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    Innumerable Metal Leaves and Flowers Cloak Intricately Sculpted Animals by Taiichiro Yoshida

    
    Art

    #animals
    #butterflies
    #flowers
    #metal
    #sculpture

    September 3, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “The Dog in the Night Fog”
    Japanese artist Taiichiro Yoshida (previously) continues his surveys into the possibilities of metalsmithing with a new series of elaborately layered sculptures. Spending between two and six months on each work, Yoshida meticulously molds copper, bronze, silver, and other materials by hand, creating countless metallic pieces with intricately impressed textures and edgings. Once wrapped around an armature of a dog, chick, or stuffed teddy bear, the fragile components ripple across the form, or as is the case with “The Dog in the Night Fog,” they appear as dozens of butterflies poised for flight. Explore a larger collection of Yoshida’s wrought sculptures on his site.

    “Shell.” All images © Taiichiro Yoshida, shared with permission
    Detail of “The Dog in the Night Fog”
    “Red chick no. 6”
    “Vessel”
    “Calico”
    “Doppel”
    “Mottled rabbit”

    #animals
    #butterflies
    #flowers
    #metal
    #sculpture

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    Bizarre Wide-Eyed Hybrids Reflect Imagined Landscapes in Naoto Hattori’s Miniature Paintings

    
    Art

    #animals
    #miniature
    #painting
    #surreal

    September 3, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Green Walk.” All images © Naoto Hattori, shared with permission
    At once adorable and unnervingly surreal, the fantastical creatures rendered by Naoto Hattori (previously) seamlessly meld the myriad textures and colors found in nature into unusual hybrids. They’re often fluffy, equipped with horns in surprising spots, and bear eyes so inordinately large and glassy that they reflect full-scale landscapes. Whether a furry sea horse-like character or a large bulbous head floating mid-air, the figures are musings on Hattori’s experiences. “When I (am) lucid dreaming, I imagine myself as a floating hybrid creature or something in harmony with nature,” he tells Colossal.
    Primarily working in acrylic, the Japanese artist keeps his paintings small in scale, opting for miniature boards that generally don’t stretch more than six inches. He welcomes the technical challenge of such tiny spaces, although the size constraint originally developed when he was diagnosed with severe cervical spondylosis about 10 years ago. “When I tried to draw with my elbows and shoulders, my fingertips became numb and I couldn’t control the brush,” he says. “If it’s about the size of a notebook, I can draw without moving my neck or shoulders… So currently, I’m painting a smaller size that allows me to draw freely with the movements of my wrists and fingertips.”
    Hattori, who recently relocated from New York to his hometown of Yokohama, Japan, will be part of The Blab Show opening at Santa Monica’s CoproGallery on September 11. You can glimpse his process on Instagram, and shop originals and prints on his site.

    “Regeneration 3”
    Left: “Floating.” Right: “Regeneration 2”
    “Mind Pollinator”
    “Lucid Dreamer”
    Left: “Rooster.” Right: “Sing for Joy”
    “Baby Fungus”
    “Inner Sound”

    #animals
    #miniature
    #painting
    #surreal

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    Fragmented Blocks of Color and Texture Overlap in Lui Ferreyra’s Layered Portraits

    
    Art
    Illustration

    #animals
    #colored pencil
    #digital
    #drawing
    #portraits

    August 24, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Awear Glasses,” digital drawing for Charmant USA. All images Lui Ferreyra, shared with permission
    Curved patches and geometric blocks comprise the layered portraits by Denver-based artist Lui Ferreyra (previously). Working both digitally and with colored pencil on paper, Ferreyra overlaps outlined fragments filled with thin lines to convey shadow and light, creating nuanced portrayals of his subjects. The prismatic works shown here are some of the artist’s more recent personal projects and commissions, which show the development of his distinct style during the last few years, in addition to the contrast he continues to draw between densely composed fields of color and larger expanses of negative space.
    Ferreyra is currently a resident in The Ramble Hotel’s Art Can program, and his illustrations will be on view at the Denver location’s pop-up gallery through September 7. A few prints are available in his shop, and you can follow his work on Instagram.

    “Unfinished Series 1,” digital drawing
    “Marc Maron,” digital drawing
    “Open Hand,” digital drawing
    “Psyche,” color pencil on black paper
    “Rainbow Series 1,” digital drawing
    “Rainbow Series 3,” digital drawing
    “Jasmin,” digital drawing for Scholarship America

    #animals
    #colored pencil
    #digital
    #drawing
    #portraits

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    Colorful Crayon Animals by Herb Williams Illustrate Impacts of the Climate Crisis

