‘Robert Vaughn’ belongs to a long line of portraits, painting and collages, combining celebrity or notoriety with anatomy. In these portraits, We see the subjects in their grandiose and glamorized poses with their innards exposed creating unnerving and goofy expressions. Perhaps the subjects are revealing something personal to the viewer, a characterized version of their true self, in some cases literally wearing their heart on their sleeve. In others, they feel as if they’re hiding behind these meaty masks, disguising their sensitivity. Continue reading “Art Circus Spotlight
‘Robert Vaughn’ by KEELERTORNERO” →

This piece encompassed the feelings surrounding self and otherness. It was an intimate exploration in both meaning and in the making of it. When making the painting I was excited about exploring different materials and the whole experience became deeply personal. I was constantly thinking of colour connotations and it was a lot of fun sensing the response of it as the painting progressed.

The response is supposed to be personal, in between a disturbance and sadness but also perhaps a confusion. The aim was to then see if the viewer themselves would question their responses – to engage in reflection. The paintings stand for the prejudice response between self and the other.

See more from Lisa Scrimgeour

I think my work is about trying to find relationships and tensions between materials and objects and, to some extent, letting my hands make decisions. Most works tend to begin with a trigger of some description, a collected object, interesting material or an existing image or artwork, in this case a deflated basketball found in local discount shop. This is then altered or paired with other materials and hopefully something begins to spark. With a finished sculpture like Bone this hopefully leads it to become more than the sum of its parts and move away from the boundaries of the materials previous lives.

See more sculptures from Luke Drozd

I did these illustrations for a small project based on films I like and wanted to illustrate, as my love of portraiture is one of the main aspects to my work. I wanted these portraits to deal with a likeness but also had a playful feeling too. As well as recognizing the characters, I wanted the viewer to bring their own memories and thoughts about the films to the drawings.

See more from Ryan Humphrey 

Lucky, Oil on canvas, 3 panels, 230 x 390 cm, 2010

This painting hints at the darker side of nature with 3 potential predators preying on a mouse in front of an atomic night sky. Seductive, garish flowers attract the viewer but once drawn in one finds oneself the victim of the owls’ gaze.There is a certain ambiguity in this painting and a tension, despite 3 oversize predators looming in the background, the mouse has a glint in its eye is distanced from its pursuers by a screen of sweet-peas and Dahlias. Quite often we find ourselves using beauty to mask fears. Who’s the lucky one then?

See more from Boudicca Collins

Trolley Tower was a sculpture I made for an exhibition in Motorcade/FlashParade in Bristol. What I found worked really well in the making of this piece was that I was able to work on site. I spent several days in Bristol accumulating objects from the surrounding area and building upwards. Often with these pieces there isn’t the opportunity to make the work in the gallery, ‘Trolley Tower’ is therefore a result of working under the most suitable conditions for the ceramic works and remains one of my favorites of this series.

See more of Anna’s Sculptures here

Rafael was one of a series of black and white portraits entitled “Memory”. The portraits represent faces of people from the past, with whom I have not had direct contact for many years in some cases. The series explores the nature of memory in general, and visual memory in particular. What interested me, was how you can recall faces of people from your childhood in dreams with vivid and detailed clarity. And yet it is hard to have a clear image in your mind in the waking state, and even harder to paint the image from that memory.

On a deeper level, this is an examination of the interplay between the conscious and subconscious mind in the creative process and in the memory faculty, as well as the process of relating to people in general. In many ways and on many levels, there always seems to be some kind of disconnect between the image of something and it’s underlying nature or reality. So in a portrait done from memory, the question becomes: “Which part of the image is a reflection of the nature of the subject, and which part is a projection from the artist’s memory or imagination?”

See more of Miguel’s paintings here

Jana Emburey Time Capsule Aluminium coated with copper, 20 x 16 x 10 cm, 2012

When attempting to analyse what time actually is and also how different cultures perceive it, one comes across the strangest ideas and possibilities. I have been exploring this concept for over a year now, using as a medium mainly sculpture and printmaking. This particular piece is the 3rd “Time Capsule” I have made and there is likely to be more in the near future. This one is made from aluminium coated with copper. It has been hand cut with a saw and modeled into its shape. It represents a pod, an egg, a womb, in which life of some sort was created, developed and finally released. It’s a metaphorical time machine, able to transport one to different stages of life.

See more of Jana’s work here

Nicholas Dedics Sinking of Venice Oil on canvas

Using elements found in old masterpieces such as landscapes, animals, wavy drapery and gold, these 10 artists have created work which carries that uncanny feeling from museum pieces with an added fresh, playful bite.
Continue reading “The Art Circus Looks at – The Classic” →

‘For a while I have been a bit obsessed with painting snowy landscapes, but I’ve never really been sure why. I am drawn to the cosiness of log cabins, deep dark lakes, mountains and fir trees. I find snow beautiful, and of course the northern lights are like magic. I painted this painting at the start of 2012, prior to a forthcoming trip to Finland, from my imagination.To be honest, I’ve never been sure if I finished this painting, but I quite like the way it feels quite fresh and not over worked. It hangs in my front room.’

See more of Lucy’s painitings here