Marika Sviķe is a photographer based in Riga, Latvia. She’s a creative animal, working in fashion (check out her new fashion line Gatavs Valkāšanai which means ‘ready to wear’), design, digital manipulations, she models and well…
I recently re-fell in love with Marika’s work when I saw her Lina + Madara | March 2013 shoot. I think what attracts me most to this shoot is her flamboyant use of the painted on, semi transparent brush strokes. Also, she easily and effortlessly captures elegant sensuality, not only in her Lina + Madara work, but in all her work. I find in every photograph of hers there is a feeling of character, of personality, of purpose. There’s emotion, and style, and above all else there’s little bits of quirky!
Most people just take photographs. They sit around and discuss equipment, proper care and handling techniques, and the latest from their favorite camera manufacturer.
The difference between them and Hiroshi Nonami is that Hiroshi makes that process an art form.
Take photographs, sure, but lets do it in such a way that it creates swirling dreams that dance around your minds eye and whispers little secrets into the overwhelming expanse of that which invites drop jaw and stare. NOW we have creation. Now we have tapped into what it is to create and to inspire.
Behold Andrey Yakovlev & Lili Aleeva. Possibly some of the most outstanding examples of fashion photography available.
Andrey and Lili create an experience for the viewer. They dissect the landscape and place models into the scene, making what can only be called a romantic dance dream.
The wardrobe choices, the accessories, the makeup. This, it is easy to say, is inspiration.
In this work, Andrey Yakovlev is the photographer, and Lili Aleeva is the art director and MUAH.
Ashley Joncas is an artist, photographer, editor, fashionista, model, blogger, and overall, badass creative soul. We like Ashley.
Ashley is 20 years old, and I enjoy the web she spins on her blog, her words are mesmerizing.
What I find is the best how her images are frequently washed out a bit, and almost always in black and white, or very damn close to it. Her style is very alley cat style, meow meow foxy with Ramones bangs. It’s a good dig.
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
Photo Credit: Ashley Joncas
For more of her style, more of her photographs, more of her, head over to her blog: Purely Couture and More. (ps. it’s a good idea to do that).
You get pieces of art that are pretty close replications of real life, evoke a sense of 3D, and really give a feeling of something that you can see happening. Well, Jaybo Monk touches briefly, in little corners of his paintings on these elements, fits together pieces that really make sense on their own, but what I find are his strongest suits are that he pushes the freak into what one would feel is quite natural and ordinary; freakishly and radically awesome.
It really is works of art like this that inspire me. Where does it come from? Where has it spilled forth from? What was on your mind? How did you get those strokes? How did you blend there? Did you create this from space? Those are just the first few that come from looking at the above photograph. Lord only knows how many more would come if I could actually behold one of them in front of me.
From what I’ve read, Jaybo is from a strong graffiti background, he grew up in France, but ran away from home to settle in Germany, Berlin to be exact. His biography on Circle Culture will take you into more detail, but its very interesting to hear how he has shaped the scene of that area from the ground, grass roots up.
A friend just told me, because I was lamenting about how far away my art is from this, that to get to the point where my art speaks like this, it takes many many hours, days, years of work. I optimistically put the fear of never getting to this point out of my mind and push on. Another friend once told me that if I spend to much time looking at all the other works out there, I’ll become overwhelmed with how much there is and start getting dizzy. I think that’s how I’m feeling right now. This is just such an amazing body of work Jaybo has.
Just wow. You know? wow. Shading, contortion, vivid body parts mixed with spaces of plain white. Ease and confusion. Words just keep flowing. Comprehension doesn’t follow suit. I found a great interview done by Remi Rough at Graffuturism, where I got the final picture of Jaybo from. But the interview does reach some interestingly quirky points, but mainly showcases some of Jaybo’s brilliant works. Maybe you’ve seen some of them before? Maybe it’s just in your dreams…
Also, the mixture of materials that he uses. To me, it looks like theres oils, water colors, pens, and spray paint? It is just confusing to me. Amazingly confusing. So much does it speak that its confusing.
