EYE CANDY, 2022
Way back in 2006 I was creating an installation at the MCA. It was summer time and they had a day camp for little kids. They all rolled in one day, but instead of talking my ear off they were in a group trying to outdo one another. "Yo! Check out my bling! Noooo, check out MY bling! No man, I got the most"! Evidently, they had been allowed to stop at the candy store and were all decked out in ring pops.
I had to investigate. They saw me coming, turned around and you guessed it - they showed me their bling. It made me think: about bling, about possessions, about their age. So of course a ring pop ended up in my installation.
I've been painting them ever since. One big reason is the challenge to create the illusion of something shiny and sticky. Also, working with color to render what is reflective and translucent. I'm a big fan of dynamic color and shiny crap. Think chips bags.
Plus, I've always described my personal work as social realism through (ahem) "pop art".
It's fun to have this image loom over the "Mag Mile" with it's high end shopping and certain lack of activity the past couple years. And it's nostalgic for me since the MCA is right around the corner.
Big ups to Cushman and Wakefield. And bigger ups to the dream team: Erik MIB, JJ Hollywood, Brendan the Cat, and Jason the Professor.
#streetart #mural #ringpop
You Know What You Should Do Too
280’x12’, 2020
I finally got back to redux this 2011 mural at Oak Street Beach. Took a few weeks. Although it is totally horizontal, this is non-linear narrative. Please use your imagination and reflect on how we see ourselves in relationship to the environment. Unlimited growth is our collective undoing. The Market being arbiter of everything has proven ruinous.
When I get to create Art my subconscious is my guide, and the final design remains plastic. Way more fun! Plus there is more discovery along the way. As a mural this size develops the zeitgeist tends to slip in. This is not about banner year 2020, but rather 1980-2030.
Back in the 80s on our vacations to Michigan, my father would have to pull over at a gas station to get the squeegee so he could wash all the dead bugs off the windshield. Every summer. I made 5 trips there in my car this past summer. I checked my grill today; not one dead bug. Zero.
After the Cubs World Series win in 2016, Cubs fans descended on Wrigley chalk in hand. Tons of fans signed their name, dedicated the win to Grampa, wrote 1000 “hey heys” etc. All the different styles, colors, messages and just randomness produced something impressive to behold and really quite beautiful. For the 10 year anniversary the @cubs and @officialwrigleyfield called to see if I could faithfully recreate the mural based on the photo documentation they made back in ‘16. The opportunity to spend over two weeks tagging up Wrigley was a great one, and I was up for the challenge! I’m honored that my humble talents are now a part of Wrigley.
MJ 63 Today. GOAT painted by @jeffzimmermann . Swipe for more of the process. Originals availbable for purchase as 60” X 40” in White or Black. And 24” X 18” in Black, White or Red. #MichaelJordan #chicagoart #chicagobulls
💫💫💫 Another look at our new collection that dropped this week by Chicago's own @jeffzimmermann .
His "PEACE OUT" release can be viewed on our website or in person at our Logan square Gallery location from 9-4.30pm
Or for more information on these new works please email us at [email protected] or visit our website.
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