Artist Research: Michael Whelan

I discovered this artist from a fantasy book I started reading called The Way of Kings. He painted the above image for the cover of the book. I was blown away by the way he used complementary colors to make areas in the painting pop out. I love the little details of the piece, like the translucency of the knight's cape and the sliver of moon near the edge. The way he handled the sky is gorgeous.



This painting is also from a book series called The Dark Tower by Stephen King. There is a real sense of depth and space, like you can just step right inside the painting. Whelan seems to use blue and orange frequently to add color contrast.



If I could describe his art in one word, it would be: epic. You get a good feel of the story he illustrates. He really transports you into a whole other world.

Artist Research: Stephanie Pui-Mun

While probably not well-known, Stephanie Pui-Mun's art is still breathtaking and imaginative. Her style reminds me somewhat of Yoshitaka Amano's, mostly from the washy colors and expressive linework. Her subject matter is fantasy and she appears to reference myths and fairy tales.



I love her surreal environments. They are suggestive and dream-like, not really following the realistic use of perspective, but having a life of their own. Although, it looks like she must use a lot of source material.



I enjoy how she pieces different narratives together into a cohesive whole. The above painting looks like it could have been at least three separate paintings. I think it's beautiful that she has a nice balance of muted and saturated colors.

Artist Research: Amy Brown

Although I think she is less dynamic than other artists I've researched, I think Amy Brown has a certain quality to her work that I admire. She handles watercolor beautifully and her designs for fairy wings appear to be endless. I'm not really a fan of her paintings of just individual fairies, but I do like her work that incorporates some sort of background and narrative.





One could argue that her paintings have no real "substance" and are lacking conceptually, but I think certain aspects of her work (clothing designs, fairy wings) are actually quite creative and unique to her. While her work isn't very realistic, she has a distinct style that is fairly attractive. I like her detailed linework and the way she paints hair flowing in the wind.



Although I prefer the dark fairy art of Brian Froud, Brown's work has a sort of mass appeal to it, which is why you tend to see much of it on t-shirts and posters.

Artist Research: Jeff Soto

A street artist and illustrator, Jeff Soto has a very distinct style that is often described as Pop Surrealism, or lowbrow art. His subject matter is fantastical and characterized by strange creatures with large eyes.



I love his use of bold, saturated colors. His paintings look luminescent and highly rendered. They seem to have a humorous feel to them, yet also carry a creepy vibe.



His work is very detailed. You can see the individual strokes of paint throughout the painting, which must have been a very time-consuming process. The fact that he is just as detailed in his street art is incredibly impressive.

Artist Research: Amy Sol

Similar to another artist I researched, Amy Sol tends to paint on wood panel, as the grain of the wood helps her to get a feel for a piece she's about to paint. Her work mostly consists of muted, pastel colors, and beautifully expressive forms and patterns. Her subject matter revolves around young women and animals in surreal environments.



You can definitely see in the above painting how she allows the grain of the wood to show, which looks lovely with her artwork.





Her paintings look so magical and innocent. I could see a parent hanging them in their child's bedroom. I really enjoy seeing paintings that don't need to employ explicit subject matter in order to make an impact. Not that I mind either way, it's just very refreshing.



I think I'd like to try to be more deliberate and neat with my artwork after seeing hers. I can be a bit messy and all over the place at times. You can tell that she must have spent a good deal of time and effort painting these.

Artist Research: Camille Rose Garcia

I recently discovered this artist. Her work is utterly bizarre, but in a good way. There is an incredibly amount of chaos in her paintings; you're not quite sure what to focus on. Her colors are very saturated and bold. They honestly look like someone's idea of an acid trip. But I am really drawn to them.



I would describe her art as gothic fantasy. Some of the imagery I feel I recognize from children's books. I know she did illustrate her own version of Alice in Wonderland (1st image). I really enjoy her boldness and the sense of narrative you get despite the craziness.



Her pieces are so surreal, and look a bit nightmarish. I definitely admire her consistency in her rather distinct style.

Artist Research: Audrey Kawasaki

I am in love with Audrey Kawasaki's work. There is something ethereal, subtle, and mysterious about her paintings. She primarily paints with oil paint on wood panels.



Looking at her paintings, I would never have guessed that she used oil paint. You can definitely see cross-hatching and the images look so flat and smooth.



I think the portraits are beautiful, although you can tell that she probably paints mostly from imagination, since all of her faces look the same. However, that doesn't really bother me. I love how she combines portraits with patterns. The way she paints hair is amazing, too. She makes it so long, flowy, and expressive.

Letter of Encouragement

Dear Amber,

How is the art-making coming? Making progress? Still doubting yourself? I've seen what you can do, how far you've come since you started, and I think you can push yourself even farther! The potential to be really great is there, if only you could stop worrying and concentrate on making. I know it's hard when you compare yourself to other artists, but you just have to let them motivate you, rather than discourage you. No one makes perfect art all the time, if there is such a thing. What one person thinks looks amazing, another will think is utter garbage. So you can't depend on approval and acceptance with your artwork. Sure, you need to be noticed and liked to make it in this industry, but you need to make art for YOU. What do you like in a piece of art? What attracts you? What repels you? Don't copy anyone's style. You can learn from what others have done in the past, but ultimately, you need to find your own unique voice.

I know it's easy to be distracted by books, TV, the Internet, etc., and it's so much easier to save things for later rather than working on something right now. But right NOW is the only time you can do anything. If you keep putting off your artwork, you'll never know what you can do, or what you're good at. The only way to become an artist is to BE an artist. You know what they say (and I know you hate this saying, but it does work), "Fake it 'till you make it!"

