· artist of the week

Eleanor Davis – Artist of the Week

February 14, 2009 in art, artist of the week, artists, cartoons, comics | 2 comments

Best American Comics 2008

ELEANOR DAVIS is the 1979 Semi-Finalist’s ARTIST OF THE WEEK. I came to Davis’ work actually through her boyfriend and often partner in crime, artist Drew Weing, whose journal comics were one of the original inspirations for me trying out journal comics myself, and who will be featured as Artist of the Week on his own sometime soon. I wanted to write about Davis now though because every time I look up I seem to be seeing more of Davis’ amazing illustration and comic book work. I don’t think I could get away from her if I tried – not that I ever would.

She recently illustrated the cover to The Best American Comics 2008 (see above) and she is constantly popping up in Mome a collection Adam and I both love that is always full of the best independent comic work out there. Her amazing Seven Sacks, featured in Mome’s Spring 2007 issue is completely brilliant and as testament to its brilliance is also included in The Best American Comics 2008.

Seven Sacks

Excerpt From Seven Sacks

Davis has a unique style that is part horrible and disturbing and part playful and fun. Some of what she draws is quite frankly the stuff nightmares are made of, but she draws it all in such a way that you can see there is so much more than nightmare there. It’s almost like her work allows you to identify with the monster first and so seen from the monster’s perspective you can’t help but shrug your shoulders when you see what horrible things they might do…as if to say that horror is really all matter of perspective. Her endpapers for Wide Awake 666 are a good example of this:

endpaper1

endpaper2

See? Hard to care…those monsters need to eat too, right?

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Rebecca Hahn – Artist of the Week

November 21, 2008 in art, artist of the week, artists, rebecca hahn | Permalink

Just in time for the holidays I bring you our new Artist of the Week, REBECCA HAHN. Full disclosure, Rebecca is a good friend of mine, but I think from looking at the images I’ve featured here, you can see that I don’t need to be her friend to be wowed by her talent.

Rebecca works in a variety of mediums from illustration and mixed media assemblage, to jewelry and t-shirts. She’s expanding her brand quickly, and has really been focused in the last two years on getting all kinds of product out there. You can buy her work at her Rottobee Shop, or at BuyOlympia.com, and you can puruse, learn, and admire at her website and blog.

I think my favorite thing about Rebecca’s work is simply her style. A piece by Rebecca looks like nobody else’s work – it’s absolutely a Rebecca, whether it be a necklace or an illustration for a magazine. It’s an amazing thing as an artist to have style that is so cohesive. In addition to Rebecca’s singular style is the fact that though on the surface her work appears clean and almost simple, there is incredible depth to her work. This is particularly true in her assemblage works in which she uses all sorts of unique layering and even sewing techniques to create one of a kind artworks. On her website for many of her assemblage works, if you scroll over piece you can also see a detail shot – a great new feature to her website.

I suppose really the greatest thing about Rebecca as an artist is that she is still affordable. Original works at gallery shows are limited and more expensive, but on her website she has jewelry, t-shirts, prints, and cards all available for purchase at reasonable prices – and just in time for the holidays. Get some before she becomes uber famous and the prices go through the roof 😉

Tara McPherson – Artist of the Week

November 12, 2008 in art, artist of the week, artists, blogging, tara mcpherson | Permalink

With TARA MCPHERSON, it’s not just a love I have for her art, it’s also that she so seems like the “whole artist package” with her awesome studio, badass tattoos, and constantly changing hair colors, she just LOOKS like what I think of when I think of modern female artists…or rather of the one I’d like to be (maybe in my next life). So she is of course a shoe-in for Artist of the Week this week.

I don’t remember how I first came upon McPherson’s work, I feel like it was through something silly like Myspace, but whatever it was, I’m grateful for it. One of the things that is a bit revolutionary to me about McPherson’s work is that she seems to mostly draw women. I’m not saying she can’t draw men, I’m sure she can, but she seems to prefer women, and I love that about her, mostly because I feel the same way. Perhaps I’m overanalyzing and she’s just gotten a reputation for drawing women and now that is what people expect and really she’s secretly dying inside to draw some boys…anything is possible. But she puts such love and thought into the women that she draws…I find it hard to believe she wants to be drawing anything else. McPherson is supremely talented, and she has a real point of view, which is sometimes lacking in the supremely talented, but her work, much like JAMES JEAN to me, has something to say. It’s beautiful work, yes, but it’s not just there to be pretty (or creepy depending on what you’re looking at), she is invested in telling a story and for me that’s the difference between so many mediocre artists working today and the truly exceptional ones.

