Posts tagged 'Art'

Limitless

When Ironlak discovered a large warehouse in Brisbane was marked for demolition they arranged for Sofles, Fintan Magee, Treas and Quench to have unfettered access to its interior walls. Luckily, Selina Miles was there to capture their aerosol orgy in gorgeous time lapse so we could all experience what happened. ENJOY!

Thanks for writing in to share this with us, Nathan! Cheers!!

P.S. For more, be sure to check out our graffiti and time lapse feeds.

[ SOFLES — LIMITLESS ]

Andy Gilmore

“There was a period in my life where I only drew with a pencil and being able to erase paralyzed me. I could draw a hand and it would take me three days, you know, and it would be a 1/4” by 1/4”; just a tiny little thing. And then one day I just started drawing with pen and all of a sudden I could just draw endlessly. In fact, there was no undo and it kind of changed all of that. And then the computer oddly, the undo is what gives me the freedom to just explore any idea that comes to my mind and essentially I just follow any impulse or any idea because I can explore fairly freely.”

Andy Gilmore‘s work is squarely up my alley and it’s wonderful to hear, in his own words, what inspires him to create. The always-excellent Ghostly International (who tapped Isabel Freeman
, Will Calcutt and Brian Fichtner to create the attached) has some of Andy’s prints for sale in addition to some excellent hi-res, free-to-download wallpapers ready to adorn your glowing screen of choice.

ENJOY!

[ Ghostly International presents Andy Gilmore ]

Etam Cru: Betz & Sainer

'Bastard' by Sainer (http://www.etamcru.com/sainer/bastard)
'Bastard' by Sainer (http://www.etamcru.com/sainer/bastard)'Bang' by Etam Cru (http://www.etamcru.com/etam/bang)'Removal' by Etam Cru (http://www.etamcru.com/etam/removal)'Fishing With The Death' by Betz (http://www.etamcru.com/bezt/fishing-with-the-death)'Mind Trip' by Etam Cru (http://www.etamcru.com/etam/mind-trip)'The Journey' by Etam Cru (http://www.etamcru.com/etam/the-journey)

Betz & Sainer are two Polish artists (from Łódź and Turek, respectively) who collaborate under the ETAM Cru moniker and are just as comfortable creating screen prints and canvases as they are painting huge-ass murals. The attached images are just a small sampling of their work so, if you want to see more, hit up their individual blogs (Betz / Sainer) or the official ETAM site. Enjoy!

P.S. If you like what you see here, be sure to check out Aryz’s work, too.

[ ETAM Cru ]

Aryz

'Fried Egg' (2010) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/outdoor/fried-egg/143)
'Fried Egg' (2010) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/outdoor/fried-egg/143)'Ballad (Detail)' (2012) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/outdoor/ballad/177)'State of Mind' (2010) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/indoor/state-of-mind/121)'Love Letter' (2011) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/outdoor/love-letter/162)'Concrete Walls Project (for Herokid)' by Aryz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariztotelismo/5166034577/in/photostream)'Struggle' (2012) by Aryz (http://www.aryz.es/outdoor/struggle/174)

“I don’t really know what [my work] should be called, some people call it graffiti and some [call it] street art. I don’t really care. I started painting graffiti, and then I started doing characters and big walls…I don’t know. I think [my paintings] are just interventions in outdoor spaces…more

“A message, for me, is something secondary. If I have to say something, it’s worth representing it and doing it big but sometimes my art is simply about the pleasure of painting and nothing more, or the simple fact of joining colours together. The shape [of a wall] is an excuse to put colours in one place or another. I don’t give much importance to the message…more

Barcelona-based Aryz is young (23 at the time of this post), talented (see attached images) and – judging from those two quotes above – far more concerned with creating aesthetically beautiful work than fussing over which labels to attach to it. See loads more on both his website and Flickr feed or click here if you’d like to watch him paint in HD.

Enjoy!

[ Aryz ]

Kuba Krzeminski

Man. Today was just shitty. In these kinds of moments my instinct is just to tune out for a bit and watching this video of Kuba Krzemiński helped me do just that. It’s hypnotic watching any talented artist work in time lapse but the attached is especially great due to some tight editing, tracking shots and mellow music selection.

