Monzuki

Complicated Narrative

2010-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Conceptual photographer, Marisa Howenstine created these imaginative, illustrative images, presented with detailed visuals that narrates a short story. Marisa is influenced by Mark Ryden and Ray Caesar, as well as poetry of Anne Sexton, Pablo Neruda and Sylvia Plath. Although Marisa states she 'research and collect extensive tears from relevant artists,' her process in creating a surreal world is entirely unique and merely her own vision.

Marisa is known to cover all aspect of her photography by producing, lighting, designing and finding props, scouting locations, wardrobe, and hiring crew and talents. With a background in graphic design and an English degree, Marisa utilizes her multi-talents to further and express her vision as a professional photographer.

Marisa Howenstine is based in Los Angeles and specializes in advertising and editorial photography.

The 6x6 Project

2010-07-14T02:18:00.000-07:00

I recently came across the 6x6 Project and was compelled to witness the gallery in person. Each month, anyone with a creative vision has the opportunity to submit their original artwork on a provided 6x6 inch square canvas. They would ship or drop off the artwork at the gallery, set their own price, and the gallery would guarantee of one month exhibition. Once the artwork is sold, the artist gets 80%. This notion is simple and without hassle.

I had the pleasure to speak with Lucy Huffman, Gallery Manager of the Charmingwall Inc. in West Village of New York City. She gave me a brief history of the gallery as well as conception of the 6x6 Project. She stated, "Charmingwall Gallery started back in 2007 when some art lovers got together to start representing artists by scanning or photographing their work and then making reproduction and selling them at an affordable price and giving each artist a portion of the profit. We were often putting together shows with some of the artist from Charmingwall, and occasionally we would have "The Tiny Art Show" which allowed us to show a lot of work in our small gallery. We loved the show and we were inspired to continue the format and invite more artists to participate. And so, The 6x6 Project."

Upon my visit, I must admit the gallery definitely has a Charming atmosphere with a great location. They made use of their gallery space by displaying plenty of artwork, representing different artists with a variety of styles at an affordable prices.

For additional information about submission and/or buying any of these wonderful artwork, visit their FAQ page. Lastly, Monzuki would like to thank Lucy Huffman for the information and the coverage of the gallery.

Captured In Time

2010-07-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

Photographs are the main inspiration for Gregor Gaida who sculpted these mind-blowing, storytelling, work of art. He stated, "The focus of my interest lies on composition and the protaganists' pose in the images as well as on the openness in interpreting their actions. A special meaning lies in the gesture that indicates cultural, social or political discrepancies."

In a few of his work, he crops his subject matter in reference to photographer's or painter's choice of framing their piece of work, acceptable to the general audience. While applying this crop to a three-dimensional work is disconcerting, yet it reminds the viewing they are witnessing a portion of the scene and forcing them to visually complete the story. This is usually the case with most of his work. A subject frozen and captured in time, offering the viewing to decipher the situation.

Gregor Gaida has a background in photography and painting, who sculpts in combination of wood, aluminum, polyester and acrylic resin.

Beards And Mustaches

2010-06-28T00:31:00.001-07:00

I visited Chelsea Market in New York City and came across these photographs by Dave Mead, when a passer-by caught me LOLing by myself in public space and thought I was crazy or something. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to roam the entire building to catch the rest of this amazing and funny series of photography that was carefully placed throughout Chelsea Market. I would have posted original images of the photographs mounted on large gold painted wood framing, but the halogen lighting was not friendly to the camera. From what I could see, the photographs generated a lot of questions and discussions as well as kids pointing and laughing. At one point, there is an suspended wooden frame for people to pose behind a drawn mustache to photograph themselves. That was a BIG hit.

My inquiring mind had to ask Dave Mead some questions about this series, "Magnificent Specimens". Dave Mead is from Austin, Texas. He heard about "The World Beard and Mustache Championships" in Anchorage, Alaska. In 2009, Dave contacted the event organizers and informed them that he was interested in shooting. Dave said, "After a brief introduction, they decided it was in their best interest to fly me Anchorage, provide me with a tour guide and per diem." He continued, "All contestants came dressed and ready. I simply sat each contestant in front of my camera, fed him a sandwich and directed him."

Dave Mead informed Monzuki that the photography was not part of the competition, but they were used them to promote Beard Nationals in Bend, Oregon. If you are in New York City, I recommend paying a visit to Chelsea Market and view these prints in person. The exhibition ends June 30. If you are not in the area or missed the show, you may view them on Dave Mead's website as well as prints for sale.

