“Monsters, Skulls, and Pin Ups” Paintings and photography by Carlos Nieto III and Taiz Carnewal

13 Oct “Monsters, Skulls, and Pin Ups” Paintings and photography by Carlos Nieto III and Taiz Carnewal

(Art exhibit that reflects the tradition of Mexican culture, Day of the Dead)

Saturday October 23rd at The Coffee Table SilverLake from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Vesper Public Relations. Los Angeles, October 13, 2010—Life and death, mourning and celebration are reflected in “Monsters, Skulls, and Pin Ups” an art exhibition that examines the tradition of the Mexican culture Day of the Dead which will be held on Saturday, October 23 rd at The Coffee Table SilverLake from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. 2930 Rowena Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039.

Carlos Nieto III and Taiz Carnewal are the two artists’ whose exhibit reflects through their paintings –that will be available for purchase – the authenticity and real veneration and cult of death. In addition, models painted with ‘Dia de Los Muertos’ masks will be greeting the guests with refreshments.

Throughout his art, Carlos Nieto III combines the traditional theme of Mexican skull with modern themes of diverse cultures such American pin up girls of the 50’s and the Japanese Anime, his mission, to break through the stereotypes of segregated cultures, showing that without borders, cultures and their influences can be mixed freely creating a global culture.

His artistic style is influenced by visual themes of the celebration with bright colors, lively compositions and comparisons of opposing ideas: life and death, mourning and celebration.

Carlos Nieto III is a young talented artist of Colombian roots born and raised in Los Angeles; growing in the Hispanic area of Silverlake /Echo Park. At a young age, he had the opportunity to discover the colorful mystical tradition of the Mexican culture of “Dia de los Muertos” Day of the Dead.

Carlos Nieto III currently works at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles as “Artist in Residence” with children and their families who come from different cultures, focusing on their similarities that have had influence over his style and creation. Here, Carlos works with children on hands-on projects on three levels: in the waiting rooms, in the hospital playrooms, and at the bedside of the more sickly children. In the waiting rooms, the artist provides projects to children who are waiting to see the doctors (which can take up to 3 hours at times), this allows the child who have not eaten since the night before escape from their pain as well as letting their parents get a chance to rest. Art activities in the hospital playrooms allow patients a chance for the norm, playing with games, toys, reading, etc.  While at their bedside, Carlos provides the individuals an outlet for creative expression and tailors projects whether it is painting, jewelry making, sculpting, or making a comic book.

About Carlos Nieto III

www.myspace.com/sampleart

Aside from having taken some basic classes of art in high school, and evening classes, Carlos has acquired his knowledge in art, mostly on his own, without earning a degree due to his low financial situation.

After high school, his artistic talent led him to a job on the Emmy-winning show “The Simpsons” as a Layout Artist where he had the chance to work with directors to draw scenes for the show. He’s also worked as a Visual Consultant for Disney and Universal where he created sketches for set designs at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and artwork for Universal Network Television on the series “L.A. Dragnet” starring Ed O’Neill; respectively.

Living in Los Angeles as a Latino, Carlos Nieto III has experienced the traditional and the modern culture of his generation, incorporating both in his art. The mixture of opposing ideas, playful and somber, old and new are combined with issues of American popular culture to create a unique artistic voice.

About Taiz Carnewal

Taiz grew up in the Silverlake- Los Feliz area. She is half Brazilian, and half Mexican. She received a BA in design from Cal-State L.A. Shortly after, she donated her time at Self-Help Graphics print studio in East L.A. while working at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown L.A.

Taiz went back to school, received her MA, and is currently teaching drawing and painting classes in Acton, Ca. Although her extensive travels through Mexico, Europe, and South America have influenced her work as an artist, the biggest inspiration comes from the people she meets. Currently she has been creating a series of artwork that incorporates reality with a sense of humor. One example is the pin-up surfer girls. Back in the 40-50’s when surfing began to spread worldwide in popularity, surfer girls were pin-ups with their (now vintage) bathing suits and red lipstick… they would paddle out with the boys and do handstands on their shoulders. Today’s surfer girls actually surf and participate in competitions! This current body of work entitled “Death to the vintage surfer girl” is a play on words as the imagery of calavera (skeleton) women surfing in bikinis suggests.