Memories of Festivals by Tatsuro Kiuchi

Ahoy, collectors silver and gold! (We know there are quite a few newcomers among you, welcome!) Today's edition marks the fifth time we've collaborated with the utterly charming illustrator, Tatsuro Kiuchi. Tatsuro's work, aside from its charm, is also very human, celebrating and aptly capturing everyday moments that are at once broadly appealing and deeply resonant: baseball, photography, bicycles, reading and (now) a night of festivities—fitting, considering Tatsuro has released several editions perfectly befitting celebrations!

Memories of Festivals is enchanting in that it's unclear if the couple depicted are about to meet up for a night of festivities, or if they've just parted after a night of...well, partying. Either way, it's full of the possibility of romance; of first dates; of holding hands under a sky lit by fireworks... you get the picture.

Tatsuro himself has plenty of reasons to be in a festive mood. I sing his praises often (as I'm wont to do with all the amazing artists we work with), but it seems others can't stop talking about him, either. His artwork was selected by a jury of his peers for the annual Tokyo Illustrators Society exhibition (of which Tatsuro is a member). And he opened up a studio, Pen Still Writes, with fellow illustrator, TIS member and former pupil Hiromichi Ito. The clincher: If you're in Japan in late summer, you should definitely check out Tatsuro's work, which will be part of a group show at Tokyo's Creation Gallery G8, presented by the TIS, from August 30th to September 30th, 2011.

With that, I'm off. But keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow, when we'll be releasing a photograph fit for a King, or four (hint, hint).

— Jen

Four Kings (from the Almost Elvis series)
by Landon Nordeman

"All Shook Up" greetings, collectors. And I mean that literally, as there's been a whirlwind of activity in the past few weeks. Of course, it also helps that today's edition, Four Kings (from the Almost Elvis series), by Landon Nordeman, is all about The King. Or, rather, four of 'em.

Whether you're an Elvis fan or not, Landon's photograph captures a pretty funny moment as four impersonators gather in a dressing room—perhaps for a pre-show pow wow over cigarettes and voice exercises, or for a recap of the night's performances.

It's a testament to the legendary musician's enduring reach that every August, since 1978, hordes of Elvis fans and impersonators, as well as musicians, continue to descend upon Graceland to commemorate The King for one full week of love and heartache, hound dogs and jailhouse rock. With Elvis Week just days away, there couldn't be a better time to offer up Four Kings (from the Almost Elvis series) as our own 20x200 tribute.

As Landon says in his statement, "My work is about finding the unexpected in the everyday. I always have an idea of what I’m looking for, but I never know exactly what it is until I see it." The proof is not only in Nice Pants, his first edition, and Four Kings, but also in his various contributions to The New Yorker—whether it's documenting a dog show, capturing the feel of a Weezer concert or portraying New Yorkers relaxing on the Highline. Landon's ability to capture events and instances as they occur continues to get him noticed. And we're betting even "Suspicious Minds" will pull out their "Blue Suede Shoes" for Four Kings.

And with that overabundance of puns fit for The King, I think it's time for a little less conversation, and a little more action. So hurry and make Four Kings yours because, as Elvis would croon, it's now or never.

— Jen

There's a new paradigm in this post-recession world, the Los Angeles Times declares in this weekend's edition, and affordable art is the new reality.

David A. Keeps writes about the new opportunities that exist for artists to reach broader audiences while simultaneously enabling more collectors to buy quality art at affordable prices. Jen Bekman, who launched 20x200 with that goal in mind, is featured in the article. And 20x200 artists William Wegman and David Bowie are mentioned, with their editions included in a slideshow.

Blizzard, by 20x200 artist William Wegman, is featured in the article's slideshow.

Keeps states in the article that shopping on 20x200 is "more than a transaction," giving consumers the opportunity to become patrons:

'Whether you are spending $20 or $2,000, you are supporting an artist in their practice, and people feel virtuous about that,' she said, adding that her site's sales are split 50-50 with the artists. 'It means a lot to our audience that the artists benefit from the purchase.'

IMAN No. 1, by David Bowie, is featured in the article's slideshow.

And of 20x200, Jen says, "I like to think of it as the gateway drug for becoming a collector. It's the first time in history where a mass audience can engage in collecting."

You can read the full article here.

Shopping Totem by David Welch

Down-and-up-and-down-again greetings, collectors! Today's edition-maker, former economist David Welch, is someone who'd know all about the yo-yo-ing and volatile nature of the economy. While we're releasing Shopping Totem in celebration of Hey, Hot Shot!—our biannual international photography competition—and all of the good work we're seeing there this year, it's also serendipitously appropriate.

With a considerable number of outstanding Hey, Hot Shot! submissions received this year, we've been scurrying to fast-track new photography editions and bring them to you, stat! David's consumer-minded series, Material World, which today's edition comes from, had been getting a lot of traction on the interwebs, both before and after we blogged about his entry.

