Art Gallery #4 - "The World of Tomorrow"

When I work on shoes I like to listen to old 30 minute radio programs from the 1940s and 1950s. I particularly love a program called "Dimension X," a sci-fi fare that showcased some surprisingly good stories from some famous authors such as Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. Listening to announcers read lines like, "It is the year 1984 and man has finally colonized the moon!" inspired me to create this pair.

This pair will be for sale at Ink Thirsty Gallery in Eugene, Oregon until the end of December. Email me for more information.

Thanks to all for a great opening!

To all who came to Ink Thirsty last night, thank you so much. It was amazing to see a gallery full of people who were excited to see my art. It really makes all the hard work worthwhile.

The display was great--very industrial modern and lit from below for added effect. Didn't hurt that the shoes were featured in the center of the gallery as well.


For more info on the gallery, as well as inquiries on purchases, go to inkthirsty.com.

Art Gallery #3 - "Tech Tree"

Because shoes come in pairs, there's always an excellent opportunity for interesting juxtaposition of objects. Cherry blossoms are beautiful and always visually engaging. Five and a quarter floppy disks are not.

These shoes are available for purchase at Ink Thirsty Gallery in Eugene, Oregon until the end of December. Email me for more info.

Art Gallery #2 - Entomophobia

This is one of the simplest and starkest designs I've done. Also the first time I've experimented with imitating the look of halftone dots. I think it works quite well.

These shoes are available for purchase at Ink Thirsty gallery in Eugene, Oregon until the end of December. Email me for more info.

Art Gallery #1 - Futurist Cubism Lace-ups

The first of the shoes that I'm doing for the show at Ink Thirsty Gallery. This pair is based on the aesthetic of the Futurist paintings created before World War I. I don't particularly agree with the politics of the movement (hyper-nationalism never worked out too well) but I love the style.

This pair is available for sale at Ink Thirsty gallery in Eugene, Oregon. Email me for more info.

My shoes in a gallery!

The big news for this week is that four pairs of my shoes will be on display starting on Friday November 27th at Ink Thirsty Gallery in downtown Eugene, Oregon. (http://www.inkthirsty.com). I'm really excited because it's a great opportunity to do some original art that I have had in the back of my mind while doing custom orders for the last 9 months or so. I've been sleeping 4-5 hours a night for the past 2 weeks to get everything ready on top of school, but it's totally worth it.

I don't want to spoil the opening (7pm, by the way for anyone in town), but here's a glimpse of some of what I've been working on.

Willy Wonka

I can officially announce that I have seen "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" about 7 times. Oompa Loompas haunt my dreams. But the shoes turned out pretty damn cool. Lots of hours. Lots of detail. I'm pretty happy with them.

The ArtKicks process, really fast

My friend Gabe (http://www.gabrieltothfejel.com/blawg) put together an awesome time lapse movie of me working on part of the human anatomy shoes. Makes me look cooler than I actually am.

Art Kicks: Human Anatomy from Gabe Toth on Vimeo.

Human Anatomy

Inspired by the Bodies Exhibition, these shoes feature semi-accurate anatomical structures mashed together in a bloody cornucopia. While most people who see these are likely to feel their stomach turn, I'd like to take this time to clarify that I view these shoes as a tribute to the wonder of the human form rather than some sort of expression of violent obsession. We have amazing things going on inside of us all the time--things we never see nor seem to be interested in pondering.