Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Upcoming Digital Drawing Tool

This seems really interesting and I think everyone here could find a use for it... The Wacom Inkling will be sold at the end of September for € 169,90. Check out the ad:

Friday, August 26, 2011

Weekend WTF

Friday, August 19, 2011

Happy b-day, Aphex!


Ok, I missed it by one day, but nevertheless: one of my biggest musical and artistic inspirations, electronica artist Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin, turned 40 yesterday. I thank thee for thine legacy, here's to a long and healthy life.

For those unaccustomed to his work, check out this short film directed by Chris Cunningham:

Thursday, August 18, 2011

(Monster)Movieposter art of Reynold Brown!


Check out this documentary on Reynold Brown, it is a must see for illustrators and a great film for everyone else interested in monstermovies and monstermovieposters. Awesome!




Saturday, August 13, 2011

Tadanori Yokoo

Described by some as the 'Japanese Andy Warhol', Tadanori Yokoo is apparently one of Japan's most successful and internationally recognized graphic designers and artists, but I had unfortunately not heard of him before. Just found an article and some of his images online, and I'm very interested in pursuing more of his work. It seems like he fuses 'traditional' Japanese art and print with Gilliamesque collage and Heinz Edelmann-like illustrations, and I really like the results. Note to self: pursue further.



Friday, August 12, 2011

Weekend WTF

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Terry Gilliam's animation craft

This wonderful clip shows a Python-era Terry Gilliam explaining his cut-out animation craft, as used in the Monty Python's Flying Circus series. I've always wondered how he was able to make such fantastically beautiful (lo-fi, but stunningly beautiful) animation with such limited resources, and I was delighted to find this clip, which explains the process in full. The beginning of the clip is a bit tedious but starting at the 4:20 mark we get into the actual hands-on process -- both the simplicity and the tenacity of it. Simply genius.



Via Coilhouse.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Daniel Castan

The use of color and contrast in this somewhat impressionistic manner really impress and interest me. At the moment I'm also very curious how far you can actually push a realistic painting into the abstract spectrum before it just becomes abstract. I think Daniel have found the perfect balance here.






More paintings:

http://www.castan-daniel.odexpo.com/

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Weekend WTF: Spookies (1986) trailer


If we can find this movie, it'll definitely be a good contender for a future wednesday horror film evening.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Bas Jan Ader

Bas Jan Ader is the second artist that I present today, that inspired me a lot at a turning point, just in the phase, when I stopped painting and was approaching more conceptual art.
To me it's one of those artists, that seems to express exactly what you're feeling, like meeting something familiar, that was already there, that just had to be uncovered, something that you think you knew already from before.
I realised then, that making art can be also something that needs no skills and that stories can be told in a total different way and still make sense and touch you.

Bas Jan Ader worked mainly with photography and video work. Being a part of the whole conceptual art movement in the late 60ies, early 70ies, his art is dealing with failing and falling.
He was the founder of the "Gravity Art", what's about giving yourself over to Gravity, to let go (of your control) and to find and define this one moment and turn it into eternity. His works have titles like "Fall I", Fall II", "Broken Fall (Organic)", Broken Fall (Geometric).
Born in 1942 in a village in the Netherlands, he moved to USA in the 60ies where he was studying art and starting his carrier. Unfortunately his Oevre is not very big, since he died (or disappeared) already in 1975, during his last project "In search of the miraculous", a try to sail over the Atlantic Ocean in a really tiny boat, to go back to Holland. It was planned to be a Trilogy. The first part showed the preparations for the trip, the last part should be his arrival in Holland. Apparently he died on the trip, even if his body was never found and the circumstances of the trip were quite mysterious. He might have planned his death or his disappaerence, but it's staying unclear. But nevertheless, this work can be seen as a masterpiece in a row of art works dealing with failing and falling and the romantic strive towards the unreachable horizon.




















Remedios Varo

Today I want to present two artists, (very different ones) that kind of inspired me in different life phases and funny enough, that I saw much later in Mexico-City at the same day (in two different solo shows).
Here's the First one: Remedios Varo, a (post-) surrealistic painter from Spain, being part of the circle among Max Ernst, and later immigrating to Mexico.
When I first saw her picture "Solar Music" (the first one below), at the age of fourteen or so, I fell instantly in love with it. As far as I remember, I even ripped the side out of the book, that I borrowed from library, just to own the picture, and it made me also want to create things like that.
Well, now after all that time, I still like her stuff, even if I changed a lot and I think now, that her style is a bit too "mannieristisch" (mannered?) and kitschy for my taste. But I like the subtle humor and the hidden stories in her paintings, especially together with the titles ("Vegetarian Vampires" is just such a great idea, or "Exploring the source of the Orinoco"),
and of course she still has a special place in my heart, being one of my earliest inspirations :)

If you want, google for her name, she did a lot stuff.







Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Great Stephen Fry interview

No matter who you are or what you do, Stephen Fry is very difficult not to like. In this fascinating 30 minute interview he's discussing Star Trek, his Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression), jail, Douglas Adams' "42" question, and much more. Just listening to him speak is a pleasure in and of itself. It's worth it!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Happy b-day, Jenjen!

This one's for you.
¨