Was there a better era for the female form than the 70’s? Curves were lovingly lavished onto book covers, comics, posters, and advertisements. Jeffrey Jones was one of the pioneers of this approach.  For 3 years, Jones was given a full page in the National Lampoon to do with as he pleased. He usually filled the page with naked girls who would languish about for a few panels while musing about almost nothing, and yet Jones was able to execute it with a breathtaking grace and sensitivity.

Maybe it was this sensitivity that moved Frank Frazetta himself to call Jones  “the greatest living painter”.

Jones’ personal site

THE FEARS AHEAD BECOME THE WORRIES TO LEAVE BEHIND

Charming Baker’s paintings are beautifully composed and bring forth a fantastic sense of both familiarity and unease.  He uses oil on a variety of materials which provide an interesting, textural basis for his work and compliment his painting style and impeccable eye for editing.

From an interview on artasty: “I like it when something’s not quite right,” he explains. “I like to take people along a path which leads to a place they don’t expect to be. They might discover a personal or political subtext, they might simply enjoy the view. The effect I’m aiming for in my work is that slightly unnerving feeling you get when you have your arse patted in public, but you’re not exactly sure who’s patting it.”

UNUSUAL AND ELECTRIC

THE OVERACHIEVERS

I USED TO THINK I HAD A FEW ANSWERS

GROUP SHOT

Video from the opening of  Charming Baker’s most recent show:

The Meaning of Everything – Charming Baker solo show in London

For more info and to purchase prints, please visit his site or his blog here

Mother and Child II

After a sudden urge for mother/daughter subject matter, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) automatically came to mind. Further research uncovered some gestural gems and a tragic story.  Diabetes stole her vision and for 11 years she lived in almost total blindness, a story similar to her friend, Edgar Degas.

Lydia Leaning on Her Arms, Seated in a Loge

Margaret Milligan Sloan

Margot in Big Bonnett and Red Dress

The Long Gloves

Clarissa, Turned Left, with Her Hand to Her Ear

Mother and Child XI

Wikipedia Bio

]]> http://curetheblind.com/the-fury-of-mary-cassatt/feed/ 0 http://curetheblind.com/hannah-stouffer/ http://curetheblind.com/hannah-stouffer/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:05:37 +0000 Crystal http://curetheblind.com/?p=969

Blood Lust, Love and Gore

Los Angeles-based illustrator Hannah Stouffer is one of the most inspiring and prolific artists I have come across.  Having had the opportunity to catch a show of hers at a gallery out west several years ago, I have been in awe of her work and productivity ever since.  Take a bit of time to explore her site, she has a lot of gorgeous offerings in a variety of mediums, in her personal work as well as her commercial work.

From her website:

“With an infatuation for icons and images that reflect and categorize historical eras, genres and subcultures, her work is an opulent, elegant and beautifully intricate mixture of illustration and design. Her densely-packed compositions consciously recall classical elements from our past and combine them with our modern attractions, creating cohesive yet opposing array’s of imagery and embellishment. She focuses on the contrasts between periods in time, subcultures and social trends- and merges them together with a high regard for traditional decoration.”

So hard to choose just a few images, but here’s a peek:

Darkness Falls Forever

On the 7th Night

The Lost Storm

Clash of Unions

Elephant Island Safari

Leaving the Crusade to Fate

10,000 B.C.

Nude Descending Staircase

Alex Kanevsky is a painter/teacher from Lithuania and he now resides in the US. Little is found about him online and Alex wants to keep it that way, he prefers to let the paintings speak for themselves. The interviews (below) invite you in the mindset of the artist and reveal some insight for aspiring artists. All of his work is strong in my opinion, so checking out his site is highly recommended.

Farm

FD and KB

Blue Bathroom

KB in her Bathroom

Bathroom

J.F.H. as an Island

Twins' Bath

Bio

Website

Interview

Another Interview

Classic

Wayne Martin Belger is a truly unorthodox photographer who photographs exclusively with fantastic pinhole cameras that he designed and built himself, which are all jaw-dropping in their design and execution. He uses a variety of found objects, relics and other unique materials, which includes bones, insects, vials of HIV infected blood and an actual heart, to create shrines and objects of beauty that capture images specific to a purpose the artist had in mind while planning their design.    The combination of the photographs and the cameras they were taken with are fascinating, especially when you read the artist’s statement that goes along with each.

