Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 175 Shares199 Views

    in Art

    Pockets of Landscapes and Still Lifes Adorn Subjects in Lavish Portraits by Aniela Sobieski

    
    Art

    #dogs
    #fashion
    #makeup
    #painting
    #portraits
    #surreal

    February 11, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    Oil on panel, 8 x 10 inches. All images © Aniela Sobieski, shared with permission
    Aniela Sobieski is intrigued by “the human impulse to self-decorate,” a fascination that permeates every aspect of her portraiture. Evoking both baroque paintings and contemporary fashions, Sobieski adorns women and the occasional dog with elaborate makeup and sculptural accessories placed conspicuously to mask the subject’s features. She seamlessly maps classic still lifes and sparse landscapes directly onto the sitter’s face, often highlighting the natural shape of the eye and coating the figure’s lips in bold red.
    Apparent within Sobieski’s oil paintings is a symbiotic relationship between the subject and their lavish accessories: while a pair of daisies or bucolic scene serve as expressions of identity and emotion, the subject “provides them with an environment,” the artist writes. “It is my hope that these relationships speak to the tendency for nature and the human psyche to mirror each other.”
    Sobieski, who is based in St. Paul, has a solo show at Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee that’s slated for this October. Until then, follow her poetic artworks on Instagram, and pick up a print from Etsy. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

    “Bird Eyes,” oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches

    “Daisy Eyes,” oil on linen, 8 x 10 inches

    #dogs
    #fashion
    #makeup
    #painting
    #portraits
    #surreal

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 150 Shares199 Views

    in Art

    Art and Activism Collide Throughout Montréal in Playful Street Interventions by Roadsworth

    
    Art

    #activism
    #animals
    #Montréal
    #public art
    #site-specific
    #street art

    February 9, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Roadsworth, shared with permission
    Crosswalks become perches and bike lanes morph into a monkey’s ropes in Roadsworth’s lively street interventions. For decades, the Montréal-based artist (previously) has been altering sidewalks, alleyways, and other public spots with largely nature-based projects that are informed by social issues and environmental crises. Whether a trippy koi pond or a simple yellow spider, the additions transform otherwise drab streets into unexpected commentary.
    In recent years, Roadsworth has created large-scale projects for a variety of organizations, including revitalizing a basketball court for a social housing complex and another for Amnesty International that comments on the horrors of the refugee crisis. Beyond commissions, he continues guerilla street art tactics, installing oversized birds, insects, and other animals that often are overlooked.
    The artist tells Colossal that these works reflect his “philosophy in regards to public art/street art which implies a questioning of urban space in general and an entreaty to rethink a city that is more conducive to walking/cycling and less dominated by cars, etc. The depiction of various animals is a playful way of reinventing the notion of urban space.”
    Follow Roadsworth on Instagram to keep up with his site-specific works that merge art and activism.

    “Refugee Crisis” (2016)

    “Darling Foundry Koi Pond” (2020)
    Right: “Tree Lace” (2019)
    Detail of “Refugee Crisis” (2016)

    “Nurture vs Nature” (2018)

    #activism
    #animals
    #Montréal
    #public art
    #site-specific
    #street art

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 163 Shares149 Views

    in Art

    Dozens of Contemporary Artists Collaborate with Puzzles with Purpose to Create Limited-Edition Jigsaws

    
    Art
    Photography

    #games
    #puzzles

    February 5, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “My soul ain’t for sale” by Nicole Rafiki
    The team at Puzzles with Purpose launched a multi-pronged initiative last fall that directly supports artists and charities around the globe while giving the rest of us a much-needed distraction. Art X Puzzles tasked more than 80 creatives—the list includes Louise Lawler, Nicole Rafiki, Spencer Tunick (previously), and Pixy Liao—with producing a unique work for a limited-edition jigsaw and choosing a social-justice or COVID-relief organization to share proceeds with. The paper, wood, or magnetic puzzles vary in size and difficulty and are accompanied by an engraved USB drive with a certificate of authentication, the original image, and information about the artist. We’ve gathered some of our favorite works below, but you can shop the entire collection on Puzzles with Purpose’s site.