Another great thing about McPherson is that she’s really managed to capture a large market – currently she does fine art, comic book covers, painted illustrations, sketches, posters (many awesome band posters – see above and below!) as well as toys and even a coloring kit. It’s really wonderful to see artists that also know how to market themselves and make themselves successful in such a competitive and unforgiving market. Onward TARA MCPHERSON! I’ve got my eye on a original of hers for someday…if someone doesn’t snatch it out from under me (probably they will). Check out her website (linked above) to learn all about her – and to buy all sorts of goodies – just in time for the holidays.

Jeffrey Brown – Artist of the Week

October 30, 2008 in art, artist of the week, artists, cartoons, comics, entertainment, jeffrey brown | 2 comments

I’ve raved about JEFFREY BROWN on this site many times before as he is one of my all time favorite artist/writers…and I thought he was a great counterpoint this week for Artist of the Week to last week’s pick of JAMES JEAN.

Brown and Jean really could not be more different, and yet their works are singularly powerful, emotional, and beautiful. As a fan of clean lines and beautifully organized postive and negative spaces that artists such as JAMES JEAN and ADRIAN TOMINE and even ADAM HUGHES so excel at, I would never have thought years ago, before I discovered JEFFREY BROWN that I could fall in love with such a messy, sketchy, non-precise style. But from the first pages of Brown’s UNLIKELY, I was absolutely in love. I think the secret for me in what works in Brown’s style is the combination of story and art…the art on its own is easy to dismiss if you aren’t drawn to his style naturally, but combined with his poignant stories about love and loss and all the dimensions inbetween, it’s impossible not to appreciate the rawness of his style. In simple black and white lines (and with not a ruler in sight) JEFFREY BROWN conveys more emotion in a single panel than most artist can manage in an entire book. It’s a beautiful sight to behold, and I just never get sick of it.

Discovering JEFFREY BROWN was one of those transformative moments for me as an artist, as a writer, as a reader, and even just as a person. My whole world opened up to something I hadn’t even known existed. It’s an amazing thing to just go to the comic book store one day and have an entire world open up to you in the pages of a simple book…it’s the kind of moment that doesn’t just come around every day and so when it does, you really must treasure it…

James Jean – Artist of the Week

October 23, 2008 in art, artist of the week, artists, comics, james jean | Permalink

I’ve talked about JAMES JEAN a lot on this blog, I’ve also linked to him, and sadly, stolen from him (see my much missed old header image…oh how I miss you header image!). So it’s only fair that he is our second featured Artist Of The Week. But really it is this insanely cute image – so cute that it practically makes me want to kill, from his new XOXO Postcard set that I blogged about that prompted this feature.

I’ve been staring at this image constantly as it is pinned up near my computer and I just can’t get enough of it. It is simultaneously gorgeous and meaningful and also so cute I just can’t stand it (sorry Paul).

So here’s my final homage (for at least a month or so) to JAMES JEAN, one of my all time favorite artists.

Thank you James, for both inspiring me to continue drawing and depressing me, since I will never be remotely in your league…

Artist of the Week

October 14, 2008 in artist of the week | Permalink

I’m starting a feature (today!) called Artist of the Week. And it will just be a short feature about incredible artists that are inspiring me lately – or just doing amazing things in general.

I’m going to use the term artist somewhat broadly to include anyone from musicians to architects, but I suspect the bulk of the artists featured here will be of the more traditional (pen to paper) kind.

So stay tuned for our first Artist of the Week – a young man I’ve talked about frequently before who has a new book coming out this week and who is quite frankly the perfect kickoff for this project, because he is absolutely the most renaissance artist I know in these modern days of ours. A slam poet, a writer, an artist, and a musician. I don’t know that there’s anything he can’t do. And in this case I’m particularly lucky to also be able to call him friend…