Enjoy!

P.S. Both our time lapse and hypnotic feeds are worth a visit.

[ Tattoo Time Lapse by Kuba Krzemiński ]

Kyonghwan Kim

'Stran' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)
'Stran' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)'Siflo' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)'Tor' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)'Liz' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)'DD' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)'Sicaf' by Kyonghwan Kim (http://www.tahraart.com/)

Kyonghwan Kim is a concept artist based in Korea with a portfolio that reminds me of both Yoshitaka Amano‘s muted, richly textured figurative illustrations and Miyazaki’s signature bright, cartoonish style. The six I’ve selected here are but an aperitif; check out Kim’s website for loads more. Enjoy!

[ KYONGHWAN KIM ]

Origami

The attached animated short by Joanne Smithies, Eric De Melo Bueno, Michael Moreno, Hugo Bailly Desmarchelier and Camille Turon (all students at ESMA Montpellier) is gorgeous, atmospheric and sumptuously textured; an absolute treat. ENJOY!

[ Origami (2012 HD) ]

Selections from the Universal Monsters Show at Mondo Gallery

'The Trip' by Drew Millward (http://drewmillward.com/)
'The Trip' by Drew Millward (http://drewmillward.com/)'The Mummy' by Rick Baker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Baker_(makeup_artist))'Frankenstein' by Graham Erwin (http://www.grahamerwin.com/)'Wolfball' by James Groman (http://jgroman.blogspot.com/)'Mutant from Metaluna' by Scarecrowoven (http://scarecrowoven.com/)'The Bride of Frankenstein (Detail)' by Jason Edmiston (http://www.jasonedmiston.com/)

Mondo Gallery in Austin opened it’s doors on October 19th for their Universal Monsters gallery show and (thankfully) Scott Wampler from Collider was there to snap lots of fantastic hi-res photos of the gorgeous artwork on display. The six attached to this post are but a small sampling of the 90+ taken at the event so, if you’re interested in seeing more, just click this hyperlink.

Happy Halloweeeeen! Mwah-ha-ha-ha!!

[ Limited Paper: Mondo Unleashes the UNIVERSAL MONSTERS at the Mondo Gallery; Check Over 90 Images from the Event! ]

Ryohei Hase

'Tayutau' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/01.html)
'Tayutau' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/01.html)'THE ANATOMY OF HACKING (an illustration for the November 2011 issue of Playboy magazine)' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/32.html)'Repetition (2011)' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/03.html)'Untitled (2011)' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/newimages.html)'Drown in the empty dried-up room (2008)' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/room.html)'Blood (2008)' by Ryohei Hase (http://ryoheihase.com/newimages/26.html)

Ryohei Hase is a freelance illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan who cut his teeth as a concept artist at NAMCO Bandai. To see more of his work, visit ryoheihase.com.

[ ryoheihase.com via Axis Animation ]

Metro

When I was a child I used to let my imagination run wild whenever I’d be in transit – whether by car or train or bus (I didn’t fly for the first time until college) – trying to picture any secret worlds that might exist parallel to our own. The subway was especially intriguing and, in between station stops, I’d envision all manner of underground dwellers who sat hidden just beyond the reach of the fluorescent light that streamed from the train’s windows as it sped by. The attached short film by Jake Wyatt explores similar territory and drips with an atmospheric mystery that holds your attention from start to finish.

The moody, ethereal, meandering George Winston-esque piano score compliments the visuals so well that I wondered if it was written specifically for the film or was one of the primary inspirations for its creation. Michael Wyatt is listed in the end credits as the composer and, since him and the director share a last name, I wouldn’t be surprised if both the film and it’s soundtrack were created in parallel. All-in-all, it’s very nice…don’t hesitate to dive in.

Oh and Jake is also a fantastic illustrator so definitely check out his Tumblr when you get a chance. (Primeape?! NICE.)

Last summer I got an email from someone claiming to be Pharrell Williams’ assistant. My initial thought was that I was getting trolled but I decided to respond anyways since I had been such a big fan of his since first discovering The Neptunes by way of N.O.R.E.‘s Superthug.

