Artist of the Month #5

I have been long over due for an artist of the month, my apologies.

This month, I present to you an artist who became a coincidental source of inspiration for my current project Aves is Petah Coyne.  Coyne is an American sculptor who is known for her organic, large-scale sculptures.  I have begun dipping my paper cranes in candle wax and one of my peers asked me if I had seen any of Coyne's work.  I told him that I was not familiar with her and he said that my project reminded him of her work.  So I did some research and the similarities are quite uncanny.

Untitled #810
Mixed Media
Coyne, 1995

Above is an example of here earlier work, fabricated birds dipped in special wax attached with ribbons, chicken wire and meshed together with other objects and materials.

Untitled #1336
Mixed Media
Coyne, '09-'10

Above is an idea of Coyne's newer sculptures.  I enjoy the whimsy of her work and the elegant, dark beauty of the creations.  The following is a portion of a review of her work by Sebastian Smee at the MASS MoCA,

"Unlike many contemporary artists who focus on social or media-related issues, Petah Coyne imbues her work with a magical quality to evoke intensely personal associations. Her sculptures convey an inherent tension between vulnerability and aggression, innocence and seduction, beauty and decadence, and, ultimately, life and death. Coyne's work seems Victorian in its combination of an overloaded refinement with a distinctly decadent and morbid undercurrent. Her innovative use of materials includes dead fish, mud, sticks, black sand, old car parts, wax, satin ribbons, artificial flowers and birds, birdcages, and most recently, taxidermy animals, Madonna statues, and horsehair."

I am very happy and thankful to have found such a unique contemporary artist.  As I look at her work, I find myself pushing my thesis farther towards the characters of the imagination rather than the human figure on its own.  I feel like Coyne's sculptures belong in Grimms' fairytales.  For more of Petah Coyne's fantastic sculptures, here is a link to her website.

www.petahcoyne.org

Artist of the Month #4

This month's artist is the makeup artist, Sutan Amrull.  I just recently learned about Amrull when I searched "America's Next Top Model makeup" on Google.  I'd been trying to think of a new artist to post about and I thought I would focus on a makeup artist this week.  I often watch America's Next Top Model because I enjoy watching the creative photo shoots that the models participate in, specifically the makeup is what intrigues me.

Self portrait
 Sutan Amrull

So it turns out that Sutan Amrull is the makeup artist that has been America's Next Top Model's makeup expert and correspondent for over nine seasons.  Amrull was a drag queen at one point in his career and has done makeup for celebrities such as Adam Lambert, Pamela Anderson and Tyra Banks.

Adam Lambert
Makeup by Sutan Amrull

I am very pleased to find out from his website bio that he has a strong background in fine arts and that this is a key factor that helps separate his style apart from other makeup artists.  This gives me a lot of hope about my own career since I, too, will have a strong knowledge of fine arts that I believe will help me (and already has) greatly in my future career.

Makeup by Sutan Amrull

I decided to post about a makeup artist that was not involved in stage makeup because I learned this past weekend that applying makeup to other people that is not for the stage is an entirely different experience.  I assisted a salon in North Side with some makeup for a dress swap event for some mothers of a local school.  This experience was beneficial because I left with a better understanding of how makeup application changes based on a person's skin.  Also, since this was not for a character onstage, I had to apply the makeup based on their personal likes and dislikes.  All the women wanted a natural look which is a look that I do not do often.  So, in summary, a very challenging and much needed experience.

Tyra Banks
Makeup by Sutan Amrull

My makeup differs from Amrull by that I have yet to learn how to apply makeup for a photo shoot, only stage makeup which requires a much heavier hand because the audience is not close up.  Below is an example of the heavier hand that stage makeup requires as opposed to makeup for a magazine photo shoot.

Ursula
Makeup by Missy White

I wonder what celebrities will be in my portfolio in the future?

Artist of the Month #3

This month's artist is the world renowned photographer, Mary Ellen Mark.  Mark began her career as a unit photographer, taking pictures of film stills on movie sets.  In her profession, Mark has documented over 100 movies and has published eighteen books of photography.  In 1962, Mark received her BFA in Painting and Art History from the University of Pennsylvania and then earned her MFA in Photojournalism at Annenburg School for Communication.  Since then, Mark has earned several honorary degrees form various Fine Art Schools and has shown in countless solo exhibitions and belongs to scores of collections. 

