Art Craft Design

Houseplants Become Hairstyles for Smiling Anthropomorphic Planters by Ceramicist Abby Ozaltug

Canadian potter Abby Ozaltug creates charming clay planters that give an extra bit of personality to domestic leafy greens. Tousled ivy, spiky cacti, and multi-strand succulents become the unique verdant hairstyles of rotund planters. Each ceramic vessel sports arms and legs (sometimes functional, sometimes decorative), and a few of Ozaltug’s designs also have charmingly simple smiles and eyes. The artist sells her pottery on Etsy as CeramicSense, and shares updates on Instagram.

Art Colossal

Preview Artworks Available at Mother & Child Vol. II Fundraiser to Aid Families Separated at the U.S./Mexico Border

Valerie Lueth

It’s been a year since the trauma of separated families at the U.S.-Mexico border shocked people around the world. Tragically, this humanitarian crisis continues, as documented by journalists and photographers, as well the detained children themselves. Please join us in New York City on July 15, 2019 from 6-9pm for Mother & Child Vol. II, a fundraising gallery show. Colossal is partnering with Sugarlift and a slate of talented and generous artists from around the globe to support three vetted non-profits: Kids in Need of Defense, The Young Center, and The Florence Project provide direct aid and legal support to affected families.

Original artworks, prints, and photographs have been donated by over fifty artists including Valerie Lueth, Luján Pérez, Pat Perry, Maude White, Elicia Edijanto, Lauren Matsumoto, Michael Meadors and more. If you can’t make it to Manhattan, artworks are also available for purchase in the Mother & Child web shop, starting on July 15. RSVP for free here so we can send you a quick one-time reminder: bitly.com/motherandchild2019.

Luján Pérez

Jess X. Snow

Faith XLVII

Maude White

Sonni

Elicia Edijanto

Lauren Matsumoto

Pepe Salgado

Design

A Partially Submerged Train Car Provides a Dramatic Entrance to Frankfurt’s Bockenheimer Warte Subway Station

via Reddit

Subway stations are typically just a means to an end, simple structures that allow a large overflow of commuters to enter and exit at will. It is less common for the design to be a destination in itself, like the popular Bockenheimer Warte subway entrance in Frankfurt, Germany. The station, erected in 1986, was built to look as if an old tram car had crash landed into the sidewalk that surrounds the station. The entrance was designed by the architect Zbigniew Peter Pininski who was inspired by René Magritte surrealist paintings. Although slightly dark, the work does have a hint of magical realism, making riders feel as if they are arriving at Platform 9 3/4 rather than just another subway stop in Frankfurt. (via My Modern Met)

Via @MojoBeast

Via Andra Moclinda-Bucuţa

Via Yasuo-Nanashi

Art Craft Design

Malleable Paper Sculptures by Polly Verity Expand and Contract Into Mesmerizing Shapes

 

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Caterpilla Corrugation #Paperfold #corrugation #papiroflexia #paperengineering #origami

A post shared by Polly Verity (@polyscene) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:14am PST

Polly Verity (previously) has been experimenting with three-dimensional paper sculptures and intricate folds since the age of eight, when she was given a paper folding book by her step-grandfather. Instead of following an ancient origami tradition, Verity finds her inspiration in the more modern technique of abstract tessellations developed by Bauhaus experimentation in the 1920’s. Through the years she has focused primarily on repetitive abstract geometric patterns made with uncut pieces of white paper to allow her audience to focus on the works’ shapes rather than be distracted by her chosen color. In addition to small sculptures, Verity has also created one-wear-only dresses for weddings, performances, and photo shoots. You can see more of her repeated paper designs on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Polly Verity (@polyscene) on Jun 26, 2019 at 9:18am PDT

 

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A post shared by Polly Verity (@polyscene) on Jun 18, 2019 at 7:00am PDT

Art

Palette Knife Smudges and Heavy Brushstrokes Form Colorful Abstract Portraits by Joseph Lee

Los Angeles-based artist and actor Joseph Lee (previously) brushes and smudges thick globs of oil paint to create multi-colored portraits. Vibrant layers of segmented brushstrokes focus on the emotion of human faces rather than their physicality, with facial features partially or entirely obscured from view.

Lee began painting as a way to channel his creativity after a failed acting audition. “After working on a long project, I needed to protect my energy and be selfish with my time,” he told Shape/Shift Report. “I don’t have any formal artistic training and coming from a theater background, human behavior and emotions were the closest references I had to paint.” Describing his process as “a bit of a blur,” Lee says that he shuts off mentally and fully engages with the work. No two days are the same, and that’s the way he prefers it. “I am not conscious of what I am doing much of this time,” he explained. “Obviously, there are times that call to be analytical and business-minded, but the actual process is to be fully engaged with my piece without interruptions. There are times when I’m just throwing paint around mindlessly, and other times where I find myself staring at a blank canvas for hours.”

To stare more deeply at Lee’s canvas paintings, prints, and clothing, head over to his Instagram.

Art

Italian Artist Peeta Blends Graffiti and Abstract Forms Into Optical Illusion Murals

Italian artist Peeta (previously) combines elements of graffiti and abstract art to paint murals that appear to morph and dissolve architectural structures. Abstract shapes swirl around and cut into walls to form M.C. Escher-like scenes that play tricks on the eyes and change depending on the viewing angle.

For the 2019 Stadt.Wand.Kunst mural project, Peeta painted a geometrical design onto a building on a street corner in Mannheim, Germany. Using sharp lines, curved forms, and different shades of blue, white, and grey, Peeta visually altered the structure’s edge and created a new impossible facade. “I loved this building since the beginning and I tried my best to combine multidisciplinary skills to transform it while keeping its original taste,” the artist wrote on Instagram. As with much of his other work, the limited color palette of the mural helps to sell the illusion and contrast the piece against the surrounding architecture.

Check out a few more of Peeta’s recent 3D murals below and follow his worldly travels on Instagram. (via Visual Fodder)

Animation Illustration

Eyes Roll and Tongues Unfurl in Quirky Hand-Animated Illustrations by Ed Merlin Murray

 

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A post shared by Ed Merlin Murray (@e_merlin_m) on Jun 30, 2019 at 8:46am PDT

Using simple materials like paper and ink washes, artist Ed Merlin Murray creates lively illustrations that animate with the pull of a tab. The expressiveness of the human face is Murray’s frequent subject, with blinking eyes and slithering tongues coming to life in bright colors. In addition to these hand-activated animations, the Scotland-based artist pursues a wide variety of illustration and animation projects. This spring, Murray crowdfunded a “book of drawings based on the eternal mystery of human consciousness, via a set of arcane sciences, esotericism, and the mystical” on Kickstarter, and also offers designs on Society6. You can see more of Murray’s moving images, paired with quirky captions, on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Ed Merlin Murray (@e_merlin_m) on Nov 9, 2018 at 7:35am PST

 

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A post shared by Ed Merlin Murray (@e_merlin_m) on Jun 28, 2019 at 8:06am PDT

 

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A post shared by Ed Merlin Murray (@e_merlin_m) on Feb 27, 2019 at 7:20am PST