Katie Hosmer's Blog – June 2012 Archive (53)

Australian artist Lisa Rodden has a certain grace when it comes to hand cut paper art. Each one of her delicate pieces is the result of a lot of planning, precise cutting, folding, and proper layering of paper and paints. Many of her works relate to the beauty of the world around us that, she believes, we are often too busy to appreciate. She says, "How much do we miss out on…

The eruption of a volcanos is one of the most violent occurrences in nature. During a period of volcanic activity, various gases and hot lava are expelled into the surrounding environment and, when that happens, it seems like it's best to be far, far away from the area! In some of these images, it appears that one Canadian-Hungarian photographer can't resist being close to the…

I have always loved to watch my shadow as it stretches along the sidewalk or the grass on a bright, sunny day. In this series entitled Walking Shadow, designer and illustrator Jason Ratliff shows us that even a long, dark shadow can be transformed into something more visually interesting, like these bright patterns of stimulating colors.

Ratliff combines…

Just recently, we were very impressed with Fabian Oefner's brilliant watercolor mosaics, and today, we focus on another one of his remarkably inspiring scientific experiments. Dancing Colors is a project where Oefner turns sound waves into visible sculptures and he says,…

Liz Collini is a London-based typography artist who makes all kinds of texts through drawing and printmaking. Specifically, her collections of hand-lettered chalk texts are incredible! She meticulously built the type based on the style of mechanical blueprints. Each line, mark, and dash on a blueprint represents a purposeful meaning, and Collini has attached those meanings to this lettering,…

American artist Patrick Fisher has an amazing talent for transforming an already beautiful guitar into a gorgeous ink masterpiece. Using just a sharpie pen, Fisher fills in the surface of these guitars to create intricate shapes and complex forms. The black ink against the natural wood creates a visual texture and depth on each guitar that viewers will want to reach out and…

Yesterday, Russian artist and sculptor Arkady Kim revealed the world's largest coffee bean mosaic, entitled Awakening, in Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. In order to surpass the previous world record held by Albanian artist Saimir Strati, Kim's mural had to meet requirements related not to the span of the artwork, but rather to the weight of…

British artist and designer Jacqui Symons works mainly in printmaking, paper, and design. Much of her work relates to the beauty and complexities of nature, and her fascination with the environment is evident in many of her final artworks. This installation, entitled Together We Are Greater, is an origami sculpture made from only used, recycled, and secondhand…

These tiny little circles are colorful fluid mosaics created by photographer Fabian Oefner. The Swiss photographer likes to experiment with scientific phenomena to create his images. In this project, Millefiori, Oefner starts with a base of ferrofluid, which is a magnetic solution similar to motor oil. Under a magnetic field, the liquid stands on edge and rearranges itself into black…

Surrounding himself with photographers, artists, and intellectuals over the course of his career, Coke Wisdom O'Neal developed his incredible skills on his own, by learning from others, and without any formal training. The Brooklyn-based artist says, "Photography has been both a passion and a paycheck."

In his series The Box, O'Neal built a 22-foot-tall sculpture to…

French artists Tony and Emmanuelle Lugand created these wood-like sculptures, entitled Holly Wood, by digitally generating them completely from computer designs. Using dark shadows, aged wood textures, and grumpy expressions, the artists have figured out ways to make Mario, Sonic, and Mickey Mouse look dark and evil alongside Darth Vader and the mask from…

These cute, up-close dog portraits make me so happy! Minneapolis-based photographer Barbara O'Brien provides pet, animal, and rural lifestyle photographs to advertising agencies, magazines, and book publishing companies. In her series called Dog Face, the artist has brilliantly captured the individual character of all types of dogs by narrowing in on each canine's…

Figures come alive and jump off the pages in these illustrations by Japanese artist Nagai Hideyuki. By displaying simple pads of paper at special vantage points, the artist's amazing charcoal and pencil drawings form playful 3D optical illusions. The 21-year-old artist has quite a knack for perspective and each new drawing is more surprising than the next.

Hideyuki identifies…

London-based photographer Edward Horsford has mastered the technique of timing in these photographs that feature split-second water balloon explosions. He's well-known for this exciting series, saying, "I started these as a way to challenge myself technically and creatively." He's had great success with this self-initiated challenge!

Horsford's goal in…

June 17, 1958 (Second Narrows Bridge)

Canadian artist Michelle Forsyth creates work that relates to memory, loss, and experiences of grief. Her ongoing project, Ostinatos, is a series that documents sites of disaster areas years after the event has occurred. In honor of the people who suffered during the tragedies, Forsyth…

Recently, we saw this fashion photo shoot involving experimental photography with a model and a scanner. The results of that creative process were stunning, so I was excited to come across photographer Whitney Justesen, who also skillfully operates a…

Created from discarded plastic bottles, these giant fish make a powerful environmental statement as they emerge from the sands of Botafogo beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This year, the city of Rio is hosting the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also called Rio+20, and these giant fish were created to mark the occasion. Hundreds of plastic bottles…

Black silhouetted figures shield themselves from the downpour of vibrantly colored inks in these drawings by Chinese and French artist Marc Allante. As splatters spread across the paper, Allante's figures find refuge under the cover of an umbrella. The self-taught artist works mainly with inks to create these calm and fleeting moments.

Based in Hong Kong, Allante has a passion…

London-based artist Benedetta Ubaldini uses an interesting medium to craft a variety of three dimensional sculptures. Each hand-sculpted animal and figure is skillfully built using chicken wire. The artist says, "The simplicity of this material contains the magical power of transparency that is capable of giving each piece the lightness of an apparition, a ghostlike…

Antwerp-based visual artist Benjamin Verdonck created this giant treehouse as a part of TRACK, a unique public and interactive art project in the city of Ghent. TRACK designates six areas of the city where artists can find inspiration and produce all kinds of work that embrace the social, environmental, cultural and political issues of the city. Participants who visit the art project are…