 each. The darkest color is not a full black, but pretty close.
Pictures of the prints and details below. Contact Garry at PhoneBooth Gallery for more info.
New Silkscreen Prints
It’s been a flurry of activity this week getting ready for the show, and I’m happy to finally release some progress photos of my first 2 silkscreen prints. A lot of people have been telling me for years that silkscreens and stencil are two very similar concepts and I finally took the jump with the show.
Available on Saturday, Sept 17th, I’ll be releasing 2 prints. 3 color silkscreen, 18x24in (with a 1 inch bleed on all sides) on Cougar Smooth Paper. Edition of 40 prints for each, and priced $45 each. I’m sure these will go quickly, so make sure you get in touch with Garry at the Phone Booth Gallery to order yours. Pictures below.
In the Moment Progress Photos
With about a week left until the opening, I wanted to share some of the progress and detailed shots from this upcoming show with everyone. From the stencils to the final product, each one of these paintings takes an incredible amount of time to put together, and I’m constantly trying to explore new ways to use the stencil medium.
Take a look at pictures below, and feel free to check out the gallery website for updates and show pieces. Go to:
Facebook RSVP for the Event Here
In the Moment Opening
Phone Booth Gallery is pleased to present “In the Moment,” an exhibition featuring new paintings and prints by Chicago based stencil artist David Soukup. The exhibition opens on September 17, 2011 with a reception from 7-10 pm. This all-ages event will take place at Phone Booth Gallery’s exhibition space, 2533 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803. “In the Moment” will remain on view through October 6th, 2011 at the exhibition space and on www.phoneboothgallery.com.
Having built a reputation as one of the most detailed stencil artists in the country, Soukup is no stranger to finger-numbing precision and perfection. At first glance, his work may lead you to believe it’s is a digital transfer or electronic print-out, but on closer inspection, you’ll see what makes David’s work so special: the details. Each painting is produced by a precise layering of stencils, meticulously cut by hand, and applied using layers of spray paint.
Soukup’s new body of work shows a slight change in direction for the artist, who has elevated his paintings to include geometric abstraction, texture, and motion. Consistently raising the bar on what can be done with the stencil medium, Soukup focuses on relational composition while exploring positive and negative space. Working with reclaimed wood, found imagery, photography, and a variety of painting techniques Soukup explores individual relationships between mediums and elements interconnected in the moment.
In addition to showing new paintings, Soukup will also show two new screen prints. Similar to his originals, these prints implement layering techniques, textures, and subtle color shifts. Artist in attendance.
A Cut Above
I’m thrilled to be a part of this show with some other great stencil artists. If you happen to be in Adelaide, it’s going to be worth checking it out. I was able to send 1 piece down there which hasn’t been exhibited ever.
Espionage Gallery Presents
A CUT ABOVE – INTERNATIONAL STENCIL ART EXHIBITION
Featuring
JOSHUA SMITH (Adelaide), E.L.K. (Melbourne), PISA 73 (Berlin), 23RD
KEY (Melbourne), DAVID SOUKUP (Chicago), SCOTCH WILLINGTON (USA),
ARTESTENCIVA (Brazil), PHIL BUNGLE (UK), IAN WALKER (UK), FLETCH
(Adelaide).
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday the 21st of July 6:00pm-10:00pm
Exhibition runs until the end of August.
Gallery open Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday 12pm-5pm
More information at www.espionage-gallery.com
In the Moment
It’s been a while since this was updated, but I’ve been patiently taking my time to work on some new pieces and directions. It’s been a crazy 2 months, and I’ve been flying all over the place searching for locations, images, and materials and I’m finally beginning to get down to business. I also dealt with some amazing feedback from the print released with 1xrun and can’t wait to do it again. It was truly amazing to sell out of a print in that amount of time and I’ve taken it as a hint that more prints should be released.
Having never had an exhibition in Los Angeles, I am incredibly excited to be opening up a solo show with the Phone Booth Gallery in Long Beach, CA. Garry (the owner) and I have been talking for the better part of a year about this show, and I cannot wait to share the work with you. To the date when it opens in September it will mark my 3rd year as a career artist since graduating from college, and given everything that I’ve learned in those three years, I hope to put on an awesome show. We’ve already decided that there will be at least 2 silk screen prints available and I am working on a massive new body of work that further explores the new direction I’ve been experimenting with in the past few months.
If you have time, head over to this link to check out the gallery :
Phone Booth Gallery Exhibitions
and click on the contact page in this site to follow me on twitter, flickr, or facebook. Once the time gets near, I plan on releasing tons of teasers and progress photos for everyone to check out.
Until then, enjoy your summer, and keep checking back here for new info.
1xrun Love
For those that went to 1xrun yesterday and tried to grab a print up of Bumblebee Sunrise, you might have seen something like this:
I was overwhelmed by the amount of people so interested in this print. I was told that it was sold out just around 5 hours, and unfortunately, a reprint run doesn’t look like it will happen.. 1xrun has a terrific business model and a great way of building excitement for each run. They’ve been great to work with, and are all around great guys. Based on this success, I plan on doing more prints in the future, as I’m always trying to get my work into fans and collectors hands through as many outlets as I can. I’ve received alot of emails asking about additional print availability, and I’ll direct you to 1xrun.com and see what they say. I am planning another painting based on the same imagery and iconography, so hopefully it makes it way into print form very soon.