    “WHATS COOLER THAN BEING COOL?” by Mario Moore
    “Big Color” by Spencer Tunick
    “Rendetore #16” by Alessandro Belgiojoso
    “Things We Talk About” by Pixy Liao
    “Woman with Goat and Surgical Mask” by Kharis Kennedy

    #games
    #puzzles

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 163 Shares139 Views

    in Art

    Abstract Masses of Porcelain Consume Embracing Figures in Sculptures by Artist Claudia Fontes

    
    Art

    #body
    #porcelain
    #sculpture

    February 5, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Claudia Fontes, shared with permission
    Argentina-born artist Claudia Fontes (previously) continues her Foreigners series with small sculptures of figures enveloped by plumes of porcelain. Recent additions to the expanding collection are more abstract than previous iterations, which often revealed the body’s curves and gestures, although all of the works feature limbs embracing within or attempting to escape from the textured clouds. The pocked surface resembles organic matter, like sea sponges or coral, and seamlessly merges life forms into a cohesive structure.
    Fontes tells Colossal that this shift in focus was inspired by a desire to see “the material as the main protagonist of the piece, steering away from representation.” She explains that by “piercing the porcelain in different ways and exploring the possibilities that come with grouping the figures, I have realized that I am paying more attention to the material as a fictional membrane, which mediates between figure and background.”
    Currently, Fontes is incorporating two colors into her otherwise white porcelain in order to create new works that evoke sedimentary rock. She’s also preparing for a solo show at Cecilia Brunson Projects in London and a group exhibition at Stuk in Leuven, Belgium, and some pieces from the Foreigners series will be part of Simbiologías at Centro Cultural Kirchner in Buenos Aires this April. Until then, follow the artist on Instagram or head to her site to see more of her sculptural work.

    #body
    #porcelain
    #sculpture

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 163 Shares169 Views

    in Art

    Fantastical Atmospheres Are Rendered with Dark Impasto Strokes in Digital Paintings by RHADS

    
    Art

    #digital
    #impasto
    #surreal

    February 4, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Continuation of the Dream.” All images © Artem Chebokha, shared with permission
    Impasto strokes in deep shades of blue and gray form the volatile environments that backdrop Artem Chebokha’s surreal works. The Saint Petersburg-based artist, who uses the moniker RHADS, mimics the texture of oil paint in his digital pieces. Situated within heavy clouds and pockets of lightning, elements of unusual scale, like minuscule airplanes or an oversized octopus, create otherworldly atmospheres filled with unpredictable weather and open expanses.
    Prints of Chebokha’s dreamy paintings are available on Society6. Head to Instagram to see a larger collection of his pieces, including a 3D shot of the work above, and keep an eye out for his upcoming project that merges art and music. (via Cross Connect Magazine)

    “A Great Storm Approaching”
    “City of Love”
    “Floating in the Dark”
    “Octosoup”
    “The Longing to Air Trips”

    #digital
    #impasto
    #surreal

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 163 Shares179 Views

    in Art

    Delightful Nighttime Landscapes Nestle into Stacked Wooden Boxes in Allison May Kiphuth’s Dioramas

    
    Art

    #animals
    #dioramas
    #found objects
    #miniature
    #mixed media
    #nature
    #sculpture
    #watercolor

    February 3, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Allison May Kiphuth, shared with permission
    Allison May Kiphuth (previously) shrinks the expansive landscapes found throughout the eastern United States into picturesque dioramas brimming with natural life. Through layered watercolor and ink renderings, the Maine-based artist creates a mix of quiet forest scenes and ocean habitats often under a dark, nighttime sky. She then stacks the outfitted wooden boxes, blending the marine and land-based pieces in varying positions that create new ecosystems with every combination.
    Although Kiphuth derives much of her subject matter from the area around her home, she shares that experiencing new scenes is essential to her practice. “I haven’t been outside of Maine in over a year, and while this landscape is usually so expansively beautiful to me, without the contrast of other landscapes for perspective, it’s been feeling incredibly small,” a feeling that’s amplified by her living and working from a tiny home that’s just 8 x 20 feet.
    The artist has a solo show slated for August at Antler Gallery in Portland, and limited edition prints of the piece above are available from Nahcotta. Get a glimpse into Kiphuth’s process and views of the scenery she references in her works on Instagram.

