Russian artist Rinat Shingareev‘s Facebook page proudly proclaims he’s the “best artist alive.” I know, I know, you’ve heard that before. Rinat may or may not be the best, especially when legends like Ron English, Banksy and Kehinde Wiley are still well, alive and very productive. But the 25-year old artist, is on to something very extraordinary.
I stumbled on the work of 17-year-old painter AJ while cruising through Tumblr recently. What the New Jersey based artist lacked in age she made up immensely in talent. Her work, which she documents with process shots she posts to Tumblr, is vibrant, poised and refined. It’s as if she’s possesd with an old soul. She coy-fully says she’s “no artist” but hopes she can “learn to be one.” If you ask our opinion she could give us a pointer or two.
We kissed Elizabeth Winnel and we liked it. The Toronto, based painter received a BFA from in illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. Her current work begins each painting with a layer of drips, splashes and bleeding, the ‘associative layer’ binding form and color for emotive effect. The second layer depicts herself in vulnerable and often erotic poses. The aim is not self-objectification, but reflection and analysis. In her paintings she endeavors to make apparent the dichotomy of interior and exterior in relation to her self-image. Take a closer look at some of her work below.
Victoria Viray aka Prettymonkey26 likes to draw/paint things–very sexy things. Using a wide variety of mediums, from vectors to digital painting, traditional charcoals to acrylics, her style can be summed up in several words; punk, rock, sexy, sensual, fluid, angst, beauty, woman, feminine, orgasmic.
The silhouette or shadow of any particular culture is ever changing and can be misleading if judged just by what you see on the wall. If the sun is too high, the shadow stretches. If the pose is just right you might appear more statuesque. In our world, the media is the mirror and the flashlight that all too often simplifies and reveals these shadows and silhouettes for what they really are. There seems to be no group more simplified or more revealed in the past few years like gay men, specifically black gay men.
Johannah O’Donnell creates explosive, vibrant paintings in acrylic on wood panel, using neon color schemes with rich multi-layered backgrounds. Though the paintings are primarily portraits that question our collective view of beauty, her panels are also rich with existential sub themes.
Double exposures have been a staple for inspired photographers. Painter Pakayla Biehn, turns the concept on it’s ass in her latest series of paintings that mimics the photography technique.
The Tribal Tribunal is out, and the Vandal Expressionism series of work by New York based artist Joseph Meloy is something to talk about. Although each piece speaks volumes of individuality the artist explains that “these are under the same umbrella of work.” A series he calls Vandal Expressionism. Take a closer look at more of the work below.
Randy Conner, a self-taught artist born in Hawaii in 1986, currently lives and paints in San Diego. Mostly working with acrylic, oil pastel and marker, Conner’s paintings provide a colorful and bizarre glimpse into his subconscious mind. He has an “anything goes” approach to his art, and says that he does not censor his thoughts or judge them as they make their way onto the canvas.
The enormous body of Picasso’s work remains, and the legend lives on—a tribute to the vitality of the “disquieting” Spaniard with the “sombre…piercing” eyes who superstitiously believed that work would keep him alive. For nearly 80 of his 91 years Picasso devoted himself to an artistic production that contributed significantly to and paralleled the whole development of modern art in the 20th century.
Art and Aesthetic Aces: Scott G. Brooks Finds Beauty in the Grotesque
Scott G Brooks lives and works in Washington, DC. His subject matter ranges from simple portraiture to intricate narratives. In his paintings, he takes social, psychological, and political issues and injects them with a dark sense of humor. Anatomical distortions separate the figures from the photographic ideal, which gives him the freedom to create his own distorted reality. His work is described as twisted and offbeat, sentimental, and disturbing.
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