Keith Andrew
September 21st, 2006Drawings being made so fine.
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Benedetta Mori Ubaldini
September 16th, 2006She does her art on balloon and wire.
As a child you see the world as a giant candy store filled with sweet candy and such. You look around and see balloons made of colors. You talk to rabbits like you talk to your barbie dolls. You play with your hamsters like you play with your train toy.
As you grow up, you wanted to scream and cry because something is holding you back. You want the time that you were young so much that reality is no reisistance. You dig your brains and you found nothing. No knowledge, no stress, no time awareness. Carefree and you play with your toys all day long.
And when you are a grown up, are you just keeping quiet like me, … planning my escape? Escape to a reality where you have balloons like art and wires like animals?
Bella Pilar
September 16th, 2006Bella was born and raised in New York City. she moved out west with her husband two years ago and currently paints out of her studio in Los Angeles, with many mini escapes back home to NYC for doses of inspiration. Bellas whimsical feminine illustrations are created in gouache (watercolor). Her work has appeared in all sorts of places- advertising (hewlet packard), magazines (cosmo girl), retail display (Macys NY), licensing and greeting cards (marcel schurman), galleries, and the many walls of friends and family. Her strong ties to fashion began with a degree in fashion design, followed by work doing fashion styling and designing retail window displays, and then a career as a makeup artist in New York City and Los Angeles, all before going on to her true love, illustration.
http://www.bellapilar.com
http://www.illustrationmundo.com/article/art/31/
Much thanks to Grace for telling me about her!
Jessica Craig-Martin
September 16th, 2006Lives and works in New York.
Jessica Craig-Martin became famous for her photographs of high society, capturing awkward and often not-so-glamorous exchanges between the beau monde. Identities of the rich and famous were usually obscured, cropped to show only a garish detail, a midsection, or a hand reaching for a tray of hors d’oeuvres. A favorite at American Vogue and Vanity Fair, Craig-Martin has since widened her range to include reportage, fashion, and still life. She has fostered a unique point-of-view that has led to solo shows at P.S.1/MoMA and Collette, and dynamic campaign for clients such as H&M and Kate Spade.
http://www.afgmanagement.com/jcm/advertising.html
Van Wert
September 15th, 2006Drawings on the people on the subway in New York City
http://nycpeople.blogspot.com/
William Klein
September 13th, 2006William Klein’s wide-ranging career has encompassed groundbreaking ‘snapshot aesthetic’ photographs of New York, some of the most iconic fashion photography, and proto-Pop films. Yet this varied output is unified by his uniquely idiosyncratic and consistently experimental approach. His work has been shown in major venues across the world, including the Museum of Modern Art de la Ville, Paris and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
http://www.eyestorm.com/artist/William_Klein_all.aspx?gp=_8
http://www.designboom.com/portrait/klein_bio.html
http://masters-of-photography.com/K/klein/klein_articles.html
State of Emergency by STEVEN MEISEL
September 12th, 2006
http://www.voguevanity.it/cont/010fas/photo/default.asp
Paul P. For Dior Homme
September 12th, 2006
No, this post isn’t about all Hedi Slimane or Dior Homme again but Paul P.
Who is Paul P.?
Here’s an excerpt from http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&c=Article&cid=1138834250467&call_pageid=968332188492 about Paul P.
Paul P. is still a little bewildered that Hedi Slimane, the world’s most directional men’s fashion designer, wanted to use his gay porn-inspired art in the current Dior Homme spring/summer 2006 advertising campaign.
That’s not to say the 28-year-old Hamilton-born artist, known internationally for his homoerotic figurative studies, isn’t honoured by the joint venture.
In the campaign the artist’s pencil drawings of a fashion model are presented with photographs of the same lithe young man wearing Slimane’s sexy, mod clothes.
Paul P. doesn’t know how Slimane was introduced to his art, but acknowledges they have a common aesthetic. Though they have never met, their shared vision of seductive, masculine imagery, particularly as revealed in the campaign, is undeniable.
“I’m not sure where it all began,” Paul P. said in an interview earlier this week. He suspects that Slimane saw his images at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris and was inspired to combine their efforts in the spring campaign which was shot by Slimane, a keen photographer. As it turns out, the Paris-based fashion designer and the Toronto artist are remarkably alike.
Slimane, who has been creative director at the LVMH fashion house since 2000, is credited with putting men in skinny, shrunken suits, sexy low-rise rock ‘n’ roll jeans and gold patent high-heeled boots.
