Weird Art Archives – Daily Art Fixx

Beth Robinson: Strange Dolls

January 26, 2011 By Wendy Campbell

Beth Robinson is a self-taught artist based in Vermont, New England who has been sculpting her very unique dolls since 2003. Previously a painter and illustrator, Beth changed course when a friend introduced her to Japanese ball-joint dolls.

Clearly not meant for children, each of Robinson’s “little people” is hand made using polymer clays, vintage fabrics, acrylic paint, and sometimes real human hair or teeth. Each oddly proportioned, strangely dressed character is one of a kind, having its own individual story. Robinson’s dolls are a mix of not quite creepy and darkly cute, and are a unique merger of design, sculpting, painting, and sewing.

Robinson’s work has been shown in galleries throughout the USA, England, the Netherlands and Germany. As well, her dolls have been featured in magazines such as Art Doll Quarterly, SPIN, Stuff, Maxim (UK and Hong Kong), Rue Morgue (Canada), Nokia CP (Turkey), RIP (Russia), and Nordic Vision (Norway).

For more information about Beth Robinson, visit StrangeDolls.net.

Justin Gignac: NYC Garbage Art

August 4, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

“One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. But New York City’s garbage, well that’s art.” Justin Gignac’s garbage art began as an experiment in package design. Today, NYC Garbage can be found on desks and bookshelves and mantles around the world.

Since around 2002, Gignac has been hand picking trash and arranging it in small plastic cubes that are signed, numbered, and dated. Typical cubes include items such as soda cans, candy wrappers, receipts, event tickets, cigarette butts, coffee cups, newspapers, and parking tickets. In the beginning, Gignac’s cubes sold for $10 to a few intrigued tourists. These days, he has sold over 1,300 cubes in 29 countries for $50 and up.

Found art is not a new idea. Marcel Duchamp coined the term “readymade” to describe his found art in 1915. Since then, found object art has been prevalent in the Dada, Surrealist, and Pop Art movements to name a few. The meaning of found art has expanded over time and now, numerous categories have been defined including assemblage, appropriation, collage, and even Internet based found images that are reworked with computer graphic tools to form new works of art. ⑴

In addition to typical New York City Garbage, Gignac has also produced special edition cubes including opening day at Yankee Stadium, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, Obama’s inauguration, and more.

For more about Justin Gignac, visit NYCgarbage.com.

DNA Art: Genetic Self Portrait

June 24, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

DNA 11 - DNA Portrait

Looking for a truly unique work of art that expresses exactly who you are? Why not be the centre of your own art piece with a portrait of your genetic make-up.

DNA 11 is an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada based company that combines the science of DNA coding with art to create a customized portrait of the stuff that makes you, uniquely you.

Founders, Nazim Ahmed and Adrian Salamunovic began DNA 11 in 2005 with a love for art and a passion for business. Salamunovic (aka design guy) spent a decade in business technology, specializing in high-tech marketing and design. Ahmed (aka biotech guy) has a degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Western Ontario and has worked for various leaders in the biotechnology field.

DNA art, which can be completely personalized, is available in numerous colour combinations, sizes and framing. If DNA isn’t your thing, you can also turn your fingerprint or lip imprint into a portrait. Commissioning your portrait starts with a DNA collection kit that allows you to swab the inside of your cheek to collect a cell sample which is then sent to a lab where the genome sequence is analyzed. DNA 11 then adds your colour specifications to the sequence, and transfers it to your chosen canvas or mini portrait frame. If you really want to go for it, you can choose the couple or family DNA portrait option which includes the DNA of your spouse, whole family, and even your pets!

DNA 11 has become popular worldwide and has been featured on CSI: New York, the Today Show, HGTV, BBC, MSNBC, CBC, Fashion TV, GQ, DWELL, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. DNA portraits are endorsed by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) who also sell the products in their museum stores and online.

All hype and prestige aside, I briefly wondered “is this really art? – Yes, I replied to myself”. I’ve seen lips (Andy Warhol) and thumbprints transformed into wall art, and abstracts (Mark Rothko comes to mind) that bears resemblance to the DNA portraits. I’m not claiming that DNA 11’s art are masterpieces, but like any artist’s creation, they are highly personal and perhaps, one of a few chances many will ever have, to participate in the creation of something that is meaningful and symbolic to them – an ultimate self–portrait.

