Community Connection #5
5/8/12
Barry McGee
- Barry McGee is a painter and graffiti artist; his tag name is Twist, and other variations of that word, such as Twister, Twisty, and Twisto.
- His work depicts a pessimistic view of urban life.
- His paintings are very iconic, mostly bold central figures with abstract scenery behind them.
Barry McGee graduated from the San Francisco art Institute in 1991 with a concentration in painting and printmaking. His work came out of the mission school art movement and graffiti boom in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 90s. His work is very recognizable it features large central figures with an abstract scenery behind them.
Community Connection #4
4/17/12
Neck Face
- He first started making art in the streets when he was a junior in high school.
- Neck Face is known for his frightening drawing style and humorous text.
- He studied at SVA for two years before he dropped out.
- He is a painter, though he has worked in several other mediums such as sculpture and installation.
Neck Face definitely has his own style going on. He has even been compared to that of Banksy, another relatively popular street artist. His work is characterized by his frightening drawing style and humorous texts. His work is usually displayed on walls because he is a street artist but when his work was moved into galleries he began to work in several other mediums, such as watercolor on paper, sharp metal masks, and installations.
Community Connection #3
3/13/12
Chris Johanson
- Mostly works in acrylic paint.
- His art often deals with urban themes.
- He first started making street art and then moved to fine arts.
- His works also expresses narratives through found and recycled artists.
I found out about this artist by watching a documentary called “Beautiful Losers.” His work is very interesting because he often works with large-scale paintings with geometrical shapes. A common theme in his art is urban scenery. He also uses found objects to express different narratives.
Community Connection #2
2/28/12
Mikey Welsh
- Overly influenced by Jean- Michel Basquiat.
- It’s almost sad how bad his works are.
- He literally copied characters directly from Basquiat paintings.
- His art makes me sick.
Now, I am heavily influenced by Jean- Michel Basquiat. There is nothing wrong with that. But this man, Mikey Welsh must think that he is Basquiat himself, because his works painfully resemble exact characters and paintings by Basquiat. It makes me sick. My career at this point is to not be like Jean- Michel but to still keep the influence in check. This guy just straight up wants to be him. If Mikey wasn’t dead somebody should sue him.
Community Connection #1
2/14/12
BLU
- BLU is a European street artist.
- He is very prolific and his works are usually enormous.
- His use of space and his environment works very well.
- He sometimes creates stop- motion graffiti
Out of all of the new street artists to come out of Europe I’d have to say that next to Banksy, BLU is the most prolific street artist around. BLU first started painting in 1999 and was limited to spray paint. Though in 2001 his style took a dramatic change with the use of house paint and rollers, mounted on top of telescopic sticks. His work is characterized by sarcastic, and even sometimes dramatic figures. His works usually cover the entire length of the buildings or surface he paints on.
Community Connection #6
1/10/12
Ed Templeton
• His work varies in style.
• He ranges from photography to abstract paintings to portraits, to mixed media work.
• He is able to replicate people and objects but with a vivid and bright color scheme.
• The first photographer that I have ever been able to actually appreciate.
I first heard of Ed Templeton when I was watching skateboarding videos with my friends. Ed really impresses me and is a role model; he is a professional skateboarder along with owning a very successful skateboard company called “Toy Machine” and if that wasn’t enough he is also an artist. So enough about shredding the gnar, let’s talk about his artwork. Many of the characters that reoccur on the graphics on the skateboards are in his works. He is also a notorious photographer; he published a few books featuring his photography. If you’re interested in seeing his artwork I would watch the documentary called “Beautiful Losers.”
Community Connection #5
12/13/11
Jesse Reno
• Usually paints on wood or found materials.
• He is also a sculptor.
• Has made paintings on skateboards, which I find pretty rad.
• His work is very different. His influences are clear but his style is unique.
• Reminds me of Jean- Michel Basquiat but in the 21st century.
Jesse Reno’s work really speaks to me. Not only are our styles very similar but also the surfaces he paints on are objects that I interact with daily, such as guitars and skateboards. It’s easy for me to relate to the artwork he creates. His characters are very interesting too. His characters seem as though they are “morphed” together like some kind of bird-man or something.
Community Connection #4
11/15/11
Ian Pyper
• His themes are very political and scientific.
• I like his use of text.
