Bob Conge of Plaseebo for *BYEBYE 2017 HELLO 2018* on TOYSREVIL

I have long been an admirer of Bob Conge's art since my first post in 2006, and his blog-interview (in 2008) had been one of the most enriching moments on the blog, with his art encompassing both illustrative and three-dimensional, continued creation in his own genre, without the need to fit into any "trends", a set-styled "American Kaiju" that showcases his individuality amongst the masses, IMHO.

Today I am honoured to have him on our "ByeBye2017 Hello2018" series!


TOYSREVIL: How was 2017 for you? Share with us your most triumphant moment in 2017. What did you find the most disappointed of 2017?

BOB CONGE: "One of the more  satisfying accomplishments in 2017 was the exhibition of my work at the ROCO gallery in Rochester New York. I had 50 pieces in this invitational group exhibition, 30 of which were made for the show. The gallery staff created a very professional installation of the work with perfect lighting. It was quite a moving experience for me to see so large a selection of my work in one place. Usually I am engaged with the work one or two pieces at a time and no space or opportunity to see the flow of the work over time."

BOB CONGE: "My primary expectation is to be able to be at  work in my studio every day and as long as I can do this, my disappointments are few. 

2017-18 will be a period of major transformation for me and PLASEEBO. While I will continue to create new releases for Plaseebo, I want to push off in new directions as well. Having spent the past 10 plus years devoting my energy exclusively to the creation and production of resin and vinyl figures, I have decided to return to exploring graphic works in painting and drawing as well. 

Four months ago I began a series of 24” x 36” portraits inspired by what I consider to be some of the human conditions that are shredding the fabric of American democracy. Greed, loss of self worth, compromise of ethics, elitism, to name a few. These are not portraits of individuals, but rather images of the human condition as reflected in the form of a portrait. Through this series I hope to blatantly bring to the attention of the viewer the urgent need for change.

The series now numbers 40 plus drawings and I will now begin painting over these base drawings with color. I plan to have a gallery show of this series in 2018 with the title “HEADS UP"

Here are 2 examples of the drawings in the series:"

Above-left is based on choosing “corporate vision” over ones own.
Above-right shows the viciousness of gossip and lying in the work place.

Featured on top of the blog is Bob's “Self Portrait”, which features an example
of what the base drawings look like with the water color applied.

TOYSREVIL: What is your most favorite toy, or piece of art you've seen in 2017?

BOB CONGE: "Here are my 3 favorites from 2017: "Bigbirdman" from Kaiju Tan ... Jubi Yang's "The Gigantic Crab Kaiju” ... and "Death Goliathon" by PLANET-X.

TOYSREVIL: What are you most looking forward to in 2018? Any plans for your work, for the new year you can share with us?

BOB CONGE: "As mentioned above, I very much look forward to seeing where my return to painting and drawing will lead.

I am equally excited by the plans for PLASEEBO. I have entered into a collaborative arrangement with PLANET-X in Hong Kong. PLANET-X will be handling vinyl production and sales of a series of PLASEEBO designs. Some of the figures will be new sculpts and others will be vinyl editions of my one of a kind resin figures. This will give PLASEEBO greater availability to collectors in the Pacific Rim countries and Japan. It will also enable the Planet-X / Plaseebo vinyl releases to be reasonably priced. "

(Read the "Legend of SUM" from 2007)

BOB CONGE: "The first release for spring-summer of 2018 will be the 9” “SUM” figure." (See above)

"One of my new sculpts under consideration for vinyl production is the 13 inch “LAND SHARK”" (Seen below)

TOYSREVIL: Share with us, WHO you are and what you do?

Bob Conge: "I am a tinker, a follower of muses, day dreamer, night owl, purveyor of magic, high wire act, and maybe not. I am and always have been in love with making things that occur to me. It is what I do and who I am. It is my only voice in this wilderness of noise. It is a path without end that I follow each day. 

You can find some of what I have made here:

www.plaseebo.net
www.bobconge.com/ (currently being updated)
www.illustrators.net/conge"