Contemplation Of Form

I like the composition of the negative spatial relationship and the usage of the cool hues of these photos. Guy Sargent framed the grand subject within the lens by capturing the beautiful stillness of architectures and nature. He traveled through Ireland, England, Italy, and France, using a 4x5 large format camera on colored negatives with long exposure to capture these high contrasting photos. Guy is a British photographer from London who is self-taught and is inspired by painters, Velazquez, Turner and Rembrandt.

Subversive Fantasy

Ana Bagayan's painting style of children with slightly large eyes and the color choice is a reminisce of Mark Ryden.   I saw her "Silence of the Lamb" painting at the Crazy 4 Cult 3D a couple months ago, beautifully framed and dominated the wall of collections.  Ana is from Armenia, Yerevan.  She moved to the United States at an early age.  She graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a BFA in Illustration.  She has a solo show in November at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle, Washington.  

Living Rooms On Wheels

These photographs are fun, and I could not get enough of them. The notion of people watching or in this case, photograph while driving, Andrew Bush captured these images in and around Los Angeles while stopped in traffic or traveling in speed up to 70 mph. He would mount camera on a tripod with a strobe light fixated on the passenger seat, driving parallel with his subject, traveling at the same speed... snap. These images brings light to a city where people have a great relationships with their vehicle.

Andrew Bush graduated from Yale University with an MFA in Photography in 1982. His current exhibition of "Vector Portraits" is at M+B in Los Angeles which ends October 15, or you could purchase his book here.

Organic Observation

To all artists and designers, I am sure you would agree that the word "organic" have been overused and overstated, but in this particular work of art, it is appropriate. Macoto Murayama's art gives us a different perspective in botanical illustration, examining the art of nature that is stylistically beautiful and colorful, mimicking a contact print of a flower over photosensitive paper.

Macoto would carefully find plants and flowers, dissect and examine them under a microscope, and replicate it digitally by using Autodesk 3ds Max, Photoshop and Illustrator. He stated, "People are apt to be fascinated by things which we see superficially. However, there may be more important and truly essential aspects inside things." He continues, "There is beauty not only on superficial part but also at the internal part as well. I want to show fascinating world of plants that differs from usual."

Fairy Tales Gone Awry

There is something interesting about these oil paintings I can not explain. Every element in the paintings offers a message of a story to be told, from the facial expression, to the color choices, and the environment. According to Jasmine Worth, they are "fairy tales gone awry – swirling seamlessly between sweet and surreal, inevitable dipping into the valley of the morbid."

Jasmine stated to Monzuki, she has always had the passion for art, drawing from cartoons at a very young age. She graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design. The medium in these recent work is oil on gessoed board. Check her website for available artwork.

Exhibition:

Last Rites Gallery (group show)

New York, New York, USA

October 24 - November 30, 2009

Distinction Gallery (group show)

Escondido, California, USA

December 12 - February 6, 2010

LeBasse Projects (group show)

Culver City, California, USA

February 20, 2010

Urban Scrawl

I saw Rik Catlow's Edward Scissorhands a couple months ago at the Crazy For Cult 3D, and I was very tempted to purchase it. Trying to refrain in owning additional art with not enough walls to claim it, I walked away in pain but that is not going to stop me from blogging it.

Rik's process in his art is using found items, magazines, drawings, and acrylic paint. There is no rule in his process but mere randomness. His influence is the raw city streets of New York City, filled with graffiti, post bills, signage and discarded papers. I like his usage of space, great character design and vibrant colors. Rik Catlow is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. He studied illustration at The Kubert School and The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Dangerous Yet Beautiful

If you think these colored pencil sculptures look like sea urchin, then you are correct.  Jennifer Maestre was inspired by their form and function.  "Pencils are common objects, here, these anonymous objects become the structure.  There is true a fragility to the sometimes brutal aspect of the sculptures, vulnerability that is belled by the fearsome texture."

Jennifer graduated from Mass College of Art.  Current exhibitions,  "Out Of This World" at Albany International Airport, New York, until November 29, and "The Colored Pencil" at Schmidt Art Center, Belleville, Illinois, until October 24.