Coffee-Stained Portraiture of Alessandra Maria

In honor of National Coffee Day, we thought it fitting to showcase an artist who (subtly) uses the magical brown elixir to make art. Maui-based mixed-media artist Alessandra Maria creates beautifully detailed, dark and delicate portraits using little more than a pencil, black ink and gold leaf on coffee-stained paper. Inspired by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, Maria’s haunting life-like portraits evoke fantasy and mystery with intricate details set on an eerily enigmatic surface achieved through the coffee’s dark brown grounds. There are even religious overtones in these thought-provoking masterpieces. Maria’s work is simply beautiful and poignant.

Via alessandramaria.com

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Working on a beautiful commission. I was asked to do a portrait of two who have passed on, and it's been an honor to try my best and create something comforting for the family. These dots always take a long time! People frequently ask how I do them, and the answer is just plain hard work. I hand apply every dot; it often takes hours, and I always dread "dot day". But – this part is the best reward – brushing away all the gold to reveal the halos ✨

A post shared by Alessandra Maria (@alessandradraws) on Sep 19, 2017 at 11:49am PDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZO7aMhF-s4/%5B/embed

Wardrobe Snacks

Creative duo Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan, otherwise known as Terrence Caviar, are a stylist and photographer team, respectively, whose latest project marries some of our favorites: color, series, and of course food. At its core, Wardrobe Snacks explores thoughtful pairings of various colors and textures. McClellan’s closely cropped photos perfectly capture Maguire’s monochromatic styling, all while touching on a familiar scenario: eating on the go. In their own words, Terrence Caviar describe the series in their own words: “Wardrobe Snacks was inspired by diners lacking the luxury of being seated at a table: Michelle’s stepdad who rests his sandwich on his thigh (hell with a plate!) in between bites while he blasts an action movie on his TV; a commuter cramped up on a crowded bus retrieving an item from a bag or pocket; a lunch-breaker on a park bench eating from her lap. They’re informal — perhaps even a bit awkward — spaces as far as eating is concerned, yet the diner always appears to be comfortable and perfectly satisfied with his chosen snack, almost zen-like.” Prints available here. More conceptual photography posts here and here and here.

Via terrencecaviar.com

Sneakered

In an effort to pay homage to some superb Italian design manifested widely through consumer goods, Italian-American designer Gianluca Gimini conceived this series of fictional co-branded sneakers. Looking at Gimini’s body of work, particularly this imaginative series, appropriately titled “Sneakered”, it’s clear that Gimini operates on a creative plane not easily defined. At a time when consumers (very broadly speaking) seem to be steeped in the marketing of nostalgia, Gimini capitalizes on that trend and also taps into a youth culture that holds footwear, specifically sneakers, in high regard. Think of it as an exercise in mashing up historical examples of excellent product design with a vehicle that has global youth appeal (sneakers). Brilliant.

Via Behance

The Fun-Loving Photos of James Popsys

Australian photographer James Popsys has some serious skills behind both the lens and his MacBook Pro, but his work is anything but serious. Popsys is not one to indulge in self-importance or highbrow projects but rather focuses on manipulating scenes from everyday life into playful, sometimes ironic works. That’s not to say his approach is not conceptual or smart… Popsys just can’t help but inject his subversive sense of humor into his surreal photographs. In these globally solemn and often humorless times, Popsys’s work is refreshing. Keep it coming.

Via jamespopsys.com

Barbour for the Win

We are thrilled to announce that the Barbour collection of awards has seen significant growth with the addition of several prestigious recognitions.

See live announcement with links here

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

Luxurious Paper Craft by Mauro Seresini

Paper craft, using paper as the primary artistic medium for the creation of three-dimensional objects, is a highly specialized expression of one’s creativity. Though we don’t create this type of art ourselves, we certainly admire those who do (here and here and here). Milan-based artist Mauro Seresini is no exception. With little more than X-Acto knives and stockpiles of Bristol board, Seresini’s work ranges from editorial to advertising to commissions to large and small scale installations, and has attracted such luxury brands as Valentino, Tod’s and Lavazza. There is a certain unmistakable elegance to Seresini’s work, which clearly drew these clients to him. And the fact that Seresini is self-taught only heightens our affinity for his work. A true artist, through and through.

Via mauroseresini.com and Behance

It Just Got Real Up In Here

As we’ve mentioned before (here and here and here), 3D rendering has come a really long way in recent years. With technology advancing exponentially, the world of three-dimensional work has gotten more real, to the point that it’s sometimes difficult to discern what’s computer generated and what’s actually real. This gorgeous series, GoldRush, by Slovenian designer Črtomir Just exemplifies that fine line. We all know that these items aren’t actually made of gold, but Just nearly makes us believe it. In his own words, Just explains, “Since the world is obsessed with everything that’s golden, I decided to make a fun 3D series that takes the popular ‘gold’ naming for a spin and tries to depict these products literally or how they would look like, if they were truly made out of gold.”

Via Behance

Barbour Design Adds Eight New Awards to the Line Up!

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