"Fixed on a portrayal of longing and a
passionate desire to journey beyond the restrictive present, my figures embody
the emotions of isolation and captivity tempered with the hope of escape"
Artist
A ceramics
artist based in Colorado
McCoy
received her art undergraduate and graduate degrees from Adams State
She has
been a gallery and coffee-shop owner and taught at her alma mater, but now
teaches high school in Monte Vista where she has her own studio
Has a
heritage of seamstresses in her line which influences her work
Transformation; Hear No, See No, Speak
No Evil
Artwork
Her work
is layered with symbols from her past, cultures and their history, she also
gathers symbolism from her travels to places such as Japan
Lately she
places emphasis on figures within her work, the clothes that they wear are a
representation of her seamstress lineage
Her
layering of bold, vibrant colors invites the viewer to take a closer look
Satirical
humor is a considerable portion of my narrative vocabulary
McCoy uses
clay, the work is fired up to five times in an oxidation kiln to cone 03. It is
then layered with underglazes, glazes, stains, oxides and gold luster
Audience
These
works are meant to welcome the viewer to create their own story and
interpretation
It is not
her intention to reveal the whole story, instead keep the viewer guessing
World
21st
century, there is an increase in the use of technology which enables a more
globalised society
This could
mean more universal influences
Zoomorphism
McCoy uses
a zoomorphism as a symbol for fantasy and reality
Her
combination of animals with human features and characteristics is evident
through the artworks she creates
Influence on my artmaking
The use of
bold, bright colours to capture audience’s attention are evident throughout my
entire body of work
The use of
unrealistic figures that dapple in fantasy bear resembelance to my artworks
though I do not use the same medium there is still evidence of the connections
between fantasy and reality
The use of
symbols from a variety of different cultures are also evident within my work
"When you
paint on the street the piece interacts with it’s surroundings, giving the
piece extra life"
Don John
Artist
A Denmark
based street artist
Began in
1983, heavily influenced by the film “Beat Street”
Was a
member of a crew combined hip hop and rap with graffiti art
Began tagging
trains etc but then decided to educate others towards a mural form of graffiti
art
He never
knew he would be an artist but became one professionally after he found that
people liked his stuff enough to make a living from it
He is
inspired by Jeremy Geddes and Conor Harrington
Artwork
Early work
consisted of merging animals and humans together
He works a
lot with the themes such as Civilization Vs Nature, Human Vs Animals and
transformation.
He works
with stencil graffiti and linocuts, using wood for his stencils and Fabriano
paper for the lino cuts and illustrations.
Audience
He has an
audience based both at exhibitions as well as in the streets
“They are
like pieces straight out from a dream; some kind of surreal and oniric tales
where their subjects are full of magnetism and strength, yet they ooze a
beautiful blend of darkness, fragility and innocence.” CFYE
World
21st
century, new emerging ideas, street art is becoming and is extremely popular
Wolf beard
Zoomorphism
John uses
the type of zoomorphism that combines human and animal feature
He works
with a number of themes such as nature vs civilization and this is a key
feature within his morphing artworks
Morphing
is an effective way of showing the relationship between animals and humanity
Influence on my artmaking
While I do
not do the same morphing artworks as him I believe that the strong emphasis on
line is evident within my artworks
The use of
bold lines is also evidence within his artworks and mine
The
unrealistic nature of his art is also a parallel between his artworks and mine
Note
Many of his artworks are contained on the street and have not been given names
Rousseau,
Henri, AKA Le Douanier Rousseau (1844-1910) was the most renowned of naïve
artists, a Post- Impressionist painter, though he aspired to be a traditional
French painter
Henri
Rousseau became a full-time artist at the age of forty-nine, after retiring
from his post at the Paris customs office
Rousseau
was fascinated with the dream life of the subconscious, many of his artworks
reflect this idea, therefore making his paintings relying highly on the
subjective frame
Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)
Artworks
Known best
for his jungle scenes such as “Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)”, The Sleeping
Gypsy and
Influenced
by a combination of "high" and "low" sources - academic
sculpture, postcards, tabloid illustrations, and trips to the Paris public zoo
and gardens
His works
are characterized by heavy dependence on line, stiff (and unrealistic)
portraiture, wild juxtapositions and flattened perspective
Audience
His Self
taught artistic techniques and unusual compositions left him criticized by art
critics and the public but respected by modern artists like Pablo Picasso and
Wassily Kandinsky as he revealed "the new possibilities of
simplicity."
The
fantastic imagery that resulted from these hybrid influences of both
traditional and tribal means gained popularity with the Surrealists as well.
World
There was
a fascination with the exotic during its colonial expansion in late 1800s which
would have influenced Rousseau’s work
Zoomorphism
Rousseau uses
the animals as a symbol of the dream life of the subconscious
His
juxtaposition of elements are shown particularly within his painting, The Dream
containing a human relaxing on a sofa in a jungle while a tiger looks on.
