Tuesday, October 30, 2007

artist profile - Jessica Polka





Jessica Polka has been recently transplanted to San Francisco from North Carolina. She seeks to recreate, in the mediums of crochet and embroidery, the suspicious wonderment of old natural history collections and the lovable inaccuracies of early stabs at science.
www.jpolka.blogspot.com

Monday, October 29, 2007

artist profile - Jess Hutchison




Jess Hutchison was born on Guam in 1975 and now resides in SF. She enjoys creating odd figures from fabric and yarn and posing them in inscrutable situations.
www.jesshutch.com

>>>> Jess Hutchison's work available to purchase online

Sunday, October 28, 2007

artist profile - Ryoko Yagi




After graduating from the architecture school, Ryoko Yagi began glass blowing in 1994. She currently creates unique pieces and shows in small exhibitions with a glass studio located in Tokyo. Ryoko's glassworks include her Smile series of glass tumblers and vessels, she has been making since 1999.

When she creates her glass pieces, Ryoko lends these thoughts to her work, "The thing which is enjoyable -- when somebody displays it, and when somebody uses it."
// Ryoko on Flickr

Friday, October 19, 2007

artist profile - Lala Ladcani




Lala Ladcani was born in 1983, on the outskirts of Argentina, in a house surrounded by train tracks. She is influenced by photographs of the past, the ironic revision of childhood, and strange objects from other places -- combined with a genuine interest in electronic music and handmade three dimensional objects.

Lala currently contributes illustrations for several books and magazines, in addition to producing her label Te de Menta (Mint Tea), her line of accessories, serigraph-printed pillow covers, and custom gloves.
www.lalaladcani.com.ar

Thursday, October 18, 2007

artist profile - Yuka Yamaguchi

my-secret-elephant
coffeemilk440

yuka-and-elijahYuka Yamaguchi is a self-taught artist. Born in Kobe, Japan, Yuka moved to Canada in 2000 and is currently living in Saskatoon. She spends most of her time living in her own world.

Yuka draws with colour pencils and makes useless toys for adult-children. She started drawing simply to amuse herself, but now she has her own art blog and online gallery, which have been linked from all over the world. This year, Yuka’s work will be exhibited in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Berlin, Taipei, Edmonton and Saskatoon.
www.plastiquemonkey.com

artist profile - Cathy Cullis

greygirlhouse
dollsearlysept07

Cathy Cullis born 1969, in London England. Studied English and Art at university but considers herself a self-taught textile artist. Fascinated by dolls and nostalgic needlework baskets of years ago, her work is informed by ideas on domesticity, childhood, memories and happenstance.

A published, award-winning poet, Cathy's dolls are like poems, being both simple and complex. She loves to work small and even teeny-tiny. Her work is in private collections all over the world.
www.novembermoon.com

artist profile - Jasna Sokolovic




With a foundation in Architecture, Jasna Sokolovic moved to Canada from Yugoslavia in 1994. First to Montreal, studying at Concordia University and later to Vancouver where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in 2000.

Jasna delicately alters the clay surface to create richly textured collages, which explore memory and experience much like a diary or a sketchbook. Jasna tells a story through the use of symbols, text and numbers as she intuitively combines image, texture, form and colour to contrast concrete, deliberate imagery with the organic nature of the clay, mimicking the natural struggle between these two things in our world today.

Jasna has participated in gallery shows throughout Canada including a solo show at the Gallery of B.C. Ceramics and group shows in L.A. and Toronto. She continues to work in a variety of artistic fields, using clay as a basis to explore not only gallery installations, but also fashion and interior design. Her work is featured in the recent Lark Book Transfer Imagery on Clay and in HGTV television series.
www.jasnart.com

artist profile - Crockett




Crockett Bodelson was born in Santa Fe NM, and attended CCAC and The Cooper Union schools.

"Taking time to watch too much TV allows my art to subconsciously crawl all over my world. Materials come and go, and as they do, I only hope to get some of my art on it. If painting is dead then i would like to think of myself as an expressive zombie." www.pepitasonline.com

artist profile - Ana Ventura

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Ana Ventura graduated in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts - University of Lisbon - in 2000, with 3 years of specialization in Engraving.

In 1999 she completed an Internship in Engraving, Illustration and Painting, in the context of the Erasmus Programme, at the École Supérieure d'Art Visuel La Cambre, Brussels, Belgium.

