ANALOG GIRL...DIGITAL WORLD...

I guess that's why I'm so drawn to these overwhelmingly charming hand-crafted works of art by French/American artist Christopher Bettig.

I discovered his work while searching for art to hang on my living room wall. I love the patterns, colorful bursts, whimsical paper pinwheels...there's a very obvious child-like sensibility.

It seems the world has already caught on, as his client list includes The Standard Hotel, Urban Outfitters and Converse, just to name a few. 

Check him out here.

All photos courtesy of http://www.themountainlabel.com/

By Alejandro Leonelli

By Jeff Stratford

 

By Margaret Chavigny

 

By Margaret Chavigny (detail)

OAKLAND ART MURMUR

The First Friday of every month, the galleries of Uptown Oakland open their doors and vendors fill the streets for a night of music, art, crafts and food. Since this is officially my third "first Friday" since living in Oakland, I was eager to check it out. 

And I looooved it! SF Bay Area artists and their loyal fans abound...the event was pretty fantastic! So inspiring! Above are a few of my faves.

Read more about the monthly event here.

Study for Blue Water, Silver Moon, 1991

Lost Boys: AKA Black Johnny

Lost Boys: AKA Black Al

Lost Boys: AKA Baby Brother, 1992

Beauty Examined, 1993

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL

I checked out the MoMA site this morning, and came across this stunning image (at top) of what was upon first glance, a mermaid-woman, half-submerged in water. Mystical, mysterious, haunting, heavy, lovely.

Born in 1955 in Birmingham, Marshall pulled inspiration from his surroundings and the Civil Rights Movement.

 “You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1955 and grow up in South Central [Los Angeles] near the Black Panthers headquarters, and not feel like you’ve got some kind of social responsibility. You can’t move to Watts in 1963 and not speak about it. That determined a lot of where my work was going to go...” 

— Marshall (thx PBS.org) 

Lucky for me, Study for Blue Water is currently on view at the MoMA as part of their Contemporary Art from the Collection exhibit, until May of next year.

Read more about the artist here.

ZOVECK ESTUDIO

...is magical.

I just discovered this Mexico City-based studio today. It was formed in 2004 by Julio Carraso and Sonia Romero.

Anatomical studies (to put it mildly...take a closer look at the 4th image down. Whoa!) + all things kitsch + a twist on stereotypical Mexican themes = visual overload that keeps you asking for more.

See more of their work aqui.

THE WILD UNKNOWN

Aren't these lovely???

I'm in awe of these wonderful little handmade prisms filled with wonderful little things. They'd make a great gift (for me, of course!)

“Our work is inspired by summers spent in the Catskill Mountains and on the shores of Lake Superior. We hope The Wild Unknown items bring you moments of solitude and wonder, wherever you are.”  

– The Wild Unknown

Check them out here.

Tupac Lives, Mixed Media on Masonite

Water-N-Oxygen, Mixed Media on Paper

Brain Tumor, Mixed Media on Paper

Portrait of the artist (Photographer unknown)

TMNK...

...Short for "The Me Nobody Knows". New York based TMNK is sort of a mystery. It seems to be a conscious decision on his part to stay out of the spotlight, letting his art speak for itself. He dubs his work 

"urban hieroglyphics".

There's something about his work that elicits a sense of heaviness in my chest. The child-like forms and simple shapes give way to a deeper, more complex story.

Check out his blog to view more of his work.

BRIAN HUNTER

Some art pieces unexpectedly hit you in the chest, leaving you breathless and woozy. Brian Hunter's incredibly haunting paintings on sleeping bags and mattresses do just that to me.  

For me, they deal with the subjects of past vs. present and transferred energy. A mattress is something that some people spend more time with than their loved ones. They absorb blood, sweat and tears. What happens to these mattresses once they're discarded? Do they retain their former owner's energy and spirit?

Food for thought on this glum Tuesday afternoon.

See more of Hunter's work here.

