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.

Continuing the double image theme begun in her previous work Pakayla revisits the cognitive distinction between realism and abstraction, utilizing the suggestive combination of critical and substantial realism with dream-like transfiguration of the natural world. The skill and refined beauty of her paintings enlists a realist style that recalls the delicacy, formality, and craftsmanship of old master technique.

She combines the cultivation of the portrait with a very intimate yet vibrant observation of nature. She displays the unique potential to capture her subjects in inextricable moments that appear to straddle two worlds at once, that in which we exist and another slightly beyond our comprehension. She is concerned with the eternal themes of fleetingness, melancholy, as well as the polarities of subjective experience and beauty. Treating her subjects with a modern approach, there is no escaping the presence of history, or her version of it.

American Icons, a recent solo exhibition by Hernando Alzate was nothing new under the sun. But that isn’t saying much. What is new these days? All forms of creation rely heavily on the work made before it. However, what American Icons lacked in new ideas, it made up for with visually stimulating images and an in depth process that if anything is a technical achievement. In one piece, he’ll evoke the pop masters of the past, Warhol and Lichtenstein. In another he nods to the pop master of the present, check out his Mr. Brainwash nod in the above image.

While strolling through Coconut Grove, Miami’s equivalent to New York’s East Village, we came across Cristina Chacon Gallery. Inside, were about 12 pieces that included imagery from classic pop figures like Frank Sinatra, Muhamad Ali, John F. Kennedy and more. Even Mr. Brainwash’s now iconic image of Madonna, from her 2009 greatest hits compilation Celebration, shows up in one of my favorite pieces in the show.

While true to form, most Neo-Pop artists include pop fixtures of today’s scene, including themselves, see Fahamu Pecou, Hernando focuses on pop culture fixtures of the past. American Icons uses Neo Pop elements to, in his words, “revive the emotional experiences connected to legendary figures of our recent history.”

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Robert Carter is one of the world’s most sought after commercial illustrators working today. How in demand you ask? To name a few of his clients which include American Airlines, Washington Post, LA Times, Juxtapoz should do his reputation justic. If not this interview will suffice. Check out our exclusive interview with Robert below.

Art Nouveau: You are the king of illustration. How’d you gather such a diverse and vast list of clients and projects so fast?
Robert Carter: King of Illustration? Flattery will get you everywhere. I wouldn’t I’ve gathered clients necessarily overly fast. I’ve been a professional freelance illustrator for roughly 10 years now so in that time and through hard work I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with a variety of wonderful clients.

AN: Tell me about your background in the arts. Did you attend school?

RC: Yes, I graduated from Sheridan College of art in 2002 majoring in Editorial illustration.

AN: Are you influenced by comic book imagery?
RC: I used to read comic books a lot when I was younger and at that time they had a huge influence on me, all I wanted to be was a comic book artist. I don’t go to them for inspiration much these days but they helped build the foundation of my artistic career for sure.

AN: How long does each illustration take?

RC: Well it varies, depending on the complexity of each piece whether I paint it traditionally or digitally if there are any revisions requested by the client, if I’m having an off day etc. But generally I complete an illustration anywhere between a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

AN: Do you plan to show any of this work together anytime soon?

RC: No plans at the moment no.

AN: What is the difference if any between commercial art and art made for galleries and museums?

RC: Well the main distinction to me is commercial work has been commissioned by a business to help sell their product or to accompany an article ect. You are being asked to produce something for someone else. Work for gallery’s is generally personal work, it’s completely your own artistic expression without an art director looking over your shoulder or pressure to appease the client. You do what you want to do complete freedom.

AN: What’s next for you?

RC: Keep doing what I’ve been doing and hopefully continue get better!

"Zero (when I'm alone I cease to exist)," Oil on board, 52 x 55 cm. by Linnea Strid

Linnea Strid has mastered the art of realism. Her oil paintings are near perfect renderings that create a hyper photo realism technique. That’s an accomplishment. She tests this skill by painting splashes of water. It’s uncanny how real her paintings look. Linnea received her training from Gävle Konstskola and Falkenbergs Konstskola. She has exhibited all over Sweden including a recent show at Galleri Kocks in Stockholm. Linnea has also participated in group shows across Spain and participated in several international competitions.

Fitting that Linnea is apart of Thinkspace Gallery’s upcoming group show New Realism, which opens Dec 11 and runs through Dec 31. Linnea Strid is Art Nouveau’s Artist of the Week. Take a closer look at her awesome body of work below.

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"Premonition," Oil, 2010, by Alex Gross

When I speak with painter Alex Gross, the artist is just one week away from his latest solo show “discrepancies.” This is what he had to say about Art, Advertising and commerce

alex Gross has been working on his latest body of work entitled Discrepancies for about two years now. Progression is the father of the game here. Alex’s work has grown from an already immense and recognizable style to what has become something both emulated to no avail and marveled at constantly.

“I was always developing what you would call my style of painting,” Alex explains.

Alex’s new work stands alone. A lot of the new work deals with more contemporary images and themes than previous bodies of work.

