http://a.stvkm.co/
https://stvkmco.tumblr.com/ Steve Kim utilizes lines and geometric shapes to abstract the human face and figure to varying degrees. His work is very clean and utilizes desaturated colors and a very cold tone. While browsing through these pieces I feel a prevalent sense of unease. What I'm most interested in is his use of color to supplement any lack of detail he has in his figures or his forms. Through textures and colors combined with rather abstract compositions, he is able to invoke specific reactions and emotions. Most of his pieces use colored pencils to create ghostly and very light pieces.
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http://arrestedmotion.com/2017/01/upcoming-alex-gross-antisocial-network-corey-helford-gallery/
Alex Gross further explores the ironic effect that 'social' media has on our real world social lives. His surreal works try to explore how technology and human interaction are interconnected. Through his use of recognizable logos and conspicuous imagery, he creates surreal environments. Personally, I don't necessarily follow this theme that much because I feel as if by this point, it's been overused. However, his use of smooth and realistic depiction of the figure combined with logos and recognizable images are some things that I could use in my work. The most important thing for me moving forward is projecting a feeling or a message through my work. It doesn't have to be a clear message, in fact I'd prefer if it was the most open to interpretation it could be. Gross's work does this through the use of surreal imagery and style. I might be able to incorporate this into my own art. Joel Daniel Phillips was one of the artists at the portrait gallery that really resonated with me. During our trip to DC, my thoughts about representing the human figure was similar to his. Through the process of his life sized drawings, he tries to understand people through a physical and emotional level. His impeccably detailed works allowed him to also portray the nuanced story of peoples' lives. It's often easy to portray people, or even a group of people with a single linear story. Phillips' work denounces that and embraces the free-formed story of the individual. Rigoberto A. Gonzalez utilizes a painting style reminiscent of the old masters to portray modern scenes and themes. Many of his paintings deal with the violence between the US and Mexico over drug trafficking and cartels. This piece caught my eye by portraying a recognizable scene without being particularly overt about its themes.
Going forward, I'm going to try to create more complete scenes rather than just a figure or a portrait. However, whether the scenes will be based in reality or not might differ depending on what I'll try to portray through my art. Oil on un-prepared board, the underpainting for the face was green, many layers of wash were used followed by thicker and thicker paint near the end
Quick sketch of friend eating lunch White acrylic wash on board Watercolor painting Scrape away acrylic to form wooden bench Scrape away lines to define bench Smiley faces Polyurethane Clear varnish Not pictured: pen and ink over figure afterwards http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/2016/10/hayal-pozanti-at-rachel-uffner/
Pozanti's art is based on exploring the relationship between humans and technology. All of her work is derived off of an alphabet she created out of symbols and shapes. These works either celebrate humanity's distinctions from technology or explores the relationship on a deeper level. Her colorful sunshade paintings combine organic and inorganic shapes. I really like how these paintings look, their rhythm and movement are unique. It's a very interesting concept to explore, and it's a unique topic only available to us in contemporary times. I may decide to incorporate some ideas from this exploration into my own content. Mark Demsteader is a popular figurative painter in the UK. His works utilize pastel, charcoal, and paints to create atmospheric figurative works. I know figurative and realistic works aren't at the pinnacle of contemporary art currently, but Demsteader and others are still successfully innovating in a very saturated field. I really like how subtle and tight the figures look, and their very loose portions give them a sense of movement. At the same time, many of his pieces lack backgrounds, and I don't know if I really like that portion as much. I might consider practicing with paints or pastels more just to explore the effects they can provide.
The drawing is going how it goes. I matted it before I left on a trip, but the real issue is that I feel as if a background is needed for it. I need to find what sort of content I want behind my art before I end up with this same issue again.
For my home project I planned out to meld geometric shapes with different elements of the human figure. I might end up combining this idea with a few figure sketches that I have in my sketchbook.
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