I Heart Rex Ray

April 19, 2010

I can’t remember how I found this artist online, but I saved a link to Rex Ray’s book and looked further and found a talented artist. This is really my style of art, I have a hard time finding exactly what type of art I do like and I’m so tickled pink to have found this artist.

Check out his biography I found on his website, it’s pretty impressive!

Rex Ray is a San Francisco based fine artist, whose collages, paintings and design work have been exhibited at galleries and museums, including the The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, University Art Museum in Berkeley, San Jose Museum of Modern Art, The Crocker Museum in Sacramento, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, Cheryl Haines Gallery, Gallery 16, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions.

He is also a celebrated graphic designer. He has created work for Apple, Dreamworks, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, City Lights Publishers, Matador Records, Serpent’s Tail, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, Rizzoli, Powerhouse, Mute Records and Crown Books. His package designs for David Bowie, as well as for Joe Satriani, Diamanda Galás, Matmos, and Deee-Lite, have earned him an international reputation for his innovation in type and with original photographs, drawings, and collage. He has designed over 100 historic Bill Graham Presents rock and roll tour posters, including ones for The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, REM, Bjork, U2, and Radiohead.

Video

I found this video where Rex Ray explains how he started and glimpses into his process.

Book

I can’t wait to get my hands on his book Rex Ray: Art + Design and peruse slowly page by page the beautiful artwork.

Book Description: Rex Ray’s highly collectible artwork is coveted in design as well as art circles. His color-bursting, curvaceous art graces the walls of high-design hotels, world-class museums, and hip restaurants, yet remains, as acclaimed author Douglas Coupland puts it in his foreword, ‘unslick, but superslick at the same time.’ Abstract and handcrafted, with a retro-futuristic mid-century feel, Rex Ray’s meditations on fluid forms are a rare combination of sophistication and decorative appeal. The first monograph to survey his multi-faceted work in various media including paper cutouts, mixed-media collages, paintings, digital prints, and the highly admired graphic design and music packaging that launched his visual career Rex Ray is a veritable trove of his sleek yet playful aesthetic.

And this is just the beginning… there is so much more to explore…

Paper Goods

I found these Rex Ray Notecards and Rex Ray Postcard Book.

As well as this lovely Rex Ray Mini Journal Set and Rex Ray Notebook.

Place Mats

Reveal the natural grain of a tabletop with this simple, clean design. Made from hand silk-screened FDA grade silicone, the Modern-twist place mat is available in botanical and nature-inspired patterns. With a minimalist aesthetic, the place mat is designed for optimal functionality with an easy-to-clean surface. The non-intrusive graphics are intended to enhance the beauty of the table while providing subtle visual interest that doesn’t interfere with dishes or other tabletop items.