Jon and Jim Doodling

Last week Jon Burgerman and Jim Avignon had their show at Factory Fresh in Brooklyn at the exact same times as the Bossy Bear and Friends event I posted about. Although I love David Horvath, my priority on Thursday was really to get my butt to Brooklyn and meet Jon for the very first time. Turns out, Jon hasn’t been in the states since 2004, so I really didn’t want to miss my opportunity to not only meet the UK artist, but also steal his soul by scoring a sketch in my book. I don’t discriminate. =) 

Anxietea?

I arrived to Factory Fresh just in time to witness the blank wall located in the front room’s wall go from a blank slate, to a chaotic and anxious feeling surface. The wall was filled with many anxieties that I’m sure aren’t only true to Jim and Jon– but are problems that we’re all dealing with to date. There were many sections of the wall that I really loved– and I continuously changed my mind about my favorite spot as the drawings/anxieties on the wall progressed. One of the things I liked the most though were the clipboards banded to the back of Jim and Jon’s heads, where they would draw random sketches both welcoming and ending the session and then tossed the sketches on the floor for people to grab when their drawing session was done. I myself happened to score one of Jon’s sketches, which was awesome!

In addition to the live painting the gallery was filled with numerous canvas paintings that were mostly collaborations between both artists. Hanging by the oversized windows were some of Jon Burgerman’s masks, the one above being my favorite of them all. In the back rooms of the gallery, there were rows of sketches done by Jon, a great share done by Jim and a “Board of Anxieties” that hosted collaborative sketches. Peep the photo below:

The “Board of Anxieties” definitely played host to many of my favorite sketches. Cold Feet was the one I desperately wanted to take home.  The best part about the entire show is that Jon and Jim really do believe in affordable art, and with the exception of the canvas pieces, they pulled off a great show that met that very goal. The sketches ranged anywhere between Free, to $50-$150 each– not bad for a Jon Burgerman or Jim Avignon original. To purchase any of their pieces, click this link. For more images from the night, head on over to my flickr for a complete set.