Ana's work has been exhibited in solo and group shows since 1996. She is represented in private art collections in Portugal and abroad. Ana Ventura is also an illustrator for publications and books -- especially children's books.

She lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal.
www.anaventura.com

artist profile - Jill Bliss




Jill Bliss, a native of Northern California recently transplanted to Portland, Oregon, draws obsessively from the natural world that surrounds her. Her meticulous drawn lines and attention to details are informed by a farmlife childhood, while her sparse-yet-dense sense of color and design come from her academic and professional backgrounds in fashion design, illustration and design theory at Parsons School of Design in New York and CCA in San Francisco.

Drawing, sewing, and meticulous hand-craftsmanship are all put to use while exploring the small details within natural and handmade objects.
www.jillbliss.com

artist profile - Serena Kuhl




Serena Kuhl is Australian, born in 1973. She studied Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture in Melbourne, Australia. Serena transitioned to toy making after having a few solo shows of soft sculpture. She found this medium, and having a sense of humour, more important than developing a conceptual premise.

Serena began making toys in 2004, started selling them with Sweatyfrog, and has since worked with Wootini, Plastic Passion, Schmancy, Monkeyhouse Toys and Pink Ghost.
www.serenakuhl.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 6, 2007

artist profile - MARS-1




Mars-1 explores the possibilities of other-worldly existence through his alien-like characters. The figures float passively through highly developed multilayered backgrounds that hover between landscapes and abstract paintings. He invites viewers to use their own imaginations to develop the storylines.

Mars-1 (aka Mario Martinez) is active in San Francisco’s contemporary art scene where he lives with his wife, fellow artist Mikas. He began his career at 13, doing graffiti, then moved on to airbrushing. He began to paint on canvas at the age of 20. Since then, his work has expanded to include sculpture, books, skateboard decks and designer toys.
www.mars-1.com

Friday, October 5, 2007

artist profile - Wing Ngan




Wing-Ip Ngan was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. in 1989. He received a B.F.A. with honors in graphic design from Massachusetts College of Art in 1996. Upon graduation, he joined Stoltze Design, where he worked closely with his mentor and former MassArt lecturer, Clifford Stoltze, for four years. In 2000, Ngan took a venture and founded his own design firm, Ink Design.

Being the sole designer in the company, Ngan readily applied much of the professional experience and training he received from Stoltze. Over the past six years, Ngan has collaborated with many talented local freelance designers. His clients include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Houghton Mifflin Company, The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture and Mini Cooper. Ngan's work has been featured in Type Director Club 45, HOW, Step by Step, IdN, One & Two Color Graphics and New Typography 2. He also holds many awards, such as the American Graphic Design Awards, BoNE Show – Best of Show Builders Award.
www.inkd.net

>>> Wing's prints available online

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

artist profile - Maki Squarepatch




Maki Squarepatch is run by sisters Enqi and Xin in tiny Singapore (how fitting). Apart from their line, Xin also works as an artist and illustrator.

Since they were little, these sisters loved collecting knickknacks. Now they enjoy creating various eco-friendly cute & crazy stuff using a variety of materials -- especially fabric. Maki Squarepatch projects include reconstructed apparel, bags, jewelry, plushies, and homeware.

Maki Squarepatch is one of the winners of Fred Flare's NEXT BIG THING 2007!
www.makisquarepatch.com

artist profile - 1911




1911 is an artist working in both digital and traditional mediums. She lives in Italy, with a day job in fashion and graphic design. The time left is filled with creating lush drawings.....
www.thegoodmachinery.com

artist profile - Michael Fleming




Michael Fleming (aka Tweedlebop) is a digital illustrator living in Berkeley, California. He enjoys juggling that fine mix of cute and odd in his illustrations - creating wee critters that everyone can enjoy. He stands at a not-so-tiny 6'5"!
www.tweedlebop.com

Monday, October 1, 2007

artist profile - Naoshi




Naoshi is a Yokohama-based graphic artist creating her art in the Japanese medium of sunae or sand painting. Her work has been shown in China, France and Mexico; and in numerous shows throughout Japan.

Naoshi's chromatic palette, and clever subject matter, is a meeting of 60's Mod sensibility and a triple banana sundae -- with characters often on adventure in the finest of floral or culinary fashions.
www.naoshii-u-iii.com

>>> Naoshi postcards available online