Nature vs. Industry

2010-06-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the depth and complexity of these designs, taking the usual elements and recreating something new and different into fun and eye-catching compositions. Graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000, Patrick Haemmerlein incorporates his photography and collage skills in his designs. The subject matter is usually "nature vs. industry". The images of nature are a collection of photos from his hometown in Upstate New York, while the industrial elements are gathered images from Los Angeles where Patrick Haemmerlein is currently residing. Check out his website for his photography and collage artwork, as well as his commercial work.

Ota

2010-06-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

I am observing, but I could not get enough of these paintings by Nathan Ota. I am intrigue by the visuals, the focused subject matter, and the appealing usage of color hues. Notice the repeat usage of wood, red and white strips, and panties... yes, panties. I would love to ask Nathan for his response to his method and concept, but at the same time, I like being intrigued by the ominous and mysterious nature of his work. Nathan Ota quoted, "My inspiration mostly comes from my real life experiences from teaching to my personal life. I work mostly on wood panels and work from dark to light, background to foreground. I usually stick to that format."

Nathan Ota received a BFA with Distinction Honors in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. He has been freelancing as well as teaching at Santa Monica College and Otis College of Art and Design.

Nathan Ota will be exhibiting "An Unforeseen Homecoming" at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, September 3-26, 2010. Opening reception on Friday, September 3rd, 8-11pm.

Fragmentation and Recomposition

2010-06-08T01:15:00.000-07:00

Influenced by writers, H.P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood and J.K. Huysmans, Jim Kazanjian uses various found, high-resolution photographs, manipulate and composite them to create new artwork. He explains having over 30 gigs of images and would begin with a vague idea, letting the process built upon itself by using Photoshop.

Jim Kazanjian graduated from Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA and Art Center College of Design with an MFA. He is currently located in Portland, Oregon, and working as an art director for a computer game developer. Prints are available through 23 Sandy Gallery.

Raw And Gritty

2010-06-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

It started with a friend who organizes concerts for bands and concurrently owns a tattoo shop. His friend had an idea and requested for Fab5, aka Fabrice, to shoot photos of his customers and band members. Upon accepting the request, Fab5 quickly set up some static lighting on a simple red velvet backdrop and began shooting. He quoted, "It reminded me of a David Lynch movie."

He would work alone, without an assistant nor a make-up artist. Before the shoot, he would instruct the models to visually tell a story through photography. The rest is history.

Fab5 is from Belgium who studied publicity and discovered photography at the same time. His passion for human interaction is the reason why he loves to shoot portraiture, and he finds inspirations from film, graffiti, and within his daily lifestyles. This series of work is titled, "Backstage." Fab5 is currently freelancing and is available for commercial work.

Alice In Wonderland

2010-06-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

Great visuals from concept and character designer, Michael Kutsche who is one of three artists hired to work with "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland." Michael's been drawing since four years old without any formal training in illustration. Creativity runs in the family and with an early exposure to computers, Michael finds a natural transition from traditional illustration to digital art.

His career path started at a small 3D studio at 18. Upon years of experiences, Michael gradually had the opportunity to learn the multitude workings of the industry from modeling, rigging, animation and lighting.

One day, Michael decided to post his work online and to his amazement, received plenty of exposure with only one email that changed Michael's life, an email from Sony Pictures Imageworks requesting for him to draw a Caterpillar in the style of Pan's Labyrinth. It was when Michael received the job before he found out it was for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. According to Michael, timing was a major factor, working with a very tight schedule and continuous designing during the filming of the movie.

Although some of the images seen here have been modified for a less darker style to appeal to the general audience. Honestly, I prefer these images than the final outcome. Michael Kutsche's work is detailed, and amazing. His character designs are consistent and truly fits in the world he created. And finally, I can not image painting these images digitally by the usage of a Wacom...now that is talent!

Michael Kutsche is from Germany, but now lives in Venice Beach, California with his wife. He is currently working for Marvel as a character designer for the movie, "Thor." Great vision Michael Kutsche!

Endless Questions

2010-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Stop for a moment, and take the time to realize the beauty of nature. At a glance, these images look foreign, yet they are located right under our noses... powerful. A peek in the wonderful work of nature. Stephen Gross captured these amazing images as he states, "... always drawn to the natural world and found it a constant focus for my curiosity. I find the unknown more interesting." He continues, "I am interested in divining something hidden and surprising. As I limit what I see, using a macro lens with a minute area of view and a depth of fiend as thin as a strand of hair, an infinite sense of dimension is revealed. An alternate reality becomes visible. It is not a process of pre-visualization but simply discovery. Much as the vast solar system resembles the tiniest atoms, I find patterns, similarities and, of course, endless questions. The closer I observe, the more mysterious things become."

