Smug
Taking part in a conversation about what is or isn’t art is the intellectual equivalent of masturbation; it’s probably fun for you but isn’t of much utility to anyone else. I obtained a four-year degree in art during my early twenties which means – beyond accruing an obscene amount of debt – that I’ve spent more than enough time locked in my own head, enamored with how wonderful my own thoughts were on the subject.
This is not something I’m proud of.
That being said, I’ve found that thinking intentionally about anything is rarely a waste of time, just as long as you don’t allow the procesc to transform you into a pretentious douche. The net outcome of my autoerotic cognitive fiddlings? Two things:
- I don’t see much use in categorizing things as art or not-art.
- I tend to appreciate anything that exhibits craft.
The first item above is self-explanatory but the second is why I instinctually dismiss performance artists, ‘found-object’ impresarios or anyone else whose manifesto over-leverages the word ‘exploration’ and tend to revere potters, illustrators, photo-realists and graffiti writers.
Smug is an exemplary example of the latter two. Anyone who has attempted to draft anything with aerosol will attest to how difficult it is to get it to do what you want it to. I tried my hand at it during my late teens and was instantly repelled, knowing immediately that I didn’t possess the patience to be competent, let alone great. Just look at the images I’ve collected above, marvel at their draftsmanship and the artist’s mastery of color – can you believe a human being is capable of this shit? Attached is just a small sampling of his work, hit up his Flickr for loads more.
Probably my favorite artist right now is Kid Zoom who we featured back in December. Click that last hyperlink if you know what’s good for you.
[ SmugOne ]
posted by respondcreate on May. 08, 2012 in Pictures | tags: art, colorful, drawing, graffiti, painting, smug, trippy
The Bizarre World of Paul Robertson
I’ve found it’s always worth-my-while to periodically check in on Paul Robertson. My latest visit to his tumblr yielded a heady crop of candy-colored, bizarre and dark pixel art that I’ve collected here for you to peruse at your leisure. I was also pleased to discover he recently contributed some art/animations to Wizorb, a Breakout-meets-Zelda game by Tribute that’s available on Windows, Linux, OSX and the 360. After parting with the very-reasonable three-dollar asking price I spent a handful of hours combating evil in Gorudo and am happy to report it was worth every penny. In addition to Paul’s always-excellent pixel art, Wizorb‘s wonderful, nostalgia-activating soundtrack and just-right difficulty progression keeps a firm-but-friendly grip on your attention. So yeah, pick that shit up if you’re looking for something to fun to play; you can’t beat the price.
[ Paul Robertson ]
posted by respondcreate on Mar. 25, 2012 in Pictures | tags: bizarre, colorful, dark, illustration, paul robertson, pixel art, trippy, video games
Runaway
Diggin’ this embroidered stop-motion by talented craftsman Aubrey Longley-Cook. Check out his awesome blog, spool spectrum, to see more.
[ spool spectrum: Runaway via imgur > Reddit ]
posted by respondcreate on Mar. 03, 2012 in Pictures | tags: animation, aubrey longley-cook, colorful, craft, embroidery, spool spectrum, stop motion
Boabab Trees
“Adansonia is a genus of eight species of tree, six native to Madagascar, one native to mainland Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and one to Australia. The mainland African species also occurs on Madagascar, but it is not a native of that island…more”
Did you know that 85% of all plant and animal life on Madagascar is found nowhere else on the planet? I recently learned that little factoid (among many other fascinating things) while reading William Finnegan‘s ‘Slow and Steady’, an excellent article about the black market that has sprung up surrounding the almost-extinct ploughshare tortoise in the January 2012 issue of The New Yorker. If you can get your hands on a copy I recommend you check it out.
If anyone knows who took this picture please drop us a line so we can update the post with the proper credit attribution.