David's work instantly reminded me of good friends Kate Bingaman-Burt and Michelle Muldrow, whose editions also challenge the nature of consumerism and consumption. As David writes in his statement, "The photographs speak of accumulation and materiality and aim to encourage debate about consumption and the ways in which we feel compelled to consume." (On another related note: There's a new paradigm in this post-recession world, the Los Angeles Times declared in their weekend edition, and affordable art is the new reality.)

Be sure to sign up for the HHS! newsletter if you're a photographer or want to stay up to date on the competition and all the great work we're seeing there. As always, stay tuned here for the inside scoop on what we're cooking up at 20x200—there's lots of good stuff as of late that we've been tight-lipped about. Keep an eye on your inbox!

— Jen

25 Scooter Drawings by Christine Berrie

Greetings, collectors. We're off to the races this morning as we prepare for the Hey, Hot Shot! panel review. Jen, Jeffrey and I will soon be joined by a slew of the finest photography professionals to deliberate and debate the incredible entries we received in the First Edition 2011 competition. It'll be a photo-full day, but first a fresh print for all of you—our fifth edition from Scottish artist and illustrator Christine Berrie.

This time around, Christine's compiled a vast assortment of Vespas, Lambrettas and other motorized bikes—25 Scooter Drawings (to be exact)—a tribute to the varied number of two-wheeled transporters she saw all over London's streets. It's a cross, somewhat, of her love of mechanical things and their simple, working elegance—as evidenced in the first two editions we offered here, Industrial Part 1 and Industrial Part 2—the adoration of objects—as demonstrated in 28 Camera Drawings and 12 Bicycle Drawings—and the sheer, sweet pleasures they afford us humans. As Christine writes in her statement:

I started drawing scooters when I first moved to London and was intrigued by the number of vintage styles that I saw weaving in and out of the busy streets, and also by the sense of freedom they afforded the riders.

While NYC's not quite the city for scooters as London, Rome, Paris or even San Francisco may be, the delight of wheeling around with the wind in your hair is not lost on me. I'm guessing, too, that it's not something lost on all of you. One more thing not to miss: Summerstock! Follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook for the scoop on daily deals, now through Friday, August 26th, 2011. You just might see another fave print from Ms. Berrie offered up for a steal.

— Sara

The Suspension of Physics Necessary for All Athletic Endeavors by Colin Blakely

Hello, collectors! On the heels of yesterday's Hey, Hot Shot! panel review, we present a new edition from Colin Blakely, who was a Winter 2007 Hot Shot. Since then, he's been an Aperture Portfolio Prize Runner-Up, and he has shown his work at Jen Bekman Gallery, Fotofest Houston, the Society for Contemporary Photography, the Pingyao International Photography Festival, the Griffin Museum of Photography and, earlier this year, at the Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography.

A short distance west of the center of Detroit, Colin's been photographing the mostly minor day-to-day events of the 400 and 500 blocks of Keech Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in his series Somewhere in Middle America. Today's new print, The Suspension of Physics Necessary for All Athletic Endeavors, is the fall to the early and late winter, the spring and summer, of Colin's previous editions.

The sum of the seasons is evidence of Colin's enduring devotion to the town, not unlike fellow 20x200 artist Paul Octavious' documentations of a snow-covered and kite-scattered hill-top park in Chicago. In both series, the horizons settle each image and quietly contain their inhabitants, at least temporarily. While walking through the park that he so often photographs, Paul stumbled upon the Ghana World Cup team practicing in his hometown; in The Suspension of Physics..., I think Colin's come across a game of flag football.

Football brings me a little farther south, to the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, home of the dearly-beloved-by-many-but-recently-ceased television show Friday Night Lights. Granted, there's probably not a photographer like Colin or Paul in this fantasy heartland, but there's some semblance in the show and these photos. Sarah Blackwood summed it up so well* in her farewell to FNL over on The Awl, that I'll leave you with her words on what it's all about:

... [it's] about how silly, even tragic it is to be "about" something... how time moves so strangely, how we go from late nights drinking beer and messing around in a deserted field with our friends, our problems seemingly so huge, to late nights drinking wine with a partner, the very hair on our heads weary, our problems seemingly so huge. The thing that the show did so beautifully was refuse to belittle any of these micro-times that we all pass through during a life lived.

*Well said, yes, but this comes with a disclaimer that doubles for me, too, as wrapped up as I tend to get: "I've covered Friday Night Lights for Television Without Pity for the entirety of its run, so you'll forgive me for being slightly overwrought when I reflect on how this show has ushered me from the extended adolescence of my late twenties to this moment right now..."

— Sara

Motel Bien Venido by Walker Pickering

Wednesday greetings, collector friends! It's day two of Camp JBP in Amagansett. As Jen and Sara are holding down the (beach) fort, I'm filling in from the road, on my way (hooray!) to join them.

Apropos, today's edition—Motel Bien Venido, by Walker Pickering—is evocative of hitting the open road. As Walker says in his statement, "This project came about largely because of my restlessness at home and constant urge to travel." And so, he and his wife embarked upon a trip. Walker is the second Hey, Hot Shot! Contender that we've fast-tracked an edition with. It's fitting to be working with Walker now, as his was the very first submission from this round of competition that was featured on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog. I wrote then:

Contender Walker Pickering's series Nearly West depicts the still, solitary moments that wanderlusters and Kerouacians long for, the instances of communion between the nomad and that which is encountered. Each setting hints at a narrative describing the deeply personal nature of experiencing a new point on a map, whether planned or not.

