More Masterful Mashups by Stephen McMennamy

A lot has happened in the world since we last visited the quirky and thought-provoking work of Atlanta-based BBDO Creative Director Stephen McMennamy. Yet his steadfast #ComboPhotos project continues to churn out clever mashups and engage people around the globe. In fact, as cited in our previous post (here) back in September 2015, he had almost 50K Instagram followers… well, his following has ballooned to 226K and growing. And for good reason. His compositions, which are all comprised of original, thoughtfully captured photography (rather than stock images) are simple and fun. Their brilliance is in their subtlety, and also the purposeful absence of Photoshop blending tools. McMennamy’s work makes us do a double-take, which is a sure measure of something special in our minds. His work is as impressive as ever… can’t wait to check back in another 16 months to see what McMennamy has conjured up.

Via Instagram

Capturing Spectrums of Symmetry One JPEG at a Time

In case you’re not aware, there’s a new niche of photography on the rise, “smartphone photography”. With Apple’s recent announcement of yet more improvements to the already outstanding iPhone camera, this new brand of photography should come as no surprise. Though smartphone cameras don’t (yet) rival the quality of digital SLRs, they have come a long way, and there’s something to be said for their accessibility and convenience. So, it’s no wonder visual artists are compelled to simply reach in their pocket when it’s time to capture some creative brilliance. New Jersey-based visual artist/photographer/college student Adam Hillman is a perfect example. While the quality of his conceptual thinking and execution are rooted in traditional visual art as we know it, part of what defines Hillman’s work is his use of his smartphone. For one, his photos are unedited… what you see is what you get. And with a broadcast vehicle (the great big internet) basically integrated into his tool of choice (smartphone), the accessibility of his work is a key part of its appeal. Hillman’s appreciation for modern art is clear, and his use of color and order are a real draw for us (see previous posts here and here and here). We will be interested to see how Hillman’s work evolves over time. From the look of it, he will be making a name for himself well beyond these early works.

Via Instagram

Stop, Think, Make

Transforming everyday objects into art holds a special place for us. It harkens back to childhood thoughts, when our minds wandered while staring out the car window at cloud formations that looked like other things. Or when we’d doodle with no purpose other than to document our own whimsical musings. These days, artists apply conceptual thinking to this cherished pastime, and the results are often special and surprising (here and here and here). Included among those artists is German-born, Australian-based Domenic Bahmann (aka Domfriday). What started as a personal exercise in creative thinking has since populated his Instagram page, which piques the interest of almost 60K followers. And, in turn, has even led to retail opportunities due to popular demand (here and here). In his own words, Bahmann explains: “In 2013 I started my own creative challenge called ‘Stop, Think, Make’. I had to come up with a new image or illustration at least once a week. Since then I try to see the world in the way I used to when I was a child. Staying playful and curious isn’t always easy in our busy modern world.”

Via Instagram

Fool’s Paradise: The Artwork of Hikaru Cho

Japanese artist and student Hikaru Cho seems to employ her stellar artistic skills with a single purpose: illusion. Whether it be illustration, body painting, or sculpture, Cho aims to woo viewers with deception… in a (usually) playful, lighthearted manner, of course. Her work can be a bit unnerving at times… adding extra eyes, misplacing ears, etc. On the other hand, she also likes to play with food, disguising one food as another, for example. No matter that subject matter, Cho’s work certainly intrigues. Her personality shines through, which is impressive considering her tremendous skill set. It’s hard to believe she’s still a student! Cho certainly has a bright future ahead… we’re going to keep an eye on her.

Via hikarucho.com

Genetically Modified Photography

Conceptual food photography has got to be one of our favorite niche disciplines lately, only confirmed by this excellent collaboration between Sydney-based creatives Enrico Becker and Matt Harris. Created as visuals to accompany editorial on genetically modified foods, these photos could easily stand on their own. We love the choice of colors and thoughtful compositions. The pastel tones of the produce, along with the bar codes of course, push the work into surreal territory. And quite effectively, we might add. In his own words, Becker explains, “As shooting style, we were going for a more pastel monochromatic still-life style approach. The end result of the shoot was combined in an awesome two-spread magazine layout with a well written article about genetically modified food by Matt Harris. The idea was to create a combination between the photography and the written text.” Oh, and did we mention these guys are also students? Nice work, by any measure.

Via enricobecker.com

Food Meets Fashion

It’s often said that fashion inspiration comes from a really wide and diverse assortment of sources, and we’re certain food is one of them. The work of San Francisco-based artist Gretchen Röehrs makes for a pretty amusing and rather literal interpretation of such influence. Röehrs dresses up her whimsical fashion sketches with a variety of foods, manipulating everything from artichokes to oyster shells, to mimic the lines and curves of clothing. Deliciously du jour, indeed.

Via Instagram

Bleak Bounty of Nature

In addition to being aesthetically innovative, Torino, Italy-based photographer Giorgio Cravero’s series, entitled simply Colors, is also fueled by a belief that we humans are slowly killing nature’s bounty. Cravero shot the fruits and vegetables, then masterfully retouched them to look like the life (color) is dripping away. “Men are poison for the earth. Behind this work there’s the story of what we are and of our arrogance when we think that we really count…. Here, in that cabbage which was sadly left to its fate, lies all the tragic meaning of our smallness and of our short memory, because we should have stayed there, close and loyal to the Earth, we should have stayed humble.” Though we may not totally agree with Cravero’s sullen position, we understand the sentiment. And there’s certainly no denying his immense talent and superb execution of these photographs.

Via Behance

Quick-Witted Creativity of Brock Davis

It’s no secret that we’re really taken with work of Minneapolis-based art director/photographer/designer/creative genius Brock Davis (see previous posts here and here). Davis has an uncanny ability to transform everyday objects into something unexpected. Sometimes playful, or funny, or irreverent, or random, or plain silly… always a stroke of brilliance. This time, though, we stumbled upon his Instagram account, rather than his portfolio site. Davis delights his over 175,000 followers with semi-frequent visual gems… creative and thought-provoking mini installations sure to at least invoke a smile.

Via Instagram

Split by Weston Doty

The talent coming out of Savannah College of Art and Design is quite remarkable. And the work of SCAD senior Weston Doty, currently studying Graphic Design and Photography, is particularly notable. We’re especially taken with Doty’s project titled Split, which he describes as “observation & experimentation of form + color”. We admit that we have an affinity for food-related design (as evidenced here and here and here), but Doty’s keen sense of color and composition are what really draw us to this series. Doty exhibits an air of design maturity in his work, and we imagine he will be making his mark in the design community for years to come (his terrific name can’t hurt either).

Via Behance