13 Illustration Graduates to Watch From the Maryland Institute College of Art

Kefan Shi, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@langshiart), “Garden” (2021)

As the premiere visual storytelling form, illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a truly interdisciplinary practice using experimentation, reflection, and point of view. Confronting subjects of importance can be achieved with bold strokes or with a whisper, drawing the viewer closer to a place of understanding. Through their envisioning the world of an author, contemplating life, or delving into one’s gender identity, these young illustrators are giving us a roadmap to the future. They imagine and build worlds of fact, fantasy, and poetry that go beyond the page using ink, ceramics, pixels, paper, cloth, graphite, time, and sequence.

Where these inspiring illustrators come from is as unique as their culminating work. With many having studied in the field, others emerge from animation, health care, advertising, design, and social sciences. They bring not only their deep passion for illustration as a practice but their attention to the needs of society through art. Distinct in how they reach this goal, the one-year MA in Illustration and two-year MFA in Illustration Practice programs give current practitioners, or those new to the field, choices on advancing their creative output.

Acknowledged nationally as a premier leader in art and design education, MICA is deliberately cultivating a new generation of artists—one that is capable of seamlessly integrating innovation, entrepreneurship, and creative citizenship with contemporary approaches to art, design, and media.

MICA is redefining the role of artists and designers as creative, solutions-oriented makers, and thinkers who will drive social, cultural, and economic advancement for our future.

What will you create?

See more thesis work and full artist profiles at mica.edu/gradshow23.

 

Alejandro Aguilar Canela, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@alejandrocanela), “Flower” (2023)

Nimo Jiang, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@nimooko), “Folding World: Agatha Christie” (2023)

Jodie Chiou, MA ’23 (Illustration) (@jiiezuo), “Ice Cream Teen” (2023)

Dwayne Huang, MA ’23 (Illustration) (@dwaynehuang_), “The Doomsday” (2023)

Yuanyuan Zhang, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@yuanyuanzhou_art), One spread from the book, A story of Wedgwood: Bringing elegance to the daily table (2023)

Rainy Zhang, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@rainyyyyz), “Fountain Plaza” (2023)

Andromeda Xie, MA ’23 (Illustration) (@andromeda_x), “Waterlillies” (2023)

Di Liang, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@di_liang_), Keyframe from animation “Cut &” (2023)

Breeze Hu, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@breeze_hu_art), Cover art from graphic novel, A Night Ride to the Day (2023)

Andrew Haener, MFA ’23 (Illustration Practice) (@andrewhaener), “Digital Quilt” (still) (2023)

Madalyn Drewno, MA ’23 (Illustration) (@madalyn.drewno), “Portrait of Eric Skinner” (2023)

Sissel Tan, MA ’23 (Illustration) (@sissel.tre), “Nautical Fashion” (2023)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article 13 Illustration Graduates to Watch From the Maryland Institute College of Art appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/1SsN0iX
via IFTTT

Dressed in Soft Cushions and Bulbous Garb, Colorful Personas Emerge from Frode Bolhuis’ Daily Sculpture Project

All images © Frode Bolhuis, shared with permission

Bound with colorful cushions and twine, draped in chains of spheres, or sprouting a single leaf from their head, the characters that originate in Frode Bolhuis’s Almere studio embody the Dutch artist’s playful imagination and desire for experimentation. Part of an ongoing sculpture project, the expressive cast is currently comprised of 117 miniature figures made primarily of polymer clay with wood, fiber, and metal additions, each of which has a distinctive personality.

Bolhuis (previously) began the project with the intention of creating a new work each day, although he shares that in order to refine the characters’ features and fashion their garments, he’s more likely to complete two per week. While much of his process remains the same as when he began the project in February 2022, the artist is currently branching into textile design in collaboration with the studio Byborre and a loom in his studio. He shares about the evolution of the collection:

I don’t know if they get better but they continually find new forms, forms I didn’t know of before I started. It’s like I’m getting to know myself through the sculptures. It’s a wonderful paradox that the set form, size, and discipline give so much freedom. It really feels as if I can continue this forever and continually develop. It’s magic.

If you’re in Philadelphia, you can see a few of the artist’s works later this year as part of Hi-Fructose’s group exhibition at Arch Enemy Arts. Otherwise, find more of the whimsical personas on Instagram.