“Half of the paintings in the show probably have cell phones in the images somewhere,” Alex explains. “That’s something I’m really focused on in the show, it’s something that’s going on around me in the world.”

Alex contrasts this contemporary edge by using a bevy of vintage and antique imagery. His masterful landscapes look like scenes from 100 years in the past and the future at the same time.

“I’ve been trying to bring in more contemporary stuff and talk about communication and how technology related to. I’m also using a lot of advertising images in this series,” Alex says of the body of work.

“We’re bombard with advertising everywhere its just getting worse, in a way it’s the current language for people, using type and the image of an ad selling something, that’s what people understand. It influences me too, I’m not immune to the power of advertising.” He later adds.

"Signals," Oil, 2010 by Alex Gross

Accessibility is every artists’ concern. Alex does want people to be interested in the work, and ultimately sell these images.
“I want people to be interested in the work,” Alex explains. “I’m not too concerned that people understand all the themes I’m talking about because in my experience everyone almost always does get a lot of what I’m saying.”

Alex tells me the story of when his framer’s brother asked about the piece we used for the cover, entitled “Premonition.“ The brother was as Alex explained “dead on,” with his analysis of the painting. Alex prefers to not be literal in his rationale behind a painting.

“People always have a good story and it’s usually related or very close to what I was thinking,” Alex says. “I just want people to find the work compelling enough that they’re willing to put some time into it and get an idea in their head of what it’s talking about it’s not. There’s no agenda in my work.”

“Some of my work may make commentary on society but it’s all very personal and each person will interpret it a little differently, I don’t want to hit people over the head with some obvious statement in the painting,” Alex later explains.

If Alex’s Gross’ work were a relationship status it’d be involved. Very involved. Alex takes his figurative oil paintings to extreme heights. These works that populate his new monograph “Discrepancies” are phenomenal. There is a nod to the hysteria of surrealism. Faces playfully float in mid air, dystopia runs rampant, chaos here and there. The artists stark opinion of media and mass culture pop up as logos and branding of companies such Prada, Coca Cola, etc are cast amongst the dystopian worlds he creates.

“The mixture of imagery I throw together sometimes seems unusual some people might call that crazy but I think it’s crazy in a disturbed anti-social kinda way,” Alex says.

Art may be Alex’s first love, but these days Alex’s Influences come more from Music then other visual artists.
“I’m very influenced by music and lyrics,” Alex says. “Radiohead is a huge influence on me. I have a lot of pieces that are very influenced by them, Pink Floyd also.”

The topic of influence shifts to Christopher Nolan. Alex isn’t on the bandwagon of Nolan’s latest film “Inception,” which was a Trending Topic on Twitter for weeks throughout the Summer.

“I used to like Christopher Nolan until I saw “Inception,” Alex says with a laugh. “I think [the film] is so overrated. It has endless pointless sort of gun babble scenes, it’s way too long. I really feel like it was purposely made for 21 year olds, with the idea that we know this generation has less of an attention span then ever before so all we’re going to do is make every scene visually really excited and five or ten minutes that’s all we need to blow kids minds.”

There is a parallel between Gross and Nolan’s work. Both over the top action, subtle hints of criticism and a unique sense of storytelling that is intrinsically their own style. Gross notes the connection too.

“I love his sensibility,” Alex says of Nolan. “I love “Batman Begins” I thought that was great. He’s obviously influenced by comic books and that was a huge early influence of mine. We’re close in age but he’s a million times richer than me.” We share a laugh.
The economy is tough on everyone, but artists are seeming to get the short end of the short stick. People just aren’t buying art right now. Alex Gross knows this. In most years if he doesn’t have a solo show to support himself, Alex can count on selling prints on his web site, in addition to private and public commotions. This has of course slowed as the economy slipped further into a recession.

“As soon as this whole crisis hit like two years ago all my print sales slowed down big time,” Alex says. “It seems like everyone was broke or conserving what they had. Hopefully that’s looking up now.”

Apparently it is. Before the opening of “Discrepancies,” a majority of the pieces were already sold. Alex is already working on a new body of work for a show in Los Angeles in 2012.

Want More? CLICK HERE to get your copy of Art Nouveau’s Fall Issue and read the full interview and more.

Illustrator Mike Thompson creates dynamic paintings that helped launch companies like Marc Ecko and gave him the title of Jay-Z’s favorite illustrator. Mike Thompson is An-Mag.com’s Artist of the Week.

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Brooklyn based painter Adam Stennet keeps it real, hyper-realistic that is, in every one of his paintings. Adam Stennett was born in Kotzebue, Alaska in 1972 and grew up in Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Art in English and Studio Art at Willamette University in 1994 and moved to Brooklyn to pursue painting. Check out some of his stunning paintings below.

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Art Nouveau Magazine: When did you know you were an artist?

SH: I do not know when I wasn’t an artist.
ANM: Tell me about your background in the arts? Did you attend school?

SH: I attended Ringling Art School in Sarasota, FL after receiving a scholarship through NY’s Scholastic Art Competition. I graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.

ANM: Describe your artwork to someone who has never seen it.