These photographs were captured with Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, using a variety of macro lenses, all natural light, and without a studio. These amazing quality are printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag on Epson 9800 and Canon iPF9000 wide format printer.

Stephen Scott Gross is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a professional photographer for editorial, advertising, and fine art projects. Stephen is located in Brooklyn, New York, and he enjoys rock climbing and snowboarding. Check his website for additional work.

The Streets Of New Belgrade

2010-05-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Graphic designers are a dime a dozen, but finding a designer with a unique style, as well as a strong brand that relates to the clients are harder to find. Jana Jelovac's style is very distinct and bold. It's playful, creative and consistent. It's refreshing to find a designer who have found their vision and their voice, and making their mark in the world of commercialism.

Jana Jelovac stated to Monzuki, "I am a graduated interior designer. Somewhere about my third year of University of Applied Arts in Belgrade, I've realized that graphic design and everything related to it was something that really moves me, and since I have finished the studies, I have decided never to work as an interior designer and that graphic design is all I want to do in my life."

She explains about being experimental and not worry too much about the commercial side of business, as she states, "...just letting yourself go." Many designers are copying something that's been done, rather than using art to change things.

Jana Jelovac's inspiration comes from music, i.e., Unkle, Tricky, etc., and Jean-Michel Basquiat. She quoted, "Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of my favorite artist of the twentieth century, people often judge him with some silly reasons, but I sincerely believe that he was main engine of free-spoken street-ghetto art for every 'raw' artist including me. I was born, raised and spent my childhood in part of Belgrade called New Belgrade, the Block's so I must say that I am very familiar with ghetto life and 'street vibe', so I don't try to suppress it but to use it often in my works."

Interview With Patrick Molnar

2010-05-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile, when we see some beautiful work of art, we ask ourselves, "If I could only ask a few questions..." Well, we did that. Monzuki came across Patrick Molnar's photography, and we enjoy the beautiful work of composition, color, story, and lighting. From his professional to his personal photography, they captured a moment that will last forever. Patrick answered a few of our questions, and we hope you will enjoy this posting by getting to know the person behind the camera.

How did you discover photography?

My aunt Betsy got me into it. she is an amazing photographer and B&W printer in Cleveland, Ohio. Betsy Molnar.

How old were you when aunt Betsy introduced you to photography?

About 11.

What career path did you take to become a professional photography?

Basically hit art school at 18 and started assisting straight out of the gate. After that, for a super-talented fashion shooter named Liz Von Hoene. I stopped assisting at 25. Oh, and I married Liz' producer, and we now have the world's 2 most awesome kids.

Most photographer has a style or a technique they love to use in their work. What is Patrick Molnar's style and what makes your work different from other photographer?

I guess honest, real... real things you'd see in life. A lot of natural light, short depth of field and maybe a lil rough around the edges.

You are known for your split screen photographs, basically showing the same subject with two different point of views. Explain your concept behind your series of work.

Pretty simple. I was trying to show more pictures at once.

Who and what are your inspirations?

Personally, my Wife and children. My Dad. My Grandma. My Aunt. Professionally, Albert Watson is a gangster. I'd love to meet him sometime.

What kind of camera and lenses do you use? And how much post work is involved?

Mostly Canons and Hasselblad. Whatever will work best for whatever we are shooting. Not a lot of post work. Most times we'll put a color move on the images on set and leave it at that. If we are handling retouching, it is handled by Burn Photo.

What do you print your work on?

Epson Stylus Photo R2400 - Hahnemühle Photo Rag.

Where do you see yourself in the future of photography? Do you want to exhibit your work? Commission your work to art galleries? Build a stronger brand and business? or would you want to remain in commercial photography?

I'd probably stick with advertising/editorial. Some of the most creative stuff I see is assigned work. A lot of the "fine art" stuff I see is kinda... silly. How many ways can you shoot an anorexic/asexual girl standing in a field holding an antique shotgun with her left breast hanging out...? What I'm saying is, don't take it too seriously. You're making pictures, not saving lives. That said, I love pictures/photographs/paintings.

Monzuki would like to thank Patrick Molnar for his time. We hope this brings some enlightenment of Patrick's vision as a professional photographer, as well as some inspiration to your own creativity. Check out his website for additional photographs and updates.

In the meantime, feel free to send Monzuki an email and let us know what you think. Any comments about the blog (design, layout, artists) and how we could be a better blog are appreciated.

Have a nice day!

