Aaron Smith is clearly inspired by Victorian and Edwardian portraiture, in which the subjects possessed a kind of austere masculinity.
Yet he belies this stark virility with the use of broad impressionist strokes and vibrant colors. Life force emerges from these stoic poses.
Smith’s work seems to simultaneously conjure deeply rooted masculine archetypes, and surpass the cultural constraints generally superimposed on these archetypes.
This post has been sitting in my draft folder for many months, but now that I’m about to try my hand at paper lightbox creation, Hari & Deepti are on my mind.
Their technique is unparalleled; the use of layering, light placement and various techniques to manipulate opacity create a surprising degree of depth and detail.
From the artist bio:
Paper is brutal in its simplicity as a medium. It demands the attention of the artist while it provides the softness they need to mold it in to something beautiful. It is playful, light, colorless and colorful. It is minimal and intricate. It reflects light, creates depth and illusions in a way that it takes the artist through a journey with limitless possibilities.
The contrast between the plain pieces, and their inviting glow when lit is quite magical. It’s as if they literally come to life.
Many times, I’ve looked at classy black wallets and thought “this needs a 3D cat face on it” (by many, I mean never…but now that I know this exists, I will). The effect is rather striking, don’t you think?
I’m not sure if these are available for purchase in the US. If anyone knows an online store that features Japanese goods and carries them, please share!
I also love their little tag/ID cases!
I don’t know anything about the identity of Subway Doodle since I only have an Instagram handle (@subwaydoodle).
The artist takes photos and draws over them with his iPad. The results are rather brilliant, and often hilarious.
Keep in mind, our eyes and ears can only perceive a relatively narrow range of stimuli. Can we really be certain these creatures aren’t sitting next to (or looming over) us? 😉
I believe I’ve posted a couple of images from Annie Stegg Gerard in compilation posts over the years, but her fantastical fine art truly deserves its own post. This axolotl painting and the Phoenix detail in the one beneath are two of my favorite scenes in modern mythologically inspired art. (Click images to enlarge)
From the artist bio:
Annie has a special love for the 18h century Rococo painters who have had a large influence on her own method. She finds inspiration in their imagination, and the dreamlike palette and lively brushwork that combine to create a wonderful atmosphere of enchantment.
She believes that they sought to transport us to different worlds and fantastic places though their works. In her own work, known for it’s beautiful, enigmatic figures and lively creatures, Annie strives to depict this same transportive effect to the viewer.
I’ve posted about Ellen Jewett previously, but over the last three years, her work has continued to grow by leaps and bounds.
If you haven’t been to her site in a while or kept up on her Instagram (or are seeing her for the first time here), definitely check out her current work!
Matt Dangler has been a favorite artist of mine for quite sometime.
His meticulously crafted paintings are largely inspired by meditative states. We see various symbols, archetypes and cultural icons emerge in ways that make us view them with fresh eyes.
Like all great pop surrealism, this work springs from (and allows us to draw upon our own) subconscious. Each viewer’s experience is unique with this work.
I first saw this deck in the Morbid Anatomy Museum online store, but it is currently sold out. I’d very much like to add French artist Pole Ka’s Tarot de Marseille to my collection one day (main website NSFW).
It’s a full collection of 78 cards, all containing original art. From the sample images, it looks rather interesting and well done.
The Tarot de Marseille (link SFW)
I’ve been looking at a lot of historical nautical maps lately. What maps lacked in accuracy 500 years ago, they sure made up for with extravagant design. I’d be pretty thrilled if this guy showed up on my GPS.
Sadly, it’s pretty clear that “solitudes” has a double meaning here.
I don’t think this is what she meant by “Calgon, take me away!”
Actually, he said you guys were more like acquaintances. Just sayin’.
Breathtaking…
DY-NO-MITE! Actual mites, I mean.
You mean cats can saw wood and build things while mine have been eating and sleeping all day? Freaking freeloaders.
Speaking of cats…
That new fertilizer did wonders for the harvest.
Ugh. One of those evenings.
This requires careful planning.
I stared at this for like five minutes in a futile attempt to decide which one is creepier.
Mike Winkelmann is one of the most tenaciously prolific creators I’ve ever encountered. He’s on his TENTH year of (nearly) daily art creations, all of which are done from start to finish on the day they are posted. He began this venture as a way to be sure he was always pushing himself to learn new things.
The result is an extensive portfolio of imaginary worlds, drenched in soft neon and populated with all manner of sci-fi creations.
He also makes films, many of which have become Vimeo staff picks.
Few people would have the resolve to create so relentlessly, but I’m glad he does…even if I did spend far too long browsing the archives.
SheWalksSoftly 