SH: My paintings are considered surrealistic and rendered in a classic manner. The colors are rich. The content is personal and symbolic. I try to make them as beautiful as my craft allows. Each painting takes a long time to create.

ANM: What if any statement are you trying to make with your artwork?

SH: It is nothing more or less than a diary of my thoughts and feelings at the time. I think a lot about the meaning of and circle of life.

ANM: Your work has many recurring symbols of death, like skulls, what is the meaning behind that?

SH: It is more a celebration of the spirit of humanity, death having no dominion (Dylan Thomas) and no mercy. The “I was here” and eternal continuity of life in nature are recurrent concepts in my work. I think about metaphysics and the new hypotheses, as well as the dialogue about the art of describing, the “experiments” of Dutch Art, how we see things and the commodification of things that are inherently spiritual. The nature of time, “time’s arrow”, endurantism and perdurantism are all very interesting to me. There are fascinating stories about skulls and the Knights of Templar, the Holy Grail, etc. Duality.

ANM: What’s your favorite medium to use?

SH: Oils.

ANM: Who are some artists that inspired your work?

SH: When I was very young, I was inspired by Salvador Dali. Now the inspiration runs far and wide.

ANM: What’s next for you?

SH: I will be showing at Last Rites Gallery in NY in a Group Show, the 13th Hour, opening October 24th and have a solo there November 2010.

ANM: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

SH: I sincerely thank you for having interest in my work!

For everything Stephanie Henderson click here.

Brandon Bird is not what most of us think of when we think of artists who work with oil on canvas, but this young artist’s humorous take on celebrity and pop culture is quickly garnering praise in the West Coast art scene. In an interview with Art Nouveau Magazine, Bird talks about his love for pop culture, oil paintings and more.

Art Nouveau Magazine: How are you?

Brandon Bird: I don’t even know.  I just came off of pulling weeks of all-nighters to get paintings I’m not completely satisfied with ready for a show.  So at this moment I’m feeling a little blue that I don’t have infinite time and talent and energy.

ANM: What is it about pop culture that interests you?

BB: I like all forms of culture and expression.  But culture involving grizzled detectives or robots that turn into cars is somehow especially endearing.

ANM: You recently moved to L.A. right? What prompted the move? And how have you been enjoying it so far?

BB: I’ve been in LA about a year and a half, after being in San Francisco for about that same amount of time.  Basically, I was the one guy who hated San Francisco and was absolutely miserable there.  It should have been superfun since all my old high school and college buddies were there, but I found it incredibly difficult to do anything, like go anywhere more than two blocks away, let alone try to make art or run a small one-man business.  So I wanted out, and LA was a more manageable move than, say, New York, and I had art-doings going on there at the time.

Los Angeles is overgrown and often bland and disgusting and filled with cretins.  But, it also has great museums, more actual art going on than San Francisco, and pockets of weird, interesting things that don’t deserve to be here.  And there’s access to all sorts of ‘art support’ services–here I can find someone to custom build a 7-foot canvas for a landscape of Sears, as well as a guy with a custom scanning business who can digitize the thing when it’s done.

Plus nothing beats that electric thrill of walking past Wayne Brady in a parking garage

ANM: Why oil paintings?

BB: Because oil is versatile and easier to control than acrylic.  And also, the medium is usually part of the joke.  I kinda want the reaction to a lot of my pieces to be, “Whaaaaat? How did this come into being?  Why would anyone ever, ever take the time to turn this into a painting?”

ANM: Would you say painting in oil gives immortality to pop culture icons you paint like Sega Genesis?

BB: Yes.  P.S. it’s a Sega Master System, not its descendant, the Genesis.

ANM: Tell me about your time at Cornell University.

BB: There was an unusual amount of Harry Potter cosplay.

ANM: What prompted you to have your students write letters to Christopher Walken?

BB: The arts dorm Artists-in-Residence are supposed to come up with fun arty programming for the students (art majors and non-majors) to take part in, I suppose to add value to their college experience.  So I thought, “Huh, it’s winter time, everyone’s stressed from finals, maybe writing some traditional Christmas letters would help.”

ANM: How did the students react? How did the school react?

BB: The students seemed to enjoy it.  The school did not notice.

ANM: Tell me about growing up in Sacramento?

BB: This one time, in 1986, I saw Transformers: The Movie.  My imagination burst forth like Athena from the forehead of Zeus.

ANM: Do you have any upcoming shows?

BB: Through September 5th I have some paintings at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles (like said 7 foot Sears painting).  After that, I think any shows I do I’m going to plan and organize myself.  I’m going to try this thing where I make some paintings, and then figure out where and how to exhibit them, instead of working towards a deadline someone else decided on.

ANM: What artists influence you?

BB: In terms of influence–maybe if Michelangelo painted a Gary Larson cartoon.

ANM: What statement or statements if any are you trying to make with your work?

BB: You know, just trying to sum up everything that’s awesome and sorrowful and magical and sad.

ANM: What’s next for you?

BB: Rest, adventure, infinite art.

ANM: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

BB: Despite the fact that it repeatedly kills me, art can be pretty fun sometimes.

For everything Brandon Bird Click Here.