Monday 29 November 2010

To be seen and not to be seen

Alexa Meade is a young American artist who creates art work that truly challenges our perceptions of what is representational painting and what is real life. She paints directly on top of her subject matter to make it appear that they are two dimensional paintings,  using a mixture of paint, photography, video, performance and installation until subject matter and representation are fused as one.



This imitation of real life while covering real life really challenges me. Is this exposing the need for art to be more in touch and involved in our everyday lives or a statement that we as subject matters are also art, though in a non-traditional sense? By physically painting people is this a direct way of making art unavoidable, showing that we all have the potential to become artists as well as artist's subject matter? Or is this expressing the inevitable front we all have, expressing that it is only a performance, an exterior that has been created that we let the world see? Are we not all performers and therefore all artists? And to complicate matters further what happens when these representations become videos or photographs? In a lot of her work you cannot tell that they are not photographs of regular 2D, flat paintings yet we believe that they are painted 3D models because a source tells us so. Is this not further challenging how we see the world? The photographs (or any Photograph for that matter) is nothing but a snapshot of something that once was- is this a hankering after human permanence?  Or am i going to far with this?


What point she is making or whether she is making one at all is up to you- all art is interpretive to the viewer in any way of course, but either way you can't deny the skill this woman has and the interesting and wonderful and  way she has of viewing the world. If you want to see more of her work and photographs of the creating process visit her flickr.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

I'd Take my Hat off to them.

A good hat can really make can outfit, and most hats will go with almost anything and turn a nice outfit into a head turner. I want to try and wear hats more myself but I always feel self conscious and think I look too try hard, although I think anyone can carry anything off as long as they have the confidence. Looking at these girls I think the secret is to keep the rest of the look fairly understated with minimum fuss. They look so effortlessly cool!












Tuesday 23 November 2010

Lovers on the Moon

The beautiful and haunting Bon Iver, one of my favorite artists and one of the greatest albums inspired purely by the love for one girl ever (in my opinion). At least something good came out of his heart brake!






Images from here and here.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Secret Art

RAC Secret is an annual exhibition that opens this Friday at The Royal College of Art. There will be a display of 2500 postcards donated by varies acclaimed artists and illustrators (such as Tracy Emin and Peter Blake) as well as students from the college. All the postcards will then be sold on a first-come-first-served basis at £45, with the money going towards student bursaries.




HOWEVER.

Unlike most art exhibitions there will be no labels beside the postcards and the works will only be signed on the back. If you know your contemporary art this could be your chance at buying some work by a renowned artist at a very cheap price! If not you have brought a very original (and expensive) post card and given money (in the light of resent policies) to a very much needed fund. Enjoy.


You can also join in the count down on thier Facebook page.

Monday 8 November 2010

As the Winter Winds Litter London with Lonely Hearts


Today is one of those miserable uninspiring days when the warm summer felt like a hundred years ago and Christmas a long distant dream. November is such an ugly month. Today I have a huge essay to finish and a long long week ahead of me with nothing but work and more deadlines and it’s even harder to feel motivated when it’s freezing, dark at five o’clock and pouring with rain outside.
My bed has never felt more inviting. I had the most beautiful weekend that was even better than I could have hoped for. I sat in the train station last night  and said “Let’s just get on a train to London St Pancras. We could be in Paris in the morning. Then in Russia by Wednesday and then who knows by next week.” But of course twenty minutes later I was stood alone on the platform blowing kisses goodbye.
I know that I’ll see him again soon but at the moment that seems so far away and we’ll both have too much work to do and it will be a long time till we can be as care free and frivolous  
as we were in the last two days.
Sorry for having such a rant but I now feel like I can pick myself up, make a cup of tea and start work again (maybe even drag myself to the library). And who knows what unexpected adventures
 November might have waiting for me??

Thursday 4 November 2010

Drawing Drawing Drawing

Here are a few of my favorite illustrations, I have tried to provide links and the names of the artists for as many of them as i can but sorry I can't remember them all! If anyone knows them I'd love you to tell me.









Unknown



I can't find the artist but this poster is for The Finders Keepers, a design and art market from Australia.






This gorgeous image is from the British artist Bobby Hillson, I cant find a website for her but she worked as a fashion illustrator for Vouge in the 1960's and later for the Sunday Times and The Observer. This illustration is of the Paris collections for The Observer, 1965.


Unknown - But isn't it wonderful?



Quentin Blake, The BFG is one of my favorite children's books.








My ultimate favourite Illustrator though has got to be Julie Verhoeven, I have loved her work ever since I discovered her a few years ago. She stands out as by-far-and-away one of the best contemporary artists today. She is intense and unique and fun and lively and daring and just everything I love in illustration.