Semi-Permanent, Sydney

Went and checked out the 2011 Semi-Permanent conference/convention in Sydney yesterday. Basically met my standards with highs and lows. Lots of talking from some really awesome people and some not-so-awesome. I only able to get the 1-day ticket but still got to see a bunch of inspiring people. 

While the people I was most looking foward to did not live up to my standards especially, I found new inspiration in others that I had never expected:

One of the inspirational people I saw was Corey Arnold. As he spoke about his work, he also spoke about his life and how it had formed him into the person he is today. He told all of these little stories that went along with these magnificent photos and was really down-to-earth, and he never appeared to take himself too seriously - this may be because of his Michael Cera-esque nature.

 Also saw Moffitt.Moffitt. These two fantastic twins who had double handedly created their own graphic design production company and has since had nothing but really cool clients and even better work. While these guys were a bit nervous, and sometimes babble off into 'twin-talk' they still made an interesting and absorbing presentation. With a broad amount of work in their portfolio - from sculptures to magazines, these are the guys to go to for if you want a clean and concise representation of your work.

 Finally, the last two speakers I was able to see were not as inspiring to me as the others, but still impressive. Kelly Thompson is an illustrator and photographer who only began her arts career in 2007, where she worked as a fashion photographer. She then found that she prefered to work as an illustrator and began to manipulate her work as to involve other graphic elements. Her speech at the Semi-Permanent started off well enough, but I quickly became bored of how her work never broke the boundaries or comfort-zone. Still well done, though.

The last person I saw that day was Annie Sperling. A good production designer, but a bit kitch and unimaginative for my taste. There was a lot of name dropping in her presentation - but then again, she is from Los Angeles, where having the right contacts is everything. I don't think she got quite the response she was looking for when she talked about her clients and co-producers, which inclueded David Lachapelle and J-Lo.
While what she produces is well done, I find that a lot of it has already been produced before with continuously played themes including Heaven and Hell and Alice in Wonderland. Lots of religious influence - not exactly my personal taste but may appeal to others.

 

Overall, a good day. Grabbed my first Starbucks coffee in over 3 years which I snuck in ninja-style and got a free Cola Chubachub. They didn't taste that well together.

Rationale

What is the purpose of this blog some might ask? This blog has been created as not only a way to express my love of the creative world, but also to allow others to share their thoughts and relate their own beliefs on art - whether if it is only holding a paint-brush, or a world filled with colour, movement and passion.

I designed this blog to be a compilation of short biographical posts, to allow people to understand not only the art, but also the artist and why they create such works. By presenting their artworks in a simplistic layout with images, I made the posts more inviting, as to create an illusion that the posts are short, thus appear more inviting and intriguing with pictures of the subjects' artworks.
I also chose a broad range of artists to appeal to a larger audiences of bloggers by creating a connection with their personal interests.
All of these people and subjects I have covered does not cover each artist's values, but also self-expression and how it has helps mold and inspire people. Street art teaches people about the positives and negatives of defiance and to stand up for your beliefs, while Johnathan Griffiths teaches that the only one that can claim yourself as a professional is you. Nick Knight proves that you never have to stick to one particular style of form to be renowned for your work, while Brittney Lee has shown that you never have to put away your childhood to become an adult, rather that you need it.

Nick Knight

Nick Knight is a world-renowned contemporary fashion photographer whose works have renowned across the world for their unique take on colour, depth and personality.

He has worked for many famous companies and designers including Alexander McQueen and Yohji Yamamoto, also working in collaboration with many celebrities including Björk, Gwen Stefani, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, Seal and Cheryl Cole.

 His most recent celebrity clientele was Lady Gaga, where he shot the cover of her latest album and directed the music video to her single Born This Way.

Nick Knight incorporates both classic photography and props with modern digital manipulation to create stunning and emotive pieces of art. His art-style appears to transform along with the themes of his photo shoots – creating a fresh and invigorating feel to each of his collections.

