Media Spotlight Monday - Masking Tape

Rune Olsen, "Installation Samson Projects", 2007

Graphite, masking tape, blue mannequin eyes, newspaper, steel, wire, acrylic medium, glass-fiber and resin

Kayt Hester Lent, "Complete 4x4", 2007, black masking tape

Buff Diss - Masking tape on cement (detail)
Buff Diss - Masking tape on cement
via Wooster Collective

Media Spotlight Monday : Books

Georgia Russell, "Memoire" 2001-2 Mixed media construction 21.5 inches highJim Rosenau , "No, But I Sawed The Book"

Donald Lipski
Blurb No. 2 (A Man Named Ron), 2003
Books, mixed media
147 x 147 x 2 1/2 inches (373.4 x 373.4 x 6.4 cm)

Donald Lipski
The Best Love, The Best Sex, 2003
Books, mixed media
74 1/2 x 74 1/2 x 12 inches (189.2 x 189.2 x 30.5 cm)

Media Spotlight Monday : Colored Pencil

Bronlyn Jones
"Deconstructing a Mondrian", 2005
graphite and red colored pencil on Basingwerk paper
Paper: 8 x 6 1/2 inches
(Shown in artist's frame)
Framed: 10 7/8 x 9 1/4 inches
After Mondrian's Oil on Canvas titled #6 Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, 1937-42

Bronlyn Jones
"Deconstructing a Mondrian", 2005
graphite and red colored pencil on Basingwerk paper
Paper: 8 x 6 1/2 inches
(Shown in artist's frame)
Framed: 10 7/8 x 9 1/4 inches
After Mondrian's Oil on Canvas titled #6 Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow, 1937-42

Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (colored butterfly white background 6 wings)
2004
Colored pencil on paper.

Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (colored butterfly white background 10 wings)
2004
Colored pencil on paper.

Michelle Oosterbaan
"Ah-Ha"
2006
colored pencil, graphite on paper

60 x 51 ¼ inchesMichelle Oosterbaan

"Cut Out"
2006
Gouache, colored pencil, graphite on paper
78 ½ x 51 inches

In place of "New Media Monday" I will be hosting the re-named "Media Spotlight Monday." I realize that most mediums are not "new" and after last week's questionable "latte art" post I decided to spotlight other mediums that may be better known but not of any lesser value. This week's spotlight is mainly focused on abstraction including colored pencil. Take a look at Bronlyn Jone's site especially - her other work is also minimal - it has a certain elegance to it.

New Media Monday : Latte Art

Trying to find art in the everyday brings me to the art medium of espresso and steamed milk; latte art. This may not qualify as art with a capital 'A' in most books, but it's Monday - who couldn't benefit from a cup o' joe?

Click photos for links to several flickr sets devoted to this specialty.

New Media Monday : Rubik's Cubes

RUBIK KUBRICK-POW POSTER MATRIX -
2006RUBIK'S CUBES ON BOARD 60 x 88 x 5,5 cm

"RUBIK FLORENCE REY "
2005, RUBIK'S CUBES ON BOARD 96 x 72 x 5,5 cm


The artist "Space-Invader" has made some recent mosaics using Rubik's cubes. Via coolhunting

New Media Monday : Nintendo

Cory Archangel reprogrammed an original Super Mario Bros. game for the Nintendo NES system to include only the digital clouds. He's done several other pieces based on vintage video games and clever internet programming.


Ben Fry, "Mario Soup" - click image for link

Other related links include this NES sample art - similar to "Mario Soup"


Also, Ryan Hennessy has been using Nintendo graphics as subjects for paintings like this:



And a hand-painted NES system on eBay

New Media Monday : Insulation Foam

"holeymoley land" (detail) installation by Kim Beck

"holeymoley land" (detail) installation by Kim Beck

Via Kim Beck's website idealcities.com; "In this installation made from laser-cut insulation foam and cardboard, forms from road-side signs, highway pylons, parking lot trees and other peripheral roadside structures grow into a huge pink heap, edged by burnt brown clouds of self-same constructions."

Carol Anne McChrystal

Carol Anne McChrystal

Two views from "bad art for bad people" version 2
4.5' x 8' x 4.5'
insulation foam, black paint
may 2006

Steve Robinson, "Crash Position/ Headphones", 1996.
4' h x 4' w x 17' d.
Insulation foam, wood, aluminum.
foreshortened view

Steve Robinson, "Crash Position/ Headphones", 1996.

Installation view.

Lately I have been growing in my proficiency at packing my paintings for shipping. I generally ship my work between layers of cardboard and pink insulation foam. I've found this to be the cheapest and most efficient solution. I remembered seeing Kim Beck's installations in Art in America not too long ago and later online using the same material and sought out other artists using this cheap, lightweight stuff. I found Steve Robinson and Carol Anne McChrystal.
These artists all use the material differently - installation, sculpture, and installation/painting, but are similar in their basic materials.

On a side note; my exhibition in Savannah, GA at the 2 Car Garage Gallery this last weekend went quite well and I will be posting images soon.

New Media Monday: Legos

Inkie Whang, "Misty Cloud", 2006
silicon and dry pigment on canvas
47 x 33 1/2 in.
119.4 x 85.1 cm.

Inkie Whang, "An Old Breeze" Lego on Plywood, 2004

Inkie Whang, "Autumn Wind", 2004
silicon on canvas
32 1/4 x 81 in.
81.9 x 205.7 cm.

Olafur Eliasson
"The cubic structural evolution project 2004"

Via the Natioanl Gallery of Victoria: "The cubic structural evolution project 2004 is a spectacular installation that invites visitors to participate in the construction of a cityscape using thousands of pieces of Lego. For Eliasson, audience collaboration is of central importance. As he has stated, ‘I see that the person, when engaging in a project of mine, influences the meanings generated.’"

Lego renditions of M.C. Escher images by Lego Escher

"Aztec" by Legolander

New Media Monday; Encaustic

Tony Scherman, "Grace Kelly" from the "Blue Highway" Series, 2001, encaustic on canvas, 40 x 40 inches.

Tony Scherman, "MM" from a series entitled "The Junkies" 2006
encaustic on canvas, 84" x 96"

There are many artists who use encaustic, which is a painting medium made up of pigments and hot wax. It has been used for over a thousand years - dating back to ancient Egypt. One of the better known modern artists to use encaustic is Jasper Johns. His well flag and target paintings from the 50s utilized collage and encaustic. I'm going to spotlight the work of Tony Scherman - a contemporary artist who uses encaustic for most of his work. Like many mediums, digital images of wax paintings never do them justice. In person, many encaustics have a depth and sheen that is difficult to place: more matte than oil, but more depth of color than most acrylic paintings. If you've never used encaustic, I would recommend trying it, though it is very difficult to master. A great place to start is with Joanen Mattera's book titled "The Art of Encaustic". As an artist who uses encaustic herself, Mattera interviews Scherman, Johns, and other artists and has specific instructions on how to best utilize the medium.

The Art of Encaustic Painting
Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax

New Feature: New Media Mondays (Work on Cardboard)

Sylvie Reno's installation/sculptures of cardboard are very impressive

"Untitled" spray paint/stencil mixed media by Evol

"Handle with Care" spray paint/stencil by Evol

Adam Neate mixed media piece c/o Elms Lesters Gallery, London

Adam Neate mixed media piece c/o Elms Lesters Gallery, London

Similar to "Found Fridays", my newest weekly feature "New Media Mondays" will focus on different art or artists based on medium rather than content or imagery.