Gathering The Creative Flow

2010-05-03T02:05:00.000-07:00

Upon graduating from Emile Cohl Art School, in Lyon, France and working as a concept artist for the video gaming industry, specializing in character and environment design, Véronique Meignaud has an outstanding vision in creating a world for "Magic The Gathering." There are a lot of curves in her work, a flow that leads the eye throughout the artwork, insinuating movement in a hypnotic fashion. Very beautiful and appropriate for a fantasy world. Véronique Meignaud is currently freelancing and seeking to move into the fashion industry.

Exhibitions:

Nucleus Gallery

Alhambra, California, USA

June 19 - July 12, 2010

Unspoken Stories

2010-04-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

These outstanding photomontage are beautiful in every sense, illustrating a visual story and leading the viewer through a journey. Tom Chambers stated, "These mythical illustrations might address the fragility of childhood or the delicate transition experienced by a child passing into adolescence and then adulthood." He continues, "With digital photography I desire to move beyond documentation of the present, and rather seek to fuse reality and fantasy in musing about possibilities of the future."

Tom Chambers uses a Nikon digital camera D700 or a medium format film camera (Mamiya Pro TL or Fuji Rangefinder). He generally begins with a sketched concept, then carefully photograph each pieces. The photomontage is created in Photoshop and printed on archival pigment ink on cotton rag paper.

Tom graduated with a BFA from Ringling School of Art in 1985. His work is exhibited globally and is represented by seven galleries. With strong work of art, Tom has won numerous awards, PhotoSpiva, Exposure: An Open Photography Competition, Obscura Journal, International Aperature Awards, The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Fotoweek DC Awards, and more.

Zaniness

2010-04-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

Spreading love, joy, and robots are Jon Reinfurt's mission. His digital collage consist of a signature style that is distinct with the lines, curves and shapes by usage of collage, mixed media and paint to create his work of art. Jon graduated with a BFA in illustration from the University of Arts in Philadelphia. He has numerous recognitions such as Communication Arts and How Magazine. Jon Reinfurt is currently living in Philadelphia, freelancing in illustrations and teaching at University of Arts, his alma mater.

Environmental Issues

2010-04-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

These powerful sculptures of animal and nature combined with human parts has a magnetic eye-catching effect. Kate MacDowell stated in her artist statement, "In my work this romantic ideal of union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. These pieces are in part responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops."

Kate usually starts with words to describe her work prior to envisioning her pieces in order to start the process of sketching and sculpting. She uses modern technology for research, i.e., Google, to search for images for references, as well as any visual imageries she collects from her many travels. Kate MacDowell uses porcelain clay for her artwork which normally take 3 days to a month to sculpt and additional 2 weeks for firing and finishing. Her work has been exhibited globally with numerous write ups.

Exhibitions:

Mindy Solomon Gallery (group exhibition)

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

April 10 - May 15, 2010

Patrajdas Contemporary Art (group exhibition)

Chicago, Illinois, USA

April 30 - May 3, 2010

artKitchen Gallery

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

May 2010

bo.lee Gallery

Bath BA1 1HE, United Kingdom

June 26 - July 10, 2010

Night At Valencia

2010-04-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

Acquiring his skills as a photographer from being an assistant to professional photographers are a great trade off. Jakob Wagner has no prior experience to photography, yet his work displays great talent for composition of night shots, consisting architectural geometric shapes and lines with intense saturated colors.

Jakob Wagner is residing in Düsseldorf, Germany, while working for Rüdiger Nehmzoh who is known for his portrait and photojournalism. Jakob uses a Canon EOS 5D, EOS 33V, and lenses from Sigma, 24-70mm, 105 mm macro, and his favorite focal length 12-24mm. His biggest inspiration is traveling.

Lucky Hsu

2010-04-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a few reprints of Martin Hsu because of my attraction to the high energy, fun, colorful, impactful work of art. Chinese folk art, the love for animals, and family are the main inspirations for Martin Hsu, who have been painting with acrylics and cel vinyl yet excited to experiment with other mediums.

Martin studied animation with the concentration in character design at California State University, Fullerton. He began his career as a graphic artist and a character designer for an apparel company and later migrated to Nickelodeon Studios for a show called, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan as a character designer. Currently, Martin is working at Disney TV Animation as a character designer on shows such as Kick Buttowski and Fish Hooks.

Apart from his creditable career in animation, Martin Hsu is focusing on his personal artwork, with an up-coming exhibition "Tree Show" at GRSF in May, and "Sweet Streets" at Gallery Nucleus in September, as well as his self published book based on his paintings due to release at Comic Con International this July. Martin quoted to Monzuki, "All in all, I'm a lucky guy to be doing what I'm doing. And I try my hardest to remember that."

