I don’t want to brag, but I knew Scott C. back before he was a big deal, the darling of the Internet. And what has that gotten me? Well, knowing a really nice guy, for one. But also this chance to chat about his new – excellent – hardcover collection of his work, Amazing Everything. And if you’ve spent any time on the Internet, you’ve probably seen his adorable watercolor creations, which lovingly embrace pop culture and weirdness – from a lumberjack holding hands with a log, to… Well, lumberjacks doing other stuff.

Scott and I chatted about all that, his connection to the gaming industry, and most importantly, what painting had him stumped:

MTV Geek: Okay Scott, let’s kick it off talking about Amazing Everything… How’d the book come about?

Scott Campbell: Amazing Everything is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile. I've never collected my paintings into a book before. It is nice to see everything in one place! And in a book that is sort of heavy that I can place on my table or tables. My friend Maurene Goo helped me lay it out and Insight Editions was gracious enough to offer to publish it. I've worked with the editor, Kevin Toyama, on other projects, so it was great working with him again. Actually having someone to help edit my writing was very satisfying. And Jack Black's foreword is like an awesome little poem. He acts as my bouncer for the book, I would say.

Geek: What’s it like seeing your art collected in a hardcover format like this?

SC: It feels splendid to see it all together! Like a family album. There are many memories in this book. Organizing all of the paintings was like laying all of your photos on the floor and trying to pick the best ones for your little album. And then you are proud to show your newly composed album to people whenever they come over for coffee. That is the feeling for me.

Geek: Actually, to take a step back – I’m pretty familiar with your history, but can you talk about your work with Double Fine, and how that’s grown into the career you have now?

SC: I've worked for Double Fine for about 10 years as Art Director and concept artist on games like Psychonauts and Brutal Legend and the soon to be released Once Upon A Monster with Sesame Street. I worked long hours on those games and enjoyed creating those worlds very much. Read more...

Tags Amazing Everything, Gallery 1988, Scott C.

Gallery 1988 shows some of the coolest pop culture art around and one of their most recent shows was in tribute to the Garbage Pail Kids. Artists from all walks contributed to the show and now the original artwork is up for grabs on the Gallery 1988 website.

There are a ton of pieces to look through and we grabbed some of our favorites to share with you. Head past the break to get familiar with nasty rascals like “Electric Bill“, “Dire Rita” and “New Wave Dave”. Read more...

Tags Art, Gallery 1988, Garbage Pail Kids

Gallery 1988 Venice is preparing a Pee-wee Herman tribute art show and the entries so far look wonderful. Several artists have submitted unique and creative portrayals of Paul Reuben’s classic character and the rest of the Playhouse gang for the show -- which takes place July 29th from 7-10pm -- and we grabbed a bunch from the Gallery1988 blog to share with you! Head past the break to get your peek on!

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Tags Gallery 1988, Movies, Pee Wee Herman, Pee Wee's Playhouse, TV

You may not know art, but you know you like, right? Luckily, Gallery 1988 based in Los Angeles is both of those things. For the past half a decade or so, the Gallery has been curating exhibits on subjects ranging from LOST, to Wet Hot American Summer; as well as the perennial favorite “Crazy 4 Cult,” which is launching a new coffee table style book this week. So even if you can’t get any of the sold out art, or travel to LA, you can still pick up Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art on June 21st from Titan Books.

To find out more, we talked to Gallery 1988 founder Jensen Karp about the inspiration for the exhibits, what an MTV Geek themed gallery show would look like, and a sneak at what’s coming up next:

MTV Geek: First off, let’s talk about Gallery 1988 – what was your inspiration for this? A distinct lack of classical art featuring ALF? Or something else?

Jensen Karp: Yes, we basically opened the gallery with the idea of "Let's create ALF art." Well, not just ALF per se, cause that would be insane, but we knew that all the adult, stuffy galleries not only didn't speak to my generation, but they actually talked down to us. We wanted to just open a space that spoke to our interests and pocketbooks, and YES, ALF does both. We're the only art gallery in the universe that has hired Mr. Belding to host a show focusing on the anniversary of Saved By The Bell and we couldn't be prouder to be that pop culture destination.

Geek: And Crazy 4 Cult in particular… How did that come about?

JK: We had this idea for Crazy 4 Cult for quite some time, especially as my college education at USC is in writing and I'm a serious cinephile. But it really was just an idea floating around until I decided to pitch it to Scott Mosier, who was a buyer at the gallery and a friend, and also the guy who produced movies like Clerks and Mallrats. He loved the idea and asked if he could tell Kevin Smith, who he promised would LOVE the concept. Kevin not only loved the idea, but he told Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and Richard Kelly about it and, next thing you know, we have one of the most talked about art shows, without even booking one artist in it. Kevin and Scott went on to host all the Crazy 4 Cults, and it's become a mainstay in the Los Angeles art scene where 1000's of people line up to see it on opening night.

Geek: There’s a fine line between actual art, and kitsch. Which side do you think Crazy 4 Cult falls on, and how do you walk that line?

JK: We are actual art by leaps and bounds. We don't show "fan art." We show artists who are fans. The Crazy 4 Cult book features artwork from Shepard Fairey, Colin Christian, Luke Chueh, Greg "Craola" Simkins and Amy Sol - who in their own right are each some of the most sought after young gallery artists working today. We've been an art gallery for over 7 years in Los Angeles, and have watched as many of the artists we've shown early in their careers, go on to sell pieces for over $50,000. We're an art gallery, just one that likes to have fun, so I understand how many people might be taken back. Read more...

Tags Gallery 1988, Titan Books

In celebration of American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns, Gallery 1988 hosted an opening featuring artwork inspired by the video game on June 8th. Now, that artwork is up for grabs on their website, and we have to say, it‘s all pretty awesome.

This darker take on Alice has always appealed to us and the variety of artwork submitted in truly impressive. You’ll find paintings, sculptures, clothing and even a little taxidermy inspired by the upcoming multi-platform game. I can’t imagine this stuff will last very long, so if you want to snag some for yourself you should probably get a move on. Before you do, head past the break and check out some our favorites. Read more...

Tags Alice In Wonderland, Alice: Madness Returns, American McGee, EA, Gallery 1988, PC, PS3, Video Games, Xbox 360