March 23rd, 2012

Painter and illustrator Caitlin Hackett now works out of Brooklyn, but she spent much of her early life in northern California. It was in her home state that she first developed and nurtured a love of nature, animals, and mythology, all of which inform her art today. Using mostly ballpoint pen and watercolor, she creates wildly imaginative creatures that are somewhere between human, animal, and spirit.

Says the artist: ”My work alludes to the boundaries that separate humans from animals both physically and metaphysically, and how these boundaries are warped by new scientific data, mythology, history and religious beliefs alike, blurring the lines between us as science, religion and culture clash over what it is to be human, and thus, what separates us from the beasts of the wild.”

Take a closer look at Caitlin Hackett’s dark imaginings after the jump. Read more »

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March 1st, 2012

Illustrator Liza Corbett lives and works in New York, previously having studied at Syracuse University and the Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy. Her dark fantasies and fairy tales populated by angular ladies, weed-people, and animal bones have appeared in exhibitions both here and abroad, as well as on the pages of Atlantic Monthly, Bitch Magazine, and - best of all, amirite? – now Beautiful/Decay. Check out her creations after the jump. Oh, and maybe try to find all the severed limbs. It’s like a Where’s Waldo of scissor-cut hands, really. Read more »

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February 21st, 2012

The illustrations of young Russian artist Dima Rebus may not be in-your-face flashy or neon bright, but they are bright in a different way. Less is more in these cases, as he inserts subtle humor into just about every piece he makes. He imagines a world in which handcuffed delinquents enjoy a spot of tea before their booking and where the riot police cavort with rioters in the streets - and any art that lets me use words like ‘cavort’ when talking about it, well, it’s alright by me. Read more »

February 3rd, 2012

What musings I have read by Peony Yip – aka The White Deer – express her true passion for drawing, something she has pursued, as she says, because it is the only thing she knows. The Hong Kong native of only 21 honestly asserts that she is no professional artist, instead describing herself as just a recent college graduate, broke, and looking to freelance a bit. Of course, the young woman can claim what she would like, but I think her talent is undeniable. Amateur or not, I have been loving her varied works. Take a look at some of her creations here, and maybe show this up-and-coming artist a bit of love after the jump. Read more »

January 24th, 2012

Never were there lovelier tortured souls. Wisconsin-born and University of Wisconsin at Madison-trained artist Melissa Cooke works primarily in powdered graphite and often casts herself as the subject of her drawn musings. Striking in both subject matter and detail, her creations explore themes of violence, sexuality, and identity. The nuances of story and emotion evoked are powerful, often unsettling. All of this is made by the artist’s skillful hand, guiding her dry brush across thin layers of graphite on sizeable pieces of paper. Read more »

January 24th, 2012

San Marcos, Texas based Rand Renfrow’s work is a meticulous pile of dime store pottery, discarded cacti, and salvaged neon navajo patterned furniture.

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January 3rd, 2012

 

Argentina-native and -based artist Irana Douer‘s works are delightfully deceptive; often, simple lines and minimal color are combined to create works fraught with symbolism. Women are the stars of her productions. Many of her illustrations and sketches show hurt or sad, yet strong women. Read more »

December 12th, 2011

LA-based artist Melissa Manfull‘s watercolors and drawings are all at once architectural and abstract. And, wouldn’t you know it, modern architecture and colorful, geometric art are two of my favorite things. Manfull has studied and practiced studio art both in the US and Canada, but she is now living and work in Los Angeles, California, USA. She has had a few solo exhibitions, and is currently represented by Taylor de Cordoba Gallery. Read more »

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