The juxtaposition
is used to create an emotional response within the viewer thus the use of
animals as symbols is reflective of the zoomorphism style
The Dream
His Influence on my artmaking
Rousseau’s
reliance on line and unrealistic displays definitely reflect a similar style of
art
His use of
bold colours as well as his focus on animals is reflective of my artmaking
process
The
symbolism of the animals is reflective of my large works such as the griffin
and the wolf who are both juxtaposed to the background that they are contained
within
"What I’m doing, I think, is a sort of cultural history of the way animals live in the human imagination.”
Artist
Walton
Ford (1960) went to the Rhode Island School of Design majoring in film making
though decided to instead become an artist painting large scale oil paintings.
He had always
had a dream that he would, as a kid, grow up as a natural history artist,
living on the edge of a national forest and going out and drawing animals
Interested
in colonialism, descending from slave owners
The Island
Artwork
He wanted
to create art in a way so it would no longer be viewed as a cliché attempting to
“make images that look familiar appear unfamiliar”
He was
interested in incorporating both the violent nature of animals as well as the
destruction of human intervention
Each of
the paintings have hidden messages, codes and symbols that give lessons in the
destructive nature of colonialism.
Fords work
usually contains a mixture of revulsion and attraction
Audience
His
realistic style has been compared by critics to those of past science books
They
compliment on the contrasting nature of his paintings, which place emphasis on
violence
World
21st
Century…
Zoomorphism
Ford uses
animals as a symbol of the evil of colonialism and its destructive nature
He uses
bold colours which help to emphasise how what seems beautiful and right to one
person can be seen as destructive to another
Influence on my artmaking Process
His use of
strong bold colours and emphasis on line is similar to that of my work
While I do
not have the same realistic perspective I am presenting beauty and destruction
in my work particurly the interaction between different culture like Ford
"Creatures reinterpreted through abstraction, decorative element and contemporary
vision, these creatures speak to our collective unconscious"
Lynnette Shelley
Artist
· Lynnette
Shelley moved to the Philadelphia area where she decided to pursue art,
quitting her day job, she began professionally creating artworks in 2007.
· She
draws her inspiration from a style of Celtic art that uses a variety of colours
and shapes which has been likened to images from an undiscovered ancient
civilization or culture.
Artworks
She often uses a concoction of ink, oil, pastels, pencils, and gold leaf, as most of her artworks
are mixed media
Her
artworks are reflective of the Celtic culture, utilizing these particular
curling symbols
Her
artworks are considered to contain Jungian associations.
The works
are use bold, confident lines and ornamental, delicate detailing
Jangala
Shelley working on her artwork Jangala
Audience
Being
based in America she often exhibits her artworks locally particularly in Philadelphia
"Her
artwork strikes a primal chord in many viewers, with almost Jungian
associations found within” - Jennifer Schick
World
21st Century … she is trying to repopularise traditional Celtic art while still
adapting her artworks to contemporary times
Zoomorphism
Shelley
artwork involves using a large number of symbols to create animals
These
animals are reminiscent of folk tales and mythology thus having cultural values
within them
Fire Horse
Her Influence on my artmaking
Shelley’s
use of bold bright colours and intricate designs has particularly impacted on
the small drawings of my major work
My fantasy
artworks are reminiscent of her style, as well as the remarkable use of symbols
that she manages to pack within a single artwork
The idea
of the mythological beings manifested from her artworks which in turn gave me
subject matter for my major work
As she is
pushing the idea of culture, I related my artworks to the interplay of
different culture and how they all interact to create a multicultural society
Hieronymus
Bosch, also known as Jeroen Anthonissen van Aken (c. 1450 - August 9,
1516) was an Early Netherlandish painter of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries.
He was a
member of the religious Brotherhood of Our Lady which he used to impact his
subject matter within his artworks
The Seven Deadly Sins
Artwork
Many of
his works depict sin and human morals utilizing compact imagery and symbolism
from religious stories and concepts
He did not
paint in the typical Flemish style (though he kept to the religious subject) which
stressed a realistic portrayal
Best known
for his painting, “the garden of earthly delights” which is generally thought
to be a warning of the dangers of giving in to temptation
His
paintings are characterized by bright, bold colours, intricate detail, animated
objects, bizarre images and monstorous or amusing figures which suggest folk
legends and religious ideals.
Audience
While some contemporaries thought his works to be
heretical, others thought that his work was simply to amuse and engage the
viewer.
Others believe he was a proto-surrealist, he was
attempting to liberate imagination as an act of opposition against society
It is now generally accepted that his art was to teach
moral and spiritual truths, and that the many fantastical and nightmarish
creatures had a well-thought-out and meaningful significance.
