Saturday 20 December 2014

In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

When I started this blog last spring I had hoped I'd get a few readers - a lot would have been nice but a few would have done. However, I recently had a good look at my stats and realised that most of my visits have been from Google, my ISP and web-crawlers. I'd noticed that it was the same few posts appearing in my stats and they were being viewed in the same countries week after week.

Out of a measly 545 page views I only know of 3 genuine visits and maybe a couple more that I think might be by bloggers I've come to know online.

My posts take quite a while to put together and I don't have a lot of spare time so I don't publish a lot but I'm clearly doing something wrong as no-one is reading them even though they usually get top 10 Google listings.

So this will most likely be my last post. If you do read my blog then please comment or email and I'll keep posting; if not...



Catch you... later?
 
 
Update:
 
Yay! I have readers! Thanks for your +1's and an extra-special Hi to Galeria de Arte AFK!
 
I have a few posts planned, more art and more trips so stay tuned!
 
David xx

Wednesday 3 December 2014

Pop-Surrealism

Los Angeles in the late 1970's saw the appearance of Lowbrow art which had its roots in hot-rod culture, underground comics and punk. By the late 1990s/early 2000s Pop Surrealism had become an offshoot of that movement. Different websites claim different sources for the first use of the name. Wikipedia cites the The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museums 1998 exhibition as the first use of the term and I've yet to find an earlier one.

What I thought would be a relatively simple post about a few artists has turned into a peek under the lid of Pandoras Box. The more I looked, the more I found. So I've decided to limit this post to a few artists who produce work in a style similar to Mark Ryden to act as a brief introduction and guide through this particular branch of Pop Surrealism. I've included the artists preferred medium so you can compare their styles (the featured work isn't necessarily in that medium).


The Artists

Mark Ryden
Born in 1963 in Medford, Oregon, USA
Oil on canvas

http://www.markryden.com/

The Meat Train


















Ray Ceasar
Born in 1958 in London, England
Digital (Maya)
 
The Healing Light
 

















Marion Peck
Born in 1963 in Manilla, Philppines
Oil/encaustic/mixed media

http://www.marionpeck.com/

Lamb Land

















 

Nicoletta Ceccoli
Born in 1973 in the Republic of San Morino

Acrylic on paper

 
Girls Don't Cry
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hsiao Ron Cheng
Born in 1986 in Taipai, Taiwan

Digital
http://hsiaoroncheng.com/

Little Mama Goes to Reading Class


















Aniela Sobieski
Born in Twin Cites, Minnesota, USA
Oil on panel


 

Hush
 


















Chen Hongzhu
Born in 1982 in Chongqing, China

Oil on linen


Thorny Road

























Dilka Bear
Born in 1977 in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan
Acrylic on wood

 
New Moon
 























Travis Louie
Born in 1968 in Queens, New York, USA

Acrylic on wood panel
http://www.travislouie.com/

Pals
























Roby Dwi Antono
Born in 1990 in Ambarawa, Semarang
Acrylic on canvas
 
Cicada dan Cuaca
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Caia Koopman
Born in 1968 in Livermore, California, USA

Acrylic on canvas
http://caiakoopman.com/
 

























Naoto Hattori
Born in 1975 in Yokohama, Japan
 Acrylic on board
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lost fish (Elodie)
Born in 1983 in France

Digital
http://www.lostfish.fr/

Eat Me Candy
























Jeff Soto
Born in 1975 in Fullerton, California, USA
Acrylic on panel
 
Car Crash
 














Victor Castillo
Born in 1973 in Santiago, Chile
Acrylic on canvas

http://victor-castillo.com/

I Wish... I Wish


















Macsorro
Born in 1981 in Michoacán, Mexico.
Acrylic on Masonite
 
 Julious The Monkey Man

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mab Graves
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Oils and acrylic on Linen
 
Alice in the Garden of Live Flowers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

















Juan Jose Surace
Born in 1977 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Digital
 
La Fuente
 
 
I hope you've found this little introduction useful. You may not agree with my interpretation of the similarities to each of the featured artists styles but maybe I just see things differently. I'm afraid I couldn't track down the titles of some of the works but I'll update this post as and when the information turns up and I'll add some more artists when I find them.
 
 
Catch you later!
 
 
Credits:
 
http://www.spacejunk.tv/v4/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=38%3Aabout-spacejunk&id=500%3Apop-surrealism&Itemid=161&lang=en
http://www.voodoovelvet.com/supop2.htm
http://www.frankie.com.au/blogs/art/artist-interview-hsiao-ron-cheng
http://www.jamesfreemangallery.com/14/artists/chz/chz.htm#textandcv
http://www.augusteclown.com/artist-dilka-bear.html
http://www.skin-artists.com/exclusive-interview-with-dilka-bear.htm
http://hifructose.com/2013/10/28/the-unsettling-dreamy-paintings-of-roby-dwi-antono/
http://www.artchipel.com/post/26898802474/roby-dwi-antono-pilu-lalu-acrylic-on-canvas
http://artistaday.com/?p=1462
http://www.magriniartes.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CHEN020_thornyroad-1.jpg
http://www.wicked-halo.com/2010/01/naoto-hattori.html
http://www.aestheticcontradiction.com/art/artist-spotlight-lost-fish/
http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Exhibit.ExhibitArt&exhibitID=42AF4FA2-19DB-5802-E0AC75B05ECCA39F&artidx=10&artistidx=1
http://wwwcomcom.com/artist.html
http://year2megancox.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/artist-research-dilka-bear/
http://paintingswholesaler.com/artist.asp?artist=Caia%20Koopman
http://skywalker-terraincognita.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-pop-surreal-art-of-macsorro.html
http://fousiongallery.com/portfolio/artist-jjsurace/
Illustration Now 4, Taschen


 
#pop surrealism #lowbrow art #mark ryden #ray ceasar #marion peck #nicoletta ceccoli #hsiao ron cheng #aniela sobieski #chen hongzhu #dilka bear #travis louie #roby dwi antono #caia koopman #naoto hattori #lost fish #elodie #jeff soto #victor castillo #macsorro #mab graves #juan jose surace