Tebeau’s Art Opening on the Lower East Side (press release)

Interior of Verlaine, 110 Rivington, Manhattan.

March 9, 2009
Artist John Tebeau’s show opens March 24 at Verlaine in Manhattan’s Lower East Side
Tebeau will announce the winner of his painting giveaway contest at the opening reception

New York, N.Y. – New York artist John Tebeau opens his third solo show in Manhattan on March 24 at Verlaine, named the best art bar on the Lower East Side by the Village Voice.

Besides checking out Tebeau’s colorful, cartoon-influenced pop art and enjoying an open bar, Tebeau offers another reason to attend the opening: you could win a free painting.

Through March 20, Tebeau is running a contest on his blog (www.johntebeau.wordpress.com) offering a free commissioned painting of the winner’s favorite musician.

Tebeau writes in the contest’s explanation, “Tell me about why you dig your favorite musician. ANY musician. Even Mozart or Tom Jones. Is it a certain moment that inspired you? A song? Is it what they ‘stand for?’ What is it about them that moves you?”

Tebeau, who has painted musicians including John Lennon, Billie Holiday, Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin, conceived the contest while feeling wistful about the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, approaching in April. Tebeau is a big fan of Jazz Fest and wanted to drum up enough painting sales to fund a return trip to the Big Easy. He decided to offer a free painting to the person who best articulates the love of a musician.

“I thought this could be the good karma way to get to Jazz Fest,” Tebeau said. “You get what you give. I’ll give someone a painting of a musician they love, and hopefully I’ll get to see some musicians I love.”

Tebeau’s Verlaine show will include more than just his paintings of musicians. He’ll also offer pop culture icons, reinterpretations of classic paintings and cool views of urban settings, among other samplings from both his latest work and some older favorites.

John Tebeau’s art show at Verlaine runs March 23 through the end of April. The opening is 6-9 p.m. March 24 at Verlaine, 110 Rivington, between Essex and Ludlow, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Open bar for the first hour, drink specials for the remainder of the evening.

In addition, Tebeau will be part of a group show titled “Jazz and Art, visual art work about America’s own swinging musical art form” at Hudson Guild Gallery, in New York’s artsy Chelsea neighborhood. That show opens April 16 at Hudson Guild, 441 W. 26th Street, between 9th and 10th avenues, and continues through June 10.

Tebeau is a self-taught illustrator and painter. His cartooning is influenced by his love of alternative comics like Robert Crumb and the 1950s-era Mad comics, and his colorful, pop-art painting style brings that approach, as well. He draws painting inspiration from Wayne Thiebaud, Peter Max, Robert Indiana, Alice Neel and Andy Warhol, among others.

Tebeau began cartooning in elementary school in North Muskegon, Mich., encouraged when he realized that girls thought it was cute. After graduating from University of Michigan, he moved to Chicago, where he made a living designing and silk screening T-shirts, and later cofounded Comic Arts Monthly, distributed in Chicago and Ann Arbor, Mich.

He relocated to California’s Bay Area, working as a barista, spending much of his time teaching himself to paint. He also did freelance design and illustration work and paintings commissioned by friends and acquaintances who liked his developing work.

Tebeau now lives in Manhattan, working as a self-employed artist and graphic designer. One of his most consistent clients is Arbor Brewing Co. in Ann Arbor, Mich., which uses Tebeau’s work on its bottles, six-packs and tap handles. Tebeau is an artist in residence at the Brooklyn Artists Gym, where he has exhibited in group shows. He also teaches after-school art classes at the School for Ethical Culture.

John Tebeau’s blog: https://johntebeau.wordpress.com/
John Tebeau’s portfolio: http://www.tebeau.com
John Tebeau’s art for sale: jctebeau.etsy.com
John Tebeau on Twitter: http://twitter.com/johntebeau

Verlaine: http://www.verlainenyc.com/
Hudson Guild: http://www.hudsonguild.org/

Contact: John Tebeau, (646) 309-1059, john@tebeau.com
For images from Tebeau’s show or a portrait of Tebeau, email john@tebeau.com. Please specify whether you prefer high resolution for publication or low resolution for Web use.

"Quantity Beer"

"Still Life With Stapler" (Office Space)

"Blue Jack"

"Leffe by Night"

Twarn’t a Night Fit fer Man Nor Beast….

The sky was angry that night, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli. (Simile adaptation courtesy of G. Costanza)

The perfect compliment to a rare December monsoon, my art show “It’s About Liking Things” opened last Thursday. To the folks who showed up at Lolita Bar, I thank you. You were all so drenched and wonderful. It was actually a perfect night to be in a cozy, dry place with even cozier, dryer Martinis. Katz’s deli, as usual, kicked tokhes, and I enjoyed myself immensely. Hope you did too. Let’s do it again soon.