• For some of his more intense work he uses watercolor and ink.
• His work is primal. But that does not mean his work is unsophisticated.
Ian Pyper is an outsider artist. His work reminds me of Keith Haring. The influence is clear. Although his style is similar his themes and narratives are different. He seems to have a very scientific approach to his artwork, as well as a political theme. Some of his work is very minimal where many of his works are very complex. His work really speaks to me.
Community Connection #3
10/25/11
Mati Klarwein
• Reminds me of sort of a surrealist style.
• Very realistic.
• Great sense of composition.
• Narratives deal with spirituality and ethnicity.
• Mostly deals with Indian and African cultures.
Mati Klarwein is probably an artist you wouldn’t expect to be in a community connection written by Justin Mellon. But I happen to really enjoy his work and this style of art. Mati Klarwein’s paintings are very surreal and deal with narratives that have been seen in a variety of cultures, such as Africa, India, and even a hint of a European influence. He has a wide variety of work, ranging from abstraction to surrealism to realism.
Community Connection # 2
10/3/11
Robert Crumb
• He is a cartoonist
• His narratives are very interesting
• Very satirical and subversive
• Founder of the underground comics movement
Now I’m not very into comics; nor do I create them. Though there is something about Robert Crumb’s artwork that I identify with. His very distinctive style of drawing is critical, satirical, and very subversive. He often portrays the American mainstream in such that matter. His most recognized work would probably be the “Keep on Truckin’” comic which has some of his most famous characters, such as Mr. Natural, Devil Girl, and Fritz the Cat.
Community Connection # 1
9/14/11
Robert Colescott
• A very cartoon like style
• Plays on narratives
• Recreates paintings in his own image
• His art has been seen as satirical
Robert Colescott is an artist that I have recently been getting into. Mainly because I am working in a series that is similar to his work. He takes famous paintings from art history and recreates them in his own image; his image however is through the insight of African American insight. He recreated a piece down by Vincent Vah Goh, originally called “Potato Eaters.” Robert Colescott portrays a poor black family eating potatoes and calls the piece “Eat Them Taters.”
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2010 -2011 School Year
Community Connection #6
Charlie Thurston
5/31/11
• Very realistic
• Has a unique and individual approach
• Has sort of a grim feel to the work as a whole
• Composition works well
Charlie Thurston is one of my good friends and I have known him since elementary school, I’ve seen him evolve as an artist and all I can say is that I am very impressed with where he has taken his career and how his instillation at the art show turned out. To capture the full experience of what he had to offer you probably would have to had look at the instillation as a whole rather than each individual piece.
Community Connection #5
5/10/11
Gabriele Schnitzenbaumer
• Works in many different mediums
• Makes sculptures from various metals
• Paints on canvas
• Subject matter is very different
• Composition works well in her paintings
This German artist is for the most part a sculptor. She says that she wants her sculptures to express an energetic gravity and intensity heightened by their archaic appearance. Although she is European her sculptures and paintings often include a tribal feel to it. She masterfully blends ceramic and metallic materials. I enjoy the artwork mostly or the composition she portrays in her paintings.
Community Connection #4
4/12/11
Margarita Checa
• Sculptor
• Mainly uses bronze and wood
• Very realistic
• The sculptures are fairly large
Margarita Checa has been declared as the most significant women sculptor in South America. Margarita hand carves ancient olive wood taken from the trees that were planted by the Spanish during the time of the conquistadors. I love history and her body of art is just that. In the wood she inlays silver, copper, bullhorn, and other South American hardwoods. Her work depicts a cultural inspiration from Peru, or life in South America.
Community Connection #2
3/1/11
Markus Lupertz
- German artist
- He creates bronze sculptures and paints them
- He also has oil paintings
- His work is very expressive
- His work is meant to expose the human condition
Markus Lupertz is a German artist that I found out about on lowegallery.com, his works are mainly sculptures made of bronze, and once he creates the bronze sculpture he then paints on them. He also has a small collection of oil paintings that are equally expressive. He has had exhibitions for 40 years mostly in Europe, places like Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. Recently has is a professor and has taught all throughout Germany.
