Artist 50: Audrey Kawaski

This artist uses the same technique as one of my friends (who is more of a local artist and so doesn't qualify for the blog even though she's amazingly talented as you can see). She paints on wood panels and lets some of the wood tone come through in her paintings. This artist often uses it for skin tones. In general, it also seems to add an element of warmth to the paintings.



Which in this case helps to balance the weirdness of the subject matter. She paints girls that look to me like teenagers, but in very erotic way. Their poses and even their facial expressions are extremely seductive. It deals kind of with our ideas of innocence and the reality of teenage sexuality. It really feels upsetting just to look at them. But I think that's the point.

I also think that the wood complements her style in a really interesting way. Her style is very graphic almost like anime. Again it looks a lot like the style I used to draw in middle school. Most people who use this style would never paint on wood. But if there was too much shading and other stuff going on, the wood grain would get lost and it would all be too busy, and the wood grain adds an element of texture and warmth to round out the style.

Here is her website.

P.S. I'm done!

Artist 49: Laurent Seroussi

I have clearly saved one of the best for second to last. (That statement loses so much strength with all of the modifiers).



But seriously, I really like this photographer. He does a little bit of everything and it all seems to come out fantastically. A lot of it focuses on costuming and makeup which I always like. It also tends to have a surreal quality which is a winner with me too. But there's also a fairly strong conceptual aspect as well. With the costuming and the surrealism. For example, the bug series. The artist merges photos of women and photos of bugs which although still pretty creepy and frightening, draws attention to the beautiful patterns and intricacies of bugs. Something that most people don't really notice otherwise.

He has another series called seaties, which blends seascapes and cityscapes, in a way that helps the viewer to appreciate the complementary nature of both. The thing that most struck me about this series was the compositions. The two different kinds of landscapes balanced each other really well. The cityscape gave the pieces lines and movement, while the seascapes served as a kind of breath of space within or between the cityscapes.

Here is a link to his site.

Artist 48: Roland Morin

Ok, so I'm fairly sure this artist isn't internationally well known. But he does have shows across the country.
And I just like his art. And I like his style.

And because I know a lot of the point of this assignment is to learn how the art world works. Here are a couple reasons why he probably won't become internationally famous.

1. He says of his art, "I aim to make my message simple, something that speaks to the heart without having to negotiate lengthily with the head." I think this is a very lovely thought, but most of the more recognized contemporary artists do create pieces that are meant to draw you into a certain concept and baffle and confuse you until you've spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at one piece and thinking through that concept from every possible angle. This is a good and powerful thing. It's silly but really I think art can change the world, a little at a time. However, looking at these on a regular basis is exhausting. I definitely think there's a place for something that is just beautiful. That just makes you happy to look at it.

2. This one is actually an even bigger deal. He doesn't seem to be very prolific. It seems to be important, especially in the beginning to just produce as much art as possible. And having your own website helps too. This makes you accessible. Just like in music when you're starting out it helps to have a grass roots fan base behind you, the same is true about art.
See! I've learned so much already.

But now look at the paintings and see why I like this artist a lot. His style is very unique and uncomplicated.

Artist 47: Mona Hatoum

This artist works in installations. And her focus is one of my favorite things in the whole world: color!

This artist uses color associations to tell stories. Often, she plays on the dualities of the color's meanings. Irony is common. She uses the installation format itself as part of the storytelling often as well. The story adjusts as the viewer moves in and out throughout the installation based on changing assumptions and perceptions.

Her works often have political and social meaning as well. She is a Palestinian woman born in Lebanon and exiled to Great Britain. So, if anyone would have a lot to say about political and social issues, I imagine it would be her. And really her unique perspective adds a lot to her pieces.
I have to say globalization has done a lot for the development of contemporary art for sure.

Here is one web page I found with some information on her.

Artist 46: Jasper Johns

Because well, it's Jasper Johns.

I was lucky enough to see an exhibit of his at the Modern Art half of the Smithsonian once in high school. And back then I really didn't get it. Now that I'm a little older and wiser, I understand that he's kind of a big deal.

Johns paints things that are extremely familiar, like numbers and letters and the American flag. In that way, he was influenced by the da da movement. I guess, in that way, his work was also kind of similar to my last artist post. He takes something that is way overdone, common and ordinary, and paints it in a way that gives it a new life as art.

The exhibit I saw had a lot to do with the primary colors. There were pieces where red, yellow, and blue were written in different colors which also has psychological significance. It's a common psych trick to show someone a color's name in a different color font, and ask what color the word is written in. The person will usually instinctively say the word spelled out even though they know that actually it's the other color.
It also had sculptural elements to it, which at the time was my favorite element. Now, I find it confusing to the concepts he's exploring. He has hands coming out of different pieces. I think one of them was a target. Anyways, I'm not sure what that has to do with the conceptual meaning of the pieces, but I guess it is all as arbitrary as da da anyways so what does it matter, right?

