I've spent a lot of time in the past few months surfing through websites like tumblr, often stumbling upon some very talented young artists. I usually find myself most drawn to illustration. I've personally always wanted to dabble more in the illustrative arts, but for some reason never really have (although I draw almost all the time).  Regardless, I love it, and I probably always will.


The most recent illustrator I've come across is Robbie Lawerence.

 

 

 

I find her work to be simply beautiful. I love her use of color throughout her pieces. Many will be subdued but with a single bright hue, while others will have a consistent tone, and still others are completely subdued. The colors strongly relate to the different emotions portrayed in each individual piece, and generally make them even more pleasant to look at.

On her website, Lawrence's work is described as being "mostly figurative with a touch of the whimsical and creepy". And this is certainly the case. Her figures are accurate and detailed. But the situations they are put in, as well as the color schemes they exist in, bring them into a completely different world. Her line work is both intricate and realistic, yet it is often used to characterize unusual and surreal scenes.

And while her abstract and interesting scenes are wonderful, one also needs to take a moment to appreciate the various portraits she has on her website.

Overall,  Robbie Lawrence's work is gorgeous and extremely well done. Its almost intimidating how fantastic some young artists are today. But that, my friends, is a topic for another post.

All images are courtesy of Robbie Lawrence.

Ramblings

My work has been ridiculously abstract in the past month and a half... Not that I haven't always tended to lean in that direction. Lately I just feel as though its been at an extreme. I have a process, which helps. And therefore a general idea of what I'm doing. I've been pretty consistent about just going with what feels right and making things, which I think is good.

But I feel as though I'm not entirely sure of what I'm trying to say anymore. I still know what the original goal and purpose of the work was supposed to be- I just don't know if thats what I'm portraying anymore. I definitely feel like I'm heading in the right direction. But sometimes I feel as though I'm lost in the abstract nature of it all, and that I'm just making things to make them. Like I'm following some blind process, just because it feels "right". Am I going too abstract? Not enough? Is it starting to look too forced?

The concepts are still there in my mind. Control, loss of control, anxiety. I guess its good that its not going to be a completely literal metaphor or something. The last thing I want is to be cliche.

Essentially, the process is so much more abstract than I originally expected to go, and I think I'm just allowing myself to think too much about it (like everything else in my life). I'm certainly heading toward something, even if I'm not quite sure what it is yet. I'm making a lot of work (good and bad) and I'm a lot further along than I originally expected to be at this point.

I'm hoping to perhaps incorporate more emotion into it. Something a bit more focused, more directly related to whats going on in my head. I want it to focus more closely on my own personal anxieties (which typically consist of relationships, the future, and, to cut straight to the point, my own self worth). Right now it seems to be heading toward control, and the way one reacts to a loss of control. As an artist I'm physically reacting to the media after it does whatever its going to do. Lately it hasn't been doing what I want it to, so I need to adjust how I am reacting to it.

But how the heck do I work in the things I'm anxious about? I want to do some sort of ritual like (potentially private) piece where I can release my anxieties, somehow. But how do I incorporate this? Is this whats been missing? Or should I keep it completely separate from my thesis work?

I've been asking myself a lot of questions. Hopefully they're the right ones!

Saul Chernick

Saul Chernick draws inspiration from several different sources, including childhood nightmares, religious icons, anxiety, and the historical representation of difficult topics (such as death).  His work consists drawings and prints that incorporate bold, defined lines that are reminiscent of (and inspired by) Medieval woodcuts, graphic novels, and comic books.

The piece above, Pangaea,  mixes various religious symbols with modern day technology (some of the blank voids within the frames are actually computers and televisions). While the work itself reflects a distinct Medieval style, it was actually created in a completely modern manner. The piece started as a drawing, that was then digitally assembled and then transformed into a relief print. Its a mixture between the old an the new.

Overall, there's a lot to say about Chernick's work. He takes serious and generally difficult topics, and makes them more accessible to the viewer. Chernick views his work in an almost comical manner, in the same manner that someone would laugh away their fears.

This is what I personally find to be the most interesting thing about his work. Specifically, the inspiration he draws from his childhood fears and nightmares is something that most people (including myself) can relate to.  Knowing this fact allowed me to understand his drawings more, and therefore appreciate them more. When Chernick adds religious symbolism onto this, the pieces become even more dynamic. Since religion is supposed to be something that people look to for guidance, these can be seen as a sign of comfort despite the dark images. However, the symbols themselves don't appear to be much more pleasant than the rest of the elements of the pieces.

What I like the most about Chernick's work, however, is his use of line. When I first came across his website I was immediately impressed by the attention to detail in his pieces. The lines are bold, but not too bold. Overall, he does a wonderful job in creating detailed, interesting pieces and excellently rendered pieces!

All images are courtesy of Saul Chernick.

Started working on my website. I was a little freaked out at first, but its not so bad after all. I need to get some better photos (you know, in addition to making more work) before I can really publish it or anything. I'm using wix, and theres an option to either just go with a single gallery or a portfolio, and right now I'm just trying to find out which would be more practical in the long run.

Also, the other night I took some of my tracings, layered them and scanned them, and this is what I got.
 I don't know where I'm going with this, but I think they look pretty cool!

 

Collage Artists

When most people hear the word "collage", you probably immediately think of elementary school projects consisting of cut up magazines and Elmers glue. However, the art world has taken the term and turned it on its head.

Collage is an extremely broad category within the realm of visual arts. Emerging the 20th century along side of modernism, artists such as Picasso and Braque incorporated collage techniques into their paintings and drawings. It evolved from there to include various sub-categories, such as photomontage (creating a photograph out of various other photos) and assemblage (the use of found objects to create a three dimensional collage).

An artist who is well known for his use of assemblage is Robert Rauschenberg, who created pieces that consisted of found objects and paint, known as "combines".

Rebus, 1955

Bed, 1955

Said to be a self-portrait, Rauschenberg's Bed, for example is a vertically suspended bed consisting of a worn in pillow, sheets, and quilt that have been sketched and painted on. Through this process, Rauschenberg takes an everyday item and makes it unfamiliar.

Another, artist who uses collage techniques is Fred Tomaselli. Tomselli mixes painting with random materials such as various pills, magazine cut outs, and marijuana leaves.  After incorporating these two elements he then coats the painting with resin in order to preserve the found objects.

Ripple Trees, 1994

Migrant Fruit Thugs, 2006

Much of Tomaselli's work focuses around the concept of creating a psychedelic experience for those who view it, without the need to take any actual drugs. Ripple Trees was apart of Psychedelic at the Memorial Art Gallery last fall, where I was first exposed to his work.

And while I did not experience a feeling a psychedelia when viewing this piece, I still find myself extremely fascinated in his work. Perhaps its my interest in the use of non-traditional materials. Or perhaps, its the intricate detail of the works combined with a vibrant use of colors. Regardless, I find his work to be beautiful.

I have been interested in collage art in the past few years, ever since I first came across Robert Rauschenberg's work. Growing up I only thought of collage as messily pasting together magazine clippings, so when I came across the work of both Rauschenberg and Fred Tomaselli I was immediately interested. It really inspires me to know that there is so much you can do when you're creating. When I was growing up I essentially felt like I was confined to just a pencil and paper, so its really refreshing and reassuring to realize how much one can do to create art.


Image sources: moma.org, dailyserving.com, arttattler.com


(Disclaimer: I could not find a website for either artist, but I would like to point out that I do NOT own or claim to own any of the work featured on this post! They belong to each artist respectively, & I am simply using the photos for reference)