The art of michael koehler

Lawrenceville Art All Night

2011-04-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

I will be showing a piece tonite at Lawrenceville Art All Night. Bring some 3d glasses cus this shits gonna be for real.

www.artallnight.org/

Starts of new poster

2011-03-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

New roboto poster in the makes...

Robot + Ghost = Totally possible in like 100 years or so..

"Wallspace" at fast>>fwd Gallery

2010-05-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

fast>>fwd Gallery on Penn Ave is having their final opening this Friday, June 4th. I and 8 other artists will be showing 2 paintings each at this show.

Start Time:	Friday, June 4, 2010 at 6:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 10:00pm
Location:	fast fwd Gallery
Street:	3700 Penn Ave
City/Town:	Pittsburgh, PA

Artists involved:

Christian Breitkreutz
Rachel Hallas
Stephen Haynes
Jennifer Howison
Michael Koehler
Rob Larson
Jes LaVecchia
Seth Ledonne
Steph Neary

Pet Sematary Movie Poster Design

2010-03-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

So here's the latest movie poster design. I said Day of the Dead would be next but I just had to do Pet Sematary. This movie has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I always liked Victor Pascow (the zombie/phantom dead guy). Most zombies or ghosts or whatever just want to eat your brains or to scare your pants off, but Victor just wants to give sound advice. Do not go to the place where the Dead Walk!

"Fjord of the Lies" Painting Step by Step

2010-02-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

These progress shots are from a painting I did back in 2009, called Fjord of the Lies. I've been getting requests asking how I work and what my process is, so here's an example. I wasn't thinking of showing each step when taking these pics so there is a big jump in progress right at the end. I forgot about the camera at that point!

Character Sketches for Short Stories

2010-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

These are a few drawings I did to accompany some short stories I've been writing. They're sort of like modern fairy tales or fables. Only with robots and deaths heads.

Old Man wearing Bear Mask

Individuals wearing masks are hiding their true selves. There are two sides to this. Some wear masks to fool others into thinking that they are something different. They are afraid to reveal who they really are. Others wear masks in the hopes of becoming the character that the mask embodies, absorbing the traits that the mask holds. Some fall somewhere between the two.

The Collector

The Collector lives through his possessions. He has the features of a bird but his objects weigh him down making him unable to fly.

Deaths Heads

Deaths Heads are winged skulls sent to accommodate for pending expiration, but also assist and guide individuals in the transformation from one state to another.

The Hermit

The Hermit lives away from all others in the swamp. He is the only one capable of living there. The swamp's difficulty and stubbornness is matched only by the Hermit's.

The Robot

These are just a few, I have more in mind. I'll post more soon.

New Painting - "Dopplegang" or "Robots Be Crazy"

2010-02-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

This is a new-ish painting that I did for a show at Fast>>Fwd Gallery down in Lawrenceville. It's titled Dopplegang.

To me it is about a sort of mental blockage that can then skew your vision, taking a form that gets in the way, and eventually pulls you to the ground. I think that each "doppleganger" would think that's it's the original, and all of it's connected siblings would simply be it's clones. This would cause a conflict within the clustered automatons, every bot thinking that he is the only one worth being heard and taken seriously. But all the time the one who is the REAL original would know just that, but with the all madness going on, he could barely speak, let alone make any sense of it all. Eventually he would have to find a way to collapse all of these shadow selves back into each other, or remain planted, while his identity hangs above his head shifting from one stubborn monotone voice to another.

City Paper Blog - Write up

2010-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this a while back. Back in December Bill O'Driscoll at the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote a nice write up of the work I had at Moxie Dada's "Dia de los Muertos".
Here's what he had to say:

"A few weeks back I attended the closing reception for the final show at moxie's North Side venue. The gallery is going virtual, so the last night of its wittily themed Dia de los Muertos show was the last chance (for now) to see it in any sort of physical incarnation.
Going back to its first location, in a Bloomfield storefront, moxie's typically done good work, and Muertos was no exception, featuring art by such local stalwarts as Kyle Ethan Fischer. But I was especially struck by the paintings of Michael Koehler, another young Pittsburgh-based artist.

Here's one that was on display, titled "Almost." The human figure with the robot head is featured in a couple of Koehler's paintings at moxie, and in fact the image recurs in his work. I like the combination of his subtle palette and the surrealistically devastated, post-apocalyptic landscapes he uses it to render.

What's most intriguing about "Almost," though, is the ambivalence of the imagery. Obviously, there's a lot of tension in the frame; those rainbow-like arches are igniting the robot-man into flames, after all (and the figure is lashed to the ground).

But the "rainbows" probably aren't -- they're a sort of grayish green, with a texture closer to stone than to light. And look at the robot-man: His body is clearly human, while the head suggests a decorated box a kid might don to play a Halloween robot. Yet the way the head and body are joined, it looks like one being, not an entity that could simply remove its mask and go back to "normal."

Perhaps in reaching for the dandelion, robot-man is trying to transcend his nature. To be reborn? Of course that's what moxie's show was all about. But with Koehler's paintings, it's just as rewarding to be unsure."

