EdgyCute: Disney Poison

Adapted from EdgyCute: From Neo-Pop to Low Brow and Back Again (Mark Batty Publisher)

By Harry Saylor with Carolyn Frisch

Dateline: October 20, 2009
Read more Graphic Design articles
Graphics.com/Learning video tutorials on Design

I believe in art. I collect it, search for it and am driven to own it. My first “real art” purchase was in 1988: an Andy Warhol “Cow.” I loved the use of a trademarked character—Elsie the Cow—to create a homey feeling that was so familiar to me that it created instant comfort. Next, I acquired a piece by Rodney Alan Greenblat: “Challenge of the Suburbs.” At first glance it comes off as very silly. At the time none of my friends understood why I bought it. But I understood it and that’s all that matters anyway. It was like a new roommate. I look at all my art as roommates, silent, joyful, sometimes scary, always thought provoking, and happy! When I look at them they speak to me and even haunt me.

My roommates started to multiply in earnest around 1989. More and more I was drawn to sugary cute imagery that revealed a darker, deeper, almost insane quality, which echoes in just about every work I own at this point. It was not until 2007 during discussions with clients of my gallery that two words surfaced in just about every discussion: “edgy” and “cute.” I mean, who (in my profession) would say, It’s cute! But my clients, a range of seasoned and bright shiny new collectors, all agreed that this work attracted them because of these two qualities. And now we have EdgyCute, both as a term and this book.

This collection samples how previous art movements like graffiti and Neo-Pop have morphed into EdgyCute. These are all artists that I work with at Orbit Gallery. Of all these wonderful talents many of them are already known, while others are recent discoveries that I’m so happy to share with you. All of the work is highly addictive, has a bold power of its own and speaks its own language. Not everyone will understand these languages, but I invite you to stay awhile, settle back in your favorite chair, open your mind and let this work sneak into your dreams, a place where understanding becomes secondary.

     — Harry Saylor

Kathie Olivas’s work draws you in with its rich, seductive colors and child-like tropes only to leave you mystified and perturbed by her disturbing fantasies. These wondrous children with fiendish alter egos leave you with an uncertainty whether you would accept that babysitting job. Olivas is an accomplished painter, sculptor and toy designer who has been featured in numerous galleries and museums across the United States and parts of Canada. She is represented in the permanent collection at the Tampa Museum of Art. Her work is sought after worldwide. Olivas’s recent release of vinyl toys proves she is a master of all media and not to be missed.

Creep 30 x 40 in / oil on canvas / 2008

Uncertain 18 x 24 in / oil on linen / private collection / 2008

Restraint 30 x 40 in / oil on canvas / 2008

Ana Bagayan was born in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, and moved to the United States when she was six years old. In Burbank, California, she frolicked amongst tall grasses and dancing bears until she entered the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, earning a BFA in illustration. Bagayan’s work has been praised in Rolling Stone, Spin, GQ and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles.

Chloe Study 5.5 x 7.5 in / graphite on paper / 2008 / EdgyCute commission

Nutcracker 8.5 x 11 in / oil on wood / collection of David Silver / 2007

Easy Bake Bear 18 x 18 in / oil on wood / collection of Jody Arlington & Franck Cordes / 2007

Ironing 12 x 16 in / oil on wood / collection of Ron Markarian / 2007

Brandi Milne was born and raised in Anaheim, California. In her youth she was exposed to the sounds and sights of the 70s, mostly through her family’s thumping 8-track and her mother’s flowing paisley wardrobe. Milne married her love of funk with a curiosity about Asian fashion and culture, and her artwork is the expression of the union of these two very different genres. A self-taught artist, Milne’s acrylic and ink work is very much her own. Her primary goal is to make something beautiful, rather than convey a message or make propaganda. Recently she has branched out into sewing, crafting various plush creatures. Milne wrote and illustrated the book Good for Little Bunnies and her art has been shown in many US galleries.

Mr. Sprinkles (left) 8 x 6 in / acrylic & ink on wood / private collection / 2007. So Excited (right) 8 x 6 in / acrylic & ink on wood / private collection / 2007

Doom City 22.5 x 16 in / acrylic on wood / 2008 / EdgyCute commission

Young Foolery (Someone Always Gets Hurt) (left) 32 x 16 / acrylic on wood / 2008 Hoarding Choice Cuts (right) 20 x 10 in / acrylic & ink on wood / private collection / 2008

Naughty Boy (left) 20 x 16 in / acrylic & ink on wood / private collection / 2008 Brush Your’s (right) 8 x 6 in / acrylic & ink on wood / private collection / 2007

Nicoletta Ceccoli’s painstakingly detailed paintings transport the viewer into a melancholy-tinged fantasy world where beautiful creatures and magical girls populate strange landscapes and find themselves in curious situations. Each of Ceccoli’s exquisitely painted pieces suggests a story that is waiting to be written.

Charlotte 12.6 x 9.4 in / acrylic on paper / private collection / 2008

Katherine (left) 12.6 x 9.4 in / acrylic on paper / private collection / 2008 Kitty (right) 8.3 x 11.4 in / acrylic on paper / private collection / 2008

Eva 11.4 x 15.7 in / acrylic on paper / private collection / 2008

Rescue 11.8 x 15.7 in / acrylic on paper / private collection / 2008

Christopher Umigna paints things that make him happy—monsters. He sees monsters in his head and carefully puts them onto canvas or paper to give them life and allow them to play. Sometimes they play nice; sometimes they are little devils. His watercolor paintings portray a bit of mischief on their smiling faces. Umigna looks to comics and pulp film for inspiration. His artwork appears in many galleries on the East and West Coasts, lending its playful charm to the growing EdgyCute art scene.

Sick Red Wagon 8 x 10 in / watercolor on paper / private collection / 2008

Pacifico (left) 8 x 10 in / watercolor on paper / 2008 / EdgyCute commission Thanks (Trick or Treat) (right) 8 x 10 in / watercolor on paper / 2008 / EdgyCute Commission