If there’s anything that distinguishes men from the Victorian era, it’s their mustaches. For Aaron Smith, a mustachioed gentlemen himself, these men represent a masculine ideal. Their serious expressions, stiff poses, and spectacularly bearded faces does a great deal to mask an inner vulnerability. The extremely colorful palette which he uses to portray these gentlemen were drawn from Bird-of-Paradise and the extravagantly decorated Huli Wigmen of Papua New Guinea. Aaron wanted to draw parallels between the rituals of initiation practiced in tribal cultures and those found in western culture.
Click here for more »
Literature and music are Danny Malboeuf’s greatest inspirations. He works mainly with acrylics. Danny’s style may be described as a combination of surrealistic and Pre-Raphaelite sensibilities. He has had numerous one-man exhibitions in the past two decades. His work can be found in various private collection around the world. Some might be offended by the quasi-religious references in his work, but most will simply give a shrug and take a closer look at the big picture itself.
Click here for more »
Wlodzimierz Kuklinski is a self-taught Polish painter and illustrator. His work is found on more than a hundred books. He also designs posters, book covers, trademarks, wrappings and CD covers. He works primarily with oils and his paintings often depict young women in thoughtful contemplation. Wlodzimierz loves illustrating fairy tales, historical books, and detective stories.
Click here for more »
Fire tempers the finest steel, they say. The porcelain dolls in Chen Hongzhu’s portraits have certainly gone through the forge. Chen Hongzhu graduated from the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts. The subject of her surreal portraits are just a wee bit cracked, but stronger for all that. With their large, unseeing eyes and well-hidden flaws, they subtly hint at inner strength showing itself through tragedy.
Click here for more »
Lana Khavronenko is yet another one of those gifted young artists who seemingly pop up from out of nowhere. We know she’s Ukrainian, and that’s about it. There is a maddeningly little information about her but her work speaks volumes about her talent. Her watercolor paintings are vividly arresting. Her use of use of contrasting hues bring out the character of her subjects.
Click here for more »
Sarah Harvey is a British artist who loves capturing the interplay between light, color and water. Most of her work features submerged in water. The accompanying ripples, distortions, and bubbles are faithfully reproduced on canvas. According to her: “My paintings of figures floating are predominantly self portraits. I aim to create paintings that arouse both a sense of well being and pleasure, whilst simultaneously suggesting notions of insecurity, fantasy and sexuality.”
Click here for more »
If his deviantART account is to be believed, RHADS is a 25-year old artist who lives in Antarctica. His isolation in one of the most remote places on our planet might explain the subjects of his work. His subjects include, but are certainly limited to: The Kraken, an alien Predator, winged horses, a soon-to-be-wrecked-ship, a military stronghold in outer space, and many others. He brings to life the parts of our imagination we couldn’t adequately visualize.
Click here for more »
Jordi Diaz Alama may describe himself as a traditional painter but there’s nothing remotely traditional with his work.Morality, mortality, and sexuality are all recurring themes in his work. His style reminds the viewer of the work of Renaissance masters of long ago with their realism and casual approach to nudity. This Spanish painter is currently based in Barcelona.
Click here for more »
Sean Cheetham has a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He had his first one man exhibition in 2006 at The Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery. He is slowly emerging as one of the most acclaimed figurative painters today.
Click here for more »
Kevin Peterson’s series “Graffiti Girls” highlights the contrast between the innocent and the jaded. The subject of his paintings are innocent young girls, some barely out of babyhood, posing against a backdrop of graffiti. He was quoted saying: ” Each (painting) contain the contrast of the untainted, young and innocent against a backdrop of a worn, ragged, and defiled world.” Kevin works with oil on canvas, panel, and corrugated metal.
Click here for more »