Similarly, Paul P.’s head and shoulder portraits and landscapes with “small, shadowy incomprehensible figures” are inspired by images of male porn models from the pre-AIDS era, he says.
For the current Dior Homme ad campaign Paul P. drew (graphite on paper) five renditions of a single live model.
But he is actually famous for his drawings and paintings inspired by images of young men who 20 to 30 years ago appeared as porn.
Paul P.’s reputation and fan base is larger than his life in Toronto. His provocative and always untitled artwork has been displayed at galleries all over the world, including Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Tokyo and New York. In Toronto, his work has hung at Spin Gallery, the Power Plant, Mercer Union and Paul Petro Contemporary Art.
Paul P. began using only the initial of his last name while still in school and struggling to find a way to separate himself from other artists. There is no pretension, he insists. And, he adds, he is hiding nothing, and denying nothing, by opting to use only P. on his calling card. Still, he declined to reveal his full last name.
Paul P. is apparently not a publicity hound.
We had to seek him out.
While initially the collaboration between Slimane and Paul P. seems baffling — a world famous fashion designer and a young Toronto artist specializing in porn images — on further inspection the partnership makes perfect sense.
Paul P.’s images have been described as both homoerotic and deeply romantic. The same can be said for Slimane’s approach to fashion.
The soft-spoken artist, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor of fine arts from York University, describes his art as “melancholic and very approachable.” Slimane, by the same token, is known for his fascination with hard street style. He has embraced the druggy image of bad boy rocker Pete Doherty, Kate Moss’s ex, as fashion muse.
Paul P. bases his art on pornographic materials from the ’70s and ’80s because for him, the time represents a less entangled pre-AIDS era, “before the massive shift in how gay porn looked,” before magazine models buffed up to achieve a plasticized, super-healthy look to distance themselves from the disease.
“I go to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and photocopy pages from gay porn and then use those images as inspiration.”
His portraits unapologetically herald a time before sex was burdened with consequence. “It’s a different way of looking at young men that wasn’t complicated by AIDS. It could simply be erotic.”
Though his art may seem to objectify men, Paul P. doesn’t see it that way, declaring, “I don’t think something is controversial simply because it has the capacity to affect people.”
Paul P., who is planning to move to Paris, is interested in fashion design and is an enthusiastic fan of Slimane.
“His designs centre on the complete aesthetic,” he says. “Hedi does not begin and end with the clothing. He looks at the figure, the silhouette of the model and even the photography.”
In fact, the artist sees something of himself in Slimane, especially in his approach to masculine imagery. “His silhouette is not entirely different from the silhouette I paint or draw. It is masculine but he uses a feminine vocabulary to explain it.”
What’s more, says Paul P., “I like that he works exclusively with masculine subject matter.”
And here are a few of his works.
http://www.artnet.com/artist/423911397/paul-p.html
http://www.danielreichgallery.com/
Jonathan Weiner
September 12th, 2006Everything is so surreal now.
Ryan Morris was lucky enough to have an interview with the Brooklyn based avant painter himself.
RM: How do you plan for your paintings?
JW: I use a sketchbook or a camera sometimes. Lately I’ve been using pieces of parchment paper so that I can make the pelimenaries different sizes. It’s kind of interesting. What I’m starting to do lately is putting some of the sketches in the actual shows. After Miami I started adding them as a sort of installation to the work and to show the process I go through. The only problem is that when they sell they’re harder to give up than the paintings. It can be compared to ripping out pages from a personal journal. It’s always hard to part with the work, but I’ve gotten better at it.
RM: Where do you see yourself in 5 yrs?
JW: As the more time goes bye I see myself being less and less involved in the commercial market and more on the fine art side of things. Right after this show I’m going to be working on the Society of Illustrators call for entries competition flyer and I wasn’t really sure if I still wanted to be a part of that. Illustration involves a lot more planning and forethought. I see myself doing what I am doing now just getting more money for doing it.
RM: What Music, Movies, or Media are you into right now?
JW: Right now it’s kind of all over the place with my MP3 player. Actually, when you walked in I was listening to that Wolf Mother. It’s one of those CD’s where I don’t think I’ll be listening to in a month. But, as of right now I like it! What else, that movie Barton Fink, I feel like after viewing the film I’m going through the same experience in my life right now. Almost as a block in how he had difficulties adapting his writing for film. It’s kind of similar to the process any artist goes through. During the creation of this show I kind of got stuck and kept re-painting over what I had already done. So that no one really knows all the changes or the process that went into any individual piece. The clash between the artist and the business is so evident in that film.
