Press & Reviews for zines and books

  "HOTDOG HIGHWAY" book and art exhibit at 21 Grand Gallery by Alison Tharp and Jeannie Lydon Jeannie Lydon and Alison Tharp,who both attended the California College of the Arts,are the artists behind this cofrontational,yet playful work.The works were hung attractively on the walls,each piece offering the viewer an engaging and larely compelling experience.While the book was a collaborative work,the individual paintings were apparently completed independenly. ...Tharp presents quirky,surreal images where washy splotches of paint take on a variety of disturbing personae. One work quickly caught my eye- looking initially,as much of the work here does, deceptively innocent,with delicate lines and pastel hues.A young female figure with purple hair wears a pink-pinstriped dress; her hourglass figure is accentuated by an actual hourglass, superimposed on her back. Flowing text reads "Plenty of Room for Artists"; Tharp's ironic comment seems particularly apt. A pink wheelbarrow, featuring floral embellishments, carts several miniature figures and, unfortunately,has run over a young girl.She lies,limbs splayed to the side,in a delicate pool of crimson blood, her purple hair trailing behind her on the ground. Surreal and psychedelic,Tharp's images connect and merge; mordant humor predominates. Touches of the archly gothic cartoonists Edward Gorey and Charles Addams may be found, along with a storybook,Through the Looking Glass, kind of anthropomorphism...The images are dense, offering intricate layers of detail and pervaded with a sense of psychological overload...Lydon and Tharp are clearly talented young women, with attitude to spare. This particular body of work, espcially in the book format, certainly will not be to everyones taste- then again it was never ment to be .Subsatantial gifts as artists,along with stong poetic vision, will open up a variety of paths to the pair as they advance in their careers. Irreverence, confidence and a quirky sense of humor may be their stongest assets .I look forward to seeing what kinds of projects will attract them in the future. -Barbara Morris,contributing editor to Artweek Magazine Dec.2004/Jan 2005 volume 35 issue 10

  "THE DARLING FACTORY" book by Alison Tharp Disturbing,hard to understand, violent poetry with surreal b/w drawings.The drawings are done with enough skill that they are genuinely creepy in a ransom note sort of way.As to the text,here's a sample: "Shrimp coctail is a casket that humans eat. Beasts, our eyelashes,so well presurved, fall on the floor,our wedding dresses crunch in the backs of mouths."Reader-you're on your own.I'm out of here." Zine World #19 Bizzare and twisted. Brilliant, absurd, and amazing. Slug and Lettuce(issue 73) "ADVENTURES IN FOOD" zine by Alison Tharp Written by Alison, Adventures in Food is astream of consciousness seemingly influenced by William S. Burroughs and feminism,though I can't speek for her.The strange stories are accompanied by well drawn illustrations and doctored photographs.It's weird and at times a little juvenile,and horrible spelling,but interesting reading.I think I liked it, but I'm not sure,some parts scared me. Issue #4. Maximum Rock and Roll #196 Normally I don't like comic book type zines,and in fact I don't really know if I liked these,but I can step out of my personal likes and dislikes and say that this woman is a great artist.The drawings really conveyed a certain mood I don't think her words were quite able to.The theme seems to be bad food ,bad jobs,and bad hair. Issue #2 Maximum Rock and Roll Feb.1999 Alison has taken a big step forward with this issue,which has a better layout,color cover,and tighter writing.It's turning into somthing really special. Urban Gurilla Zine #8