To my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be legit and a few weeks later I was on the phone with Pharrell himself asking if I’d be up for collaborating on something (an even pleasant-er surprise, for sure).

He had a new hush-hush project in the works called i am OTHER and thought The Tripatorium™ would fit in nicely with what they were up to. We’ve been kicking ideas back-and-forth since then and thought the logical place to start would be to put together some playlists of our favorite videos. Where it goes from here? Who knows…but if you’d like to see us do more together shoot i am OTHER a message on Facebook or Twitter and let them know. In the meantime, subscribe on YouTube to be the first to find out when our next collaboration goes live. (While you’re there, definitely check out Nardwuar’s interviews…they’re fantastic.)

The first playlist went up last night and is comprised of four videos that initially inspired the creation of the site (Zodiac Shit, The Parachute Ending, The Music Scene, Baby I’m Yours) and six other favorites that we think typify The Tripatorium™ experience (After the Rain, The Murf, Between Bears, Let Go, Baltimore Clap and Loom). It’s a distilled dose of what we’re up to and a perfect way to introduce the site to anyone who might be interested.

Cheers!

[ METRO ]

Hide & Seek

“My approach to illustration is about paring things down as much as possible.
I try and get to the essence of my subject by using as few lines and colours
as it needs to convey the core of the idea.”

Malika Favre, who wrote the above, has a distinctly minimal and dignified hard-edged style that’s reminiscent (to me at least) of Paul Rand‘s iconic logos, René Gruau’s figures and those muted-future illustrations you might see hanging faded in a dated hair salon’s street-facing window. That last bit of the preceding sentence might seem insulting but honestly, it wasn’t my intention.

Picasso famously said that ‘good artists copy; great artists steal’ which, like most hyperbolic statements, makes sense on the surface but doesn’t hold up to honest, measured scrutiny. Insecure assholes steal; a great artist internalizes the images that inexplicably resonate, leveraging them as a catalyst for iterative exploration until something entirely their own arises from the grind. And, though Ms. Favre’s work might remind me of something else – it is, make no mistake, wholly unique.

Strangely enough, the attached wasn’t made by her but was commissioned by Kemistry Gallery to advertise her upcoming exhibition, Hide and Seek. Maki Yoshikura did the animation while Luke Carpenter and Natural Self handled the compositing and music, respectively.

Credits aside, I like to see such tight, precise illustrations move and Maki did a stellar job bringing Malika’s work to life without compromising it’s rigid spirit. Oh, and the transition from one vignette to the next in stark black-and-white makes the eyes a bit dizzy (in a good way) so get this loaded full screen for sure. Enjoy!

[ Hide&Seek - Malika Favre ]

Bear Warrior

I like watching people draw, especially in time lapse. All great illustrators have a dance to their process; a flitting to-and-fro across the surface of their chosen medium, alternating between quick, broad constructive strokes and OCD-driven micro-adjustments of detail. My favorite parts in the above video are when Denman revisits something he’s already ‘completed’ – pay attention to his repeat attempts at the protagonist’s weapons and troll/orc tattoos in particular. He’s not only experimenting with different stylistic approaches but evolving the proportions as well, refining and adjusting until both feel ‘right’.

If you enjoyed the attached as much as I did then be sure to head over to Denman’s website to see more of his work or his Vimeo page which has lots more in-process videos. Enjoy!

P.S. ‘Bear Warrior’ was selected to be in this year’s Spectrum (#19, pre-order here). Whoa! Congrats, Mr. Rooke!

[ Bear Warrior by Denman Rooke ]

Smug

Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6203765899/in/photostream/
Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6203765899/in/photostream/Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6461246641/in/photostreamTaken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6377315967/in/photostreamTaken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/infamouslastwordscrew/6130169912/in/photostreamTaken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/infamouslastwordscrew/6150549094/in/photostreamTaken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smug_one/6226468509/in/photostream

Taking part in a conversation about what is or isn’t art is the intellectual equivalent of masturbation; it’s probably fun for you but isn’t of much utility to anyone else. I obtained a four-year degree in art during my early twenties which means – beyond accruing an obscene amount of debt – that I’ve spent more than enough time locked in my own head, enamored with how wonderful my own thoughts were on the subject.