We know we're not alone in admiring Walker's work. Since being featured as a Contender on the HHS! blog, his work has appeared on Flak Photo and, most recently, in The Atlantic's September issue. We couldn't be happier to welcome Walker into the 20x200 family, and we extend heartfelt congratulations on the recent addition to his own family.

— Charlie

ny.11.#02 by Jennifer Sanchez

Beachy-keen Tuesday greetings, collector friends! I'm writing from a well-loved cottage in Amagansett, where a leisurely five-minute walk brings us right to the shores of the Atlantic. The past few days have been filled with feverish preparations for today's Camp JBP kickoff. I'm thrilled to welcome the 20x200 team here and get down to the exciting, inspiring business of plotting the next phase of our Art-for-Everyone agenda.

With looking back being a key component to envisioning our future, it seems more than fitting to be releasing ny.11.#02 by Jennifer Sanchez today. Jennifer is part of our past (as far back as our past goes, in fact), but she is also very much a part of our future: Her work is now a part of an exciting new partnership we have with West Elm. Having her included in the debut collection of this partnership is perfect—I get all misty-eyed and farklempt when I consider all the millions of new minted collectors we can reach via this relationship. As I recently said about it:

We're excited about 20x200's partnership with West Elm because it brings great things to both our artists and our collectors. As a result of this collaboration, our artists gain exposure to West Elm's art-loving audience and our discerning collectors will find the 20x200 gallery frames at West Elm to be a thoughtfully-designed,* DIY solution for framing the art they've purchased on our site.

That so many people have discovered Jennifer through 20x200 and have supported her by purchasing her editions and original works makes the brightness of our collaboration's future much more than theoretical. The arc of our relationship with her—from emerging artist, to her sold-out editions, to her work being shown in numerous galleries (currently at the Bronx Museum AIM's Bronx Calling exhibition), to the JBG selling her work to a really great institutional collection and, now, our partnership with West Elm—is truly remarkable and gratifying. We're so proud and honored to support her as she hits milestone after milestone. Our commitment to creating an ever-increasing array of opportunities for artists is resolute, and we're looking forward to tracing similar arcs with many more artists and collectors alike as our business continues to evolve.

That evolution is the task at hand as we kick off our beach week retreat, and I am sure to emerge at its end full of the energy, inspiration and ideas that our awesome team offers up endlessly. Which means I'll be fueled up with all kinds of good stuff when I zip down to the isle of Manhattan on Saturday, the 27th. That morning, at 10:00 a.m., I'll be teaching a special class at the West Elm on Broadway and 62nd street titled "Living with Art and The Art of Living." Don't worry if you're not in NYC to attend—West Elm is holding similar classes at every single one of their stores on the very same day, and we've collaborated with them to come up with a presentation on how easy and enriching it is to live with art.

But if you do happen to be in NYC on Saturday, be sure to check out Try2 at Jen Bekman Gallery. Not only will the prolific Jennifer Sanchez have work in the group show, but also edition-maker Amy Jean Porter and JBG Director Jeffrey Teuton. The exhibit and silent auction are being held to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, so come out for a great cause and to support great artists.

— Jen

*West Elm worked with us to create frames that both our discerning audiences would love—with a modern profile, a thin face, a depth usually found only in custom frames and a pocket on the back to hold our Certificates of Authencity. They are an excellent complement to our custom-framed option—a quick, simple and affordable alternative that offers nearly instant gratification to the budget-conscious and/or the DIY-inclined. And you don't even need to be terribly crafty to get it done—watch our How to Frame Your Art video to see how simple it is!

Mobius by Don Hamerman

Craving-peanuts-and-Cracker-Jacks greetings, collectors! Baseball's regular season's coming to a close in late September (much to some people's chagrin), so introducing today's edition—Mobius, by Don Hamerman—is our unofficial kick off to the last remaining days of the season, not to mention summer. It's been three years (and many, many baseball puns) since we first introduced editions from Don's enormously popular series, Found Baseballs, and the attention he's received since has been a crowd-pleasing thrill to follow here at 20x200 HQ. Equally engaging and of note is Don's series of matchbox cars, which was featured in the iPad app version of Automobile magazine.

Mobius is Don's 12th edition with us, and his 10th from the series of gnarled, mangled and weathered baseballs he's found and precisely photographed. We've penned many an introduction of his fast-selling editions, but this tidbit I wrote last year about Don's work best sums up why we love it:

The thing about this series is that it's made all of us at Team 20x200 reconsider the way we look at the things around us on a daily basis... Don was OUR gateway drug into art that references sports—most of us 'round these parts aren't inclined to walk the walk OR talk the talk of athletes. But we enjoy offering editions like Don's because they present a good point of entry for all of you who might not normally think that art's your thing (I know you're out there!), or that art and sport could so peacefully co-exist—making the discovery of these photographs an enlightening experience for all.

— Jen