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.