Thanks Bill!

Bad Taste poster design

2010-02-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

So I've been wanting to do some poster design for a while now. I've done a couple posters for people in the past, but lately I wanted to do something just for kicks. I watched Bad Taste the other day and was inspired to create a poster worthy of such a gross-out film. This movie is notoriously labeled as one of the worst movies ever made, which makes it all the more enjoyable. If you've never heard of it, check IMDB for a summary.

So here's the design. I've been screen printing for a few years now and wanted to design it as if it were gonna be printed that way. No halftones, just nice solid colors. I did add a distressed look to it just to give it that old dusty feel. I'm gonna do some more soon, I was thinking Day of the Dead. Don't worry - more artworks coming soon too!

New Painting to be shown at Moxie Dada's last show

2009-10-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Moxie Dada will be closing it's doors this December. They are moving on from the four walls of the gallery to take an active part in the community. Here is a statement from their website:
"We'd like to take the opportunity to thank our artists, the community and our neighbors at the firehouse studios for supporting our efforts during our stay in the Northside. It is with great enthusiasm and zest that we embark in our new direction, which includes: the development of commercial and residential art acquisition; and exploration of the virtual arena for art process, documentation, interviews and tours… Our long term goal is to provide\ global access to the Pittsburgh arts community following personal and regional developments. In short, providing a window to the world..
Coupling with the virtual development, moxie DaDA will continue to act as facilitators of public art projects. In our next phase, you can expect to see art that moves, engages and challenges."

Their last show will be "Dia De Los Muertos Y La Resurreccion: the existencial crisis"
@ moxie DaDA
1416 Arch Street OCT 10 - NOV 7 2009
SOFT OPENING
oct 10 2009 / 12-6 PM
CLOSING PARTY,
nov 7 2009 / 6-9 PM

"This exhibition is going to explore death as a doorway to another life. It is going to represent the physical death of the gallery through a burial, and exhibition that reflects on these three questions: why do we exist; why are we here; and are we able to make a difference...?"

Spring Salon Pics

2009-04-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

I snapped a couple shots at Modern Formations' Spring Salon Friday night. It was pretty packed there. I couldn't move my arms at times. Good show none the less. There's a lot of great work there, I only took pics of the back room of the show for some reason though. But it'll be up till April 24th, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area, you should check it.

Modern Formations "Spring Salon" group show

2009-04-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

I will have a piece in Modern Formations' annual "Spring Salon" opening Friday April 3rd at 7:00. It's part of Unblurred, which is a monthly event on Penn Ave that is packed with art, music, and other stuff. The Spring Salon is a juried show that the public votes on. Pretty cool. The exhibition will be up from April 3-24. Modern Formations is located at 4919 Penn Ave in Pittsburgh. Stop by, see some art, walk aimlessly, see you there. Check modernformations.com for more info.

Michael Jackson's La Luz de Jesus shopping trip 4/12/2009

2009-03-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson takes a trip to La Luz de Jesus!

Super Weird!

Pics from "Everything But The Kitschen Sync" group show

2009-03-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to fly out to LA to see this show at La Luz De Jesus Gallery, but my good friend Comel was there and snapped a couple pictures. Thanks dude!

Everything But the Kitschen Sync

2009-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

I will be showing a piece at La Luz De Jesus Gallery in their 12th annual "Everything But the Kitschen Sync" group show.

Exhibition Dates: Friday, March 6, 2009 - Sunday, March 29, 2009
Opening Reception: March 6, 2009, 8-11pm
4633 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles CA
(323) 666-7667

Visit laluzdejesus.com for more information

"Vicious Landscapes" - OneWay Gallery

2008-09-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

I will be exhibiting work as a part of the group show "Vicious Landscapes" at OneWay Gallery in Narragansett, RI from 9/26 - 10/19. For more information go to theonewaygallery.com

Cannibal Flower Pics

2008-09-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Evolution in Arts V

2008-08-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

My work at Garfield Artwork's
Evolution in Arts V.

Cannibal Flower Group Show, Los Angeles

2008-08-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am going to be showing a piece in the upcoming Cannibal Flower 8th anniversary group show. It will be on Saturday August 30th in Los Angeles, Ca.
http://www.cannibalflower.com/CF_shows.html

"Evolution in Arts V" at Garfield Artworks Gallery

2008-08-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

I will be exhibiting some of my work at Garfield Artworks
in "Evolution in Arts V" group show.
Opening July 4th through July 24.

Modern Hooligan Comic

2008-08-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Bougus Journey Pics

2008-08-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

BOGUS JOURNEY!

Totem Daze

Unicorn Series

When a Robot Dies

Spoooky

100% Time to get Busy - by Thad

BOGUS JOURNEY!

2008-08-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Exhibit with Thad Kellstadt at Moxie Dada.

The Pittsburgh City Paper Wrote a
Cool review of our show!
Read the CITY PAPER article

New News!

2008-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna try to get organized here. Introducing the "new News" page.