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Dressed in Soft Cushions and Bulbous Garb, Colorful Personas Emerge from Frode Bolhuis’ Daily Sculpture Project appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/wH23I07
via IFTTT

A Group Show Celebrates Ten Years of The Jaunt, the Travel Project Sending Artists Around the World

Andrew Schoultz, “Orcha Tree” (2023). All images courtesy of Hashimoto Contemporary, shared with permission

The Jaunt, the residency program inviting artists to travel and create a single work based on their experiences, is turning ten this year, and a group exhibition at Hashimoto Contemporary highlights original works and prints from the archive by nearly half of those who’ve participated in the project. Launched by Jeroen Smeets in 2013, The Jaunt has collaborated with nearly 100 artists working with various aesthetic impulses and mediums—this includes Liz Flores (previously), Collin van der Sluijs (previously), Vhils (previously), and Lisa Congdon (previously), to name a few—all of whom have visited destinations around the world and translated their encounters into silkscreen prints.

The celebratory exhibition, titled A Decade of The Jaunt, will be on view from April 22 to May 13 in Los Angeles, and check out our interview with Smeets for insight into the ongoing project.

 

David Heo, “Read” (2023)

Matthew Craven, “Lil’ Bloom” (2023)

Alexandre Farto (aka Vhils), “Pictorial Series #19” (2023)

We Are Out of Office, “Next Left” (2023)

Left: Louis Reith, “Untitled” (2015). Right: Charlie Edminston

Cody Hudson, “Ignoring Relevant Information” (2022)

Left: Jean Jullien, “The Cruiser” (2023). Right: Cleon Peterson, “The Shadow” (2023)

Sebastian Curi, “Out of the Blue”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A Group Show Celebrates Ten Years of The Jaunt, the Travel Project Sending Artists Around the World appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/a5S0IZV
via IFTTT

A Stunning Timelapse of Ice Melting Ties the Climate Crisis to an ‘Eternal Spring’

Melting mounds of snow, icicles dripping from gutters, and morning frost quickly disappearing from the grass are all telltale signs that spring is near. But what happens when the landscape is suspended in a perpetual state of thaw not tied to the change of the season? Christopher Dormoy wades into this question in “Eternal Spring,” a mesmerizing short film that magnifies the properties of melting ice.

Shot with a macro lens, the timelapse zeroes in small frozen pockets that appear like cavernous landscapes and vast tundras, tying the film to its large-scale concerns. “Melting ice is beautiful and symbolizes spring, but it can also symbolize the problematic aspect of our climate,” the Montreal-based art director says. Given the incredible loss of ice already happening at the poles, “Eternal Spring” takes on additional meaning when linked to the climate crisis and what it means to inhabit a rapidly warming planet.

The film is part of a larger archive of Dormoy’s experimental projects, which you can find on Vimeo.

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article A Stunning Timelapse of Ice Melting Ties the Climate Crisis to an ‘Eternal Spring’ appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/zePbsYg
via IFTTT

In a Daily Sewing Project, Karen Turner Stitches a Visual Diary in Vividly Textured Designs

All images © Karen Turner, shared with permission

From newspaper paintings and watercolor scenes to narrative photographs and wildly handled mugs, daily projects have continually grabbed our attention for their ritualistic nature, dedication, and ability to strengthen creative stamina. East Yorkshire-based artist Karen Turner has spent the last year in the midst of her own routine involving a long strip of vintage fabric and colorful hand-sewn motifs.

Turner began what’s become her Intuitive Daily Stitching project back in January 2022 when she was hoping to bring more mindfulness into her everyday. The idea was to fill a few inches on a simple, angular grid with whatever motif came to mind, creating a textured patchwork that was also “a visual representation of time passing,” she says. “The older I get, the faster time seems to pass, and I wanted to connect with this sense of time rushing by and consciously to notice a few minutes every day.”

 

For the 2022 iteration, Turner worked on a single sheet of metis, a cotton-linen blend, stitching undulating stripes, dense crisscrossed lines, and radial designs. Now complete, the piece stretches a staggering 95 inches, highlighting the changes in the artist’s emotions, impulses, and aesthetic sensibilities as the months passed.

In this year’s edition, Turner shifted to a more book-like structure with several pages and a cover to emphasize the diaristic nature of the project. She explains:

I sometimes think stitching is more like writing than drawing, in that you can often identify a stitcher’s work in the same way that you would recognise their handwriting on an envelope. In that way, the stitch journal functions a bit like a diary, though it records more abstract thoughts and feelings rather than events. I think of the cloth and the stitches as witness to this part of my life and holders of a fragment of time.

For those interested in starting their own daily stitching journal, Turner sells her monthly templates and offers an online course on the practice. You can find more about the project on her site and follow updates on Instagram.

