Kevin Appel

Hola desperados!

Did you guys get a chance to see the super moon this weekend? It was quite amazing, wasn’t it? The bright light reflected in the sky was beautiful! Such a treat.

Speaking of treats – while browsing through my list of “treasures to post on the blog” I dug up the art of Kevin Appel, can’t believe I almost forgot about it. I remember when I first saw it I was saving it for an Artful Friday, but hey, why wait when we can get inspired right now!

Kevin - born and raised in Los Angeles – uses different techniques to create collages filled with colour, geometry and vintage-y looking images. You know I love mixed media, so it’s pretty obvious I was going to brag about his work, yah?

 all images: Kevin Appel

artful fridays Elisa von Brockdorff

Guys!

Oh ma gawd. Friday has arrived, how did that happen? Don’t you feel time is just flying by lately?

Today I have a little interview for you with Malta-born artist Elisa von Brockdorff (she’s the funky gal in the image above!). Elisa totally caught my eye with her photographs; she loves to find beauty and colour in the ordinary. She can also transform doll houses into bright little fairy-like lighthouses, pretty cool, yah?

Before we jump to the interview, I just wanted to quickly share with you that I am the featured blogger of the month over at Blog Brunch! YAY! Thanks so much guys, so honored :)

Alright, interview time! Enjoy

Who is Elisa?
Elisa is a freelance photographer who currently lives in Malta. Three years ago, she completed an MA in Fine Art in the UK. Her work, be it photography or installation art is created by staging mundane, often colourful objects within spaces. These interventions display a contrast between materials and challenge the scale of the objects, whilst projecting irony or humour. She is also keen on fashion photography.

When did you start making art?
Ever since I was very little I can always remember being fascinated by the process of ‘putting materials together’ to create something else. Hence I liked craft books and would make my own little constructions out of objects I found at home. That was the start of my fascination for the ‘staged world’.

Who / what influences your art?
In general, I make it appoint to look at others’ creative work, be it art, photography, fashion and design on a daily basis. However I also get influenced by colour, repetition and light, as well as mundane objects and occurrences – for instance plastic goods in a shop might inspire me to create an installation.

Which tools do you use to keep track of your inspiration?
I have a large folder on my pc which is further subdivided into art, fashion photography, fashion design, interiors and graphic design. Whenever I come across an image that draws my attention, I make sure to save them and often make reference to them later. I’ve recently also started using Pinterest to keep track of images I enjoy. When it comes to documenting ideas for installations or photography work, I like to make a quick pencil drawing in my sketch book – sometimes the work evolves into an artwork, other times it remains a sketch.

Who are some of your favorite artists?
There are a lot of artists I admire though here are a few. David Batchelor for his colourful installations. Liz Wolfe for her playful, staged photographs. I really love Tim Walker’s photographs – in his work I see the two worlds of fashion and art merge together so strongly and beautifully. There are also many other photographers I find extremely inspiring, such as Miles Aldridge, Sophie Delaporte, Steven Klein and Lara Jade to name a few.

What would be your advice for people wanting to pursue a creative career but don’t know where to start?
As cliché as it might sound, first you have to believe and be convinced you can make it since there might the tendency for people around you to discourage you initially – claiming it’s not an easy career move since there is a lot of competition bla bla – and that’s not something helpful! Get to know what you are good at and do a lot of that. Don’t expect money to roll in instantly. It’s ok to do some unrelated work on the side whilst you work on personal projects to enhance your skills and portfolio. Market yourself – upload your work on social networks, exhibit your work and create a professional website. Then target potential clients in your niche – contact them and show them your work. Not all will reply but don’t get discouraged. Continue developing your skills within the field you chose and look at your contemporaries’ work… and keep in mind that good things will come to those who work hard!

Excellent advice Elisa! You gotta trust yourself and work hard, the rest will follow.

Thanks so much for your time Elisa and thanks guys for joining us for this interview. Don’t forget to drop by Elisa’s site and give her some love!

cardboard cities

Laura Redburn // Cardboard Cities  is a British illustrator that has a soft spot for giant women taking over landscapes, skyscrapers and even some planets. Talk about girl power!

Looking at these beauties reminds me that I really have to make some time to get my collages done – I still have a pile of magazines I bought at the flea market last summer! I promised myself that as soon as the sun is out I’ll hit the park armed with glue, scissors, old mags and I’ll get’er done.

In the meantime let’s all enjoy the lovely work of Laura…and dream of giant girls taking over the world, yeah? Too frightening? Ok then, let’s go for the safer approach and grab a few of her prints over at Society6 

all images: Laura Redburn 

dice sculptures by Tony Cragg

Speechless.

Tony Cragg must be one of the most patient people on earth! His patience obviously pays off – I mean, look at these sculptures.

His work takes gambling and board games to a whole ‘nother level.

via: colossal

color me rad Vancouver!

Holy awesome!

Today’s artful friday is all about behaving like a child and helping others while you’re at it.

Today I found out that Color Me Rad 5k will be coming to Vancouver! For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s the scoop: Color Me Rad 5k is a run-for-a-cause-type event that happens in various cities in the US and now Canada. What’s so special about it? Well:

A: Benefits from the run go towards something good – in Vancouver’s case they’ll go towards Keep-A-Breast Canada - I heart boobies!

B: At the end of the run you’ll be greeted with an explosion of colourful powder! Just like in the Hindu celebration, Holi. Is that rad or is that rad?

C: This is the perfect excuse to do some exercise, get dirty and be artsy – all at the same time!