Community Connection # 1
2/15/11
Marcus Jansen
• He paints urban landscapes
• Influenced by graffiti
• Uses many different textures
• His artwork is international
• Influenced by German Expressionists
Marcus Jansen grew up in the Bronx, where he gained his influence of graffiti, then he moved to Germany to attend art school there and that’s where he gained his influence for German Expressionists. So, what do you get when you mix American graffiti and German expressionism? Breathtaking, outstanding, urban landscapes. The way he can replicate a street corner and then can create abstractions and several different textures around it is just amazing. He is definitely one of my favorite artists of this time period.
Community Connection # 6
1/3/11
Ben Young
• He’s a British artist
• He uses stencils
• He uses abstract and painterly like styles as a response to this digital age
• Most of his paintings are made up of several layers
I very much enjoy the works done by Ben Young. He is a British artist. His art has a real snap and a growl to it. I love all the layers of stencils and all of the layers of paint he uses. Ben Young reminds me of a Jean-Michel Basquiat and a Banksy hybrid. His themes and concepts of his earlier works depicts the struggle for abstract and painterly like qualities in this new, digital world. Ben Young is one of my new favorite artists.
Community Connection # 5
12/13/10
Sam Glankoff
• I like the use of water soluble printers ink
• I enjoy his use of shapes and colors
• His paintings mainly consist of abstract correlations of shapes
• I’d like to see some of his work on canvas rather than paper
Sam Glankoff’s artwork really speaks to me. I really have a deep appreciation for abstract expressionists. What I like about his works is the fact that he uses deep, basic colors to present shapes and specific patterns. Although I really enjoy his artwork I don’t like how it’s so small and the fact that it is on paper. I would love to see some of his works on large scale and on some canvas. I would also like to see him work with different mediums such as acrylics and oil paints rather than water soluble printers ink.
Community Connection # 4
11/16/10
Ke Francis
• Uses acrylic paint on canvas.
• Makes many woodcuts and is a master printmaker.
• Works on very large scale.
• His works are very colorful
• He is the professor of art at Central Florida State University
Ke Francis’s artwork really stood out to me and it really spoke to me. I like his style and the mediums he uses. Ke Francis mainly uses acrylic paints on canvas. Though he also makes many woodcuts and is a master printmaker. Most of his works are on large scale. With the exception of a few woodcuts, prints, and assemblages with random, worn-out objects strung together. His work stands out and speaks for itself. You can tell it has a complex story, an idea, or thought behind it.
Community Connection #3
10/12/10
Polly Cook
- She paints on canvas and on ceramic tiles
- She uses oil paint
- She makes ceramic sculptures
- Her paintings include people doing everyday things in an urban scene
- Her paintings are abstract but very recognizable
I found Polly Cook on Lowegallery.com and I think that Polly makes some of the best art on the website. Now she creates are you wouldn’t expect me to appreciate. It’s the kind of art that I like to mock but it’s different. I usually would look at a piece like hers and laugh and say “old lady art.” But it’s much more I see actually talent and individuality in her art, which makes it differ from “old lady art” I would love to see more of Polly Cook’s work.
Community Connection number 2
James Harvard
9/28/10
- He works with oil paints
- His work is similar to 1980s Neo-Expressionism
- His works on paper are very good
- His use of mixed media really inspires me
James Harvard’s art is really similar to the artwork done in the 1980s and that’s what I like about it. It is always nice to see people like me performing Neo-expressionism in the 21st century it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but not really that would be weird I’m just trying to say it really inspires me to that and it makes me think that the style of art actually didn’t die in the 80s I’m always trying to see if I can find a good Neo-Expressionist painter that’s alive and making art today; James Harvard is just happens to be one of those people.
Community connection number 1
Massimo Notamax
9/14/10
- Uses a lot of mixed media
- Drawings are a bit primitive
- I like his use of text
- I like his use of paper collage
- Flash animation
Massimo Notamax is not a well-known artist. Abstract scenes characterize his style and images of every day objects, mostly people. His art is similar to the type of art in the 80s, neo-expressionism. I thought this type of art was pretty much dead in the 21st century but it’s nice to see new artists try to bring it back, like myself. I enjoy his artwork very much and I saw it on his website, notamax.it.
