Featuring paintings by six Los Angeles based artists: Dame Darcy, Dany Paragouteva, Zara Kand, Mark Boucher, Mari Araki and work by UK artist Dave McKean.
DAME DARCY
Known world-wide as an illustrator, fine artist, writer, writer, musician, and award winning filmmaker/animator. Currently on her 17th issue of Meat Cake, her long standing comic book title published by Fantagraphics, other publications have been The Illustrated Jane Eyre (Putnam Penguin USA 2006) Dollerium Book & DVD (Presspop, Tokyo), and Gasoline (Merrell Books NY/London November 2008). Gasoline is an environmental post apocalyptic rock opera. Following this release Dame Darcy will exhibit the black & white/color illustrations from Gasoline along with a series of paintings exemplifying scenes from the book. Clair Obscur presents a preview to this upcoming solo show. Gasoline is also currently in production as a feature film.
DANY PARAGOUTEVA
Dany Paragouteva graduated with a BFA in Illustration with Distinction from Art Center College of Design. Her passion for drawing and painting started when she was about two years old. Dany’s paintings have a magical quality that elicits the dark side of fairytales. They are mysterious yet familiar. Her work was shown in the last years at the Black Maria Gallery and this is her first show with Clair Obscur Gallery. Originally from Bulgaria, Dany now lives in Los Angeles.
ZARA KAND
Zara Kand was born 1987 in London, England. Her parents were recording and touring artists in the band Christian Death, internationally recognized in the underground music scene in the 80’s. Self educated in painting five years ago, when at the age of 16 she started her first series of acrylic paintings (shown at various coffee shops, The Ginia gallery, and at the Long Beach art walks) Zara now paint with oils, working on loosely-themed series’ that explore surrealistic, child-like perspectives on life, all the while embracing influences of nature.
Although painting is her main art form, Zara also spents time playing drums for the band The Crystelles, a duet between Gitane Demone (her Mother).
MARK BOUCHER
Mark Boucher grew up on the east coast and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He has been included in group shows and had solo exhibits in alternative spaces. Outside of his work as a set painter, this work is personal, exploring psychological issues in a dream-like narrative way that can tell a different story to every viewer depending on what issues they carry to the piece. Dreams are stories with no beginnings or endings and that's the way these paintings present themselves. Relationship struggles, searches for meaning, and navigating the forest of life are repeated themes.
MARI ARAKI
Mark Boucher grew up on the east coast and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He has been included in group shows and had solo exhibits in alternative spaces. Outside of his work as a set painter, this work is personal, exploring psychological issues in a dream-like narrative way that can tell a different story to every viewer depending on what issues they carry to the piece. Dreams are stories with no beginnings or endings and that's the way these paintings present themselves. Relationship struggles, searches for meaning, and navigating the forest of life are repeated themes.
DAVE McKEAN
Born in Taplow in Berkshire, England in 1963, Dave McKean attended Berkshire college of art and design and upon graduation in 1986 had already begun his professional career as an illustrator. Today, McKean is an internationally known award-winning artist with a prolific career spanning all forms of media. An accomplished director of short films, McKean’s ‘the week before’ [1998] toured international festivals as did his 2002 film ‘n[eon]’, first prize winner at the Clermont-Ferrand film festival. Mirrormask, Henson Productions, marks his debut as a feature film director. As a writer and illustrator, McKean has been recognized with numerous awards including the Harvey award for best new comic, the international alph art award for best graphic novel and Italy's la pantera award, all for the comic novel ‘cages’ published from 1990 to 1996. His collection of short stories in comic form ‘pictures that tick’, won overall first prize for the national book awards in 2002. He is currently working on two feature film scripts and a new children’s book ‘crazy hair’, partnering with Neil Gaiman. For the Narcolepsy exhibition in 2003 in Belgium Dave McKean made 6 large paintings. Titled Sphinx, Bast, Unexpected Want, Unexpected Need, Flood, and Father and Son. From this exhibition limited edition prints were made available as a signed and numbered prints as of May 2008. Printed in 4-color lithography on 200 grams Halo matt paper with an overall matte finish/varnish. Paper size 59.5cm x 42cm (approximately 23.25" x 16.5") Prints will be available at the show.
