#dyfa

[damnyoufineart]

If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.

Edward Hopper

[damnyoufineart]

WEEKLY ROUNDUP, Y’ALL

This week, we're an open book.

// Untitled by Ekaterina Panikanova Panikanova creates moments through series of open books laid together. Often haunting scenes, black and white, they draw you in like a good book. Har. // Untitled by Kerby Rosanes The man has created a life built on something we've all done before, but perhaps not quite to this degree: doodling in notebooks. Such a simple idea with such brilliant and complex execution.

// "A Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding" by Gérard Lange  We love artists who blur the lines between their life and work. Lange's journals contain everything from shopping lists to deep philosphical thinking. He summed it up beautifully on his site: "As a place of investigation and mode of inspiration, everything I have ever made or will make is rooted in a journal."

[damnyoufineart]

WEEKLY ROUNDUP, Y’ALL

Crayons. They're not just for coloring books.

// "Experiment Five" Wave by Christian Faur Faur takes crayons on pixelated journeys.

// Carved crayons by Hoang Tran  You name it and Hoang Tran has carved it out of a crayon. Check out his amazing site Wax Nostalgic. 

// “The-Ripple-Effect” by Herb Williams First line of Williams' artist statement: "Crayons are a gateway drug." Nuff said. Peep his work here.

[damnyoufineart]

Interview: Jivita Harris-Casey // Jivita Jewelry

We spotted Jivita at Unique LA's holiday fair and fell in love! You can see some of her beautiful earthy textures and organic shapes here.

DYFA: What motivates you to do art?

Jivita: I am motivated by beautiful things and the art of storytelling. I find that jewelry is a wonderful vehicle for this. It is a wearable piece that is in constant motion with the body. It is  a work that all people identify with, yet when its different or remarkable its a perfect conversation starter. For the wearer, jewelry can be a fun piece of fashion or a very sentimental piece that acts as a reminder of a landmark moment, a special person, a perfect trip. Jewelry is very personal and I like that the wearer  creates a deep connection with the object as it comes to represent different aspects of the wearers personality. 

Finally, I absolutely love to work in metal. It is shiny or can be made rough and dark. the duality of metal is so interesting to me. It is a product of the earth, an ancient mineral yet it is identified with modernity and advancements in technology. Also, It is difficult to manipulate so I get to use all kinds of fun hand tools and I get to play with fire, what can be better than that!

DYFA: What has been your biggest influence in your work?

Jivita: Travel. I have visited handcrafted artisans all over the world. Visited incredible fine art museums and enjoyed the music, dance and fashion of many cultures. The human spirit is fascinating, the desire and need to create is inherent and I feel blessed to be a part (even in a small way) of this ongoing desire to create beauty and perpetuate the human story wether its about love, war, politics, food or nature, the stories are often the same and yet each slightly different. It’s in those nuances that we make connections, that we see new things, that we learn about each other. 

DYFA: What do you fear?

Jivita: I fear loosing my eyesight. I think about it often, I wonder how I would manage missing so much color and light.

DYFA: If you were a piece of art, what would you be? or If you were a food what would you be?

Jivita: A David Bowie song.

DYFA: What is your workspace like? Why?

Jivita: Right now my workspace is a mess. I moved exactly two months ago today into a new home and studio. The move happened right in the middle of the holiday season, my busiest time of year. I worked in ridiculous conditions just trying to get it all done in time, but my very flexible assistant and I managed and we made the most of it! Now that I have hit that  time of year when everything slows down for a bit, I have painted the walls blue and bought a beautiful old oak work bench. I’m looking forward to getting everything organized so that I can enjoy looking out of the large windows into the tree filled yard. Spring will be beautiful when the jacaranda is in bloom! I work very intensely on small objects so having this kind of visual reprieve is very important to me. The huge backyard tree and the large window facing it pretty much sealed the deal when trying to find a new place. I’m looking forward to growing with my new space, I have no doubt that some things will change with the way I work, I’m so curious to find out how!

[damnyoufineart]

Interview : Daphne Cheng // Dapht Designs

We discovered Daphne Cheng at the recent Unique LA holiday fair. In a sea of jewelry, her work stood out for it's balance. She showcases the natural, raw beauty of crystals and gem stones with rich, sometimes heavy, metal chains and spikes. And sometimes tiny pocket knives. She has a sweeeet Etsy shop, too!

DYFA: What motivates you to do art? Daphne: I have a day job that enables me to make art, but it's the drive to someday survive on my own art.

DYFA: What has been your biggest influence in your work? Daphne: Coming out of college with an Art degree in Sculpture, I had gone on a job interview where I had shown the interviewer various pieces of my art. She really took a liking to my jewelry in particular, and said I should really pursue this. She doesn't know it, but those words really stuck; years later I eventually took a jewelry class, quit my desk job & found my true passion. :)

DYFA: What do you fear? Daphne: arthritis.