    
    Art

    #animals
    #climate change
    #crayons
    #sculptures

    August 17, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    Detail of “Phantom Limb(s).” All images by John Brown, © Herb Williams, shared with permission
    Bolstering his ongoing body of work confronting the climate crisis, two new sculptures by Nashville-based artist Herb Williams (previously) address the interconnected impacts of environmental catastrophe and disastrous human consumption from the perspective of animals. A fawn, a pair of narwhals, and a small arctic fox compose the colorful menagerie, with a melting chunk of a glacier, cut branches, and sliced tree trunk completing the crayon-based ecosystems. The artist’s works are particularly timely following the IPCC’s bleak report earlier this month and recent climate-related tragedies, like fires ripping across California and Utah, Greece, and Siberia and a tropical storm that hit Haiti just days after the country was devasted by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
    Both of Williams’ pieces rely equally on subject matter and medium to convey the urgency of the issues, as with the bands of color embedded within the fawn’s legs and hunks of wood in “Phantom Limb(s).” Bold, vibrant stripes illustrate the animals’ interpretations of deforestation and the potential for synesthesia, a condition allowing sounds to manifest visually. “The growth rings travel on as a sort of sonar after the tree is cut, and the animals see and hear the ripple effect as the loss is felt throughout the forest,” Williams says.
    Similarly in the tusk-framed piece titled “Adrift,” distinct blocks of color encircle the drifting mass and bottom half of the narwhals’ bodies, showing the enduring effects of environmental disasters “similar to how the bands of sediment are left in homes after floodwaters recede,” he writes. “The bands are in the colors of black (oil spills), red (wildfires), green (irradiated waters from reactor spills), and even gold from luxury billionaire yachts running aground.”
    Williams is currently working on six large-scale sculptures for the Atlanta International Airport, and you can follow his progress on Instagram.

    Detail of “Adrift”
    Detail of “Phantom Limb(s)”
    Detail of “Phantom Limb(s)”
    “Adrift”
    Detail of “Adrift”
    Detail of “Adrift”
    “Phantom Limb(s)”

    #animals
    #climate change
    #crayons
    #sculptures

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    Lifelike Sculptures by Diana Beltrán Herrera Recreate Flora and Fauna in Intricately Cut Paper

    
    Art
    Design
    Food
    Illustration

    #animals
    #birds
    #flowers
    #fruit
    #paper
    #plants
    #sculpture

    August 12, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Diana Beltrán Herrera, shared with permission
    Colombian artist Diana Beltrán Herrera (previously) adds to her growing collection of intricate paper sculptures with new plant and animal life. From her studio in Bristol, the artist and designer recreates lifelike reproductions of turacos, monarchs, and various species with nearly perfect precision. Innumerable fringed strips become feathers, faint scores mimic delicate creases in petals, and layers of bright paper form brilliantly colored plumes, creating a colorful and diverse ecosystem of wildlife from around the world.
    Prints, jigsaw puzzles, and cards are available in Beltrán Herrera’s shop, and you can see more of her recent commissions and personal projects on Behance and Instagram.

    #animals
    #birds
    #flowers
    #fruit
    #paper
    #plants
    #sculpture

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    Precise Replicas Cast Wildlife and Plants as Delightfully Tiny Sculptures

    
    Art
    Craft

    #animals
    #birds
    #clay
    #miniature
    #sculptures

    July 14, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Fanni Sandor, shared with permission
    Fanni Sandor (previously) melds her background in biology with a decades-long enthusiasm for miniatures by creating an adorable menagerie of minuscule wildlife. Based in Hungary, she sculpts 1:12 scale models of leaping squirrels and multicolor tree frogs from clay and soft fibers and more recently has ventured into larger ecosystems populated by speckled mushrooms, ferns, and the tiniest tulips. Sandor’s biologically accurate models are sold out on Etsy right now, but keep an eye on shop updates by following her on Instagram.

    #animals
    #birds
    #clay
    #miniature
    #sculptures

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    Found Silverware and Scrap Metal Are Welded into Lively Sculptural Creatures by Matt Wilson

    
    Art

    #animals
    #birds
    #found objects
    #metal
    #sculpture

    July 2, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Matt Wilson
    Wide spoons become muscular hind legs, pointed handles fan out into wings, and fork prongs curl around a branch like talons in Matt Wilson’s wildlife assemblages. Using found flatware and other metal objects, the Charleston-based artist (previously) welds sculptural renditions of birds, insects, and other small animals that appear lifelike and primed for movementt. He mounts the metallic sculptures on pieces of driftwood or smooth plaques—many of which are handcrafted by his friend Jacob Kent—that contrast the shining metal with the natural, grainy material.
    Wilson has spent the last few years broadening his practice and working on multiple birds simultaneously, allowing for more cohesive, well-rounded flocks. His next collection launches at 9 a.m. EST on July 9 in his shop, and his works sell quickly so keep an eye on Instagram for early looks at the 100 creatures set for release.

    #animals
    #birds
    #found objects
    #metal
    #sculpture

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    Whimsical Illustrations and Motifs Dyed with a Traditional Wax-Resist Method Cover Caroline Södergren’s Eggshells

    
    Art
    Craft
    Illustration

    #animals
    #eggs
    #insects
    #wax

    June 22, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    All images © Caroline Södergren, shared with permission
    Formally trained in glassblowing, Stockholm-based artist Caroline Södergren transfers her experience working with a delicate, fragile material to an ornately illustrated collection of eggshells. She adapts the traditional Ukrainian craft called pysanky, a wax-resist method that involves drawing a design on a clean, empty chicken, turkey, goose, or ostrich egg with hot beeswax. The shell is then dipped in multiple baths of dye and the seal washed away with oil to reveal the colorful, layered design—you can watch the entire process in the video below.
    The technique often is combined with folk art, although Södergren illustrates her own botanical motifs, beetles, and mythical creatures that stray from traditional designs. “You have to think before you start a pattern as the different color layers must come in the right order,” she says. “If you make a mistake with the wax, it is not possible to change, and a written line is where it is. A constant challenge that makes it so fun to work with!”
    Konsthantverkets Vänner, an organization dedicated to supporting Swedish arts and crafts, just awarded Södergren a scholarship for her batik designs. Browse available eggs in her shop, and find a larger collection on Instagram. (via Lustik)

    

    #animals
    #eggs
    #insects
    #wax

    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!

     
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