Atsushi Wada

"I think that books and documentaries have a lot of influence on me. When I hear words I imagine pictures. Subtle gestures or behaviours create a kind of flash of realization in me." 

With a single mechanical pencil as his constant companion, working continuously and almost entirely self-schooled, the cutting-edge animator Atsushi Wada is known for his unique, surrealist works.
What was it that got you making animation in the first place?

"I started making sketches in 2002 when I was still at univeristy. When I'd made some pictures that I felt happy with, I thought how cool it would be to make them move, just in a simple way. It was less a wish to animate them per se, and rather a wish to give each movement, such as a character turning round for example, that sense of tension, that space that comes about through placing an action on the axis of time. And that's when it all begun."

Born in 1980 in Japan. Studied at Osaka Kyoiku University and the Image Forum Film Research Institute, before taking a Masters in Film at Tokyo University of the Arts. A self-taught animator, Atsushi has been making animation works since 2002 which are known for their playful sense of space and movement. He is currently a part-time lecturer at OsakaUniversity, member of the Japan Animation Society and member of CALF. Has been living in London since summer 2011 as part of a one-yearlong programme from the Japanese Ministry of Culture to support young artists.

http://kankaku.jp/en-index.html

http://cats-forehead.com/feature/anime-katachi-vol1-wada-5.html

Pete Hawkins: childhood dreams

UK artist Pete Hawkins paints on found materials: old wooden doors, school desktops, and cardboard to name a few. Mountain climbers climb towers of wooden bricks; Airplane models fight in imaginary dogfights; and one little princess dreams of riding her trike alongside Denis Hopper and Peter Fonda; all modern fables are painted on unusual surfaces. 

The doors, which were all salvaged from the British county of Yorkshire, are all visibly worn by the hands of time; this creates an interesting juxtaposition between the wood surface and Pete’s sensitive oil painting style. Each painting possesses the slightly macabre undercurrent present in both Pete’s work and the most memorable folktales from one’s childhood. The pieces become symbols representing opportunities taken or missed.

"Doors hold a lot of meaning,” explains Pete, "and not only as transitional points in people’s lives. There’s the inherent sense of nostalgia they bear. Plus, there’s the compelling suggestion of what may lie behind them."

"I believe that inspiration for good ideas is to be found in the most mundane places. It was a moment of clarity when I found a piece of wood in a corridor which had been used to work out maths sums, for doodling and the odd derogatory comment about someone's class mate. I liked the idea that these paintings are a sort of elaborate doodle of a school boy or girl’s dreams, hopes, and aspirations. In a child's mind, the possibilities are endless so with that thought I have tried to create images of obscurity where ordinary depictions of people and objects are put together to make up something out of the ordinary."
http://www.pete-hawkins.co.uk

Lorenzo Duran Silva: leaf art

Lorenzo Durán Silva is a self-taught Spanish artist. One day, after observing a caterpillar eating a leaf he begin a series of what he calls “cut-plant leaves”. He collects different leaves in his garden and parks, (sycamore, black poplar, walnut, elm, mulberry) then spends weeks or sometimes months transforming them into works of art. He painstakingly cuts shapes using an ancient Chinese paper cutting technique. Before cutting them, he drys and molds them so they will preserve their shape.

He uses components from nature that help him complete his ideas and believes that each object in nature has imprinted in its self, art in its purest form. The colors of a butterfly, mineral glass, a majestic tree, are forms of art that delights the senses, and for him nature is a wonderful way to experience creativity.

http://www.naturayarte.es

artist Colin Chillag

 

Phoenix-based painter Colin Chillag’s portraits are a mix of realism and abstraction. Focusing mainly on the face of a person, he paints incredible detail. The paintings are often left unfinished. He wants viewers to be able to see his artistic process; the way in which he goes about recreating an image. He finds his images from snapshots he buys from discarded family albums of strangers. 

“My intention is to make this process open and available to viewers at every level, I allow the pencil sketch to remain visible as part of this process, and I even go so far as to incorporate the palette into some of the paintings.” 

“So, while I engage in a highly illusionistic form of painting,” he added, “I have no real desire to complete the illusion by finishing a painting.”

His website: http://colinchillag.com/home.html

artist Julie Morstad

I first learned of Julie’s work when I picked up a copy of The Family Fang. She drew the intriguing  cover illustration and I wanted to see more of her work. I love the mystery and elegance in her illustrations  – a group of women standing on a man’s head, women’s heads float up from a vent, people’s heads grow in the place of flowers. She uses a lot of symbolism – emotions are shown through objects more than the facial expressions of the characters. Check out more of her work here:

http://www.juliemorstad.com

http://www.bau-xi.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=266331

http://sanseverything.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/julie-morstads-subdued-creepiness

Kathy Ruttenberg

Kathy Ruttenberg's sculptures look like illustrations in a children’s book, enchanted tales of dogs, birds, goats, rabbits and deer. Yet they are far from light hearted and the fairytale-like sculptures create worlds of dark themes: fertility and barrenness, desire and fantasy, power and submission.

"My work has been a fascinating journey through paint, animation, watercolor, and sculpture. It seems no matter the medium, clearly I have a narrative that needs to be told and have always used the figure as a vehicle to tell the story. 

Presently with the sculptures the narrative of my inner landscape reveals itself tattooed over the man’s chest or the woman's dress. In the language of this inner world of mine there are many metaphors... and characters such as half man half dog, woman with rabbit, bird person, etc… have developed organically over a period of time like a fable. 

Each piece is its own journey through the technical aspects as well as the emotional phenomena. The subject matter intertwined with my own emotions seems to bring me to some complex solutions that were unpredictable. 

Often things happen while making a piece that was not premeditated, as if the clay is guiding me, taking me places. The metamorphosis of the work as it is exposed to the elements is truly magical and makes me feel as if I am an alchemist! I find a wealth of inspiration in everyday life as stories develop in my mind depending on my interactions with people, animals and the environment. 

My animals play an important part in my daily inspiration. I have visions of pieces when I have a moment in the day to collect my thoughts. These visions often become watercolors and if the feeling is strong enough, a piece of sculpture. My intention is to show the beauty of imperfection, the pain and beauty of that which is human, that which is animal, things we cannot control."

http://www.kathyruttenberg.com, http://pinterest.com/source/kathyruttenberg.com/