[B4] Goose Egg Art (Surgery Make-up: Week of Oct 31)

Utah artist Brian Baity makes his masterpieces from a quite unexpected material.  He uses ostrich eggs, rhea eggs, emu eggs, goose eggs, and gourds.  This specific piece is carved from a goose egg.

The process of creating this type of sculpture takes a lot of patience and an artist must be very careful.  A small hole is first made in the end of the egg and the yolk is sucked out.  Dental tools are used to gently carve away layers of shell.  Generally goose eggs are carved all the way through, but many eggs, such as ostrich eggs, which have differently colored layers, are only carved partially through to expose different values in the shell.


This egg in particular is very interesting because of the crisp lines and geometric shapes intertwining throughout.  Though perfect geometry generally indicates stability, this piece is quite the opposite.  The feeling of stability given off by the design contrasts with the fragility of the material itself.  Contrasting with the perfect, geometric design again is the round, smoothness of the piece as a whole.  


This piece really appeals to myself in particular because I enjoy artwork that utilizes unusual materials, mediums, or methods.  This piece employs all three.  Not only is it eccentric in those ways, but it also is completely natural and organic, a quality most art cannot claim.


Brian Baity's website may be found here.

[B3] What Do We Really Mean By Art? (Surgery Make-up: Week of Oct 24)

What Do We Really Mean By Art?

by Marilina Maraviglia at Smashing Magazine

This article addresses six questions regarding art today and the evolution of it throughout history, providing many visuals and featuring interviews with several different artists.

1. What Is Art?

The author begins the article by addressing this question. She states that "Art is generally understood as any activity or product done by people with a communicative or aesthetic purpose—something that expresses an idea, an emotion or, more generally, a world view." She continues to cite different definitions of art, even from Wikipedia, but summarizes by saying that, "In this article, we mean art as a form of human expression of a creative nature."

2. The Evolution Of The Concept Of Art
       The author begins by saying, "While the definition of art has changed over the years, the field of art history has developed to allow us to categorize changes in art over time and to better understand how art shapes and is shaped by the creative impulses of artists."  She interviews two very stylistically different artists, Alexander Daniloff and Jonathan Ball.  Daniloff is a Russian artist who lives in Italy and practices art using traditional styles and mediums.  Ball is the mastermind behind the designs of Poked Studio, a company that provides illustration, web design, blog design, graphic design, 3-D rendering and visualization, motion graphics, flash websites, and games. 

by Alexander Daniloff

by Jonathan Ball

3. Aesthetics In Digital Art
     The author then offers insight into the mid-20th century transition to digital media.  She confronts the view of many that "given the variety of tools at their disposal, how much effort do digital artists really have to put into their work?"  She interviews Jan Willem Wennekes, a freelancer, for his opinion on the subject.  The following pieces are examples of his work.

4. Art As We Know It Today
     The author defines the 20th century as a turning point in our conception of art.  She links this to the reason that contemporary artists often reach for new concepts which break with tradition and the classical notions of beauty.  She interviews Nate Williams, Travis Lampe, and Jonathan Ball regarding the subject.  Nate Williams is an artists, illustrator, and designer from the US who has worked extensively in the advertising world.  Travis Lampe is an illustrator who currently lives and works in Chicago, working in art and illustration.

by Dan May

5. News Media Revolution And Its Relationship To Artists
     The author now addresses the recognition of new forms of art as opposed to the already widely recognized forms such as painting, drawing, sculpture, music, literature, and performance.  She asks, "What exactly is the relationship between these new forms of expression and contemporary artists?"  She interviews Russian and German illustrators  Max Kostenko and Pino Lamanna to answer her questions.

by Leandro Lima

by Max Kostenko

6. Communication And Self-Promotion In The New Web

     Maraviglia concludes her article by addressing the relationship between artists and their audiences and the methods they use to self-promote.  She queries Bob Flynn, Alex Dukal, Jayme McGowan, Chris Piascik and Irma Gruenholz for their opinions regarding self-promotion.  

by Bob Flynn

[B2] The Smoke (Surgery Make-up: Week of Oct 17)

"The Smoke" by ~lucaszoltowski on DeviantArt.

When I saw this piece, I was taken hold by the strong message it sends. This minimalistic photomanipulation uses many different elements to emphasize its depiction of the desperation and helplessness caused by addiction. In order to bring the viewer's eyes to it's focal point, the artist uses heavy contrast of the black ashes against the light background. The background also serves to stress the focal point by using a gradation of medium gray and white. The shadows beneath the cigarette create a very three-dimensional effect, which accentuates the realism of a faked photomanipulation. The contrast of the orange filter against the monochromatic remainder of the piece punctuates the cigarette as the main cause of the painful tone of the artwork.