Surrealist Techniques

Above: Pirate Butterfly; Below: Crow

Below: Paint covered marble in tray with paper.

Teaching kids and adults who have been told for years that they can't draw, means a different approach is needed. Often I use Surrealist techniques of mark making (with no control) then encourage the student to see what they can see in the marks, and then draw what ever it is out. Sometimes when I don't have any particular ideas for my own work, it is fun to use these techniques and see what happens. This weekend we have used paint covered marbles on a piece of paper in a tray and rolled the marble around by tilting the tray.

高 朦 Gao Meng

A lovely portfolio of illustrations and paintings by Gao Meng from China.

Tatsuro Kiuchi

Tatsuro Kiuchi achieves great tenderness in his wonderful illustrative prints, they have great peace and sense of space in them. Tatsuro has had picture books, book covers and animated advertisements commissioned and published, enjoy his portfolio.

Theo Jansen II

I blogged about Theo Jansen, when I first started, the art room, so many of you won't have seen his work here, now I know how to upload videos, here is a wee film of the great man and one of his amazing beach roaming beasts.

Above: Umerus Walking Clip. Below: Animaris Rhinoceros

Reuben Margolin

Two treats, the wonderful Kinetic work of Reuben Margolin and Lizzie Thomas's great blog and website.

Natasza Niedziolka

Bold, strong and powerful, I really like these works by Polish artist Natasza Niedziolka. I especially like her three dimensional forms, images from the Berlin art space Kunstraum Richard Sorge.

Junko Mori

Junko Mori is a Japanese silversmith,her inspiration is nature and natural forms such as moss and pollen, these images are of her silver forging work called 'Organism'.

Nathalie Perret

Nathalie's strange dough like necklace of plaster and gauze is a strange, wonderful and improbable piece of jewelry. It reminds me of baking with Freya, I could see one with made with little hand shapes leaving little floury hand prints.

Mit­suru Koga Leaf Cuts

I love Mitsuru Koga's works all of them! Such innovation talent and craft, just wonderful. This exhibition of his leaves is stunning, but I have two other posts on his work, it is a just magic.

Katherine Harvey

Wonderful wire work, this time by artist Katherine Harvey. She has no web page that I can find, but is represented by various galleries, and has some lovely works in her portfolio.

Animated Facial Hair

Yesterday was 'fun with paper facial hair' for an animation project. The moustaches were a bit dangerous for eyes, I wonder if that's the same when you wax your moustache into those spiky twiddly bits. I guess that goes under 'things I will never know'. (thanks to the models, Mark my colleague and Thomas a student)

Good Day

Good day making Saul Steinberg inspired masks from cardboard, before students go on to paper mache and modrock ones.

Florentijn Hofman II

Another large scale example of Forentijn Hofmans incredible work, making fantastic impact on the landscape. Three grand piano's representing beached whales and washed up cargo.

Florentijn Hofman I

A masterpiece of thatching, Musk Rat by Florentijn Hofman (who's work I featured last year). I would love to see something like this in Britain; for example a water vole in Norfolk, a dormouse etc. A link between neglected crafts and our threatened wildlife.

Stage Design at Bregenzer Festspiele

I saw this at David Stark's blog, these are amazing floating stage sets from past Bergenz Annual Summer Festival WOW.

Philip Giordano

One of my favourite illustrations by the Italian illustrator Philip Giordano who's work and blog I have admired for some time.

Catrin Howell

Catrin Howell is a Welsh ceramics artist who forms animals from myth legend and magic. Caitrin's works are beautiful hand pinched forms, her horses are stunning. She will be exhibiting at the Scottish Gallery Edinburgh this autumn (September 8th- October 2nd 2010).

Lemgroup

Lemgroup is an innovative group of young Finnish ceramicists who formed a collaborative group in a petrol station. Both individually and as a group these artists' Saara Kaatra, Lotta Veromaa and Laura Itkonen produce some fantastic and exceptional works.

Mia E Goransson

Porcelain as thin and delicate as fallen leaves, the ethereal work of Swedish ceramicist Mia Goransson.

Daniel Brickman

American artist, sculptor and installation artist Daniel Brickman creates beauty from his pyrotechnical tendencies using paper and matches. Some of these works were exhibited at the Amateras annual paper art exhibition at Sophia, Bulgaria.

Fun from japanese designer group D-Bros

These are some of the amazing products designed by Japanese Design group D-Bros, playful, innovative design found at the wonderful Handmade Charlotte.