01.25.12
Jose Mertz is an artist and illustrator based out of Miami Florida. It’s a fitting setting for Mertz as his work is a total mashup of cultural influences that somehow all settles on some startlingly memorable imagery.
Vinicius Quesada apparently sometimes uses his own bodily fluids, blood, urine, etc. (don’t ask what etc. might mean) in his work. And yes, there is definitely some similarities to Shepard Fairey’s work but there are still some individually fascinating aspects to Quesada’s work.
“My work is illustrative, but I’m not an illustrator. My friend Jen said it best, I’m a Drainter: a drawer and a painter. I was trained to paint with oils at a small school in Michigan. These days I’m working with graphite and gouache a lot.
This is as close as I will come to maintaining a blog.
In my stream you will find art in progress, some finished pieces, polaroids, self portraits and snapshots from my life. I wish to live in Australia in the near future, making drawings and paintings for the rest of my days.”
He’s very good at ‘drainting’.
Artist Scott Hove is a man of many talents. The one of which probably will immediately stand out the most is his sculptural work resembling cakes. Yes you read that correctly, I said ‘cakes’. So just how freaky can a cake get, well…click here.
I am digging the nature/spiritually-infused work of Korean illustrator Egeen Koo. It’s even better to see her work utilized commercially in a public space. It’s a rare thing that genuine art squeezes it’s way through advertising.
Fab Ciraolo has some excellent pop-infused illustrations that mishmash iconic personas from film and art with contemporary culture.
Photographer Jasper James’s series of ‘City Silhouettes‘ has been out there a while but I stumbled across it again and was re-inspired. It’s a clever and beautiful series of images that are hard to forget once they’ve been seen.
“As a youth in North Carolina; I begun my path as an abstract painter and figurative sculptor; my motivation grew from my interest of psychophysical effects of chroma. Photography holds all the intrinsic values of all the other arts; but differers in the fact the it’s the foundation of existence. My creations are the exploration of my inner facilities; in the pursuit of contemporary knowledge expressing “original thoughts”. “Nothing can exist without the photon, and every aspect is controlled by it’s usage””
His recent series of underwater nudes are totally stunning.
Le Carnet Noir is the conceptual container of Nacho Ormaechea, freelance Art Director and Graphic Designer working in Paris. There is a notion of escaping through the mind during the daily reality that we sometimes have to suffer through.
01.18.12
Death Spray Custom is the portfolio and works of a London based artist and designer. His work has caught my attention before but some recent updates grabbed hold of my attention.
Photographer Jim Naughten removes exterior subterfuge and places his subjects squarely within frame to meet the viewer face-to-face and in the raw. It’s stark but somehow a new way of looking at said object or person is brought forth for the viewer to consider.
The omnipresent force in the vector art for apparel game known as Hydro 74 (who goes by Josua Smith to family and friends) recently sat down to execute a little experiment before a live drawing session at a Tradeshow. This was the end result of a little at home drawing session. Pretty damned impressive.
Whoah, there is some highly original work happening in the artistic portfolio of Minjeong An. When I first saw the work above I was stopped in my tracks and ended up having to spend a little extra time just taking it in.
Wow, the paper sculptures created by Jeremy Kool are exactly as his name says, cool. They are all unique little bits of art that would look amazing on the properly considered bookshelf. Unfortunately, my 11 month old son would destroy them in seconds.
Illustrator Edward Kinsella has updated since I last dropped in on his work. There is something eery and awkward about his imagery but it generates a specific kind of character that makes for a wholly unique image. I really dig his stuff.
01.04.12
Slot. K is a Taiwan talent whose work draws inspiration from fashion, the 70s and the ever-dramatic combination of Black and White. It all comes together in a memorable surf through the Flickr Photostream.
Please enjoy the washed out, slightly retro and sometimes sun-drenched photography captured by Spanish photographer Ana Cabaleiro. It’s a light and beautiful affair. I would say more but the images say it all.
Illustrator Nathan Manire notified us that he recently updated his portfolio and he has expanded upon his style and capabilities with some new and refreshing imagery. He is a multifaceted talent as capable by the way of hand as by the way of the mouse and that is much more clear in his updated book.
