Artist of the day: September 2023

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Artist of the Day, September 30, 2023: Camila Valdez, an Argentinian artist, sculptor (#1919)

Camila Valdez (1984) is an industrial designer and artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina who blends both of her professions to create hyper realistic leggy dessert sculptures in table-top and human size. Her sculptures are inspired by the secret esthetics of everyday products. Objects, in this case desserts, express their feelings to Camila through their colors, shapes and styles. She says “If a Cupcake is good looking eye-candy, it’s saying come and get me!”

Camila, selects materials which highlight the bold colors and exaggerated shapes of classic desserts.

Utilizing such materials as fiberglass and epoxy resins, which are later hand-painted in order to attain a surreal glow, proof is given that her art is a matter of taste.

Another unique aspect of Camila’s sculptures is that they are intended to invite the audience to interact with them. Touching is encouraged as much as changing what the pieces are wearing by adding a new scarf, fishnet stockings or sneakers to enter Camila’s whimsical world.

Camila’s mentor who spoke of her as “The Salvador Dalí of Desserts” was the famous David Ferguson of San Francisco, who has worked with both Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat.

In 2017 Camila Valdez was honoured for the fifth year in a row by the National Salon of Visual Arts in Argentina www.palaisdeglace.gob.ar She is the youngest person selected in the 106 year history of the Salon.

In October 2019, Camila Valdez was invited by the Women’s Artistic Alliance – Diablo Regional Arts Association to speak about her artworks!

© 2023. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Camila Valdez or assignee. 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

Miss Camila Valdez

Camila at work

The art of dessert

Miss Popcorn XL Giant Stadium adventures

Miss Popcorn VHS XS

Miss Popcorn XL

Miss Bombona XL

Miss Bombonita Xl

Do Not Donut

Miss Donna Blanca waits for the bus

Miss Donna Blanka XL

Miss Cupcake XL at BART station

Miss Cupcake XL

Miss Muffin LX

Miss Macaron Girl XS

Ice Cream Cherry Fun

Love is all Cherry Fun

Macarons

Miss Queen Macaron XS

Miss Yellow Macaron

Popcorn

Ristretto a la Donna

Chocolate Cherry Fun Wafer cup

Coco-nuts XS

Cones

Miss Coffee Cup

Miss pie XL

Miss Pie XL at her store

Tea a la Donna

Flying Bat Wafer

Waffle

Wayne Thiebaud Tribute

Miss Pie XL

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Friday, September 29, 2023

Artist of the Day, September 29, 2023: Thandiwe Muriu, a Kenyan emerging artist, fine art photographer (#1918)

Thandiwe Muriu is a self-taught photographer that showcases Africa’s unique mix of vibrant textiles, cultural practices, and beauty ideologies. Creating surreal illusions that are not digital manipulations but rather pure photography, she confronts issues surrounding identity and self-perception while seeking to redefine female empowerment through the application of her choice of materials, such as fabric and common household items. Her work is marked by precision and intentionality from the conception of a piece through to its final printed form. She completes her visual illusions by printing on special paper, making the work appear more like paintings rather than photographs.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Thandiwe discovered photography at age 14, experimenting with her fathers old Nikon camera. Self-taught, she immersed herself in books and video tutorials, learning from every resource she could find, as Kenya did not have any formal photography schools. By age 17, she was working professionally, and by 23 had shot her first solo advertising campaign. By 2019, she was photographing campaigns for some of the largest companies in East Africa.

As the sole woman operating in the male-dominated advertising photography industry in Kenya, Thandiwe repeatedly confronted questions around the role of women in society, the place of tradition, and her own self-perception. These experiences inspired her first work, the Camo series, a project of cultural reflection. Camo was the catalyst for her to push new boundaries in her photography, leading her into a deeply personal artistic journey.

© 2023. All content on this blog is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Thandiwe Muriu or assignee. 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