Start taking yourself more seriously. Don't dismiss everything you make as "boring, stupid, or uncreative". Someone might actually want to buy that "boring, stupid, uncreative" piece! And, trust me, nothing you make is as bad as you think it is. Just think how good you'd be if you stopped caring what people might think of your art. The pieces where you cared less and just drew, painted, sculpted, etc., ended up better than anything you spent hours planning and conceptualizing.

Okay? Now, get back to work!

-Sol Lewitt

Artist Research: Vladimir Kush

Kush is a Russian surrealist oil painter. He paints beautiful, dream-like environments with metaphorical content. His use of color is vivid and luminous.



I really love how realistic these paintings are. It's as though somewhere out there, there could be a world that looks just like this.



I love how he combines different kinds of imagery together to make an interesting narrative. I feel like when I am looking at his paintings I am looking at all sorts of hidden meanings.

Virtual curated exhibition

My idea for my exhibition is to include artists whose work I am really drawn to and who have inspired me in some way. The main theme is going to be about fantasy and surrealism. I am thinking about titling it "Fantastical Worlds". Most of the artists I include will be leaning towards realistic and illustrative qualities. The artists I plan on including are: James Jean, Brian Froud, Yoshitaka Amano, Donato Giancola, James Gurney, and possibly a few more that I have not decided on. What these artists have in common is that their work tends to be narrative, dream-like, and immersive. Some of them are stylistically different, yet they are similar in subject matter and theme.

Artist Research: Donato Giancola

I just recently discovered this artist, Donato Giancola, and I am simply amazed by his skill and talent. His work is so imaginative and his level of detail is insane. He draws inspiration from the old masters of painting, like Caravaggio, Vermeer, William Bouguereau, and Hans Memling. When I look at his paintings, I am definitely reminded of baroque and renaissance art.





His work is very dramatic. I can really get the sense of the narrative that he is conveying. The way he paints light and shadows is incredibly beautiful. I enjoy the areas of saturated color, which add nice contrast.



Giancola's paintings transport you into another world, making you part of the story he weaves. I love how each part of his painting is interesting, not just the focal area, but everywhere in the painting. There's always something to catch your eye.

Artist Research: James Gurney

I really, truly admire James Gurney's work. The level of realism and detail is phenomenal. I think it is incredible that he creates these worlds with dinosaurs and humans coexisting in his Dinotopia books. They look so real and believable.



I've flipped through his book on color and light, and it is incredibly informative. You can tell he knows what he is doing by how deliberately and intelligently he paints color. I think that it is awesome that he still paints with oil paint, considering how illustration has been shifting to the digital realm.




I absolutely love his portraits as well. They are beautiful and really capture the individuality of the model. I like how he uses minimal brushstrokes to define certain areas, like the hair, and renders focal areas, like the eyes, nose and lips, with more detail.



I hope to one day be able to paint/draw at his skill level. He is definitely an artist I would love to emulate.

Artist Research: Aubrey Beardsley

I am loving Aubrey Beardsley's work. His drawings make a big impression, even though they are in black and white. His linework is beautiful and delicate. I really enjoy all the white space and the flatness of the forms. It looks like his work was inspired by the Japanese woodblock prints.



I also really like how he incorporates patterns in his drawings. They aren't all over the place, but rather in specific areas that draw your eye in. The sense of narrative is great too. The figures interact with each other and have expressive faces. It's like he captured a scene from a story perfectly.

Mid-term Self-Evaluation

Thus far, I am mostly happy with my work. I like how the portraits are turning out. I really enjoyed making use of both colored pencil and ink and I think that I will continue to use both materials. One thing that I would like to try is going bigger with my paper. Probably not too much larger, but maybe at least 24x36'', or something around there. I'm also considering using soft pastels for the big piece, since colored pencils take a while to build up color and value. I might go for two large drawings by the end of the semester and 3 more smaller ones, hopefully more if I manage my time well. I definitely want to incorporate a few full figure drawings, since I've only done up to the bust in my portraits so far. I'm thinking about experimenting with watercolor, and maybe acrylic as well, in some of the smaller drawings. I want to try to push myself with developing darker values, since I tend to make my drawings too light with not much contrast. I really do like the direction my art is headed and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Movie I love the look of

Pan's Labyrinth:





A lot of scenes are very dark and a bit hard to see at times. I love the mystery involved in them, where you are not quite sure what will pop up.
The make-up is absolutely gorgeous. The faun character is completely done with make-up and some animatronics. It is so real and convincing.
The whole movie has this eerie, fantasy quality and you are not quite sure if any of it is real, or just a part of the girl's imagination.
The color and light is so saturated for certain scenes. The contrast is really beautiful.
The camera angles are really dynamic.

Artist Quote

EDWARD HOPPER

“So many people say painting is fun. I don’t find it fun at all. It’s hard work for me.”

I find this to be accurate regarding my experience making art. As much as I love the final product and knowing that my efforts paid off, I don't really like the process of getting there. I second guess myself all the time and wonder if I'm painting or drawing the right way, or that I'm somehow missing something important. I have to force myself to draw or paint. Sometimes I get in the "zone" and it comes easy for me, mostly when I know what needs to be done or when I'm not worrying about how it will turn out. Most of the time, it's like I'd rather be doing something else, no matter how trivial or mundane. It's strange (not to mention stressful) how I have this love/hate relationship with my work, but I can't imagine myself doing anything else.

Artist Research: Ernesto Caivano

Caivano's drawings are simply stunning. He manages to convey so much only by using line. I love his patterning and suggestions of texture. I think that I would like to do something similar with my drawings, especially with this in class project. I would like to experiment with ink and attempt to combine it with some minimal color, perhaps watercolor or markers.