May 21st, 2009
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Girl So Fine• 2007, oil on wood, 10cm x 15cm

Girl So Fine• 2007, oil on wood, 10cm x 15cm

Raunchy, suggestive illustrations with strange pseudo-human characters leave viewers unnerved, but at the same time, engaged in a conversation of questions. What is going on and why?? Melissa Stekbauer‘s works can place the viewer in a vulnerable, almost submissive, state, allowing her characters some authority. Her works present interesting narratives, especially because they are paired with a softer painting technique, which can feel more inviting and friendly than the actual content of the work. Maybe that’s why it’s “seductive”?

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May 19th, 2009
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Interiority (2007), 35.75 x 47.75

Interiority (2007), 35.75 x 47.75

Artist Brian Cooper‘s paintings explore the idea of landscape and space through abstract representation. His work features surreal situations that appear to explode from their ‘real’ counterparts. Check out the way he uses depth by contrasting the ” tension between flat and far” to create eerie and fantastical environments. I love how, as the viewer, I get sucked into the padded rooms and sharp angles of his creative, dali-esque compositions. The structures and strange shapes become more enticing through Cooper’s use of rich colors. There’s a cool tangible quality to the visual textures of the abstract surfaces, especially in Bulge, posted after the jump.

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