Allison Torneros

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/AllisonTorneros/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Torneros’s works impressed me very much, at first I found myself starring at the monitor for minutes, just to pick up all the details in one piece. Because her style is very bold and unique, for me is that type of artworks that make me wanting to pick a pencil and a piece of paper and just draw until I get out something as spectacular as that. Her style is daring, and not in a weird, sexual way, but putting so much together can be risky, the colors, the style, the lines and the dynamic, it can be over exaggerated sometimes, but I don’t think it’s the case for her.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/AllisonTorneros/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

When it comes to compositions, I don’t necessarily feel like it’s always ok, but it’s her own view that matters, and as a spectator, I can only say that her art is fabulous, it is unique, and urban, I know that I have a lot to learn from her. I also like the contrast she uses between the decorative side and the more realistic one, she makes a nice combination of these two, not too much not too less.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/AllisonTorneros/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Bec Winnel

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/BecWinnel/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

I have been watching Winnel for years now, I think you can find her almost on all illustration websites, and for me there’s no wonder, being as fantastic as she is. Her style is very delicate; I think she mostly uses colored pencils as a medium from what I can see in her drawings. She is ‘inspired by all that is beautiful’ (Gemma Freeman, 2011), and conveys that in her own images, using the softest lines, shadows and colors. It’s also common in her art to find portraits of women, accentuating their features and making them look stunning.

Images found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/BecWinnel/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

What I also love about her art is the breathy feeling, the fact that there isn’t much contrast to make it bold, but thanks to her lovely faded shadowing with light colors, it gives the feeling that the page is breathing, and the air is just floating around the character she drew. It’s straight forward that she is a nature lover, all the bits she ads to a portrait, like a leaf or flowers make them stand out and look gorgeous. I sometimes get the feeling that when she draws a character so faded, it’s almost like is about to disappear, and it has a strange fairy feel.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/BecWinnel/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Reference list: Freeman, G. (2012) ‘Artist in Residence: Bec Winnel - new Element Eden Advocate’, Nollie, 21 October. Available at: http://www.nollie.tv/2011/10/artist-bec-winnel-is-a-new-element-eden-advocate-sister-of-daydream-lily.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Max Gregor

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MaxGregor/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Gregor is one the most versatile artists I ever got the chance to find, while researching. He goes from graffiti to fashion design, to book illustration and still life drawings  so easily, it’s quite difficult to believe it’s the same guy doing all this artworks.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MaxGregor/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

What is also surprising is that despite the fact the he is so versatile, and it could easily look like he doesn’t own a style, in each type of drawing he does, it is unique and look so different from what I have seen at others. It could be like a nonsense thing, because everybody has their own, unique style but it’s not always as bold and easy to see from a long distance.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MaxGregor/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

One of my favorite from his works is the still life with the cooking tools, because I have a background in traditional drawing, and I love when I see such beautiful technical drawing, and the way he shadowed is so delicate, it’s just beautiful the way it faded into the white of the page.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MaxGregor/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

The contrast between the still life and this bold graphic drawing of the girl, it’s so big, but that is exactly what makes his works so exciting. I love the bold decoration compared to the fine lines on the girl's hair and portrait.

Michael Frith

Image found at: http://www.michaelfrith.com/americas/2.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

I find Frith’s work absolutely amazing, his dynamic style is contagious, it just that type of art that give you that push to start drawing immediately, and with the thought that maybe you will be able to create something as amazing as you just saw. He is basically drawing and painting celebrities, or seascapes, which are quite common things, but what I personally find the style and the coloring mind-blowing, and even if it’s not 100% photo realistic, I appreciate the small signs of brush on the paper, because otherwise it could lose exactly what makes it special.

Images found at: http://www.michaelfrith.com/americas/2.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

As you can see yourself in the pictures, his use of watercolors is so controlled and thought trough, I think that he considers every bit of color that goes on the page, and having that control in your mind it helps, because it’s like you already see the image in your head, before it goes on a surface, and it can help improve it, and make it look so much better. My favorite image is the one on the beach, with the sun coming out of the clouds, I love the contrast and coloring.