I can’t talk too much about what I’ve got going on right now, but a large scale mural and some new opportunities are on the horizon. I’ll be uploading tons of process photos in the upcoming weeks of some things I’ve got going on.
Thanks to everyone that woke up early. I can’t wait to get these into your hands and hear your feedback.
New Print coming, Store is finally Live
It’s been a crazy month settling back in after a busy trip to Denver, and I’m happy to say, I’ve started making work again at a blistering pace. First off, there will be an amazing print run with 1xrun.com starting on March 28th. If you are not familiar with this company, you should be. Each week they sell a limited run of prints from 1 artist. First come, first serve basis, and once the week is done, they move on to another artist. Prints have been selling out lightning fast, so get on the email list. I’m proud to have completed my first print, Bumblebee Sunrise, and am pumped about the quality and how it all turned out. Here are a few pictures:
You can click the pictures to be taken to the website posting, and get yourself on the email list.
Additionally, my store is finally live, and some new works will start pouring in there very soon. Click the store tab <– to the left to see what’s available.
I’ll also be posting some pictures from my upcoming St. Louis trip, which will include an outdoor mural and getting to work with Peat Wollaeger for the upcoming Stencil World Show.
Reconstructed
Opening Reception February 4th @ 7PM
Artist will be in attendance – Reception open to the public
Part of what makes art collecting and viewing so enjoyable is in the details. The details make the impact. This is exceptionally true for artist, David Soukup, who will be showing at Black Book Gallery in Denver during the month of February. Prepare to be blown away.
At first glance it might seem Soukup’s work is of the digital transfer sort. How else could his highly-detailed images make their way onto surface? However, after learning that Soukup is a stencil artist, producing photo-realistic images by carefully coaxing the relationship between positive and negative space, it becomes clear that the mastery of a process is happening here. It takes enough talent just to draw from a photo-realistic perspective, but Soukup takes this many steps further by cutting his highly detailed drawings into fragile, waif-like stencils that translate into sophisticated images depicting his urban lifestyle and setting.
While associated with the urban and street art movement of the current, Soukup is an artist on his own plan. “Reconstruction” is the name of the upcoming show at Black Book and captures the artist at a fresh and evolutionary time in his career. Soukup says he is taking the best aspects of his work and applying them to new subject matter, which (beyond his trademark urban-scape stencils) will also include portraits and mixed media, as well as a new exploration into reclaimed surface material.
Email info@theblackbookgallery.com to receive a preview of available artwork.
Busy Winter
I’m in the midst prepping for my first major solo show at the BlackBook Gallery in Denver, but wanted to share some other details about some great things happening in 2011.
First, with some more shows and happenings.
I’ve been invited to participate in Stencil World, in St. Louis. Details are still coming in, but it seems that this will be a great show with some amazing artists from around the country and world. C215, HAHA, Peat Wollaeger/stenSOUL, Chris Stain, Adam 5100, Jeff Aerosol are just some of the names and more keep coming in. Peat Wollager, is a good friend, and fellow stencil head who has an original an unique style that I love. He’s been doing a lot of work to get this off the ground, and I’ll happily be making the trip down there for some painting and stenciling. This show will be a part of the SCG International Conference, and there will be tons of awesome art in St. Louis over that weekend. Weather permitting, I will be doing some of my first installations on outside walls, so I am hoping all goes well.
Reception: 7-11p, March 18
On View: March 17-20
Location: Gallery AM – Art Monster, 2617 Cherokee St.
Additionally, I’ll be doing one of my first screen prints with 1XRun (www.1xrun.com). These guys operate the 323East Gallery in Royal Oak, MI and have a great new website set up to start running a great new concept. Can’t wait to start working on this.
Finally, with under 6 weeks left, work is proceeding nicely for my solo show Reconstructed, at the BlackBook Gallery in Denver. I plan on bringing about 20 new and original works, as well as doing some installations, and hopefully a mural. Given the chance to work with an awesome gallery like this, I plan on doing some things I’ve always wanted to do, and making the best use of all of my opportunities. If all goes well, hopefully there will be a few limited edition screen prints too, but no promises. Work from this show will be online, and I’ll be posting pictures of some of the available works beforehand.
I’ll begin uploading some teasers and progress pictures in the coming days, as soon as I get time to download from my camera.
From the Street to the Cube
I’m thrilled to be involved in this show. Lots of huge names and a great chance to go back San Francisco, if you happen to be in the area, the opening is Saturday, August 7 and I’ll have 9 paintings in that show. Updates and pictures will follow on this site after the opening.
You can RSVP on Facebook here.
Here’s a blurb from the gallery:
From the Street to the Cube, is a group exhibition featuring the work of many prominent artists of the Street Art genre. For its first two exhibitions in its nascent year, 941Geary has explored urban contemporary artists of note working in the styles of abstraction and realism. For this third exhibition, curator Justin Giarla has compiled a group of the world’s most influential artists whose artistic careers were birthed in the street and have transitioned to the more formal exhibition space of the white cube. From the Street to the Cube will bring together a collection of work in a variety of mediums for this cross-cultural survey of street art. Featured artists include Above, Best Ever, Eine, C215, Shepard Fairey, Rene Gagnon, Sergio Garcia, Ernesto Yerena, Greg Gossel, Dan Witz, Casey Gray, Gale Hart, Jesse Hazelip, Hugh Leeman, Blek Le Rat, David Soukup, Georgi Tchkhaidze, D Young V, Philip Lumbang and Miss Van.
Check out www.941geary.com for more details.