For more information visit DNA11.com

Dr. Evermor’s Forevertron

May 7, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

Ever think of escaping the frustrations of life – of going to that otherworldly place that upholds your idea of how things “should” be? Then why not head down to Dr. Evermor’s Forevertron in Sumpter, Wisconsin and hitch a ride on his space capsule. Forevertron is the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world standing 50 ft. (15,2 m.) high and 120 ft. (36,5 m.) wide. Dr. Evermor is actually the creation of Tom Every, a 70ish wrecking and salvage expert turned artist.

For decades, Every collected scrap metal and machines that he found interesting and historical. In the early 1980’s, he started to question the “tearing down” of things, having nothing to show for his work. His general discontent with the world and desire to build something up led to the birth in 1983 of his alter-ego Dr. Evermor and the construction of his Evermor Sculpture Park.

Dr. Evermor is an eccentric Victorian-era professor-inventor from Eggington, England. As a child, Evermor had been trapped in a huge electrical storm with his father, a Presbyterian minister. “Such a storm,” his father said, “could only come from the hand of God.”

Dr. Evermor believes that if he can combine magnetic force and electrical energy, he can propel himself through the heavens on a magnetic lightning force beam, that will take him to his salvation. The Forevertron is a fantastical 300-ton sculpture made of recycled parts. At the top of the Forevertron sits a glass ball inside a copper egg that is Dr. Evermor’s space capsule. There’s also an antigravity machine, a teahouse for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to observe the event, a telescope to watch as Evermor is hurled to his meeting with God, and a listening machine that will transmit Evermor’s messages back to Earth.

Ok, back to reality. I haven’t been to Forevertron, but I now feel strangely compelled to travel to Wisconsin to see this sci-fi wonder that is visited by artists, historians, tourists, and passers-by. Among other attractions, the park has a pair of bipolar electrical dynamos constructed by Thomas Edison in the late 19th century and a decontamination chamber from the Apollo space mission. Another big favourite is the 70 Bird Band, consisting of 70 sculptures and some can even play music!

To find out more about Forevertron check out this PBS interactive tour. For some great photos go to Heart2art2Heart.com.

Sources: PBS, Neatorama, Flickr-Madola

Micro-Sculptor – Willard Wigan

April 29, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

Sometimes I look at a work of art and am in awe of the skill, time, and patience it must have taken to create. When I came across Wilard Wigan’s micro-sculpture, I (who can’t see small type on a page even with my glasses) was baffled and amazed.

Born in 1957 in Birmingham, Willard Wigan has dyslexia and learning difficulties. As a boy, he was often ridiculed by teachers and classmates, making him feel worthless and small. It was this feeling of smallness that led Wigan to micro-miniatures. At the age of five, he was fascinated with ants and sculpted houses, furniture and even clothing for them. Thus began the career of the self-taught artist.

Wigan’s work has evolved to a level that has people in the artistic and scientific worlds talking. Using a tiny surgical blade, Wigan carves figures from fragments of gold and grains of sand which are later painted with the hair of a dead fly. His completed sculptures typically sit on the head of a pin, the tip of an eyelash, or within the eye of a needle and can only be viewed with a microscope.

To create his works Willard must enter a meditative state where he slows his pulse to keep his hands steady and then sculpts between heartbeats. The vibration caused by external noise, or even his own breath can cause a piece of work to be damaged or destroyed. Wigan admits once, after painstaking hours of work, to inhaling one of the characters from his Alice in Wonderland piece.

Willard’s art has been collected by the likes of Prince Charles, Elton John, and Mike Tyson, among others. In May 2007, Wigan’s 70 piece collection was purchased by tennis player David Lloyd for an undisclosed amount. Lloyd has insured the works for over eleven million pounds. Willard has also been asked to speak at the July 2009 TED.com world conference.

For more information, visit Willard-Wigan.com, or a google search will provide thousands of links to articles and videos about this amazingly intricate work.

Sources: WillardWigan.com, Wikipedia