Image found at: http://www.michaelfrith.com/americas/2.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Martin Hargreaves and his Illustrations

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MartinHargreaves/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

I ran into Martin’s work while researching for a project, and I was very surprised of his works, he is very complex and uses images in a very clever way of showing today’s problems and challenged ‘the way we look at 3^rd world poverty and question our pre-conceptions’ (Illustration LTD., 2010). He made an entire series of this type of posters, and I am pretty sure that he made a bid impression and did changed a lot of people’s minds, and the way they look at the world. It is a harsh truth about the series he created and exhibited in Paris. I would have loved to get the chance to see it, he makes quite a big statement and I appreciate that he is not afraid of putting his work out, even though some people might take as an offense , but I personally think there is nothing wrong with expressing your ideas, I think it comes back to pre-conceptions, and they we want or not to read and accept what the artist wanted for us to see, it can either be liked or not, it depends on each person’s likes.

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/MartinHargreaves/view (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Reference list: Illustration LTD. (2010) ‘Tackling Preconceptions’ Illustration, 7 May. Available at: http://illustrationweb.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Martin%20Hargreaves (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Philip Bannister's Work

Image found at: http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/PhilipBannister (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

He is a traditional artist, most of his work being portraits and cityscapes. What I really like about him is the technique he developed and his use of lines and color.  When you look at his portraits, they look so delicate and detailed, compared to his cityscapes, which are mostly detailed on certain areas, and he is specifically using colors to highlight those areas. I appreciate the most his style, it interests me very much, because myself I am a very big fan of drawing portraits, and I would love to find it that easy as he does to paint portraits like that with watercolors, to find that freedom when you put the brush on the paper and just trust your instinct, especially when it comes to colors. I sometimes find it difficult to match the colors on my painting with the ones in the reference picture I use, and I can see in Bannister’s  that spark in every color he uses, it seems the right amount on each corner of the piece, and always the right contrast. I think that his illustrations don’t go outside the box, but his works are the perfect example of well executed traditional paintings.

Image found at: http://www.philip-bannister.co.uk/images/homepage/WHSmith.jpg (Accessed: 27 April 2012

Paul Rand's Logos

Images found at: http://www.logodesignlove.com/all-about-paul-rand (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

I think we can say that Paul Rand is the father of logos, he created his own style that made him famous over the years, and also opened a new window towards logos and what they represent, as  ‘he was one of the originators of the Swiss Style of graphic design’. He did had a background in visual arts, but then he switched to graphics which turned out to be the best decision he made probably. He created corporate identities for ABC, IBM, and more others, and also one for Ford, even if they decided not to use it.  One of the most important things he also made is that he inspired so many people with his designs to take more chances and create something unique, something outside the box, without being afraid of the criticism and judgment that may come across.  He also basically labeled the graphic world with a new type of design that came out very strong and modern, and if we take for example the IBM poster, which is straight forward, but has funny elements to it that makes it special and distinctive. I would say that in my opinion, that is the most successful poster from the ones he created.

Reference list: (2008) ‘All about Paul Rand’, LOGODESIGNLOVE, 18 February. Available at: http://www.logodesignlove.com/all-about-paul-rand (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Cindy Sherman

Image found at: http://www.cartoonpictures5.com/cindy-sherman/cindy-sherman-gallery (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Image found at: http://face2face.si.edu/my_weblog/2009/01/portrait-of-cindy-sherman-by-martin-schoeller.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer, most of her work representing self portraits, by putting herself in different situation, in the skin of so many characters, by dressing up, using wigs and excessive makeup. In some of the photos you can hardly recognize her, because actually Sherman ‘in real life could not be more natural in her appearance’ (Dorment, 2009).What I appreciate about her, is that she is maybe sarcastic or has some dark humor in some of her works, but she is not doing it to make fun of the characters, it’s just because it’s hard for her to understand why all this people take this decisions to be someone that looks so fake and sometimes, ridiculous. She is relating her art on people she sees day by day, and most of them are portraits of females, which did brought up comments that she may be a feminist, even if she doesn’t consider her work making part of that category. There is a very big truth revealed in her works, and I do believe that her photographs make part of that category which you just love, or you don’t, because you can’t say that her art is made for everyone, it’s more for people that share her ideas.  

