Fused Geometry & Floating Shapes

Trends are a funny thing to track. You can say that once they’ve gain momentum, they’re technically uncool and tacky (thank you Karl Lagerfeld for the insight), or that they’re simply an overarching theme hitting several sensory points. When you’re observing the things vibrating through culture, it’s important to look beyond the magazine headlines, as we all know that editors have word counts to fill and advertisers to please. It’s their job to sell quick digestible bites of content to keep us shopping…

When I wrap my head around a visual theme, I make sure to link as many worlds as possible…ranging from art and product to design, marketing and geography. Prisms have been an active element in the creative world for quite some time…they’ve gone from 3D to 2D and back again. This roundup highlights a mostly pink, red, mustard and blue palette of adjoined and floating shapes. Please have a look and share a few favorites of your own!

1. Elk Miracle Classic Pant 2. Work from Judy Kaufmann’s new website, Hello Pattern 3. Teva throwback, a collaboration by Bernhard Willhelm and Camper 4. Handmade prism kilm rug by Elk 5. Pretty pastel rings by Kenichi Kondo 6. Playful typographic art by Esther Tielemans 7. Expressive colorscapes by Melissa Thomson 8. Installation art by Sophie Smallhorn

July 30, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Color, Collage & Chad Wys

There’s a seriousness to Chad Wys’ work that feels very fresh in it’s storytelling. While some elements are familiar, like the color blocking and dripped coats, the ever-evolving collection has a point of view that’s purposeful and original in it’s familiarity.

A major strand throughout much of my artwork, beyond the broader inquirers into what art means socially, is the notion of object: object ownership, objectification of history, objectification of people, objectification of artwork and its many mediums; objectification of aesthetic pleasure; etc. I often explore/exploit the idea of objecthood: how we decorate our lives with arbitrary, as well as meaningful, things; how we objectify the ones we love and the strangers we see; how we objectify pain and death; how we objectify complex and sensitive cultural histories. I’m also deeply interested in understanding the reception of art, the reception of objects, and how extrinsic and intrinsic influences affect individuals’ reception of the visuality they experience.

At the core, Wys’ work is a development of composition, color and form, pairing materials and gestural strokes in brilliant simplicity. if you’re a fan, check out his shop on Society6.

May 19, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Masks: The Art of Identity

Smith2Africa Smith2Paraguay SmithQueenKuba

Our identities are dictated by daily routine. Whether we’re playing around with makeup and creating abstract stories or focusing on history through an introspective lens, the concept of duality shines bright when we think of a mask’s role.

Jamaican born, Miami-raised Paul Anthony Smith draws inspiration from Jamacian culture and the African diaspora. Smith gives a nod to these traditional masks while simultaneously commenting on hierarchy and identity. By covering his characters with a unique glittery “picotage” technique and deliberate obscuration, he levels the playing field. His subjects are virtually invisible to the general public. Click here for event info.

Queen Mask | Kuba Mask | Paraguay Wooden Masks | African Wooden Masks

Zieher Smith: 516 W. 20th St. New York, NY 10011

April 4, 2013 | By: Shayna Kulik

Los Angeles: Leap Second

Kon Trubkovich’s newest series translates the psychological underpinnings of the weak TV connection. The theme suggests that behind the static and disruption is a broadcast confirming our existence. Prominent in the exhibition are a group of large-scale portraits of the artist’s mother, culled from a home video, documenting the final party she threw in the U.S.S.R before immigrating the the family to the U.S.

Defining a transitional moment of flux, these works illuminate the difficultly of tracing the past. Through oil on linen, Trubkovich visually describes the sensation of relating to a person or physical location that no longer exists and aims to parse latent tangible codex.

In Erich Fromm’s book, The Art of Loving, which inspired Trubkovich’s exhibition, the author suggests that love is a refuge – a remedy for isolation and our disconnection from each other and nature. By archiving whispers of feelings and recollections, which are dangerously close to disappearing forever, the artist simultaneously forms a pictorial and emotional space. Click here for more info.

June 21, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

New York: Mounds of Color

Louise Belcourt likes to think of her new work as “paintings of sculptures of landscapes”. Using a well-honed sense of color, light and space, Belcourt arranges mound-like forms into arrangements that evoke landscapes and cityscapes.

The mounds are piled, stacked and overlapped, simultaneously forming into bodies of water, mountains and buildings as well as creating a fascinating visual tension throughout.

Color and light function like notes in a musical composition, striking a balance to form a cohesive and captivating whole. Click here for more info.

Jeff Bailey Gallery: 625 W27th St. (11th & 12th Aves) New York , NY 10001

February 23, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Art: Paintings & Personal Projects

How many of you made New Year’s resolutions?

In addition to getting healthy, making more time for family, collaborating on projects I love and washing my hair less…I decided it was time to return to the studio and make some art again. I spend a lot of time online. Too much, in fact. I wake up and fall asleep to a screen, I tweet, I instagram, I facebook, I pin. I curate and I design, however lately, I’ve been craving more tangible, tactile results…so I decided to sign up for a class, one with room for exploration.

Every Saturday through April I’ll be at SVA, taking an all-day painting class with Seth Michael Forman called Paint Your Own Vision. It’s a real commitment for me, though I’m excited and even a little nervous how it’ll all turn out- it’s quite a departure from the controlled medium of graphic design. Here are a few snapshots of work in progress…what were your New Years resolutions and are you keeping them?

February 7, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik