Category Archives: Posters from the Past

Weekend Features: “Stars Wars Set” by Olly Moss

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Posters from the Past

I’ve stated before that it is of my opinion that in order for minimalist art to be good, it has to be witty. Minimalist art based on reinterpretations of the source material often have elements in which logic plays a role of the final piece. Where the artist only takes the absolute most fundamental features of the source, and fits them together in a way much like a puzzle. This gives the viewer something to look at and play with in their minds. That’s good art. To achieve so much with so little, that’s the appeal, that’s the challenge.

One master of this craft is Olly Moss. It’s funny cause even his webpage is totally stripped down as well. His works of minimalist art first appeared on t-shirts, and then quickly made waves into the movie poster scene. Here are some early works:

Soon after, Moss was commissioned to produce a trio set for probably the Holy Grail of all SciFi trilogies, Star Wars:

“It was so intimidating! There is such a wealth of great Star Wars art out there already, from paid professionals and from enthusiastic fans. I suppose my main aim was to make a set of Star Wars posters that were a little different from what people are used to seeing from the franchise, but still retained that essential Star Wars feel. I started by re-watching the original movies with a sketchbook on my lap, and just sort of went from there. If you’re as big a nerd as I am, you just can’t say no to Star Wars.”- Olly Moss

 
 

“Stars Wars Set” was released by Mondo on December 20, 2010 and cost $150 for the set. Talk about a Christmas gift for yourself. Who knows how many Star Wars fans scrimped on their kids Christmas gifts just so they can own a piece of classic art here. Each print measured 24″ x 36″ Screenprint, with an edition size of 400 each. This print set was an instant hit right out of the gate and the print sold out online in seconds.

People not lucky enough to get these prints on the first drop ended up buying them in huge droves on the secondary market on eBay. Well over 45 sets sold on eBay the same day of the initial drop with prices ranging from $350-$925. And it just climbed further from there. The last recorded sell of this set on eBay sold for $2,225 on September 20th, 2011. This set, much like the movie, touched a nerve with viewers. Old fans came in droves, new fans were made, and another poster classic is in the books.

***Important! Keep an eye on his twitter feed for the next week or more. He is planning a “Christmas Sale” which will possibly include some “Star Wars” sets! He’ll announce when the sale will happen there. Good Luck!

"Star Wars" by Olly Moss. 24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 400. $150 for set


"Empire Strikes Back" by Olly Moss. 24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 400. $150 for set


"Revenge of the Jedi" by Olly Moss. 24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 400. $150 for set

Weekend Features: “The Thing” by Tyler Stout

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Posters From The Past

When it comes to movie poster artists nowadays, Tyler Stout is top tier. His extravagantly illustrated posters are so densely packed with key elements, scenes, and characters of the movie, that you almost feel that you are watching the entire movie just by looking at his posters. Stout’s style of photo-realistic meets comic-book action hero illustrations seems to bring the characters to life. I have never seen so much active motion going on in a still image of a Tyler Stout poster.

This poster first went on sale in April of 2008 on www.mondotees.com and then later on his own website. From what can recall, this poster was slow steady build to the “Holy Grail” heights that it is now. Getting the poster on drop day was pretty effortless, but as weeks and months passed, fans kept coming back to this print, new fans discovered this and the talent of this artist, and nowadays it is regarded as a classic Tyler Stout.

“The Thing” is a 24″ x 36″ 5-color screenprint with GID ink. Every character infected by The Thing has glow-in-the-dark eyes. Very cool! The regular edition had a run of 210, and variant Silver Edition of 65. Initial secondary market prices lingered around the $150-200 range, but with Stout’s popularity literally exploding, seeing secondary market sells in excess of $2000+ has been documented a number of times.

Stout The thing

"The Thing" by Tyler Stout. 24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 210. Original price $30


Stout The thing variant

"The Thing" by Tyler Stout. 24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 65. Original price $50 (variant)

Weekend Features: “Lifted” by Josh Keyes

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Posters from the Past

Keyes could have have easily been a science textbook artist and excelled greatly in that aspect. However, his artistic drive and sense to express himself creatively has lead him to make some real signature work. Work that instantly leaves an impression on the viewer. A sign of good art. Keyes work offers a commentary on the modern world as we know it, and how nature is affected by it. All of his pieces are represented in “sections”, which can possibly be interpreted as the common way that we as modern mankind often get to view nature nowdays. In “sections”, and most likely on your flat-screen TV.
In January 16th, 2010, Keyes had a gallery opening titled “Fragment” at the Jonathan Levine Gallery. Along with many original art pieces, there was a print released in very limited quanties titled “Lifted”. In the artists words himself:

“..dealing with extremes of emotion has always been a real core to my work. ..underneath there is a real, deep therapeutic aspect. In many of these pieces with the water, that is depression. In Lifted in particular, obviously with global warming we are in this deep depression that we have to get out of; everyone is affected in some way. For myself, when I feel that bad, there are two ways to go. One way you don’t want to go in. But I think the other way is to be lifted out of that, and for me the eagle represents Lisa [Josh Keyes’s wife] because she has picked me out of dark places many times. I have emphasized the talons because it hurts like hell to be lifted out of depression. But I think what most people read is a sense of tragedy and a sense of anxiety, and I don’t need to say it is about an emotional condition.”- Josh Keyes

 

“Lifted” is a 24″ x 32″ Giclee, has an edition size of only 50, and originally cost $395. Very few have been sold in the secondary market, making this a very coveted piece commanding at least an estimated price of $1300+ nowdays.

"Lifted" by Josh Keyes. 24" x 32" Giclee. Ed of 50. Original price $395

Weekend Feature: “Heat Death” by Jeremy Geddes

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Posters from the Past

During some weekends I’ll feature some notable prints long sold out and highly coveted. It’s prints like these that drive this hobby from a casual interest, into an absolute addiction. First up is “Heat Death” by Jeremy Geddes. Released in June 12, 2009, “Heat Death” was part of a series of Cosmonauts done by Geddes. And to this date, it is the “Holy Grail” piece for anything Geddes. It is a 11″ X 25″ Giclee print, with an edition size of 100. Original price $160. “Heat Death” did not sell out until late Feburary 2010. It’s amazing in retrospect now to look back and realize that it took nearly 8 months for this print to sell out. The fact that this print recently sold in an eBay auction for $2,205 (unconfirmed) really drives that point home now. However, neither points diminishes, or emphasizes this piece of art. It was ALWAYS a great piece. And now it is a classic.