The show runs through January 16. If you haven’t already, stop by. On January 7 we’ll be there for happy hour from 6 to 8 p.m.

Betsy Burrow (looking fab as usual) and Jim Ciarlanti

Pointing at things with Kamau Ware, to the delight of Moon and Ray

Danny and Ariel contemplate fine things, like art.

Dave and Kate of the Associated Press

Back room at Lolita

A relaxed sort of evening.

Crossing Delancey, at the end of the night.

The Daily Chuckler: Costanza’s Greatest Moment

Art for turbulent times.

Here’s a press release (with pictures below) about my upcoming show…

Artist John Tebeau’s ‘Simple Pleasures’ show opens Nov. 19 at Art Bar in Manhattan

New York, N.Y. – The economic news is grim: mortgage meltdown, banks in crisis, Congress approving a massive rescue package and the stock market’s all over the place.

New York artist John Tebeau created a series of paintings titled Simple Pleasures in part as a reaction to difficult conditions, and in part as a celebration of what is still good in life.

“I can’t go back in time and stop mortgages to people who couldn’t afford them, fix all that’s broken in Iraq, or improve the sorry state of political discourse – the list of problems out of the control of average people is enormous,” Tebeau said. “As a way to keep things in perspective, I thought about the things I do control, what I can do to improve my mood. Things that I like.”

Tebeau began a list of “good things”: cold beer, hot coffee, summer barbecues, the first snow of winter, vintage Cadillacs, a day at the beach, Bugs Bunny, board games.

“As Andy Warhol once said, Pop Art is about liking things, and that’s what these paintings are all about: simply liking things,” said Tebeau. “Or, actually, liking simple things.”

Simple Pleasures opens at the Art Bar in Manhattan’s West Village in November and runs through Feb. 15. The opening is 6-9 p.m. Nov. 19 at Art Bar, 52 Eighth Ave., near Horatio Street.

Tebeau began cartooning in elementary school in North Muskegon, Mich., encouraged when he realized it got him attention from girls. After graduating from University of Michigan, he moved to Chicago, where he made a living designing and silkscreening T-shirts, and later cofounded Comic Arts Monthly, distributed in Chicago and Ann Arbor, Mich.

He relocated to California’s Bay Area, working as a barista and spent much of his time teaching himself to paint. He also did freelance design and illustration work and paintings commissioned by friends and acquaintances who liked his developing style.

Tebeau now lives in Manhattan, working as a self-employed artist and graphic designer. One of his most consistent clients is Arbor Brewing Co. in Ann Arbor, Mich., which uses Tebeau’s work on its bottles, six-packs and tap handles. Tebeau is an artist in residence at the Brooklyn Artists Gym, where he recently exhibited in a group show. He also teaches after-school art classes at the School for Ethical Culture.

Tebeau’s cartooning is influenced by his love of alternative comics like Robert Crumb and the 1950s-era Mad comics, and his colorful, pop-art painting style brings that approach, as well. He draws painting inspiration from Wayne Thiebaud, Peter Max, Robert Indiana, Alice Neel and Andy Warhol, among others.

In addition to Simple Pleasures, Tebeau will show a sampling of his pop art paintings at Lolita Bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, with an opening 6-9 p.m. Dec. 11. That show runs through the end of January. Lolita Bar is located at 266 Broome St., between Allen and Orchard streets.

John Tebeau’s portfolio: http://www.tebeau.com
John Tebeau’s art for sale: jctebeau.etsy.com
John Tebeau’s blog: https://johntebeau.wordpress.com/
More about Art Bar: http://nymag.com/listings/bar/art_bar/
Lolita Bar: http://www.lolitabar.net/

“Grandaddy’s Caddy”

“Morning Fix”

“First Snow”

“Monopoly Smackdown”

“Iconical Bugs”

Opening at Brooklyn Artists Gym

Thanks to all of you who came to the opening reception of Brooklyn Artist Gym‘s “Composition” show in August. It was a good night, I sold a couple paintings, and I feel really lucky to have so many good friends who schlepped (in the local parlance) out to Gowanus for the evening. We capped it off with a dynamite dinner at Palo Santo on Union St. and a beer after at Union Hall in Park Slope.

Next up: a solo show (the theme: “Simple Pleasures”) at Art Bar in the West Village with the opening reception on November 19 and another show at Lolita on the Lower East side opening on December 11.