Untouchable

Untouchable (installation)

Wood

Photo taken with "Wood"

From his bio:

“The creation of a camera comes from my desire to relate to a subject. When I choose a subject I spend time studying it. Then I start visualizing how I would like a photo of the subject to look. When that’s figured out, I start on the camera stage of the project by collecting parts, artifacts and relics that relate to the subject. When I’ve gathered enough parts and feel for the subject, I start the construction of the camera. I create the cameras from Aluminum, Titanium, Copper, Brass, Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, Wood, Acrylic, Glass, Horn, Ivory, Bone, Human Bone, Human Skulls, Human Organs, Formaldehyde, HIV+ Blood and relics all designed to be the sacred bridge of a communion offering between myself and the subject. All to witness and be a tool of the horrors of creation and the beauty of decay presented by the author light and time.”

His website is great and provides a 360 degree view of the cameras, pictures of the installations and examples of the photographs taken with the cameras.  For more of his work, please visit: Boy of Blue Industries

21st Century

An exceptionally talented illustrator/designer/photographer/artist/etc. (not to mention really nice guy), Brazilian artist Eduardo Recife has consistently created works that are solid in composition and style . He achieves a great balance between his commercial and personal works, which are a source of inspiration for artists of all types.

Faucet

Nice for You

Happiness

What a Beautiful World

Everything is Connected to Each Other

His sites contain a wealth of great tools and fantastic typefaces created by Recife for artists and designers to utilize in their own projects, many available free for download and some for purchase.

Commercial works
Personal works
Older works

Sao Paulo native,  Joao Ruas, has been slowly updating his blog with wonderful work since 2006. It seems someone noticed because he has now taken over James Jean’s spot as the cover artist for Fables.

I really like the way Joao shades his work. He seems to have a few different methods but they all have his style. Tight shading, with looser interpretations of form.

Joao’s blog: http://souvlaki.jp-ar.org
Joao’s portfolio (featuring prints and originals for sale): http://feral-kid.com

“Willard Wigan makes me feel small and insignificant. Sure I can read, I write, and I can draw, but I cannot and never will be able to manipulate a material that i cannot see with my naked eye, but Willard can. He has mastered the art of invisibility and the art of misery.” – A. Halford

Born in 1957 in Birmingham, Willard Wigan began his artistic life at a tender age. Suffering from dyslexia and learning difficulties, he struggled at school, finding solace in creating art of such minute proportions that it virtually could not be seen with the naked eye.

“It began when I was five years old,” says Willard. “I started making houses for ants because I thought they needed somewhere to live. Then I made them shoes and hats. It was a fantasy world I escaped to where my dyslexia didn’t hold me back and my teachers couldn’t criticise me. That’s how my career as a micro-sculptor began.”

Willard’s micro-sculptures have become so minute that they are only visible through a microscope. Each piece commonly sits within the eye of a needle, or on a pin head.

The personal sacrifice involved in creating such wondrous, yet scarcely believable, pieces is inconceivable to most. Willard enters a meditative state in which his heartbeat is slowed, allowing him to reduce hand tremors and sculpt between pulse beats. Even the reverberation caused by traffic outside can affect Willard’s work. He often works through the night when there is minimal disruption.

Willard’s work is described as “the eighth wonder of the world”. One of the specifically commissioned works includes the replica of the iconic Lloyds of London Building. This piece was later auctioned by Eric Knowles of Bonhams. Willard was subsequently honoured with receiving an MBE from HRH Prince Charles for his services to art.

Unsurprisingly, Willard’s life is now attracting significant attention from the literary and film industries alike, each eager to secure his life story.

Willard on ABC News

Grails

Aaron Horkey, 31, lives in Minnesota and produces hand-drawn illustrations with impeccable detail. Right now he doesn’t have an online portfolio, but a quick search unearths Gig Posters, Skateboard Designs, Album Art, and some fine art paintings. Enjoy some of the tightest illustration today.

Boris

Fantomas

Converge 2007

Converge 2006

Genghis Tron

Andrew Bird

The Decemberists

Flight of the Concords

Whale Bone Grove

Mogwai

Isis

Over the Atlas

Zygomaturus

Detritus

Dusty Qee Rag

Sunn O))) cd cover

Bolster Brace

Croatoan

Interview- 10 Questions

More Detailed Interview