John Lurie

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Bird Falls Near Chinese Garbage

Bird Falls Near Chinese Garbage

Minneapolis born John Lurie is a jack of all trades. He was originally a musician, playing sax in NYC no wave group Lounge Lizards. Later, in the 1980s, he moved on to acting, having a number of memorable roles in Jim Jarmusch movies like Down By Law. Mostly recently however, and especially since isolating himself due to what seems to be Lyme disease, Lurie has been a painter, creating dark, absurdist works with unusual titles. If you like his work, I recommend adding him on Facebook. His online updates are little gems of black humor, just like his paintings.

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Afghan Star

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Just watched Afghan Star yesterday and was extremely impressed by this Sundance Award winning Documentary….

After 30 years of war and Taliban-rule, pop culture has returned to Afghanistan. Afghan Star – a Pop Idol-style TV series – is searching the country for the next generation of music stars. Over 2000 people are auditioning and even three women have come forward to try their luck. The organizers, Tolo TV, believe with this programme they can ‘move people from guns to music’.

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Dan Sabau

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I recently ran into Dan Sabau‘s haunting and ethereal abstract-figurative watercolors at YES Gallery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I was immediately drawn to the dashing bright colors and the flow of lines that maintained a definitive form despite allusive strokes of paint. Faces and figures are distraught and aloof, some hidden and others morphed into voluptuous loops. There’s a confounding element of ghastly transparency and confrontational forwardness that makes them disturbing and addictive.

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Stephanie Homa

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Stephanie Homa

As soon as I saw these jumping guys on Stephanie Homa‘s homepage, I knew I was in for a treat! Her artist statement, below, perfectly describes her style:

“My works are of a spontaneous and impulsive nature. Inspired by the playfulness and imperfection I discover in everyday occurrences, I am interested in carrying these values into my work, intending an intuitive and instant expression.

I aim to visualize indistinct moments of perception, thoughts and ideas by creating series of swift and automatic works such as drawings and paintings. While experimenting with spontaneous thoughts, randomness and accidents in my practice, the boundlessness in the use of expression, material and format plays an essential role in my work.”

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Alexis Kaneshiro

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It pains me to say that an extraordinary intern of ours, Alexis Kaneshiro, will be leaving the Beautiful/Decay offices today! Alexis is a budding creative talent studying Fine Art at USC (not to mention a pleasure to work with) and will be missed here! Anyways, her personal artwork is really lovely- marked by a characteristic sense of fancy, sincerity and whimsical charm (sort of like her!) I love the cake she made, above, that interprets the tactile “softness” and festive nature of a birthday cake through the  crafty materials of felt, balloons, googly eyes, pearls and candles. Constructed from these materials, the fleeting nature of the cake is transformed into a permenent and bittersweet effigy to her father. More of her work below!

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Diary of a Madman: Part 4

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Kyle Thomas is still crankin’ out covers for our new book, check out some of the more newer ones after the jump. I’m sure we’ll have a trash can full of dried up Sharpies by the end of this…

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Bill Burns – Safety Gear for Small Animals

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Bill Burns - Safety Gear for Small Animals

Everyone loves a miniature. That’s why we all love Bill Burns’ Safety Gear for Small Animals. These tiny guys are on display at the MoMA in New York along with guides on how to assist small animals. Burns’ work consists mainly of sculpture, photographs and books. All of his work acts as a commentary on human stewardship of the environment.

Tadashi Moriyama

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I found Tadashi Moriyama‘s work during Bushwick Open Studios this past June and fell in love with the intricacy and obsessive mark making process that is evident in each ink and gouache work. Each painting is rife with apocalyptic imagery rendered in countless repetitions of a few motifs including waffle-like gridded squares forming architectural structures and tubular wobbly connectors slithering in and out of buildings and bodily orifices.

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