RM: Finally, what advice can you give to all those young aspiring artists?
JW: Don’t do it… Umm, take it all for what it is. I had no choice in the matter. If I had a full-time job I’d still paint. If you produce naturally you’ll have nothing to worry about because you’ll make it happen. The most dangerous thing about this way of life is having an out. Having a real life is not as stressful. Being an artist, I love it, it fulfills my needs, but by no means does it satisfy them. I still feel like I’m outside of the normaal flow of life and the work is always on the back of my mind.
Read the full interview here.
Top 10 Most Abused Ad Codes
September 11th, 2006Advertising like any industry has it standards and code of ethics. And again, like any industry, the code is always broken by a rebellious few.
Attention Advertisers
Before 1961, marketers could advertise any product in any way possible. A time when the rich, sweetly pungent smoke of tobacco offered more than lung cancer. It promised sophistication and sex appeal. There was this particular ad from the 1950’s for Camel cigarettes that read ‘Camels agrees with your throat’ and another one, which showed a smoking Santa Claus giving out cartons of Winston and Chesterfield and the ad also said that, the cigarette carton of your choice would be gift-wrapped with the holiday colors. Everyone from tobacco companies to cola companies and the alcohol industry promoted their products with false information. Try doing that today and you are buying your ticket to bad publicity.
It was not until the early sixties that the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) came into place. Taking shape in Britain, the ASA is an independent self-regulatory organization for the advertising industry. Their job is to make sure advertising is truthful, legal, sincere and honest, and does not mislead the public. Following the ASA in Britain many other countries formed their own form of advertising regulation committees.
The advertising code can be found on their respective sites and most of them hand out printed versions on request. The code describes in detail, what is legal and what is not. Not adhering to the code or breaking it could lead to the company being banned from advertising and given bad publicity. Bad publicity maybe a good thing for rock stars and movie stars, but definitely not for brands trying to win customers with millions of dollars on new campaigns.
The Fine Line
The advertising code has many laws and rules to abide by. We go through the thick book and pick out 10 that are most prone to abuse.
Advertising should not portray sexually suggestive images, or images that are degrading to any individual or group.
It is no coincidence that this appeared first on our list. It is not uncommon for advertisers to use sex to sell. We can’t blame them. Sex sells.
But they are required by the ASA to observe a high standard of social responsibility. Even though the advertisements might be targeted at adults, it does not mean that children or others who might get offended by the images will not be able to see them. While it is okay for advertisers to use such images to a certain level, they are required not to cross the limits. And the ASA also makes sure that these ads don’t get shown or broadcasted on content that is aimed at minors.
But let’s now do a count on how many(!) ads are there which demonstrate carnal suggestions.
Advertisements should not state or imply a promise of winning nor portraying unrealistic outcomes.
This applies to the gambling advertisements, which are big industries in some countries. All ads for gambling are strictly made to stick to the rules. In the United Kingdom, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) are consulting on new rules for gambling ads, following the passing of the Gambling Act 2005. The Act, which comes into force in September 2007, removes current legal restrictions on the content of gambling ads and the gambling sectors that are permitted to advertise.
That wasn’t what the lotto poster showed – the way the amount of zeros sits neatly beside each other on the poster… tantalizes and awakens the sleeping dragon of our 6th Deadly Sin.
While advertisements may depict the consumption of liquor as incidental to a friendly and happy social environment, they shall not suggest that liquor will create a significant or desirable change in mood or social environment, or that liquor contributes to or is a reward for success or achievement of any kind.
Now my question is, do alcohol companies know that this rule exists? When you sit down to watch TV tonight and by any chance you see an ad for whiskey or beer, think of this rule. And my bet is, the rule is breached.
Advertisements should not encourage excessive consumption of any particular food.
From 1980 to 2002, obesity prevalence has doubled in adults and overweight prevalence has tripled in children and adolescents. And the last thing we want to see on TV is a man crunching and munching his way to obesity.
There are other sides to making food look delicious on ads. I recall this one ad I watched that showed this guy slicing his chocolate cake and taking in slow bites one at a time. Two minutes later, I was at the bakery next to my apartment doing the same thing.