[ Madagascar ]
posted by respondcreate on Feb. 25, 2012 in Pictures | tags: chill, madagascar, nature, peaceful, photography, trees
The Work of Andy Gilmore
“A master of color and geometric composition, Andy Gilmore’s work is often characterized as kaleidoscopic and hypnotic, though it could just as well be described as visually acoustic, his often complex arrangements referencing the scales and melodies in music…” (more)
I first discovered Andy Gilmore whilst perusing Ghostly’s free-to-download wallpapers page. Even among all the truly top-flight work on display there Andy’s distinct, colorful, geometric and just down-right pleasing images stood out. The Hemicube is currently occupying the base layer of pixels on my Air and a few times already today I’ve employed Exposé to quickly sweep aside any obscuring windows to take in the whole image.
The six images selected here for your perusal were found during a quick once-over of Andy’s massive, seven page archive that houses, at present, one-hundred and fifty four images. So if this didn’t sate your appetite (and why would it?) visit there for a more considered, patient browsing session. Oh, and if you want some that are a suitable size to adorn your desktop just head on over to Ghostly, they’ll take good care of you.
Can I suggest an appropriate auditory accompaniment for your ear drums while your eyes take the colors in? If you’re up for it, give a listen to Get Better John by Mux Mool. I recently picked up his latest album, Planet High School on iTunes and, since then, it’s been in constant rotation through my headphones. Needless to say, I highly recommend you check it out.
[ Andy Gilmore ]
posted by respondcreate on Feb. 17, 2012 in Pictures | tags: andy gilmore, art, colorful, geometric, ghostly international, hypnotic, kaleidoscope, mathematics, trippy
Future Girl
No idea who made this so if anyone knows hit us up and we’ll update the post so credit is given where it’s due. Found via Peter Berkman’s fantastic tumblr.
[ Cyber Girl (GIF) via FMTOWNSMARTY > PEEEETER BERRRKMAN ]
posted by respondcreate on Feb. 10, 2012 in Pictures | tags: animated gif, animation, anime, art, colorful, future, pixel art, science fiction
‘Sup
Whoa.
[ Best pic I ever found here. ]
posted by respondcreate on Jan. 26, 2012 in Pictures | tags: blue, nature, ocean, photography, whales
Hulk within a Hulk
I came across this image while browsing around Peter Berkman’s tumblr (one of muh faves) and decided to go deeper.
[ Fractal Hulk via PEEEETER BERRRKMAN ]
posted by respondcreate on Nov. 11, 2011 in Pictures | tags: fractal, hulk hogan, lolwat
The sculpture of AJ Fosik
“Working three-dimensionally has just always been more satisfying; I’ve always had the urge to build…I find, for me, it’s easier to express my ideas building things; actually making something.”
AJ Fosik creates fantastic, intricately detailed sculptures from wood, paint and nails. There’s not much more to say beyond that; his work speaks for itself. There’s two fantastic videos on the ‘tubes about AJ you should check out:
The first shows him at work – from the initial sketches to the final coat of paint – on the bust that adorns the cover of Mastodon‘s The Hunter. The second, an interview done by kwalitymedia, has AJ describing his motivations, inspirations and overall creative process.
A big thanks to lolo for writing in and introducing us to Mr. Fosik…cheers!
[ AJ Fosik ]
posted by respondcreate on Nov. 04, 2011 in Pictures | tags: art, bizarre, colorful, nature, psychedelic, sculpture, trippy
Parallel Universe
I stumbled on this image last week and immediately assumed it was by Uno Moralez. I headed over to his site/Tumblr/LJ to see if he had recently uploaded new work but I couldn’t find this particular image anywhere. I hit up the Googs’ next and still couldn’t track down a proper URL. So for now, I’m just gonna assume Uno made it and direct your attention to his website. If anyone knows definitively where/who this came from drop us a line and we’ll update the post ASAP (see below). I had to do a bit of cropping to fit within the constraints of the site so click here for the full business.
Moar Uno Moralez on The Tripatorium™.
UPDATE 2011/10/09: A big thanks to Charlotte who sent us the link to this image’s original home on Uno’s LJ.
[ supernature! ]
posted by respondcreate on Oct. 06, 2011 in Pictures | tags: aliens, art, buggin out, colorful, illustration, pixel art, trippy, uno moralez