(click to enlarge)

By Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov

(click to enlarge)

By Peter Liversidge

(click to enlarge)

Sculpture by Nick Cave

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Doug Aitken, 2009

LED lit lightbox

ART BASEL MIAMI: A RECAP

Including work from over 2,000 artists and 250 art galleries from all over the world, Art Basel Miami Beach is a sister event to Art Basel Switzerland, the world's premiere art show that has been occurring for the past 40 years.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it, but a good friend of mine, Naja, made it down there, and L-O-V-E-D it. I asked her to report back to me, and here's what she had to say:

++++++++++++++

A couple of weeks back, I had the pleasure of heading down to warm Miami Beach for the spectacular gathering of Art Basel. I didn’t know what to expect, since I’ve never been to Art Basel before. I’ve also never been to Miami. 

I must say, Miami was sort of what I had imagined. Art Deco, neon signs, palmtrees, beautiful beaches, Cubans, Italians, Bentleys and Rolls Royces. 80s style, Miami Vice and Don Johnsons. So I must admit it might all have affected my Art Basel experience, but oh, how I loved it. 

Art everywhere! 

Paintings, sculptures, light installations! From underground, raw art spaces to million dollar events, big hotels and fancy hairdos. Another funny thing was that lots of New Yorkers were there in Miami, so it was almost like a big New York party but just located under the sunny blue sky and pastel coloured streets...

A lot of people dressed the part and were walking art pieces, but most people were just wearing their fanciest gear, dressed to impress at one of the many parties. I was excited to walk through the Convention Center to see all the different colours, shapes and inventions. 

I thought a lot about what goes through people's minds when they come up with all these far-out things. On the first day, I took a little break on the beach, and I looked out to the water and there was a little floating house... I realized later it was a part of an art piece, but in the moment I just thought South Beach was quite a special place. 

I especially loved the Design District, and the more ‘”raw” streets, where the walls where covered with paintings...and with heart and soul. I shall return to Art Basel again! And Miami and its Art Deco, is quite a sight in itself.

– Naja Rosa

++++++++++++++

Thanks Naja, for being my first official oyster-sauce reporter! You've convinced me...I'm definitely heading down next year.

P.S. Naja Rosa is a musician, photographer and an amazingly creative spirit. Check out her music here.

(Click to enlarge. You MUST see all of the details.)

SIDEWALK FINDINGS / 

WYCKOFF STREET EDITION

Ginormous flowers, swaying buildings, dancers, birds and countless patterns make up this mosaic facade of a building in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Everything is covered with a plastic bead, a button, a ceramic shard, a shell...

And when I say everything, I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. This includes the actual ground, inside the fence that separates it from the sidewalk. 

BTW, those two round mirrors above the window on the left? Those are from Ikea. I owned one way back when. It's great to see that the artist made good use of those ugly things!

The building is certainly a sight to see, especially on a dreary autumn day.

Susan Gardner started this project in 2001. I can only imagine what the inside looks like. 

See more of her work here.

NINA BRAUN

Lovesculpture, 2007

Wool, wadding, doll-eyes, cap, tape, button, wire, wood

I'm all tingly.

This HILARIOUS piece was created by German artist, Nina Braun. She creates plush sculptures, using wool and other fabric. The characters that she creates are laughable, and definitely attitudinal. 

Outside of her sculpting, she also is a graphic designer, skateboard artist (and skateboarder) AND is a painter. She also founded Germany's first female-owned and operated skateboard shop back in 1998.

Phew!

Check out these knit sneakers that she made! I'll take the Vision Street High-Tops please!

And see more of her work here.

ERIKA SOMOGYI

Top:

Major Meltdown, 2006

Watercolor, gouache, colored pencil on paper with collage

Middle:

Light Eyes, 2007

Watercolor and gouache on paper

Bottom:

Driftwood Forest, 2006

Watercolor and gouache on paper

Fellow Brooklynite and fellow SVA-alum, Somogyi also sculpts. It was seriously a challenge to whittle the paintings down to these three favorites.

The multi-colored raindrops, barren trees, super-saturated color...dreamy...

Check out more of her work here.