Steven Cerio

www.happyhomeland.com
After Steven Cerio unpacked in Brooklyn in 1988 he set to illustrating, animating and for such diverse clients as…. Nickelodeon Disney Enterprises, Guitar world, Guitar Player, Gary Fisher Bicycles, Conde Naste, Penguin books, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Warner Brothers/Inscape, Men's Health, Musician, A&M records, L.A. Weekly,Vibe, Roger Black Design group, Details, Fantagraphics Books Village Voice Boston Phoenix, , Funny Garbage, New York, Topps Bubble Gum Cards, Art Rock, The Progressive, Feral House, MacSkinz, Family Fun, Outside, Last Gasp Eco Funnies, Total T.V., In-Line Skater, Kidstar, Circuit DVD's, Bill Graham Presents, Time.com, Radar magazine and more.
His work has been used in McDonald’s restaurants in store ads and e- cards for Barnes and Noble books…. (Now legendary EXIT, Chemical Imbalance, Boiled Angel
But before Cerio set out into NYC’s art world he made a quick stop at Jacaeber Kastor’s iconic psychedelic poster art gallery Psychedelic Solution where the gracious owner set Steven to work. Aside from a full schooling from Kastor on the psychedelic graphics(which Steven is still quite grateful for) that drew Cerio to the gallery in the first place the gallery offered an endless stream of art greats for Cerio to rub elbows with. That list included Rick Griffin, Robert Crumb, Victor Moscoso, S. Clay Wilson and Gilbert Sheldon. Last Gasp owner and genius Ron Turner, low Brow painter extraordinaire Robert Williams and poster artist Randy Tuten were exceptionally kind to the young artist.
Some of Cerio’s silkscreened posters for musical acts include pieces for King Crimson ,Negativland, The Residents, White Zombie, Les Claypool, Semisonic, Pete Yorn, Yonder Mountain String Band, Man-or-Astroman , Dust Devils, John Popper, Monster Magnet, Moe and jazz acts William Parker, Peter Brotzmann and Matthew Shipp.
Maybe you noticed his graphics on releases like Goobers "A Collection of Children's' Songs" (T.E.C.Tones Records), Mosquito "Time Was’ and "UFO Catcher,” God Bullies "Millenium,” Dragibus "Dragao Magico, "Sleepyhead "Salad Days" , Hot Rod Circuit, Dust Devils, Shonen Knife, Warm Wires, Mr. Nasty, Sludgehammer, Kudgel, and Rooster Head. ….. LES CLAYPOOL tour shirt
He also repackaged Renaldo and the Loaf's, "Arabic Yodelling", and "The Elbow is Taboo" for cd with many additional graphics for TEC Tones Records.
Other poster series’ include a three poster psychedelic series commissioned by Wizard and Genius Graphics in 1996 for distribution throughout the States and Europe and a series of black light posters commissioned by Star Makers Rising in 1997.
Cerio's work spans all mediums from magazine and book illustrations to posters, ipod skins, gallery walls, film, animation and posters.
You may have seen the HBO special featuring Annie Sprinkle and the "Annie Sprinkles Post Modern Pin-Ups Playing Cards" published by Gates of Heck in 1996 which features Cerio’s card backs throughout the deck. Steven was quite flattered to find that his vulva like card suit designs caught Annie’s eye, in fact she had one tattooed to her (Botticelli-esque) curvy frame.
His "Happy Birthday " animations run every morning on Nickelodeon
Steven has long been involved artistically with legendary San Francisco group The Residents creating characters (graphics) for animations,dvd graphics,posters for them. He created “Dixies Kill-a-Commie shooting gallery for their award winning 199? cd-rom Bad Day at the Midway with legendary animator Jim Ludtke. The Resident video “birds in the Trees” was the result of his collaboration with animation great Rich Shupe. The Resident’s Disfigured Night featured almost a hundred of Cerio’s images carefully placed by John Payson (director of the famed film “Joe’s Apartment.”
The unreleased "Tales from the Crypt" (Warner Brothers/Inscape) which was created in 199(?) utilized Cerio’s Big Top Sequence animations and dialog. His musical group Lettuce Little created the soundtrack pieces for this section as well.
Cerio’s book "Steven Cerio's ABC book-a drug primer" was published by Gates of Heck pubs in '99 when it won the coveted" Firecracker Book Award". Quon Other collections of his work include Mother Shovel(1993), PIE "A Cryptic Pilgrimage to the Nucleus of Joy (1997 by Wow Cool Pubs, Berkeley CA.)
Other books currently awaiting release and/or completion are
Explaining Mountains to a Little Girl "Coloring book” and Corn on the Macabre “The art of Steven Cerio and The Residents” published by Noiseville.
Stevens work has been featured in various books including "Next:The New Generation in Graphic Design" by Jesse Reyes ,"Non-Traditional Design" by Mike Quon, The Art of Rock , SWAG- Rock Poster art of the 90’s by Spencer Drate among others.
Steven has shown in galleries since the Eighties including FUSE gallery (NY,NY) C-POP Gallery (Detroit, MI) ,Lauren Wittels (NY, NY), EXIT ART (NY, NY), Brooklyn Public Library (NY, NY),CBGB's 3030 Gallery (NY, NY),La Luz de Jesus (LA, CA), Psychedelic Solutions (NY, NY), Forbidden (Dallas,TX), Altered Image (Cleveland, OH), Noiseville Gallery (NY, NY), Art Directors Club (NY, NY), Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH) among others of smaller profile throughout the States and Europe.
Steven has written for Low Art Bible “Juxtapoz” as well working as associate editor and art interviewer for Seconds magazine from 1995 to 1999 Where he interviewed HR Giger, Frank Frazetta,, Stanley Mouse, Hipnosis and Gary Panter amongst many others. His writing was also featured in .45 Dangerous minds published by Creation Books in 2005.It compiled Cerio’s more apocalyptic interviews with Robt Wms, Stu Mead, Mike Diana and Joe Coleman with other interviews by George Petros, Steven Blush, Adam Keane Stern , Boyd Rice and Michael Moynihan.
As a musician Cerio performed and recorded as a drummer and percussionist in Dee Dee Ramone's Sprocket (1991-92). Recorded full length albums and toured internationally with Railroad Jerk (Matador/Atlantic Records) and Drunktank (Radial/Matador),
He has also performed improvised sets and recordings with Jad Fair(Half Japanese), Ron Asheton (Stooges), and free jazz legends William Parker and Jemeel Moondoc.
His current musical projects are “Atlantic Drone Quartet” and "Lettuce Little" where Steven utilizes his custom built and designed percussion instruments as well as a traditional trap kit.
Steven is currently represented in many endeavors by H.R.Giger’s masterful media manipulator, Les Barany.
Recently moved studio to Baldwinsville, NY. After a decade of working as an illustrator in New York City, Steven Cerio has moved his studio to the small town of Baldwinsville, New York where he lives with his girlfriend and two cats.
Steven is currently hard at work on a new book…whose topic and theme he will not divulge