I love the concept behind the race; you start with a pristine white t-shirt (birth) and by the end of it you end up looking like Rainbow Bright puked all over you (adulthood?). It’s all about being playful – and, as we all know – being playful, joyful and sometimes even childish (childish as in being daring and care-free) are essential elements of art and inspiration.

So, would you join us? If you are in Vancouver you should totally come! If you are somewhere else, click here to see if Color Me Rad 5K is coming to a city near you.

Are you going to be care-free and wild this weekend? I sure hope so!

Happy weekend, lots of good vibes for all of you, friends.

all images: Color Me Rad 5K

getting minimal with Francisca Pageo

Sometimes when your eyes are busy catching millions of images a day – ads, emails, instagram! – you feel like taking a little break and indulging in simple pleasures.

Francisca Pageo‘s work is one of those pleasures. Her mix media collages are an oasis of subtle tones  and simple lines – such a nice break, isn’t it?

I like how art has such power over your mood. After a day of running around, Francisca’s work feels like a restful breeze, right?

Enjoy friends!

all images: Francisca Pageo

via: art hound

tobias tovera

Feeling a bit under the weather? Bummed cuz it’s – yet again – Monday? Worry not! I have something that shall boost your mood and poke your senses.

Today I’m featuring Tobias Tovera, whose work is all about “discovering transmuted spaces, places where energy shifts, changes, or renews itself.”

You can certainly feel the energy flowing in these paintings, you can see how the pigments create movement with different layers of colour. At times they look like the layers found in minerals but then you look again and they turn into some sort of flower, or a map of the centre of the earth?

One thing’s for sure – Tobias Tovera’s work is a delightful way to start the day! Right?

So tell me, what do you see?

all images: Tobias Tovera

artful fridays – 3D wood pieces by AJ Fosik

Sharp teeth, animal-like figures, bright colors – what else do you need?

AJ Fosik - a Michigan native – is the carving master behind these colorful sculptures. Aren’t they beautiful? They remind me of those dragon customes people wear during Chinese New Year, so vivid!

A mix of art and mythical stories – AJ, we love your work!

Alrighty friends, hope you have a great weekend, don’t forget to send your questions to get some creative advice :)

See you monday!

all images: AJ Fosik

it’s a small world after all

The following stop-motion video was created by Three Shot – a production studio in Tel Aviv that seems to be able to cast magic spells that shrink entire cities – in this case – Kiev. For a second I didn’t know if those were real people or props. Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Nope! It’s just the magic of tilt-shift lenses and stop-motion.

Before you watch it, here are some fun facts: for 5 days and 2 nights Three Shot took around 25,000 pictures. Out of those, they chose 4,500 to be able to create this miniature wonder and the hardest part; post production, which took months and months of editing.

Shit, these guys are cool! I suggest we all go and give them some love…

 

 

OH! One last thing, now that we are talking about videos and movies, my friend Punky from Punky and The City has a pretty cool blog project: Punky’s AFI Film Club where you basically get to watch some of the best movies of all times and share your thoughts with other bloggers and film lovers, pretty fun yah? I already got my eyes on Alien, Vertigo, Blade Runner and Invasion of the body snatchers! Head over to her blog to read more about it and participate!

new series coming!

Hello!

Yep, there’s something new coming to the blog. Now that I’m preparing the new site I am also trying to get lots of original content going. I love the art, don’t get me wrong, but I wanna add a little bit more awesome to the equation – all for you, of course!

So here’s the lowdown – the new section will be all about questions and answers. You will send the questions and I’ll get you the answers right from the source: the artists (and by artists I mean bloggers, designers and other creative minds).

If you’ve always wanted to ask for advice – now’s the time to do it! You can ask anything, from “hey, I want to paint, where should I start” to “I wanna be a part-time freelancer! Help!” or even “How can I promote my work?”

All you have to do is send your questions to hello[at]theartfuldesperado.com and I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll try to get a bunch of questions going so I can get the feature rolling. Tell your friends, pass the word around and ask away!

Hope I can bring some light into your creative path :)

See you wednesday for the usual artful post.

Gab.

artful fridays – paintings by Brendan Smith

Tada!

This week’s Artful Friday comes with a colourful bang. Embrace yourselves for the vibrant storm of Brendan Smith.

This week the weather has been a little bit moody – sun for one hour, rain for 2 hours, wind for 4 hours and back to the beginning – so, a big dose of cheerful art is needed.

Brendan uses bold brush strokes and bright tones to create color explosions on canvases. If you have a room at home that needs a little happy-therapy, I’d would go for one of these babies!

Oh, before I forget – I have a whole new site coming soon fellas! That’s right, an actual site with lots of new goodies. Also, the Artful City Walks project is pumpin’ I got the 1st set of cameras ready and I’m going for more! Stay tuned for more updates.

For now, enjoy the weekend and the beautiful art of Brendan! Doesn’t he make you happy? Yeaah!

Feliz weekend :)

All images: Brendan Smith

photography by David Stephenson

Ring the alarm! We have architecture, photography and pattern all in one post. Way too dangerous for your eyes.

David Stephenson is an American photographer that uses his lens to take pictures of extremely beautiful vaults in churches from around the world. Remember the post last week with all of those magnificent paper sculptures? Now, can you picture those sculptures and these vaults together? Ay mama, too much to handle.

David’s photographs not only serve as architectural candy but they also allow us to explore the many patterns used to decorate each of these dreamy vaults, literally – these patterns are a designer’s heaven.

all images: David Stephenson 

via: but does it float