Mary Ellen Mark

Within her body of work and beyond the movie sets, Mark focuses on social issues: the homeless, prostitutes, loneliness, drug addiction and mental illness.  Mark has traveled around the world to capture human existence in its every form.  For example, Mark recently traveled to India to document Mother Theresa portrayals, brothels in Bombay and Indian circuses.  She is always dedicated to her subjects and often returns to them later in life to continue her archive. 

Mary Ellen Mark

Mark’s techniques are so irritatingly simple that they become complex.  Each of her shots pulls her audience in with intrigue and wonder through her choice of subject and angle.  When asked in an interview about what she looks for when taking a photograph, Mark stated this, “That's a hard question. I'm looking for something that makes sense to me, something that I can share with others. I think photography is closest to writing, not painting. It's closest to writing because you are using this machine to convey an idea. The image shouldn't need a caption; it should already convey an idea.”  This is what makes Mark so brilliant; none of her photos need captions because she always conveys her idea without fail.

Mary Ellen Mark

I find myself enamored with each print Mark creates.  The imagery and tonality of each frame is breath taking.  I feel a connection to her subjects and the raw visuals they create.  I am currently in a film photography class and after learning and digesting all of the factors that go into making a perfect print I have a great respect for Mary Ellen Mark as an artist.

Mary Ellen Mark

The photos included in the post are my favorites of Mary Ellen Mark's that I draw inspiration from when I take photos of my own.  With my own work in film photography, I focus on the person's face as my main focus as the subject of work.  I am still learning a great deal about lighting, angles, composition, and the developing process.  I hope that one day, my work will be in the same league as Mark's.

Here is an example of a couple prints from an in progress film photography project that I am currently working on.

Artist of the Month #2

This month the artist is one of my absolute favorites: Vincent Van Gogh.  I love Van Gogh so much that I have three posters of his paintings displayed on the two walls next to my bed.

I remember falling in love with Van Gogh's Starry Night many years ago when I first saw it in my middle school art text book. His unique impasto style brush strokes and intriguing color palette are what first caught my eye.  But the artwork that stole my heart and won me over as a true Van Gogh fan is 

Skull with Cigarette, 1885

On my first school trip to NYC, I was fortunate enough to see Starry Night at the MOMA, in person, with my very own eyes! I was stunned! I walked around the corner and saw it hanging alone on a small wall in the center of the room surrounded by other works of art.  I didn't believe my eyes that this was truly Van Gogh's Starry Night until I confirmed from a friend that I wasn't seeing things! As I walked closer to get a better look and take it all in, I almost cried.  I was honestly surprised by its size, I had expected it to be much larger. All in all, it was magnificent and the experience of seeing this masterpiece in person was unforgettable.

If you want to gain a better understanding of Van Gogh, in a fictional but possibly very accurate way, I recommend watching episode 10 of season 5 of the Doctor Who series.  In this episode, the characters travel back in time and meet Vincent Van Gogh.  There are some fictional additions, of course, but ultimately you gain a sense of Van Gogh's life and personality.  Watching this made me feel a stronger connection to one of the world's most influential artist.  Below is a link to the best clip from the entire episode. Enjoy!

http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/videos/vincent-van-gogh-visits-the-museum/

Artist of the Month! #1

In DAAP, I'm often asked which artists do I look at and it took me a while to give a legitimate list.  I had just never paid much attention to who's art I looked at before.  There were the classic artists of course, like Da Vinci and Picasso but not many others.  Over the past couple years I have built up a decent repertoire and will be sharing each month with you.

The first artist is Mary Doodles.  Her first name is Mary, but I don't know her last name. I discovered her on Youtube when researching watercolor techniques.  Each week she posts a new time lapsed video of her art.  I am fascinated by her techniques, skill and creative themes.  Each video is complete with theme music and ends with her signature.

This is my favorite video of hers because of the narrative quality of piece.

In this video, Mary Doodles displays a clever self portrait as well as her unique skill as an artist.

Here is the link to her youtube page:

http://www.youtube.com/user/marydoodles

I greatly admire her skill with illustration and envy her greatly.
I guarantee that you will be memorized and become unable to stop watching all of her videos.