Daily Art Fixx

visual arts blog, painting, drawing, sculpture, illustration and more!

Osgemeos: Fermata @ Museu Vale – Brazil

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The latest exhibition “Fermata” from world renowned Brazil based urban artists (and twin brothers) Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo (aka Osgemeos). Fermata, showing at Museu Vale in Brazil, runs through February 12, 2012.

“Revealing uncommon possibilities and dealing with what is current and not distant, OSGEMEOS make us aware that we are part of something in common: the city and the construction of its subjectivity. They remind us of the importance of citizenship and collectivity in a colorful, magical world of dreams and fantasies – which is blended with reality, kindling desires and wishes, encouraging children, youths and adults alike to realize their dreams.” (from Museu Vale)

To see more from this exhibition, check out OsGemeos.com.br.

Ben Slow: Street / Portrait Art

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London, UK artist Ben Slow “paints what he sees – in the urban environment, in the media and in the people of the city that he loves.”  Working from his London studio, Slow finds an exciting dynamic in the contradictory relationship between the glamorous pop images and the raw, unrefined urban context in which such icons are celebrated.  “The point of my work is to reduce the silhouette to its most elegant and minimal, while simultaneously embellishing its energy, depth and texture.  The process is as symbolic as it is aesthetic.”

“I have never stopped expanding my methods and technique, often using found materials as my canvas and defining with whatever materials I come across. Anything can be used for some sort of mark making if you have the imagination, and the effects of such improvisation are what makes my work so distinctive.  Texture is a vital part of my work and the expressive portraits are richly detailed through a deceptively intricate process of layering and colouring.  This is particularly noticeable in the large scale works such as those at the Royal Albert Hall or in the various street pieces.  The larger the piece, the more room there is for his expressive techniques to run free.”

To see more, visit SlowBen.com or check out Ben’s photostream on Flickr.

DAF Group Feature: Vol 80

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Your Monday Mixx – Happy Halloween!

Danny O’Connor: Mixed Media 2011

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When-You-Least-Expect-it-Danny-OConnorThe latest work from Liverpool, UK based mixed media artist Danny O’Connor (aka DOC).  O’Connor graduated from Liverpool’s John Moores Art School where he studied graphic arts. Concentrating mainly on figurative and portrait subject matter,  his influences include comic books, graffiti, illustration, and character design.  With a strong graphic element visible in his work, O’Connor uses a wide range of media including acrylics, spray paint, ink, paint markers,  and household gloss and emulsions.

To see more, visit his Flickr photo stream or his online store on BigCartel.

Cake: Street Art

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Street Art by Cake

New York based artist Cake studied painting at the Pratt institute and began taking her art to the street about three years ago.  “Using Street Art as a therapy of watercolors and illustrative line drawings, Cake brings people from her life to the street, delicately addressing issues like illness, addiction and disconnection. With anatomical diagrams and faces, bodies, and gestures as descriptors, Cake explores human suffering and familial relationships in her wheat-pasted paintings with frank stillness, drifting occasionally into drama. ~ Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo”(from Juxtapoz)

To see more (including her studio work), visit CakeStreetArt.com or check out her photostream on Flickr. There is also a good bio story on Robots Will Kill.

DAF Group Feature: Vol. 76

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Another Monday Mixx – Cheers!

PHLEGM: Street Art

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The latest (2011) from Sheffield, UK based artist PHLEGM. Born in North Wales Phlegm is well known for his self-published comics and street art. Much of the large scale street works originate from his comics.

Check out more of  Phlegm’s work at PhlegmComics.com and on Flickr.

DAF Group Feature: Vol 71

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Your Monday Mixx – Enjoy!

Yarn Bombing: Graffiti Knitting

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Yarn bombing, aka yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti, is a form of street art that has been spreading across the globe over the last few years. Knitters and crocheters take their “matronly craft” to the streets covering urban objects with brightly coloured fuzzy goodness. Few objects are off limits and tree trunks, hydrants, mailboxes, park benches, public telephones, bicycles, public sculptures, and even cars and buses have been yarnstormed.

The movement appears to have begun in 2005 with a single door knob cozy knitted by Magda Sayeg of Houston, Texas.  That first cozy led to the formation of the knit graffiti collective called Knitta Please. Other collectives followed including YarnCore collective in Seattle, Knit the City in London, and Ladies Fancywork Society in Denver. There is even a book Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, a guidebook to covert textile street art, that will help you get started.

While yarn bombing seems harmless enough, it is still technically illegal under vandalism and/or littering laws, though DAF could not find any cases of “bombers” receiving citations from police. “Yarn bombers say they rarely have run-ins with the law. And in the few instances when they are stopped … the police are more likely to laugh at them than issue a summons.”

Much like the traditional graffiti and street art movements, yard bombers are making money from their art through commissions from companies like Toyota who hired Magda Sayeg to knit a Prius Christmas sweater for a promotional video. The makers of the Smart Car and Mini Cooper have also commissioned similar ads.

For more information about yarn bombing and a big list of other yarn bombers, check out YarnBombing.com.

Sources: New York Times, Telegraph (UK), Wikipedia, Street Art Utopia (images)

DAF Group Feature: Vol. 69

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Your Monday Mixx – Enjoy!