World
Strong
religious influence, 15th century Europeans watched medieval morality plays in
which the devil commonly appeared and interacted with humans.
It was
believed that the immoral were going to be punished for their crimes by
spending eternity in Hell while the uncorrupted persons would spend a life in Heaven
The Garden of Earthly Delights
Zoomorphism
Bosch’s incredibly
detailed and complex works have strong religious and moral importance
The use of
known religious symbols such as adam, eve and demons gives the reader a clear
moral perspective
Bosch’s
use of colour and Imagery has further managed to show distinction between good
and evil highlighting the significant morals that are portrayed within the work
as well as their consequences for breaking those morals
The Last Judgement
Influence on my artmaking process
His use of
symbolism has influenced my artwork through the strong references to culture
which I hope to show in my work
While my
artwork does not depict morals as Bosch’s does it still contrasts two ideas,
interaction between culture and the destructive effect that loss of culture can
have
His
unrealistic style has also gained influence within my work, as I am working
with the subject of the supernatural as well
"The impure men and women who surrounded me (and particularly the men), did not arouse any of my real feelings; while the natural feeling for life possessed by animals set in vibration everything good in me."
Artist
Franz Marc
(1880 - 1916) was a German Expressionist painter.
He used
colour to represent emotions within his works
Franz Marc
yearned for a life on a higher spiritual plane, aiming to go into the
priesthood before turning to art
He had a
strong belief that animals were purer and more beautiful than man, he believed
in the beauty of nature
Marc was
one of the founders of Expressionism
Artwork
“Marc's
particular contribution to introduce paradisiacal imagery that had as its
dramatis personae a collection of animals, most notably a group of heroic
horses” – Nicolas Pioch
His paintings
utilised: the expressive and symbolic use of color combined with various Cubist styles,
during his later years.
Animals,
to Marc were considered part of an age of innocence
He
attempted to emphasise and portray the spiritual aspect of animals by painting
them in non naturalistic colours, they were his expression of the human figure
“Marc
associated blue with masculinity, and red and yellow with femininity since they
are more earthy colours” - Gabi La Cava
Audience
He aimed
to gain a profound emotional response from his audience at first glance
Blue horse 1
World
The Der Blaue Reiter was
founded in Munich in 1911 with Kandinsky in response to the rejection of
kandinsky’s work “Last Judgement”
World War
2 broke out and the government were enlisting men as troops
"There was
a need for individual subjective expressiveness and a striving for order in a
time of pending chaos.” - Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette
Yellow Cow
Zoomorphism
His
earlier works were similar to Walton Ford’s artworks that they used animals as symbolism
for the nature of man, particularly the destructive nature of man
A theme of
his animals was the fact they were presented as pure beings incomparison to the
corrupted nature of mankind
He bases
his works strongly on symbolism of animals and uses a variety of bold bright colours
to get an emotional response from his audience
Tirol
Influence on my artmaking
Like Marc I
used as animals as a symbol of the variety of human culture and the interaction
between them
My animals
are unrealistic using bright unnaturalistic, colours to gain an emotional
response from the audience
Moataz
Nasr (1961) is a multi-media artist and cultural activist from Cairo, Egypt
His
parents did not believe in art as a profession so he was studying economics
before he turned to art
Nasr has become
as one of the most important Egyptian
artists, winning many awards, such as the Grand Prize in 2001 at the eighth
Cairo Biennial, the prize at the Dakar 2002 Biennial etc.
Artwork
Nasr's
work uses the environment of Egypt as inspiration to express human despair and
suffering, love and hope
His
artwork is reflective of the social and political unrest in this country
His art is
meant to engage an audience that may not be familiar with the language of
contemporary art and create a relationship between the viewer and the artwork
The past
is a key theme within his works, with references to fables, ancient relics, storytelling,
religion and personal experiences
Audience
“Nasr
seeks to challenge his audience with existential questions, and to provoke them
to reflect on the transpersonal and metaphysical” - Lawrie Shabibi
He has
been criticized by other artists, as an outsider as he did not study art
academically
World
The
current political struggles within Egypt resulting in much violence and riots
are part of the world that is affecting his artwork
Zoomorphism
His
artwork makes use of the complex intricate Egyptian symbols which he forms into
shapes of animals
The
symbolic significance within his work is characteristic of zoomorphism
The
animalistic figures seek to symbolise the social and political unrest within
Egypt
Influence on my artmaking
His use of
symbols throughout his artworks is similar to my small drawings which take
images and symbols from different cultures
The use of
culture significance that Nasr utilizes is portrayed within my artwork as well
His
profound use of symbols in similar to the style within my artwork Note These artworks are from is "Collision" exhibition
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