Artists Of The Moment

I was recently asked about how I found the pictures I use on iCiNG. Mostly I find them on Flickr, probably because I am an obsessive Flickr browser! They make it so easy… I search by keyword & sort by “most interesting”, then look, add to favourites, see the artist’s favourites, keep travelling around… It’s very easy to spend a lot of time there.

On that subject, here are some of my favourite artists. Artists of the moment, let’s say. Most of them I found through Flickr, though not all. Go to their websites, buy their prints, send them adoring emails!

Kris Atomic

Kris Atomic
Kris is one of my favourite young artists. It’s so exciting to read her blog & watch her grow because potential just shines out of her like a blinding light. You never know what’s she going to try next, & it’s brilliant to see her experiment with new mediums! Fearless art girl, grrrr! Generally, though, she is an illustrator, embroiderer, excellent photographer & shoe lover.

Roxanne M. Carter

Roxanne M. Carter
I’ve been following what Roxanne does for years — since 1997, I’m sure. I first fell in love with her photographs: a published chronicle of the adventures of her & her friends in Hollywood. Then I discovered her writing, & fell in love again. As she has moved further into academia she has eased up on the photographs, but it is still wonderful to get a peek into her life. The photo album on her site is very worth perusing.

Fawn Gehweiler

Fawn Gehweiler
Allow me to demonstrate how much I love Fawn’s work. I own one of her original paintings. I own one of her numbered, framed prints. I have a poster on my wall. & the pièce de résistance — I had two of her girls tattooed on me a few years ago. So let’s just say, I dig her. I think she is fabulous! You can also buy her work on all kinds of things, from bags to mirrors to mousepads, so keep your eyes peeled!

Lucia Holm

Lucia Holm
Dreamy portraits with a definite 60’s & 70’s vibe. Swinging colours, Twiggy tattoos, short skirts & flowers in her hair. Really, I am just a big fan of girls with a strong aesthetic taking lots of pictures of themselves… Can you blame me?

Kalindy

Kalindy

Kalindy lives in rural Australia, & often uses herself as a subject. Her use of white space gives a sense of expansion & loneliness, like we are watching her grow into herself from far away. She is cute & unkempt, with home haircuts & dirty knees, a host of neat props & a great eye for composition.

Audrey Kawasaki

Audrey Kawasaki
It’s funny when liking an artist becomes so ubiquitous that you almost leave them off the list. I remember a few years ago when everyone & their dog loved Mark Ryden (including me) — now it seems like Audrey is going through a similar exaltation. If you don’t know about her yet, get on it! Her paintings are gentle, erotic & sweet, laden with beautiful colours & a good dose o’ mystery. They would look great above a bed in a very white room, I think.

Aneta

Aneta Kowalczyk
An excellent photographer who sometimes uses herself as a subject (as above). Her self-portraits are my favourite; she is disarmingly handsome & bold. Her other work isn’t too shabby either — she chooses female subjects who look strong, powerful & unashamed, lights them magnificently & only publishes her very best shots.

Miss Loisy

Miss Loisy
If I had to describe Miss Loisy’s work, I’d say it’s colourful, creepy & weird, with an unsettling sense of humour. For example, the shots above are from Miss Loisy’s ‘DIY Botox’ series — genius! Her ‘Leaking Lady’ series is similarly disconcerting, & she brings a great sense of fun & excitement to everything she does. (A girl in a balaclava in an H&M dressing room?! Too cool!)

tiger lily & tiny teeth

tiger lily & tiny teeth
Dream worlds & gingerbread houses. The relics of a life made beautiful. If you ever have doubts that the world is an amazing, fascinating place, a look through her photographs & drawings will set you right again. I would be very happy living in her pictures. (She also has an infrequently updated but equally lovely journal.)

Nubby Twiglet

Nubby Twiglet
The righteous queen of red. The czarina of scarlet. The madam of maroon. You get the picture! Nubby is a mixed-media artist & graphic designer with an eye-popping aesthetic & visual taste so sharp that it aches. (She’s also the iCiNG Treat designer for May!) With Nubby, the art doesn’t stop & start, it’s constant — look at the contents of her purse for proof! I adore her, & can’t wait to meet her in a few weeks time. Squeal!

Tim Walker

Tim Walker
Tim Walker is a British photographer, romantic & visionary. He has shot campaigns for everyone from Vogue to Kate Spade, all with fabulous panache. I honestly can’t spot many themes in his work, but can say that everything he does comes with a large spoonful of his surreal medicine, & is a sort of celebration of offbeat femininity. Love it. (There is a huge Flickr set of his work here.)

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman
I was introduced to Francesca Woodman’s work by my photography teacher at school. She had a book of her pictures, which I pored over & adored. While, sadly, she committed suicide in 1981 at age 22, from age 13 onwards she created 10,000 negatives & more than 800 prints. For some reason, only about 120 of those have ever been published. She was a fascinating woman with incredible talent.

Who are your favourite artists? Whose art do you just not ‘get’? What kind of thing would you like to hang on your bedroom wall?