Advertisements should not glorify excessive speed and/or unsafe driving practices.
Very popular among ads for performance parts. But surprisingly, most ads for new cars these days don’t glorify speed. Rather, they look at design and safety as in the case of Volvo, but little or no reference is made on speed. So, someone is actually following what the code says.
Where reference is made to a competition the rules should be made clear and the value of prices and the chances of winning should not be exaggerated.
Read this article and win prizes worth a million dollars. Not really. But this is an example what the above rule is talking about. We see them everyday, and especially in supermarkets and grocery stores. You can also see them on the daily papers, and if you notice, you will see some pointers towards the end of the page in the smallest font possible which describes the rules of the competition and other disclaimers.
Those very fine prints in Verdana Font 0.5.
Comparative Advertising should not mislead the consumer about other products or services with which comparisons might be made.
Comparative Advertising is a sensitive area. And most of the time comparative advertising leads to rivalry between the two brands. Right about now, two popular cola brands should come to mind.
The ASA requires such comparative ads to be factual and informative. Apart from cola companies, these ads are popular among detergent products, automobiles and electronics.
So which one are you going to choose? Brand X or Y ?
Scientific Terminology is acceptable provided it is relevant and used in a way that can be readily understood by consumers without specialist knowledge.
Scientific terminology should not support false advertisement claims. Chemically processed food, medications, cosmetics and beauty products misuse advertisements by making false claims with the help of words that the public is not familiar with. Such ads should be supported by relevant documents and details on scientific terms used should be described in words that can be understood to the Advertising Standards Authority.
An ad once said, ” Drink milk. Be as strong as the cow.” Cows don’t drink milk! They eat grass and lick water.
Advertisements for weight management should not promise unrealistic or unsafe rapid weight reduction. Advertisers should not imply that the advertised product is a substitute for balanced diet.
Weight management advertisements and others in the same category like hair loss reduction and bust enhancement ads have to comply with the rules and should never mislead the public. Such ads are specially looked into by the ASA. There are many who have had complaints on such companies who make promises to clients and in the end cause disappointment. In the same way, before-and-after pictures and testimonials should be backed up the consumer or else it can’t be displayed in the ad.
All advertisements should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to societ
y.
The last one sums up all the other codes mentioned above and the various codes mentioned in the book. In the end, all advertisements on all different kinds of mediums should comply with the law, shouldn’t impair public confidence, shouldn’t mislead or deceive the consumer, and have a sense of social responsibility.
Cha
via http://www.designtaxi.com/features.jsp?id=261
Ashley Macomber
September 10th, 2006The work of art with animals.
http://www.kavigupta.com/artists/macomber/am_images.html
WHAT CD? WHAT PARIS HILTON? WHAT BANKSY?
September 9th, 2006
Hundreds of Paris Hilton albums have been tampered with in the latest stunt by “guerrilla artist” Banksy.
Banksy has replaced Hilton’s CD with his own remixes and given them titles such as Why am I Famous?, What Have I Done? and What Am I For?
He has also changed pictures of her on the CD sleeve to show the US socialite topless and with a dog’s head.
A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK.
She told the BBC News website: “He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in.”
It might be that there will be some people who agree with his views on the Paris Hilton album
HMV spokesman
But he left the original barcode so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered with.
Banksy is notorious for his secretive and subversive stunts such as sneaking doctored versions of classic paintings into major art galleries.
His spokeswoman said he had tampered with the CDs in branches of HMV and Virgin as well as independent record stores.
He visited cities including Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and London, she added.
A spokesman for HMV said the chain had recovered seven CDs from two Brighton shops but was unaware that other locations were affected.
Artistic leeway
No customers had complained or returned a doctored version, he said.
“It’s not the type of behaviour you’d want to see happening very often,” he said.
“I guess you can give an individual such as Banksy a little bit of leeway for his own particular brand of artistic engagement.
“Often people might have a view on something but feel they can’t always express it, but it’s down to the likes of Banksy to say often what people think about things.
“And it might be that there will be some people who agree with his views on the Paris Hilton album.”
A spokesman for Virgin Megastores said staff were searching for affected CDs but it was proving hard to find them all.
“I have to take my hat off – it’s a very good stunt,” he added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5310416.stm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxUl9Mxbh1E&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewoostercollective%2Ecom%2F
(PS. i reckon the banksy version of paris hilton would worth much much more. hey it’s a artist collection after all so check ebay soon.)