It was basically a decade ago that I stumbled upon
New York based designer, Justin Giunta’s, line of jewelry under the guise of
Subversive Jewelry. Unorthodox yet
authentic his designs were made up most notably of repurposed antique finds
with mixed metals and chains. This new
trend accoladed him being announced the CFDA winner in 2009, but apparently
making jewelry aint his only forte – he is also a gifted painter, fashion-,
interior- and industrial designer. Wait
a minute – go back – a jewelry designer who also paints? Hmm, who knew? Definitely a fellow artist whose work I’m
keeping a keen eye on…
I find it quite rare to come across an artist who inspires me
on both the sculptural as well as two-dimensional level. Liz Miller is such a rare artist whose mixed
media installations and drawings would inspire jewelry designers and abstract
artists alike. Her unique skill lies in
her ability to draw inspiration from (for example Baroque and Gothic) patterns,
then through the use of felt, foam and whatever tangible means alter and compose
them alongside simplified shapes to form almost out-of-this-world hybrid-like
environments. The relation between good
and evil also seems to be conveyed throughout her dramatic works, revealing the constant state of flux in perception.
Sometimes
an artist just shouldn’t put too much thought into what the observer’s
perception would be behind the so-called meaning of a given piece (whether it is suppose to have meaning or not). Especially if inspiration pops mainly from
botanical- and anatomical elements like flowers, leaves, mushrooms,
butterflies, and so on… who needs explanation then really? That is exactly the case of the whimsical and
sometimes somewhat bizarre pieces made by Lyndie Dourthe. She starts off by dyeing and hand-painting
some fabric and then she meticulously cuts it out to fashion ethereal like
flowers or leaves… or she sews it together into an object. These components can eventually become a necklace,
an anatomical study or a still life to display, to wear or just appreciate. For her, she says “the difference between
science and art is not that great – both can be poetry”.
Arjan van Arendonk from Den Bosch in the
Netherlands is a one-of-a-kind artist like no other. He is Dutch and of course marvellous
paintings of floral still-lives have been painted by the great Dutch masters
for centuries. What makes Van Arendonk’s
work new and fresh is the fact that he paints with pigmented silicone (and
sometimes include some embroidery elements too) onto printed fabrics. The way he does it! It is such a visual feast of both colour and
structure. It is also evident that this
man clearly loves nature and who could ever get tired of work done by an artist
like that?