Here's the PBS page on Johns.

Artist 45: Arkadiusz Makowski

This photographer intrigues me.

He takes a simple overdone idea like photos of butterflies, and explores it and expands it.
Some notes. The lighting in these photos is amazing. Often the light is filtered by one of the butterflies' wings. Or reflecting off the delicate petals of a flower. It gives them such a magical quality.

Also, the colors are amazing. So vibrant. Often the backgrounds are pastels, while the colors in the foreground tend to be slightly darker and more neutral, which emphasizes the stuff in the foreground.

Finally, the focus. It varies so dramatically from the foreground to the background. It gives it almost that painterly quality in the back where lots of pretty pastels kind of blur together while the butterfly and the amazing lighting on the flowers are super crisp and lovely.

I'm pretty sure it has to do with HDR, but it just goes to show something cliche can be great if it's done REALLY well.




Here is a link to his site, but good luck with the Polish.

Artist 44: Marco Mazzoni

This artist works in colored pencils. That just seems super ambitious to me. I liked colored pencils once upon a time, in middle school. But around when I discovered sharpies and painting I gave them up, because it is a time consuming medium. Mind you, I say that but one of my best friends loves to work in colored pencils, too and hers are amazing too. But really so time consuming and if you're going to make a serious piece it requires so much planning.

Anyways, this artist makes colored pencil portraits that just seem rich to me. I think it's something about the chiaroscuro and the hints of colors and the details and the lines. It just reminds me of an avant garde fashion show. But it has flowers and birds coming out of a person's mouth and covering their eyes so that they're almost part of that person's face. 

Some critiques. All of these birds and flowers look foreboding and dramatic and beautiful, and I'm sure there's some symbolism behind it, but I'm also sure I can't even figure out what themes it's dealing with. I'm also noticing that they're all very similar. Like basically seeing a few is enough to have the idea of them all. Like if he had a solo show I'd probably be there for five minutes and get bored. Which is a shame because his work is beautiful, and if he'd branch out more, I'm sure some of his symbolism would be more meaningful.

Here is a link.

Artist 43: Stanislav Ginzburg

This artist, besides having a very unusual name, has a very unusual style.

He creates sculptures using mostly porcelain, but sometimes adding other materials, based on anatomical drawings and charts. Many of his pieces compare the visuals of human and animal anatomy to other more relatable shapes and forms, such as that of a flower or plant. He also often ties in ideas about his own personal family history.

These pieces are extremely intricate in texture and pattern, and precise in form. I can only imagine how exacting it must be creating one of these pieces. They are so beautiful, though. And conceptually there is so much to them. There is the presentation of anatomy in a way that most people don't think about it, artistically versus scientifically. Then there is the linkage between biology and ancestry. Another blurring of sciences and liberal arts. Finally, is the presentation of all of this as a delicate interrelated web. It's brilliant.
And also just so pretty.

Here is the link.

Artist 42: Lori Nix

I love this artist. She is my original researched artist, because I researched her work for a FNAR 125 assignment. But, now that I've been researching contemporary artists all summer (and by all summer I mean mostly the past week or so) I appreciate her all that much more. Because she is just so original.
She's got a very unique process, and the results aren't like most of the other art I've been seeing. It's probably the most unique art. And I appreciate that a lot.

So first with the process. She creates tiny models of a setting that she wants to photograph. Often these settings are interior spaces of buildings. I know one series she did was of abandoned buildings, to represent how certain institutions were not as valued anymore. So she makes these incredibly detailed models down to like books on a shelf and leaves on a vine. Then, she photographs them. And the results are so cool. They look full size, because there's nothing to scale them against. And they just invite the viewer into this imaginary space. It's very incredible.

Here is a link to her site.

Artist 41: Brandi Milne

This is another LA artist. And she has the whole pop surreal look that is quickly becoming my favorite. Based on interviews that I have found, the pieces are sort of autobiographical. They speak about how she sees herself and about her relationships with the important people in her life using different kinds of symbolism.

They reference fairy tales in probably the most accurate way I've seen. Most people when recreating fairy tales focus only on the dark or only on the sweet and charming aspect of them. Both are important parts of the original fairy tales. Her paintings balance both.
Also, I like that you can tell immediately that these are painted by a girl. The more I look at art the more I just see guy themes like spaceships and blood and gore. (And yes, there are the girls in pretty dresses, but if the focus isn't on the pretty dress, it doesn't count as girly. Just sayin.)While pink isn't my favorite color, it's nice to see some extreme girliness once in a while.

Here is her website.


(just in case disclaimer: all pictures used in this post are already out in the world via google images)

Artist 40: Chris Berens

Yay! Only 10 more to go.

I'm going to be unconventional and start with something I don't like, because mostly I love this artist. But I don't like the combination of dark lighting and the softer focus.I understand that it is supposed to seem apocalyptic and dream like but the combination of the two in some of his pieces (not all) is a little too much and makes me not want to look at all. If he is going to do them mostly in soft focust that is ok, but some things just need to be detailed and clear to draw the viewer's attention.