Reference list:  Dorment, R. (2009) ‘Cindy Sherman: Sprüth Magers Gallery – review’, The Telegraph, 27 April [Online]Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/richarddorment/5231177/Cindy-Sherman-Spruth-Magers-Gallery-review.html (Accessed: 27 April 2012)

Lawrence Weiner's Words

Pictures found at:  http://artobserved.com/2011/01/go-see-new-york-lawrence-weiners-gyroscopically-speaking-at-marian-goodman-gallery-through-january-21-2011/ (Accessed: 26 April 2012)

What interests me in Weiner’s work is his use of lettering to create images. He is using curves, colors and spacing to give them composition. He is either exhibiting them in frames, hanged on walls, or he paints them straight on the wall. The use of curved walls is very interesting, he creates a composition out of the art gallery itself, just by using all the space inside it to create his own artwork.  The other thing that is very appreciable is that all his works have a meaning, and I know that it may seem easy to do so because he is using text, but due to his compositions sometimes you can get easily confused, rather than finding it very easy to understand. Weiner thinks that ‘Sculptures are marking of materials that help human beings find their own place in the sun’ (ARKENmuseum, 2009) , which explains his ideology that all his work, either sculptures or images, have a specific meaning, a deep thought for viewer to consider and appreciate. He is quite complex, his ideas go far and beyond, and it takes some time to understand what he is displaying.

 Reference list: ARKENmuseum (2009) Lawrence Weiner. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puEMu8JBu00 (Accessed: 26 April 2012)

Semiotics and Art

Picture found at:  http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/artistic/pages/magritte-pipe.shtml (Accessed: 26 April 2012)

I think I could easily say semiotics is more of a discipline, and put it in a category with all the other art disciplines you find in schools, even if it’s not used as one. Angela Ferreira (2007) said that ‘semiotics can translate a picture from an image into words’, making it easier for the reader to acknowledge the meaning behind certain images, and especially of an artwork. Semiotics is everywhere, even if you just read something, or just look at a picture, painting, or simply listen to a song. It is that thing that makes you wonder, and reconsider the way you see and understand day by day events. It is very important in art to have semiotics, because it give the audience a chance to get behind the artist’s mind and thoughts, to see a part of the same perspective as the artist’s one and even develop it further, from their own point of view. It is also that double meaning of a word or a phrase, which leads to wondering and second thinking, giving the person to chance to extend it’s own  ideas and visual fields.

Reference list:   Ferreira, A. (2007) ‘How useful is semiotics as a method for analyzing works of art?’ Art & Perception,  25 February.  Available: http://artandperception.com/2007/02/how-useful-is-semiotics-as-a-method-for-analysing-works-of-art.html (Accessed: 26April 2012)

Is It All About Identity...?

Image found at:  http://www.foundshit.com/category/ads/page/12/  (Accessed: 26 April 2012)

What is it about identity that makes it for people so difficult to show it? Is it the fear of not being accepted as who you are? Or just the thought that is a vulnerability? In the art world, I think it’s exactly the opposite: everybody wants to create their own identity and voice, to be that person that has something else to say and show it to the world. If you consider the fact that many years ago, ‘Identity formation was not a matter of individual choice and negotiation’ (Côté and Levine, 2002, p.1), people’s identities were created by the society leaders and what they were considering a person should be like. In our days it is freedom to choose you own identity and what type of person you want to be, but there are still conflicts in between when it comes to the idea if we made the right choice or not, when we present ourselves as who we are.  As an artist, it is actually essential to have your own identity and to show yourself to the world as who you are, because people when they know you as an artist, they don’t have the same urgency to judge you, but actually to appreciate you.

Reference list:

Côté, E. J. and Levine, G.C. (2002) ‘Identity, Formation, Agency, and Culture:  A Social Psychological Synthesis’ (2002)  Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Online]. Available at: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=110529471 (Accessed:  26 April 2012)

Postmodernism In Marcus Jansen's View

Images found at:  http://www.marcusjansen.com/gallery/  (Accessed: 26 April 2012)

Marcus Jansen is a very complex talent, a very unique approach to the society’s problems and figures, I would personally say that he is a great viewer of our daily problems in the world, from the economical ones, to the humanitarian ones. You can describe his art as being ‘powerful, colorful and dynamic’ (TDfilmsinc, 2011). What I found very distinctive is that his art describes exactly what postmodernism is about, all the ideas about defining the traditional ways in all other types, his technique being so exquisite and unique, and even if he’s works are quite abstract, you can still read the story behind them. I think that a big influence in his works was what he had to experience when he joined the US Army, because it’s clear that the stories behind his works have complex compositions that give you the strange feeling that the people in them walk around devastated streets, and it’s hard to see such a big truth, it really makes you feel bad, but in the same time is the reality of it that makes it so special. I definitely feel that Jansen’s body of work is the perfect way to illustrate the truth that we were given to live and experience.

Reference list:

TDfilmsinc(2011) Marcus Jansen –A painters Allegory – Exhibition. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E1hzWsuKxHE (Accessed: 26 April 2012)