DYFA: If you were a piece of fine art, what would you be? or If you were a food what would you be? Daphne: Probably a dumpling- an unassuming little package, but what's inside may surprise you.

DYFA: What is your workspace like? Why? Daphne: I've designated a corner of my living room as the "dapht studio." At the moment, it's still a bit messy. I'm still trying to clear up and reorganize from the aftermath of the Unique LA holiday event.

[damnyoufineart]

WEEKLY ROUNDUP, Y’ALL

// "Patterned Peacock" by Melanie Mikecz 

SF-Based artist creating colorful animal explosions of happiness.

// "Wild Teardrops from Heaven" by Louise McNaught

Ethereal mixed media animal deities galore on Louise McNaught's Tumblr.

// Untitled by Amy Holliday

Love her signature color droplets on all her work. 

[damnyoufineart]

Interview : Miriam Hellmann

>> Mural depicting the battle of Point Pleasant in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a mural Miriam worked on with Dafford Murals

"I get to be an artist for my job, not just in my spare time." Damn, that is huge. Well, for those of you who have ever given serious thought to making art your full time gig (raises hand), it's huge. Miriam is a quiet force. Soft-spoken and incredibly warm, Miriam has spent years making big (literally) ideas happen in LA and all over the world. She's painted murals  in locations ranging from Kentucky to France, alone and alongside her father, Robert Dafford, another hugely accomplished muralist. In addition to murals and set painting, she also produces across a range of other mediums - painting, sculpting, photography, print-making, etc. You can see more of her work here.

>> Bogey, a commissioned dog portrait

DYFA: What motivates you to do art? Miriam: I have no idea what it is that motivates me to make art. Usually an image or an idea will come into my head out of nowhere and I'll be obsessing on it until I get it out. The motivation to make art manifests itself as a mandate.

In a literal sense, I am a freelance artist and mural painter, so the majority of the work I do has been commissioned. I'm also a scenic painter for TV and film, so I get to paint for a living. I don't always have complete creative freedom, but I find that all of the problem solving and the process of the many different types of painting involved in my job is creative and satisfies the desire to make art. Sometimes people seem disappointed when I tell them that I don't make a ton of art just for myself (I still do a lot of creative projects on the side- just not regularly), but I see it as a huge benefit to me that I get to be creative in my life every day. I get to be an artist for my job, not just in my spare time.

>> Elephant Mural for LA-based screen printing shop Family Industries

DYFA: What has been your biggest influence in your work? Miriam: My father and his company Dafford Murals has been the biggest influence on my work. He has been a mural painter for his entire adult life and he's completely self taught. I grew up painting with him, and despite years of studying art, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't my biggest influence. A large amount of his work has been dedicated to historical murals to help small towns restore their historic downtown centers. I'm inspired and influenced by his strong point of view and insane work ethic.

>> 367,000 Spouts, Acrylic and collage on wood

DYFA: What do you fear? Miriam: I fear complacency.

>> Painted scrim and assisted in carpentry for production of Spring's Awakening

DYFA: If you were a piece of fine art, what would you be? Miriam: I would be Magritte's pipe in his painting "The Treachery of Images." This is the first thing that came into my head.

>> Captain America Mural, Lafayette, LA

DYFA: What is your workspace like? Why? Miriam: The majority of my work is done on-site or in different shops. But as far as what the workspace itself is like, I can say that I like to keep my space organized and clean. So much of my work depends upon good prep-work and for that you've got to be clean. That said, there's usually an on going battle between complete mayhem and my obsessive organizational tendencies.

At home I have a garage I am slowly converting into a studio. Check back in with me in a few months!

[damnyoufineart]

Interview : Rob Moss Wilson

"My work depends on your limited resources."

That's all that's written in Rob Moss Wilson's Artist Statement.

He is a man of few words but a rich illustrative style. And a distinctly bright and wistful color palette. With that, I won't complicate his work with more of our words. 

>> Taking Out the Trash Pt 2

DYFA: What motivates you to do art?

Rob: The call to make art haunts me all day long, and it takes quite a bit of effort to ignore it. Eventually I give in and do what it says. 

>> Deep-water Council

DYFA: What has been your biggest influence in your work?

Rob: Marginal emotional states we experience but find difficult to talk about. 

DYFA: What do you fear?  Rob: When I swim in any open body of water I get easily frightened because I can't help but assume there is something mythic and gigantic just below the surface, something ancient and something yet to be discovered by science, lurking right under my floating body.  

>> Physiographics

DYFA: If you were a piece of fine art, what would you be? or If you were a food what would you be?

Rob: I am a slow cooked stew made from leftovers and under-appreciated cuts of meat.

>> Procession

DYFA: What is your workspace like? Why?

Rob: My workplace is a shrine to my unfinished projects and overextended ambition. It is a space where I can embrace the inevitability of my failure and explore the frontiers of my growth. Its super messy too ;) 

>> "Chillers & Skateboarders" and "Chillers & Naked Runner"