That said, I love these. He has a very unique and interesting style. It reminds me of the photographer (forgive me professor Skees I can't remember his name just this minute) who takes his photos apart and puts them back together a little bit disjointedly. Except that Mr. Berens adds elements when he puts his photos back together. Things like spaceships crashing into ancient European architecture (Ok, not ancient, but really old).
It's just a great idea and he can make so many interesting pieces within that one theme. It's brilliant.

Here is his site. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to do anything but blog for a little bit. =)

Artist 39: Zoe Williams

This artist is fun to counteract the heavy previous post.

She makes sculptures using primarily needlepoint on wool felt. She does a lot of sculptures of animals, and a lot of times they are coming off the wall sort of like taxidermy animals with a little frame or plaque behind them. But these aren't normal taxidermy animals. They're primarily in white with details in arbitrary color, or often gold. Some of the details she even makes using rhinestones. And a lot of her animals aren't the kind you'd find on a tavern wall. Like a unicorn for example and an octopus tentacle. It's the kind of sculpture I'd get if I had a Beverly Hills mansion. Just because it's weird and fun, and I could afford it, because I'd be rich.

One thing that I could maybe recycle from her work is the way that she plays with the idea of framing. Sometimes she has a head popping out of a normal 2D picture frame. Sometimes she only frames one part even of what is flat on the wall. And sometimes she frames multiple pieces of one sculpture. It's very creative. I like it a lot.

Here is her site.

Artist 38: Candace Tripp

"Team Building"

Her work makes me want to cry. Seriously, it is so sad. It deals with childhood sexual abuse, from the victim's point of view. It visually expresses the weight of the shame and guilt of someone dealing with that kind of experience. The names of the pieces alone, are hardcore and say so much with just so little. Things like "And Everyone Watched" or "Get Up, Hannah. No One Forced You to Become a Slut."

"Get Up, Hannah. No One Forced You to Become a Slut."

Her style makes the subject seem that much more wrong. Like Victor Castillo, she uses children as her subjects and she even gives them masks of cute little animals. She draws them in a style similar to illustrations in a children's book. She does use darker colors however than in most children's books, and the themes are just disturbing.

Really, I'm so glad that she's making them. I think most people don't understand the enormity of the issues of shame and guilt following sexual abuse.

Most people don't think about what it's like to try to establish a healthy identity while some of the most influential people in your life are either treating you that way or letting someone else. This art communicates that struggle really clearly, and in such a way that the artist can help combat the hurt in some ways. That is the essence of what I want to do with my career I think. Help people to be able to communicate whatever kind of struggle is bottled up inside themselves so that they can fight more effectively.

"The Past is Everywhere"

Wow, mini tangent there. Sorry.
 Here is her website.

Artist 37: Enrico Nagel

If you haven't caught on by now, I'm getting most of these from hifructose.com, but why not? It's a great site and their taste matches mine the closest of any of the contemporary art sites I've found. I'm actually thinking about subscribing.

Anyways, I like this artist,because he made a series that reminds me of one of my FNAR 125 assignments. Oh Scanograms. I hated that project, partly because I hadn't gotten the hang of photoshop, and partly because nothing came out the way I wanted it. This artist, however, has some of the coolest scanograms I've seen. And I think his are all in one take.

He has people's faces scanned, and he must have arranged hair and clothing, along with some decorative plants, but the effect is a very romantic portrait. It almost looks like his models are under water. In fact, my immediate association was with all of those super romantic paintngs of Ophelia drowning with the lilies and everything.

But wait, there's more. This isn't even his normal work. That was a special project. His normal work is in photocollage I think. He has lots of pseudoportraits of people with no heads and stuff like that. Very weird and surreal. I think a lot of it has to do with how bizarre fashion is, because it looks like he's layering different kinds of clothes onto naked figures or something. I don't actually get it, but I like it, because it's surreal and it's photocollage.

Here is his site.

Artist 36: Jessica Joslin

Probably my last post for today. This artist makes sculptures. I like sculptures.

And these little guys are so whimsical I love them. She calls them gilded beasts. They look a little skeletonish but somehow they're still really cute. I think it's because I imagine them being really small, and just used for little practical things around the house like cabinet handles and candlesticks. I don't know that that's what they actually are, but I get that impression from them and I just think that would be neat.

This all comes back to a love for monster drawings, just taken to a whole new level in sculpture form. My favorites are the birds. I love birds anyways, but I really love the lines she uses and the detail, and where she fills out the wings or the neck and where she leaves it like a skeleton, it's very beautiful and kind of elegant.

Oh and one last thing about it, I love that she uses so many different materials to make them, but they look so unified anyway. Listen to this list in one sculpture: antique hardware and findings, and silver cutwork, brass, painted wood, cast pewter, cast plastic, glove leather, glass eyes. How crazy is that?



Here is her website.