Art

There’s a lot of personality to Kate Pugsley’s charming illustrations. Her figures traipse about washed out earthtone backgrounds looking somewhat forlorn but also vaguely whimsical, and their expressions give the indication that they’re lost in very far away thought. Her ladies also rock some pretty awesome Gorey-esque fur coats.

This book just came out this month, and it features the work of Canadian graphic artist Marian Bantjes. I just wanted to draw some attention to it, as it is a beautiful book with some pieces that seem inspired by textiles and patterns of all kinds. Every page bursts with a different full-color layout, and it might be right up your alley! I can see everyone from housewives to graphic designers being into this. The cover alone is a beaut. Available at many bookstores and at Amazon.

A group of Manhattan dancers led by choreographer Willi Dorner took to the streets of Manhattan to call attention to the overlooked grace of the nooks and crannies of urban environments. Check out his website for further images from his Bodies in Urban Spaces series!

I’ve always had a real soft spot for 1970′s illustration because everything looks as though it’s drawn with noodles. Yay for gratuitious wiggly lines everywhere! I love noodles, both as a drawing style and as a tasty snack. Mmm… Now I want noodles. Ok but anyways, I promise I am going somewhere with this– Emily Glaubinger makes kick ass portraits that look like (you guessed it!) noodles. I am going to stop rambling on about noodles and just show you some images. Emily is currently showing at Nooworks Gallery in San Francisco.

We interviewed Ian Stevenson a bit ago about his bizarre and sarcastically hilarious drawing style. Well, it seems his style translates extremely well to some juvenile t-shirts, and 8Ball in the UK has a good selection on sale HERE.

Below are some of my favorites. Get yours! (Available in guys and girls sizes!)

Read our interview with Ian Stevenson

Ω

Portland artist, Mia Nolting, has been invited to participate in an artist residency at Halo Halo screen printing studio in Toronto, Canada.

To celebrate the change of season, and raise funds to support Mia’s participation in this residency, ms.ms. will be hosting a seance-inspired event at the Together Gallery (togethergallery.com), this coming Friday, the 22nd, from 6:00pm-10:00pm.

Wow. Just wow. French artist Kimiko Yoshida’s crazy costumes speak for themselves. No commentary needed.

When viewed from afar, Seattle artist Ben Beres’ circular etchings read as abstract patterning, but closer inspection reveals elaborate stories arrayed on circular pages. The exterior text is clearly legible, but the writing becomes progressively more difficult to read as it winds its way to both the center of the composition and the narrative. The ultimate effect is reminiscent of tree rings, of geometric patterns latent with unspoken and indiscernible stories.

As a Chinese artist working in Australia, Ah Xian is a sculptor whose works combine two very traditional mediums to create pieces that are both contemporary and compelling. Ah Xian voluntarily exiled himself from his native China as a response to the Tianamen Square uprising, and he is often cited as one of the forerunners of the post revolutionary Chinese art movement. His fabulously detailed porcelain busts deal with difficult issues such as shifting cultural identity, tradition and exile, but Ah Xian manages to temper the weight of his subjects through his attention to execution and detail.

Sean Alexander is a Tacoma artist with some very impressively detailed geometric patterns.

Seattle artist Rachel Maxi mainly creates tiny landscape paintings that manage to evoke a sense of space in rather mundane settings, but she turned away from her usual subject matter to make a very lovely series of pieces documenting hand tools. There’s something very satisfying and elegant in the stark contrast between the straightforward, realistically rendered tools and their highly saturated, single toned backgrounds. I, for one, certainly appreciate any work of art that leaves me thinking, “Why what a pretty hand saw!”