portraits

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival

      by

      “A Lasting Place” (2024), London. Photo by Jose Delu. All courtesy of London Mural Festival, shared with permission

      Sebas Velasco Reflects the Spirit of Brixton for London Mural Festival

      September 21, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      Drawing from photographs of landscapes and cinematic portraits, Sebas Velasco’s murals and paintings boldly capture people and places. For the 2024 London Mural Festival, the artist has unveiled a large-scale portrayal of a local resident of Brixton, where the piece was recently installed on the end of a residential building.

      Shown waiting for the Brixton train line, the young man in Velasco’s painting leans back against a concrete railing and looks off to the side, illuminated by the station’s lights, which also glow in the background. Titled “A Lasting Place,” Velasco taps into a sense of time slowing down, contemplation, and ease.

      Photo by Jose Delu

      Velasco revels in the process of exploring and learning about the places where he develops his public art pieces. The compositions emerge organically as he immerses himself in the local environment and meets people who live in the area.

      Along with his long-time collaborator Jose Delu, who assists with creating highly contrasted, vibrant photographs, Velasco draws on conversations and experiences in each place in order to reveal something of its spirit through his work. He often addresses the idea of connection, which is also the theme of this year’s festival.

      If you’re in London, you can explore more than 100 murals through September 29 as part of the event, including pieces familiar to Colossal readers like Marija Tiurina. New installations this year have been created by Aches Elseed, BAPE, D*Face, Betz Etam, Anna Ovney, and more.

      Find a map on the festival’s website, and to dig further into Velasco’s work, check out his website and Instagram.

      Wedo Goas, 39 Lee Church St

      Bezt Etam, Roundwood Estate

      Liam Bononi, 125 South Lambeth Rd

      Zoe Power, Jo Hicks, and Vanessa Scott, Canary Wharf

      BAPE x D*Face collaboration

      Sophie Mess, The Stage, Shoreditch

      Anna Ovney, Leadenhall Building, City of London

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Next article More

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Art

      Bold Brushstrokes Overlap in Greg Breda’s Contemplative Portraits

      by

      “Arrival at knowing” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 25 x 25 inches. All images courtesy of Patron Gallery, shared with permission

      Bold Brushstrokes Overlap in Greg Breda’s Contemplative Portraits

      September 18, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      In Greg Breda’s meditative paintings, noise and commotion are toxic to transformation. The Los Angeles-based artist ushers in quiet introspection, imagining figures deep in thought among houseplants and blooms.

      Layering wide brushstrokes on synthetic silk, Breda renders delicate, fragmented portraits. Among the browns that contour each face are sweeping marks in periwinkle that overlap, intersect, and fade across the figures. Evoking the way light might hit a cheekbone or cast a shadow, the contrasts in color add a dynamic element to the still, serene scenes.

      “Finding focus” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 40 x 33 inches

      The works shown here are part of Breda’s solo show Where I am found, on view now at Patron Gallery in Chicago. Drawing on his Hei series that references the fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, the paintings invoke a spiritual presence and self-reflection, emphasizing how quiet and solitude are essential for personal and collective change.

      This body of work also considers interconnection and how all life interacts and influences one another. Flowers like hibiscus and allium encircle the figures, providing both a beautiful setting for contemplation and serving as visual metaphors for unity, grace, and self-love.

      See Where I am found through November 2, and explore more of Breda’s portraits on his website and Instagram.

      Detail of “Arrival at knowing” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 25 x 25 inches

      “Pathways” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 18 x 18 inches

      “Repose” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 33 x 40 inches

      “As it is” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 40 x 30 inches

      Detail of “Repose” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 33 x 40 inches

      Detail of “Arrival at knowing” (2024), acrylic on polyester canvas, 25 x 25 inches

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Narsiso Martinez Exalts the Individuality of America’s Farmworkers in ‘Joyfully Grown’

      by

      “Delano Grapes” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, acrylic, and simple leaf on grape box, 16 x 24 x 5.5 inches. Photos by @ofphotostudio Yubo Dong. All images © Narsiso Martinez, courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, shared with permission

      Narsiso Martinez Exalts the Individuality of America’s Farmworkers in ‘Joyfully Grown’

      September 18, 2024

      Art Social Issues

      Kate Mothes

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      “In the Works,” the centerpiece of Narsiso Martinez’s solo exhibition at Charlie James Gallery, spans three walls and is made from dozens of found produce boxes. At the center of the piece and above a doorway is a long table resplendent with apples, kiwi, oranges, and grapes, all crowned by a chandelier.

