Artist of the day: October 2019

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Artist of the day, October 31: Travis Louie, An American artist, (Pop Surrealism) (#826)

Travis Louie’s paintings come from the tiny little drawings and many writings in his journals. He has created his own imaginary world that is grounded in Victorian and Edwardian times. It is inhabited by human oddities, mythical beings, and otherworldly characters who appear to have had their formal portraits taken to mark their existence.

The underlying thread that connects all these characters is the unusual circumstances that shape who they were and how they lived. Some of their origins are a complete mystery while others are hinted at. A man is cursed by a goat, a strange furry being is discovered sleeping in a hedge, an engine driver can’t seem to stop vibrating in his sleep, a man overcomes his phobia of spiders, etc, … Using acrylic paint washes and simple textures on smooth boards, he has created portraits from an alternative universe that seemingly may or may not have existed. His work is about identity and remembrance, with a veiled commentary on racism and the immigrant experience. He would like the fear of "the other" to be replaced with a curiosity about the unknown and a sense of wonder regarding those things that are unfamiliar.

© 2019. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Travis Louie. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only

Mr Travis Louie

Monty's Day of The Dead

Stanley the Pug

Trick or treaters

Anna of the Night people

Death and the Maiden

Germs 27

Invader Mitch and His Dog

Mojo Jojo

Richard The Small

Young Miss Bunny

The Conversation

Mr Stephenson and the bug

It came from the Brambles

Jeff and Jim

Flower Sisters

Eunice just after the potato famine

Edward Twitchy Jones

Candle top Hastings

Bill

Ava and her Winged Helmet

Choking Krampus

Green-Eyed Horns

Jeff

Oscar and The Giant Tarsier

Oscar and The Truth Toad

Miss Emily and her Spectre Goggles

Weeds

Chowderhead

Frank

Greeter

Miss Liz and Her Bat Hat

Pennigton's squid

The Incredible Mr. What

The Sea Dragon

Miss Miniver and her Dragon

Germ 29

Cyclo Sasquatch

Dragon Worshipper

Hungry Jack

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Artist of the day, October 30: Ayako Saito, A Japanese-Australian sculptor (#825)

Ayako Saito was born in Tokyo, Japan and studied art in Tamagawa University, Tokyo. She came to Australia in 2002 and completed an undergraduate degree and Honours in sculpture at the Australian National University, Canberra. In 2008 she received a Master of Visual Art. Her large outdoor sculptures have been exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea Bondi eight times since 2008, appeared at Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe in 2014 and in the Western Sydney University Sculpture Award and Exhibition, Campbelltown, NSW. Her larger works have been exhibited at: Sydney Harbour Sculpture, Sydney; Hillview Sculpture Biennial, etc....

Since completing her Master of Visual Art, Ayako has gathered an impressive number of awards including the Clitheroe Foundation Emerging Sculptor Mentorship Program, the Dignam Real Estate Award, the Tetsuya Wakuda Miniature Sculpture Prize, Sell and Parker Steel Sponsorship, the Australian National Univeristy School of Art Emerging Artist Support Scheme-John and Elizabeth Baker Acquisition. Ayako completed a major sculpture commission in 2018, Heaven’s Door for St. Paul’s College, Sydney University which was sponsored by Dr. Andrew Bell. Her works are included in private collections in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Tokyo, Singapore, New Zealand and The United States.

© 2019. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Ayako Saito. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only