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2009 – 2010 School Year
Community Connection 4
Jean Michel Basquiat
5/10/10
• He is one of my favorite artists of all time
• My art is pretty much a cheap knock of his art
• He was very influential in the Neo – Expressionism movement
• He proves you don’t have to be good at drawing to be a great artist
Jean Michel is probably my favorite artist of all time. Like I said before my art is just a cheap imitation of his art. Not that I’m trying to imitate him but I am heavy influenced by him. He basically started his own type of art. Neo Expressionism. That is the artwork I try to do, it’s pretty fun. Nobody can compare to him his art is dare I say “superb” ha ha. No but in all seriousness he was the best artist of his time.
Community Connection 3
Jackson Pollock
4/26/10
- He was one of the best abstract expressionists that ever existed
- He splattered and layered many different colors of paint
- His not splattered paintings are very good too
- I like the texture in his paintings
Jackson Pollock is one of the greatest painters that ever painted there is no doubt about that. When I see people splattering paint today it just looks terrible and quite frankly it’s just corny, but when Jackson Pollock splattered paint it was incredible he was the only one who could get away with it because he was the first one who did it, His work cannot be imitated. It is entirely original and I looked him up and found out that he was an alcoholic, who knew that someone that lost probably a million brain cells could still be so good at art.
Community Connection 2
Gary Komarin
3/16/10
- I like mixed media
- I like all the different colors he uses
- A lot odd shapes and drawings
- Very messy but that’s how I like it
- He has these paintings on paper that look like cake and they’re pretty cool
When I see art like this it makes me envious like I will never be good at art or I will do art on a professional level. Gary Komarin has a very unique style and I really like it. He is a mixed media artist his art is tasteful and full of color. He uses many distinct shapes and drawings over these paintings. It looks like he’ll paint a picture and then paint over that color with a lighter color giving it distinct volume and definition. I think his style is great until the next community connection, see yeah!
Community connection number 1
Hyunmee Lee
2/23/10
- very abstract
- uses lines thin lines with little volume
- various shapes
- minimum colors
- a lot of yellow, white, and black
Hyunmee Lee is a pretty good artist I really like his style with shapes, blocks and lines. It’s very simple and at the same time it is very lively and explosive. I’d like to see someone who makes are similar to this work just to see the process of creating something so abstract and unknown. The symmetry can be a little off but I guess that’s fine considering that the artist is abstract.
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Fall Semester, 2009
Community Connection 4
James Harvard
1/5/10
- He paints
- Uses mixed media
- Paints distorted images of people
- Uses text
- Well more like random names
James Harvard uses a lot of mixed media and painting. He has a very distinct style distorted images of people laid on top of an abstract painting. What I’m trying to say is that his paintings are tough yo! No but in all seriousness and for the sake of my grade he works realism into a minimalistic artwork and turns it to mixed media. It’s like if realism and minimalism got married and gave birth to little mixed media children on a canvas.
Community Connection 3
Amadea Bailey
12/10/09
- She paints I admire that
- Either on paper or canvas
- Very abstract
- I like the use of ripped up paper on canvas
I like that fact that she paints, nothing more and nothing less just great abstract paintings. Like a painter she only uses paper or canvas and sometimes she rips up paper and layers it on the canvas. Her paintings are very abstract, distorted images of faces and people. I should also add that she also does mixed media as well and that is also very good.
Community Connection 2
E.J. Hauser
12/10/09
- I like the style of painting he uses
- I love the mixed media
- Text is great
- I like the wood panel
I like the style of painting E.J. uses; in a few pieces he uses thin lines of three repetitive colors as a background and a mix of a whole mess of colors. His mixed media game is awesome, paint and it almost looks like in one of his pieces he peeled of dry paint from paint caps. His use of text is great too, he writes in shapes. And the use of wood panel as a foundation is great. I feel like I can kind of relate to his art work.
Community Connection 1
Thomas Swanston
12/10/09
- The artist uses many birds in his artwork, I like that
- I like the use of mixed media on canvas
- Color combinations
- letting the paint drip
I like his use of birds in most of his pieces because I like it when people put animals or other living things in their artwork. Humans in artwork are cool too. I am a fan of mixed media, I like to do mixed media myself ( I just found out what mixed media is) I think it’s pretty plain to have someone use mixed media on canvas but I think Thomas is talented enough so he can make it work with no questions asked. The color combinations of a few pieces are awesome, I like the green, and tan on black as shown on one of his pieces. I also like the dripping effect he uses in a few pieces, I like it when artists drip I have never tried this method but I’d like to.
