Surreal Artwork by Deborah Hamon Combines Photography & Painting In Photoshop

above: Deborah Hamon's The Game combines a painted figure with a photographic background.

41 year old artist Deborah Hamon, born in Adelaide, Australia and now living and working in Marin County (my own home town), was recently named one of PDN's 30 Photographers to Watch and has been featured in New American Paintings, Israel's Picnic magazine, Flak photo, has a permanent piece (Wonderland) in the prestigious Crocker Bank Art Museum Collection, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, honors and mentions.


above: The artist, Deborah, in her studio, alongside Queen of The Hill (also shown below):


Her unusual work consists of both 'constructed' photography and complete paintings. Her surreal photos (c-prints) combine a study of fiction and reality, placing flat graphic painted figures (almost always girls) usually confronting the viewer, with photographic backgrounds of exterior settings. She uses Photoshop to construct her photographs with figures from her paintings.


above: detail of Forever and Ever shows the contrast of the painted figure with the photographed tree, combined in Photoshop.

Here are a few examples of her Constructed Photography:

Facade:

Forever and Ever:

Grandma's House:

Huff and Puff:

Manicured:

Sandtrap:

Snowbound:

Tree Fairy (left) and Walkabout (right):

Wonderland:


It seems as though her photographs have received more attention than her paintings, likely because of the unusual combining of media. But, as you will see from the images below, her large acrylic paintings which consist of similar subject matter, are also very compelling and thoughtfully rendered.

Here are a few examples of her acrylic paintings:
Poolside:

Cowgirls and Butterflies (left) and Rope Swing (right):

He Loves me, He Loves me Not:

Haven:

Red Arrow:

Victory:

Deborah Hamon

New Underground Eco-friendly Hotel Bella Vista By Matteo Thun

We've seen a couple of very interesting eco-friendly, semi-submerged underground hotels and homes lately. (e.g. Villa Vals, The Underground home of Gary Neville)

And here's yet another one that I cant wait to see finished. Designed by architect and designer Matteo Thun, the latest KlimaHotel© in Bozen, Italy, is a redesign of the Bella Vista Trafoi, and is the first certified eco-friendly hotel that guarantees
 KlimaHotel© criteria and has a holistic approach to sustainability. In the catalog of criteria KlimaHotel© three pillars of sustainability are the concepts "nature" (Ecology), "Life" (socio-cultural aspects) and "Transparency" (Economy).

The design consists of 11 individual hostels built into the Italian hillside that utilize economical and ecological methods of heating, cooling and building. The project began in late 2009 and the new Bella Vista hotel is not expected to be up and running until 2011.



In this sense, the architecture of the new hotel BELLA VISTA reflects the local resources: it is the heart of the nature of the national parks around the Stelvio, with its towering mountains surrounding the city Trafoi, the hotel was built with materials from the immediate surrounding area. The architecture is fed by the local culture, interprets and proposes new solutions. Like the lives of local people is completely determined by the nature, followed by the architectural forms of nature and her contact simultaneously.



Bella Vista's dominance over the place transformed into a co-existence with the earth. Hence arises the architectural design of nature do not, but submits to her. BELLA VISTA so far has no dominant form, BELLA VISTA is the landscape itself - a soft, hilly terrain, which creates smooth forms in the meadows at the foot of the steeply rising mountain range Ortler place. At this location, the nature of their strength shows that the earth becomes a protective shell and thus the actual hostel.







above: Matteo Thun



images and information courtesy of Matteo Thun and casaclima

About Klima Hotels and Clima Houses:


A KlimaHotel helps the tourist to follow the path of sustainability - in all different phases of the project development, the project implementation and the realization of a welcoming structure. The quality seal acts as a guarantor of a secure and profitable investment. A KlimaHotel is also a guarantor for the guest - it not only establishes certain criteria relating to energy consumption, but extends this to the whole hotel life. The guest of a hotel with KlimaHotel-status is to guarantee the respect of nature. At the same time it is a unique and unforgettable vacation in the context of the nature of the direct environment of indigenous culture certainly. He has the opportunity to experience, tradition and customs of the place directly and coloration.

The evaluation is performed through a direct method of delivery points that correspond to achieve its sustainability goals in the related areas of legal proceedings.
 
The certification 
of accommodation facilities is based on the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, 
economy and socio-cultural aspects.

www.agenziacasaclima.it

The Little Black Dress Gets Crystallized By 22 Designers & Auctioned To Benefit Charity.

above: dress by Gaspard Yukievich

One year ago, CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements commissioned 22 of fashion’s leading designers and most promising talents to create one very special black dress each (all shown later in this post).

After a successful launch in Paris during couture week this past January, the dazzling collection of show pieces went on public display at the city’s prestigious Palazzo Pozzo di Borgo. The exhibition then travelled to Beijing, where it was unveiled at an exclusive event on 8th April 2010.



The Little Black Dresses range from soigné shifts by Gianfranco Ferré and Phillip Lim for 3.1 phillip lim, through frothy cocktail dresses by Lanvin and Alberta Ferretti, to sexy gowns by Donna Karan New York and Giorgio Armani Privé.

Each designer found brilliantly inventive ways to make use of Swarovski Elements: Vivienne Westwood added crystal mesh peplums to her taffeta party dress; Alber Elbaz suspended Swarovski Elements to create a trompe l’oeil necklace; and Martin Grant completely covered his curvy short-sleeved shift with crystals to imitate the glistening look of stingray skin.


above: detail of Martin Grant dress

Other designers participating in the 22 Ways To Say Black project are: Alexis Mabille, Azzaro, Boudicca, Catherine Malandrino, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fendi, Gaspard Yurkievich, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marios Schwab, Missoni, Sonia Rykiel, Thakoon and Valentino.

All 22 dresses are hand-made – perfect, one-of-a-kind distillations of their creators’ imaginations. “Couture is the purest expression of a designer’s art,” says Giorgio Armani of his gown. “It is an opportunity to really explore the possibilities of fashion without commercial constraints.”

The 22 Little Black Dresses:

3.1 Phillip Lim:

Alberta Ferretti:

Alberta Ferretti (detail):

Alexis Mabille:

Azzaro:

Boudicca:

Catharine Malandrino:

Diane Von Furstenberg:

Diane Von Furstenberg (detail):

Donna Karan:

Fendi:

Fendi (detail):

Gaspard Yurkievich:

Gianfranco Ferre:

Gianfranco Ferre (detail):

Giorgio Armani Privé:

Jean Paul Gaultier:

Alber Elbaz for Lanvin:

Lanvin (detail):

Marios Schwab:

Martin Grant:

Missoni:

Missoni (detail):

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy:

Sonia Rykiel:

Sonia Rykiel (detail):

Thakoon:

Thakoon (detail):

Valentino:

Vivienne Westwood:

Vivienne Westwood (detail):

The above dress photos and detail photos are courtesy of photographers (and couple) Scheltens and Abbenes and appear in the book. Images courtesy of Swarovski.

The Auction To Benefit Charity

In September 2010, at Phillips de Pury’s New York gallery, at 450 West 15th Street, all 22 dresses will be sold at auction to benefit the American Cancer Society and La ligue nationale contre le cancer in France. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the two charities, as well as all profits from the sale of the book CRYSTALLIZED™ – Ways to Say Black.

View a video of the Crystallized - 22 Ways To Say Black Exhibition here.