Nick Knight has won a multitude of awards, including the prestigious Moet Chandon Fashion Tribute for not only his approach to photography, but also his controversial views that were often found represented in his works.

Vogue UK quoted what he thought his photography meant to him:
"I don't want to reflect social change - I want to cause social change."

Nick Knight fashion photography career is continuously growing in popularity, along with his online fashion design gallery and shop: SHOWstudio.com.

Brittney Lee

Brittney Lee is a fellow dabbler in the world of blogging - posting both her freelance and professional works that combine gouache with paper collage and animation with acrylic.
Brittney's blog, The Art of Brittney Lee, follows her through both her daily life and her career as a designer and animator. She has worked on pieces such as Disney's Tangled storybook and an online Flash-game designing company Three Rings.

In an interview by blog-site Character Design, Brittney states that some of her largest influences are from Disney animators, including Glen Keane, the artist behind such memorable characters including Ariel (The Little Mermaid), The Beast (Beauty and the Beast), Aladdin (Aladdin), and recently, Rapunzel (Tangled). She has also more recently found inspiration from the creator and director, Chris Sanders, of the popular Disney film, Lilo and Stitch.
 Brittney's style also appears to have been influenced by the famous caricaturist: Al Hirschfeld (1903 - 2003), who became famous for his fluid and weighted lines to create mood and depth to his pictures. His style was an epidemic for all cartoonists and illustrators and can be seen throughout Brittney's works.

Overall, Brittney brings a clean and fresh type of style that brings a smile to her face that you just can't hold back. With her bright and passionate colour schemes and intriguing anatomy and compositions, you cannot help but admire her and her creativity.

Brittney also does commissions and additional freelance works, all of which are available on her Etsy Page or you are able to contact her through her e-mail.

  

Jonathan Griffiths

 

Jonathan Griffiths is an English photographer I have discovered recently who truely stood out to me. He began his career when he was given a camera for his birthday to document his newborn son's growth. After multiple visites to the local zoo, Griffith soon became absorbed in the world of animal photography.



From America to Russia, Griffiths has travelled to find the perfect shot of wild animals; from grizzly bears and black pumas to badgers and tigers.

People have speculated about whether Griffiths' photographs are 'real'. Many suspect that the environment was controlled with the help of national park guides, and the animals were comfortable with human interaction. Griffiths states otherwise, claiming to the popular UK newspaper, The Telegraph, that he struggled to create relationships with the animals and had to lure them in weathers of up to -40 degrees celcius.





Griffiths quotes:

"By far the most nerve racking animal was the black leopard, which made me fear for my life and I thought it could attack at any moment. It was just mean and did not like humans full stop. In a deep Montana winter it was tough going climbing up the remote mountains with all my camera gear every day." 

     



Post-Modern Art

There are two forms of Post-Modern art: Street and Gallery.

Street art is believed to have been the origin of Post-Modern art, with many controversial artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey, whose street artworks have sprouted many mixed opinions and helped create awareness for many causes across the world, leading them to become the underdogs of the art world.

 

A problem with street art is the understanding between what is street art and what is graffiti. Many self-proclaimed street artists are taggers; people who spread their name and art without meaning. Since street art is mainly a non-profitable art form, there are many grey areas that separate an artist from a tagger.

Post-Modern Gallery art is a disgusting attempt to create a sense of individualism through cheap and ill-placed design - throwing out all of the rules and fundamentals of good design out the window in replace of finding the "Next Best Thing", thus gaining lots of money and fame for minimum effort. This art is often found to be displaying some sexualised act or portrays some form of abuse or cruelty.

Post-modern art is also now blurring the lines between art and commercial design, as webdesignerdepot.com states, "Good Art is a talent. Good Design is a skill".

As post-modern art has developed, the less inspirational and meaningful it has become. Post modern art has since become:

quantity over quality.