My thoughts... that's what we're all about.

Innocent Portraits

2010-04-07T02:02:00.000-07:00

What does these images mean to you? Are these innocent children portraying their image of our society? Seen here is part of a series of children's portrait, "The Birthday Party" from Vee Speers, who was inspired by an imaginary birthday party and the way children express their creativity. Her concept began with her three daughters playing dress up at home which lead to Vee's curiosity in capturing the childhood's imagination.

Vee Speers is from Australia living in Paris. Her art has been exhibited and published globally. She is currently inaugurating the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm on May 20 with Annie Liebovitz and Joel Peter Witkins. Check out the website to view additional photographs of series.

Dissection Of Microbotics

2010-03-30T00:35:00.000-07:00

From spiders, insects, and mechanical hands and heads, these jaw dropping sculptures have blown me away. The anatomy looks precise and the work projects a sense of realism with a stylized and compelling vision. For the passion of biomechanics, anatomy, and robotics, Christopher Conte began working in the prosthetics field making artificial limbs for amputees for 16 years as a Certified Prosthetist. He left the field to become a full-time artist as a Biomechanical Sculptor.

Christopher Conte's statement to Monzuki, "I usually have a solid image in my head and set out to find (or make) the parts required to capture the aesthetics I'm looking for. On average, my pieces take several weeks to a month to create although some larger pieces have taken several months."

Upon Christopher's first exhibition at the Last Rites Gallery, one of his sculptures was inducted to display at the National Museum in Washington, DC. His work has appeared on The Discovery Channel, Discover Magazine, Wired Magazine, MTV Networks and Popular Science Magazine.

Christopher Conte graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He is currently living in New York. On average, his pieces sell in the $3,000-$5,000 range.

Japan, Vintage, Victorian

2010-03-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

Graduated from Art Center College of Design with honors, Alex Gross is an amazing visual artist with compelling themes. His illustration style is heavily influenced by the Japanese culture during his first vacation to Japan. With an admiration of the Japanese culture, movie posters, medicine packaging and commercial art history, Alex was inspired to incorporate these imagery to his paintings. The featured collection of his work are mainly oil on large canvas, but he also creates smaller pieces through mixed media.

You could purchase a beautiful limited edition of The Art of Alex Gross through his website, a monograph released by Chronicle Books. He is currently working on his solo exhibition at Jonathan Levine Gallery opening on September 11, 2010, as well as working on his second book which contains all of his work from the last four years.

Unreasonable

2010-03-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hélder Costa states, "I want people to look at my work and see a story." Personally, I like the symmetrical designs of these wonderful work of art from Hélder which reminds me of the Rorschach inkblot test. Below the surface of these images, is a story fabricated in my own mind.

Hélder studied advertising and multimedia, and he is currently working as a freelance designer. He specializes in graphic design for the music industry for record labels and music promoters. He states, "My inspirations come from everywhere, from designs, from illustrations, from movies, from music, from people, from dreams..." He explains to Monzuki his process by experimenting and letting his intuition do the rest. Hélder Costa is from the city of Porto, Portugal.

Daydreams To Sketches

2010-03-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Welding his images together with photography, 3D images, and painting, Jericó Santander is an artist from the Canary Island, Spain, who find inspiration from Mars-1, Josh Keyes, Alex Trochut and Microbot. Jericó gives credit to his grade school teacher who encourages him to draw rather than giving a grammatical lesson, as well as his cousin who introduced him to Flash and Photoshop. Jericó Santander claims to have ideas he dreamed up prior to beginning the process and other times ideas evolve during the sculpting process. He mainly uses Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, and his own illustration skills in his artwork.

Solitary Stillness

2010-03-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

Having an interest in photography at a young age, Michel Rajkovic is a French photographer who created these amazing black & white, long exposure photos of waterscape. He won first prize Fine Art in PX3, "Prix de la Photographie Paris". Michel uses Canon 5D, printed on Epson Pro 9800 with Ultrachrome K3 pigment ink on Photo Rag 308 by Hahnemühle for his exhibitions.

Anthropomorphic Animal

2010-03-11T01:38:00.000-08:00

Finding inspirations from vintage illustrators, like Charles Harper, Mary Blair, and Golden Books, Áron Nagy created these fun and creative illustrations. Áron states, "I usually have a character in mind... It's some kind of anthropomorphic animal in an unusual situation."

Áron Nagy begins his process in a vector based software and finalizes on a pixel based software to enhance colors and textures. He is from Budapest, Hungary, and he studied at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts majoring in Communication Design.