    “Bond,” watercolor, paper, and pins in antique box, 4 x 6 x 2 inches
    “Defense,” watercolor, paper, and pins in antique box, 4.625 x 7 x 3.75 inches
    Left: “Den” (2019), watercolor on layers of hand-cut paper, sealed with encaustic, 6 x 6.5 x .5 inches
    “Nightlight 2,” Watercolor, paper, thread, and pins in antique box, 6.25 x 4.875 x 3.25 inches
    “Observation” (2019), watercolor on layers of hand-cut paper, sealed with encaustic, 6 x 6 x .5 inches
    “Defense” in progress

    #animals
    #dioramas
    #found objects
    #miniature
    #mixed media
    #nature
    #sculpture
    #watercolor

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 163 Shares129 Views

    in Art

    Demented Toys by Obvious Plant Confront Harsh Realities and the Mundanity of Life

    
    Art
    Design

    #games
    #humor
    #pop culture
    #satire
    #toys

    February 2, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Obvious Plant
    Unless you want a distraught child, double-check the packaging of your next purchase in case you accidentally snag a one-off toy by Jeff Wysaski, aka Obvious Plant. For years, he’s been littering supermarket and drugstore shelves with his action figures and small games that cleverly comment on capitalism and the harsh realities we all experience, from a birthday for one—it “includes one party blower because that is all you will need”—to a “childless couple” riding matching jet skis. Sometimes parodying pop culture, the elaborate designs are paired with witty copy and a slew of intentional spelling errors, including warnings that “everybody dies, even bird.”
    Many of the subversive products, shirts, and other goods are available in the Obvious Plant shop, although they sell out quickly. To stay up-to-date on the latest designs, follow Wysaski on Instagram.

    #games
    #humor
    #pop culture
    #satire
    #toys

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More

  • 175 Shares179 Views

    in Art

    Lush Florals Sprout from Corsets and Dresses in Enchanting Paintings by Artist Amy Laskin

    
    Art

    #fashion
    #flowers
    #oil painting
    #painting
    #plants

    February 2, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Blouse an Skirt!,” oil on linen, 40 x 50 inches. All images © Amy Laskin, shared with permission
    Through ethereal oil paintings, artist Amy Laskin juxtaposes decorative fashions and organic beauty. Thick bunches of hydrangeas, lilies, and wispy ferns spring from elaborate, beaded dresses and corsets, which swell into fully formed garments and shroud the works with an unearthly and enchanting aura. Each piece is figurative but non-representational, a decision Laskin shares stems from the idea that “nature is anonymous. She needs no name. She is everything.” 
    The artist’s studio is located in the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, the place she’s drawn inspiration from since moving to the island as a Peace Corps volunteer years ago. You can find more of Laskin’s work that’s brimming with the flora native to the region on her site and Artsy.

    “Grand Stand,” oil on linen, 19.5 X 15.5 inches
    “Haute Couture and Mother Nature Marry,” oil on board, 24 X 21 inches
    Left: “Up Rooted,” oil on linen, 17 X 14 inches. Right: “Rooted in Her Story,” oil on linen, 17 X 14 inches
    “Flora and Furbelow,” oil on linen, 45.5 X 45.5 inches
    Left: “Red and Green,” oil on linen, 12 x 12 inches. Right: “Flora’s Duppy,” oil on linen, 40 x 30 inches
    “Bodice and Botany,” oil on linen, 40 X 50 inches

    #fashion
    #flowers
    #oil painting
    #painting
    #plants

    Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

     
    Share this story
      More