Othelo Gervacio’s Horror/Skate/Metal ink wash work is where it’s at. Gervacio’s technique renders skeletons, reapers, and ghosts just softly enough to mix up the whole graphics game. With a nice mix of controlled bleeding and tight line work, this is a prime example of how this stuff should be done. Where Neckface might parody, Gervacio comes in and celebrates, proving that imitation is not always a form of surrendered creativity.
Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, who is based in Berlin, creates sculptural installations. Often surrounding miscellaneous items like clothing or furniture in tangled nets of twine, she places strict limits upon perception within her work. The stringy elements of her installations almost exist as clouds obstructing the objects that make up each piece. In this way, a work is viewed simultaneously as a singular object and as a product of its environment. Here, airy materials compound into an extremely weighted whole, repositioning our impressions of worldly material. (via)
Originally from France, graphic designer Jean Julien lives in London. Julien designed “Le Nid”, a bar in the shape of a bird, which stretches 40 meters and sits on the top floor at the Tour de Bretagne in Nantes, France. It’s clear that lots of thought went into this detailed project. The bird’s eyes blink, and chairs are shaped as eggs. (via)
Matthias Duwel’s abundantly colorful paintings and black and white drawings operate in dynamic transition between clutter and streamlined clarity. Düwel’s work centers on the idea of flux, excess and superabundance. At first glance, the environmental issues addressed in his pieces deflect recognition, due to the skillful use of unique color spaces-from chromatic grays to highly saturated pinks, greens, blues and violets.
The worlds Düwel constructs are reminiscent of amusement parks, camouflaging so to speak the seriousness of the subject-matter. His chaotically vivid, whirlwind compositions spin out of control, however upon closer inspection, little areas of respite, little Edens appear: a snow globe, an Airstream trailer, a suburban enclave.
These idealized enclaves produce the realization that only deep inside ourselves, within the confines of our own inner sanctum, can we find the stability that we as humans inherently seek…our personal Eden.
Martha Otero Gallery in Los Angeles opens a solo exhibition of Duwel’s work entitled Eden on August 4th.
Sculptural and mixed media work from David Nyzio. Working in material as diverse as algae and bug excrement, Nyzio’s work defies certain classification and provides a nice testament to the crossroads that can exist between concept and aesthetics.
Renee French has been making comics for a long time. But for a few years now, she’s maintained a sketchblog full of spontaneous, faded graphite drawings that draw their appeal from creative character design and dubious narrative elements. Think of the black and white surrealist aesthetics of a Travis Louie painting, scaled and repackaged for children’s book production.
Chris Mars packs his compositions with awesome texture and gruesome characters. With Todd Schorr levels of craftsmanship and imagination, these paintings warrant long viewing sessions. But good luck spending any extended amount of time among them without getting sufficiently creeped out. A lot more images at the artist’s website, which also features a soundtrack and in-depth writing from Mars on his sources of inspiration.
 Graphite Sketches From Renee French "Pin It")