      Flanking the dinner, farmworkers climb ladders or sit on the ground, sorting the harvest into the very boxes the composition is made from. Back in the center, the faceless attendees at the table enjoy the literal fruit of the workers’ labor.

      “In the Works” (2024), acrylic, gouache, charcoal, collage, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 178 x 305 inches

      In Joyfully Grown, Martinez (previously) continues his exploration of the labor system, relationships, and power imbalances. He taps into his experience emigrating from Oaxaca when he was 20 years old, determined to find a more sustainable livelihood in the U.S.

      Martinez finished high school at 29, then went on to study fine art in college. While he pursued an MFA, he began working seasonally in eastern Washington’s sprawling apple orchards where he became acquainted with other farmworkers and learned their stories.

      The artist was struck by how individuals in America’s agricultural system, whose intense physical labor the entire framework relies on, go unseen by those who depend on freshly stocked produce in the supermarket.

      “Resist” (2024), ink, charcoal, and simple leaf on strawberry box, 20 x 11.5 x 5.5 inches

      Beginning with photographs, Martinez employs visual languages of prestige—drawing specifically on Catholic portraiture’s emphasis on luxurious fabrics and backgrounds of gold leaf—to empower and uplift workers.

      In “Resist,” for example, a young man is portrayed within the frame of a berry box, backed with gold and wearing a graduation gown. The cap encircles his head like a halo, invoking the divine and signaling the glorious potential of education.

      By elevating the humble cardboard box to the status of picture frame and depicting hardworking people in their esteemed individuality, Martinez scrutinizes who and what society values.

      Joyfully Grown continues through October 26 in Los Angeles. Explore more of Martinez’s work on his Instagram.

      “The Planning” (2024), ink, gouache, charcoal, acrylic, and simple leaf on berry box, 15.5 x 20 x 4.25 inches

      Detail of “In the Works”

      Detail of “In the Works”

      “Blue Joy” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, acrylic, and simple leaf on blueberry box, 16 x 23.5 x 5.5 inches

      “Fresh is Our Favorite” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, and acrylic on red seedless grape box, 24 x 16.5 x 6 inches

      “Embracing Future” (2024), ink, charcoal, and simple leaf on orange box, 23.5 x 16 x 6 inches

      Collaboration with Ashley Jose-Isip, “On the Grass” (2024), ink, gouache, charcoal, and simple leaf on grape box, 15.75 x 23.75 x 5.5 inches

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing.

      Hide advertising

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop

      Receive members-only newsletter

      Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/month

      $75/year

      Explore membership options

      Previous articleNext article More

    • 88 Shares99 Views

      in Art

      Tran Nguyen’s Ethereal Portraits Portray Melancholy Moments

      by

      All images © Tran Nguyen, shared with permission

      Tran Nguyen’s Ethereal Portraits Portray Melancholy Moments

      September 12, 2024

      Art Illustration

      Jackie Andres

      Share

      Pin

      Email

      Bookmark

      In Tran Nguyen’s portraits, spirited subjects coexist with ethereal environments. “I’ve always enjoyed themes revolving around melancholy, the female figure, and species found in nature,” she says.

      Whimsically walking alongside praying mantises, embracing a tiger in a suit, or encircled by swans, each character is presented with delicate detail, down to their flowing tendrils of hair and gossamer garments. This daintiness lends itself to the compelling air of fantasy that characterizes Nguyen’s style.

      After working on large-scale murals for some time, the Georgia-based artist mainly uses acrylic paint and colored pencils. On heavyweight watercolor paper, light washes of acrylic block in initial fields of color and precede layers of paint to create value. Colored pencils execute final details, like refining darker values.

      Though she loves working with traditional materials, Nguyen is also creating a new apparel line. Check out her website and Instagram for updates.

      Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month.

      Hide ads on website and newsletters

      Save your favorite articles

      Get 10% off in the Colossal Shop

      Members-only newsletter

      1% for art supplies in classrooms

      Join us today!

      $7/Month

      $75/Year

      Explore Membership Options More