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Thank You Interpret Durban! on Oct 02I am overjoyed and super thankful to Interpret Durban for inviting me to enter the T-Shirt competition last weekend. I was placed second and won a Wacom Tablet! A special thank you to Garth Walker, Rick Andrews and Richard Hart who judged the high standard of work.
Hero Number 1 on Sep 06Hero Number 1 – Jacob Hashimoto, Artist I discovered this artist by chance during my artist residency in Finland last summer. I did an art walk around the city of Helsinki and it was a complete fluke that I got to his work in person. Have a look at his website over here. Jacob Hashimoto simulates nature without purporting to replicate it. Based in New York and of Japanese decent, Hashimoto redefines Japanese screen painting with his assemblages of paper “kites” in undulating, interactive compositions. Hashimoto’s artwork embodies his longtime fascination with the intersections of painting and sculpture, abstraction and landscape. Each work is comprised of hundreds of small bamboo and paper kite-like elements. These kite elements are strung together in chains, and layers of these chains are stretched taut between short dowels that project from wall-mounted brackets, creating a densely layered and fragmented tapestry of image or pattern.
Hero No.2 (I cheated!) on Aug 21Ok I am cheating here but these next 3 artists have equally influenced me over the last 10 years or so. Its been really hard trying to narrow it down to my favourite artist. Any idea? Hero Number 2 – Barry Mcgee, Painter McGee rose out of the Mission School art movement and graffiti boom in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early nineties. His work draws heavily from a pessimistic view of the urban experience, which he describes as, “urban ills, overstimulations, frustrations, addictions & trying to maintain a level head under the constant bombardment of advertising”. McGee’s paintings are very iconic, with central figures dominating abstracted backgrounds of drips, patterns and color fields. He has also painted portraits of street characters on their own empty bottles of liquor, painted flattened spray cans picked up at train yards and painted wrecked vehicles for art shows.
Hero Number 2 – Margaret Kilgallen, Painter Kilgallen was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up nearby in Kensington, Maryland. She received a BFA in printmaking from Colorado College in 1989 and an MFA from Stanford University in 2001. Though diagnosed with breast cancer, Kilgallen opted to forgo chemotherapy so that she might carry a pregnancy to term. She died in 2001, at age 33, three weeks after the birth of Asha, her daughter with her husband and collaborator Barry McGee. Kilgallen has since been the subject of several posthumous retrospectives.
Hero Number 2 – Jeff Soto, Painter Jeff Soto (born June 3, 1975 in Fullerton, California) is an American contemporary artist. His distinct color palette, subject matter and technique have been said to bridge the gap between Pop Surrealism and Street Art. Check out mor of his work here.
Hero No.3 on Aug 17Hero Number 3 – Paul Senyol, Painter Paul Senyol is one of my favourite artists. He is dedicated, passionate and works hard. I was lucky enough to meet him when I was in Cape Town many years ago. I just knocked on his studio door and he invited me in. Since then we have become good friends and have done many exhibitions together as well as doing an artist residency in Finland. Influenced by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cy Twombly his work is unique and original. He is a man of faith and he makes the best flat bread pizza’s in the world! Check out his blog over here.
Hero No. 4 on Aug 08Hero Number 4 – David Kinsey, Artist David Kinsey was one of the first artists that really inspired me in 1999. I discovered his work by chance and his work has been a constant source of inspiration. His new works have become more refined and simplified. Dave Kinsey (born 1971, Pittsburgh, PA) is an American contemporary artist and designer who lives and works in Los Angeles and Three Rivers, California. He’s known for his emotionally charged paintings and murals, as well as high-visibility logos and advertising campaigns, including the ubiquitous DC Shoes logo, The Black-Eyed Peas Elephunk album icon, N.E.R.D. “brain” and Epitaph Records identity. In October, 2011, he joined the esteemed Kenwood Vineyards Artist Series as their 33rd annual artist. The series has included Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Sam Francis and Alexander Calder among others. On the design side, Kinsey currently owns and runs the design studio BLK/MRKT with partner Jana DesForges. He was a founding partner in 1997 with Shepard Fairey and Phillip DeWolff, becoming sole owner in 2003. The studio became well known for its guerilla marketing tactics, and the development of high-impact marketing campaigns. An offshoot of the design studio, BLK/MRKT Gallery (later Kinsey/DesForges, currently closed) was introduced in Los Angeles in 2001, moving in 2004 to what has become known as the Culver City Art District. Sister venture BLK/MRKT Editions produces fine art prints.
Hero No. 5 on Jul 23Hero Number 5 – David Choong Lee, Artist David Choong Lee is one of those artists that really inspired me as I was starting out. I think he still does.
David Choong Lee talks about his process as an artist in this video slideshow below. When I first saw this video in 2009 it really encouraged me to continue working as an artist. It gets really interesting in the second half when he is in his studio talking a little more about his work.
David Choong Lee – Studio Visit from Babylon Falling on Vimeo. Hero No 6 on Jul 10Hero Number 6 – Erik Otto, Artist Erik Otto is an American artist who does a variety of work such as large-scale installations, theater sets, retail storefronts, and independent film sets. He recently completed the Artist-in-Residence program at Recology San Francisco in 2009 and was grant recipient of the SFAC Art in Storefronts in 2011. See more of his work over here.
Hero No.7 on Jul 09Hero Number 7 – Olaf Hajeck, Illustrator and Painter Olaf Hajeck is a German-based illustrator, painter, artist, graphic designer, and author. Originally studying to be a graphic designer, Olaf switched to illustration and taught alongside the likes of fashion legend, Vivienne Westwood. I love the fact that he is a painter but also a very popular illustrator in the publishing world. Check out his work over here.
Hero No.8 on Jun 26Hero Number 8 – Cody Hudson, Artist Cody Hudson lives in Chicago and can’t really draw – or so he claims which is pretty darn cool as he does some amazing stuff. I like his unique take on abstract images and simple line work. Sometimes I wish I could be a little loose with my line work like him.
Hero No.9 on Jun 25Hero Number 9 – Lotta Nieminen, Illustrator and Graphic Designer Lotta Nieminen is a Finnish Illustrator and Graphic Designer and has a wonderful simplicity that really appeals to me. Its always great discovering a designer that you really like and find out they come from one of those countries you really love! Have a listen to a podcast interview with Lotta Nieminen on Your Dreams My Nightmares over here.
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