I hope this opens up new doors for you as it has me, finding or learning of such style, such works just inspires me to the point of utter madness, a circling spiraling into madness that I can’t stop smiling about until I’m upside down and…
What do you think about Jaybo?
Here are a few videos to watch Jaybo’s process from Urban Art Core
Some of you may know her as a stencil artist, some of you may know her as a graffiti artist, some a dancer, and some of you will simply know her as the artist. All these combined, what do we have? A great person and an inspiration to nearly everyone within her reach; oh yes, she does reach far.
Me, as an observer, would define Indigo as a relentless worker who cannot say no. You can see it in her eyes (or hair)! It’s a drive that only people filled with life carry with them, like a little gerbil in a cage, tirelessly running on its little spin wheel. Time, location, hunger.. these are things that do not effect these types of people, and Indigo is definitely tested; starving artist she be.
Her artwork is graceful. You know the feeling you get when you watch an eagle soar through the air? Kinda like that. It just has a being, an existence to it. A natural essence that seems to say: “Yes, this is how it’s supposed to be, can’t you see?”
This artist is also an incredible writer. Read for yourself some of her blog posts. Her stories put you in places. I like those kind of stories, I like those kind of places, a realm of reality that you know exists there, or has existed in the past, but you’re just taking a break with a cup of tea right now on your dreaming to take you there.
One of her latest projects has been the wooden boxes and shelves that you see here. She touches on her thoughts of why she has started this project on her blog.
Indigo once told me when we were in discussion about stenciling (maybe illegally, maybe not): “It’s not just making the stencil cool, it’s about placement. You don’t just stick a little stencil in the middle of a giant wall, it just doesn’t fit.” These words just make sense for all art. Whether it’s stenciling on a wall, or in a collage, pasting onto a sign, dancing to a song, or painting on a canvas if it doesn’t fit, it’s not a proper piece. Yes, granted many artists push these boundaries to new levels that expand the mind to immeasurable heights, but you still look at it and go: “My that looks easy,” or: “My that fits there.” Her art fits there.
Her artwork is easily available through her Cargoh storefront, but I mention this because they have just created a artist bio video of her, thats simply brilliant.
One of her recent projects is curating an art show at Becker Galleries in Granville Island here in Vancouver, you can see a bit of what to expect with this video:
Her next venture is a 4week stint in South Africa where she will be part of many great projects that range from desert festival group paintings, to teaching youth the art of expression, to showing in a few galleries that you need to follow her blog to stay updated on!
Sometimes you come across things that just make you think to yourself: “I need to step on the gas, shift into a gear higher, let my mind free from all constraints, and become more totally awesome than I already am.”
His interest in not only in abstracting the normal, but in blending that with colors and angles that make you feel like your in a weirdly distorted mirror room simply amaze me.
I’ve just recently read an issue of Juxtapoz magazine, where he was featured, and guest edited the entire issue. It is chalked full of art, thoughts, reminiscences, history, and antics of David that inspire me in their own right, let alone the art that graces the pages.
Who really knows where an artist starts, I guess it would be some time between your parents deciding to not use a condom, the sounds you hear in the womb, and the influences you have at the time of puberty, but for David, it seems he’s grown up on a steady diet of graffiti, porno’s, and mixed media. Looking at his website, you’ll find he uses every type of medium possible: oils, mixed, walls, sculptures, fotos, and drawings… which I guess is what an artist should and does create with.
Gambling problems, sticky fingers, women, kindness, and amazing dedication to living a life for the sole purpose of exploring your mind seem to be David‘s characteristics; which inspire me a lot.
I don’t think its that he just uses a lot of different mediums, or that he has exceptional talent, or that he’s not trying to fit into a type of style, but its that he tries with the vigor of a porno star with everything that he tries; he lives, breathes, fucks, drools, and smells of art… and I love it.
Check out his stuff, be influenced, and tell me how much you adore him just like I do!
Oh, and by the way, he’s a world wide traveler, but in LA from all that I can gather at the moment.
