Joe Mills

Mike Parsons

Image from Now

This is a very old article about Mike Parsons, but it has been the only decent thing I have found about this artist on the web. I saw him working on the streets of Toronto last September, and I was really interested in buying one of his pieces, but ended up taking his card. When I tried to contact him later about buying a specific piece, he had already sold it at a show. Anyway, he does these fabulous black ink and canvas paintings that are very bold and distinctive. They really jump off of the page and can are harsh, but also funny. The “sequence” paintings I saw last year are not on the link, but they are the pieces I’ve been trying to locate. They show a cartoon-like person going through a transformation over a couple of scenes that are all tied together. The link provides some insight into his work, but I wish I could see more.

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La Linea

I bumped across this post on Drawn and I was so happy to see someone post this. I had totally forgotten about these animations, but as soon as I saw them, I remembered how much I loved them as a kid. These cartoons, called La Linea, are some of the best animations you will ever see. They are simple, intelligent, and very well done. When I teach my students about the importance of line as an art principle, I plan on showing them these animations. The lines are very expressive and tell the story of these animations perfectly. Plus, the character is basically talking gibberish but it is almost like you know exactly what he is saying. Someone on Drawn posted a link of where to buy them on Amazon Germany. There are 50 videos on the above site, and they are worth the time to watch.

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Juli Adams

Image from Juli Adams

Just a quick link to an artist I saw at the Wells Street Art Fair two weekends ago…has it been that long ago? Although I did not buy one of her prints, you should really check out the work of Juli Adams. They are very simple, humorous, characters (mostly women) in various poses and situations. Personally, I enjoyed Ninja the most out of the pieces in her gallery…and there are a lot to browse.

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Digital Maoism by Jaron Lanier

I came across Digital Maoism by Jaron Janier through Boing Boing, and I must say that Lanier seems to be most upset that people are changing his entry in Wikipedia. He also seems to be upset that the collective takes away from the personal glory of the individual. In the supposed race to be the most Meta site, individual voice and a human side to the Internet are lost. He looks down on the collaboration of ideas and the aggreggation of the Internet.

It seems that Lanier bashes “online collectivism” because credit is taken away from the individual…namely him. As an educator, I feel that collaboration is one of the most imporatnt tools that I own. If anything, I feel that online collectivism gives the Intenet a more human side because what has been created was created by individuals to help access information and increase learning. Most of the people who create all of this information are not out for credit or personal glory. They are interested in the process of learning and doing something right for the sake of doing it right. That is the main reason Wikipedia works. They are not motivated by money, but rather the personal satisfaction that they have made accessing information easier and they have brought people together. No, I don’t believe that it is necessary to have the ultimate Meta site or that it should even be wanted by the general publc. Like anything worth having, you need to spend time with what the Internet has to offer and make it work for you.

I hope the recent backlash towards the social Web does not lead to extended policies against its endless possibilities as a learning tool. Essays like Digital Maoism only add to the fire that online collectivism is to be feared.

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Audrey Heller

Image from Audrey Heller Photographs
At the 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago this weekend, I was a little disappointed by the artwork for sale. Nothing really struck me as original or showed any imagination or creativity. I was tired of seeing gaudy clothing and boring landscapes. In other words, I was not impressed considering this was my first visit. I was happy, though, to come across the work of Audrey Heller. She hails from San Francisco, and in her own words, her photographs are, “a melding of the influences of Dr. Seuss and Edward Weston.” They are truly humorous and thoughtful photographs. Plus, they are beautifully and meticulously photographed. She takes small figurines and places them in a world that is too big for them. For instance, Bubbly, the artwork I purchased this past weekend, is a diver diving into a glass of champagne. Although this picture is not on the site, there are plenty others that demonstrate her style. I think Never Be Lonely Again! is a great example. It shows a small maid figurine sweeping up a coffee cake on a plate next to a cup of coffee and a newspaper. We will see what the Wells Street Art Fair has to offer this weekend.

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Joe Ledbetter

Image from Joe Ledbetter

I’m going to keep this one short, but I thought I would pass along another artist doing some cool things. Joe Ledbetter has a great flair for doing characters. His paintings are about poster size and, in a lot of ways, they don’t make any sense. The characters seem to fuzzy and furry cartoon characters doing a number of strange things. For example, there is a monkey who has cut off the top of head and is eating his brains. It is aptly titled Monkey Brains. These really have to be seen to be appreciated. The great thing about them is not necessarily the subject matter, but the strong, bold lines and bright, dynamic colors. Everything just pops off the canvas. Many artists lately seem to have this focus on creating characters, and Joe Ledbetter has one of the best eyes for this.

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Hethe Srodawa

Image from Hethe Srodawa

I read about this artist on Drawn! The Illustration Blog and I wanted to particularly point out the piece at the very top of the site. Hethe Srodawa created all of the works on this very basic online portfolio, but I really love the first one. I saw another artwork like this in Synthesis and I forgot to write down the name of the artist. The graphic quality to this “landscape” makes your eye bounce around every inch of the piece to find the small details. The out of focus papers on the table, the orange bed sheet, the magnets on the fridge, and the glossy windows give this piece a realistic feel without trying to be completely life-like. I’d like to find other artists who use this similar style if anyone is familiar with this type of work.

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