We talk a lot about artist on joshspear.com, but when we get to talk with artist its like peaking inside their head full of amazing visions. Sickboy’s Stay Free is full of scary, amazing, funny and just wacky visions. The show is best described as an art playground. He took over a building (not a gallery) and put up paintings but also a sweet factory, weird girls in mask walking around, paintings planted in pots, a house to walk through (check out our exclusive pictures of the opening night for a better idea) and of course his iconic temples. Sickboy’s Stay Free is an entire world and in this interview we walk hand in hand through that world.

READ MORE…

This summer film fans and critics alike went ga ga over Pixar’s adorable refuse rounder upper known as Wall-E. Upon first glance it may appear as though conjuring up such a character was as simple as shrinking Short Circuit’s Johnny 5 and giving him a trash compactor for a stomach, but for Jay Schuster the word “simple” never entered the equation. The Pixar designer, educated at the at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, was well aware that in order to achieve a great look for his mechanized wonder he would first have to treat it as though he were designing an actual product. As a result, Schuster didn’t just slap on eyes and a grin to birth a film legend. He created an astonishing exploded view diagram with painstaking detail to break down Wall-E piece by piece to help put him back together again. The result was a well-oiled character creation that came to life on the big screen.

Via Core77

Rugs are boring — unless you can find just the right one, then it really ties the room together. If your room happens to be contemporary high-end design then we can point you in the right direction: Chevalier Edition. They’re created by an impressive list of designers and all the rugs can be customized in both color and size. As you might guess they are a bit pricey. Pricey enough not to put prices on their website. Pricey enough to only be sold in Paris. But if you happen to be in Paris — say for a web development conference (cough cough Le Web) you should totally drop by and have a peak. For the rest of us we can have browse through their cover rug flow selection of really really attractive floor coverings.

I’ve found that unless you want to be Predictable Peter, you gotta make room in your case for some fun casual watches as well. There’s a watch for every occasion and outfit! When you want something simple, without all the bells and whistles of multiple time zones, a built in barometer, or a depth meter, these minimalist watches from Too Late are just the ticket. They come in 10 solid colors with a small, to the point digital display in the center. The silicon bands and housing make the watch waterproof and have both date and time functions. These things look darned near indestructible but there’s a two year warranty included just in case. For under $30 shipped, these would make excellent stocking stuffers.

After making a sensation with his 2005 Poptogramas book that turned bands and artists like …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead and Ozzy Osborne into bubbly, clever pictograms, designer Daniel Motta’s follow-up Poptogramas Brasilis is out now. This time the book’s focused on Brazilian musicians, from Os Mutantes (pictured) to Tim Maia — about 100 in all — in a response from fans who wanted to see a specially dedicated, national-specific version. Even if you haven’t heard, or know about, most of the bands included in the book, the creativity and ingenuity behind each pictogram make it worth keeping this publication on your coffee table. An online store on the Poptogramas site is scheduled to be open on Dec. 20 under the “Loja” link in the menu bar. If you want it sooner, hit up Livraria Pop (contact info is on its homepage) to see if they can mail it to you internationally.

Providing something good looking and paying homage to good doers were the dual goals of Joe Kdla and Chad Alasantro when they launched their T-shirt line Vuori last year. Lucky for us the duo’s certified organic cotton designs are brightly colored with mythical illustrations, and each design is made to honor an unsung environmental leader. Andrew Sharpless of Oceana and Natalie Fobes of the photography-based educational organization Blue Earth Alliance are among the individuals being honored with the current shirt collection. Should you be seeking a new tee to pair with leggings from a different well-known sweatshop-free retailer, Vuori pieces can be found at Atrium in New York and Vie in Los Angeles.

If you’re looking for the perfect retro-gift for that special pellet-obsessed person in your life, take a glance at Jamie Burress’s Pac-Man fused glass mirror. Though it isn’t large (only 12 inches at it’s widest point) the glossy glass mirror features both Pac-Man and feminist hero Ms. Pac-Man, as well as four of those intolerable ghosties! If Burress has sold the one-off item by the time you check out her Etsy site, search around and you’re likely to find one of her other glass works featuring such subjects as anatomical organs, cupcakes, and George W. Bush for sale.