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article In a Daily Sewing Project, Karen Turner Stitches a Visual Diary in Vividly Textured Designs appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/otwDNuT
via IFTTT

RISD Continuing Education Reaches Teen Artists Globally With Online Youth Programming

Artwork by Advanced Program Online student Madison S.

Since 2020, developing effective and engaging art and design programming for teens has been the focus of Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education (RISD CE). In addition to online courses and certificate programs for adults, RISD CE now offers two formats of virtual engagement specifically designed to meet the needs and goals of young students across the globe.

Teen artists from anywhere in the world can now participate in courses taught by academics, creative practitioners, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who advance RISD CE’s mission to provide an art and design education for everyone. Students’ unique goals are met by instructors who provide opportunities to expand their worldview and hone critical visual communication skills applicable to any career path.

RISD CE teen online courses allow students ages 13 to 17 to explore one or more visual arts and design subjects. They attend weekly live Zoom meetings, which foster connection and community building.

Our first live class had students pair up to draw blind contour portraits of each other while asking questions about who they were, where they lived, likes and dislikes. Afterwards, everyone shared their portraits and told us what they had learned about their drawing partner. The blind contour portraits got everyone laughing and created a class connection. It definitely set the tone for the rest of the session and I could see a marked improvement in student interaction. —Bunky Hurter, Fashion Illustration instructor

In addition to Zoom meetings, students will review asynchronous course materials, work on projects independently, and receive narrative assessments with personalized feedback.

Summer 2023 teen online courses are offered in two sessions from June 25 to August 5.

For high school students ages 15 to 18 looking for more intensive experiences, CE offers RISD’s Advanced Program Online, a year-round online alternative to its residential summer pre-college program. This certificate program is for changemakers who want to develop their art practices, learn new ways to collaborate, and pursue art and design topics in depth. The Advanced Program Online allows students to focus on a passion, reflect on contemporary circumstances, and create a future they’re excited about.

Summer 2023 Advanced Program Online courses are offered in two sessions from June 17 to August 13.

RISD CE Summer 2023 is now enrolling!

To learn more, visit ce.risd.edu.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article RISD Continuing Education Reaches Teen Artists Globally With Online Youth Programming appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/H3zAMtr
via IFTTT

Working on Ice Floes, David Popa Renders Ephemeral Portraits that Fracture and Split into the Sea

“Bemuse.” All images © David Popa, shared with permission

After a decade of living in Finland, David Popa has established a fruitful creative collaboration that would be impossible in his native New York City. The artist frequently works on land and sea, particularly the fractured ice floes of the Baltic, to render large-scale portraits and figurative murals that draw connections between the ephemerality of human life and the environment. Whether depicting his wife or newborn child in intimate renderings, he highlights the inevitability of change as time passes, seasons transition, and the climate warms.

Popa’s use of such unconventional canvases emerged from a desire for adventure and child-like play, when he put on a drysuit, climbed onto his paddleboard, and ventured out to a frozen mass. “These spaces were so mysterious and so interesting,” the artist says. “I derived an enormous amount of inspiration from going out into these ethereal spots.” After taking some drone photos of the areas, he began working, spraying the contours of a cheek or lip onto the icy matter.

 

Left: “Remnants of the Past.” Right: “Prometheus”

Because many of his works are destined to melt and be reabsorbed, Popa opts for natural materials like white chalk from the Champagne region, ochres from France and Italy, and powdered charcoal he makes himself—the latter also plays a small role in purifying the water, leaving it cleaner than the artist found it. Most pieces take between three and six hours to complete, and his work time is dependent on the weather, temperature, and condition of the sea. “The charcoal will sink into the ice and disappear from a very dark shade to a medium shade, so it has to be created very quickly and documented. No to mention the work on the ice will just crack and drift away completely, or the next day it will snow and be completely covered,” he says. “I’m really battling the elements.”

Popa embraces this cyclical process and the lack of control over the fate of his works, which he preserves only through stunning aerial photos. Broadly reflecting themes of existence and time, some of his murals, like “Prometheus” and “Remnants of the Past,” also emphasize shifts in aesthetic impulses. Mimicking Greek sculptures, the works appear “washed up on shore,” drawing connections between antiquity and today and the differences in how we perceive beauty.

Popa will release a new limited-edition print next month, and you can follow that release on his site and Instagram. (via Yatzer)

 

“Power of the Earth”

“Fractured”

“Redemption”

“Power of the Earth”

Left: “Lautassari.” Right: “Inceptus”

“Mirage”

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Working on Ice Floes, David Popa Renders Ephemeral Portraits that Fracture and Split into the Sea appeared first on Colossal.

from Colossal https://ift.tt/ejwaQtT
via IFTTT