A Defining Moment Of Intimacy And Truth

It is easy to grab a digital camera at the size of a stick of gum, and in moments, you could be sharing your photographs to the world.  When Ken Merfeld granted me the honor to showcase some of his work, and I am ecstatic to share with you.  It is easy to talk about his amazing and beautiful work, but I want to emphasize his process is not digital. Ken uses a wet plate collodion process, which is an early photographic process discovered in 1841.  This technique is a chemical process where you transfer an image onto glass, then used as a negative for duplication process.  

He carefully hand crafted with patience and precision.  The images not only captures the moment of the subject, but the process of development.  The collodian process gives you unpredictable results, yet it can rewarding.  Ken Merfeld says it best, "This amazing process is simple, yet complex; beautiful, yet imperfect; classic yet timeless; universal yet individual."

Note: These photographs are copyrighted by Ken Merfeld, and he granted Monzuki permission for usage only. This goes for any other artwork and images posted on Monzuki.

Super Silo

Hey guess what?  3D Modeling software was not used in creating these art.  Commodore's Amiga 500 was the first computer Martijn Van Dam used to learn to digitally paint at age 12.  Martijn is currently 28, a graphic designer from Netherlands, who is known for his fun and adventurous digital illustrations.  His clean illustrative style adds depth by basic knowledge of perspective, lighting, and shading.  Martijn uses Adobe Illustrator for the textual layout, and Adobe Photoshop for vector shapes, textures, and shading.

There is no surprise when Martijn said he is influenced by sci-fi and animation movies as well as video games.  On a daily basis, you will find him designing webpages and print graphics at Momkai, an interactive agency located in Amsterdam.

Habitat Machines

These are some stunning architecture, but after taking a closer observation, you will recognize pieces from a waffle maker, a stapler, or anything vintage. David Trautrimas calls himself, "an obsessed junk hunter."  He claims to have lugged a 300lbs vintage refrigerator up a century old basement stairs. When not scouring Ebay or Craigslist, you will find him at flea markets, yard sales, junk yards and even neighborhood garbage, looking for the best pieces to take apart for his artwork.  Each objects and landscapes are photographed and composited digitally.  Other details, such as windows, trees, fences, are added from hundreds of images which he had collected from photographing numerous location.

David's inspiration is Bernd & Hilla Becher, known for their photographic images of the disappearing German industrial buildings. He quoted for New York Times, "What Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid are doing on a commercial scale would be so cool if it was happening residentially."

Americana

Robert Mars' has worked with Adidas, Bam Margera, ESPN X Games Division, and more. His artwork has been seen globally as he captures the American iconic symbolism in his pieces, from signage, classic cars, and prints mixed with acrylics. As we are slowly losing the past through cultural changes and degradation, it is nice to have an artist capture the essence of the American culture in their work.

These selected posted artwork are in courtesy of Mauger Modern Gallery in Bath, England.

Illustrate Noir

There is a sense of a comical twist to these monochromatic art by mixing illustration with photography. As a trained illustrator and a designer, Peter Lendvai describe his process in exploring ideas by sketching on paper before working digitally. Once a concept is complete, he would recreate his characters into a vector artwork, then applies them to his photography. He mentioned that it is a challenge to marry the illustration to photography.

Peter Lendvai, aka, Campa is located in Budapest, Hungary.  He is currently freelancing and in the process of putting together a line of prints and t-shirts.  

A Story Waiting To Unfold

When you are engulfed in a movie, it is easy to forget the vast amount of work invested in the detail of every aspect.  Sometimes, when the script calls for a location which is expensive to replicate, matte painting is one solution which creates these environment to complete the storytelling process.  Sven Sauer, a matte painter, who basically created these imaginative scenes, a world which takes the viewer to a time and place. 

There is something ominous about these images which compels me to the story.  Take notice of the depth, the lighting, the mood, and the detail which makes these images look cinematic and realistic. Without watching the movie, you know every scene is a story waiting to unfold. Sven Sauer is located in Wiesbaden, Germany.  Check his website for more of his art.

A Journey Through Back Secret

Scott Belcastro takes you on an isolated journey through the forest. Or so I thought, when taking the time to absorb his work, it is not about the focal point of the lonely venture of the child wandering in the forest, nor about the lost home in the midst of nowhere, it is about the lively nature of the forest acting as an energy of life which surrounds it. The depth and scale of his work is not by measurement, but by the grand scale of the infinite space of the sky or the vast white space of snow.

Scott's work has a sense of calmness which makes you want to dive in the painting to escape from our daily lives and be lost in serenity. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but his influence comes from his childhood memories, growing up at Upstate, New York where there are plenty of preserved nature.