Ricardo Solís’s animal creation tales

The adorable work of Mexican Ricardo Solís depicts a personal version of the myth of animal creation. Solís draws on his child’s imagination and transposes on canvas his whimsical and amusingly bizarre hypothesis on why animal species look the way they are.

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Edward Hopper – Morning Sun

“If you could say it in words, there’d be no reason to paint”

Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper, Morning Sun,1952. Private collection. Courtesy Art Renewal Centre

I haven’t been posting for more than one month now. Inspiring things are still all around me, luckily. I guess I am only having difficulties in articulating with the rationality-driven verbal language the intense ineffable sensations that visual art can liberate all in one instant. And like the woman in Hopper‘s Morning Sun, I am metaphorically receiving in silence my beams of sunlight through a lot of different artists around…

The magic art of paper marbling

Through a video by Turkish filmaker Oguz Uygur I discovered Ebru (the art of paper marbling), the magic of which is in its making…

With this video, Oguz Uygur celebrates his parents’ amazing craft in creating paper marbling. The shots concentrate on the slow and delicate gestures required for creating richly delicate images, the effect in the background resembling the organic streaks in marble. But the wonder that this ancient form of art holds fully reveals itself in the process of making. The inks are skilfully applied in a shallow tray with water. The colours gently float and spread on the surface, while the hand of the artist wisely shape the inks into patterns and shapes, with a perfect balance between evanescence and thickness. With the help of ink brushes, combs and other tools (some Ebru artists even resort to human hair), the ink blots are gently and almost impalpably manipulated. These thorough and minute gestures suggest an artistry acquired with patience and discipline, but filled with meditative grace. (via The Atlantic)

Eric Joyner: Robots all too human

After a week of working on highly cerebral conceptual art, stumbling upon the universe of painter Eric Joyner is an incredibly refreshing joyful moment.

The inspiration of San Francisco based Eric Joyner draws on two passions of him: robots (especially tin robot toys) and doughnuts. These two apparently irreconcilable objects of desire build up an universe of incredibly humorous and compassionate humanity.

Intent in typical everyday tasks and activities, the robots appear more human than humans. They look like the most innocuous and friendly neighbours that one can hope for. But don’t let appearance mislead you, because these robots are all too human and – as such – they know all ranges of human emotions…

They know irrational eruptions of violence, they are victim of gluttony and they succumb to the temptations of the flesh (or rather of the flashing neon lights). They are guilty of the same megalomaniac ambition that guided Doctor Frankenstein.

This is probably why it’s so easy to empathise with this eccentric universe. There is an odd and clumsy tenderness in these robots experiencing life in its normal aspects. But there is also amusement in witnessing the bizarre adventures that Joyner can imagine for his characters.

In this video, Joyner explains a bit more about his creative universe:

A lot more of these painterly adventures on Eric Joyner‘s website, here.

All images courtesy of Eric Joyner.

Simon Monk’s incredible paintings trap superheroes in transparent bags

The images by Simon Monk strike me for two reason. At first, for the subject they represent: the most famous superheroes reduced to figurines and trapped in a transparent plastic bag. But after being amused by this, I also found out that they are paintings, executed with incredible mastery, with such a level of hyperrealism that nobody believes me when I say it.

Beauty is Embarrassing – The Wayne White Story

Last February I came across the trailer of Beauty is Embarrassing, a documentary about artist Wayne White by Neil Berkeley.

I must confess I wasn’t familiar with White‘s art until that moment and yet the trailer made me fall in love with it, instantly. There is such an explosive joy in White‘s presence.[ Italian version]