This is not something I’m proud of.

That being said, I’ve found that thinking intentionally about anything is rarely a waste of time, just as long as you don’t allow the procesc to transform you into a pretentious douche. The net outcome of my autoerotic cognitive fiddlings? Two things:

  1. I don’t see much use in categorizing things as art or not-art.
  2. I tend to appreciate anything that exhibits craft.

The first item above is self-explanatory but the second is why I instinctually dismiss performance artists, ‘found-object’ impresarios or anyone else whose manifesto over-leverages the word ‘exploration’ and tend to revere potters, illustrators, photo-realists and graffiti writers.

Smug is an exemplary example of the latter two. Anyone who has attempted to draft anything with aerosol will attest to how difficult it is to get it to do what you want it to. I tried my hand at it during my late teens and was instantly repelled, knowing immediately that I didn’t possess the patience to be competent, let alone great. Just look at the images I’ve collected above, marvel at their draftsmanship and the artist’s mastery of color – can you believe a human being is capable of this shit? Attached is just a small sampling of his work, hit up his Flickr for loads more.

Probably my favorite artist right now is Kid Zoom who we featured back in December. Click that last hyperlink if you know what’s good for you.

[ SmugOne ]

Sue Paraskeva

“Isle of Wight based artist Sue Paraskeva produces exquisite thrown porcelain installation work, altered one-offs, and sublime tableware.”

Supremely mellow and deliciously chill; this expertly shot/edited film by Jamie Isbell (with tunes by Chihei Hatakeyama) is a suitable incitation for some late-night reflection and meditation. Enjoy!

[ Sue Paraskeva // Artist profile ]

The Work of Andy Gilmore

'Hemicube (Detail)' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/Hemicube)
'Hemicube (Detail)' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/Hemicube)'11-21-2011' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/11-21-2011)'07-27-2011' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/07-27-2011)'Red Shift (Framed)' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/Red-Shift)'2-9-2012' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/02-09-2012)'12-14-2011' by Andy Gilmore (http://crowquills.com/12-14-2011)

“A master of color and geometric composition, Andy Gilmore’s work is often characterized as kaleidoscopic and hypnotic, though it could just as well be described as visually acoustic, his often complex arrangements referencing the scales and melodies in music…” (more)

I first discovered Andy Gilmore whilst perusing Ghostly’s free-to-download wallpapers page. Even among all the truly top-flight work on display there Andy’s distinct, colorful, geometric and just down-right pleasing images stood out. The Hemicube is currently occupying the base layer of pixels on my Air and a few times already today I’ve employed Exposé to quickly sweep aside any obscuring windows to take in the whole image.

The six images selected here for your perusal were found during a quick once-over of Andy’s massive, seven page archive that houses, at present, one-hundred and fifty four images. So if this didn’t sate your appetite (and why would it?) visit there for a more considered, patient browsing session. Oh, and if you want some that are a suitable size to adorn your desktop just head on over to Ghostly, they’ll take good care of you.

Can I suggest an appropriate auditory accompaniment for your ear drums while your eyes take the colors in? If you’re up for it, give a listen to Get Better John by Mux Mool. I recently picked up his latest album, Planet High School on iTunes and, since then, it’s been in constant rotation through my headphones. Needless to say, I highly recommend you check it out.

[ Andy Gilmore ]

Future Girl

Whoa.

No idea who made this so if anyone knows hit us up and we’ll update the post so credit is given where it’s due. Found via Peter Berkman’s fantastic tumblr.

[ Cyber Girl (GIF) via FMTOWNSMARTY > PEEEETER BERRRKMAN ]

This City Will Eat Me Alive

Kid Zoom/Ian Strange is an Australia-born, Brooklyn-based artist who combines a graffiti/street-art sensibility with photo-realistic draftsmanship. His work is super-ultra-dope; it’s quietly contemplative one-moment but big-and-loud the next, equally engaging from far away as a whole or up-close where you can get lost in the details. This video is comprised of footage shot between May 2010 and January 2011 in NYC and LA for his This City WIll Eat Me Alive show. The first three minutes are upbeat, showing Ian at work (both indoors and outside) but the mood shifts to chill for the second half when Boards of Canada‘s excellent Kid For Today provides the ambiance for a private stroll through the gallery and an introspective encounter with his work. Enjoy!

