Evil Clutching Cuteness Gives Dictators A Soft Side.

Chunlong Sun, a photographer and digital retoucher from Beijing, China had some fun with this little personal project. A series of images featuring world-renowned dictators clutching plushies gives them a tender side we all wish they truly had. The juxtaposition between the face of evil and a cuddly stuffed animal makes these serious portraits instantly humorous.

Deliciously Different Delft by Artist Magnus Gjoen

London based artist Magnus Gjoen’s embellished objects are all created digitally, he does everything on his Mac. His graphic skills are largely self taught and stem from being a self-confessed “geek.” Gjoen keeps a digital scrapbook where he collects images including “everything from pictures of a urinal wall to a painting at the Pitti Palace.”


above: Magnus at work in his studio

To create these images Magnus first builds a virtual 3D base outlining it in illustrator, he then meticulously shadows and highlights it in Photoshop. The delft porcelain pieces require an even more lengthy process as the original flat etchings need to be layered and blurred in just the right way to give the final effect.

DELFT STAG BEETLE

Limited edition of 50, hand signed and dated porcelain inspired Stag Beetle. A play on the fierce-looking Stag Beetle, which to us humans although frightening is fragile in comparison to us.
Printed with archival ink on 186 gsm enhanced matte art paper.
$320

AK-47 DELFT

details:


A Giclée of the iconic AK-47 made to look like a piece of beautiful fragile porcelain.
An edition of only 50 printed on 308 gsm archival Hahnemule Photorag paper.
Signed and dated.
$1,095.

DELFT SKULL

Limited Edition of 30 Signed and dated by Magnus Gjoen Delft porcelain skull Giclee print on 180gsm art paper.
$480

DELFT SKULL ANGELS OF DARK & LIGHT

A large delft porcelain inspired skull with imagery of angels. Limited edition of 50.
Signed, numbered & dated
Printed with archival ink on a 188gsm Enhanced Matte paper.
$780

DELFT SKULL DESCENT OF AN ANGEL

A delft porcelain inspired skull with neo-classical imagery of angels. Limited edition of 50.
Signed, numbered & dated
Printed with archival ink on a 188gsm Enhanced Matte paper.
$360

DELFT HEART: MY HEART IS YOURS FOREVER

A Delft inspired porcelain heart. Limited edition of 60 Giclee print on 189gsm Enhanced Matte paper
$350

DELFT ROCKET LAUNCHER

Only 3 Artist proofs remaining of this print.
The normal edition of 30 all sold out.
A delft porcelain inspired rocket launcher Giclee on 180gsm Matte art paper.
$750

DELFT GRENADE

Limited Edition of 60 Signed and dated by Magnus Gjoen Delft porcelain Granade Giclee print on 180gsm art paper.
$250

DELFT SOUP CAN: WORRIES GO DOWN BETTER WITH SOUP

A porcelain twist on Warhol's Campbell's Soups.
Signed, dated and numbered limited edition of /100 printed with archival ink on a fine art 186 enhanced matte paper
$160

ORIGINAL SCULPTURE

Magnus Gjoen
Worries Go Down Better With Soup, Sculpture
Size: 3.9 x 5.5 x 3.9 in
$350

Prints No Longer Available:
DELFT SCARAB


DELFT MACHINE GUN


You can see more of his work and/or buy his available prints at SAATCHI- ONLINE
Or you can browse and/or purchase his prints here at Art Republic


About the Artist:

Magnus Gjoen's prints examines how to change peoples relationship and preconceived notions of objects. Something which is potentially extremely destructive can be made into beautiful yet fragile objects of art. It's this misconception of beauty which Magnus Gjoen wants us to see in a different light, being it weapons, animals or the human race itself. The latter which is capable of creating immense beauty but also capable of destroying it all. Taking inspiration from street and pop art and juxtapositioning it with fine art, he creates new and modern takes on old masterpieces or manipulates something powerful and strong into something fragile but beautiful. He often questions the correlation between religion, war, beauty & destruction in his art. Magnus Gjoen was born in London to Norwegian parents and studied design in London and Milan and has worked as a denim designer and graphic designer for Vivienne Westwood amongst others.

Location: London, United Kingdom

Warp Dogs by Benjamin Grelle aka “The Frogman.”

Benjamin Grelle, who goes by the moniker 'The Frogman' on the internet, is the man behind Babies With Laser Eyes, a tumblr site that introduced him to many a viewer.


above: Benjamin Grelle, aka The Frogman, has a sense of humor, some photoshop skills and as he candidly admits on his site, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

A large lovable looking bear of a guy with a penchant for dogs, his latest collection of photoshopped goodness is Warp Dogs. A collection of images of dogs hanging their heads out of car windows - jowls flapping, ears flying - whose backgrounds have been replaced with galaxies viewed at Warp Speed.

Simple and silly, if these images don't make you crack a smile, you're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.










and an animated gif:



Check out more fun stuff from The Frogman here.

In Pieces. Lego Sculptures Blend Into Realistic Photography.

'IN PIECES' is a multimedia collaboration between brick sculptor Nathan Sawaya and Australian photographer Dean West. The exhibition consists of Lego sculpted pieces by Sawaya seamlessly placed into beautiful photographic environments by West. Both the Chromogenic prints and editions of the sculptures are available for purchase.

The Paintings and Works On Paper of Mark Bradley-Shoup.

above: Mark Bradley-Shoup, Summer Gray Gas Station in Patine Blue

There's something about Mark Bradley-Shoup's work that I find really appealing and it's no wonder. His representational works on paper, abstract paintings and mixed media works each have elements that remind me of four of my favorites artists; Richard Diebenkorn's landscapes and abstracts, Ed Ruscha's Standard Oil gas station studies and prints, Wayne Thiebaud's composition and painterly style and Robert Rauschenberg's collages. Bradley-Shoup's simple and subdued color palettes, clean lines and structured compositions - all executed with a certain restraint - result in compelling and aesthetically attractive works.

Below are several of my favorite pieces of his.

Representational:












Mixed Media:




Abstract works:






Mark Bradley-Shoup earned his BFA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Painting and Drawing and his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Studio Art. Bradley-Shoup produces meticulously crafted paintings and works on paper based in part on his own manipulated photographs of both urban and rural environments.

He employs extensive use of masking tape, rulers and x-acto blades to generate precise areas of paint that emphasize the surface texture of his compositions in a way that undermines any elements of photorealist illusion. Prevalent themes in his work include “consumption and growth,” “expansion and recession,” and “the elegance of brutality.”

He has worked with various non-profit agencies and educational institutions including the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Association for Visual Arts, Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, the Creative Discovery Museum, Chattanooga Parks, Recreation, Arts and Culture, and the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. Currently, Bradley-Shoup is based in Chattanooga and is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.


Mark Bradley-Shoup

If you would like to get in touch with Mark, feel free to email mbradleyshoup@hotmail.com