Durden Art

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Durden Art! We met Michael at The Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, CA and I just fell in love with his art work. Michael is pure genius! We have 6 pieces and I’m proud to say we are the owners of the original Dying to Remember.

The art created by this awesome duo is definitely something to see! I currently own two pieces and cannot wait to add more to my collection. If you get the chance make sure you chat with both Michael and Dana about their inspiration for each piece! (Maybe they will expose some of the «buried treasures» that aren’t evident at first glance!)

Coming from San Diego we wanted to buy some cool art to hang in our room. After a few searches on Unilocal we found Durden art. We called him up and asked if he was open, and turns out he was at his studio. Met the artist at his studio and super cool guy! His art is amazing! Great prices got a couple of prints, puzzles, and took some photos!

I really love Michael Phillips’ work! It’s bright, colorful, full of energy and quirky humor. His artworks are perfect for a kid’s bedroom or just to hang on your wall and make your pad feel more fun and full of color. The guy is a treat to talk to too. Smart, friendly and full of insights into his work what he does. Highly recommended home décor!

We first discovered Michael’s art at Burning Man and we became instant fans! He brought a box of unique prints over to my camp and let everyone choose their favorite to bring home. We kept in touch with Michael after the festival and began adding to our collection. Years later, we are now proud owners of over 15 of his masterpieces, including prints, puzzles, and an original custom painting. There is a piece of Michael’s work brightening nearly every room in our home! Ok, maybe we are a little obsessed, but it is totally justified!
His art adds such personality to my home. My favorite piece is likely the very first print I received from him, Alice Playing Hopscotch. I keep it hanging in my bedroom and I smile every time I see it; not to mention all of the compliments we get from the guests in our home.
I always look forward to seeing what he will come up with next. I am a big fan of his cartoon work, but I hear he is starting to dabble with t-​shirts and I couldn’t be more excited! Michael’s art work is truly one of a kind and I look forward to visiting him at the Sawdust Art Festival later this summer!

To say that my daughter and I are obsessed with Michael’s work is a serious understatement. We are also obsessed with him as an amazingly wonderful and kind human being. We own 6 reproductions and three paper prints hung proudly in our 950 sq ft apartment. It’s kind of a little gallery of Michael’s work. We have two of the Twilight series which are so beautiful. My absolute favorite though is Serenity which is an older piece. When his girlfriend first showed it to me, I wasn’t so sure because it conjured up some emotion in me I apparently wasn’t ready for so I didn’t buy it. I went home and couldn’t stop thinking about it and went back the next weekend and bought it. I am so glad I did because I absolutely love it and so does everyone else that sees it! We also have Moving Day with the Star Wars and Star Trek kids. So creative and fun! Michael has a way of infusing his joy and whimsical nature in each piece. He is so incredibly talented and innovative! We can’t wait for the Sawdust Festival so we can see what new things he has in store. Make some time this summer to go and see his work and meet him and his incredible girlfriend. You will thoroughly enjoy yourself!

A fantastic touch on various levels of pop-​culture with a stylishly comic and quirky sense of humor added in, Durden Art first caught the eye of my wife and I at the San Diego Art Walk in Little Italy in 2014. We were happy to see them return this year, and after kicking ourselves in the rear for not picking up any of the unique and happy-​go-​lucky art last year, we made sure to pick up a couple pieces at Little Italy Art Walk 2015. As their pieces now adorn my work space, I can’t help but smile from the joy they bring me as Durden Art melds pop culture and historical pieces into a tongue-​in-​cheek unique piece. A definite conversation starter, I look forward to seeing them again in years to come :-)

Unique, vibrant, fun… none of these things describe broccoli. Thankfully, we have Michael’s mad-​scientist brain to deliver us from the shackles of bland, grey/​green, lifeless art. His twisted perspective is like a Chuck Palahniuk novel mashed up with the quirky innocence of the early comic realm. Buy early, buy often… this kid is going places!

Durden Art is truly one of a kind! From an extremely talented artist with a mind that sees things differently than most comes some of the most impressive art you’ll ever see. No matter what show you find Michael at, his stuff will clearly stand out from the rest. All of his pieces are very unique, many times in ways you won’t fully understand at first. Once you talk to him and he tells you a little about the piece and what inspired it, the coolness factor goes through the roof! If you want a conversation piece to decorate your place, or some really cool «non-​vanilla» puzzles your kids will love, definitely check him out! From superheroes to princesses to sports heroes to rock legends to things that make you go hmmm, you’re bound to see something that makes you smile!

Fabulous customer service! So helpful and courteous. Always willing to go that extra mile. Work is AMAZING!

We are HUGE fans of Durden art. We go to the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival every year just to buy a new creation. We are brought owners of 6 paintings. We have one of the Marvel clothes line pictures, the princess clothesline with Elsa, Monsters inc, Toy Story, Pluto (bad dog) and owl «where’s Waldo»? We can’t wait to go back this year!!!

The Durden Art studio/​gallery is really something special. Its a bit hard to find since its actually integrated as part of Seven Degrees, the wedding and special events venue. The artist actually lives upstairs and actively paints and sells work downstairs. The space is always open during Laguna Beach Art Walk (first Thursday of each month) which is when I first discovered it. Michael Phillips is truly an Idiot Jenius just like his business card says.
Michael is very approachable and happy to talk about his art. His paintings are hand drawn and painted, without the use of computer design aides, so his work is really unique. The best part is that each painting has a secret message! The paintings tell stories and usually have some social relevance. One of my favorites is Michael’s take on a famous Norman Rockwell painting called «New Kids in the Neighborhood» that was about racism in the 1950’s. The Durden version, «Moving Stars,» has Starwars kids meeting up with Star Trek kids! Its a totally new take on how kids can play nice despite their differences ;)
I also love the superhero clothesline piece. The secret words are the Batman theme song, «Dunna, dunna, dunna, dunna!» Its such a great idea to have the costumes hanging and make people test their trivia. There are several versions of the clotheslines, princesses, villains, female fashion icons, sports heroes, tough guys in movies and even a musicians version called «One Love.»
Michael doesn’t do commission work any more since he’s busy branching out into t-​shirts and continuously making new work to keep up with his fans at the Sawdust Festival every Summer. So his original paintings sell really fast. The studio gallery has giclee reproductions for sale (he only makes 50 of each painting). You can also get paper prints ($ 25 or 2 for $ 40) both framed and unframed (5×7″ frames are only $ 20). The greeting cards are hilarious! One of my favorites is the princess clothesline birthday card that reads:
May your pumpkins always have wheels,
your mice have GPS,
your frogs be tall and handsome,
and your watch remain forever at eleven
Wishing you a bipity bobity birthday
Happy Birthday Princess
SO CREATIVE!!! But, the best find were the jigsaw puzzles!!! Such a great idea to take awesome colorful images and make them into something the whole family can enjoy. (99 pieces for $ 25 and 1000 pieces for $ 40)
I think its remarkable that his prices are so reasonable especially for being an artist in Laguna Beach. Most of all, I love that he makes art for people of all ages. I’m going to love cartoons forever and his pop-​art cartoon illustrations are just too good. You can see what’s new from Durden Art on Facebook or Etsy but I think its so much more meaningful to meet and purchase from the artist in person.