[ KID ZOOM - This City Will Eat Me Alive ]

The Lullaby

This time lapse video of Joe Fenton drawing is a bit deceiving; since the lighting remains consistent and his wardrobe only appears to change a few times you might think he completed The Lullaby in a matter of a few days.

It took two months.

As I was watching full-screen – the progress bar and UI conveniently hidden away – I kept thinking the video was about to end; how much more detail could he possibly add? What else was there left to do? Just graphite on Arches would have sufficed but Joe pushes it to some next-level shit when he busts out the airbrush, white gouache and muted water watercolors to further enhance its three-dimensionality.

The backing music by his brother, Julian, is a nice compliment to the visuals: mysterious, ethereal and subdued. Full screen and headphones, y’all.

To see see more of Joe’s work head on over to his Behance page or website.

[ The Lullaby - 2011 - By Joe Fenton ]

The sculpture of AJ Fosik

'The Shepherd Inevitably Consumes the Flock' by AJ Fosik (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajfosik/6282201592/in/photostream)
'The Shepherd Inevitably Consumes the Flock' by AJ Fosik (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajfosik/6282201592/in/photostream)'Transpanthanation' by AJ Fosik
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajfosik/5203206512/in/photostream)'In the Teeth of Stupefying Odds' by AJ Fosik
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajfosik/5203206512/in/photostream)'The Time & The Way' by AJ Fosik
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajfosik/4776104788/in/photostream)'Hammer I miss U' by AJ Fosik'The Third Way Out' by AJ Fosik

“Working three-dimensionally has just always been more satisfying; I’ve always had the urge to build…I find, for me, it’s easier to express my ideas building things; actually making something.”

AJ Fosik creates fantastic, intricately detailed sculptures from wood, paint and nails. There’s not much more to say beyond that; his work speaks for itself. There’s two fantastic videos on the ‘tubes about AJ you should check out:
The first shows him at work – from the initial sketches to the final coat of paint – on the bust that adorns the cover of Mastodon‘s The Hunter. The second, an interview done by kwalitymedia, has AJ describing his motivations, inspirations and overall creative process.

A big thanks to lolo for writing in and introducing us to Mr. Fosik…cheers!

[ AJ Fosik ]

Polarity Song

“Life can be so overrated but you are so entertaining’.
I won’t be manipulated just so I can get on through to your green grass under skies.
There’s no one like you; there’s no time like now…
Embrace the polarity of life and all the good and bad we share.
Engage the mystery of why we are the love in life we live.”

Do you guys remember Synesthesia? It was a super weird/rad little music video we posted back in February filled with food, cats and LOLWAT directed by Terri Timely. If you haven’t seen it yet, go on ahead...we’ll wait patiently until everyone’s ready.

This – Terri’s latest – is a collaboration with knit/crochet/craft/‘soft sculpture’ super-hero, Sarah Applebaum and, like Synesthesia, is suitably far-out. It depicts a hidden world populated by crochet-knit-mummy-wrapped bipeds within a typical thrift store/flea market who abduct dispassionate shoppers as they browse through an assortment of discarded detritus from the late-70s/80s/early-90s. The surface aesthetic could easily be categorized (and summarily dismissed as) ‘hipster kitsch’ and, though I’d concede the assessment, there’s an earnestness there – no doubt helped by the Caleb Pate and Nephi Evans’ lyrics – that squashes any cheap forays into self-indulgent irony. There’s redemption here; from within this impersonal commercial wasteland comes salvation whose identity springs not from aesthetic but from source: it’s the hand-crafted things that provide the creative energy and warmth.

Oh and it’s super-fucking strange, too; we love shit like this. The music is dope as well. Top marks to Seventeen Evergreen for creating original, compelling tunes and to Lucky Number Music for supporting this kind of art. Enjoy!

If you’re into this you might want to check out Lighthouse, too. Just sayin’.

[ Seventeen Evergreen - Polarity Song ]