With the beginning of Hanukkah and Christmas in less than two weeks, it’s good to see a neighborhood street fest that’s taken a creative approach to giving back to the community and shoppers alike. Today’s Mission Holiday Block Party in San Francisco will benefit Tipping Point Community, a non-profit that supports economic self-sufficiency for Bay Area residents. Visitors to oddities vendors Payton Gate and the Curiosity Shoppe will get 15% off for bringing in their unemployment stubs. If that fails, women’s clothier Sunhee Moon is offering reusable shopping bags and free cocktails shall abound.

Chuck Anderson Wondering Off into Space: Read JS Review | Buy It ($30)
A new book by one of our favorites featuring Chuck’s catalog of illustrations and photographs, new and old. Themes of his works include sharks, space, light bubbles and colors that make you think you are traveling through time. Just a note, it comes out early December.

Lina Scheynius: Read JS Review | Buy It (â‚12)
The very intimate photographer has collected some of her most telling images into a book. The very minimalist design let the pictures speak for themselves: romance, travel, haircuts, sleep, nature and the capturing of light that will stop you in your tracks. Plus its super cheap.

Russ Mills: Read JS Review | Buy It (£25)
Just a warning, his prints are hard to get hold of. They sell out quick and come in limited quantities because his prices are great and his artwork is better.

Obey (Shepard Fairley): Read JS Review | Buy It ($25-$50)
We all agree it was a good year for Obama, but it was also an amazing year for Shepard Fairley. His Obama Hope print has become a fixture not only of the art world, but of the political world. Unfortunately, his the famous print is sold out, but Obey still has some amazing prints.

Jeff Soto Storm Clouds: Read JS Review | Buy It ($41)
Robots and rainbows. So many of Jeff’s paintings begin that way, but then they become so much more. Storm Clouds is a journey through Jeff’s world, as dark and innocent as it can be.

Dyna Moe’s Mad Men Illustrations: Read JS Review | Buy It ($3-$21)
These are obviously perfect for the holidays. Really classy 60s style art — even if you aren’t a fan of the show. Perfect for your cards and thank you notes. A few larger prints are also available for a few extra bucks.

Michael Latimer Surrogate Print: Read JS Review | Buy It (£60-£90)
Michael might be most known for his skateboards and t-shirts, but he wowed everyone with his Surrogate print. We called it a bit of a Murakami nightmare when we first reviewed it, but it has become one of our favorite prints of the year. Available in red and blue.

Si Scott Smoke and Mirrors: Read JS Review | Buy It ($5.95)
Everyone needs a deck of playing cards, especially for family reunions. Might as well make have a trick up your sleeve. And by trick I mean Si Scott designed cards. His beautiful matching decks (one smoke, inverse colors for mirror) are the only ones you need, hands down.

Design Supremo: Read JS Review | Buy It (£4-£270)
Just to cover all bases, the Design Supremo print factory covers a large pool of artist and their creations. If the other items on this list hasn’t set you off, browse through their collection of prints, clothing, thumb drives, coffee mugs, buttons, cards, books … well, everything. If you can’t find something there to give … bah humbug.

The Gift: We’ve already given you a crack at one skateboard to take home for the holidays. Here’s another chance to win a bright, shiny new deck of your choice (that you can promptly scuff into oblivion). Up to three readers will win a Popdeck.

The Rules: We’re feeling a bit retro and bit Interweb scavenger-hunty. Find us the most awesomely Bones Brigade-era deck graphics that we can look at and fondly remember when Christian Slater’s fivehead was only a forehead. Just post a link in the COMMENTS section (please, not too long — if over 20 characters, use tinyurl.com.)

The Deadline: Contest runs now through midnight on 12/14.