Alright cool cats, this is the second edition of Super Intense Hardcore Art that I love (;, and I think it's time that we move away from street/graffiti art. Yes, I love it, but no, it's not the only art that's being created right now! Since we're doing paintings right now, I thought it might be nice to see some work by a current painter.
So, without further adieu:
SUPER INTENSE HARDCORE ARTIST:
Shawn Barber.
Shawn Barber is a contemporary artist (meaning that he is making work NOW) who specializes in portraits of people with an insane amount of tattoos. His not-so creatively named collection of work "Tattooed Portraits" is an ongoing series in which Barber presents realistic portraits of tattooed people and tattoo artists. Barber primarily works with oil paints, but watercolors are also represented in his collections. Shawn Barber also did a series of paintings called "The Doll Series" which, obviously, is a bunch of paintings of dolls (which I personally find to be a bit creepy, but to each his own). Often in his paintings, he blends two pictures of the same thing in different positions together to create a new, unique composition (you'll see what I mean in the examples, it's hard to explain). Now I give you...
Some of Shawn Barber's work:
"Portrait of the Artist, Chantal Menard"
Yeah, my favourite part is that weird little furry animal head sticking out from under all them bones.
"Portrait of the Artist, Owen Smith"
I really like the paint drippy things. Get what I mean my morphing together a bunch of the same picture? C C Crazy, right?
"Joshua Lord's Hands"
He does a lot of hands....
"Feast or Famine"One of the doll pieces. I told you they were creepy as heck.
Shawn Barker's art is on the dark side, I know, but whether or not you enjoy his subject matter, you have to admit, he has a way with paint.
I happen to enjoy Barker's work thoroughly, do you? Why or why not? If not, please don't just say "becuz ItZ wEiRdDdD".
Thanks for reading, kiddies, I'll post something happier next week, I promise (:
Oh, and something VERY IMPORTANT: I'd recommend NOT checking out more of Shawn Barker's art on the school computers, he has a few pieces that are not school appropriate. They aren't raunchy or anything, but don't push your luck.
Mary,(and friends)Having some very tattoed friends in college and having designed MANY for people I knew then too, I really enjoy the idea of the inked culture as a subject. Those with many tattoo's really identify that as part of who they are.
ReplyDeleteThere is an interesting point to be made in Barker's work...Many "fine artists" look down upon tattoo art as trashy, and unrefined. Here it is blending the most traditional type of painting with the taboo of body art. Irony..
I like the echoed affect he gives his figures, reminds me of Dali, and you know I ::heart:: Dali.
*************************************************OK-Question for the class:
What are human charateristics that would make a human interesting to you as the subject for an artwork?
Think about: sex (ahem....as in gender..silly teenagers), clothing style, age, hairstyle, occupation, texture of skin, race, eyes, relationship to you-best frined or stranger,natural or idealized, unique qualities (Mary...BEARD?) or anything else.
*************************************************
YES BEARD!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Barker's work.I think it is a bit dark but it has an edge to it.I love how the color looks in the paintings.
ReplyDeleteI think some characteristics that would make a human interesting for a subject would be a cool hairstyle and something that makes the person unique.
I think eyes would infuence me to draw them, or it. I believe that eyes tell you so much about a person. Like if their eyes are bright and shiny, they are a happy; cheerful person. However if their eyes are dim and glassy, they are probably sad or depressed. Maybe the stranger thing, also the race, because I would want something to stand out from the picture, so it all depends.
ReplyDeleteKelci: I like his work, it seems to have a lot of flow in it. The way he puts different positions and stuff is interesting. And tattooed people as an art subject is different in the cool way.
ReplyDeleteThe doll thing was really kinda creepy with the creepy dolls and starved-looking cats, but it's still good.
To Mrs. P, I wouldn't really be exactly sure what I find appealing in a subject. I guess maybe whoever (whatever) I found interesting, like if the person was an albino or something...
I love this guy's work. The dolls are creepy though. I would probably be inclunced with eyes and part of the hair. I would want it to be very strange. The eyes would have eye makeup to be totally crazy. Pepsi.
ReplyDeleteShmanders-Tilluhh
ReplyDeleteSo HIS art def. creepy but i like it alot. To me its something not most people look at in a person, but tattoos that people get usually show alot about that person. If it's a name of a loved one or a heart for lose of love, either way it tells a lot and by showing the tattoos it shows that he is trying to show the person soul inside rather then the way they look. I like it
I APPROVE =)
love ya mary =)
To be perfvectly honest i think Girls that are anerexic are interesting. Or desease that make you skinny because the bones are different and to me would make an artwork POP!
I personally don't really like the whole doll thing, that kinda creeps me out. I'm never going to look at a doll the same way now ;). But I like that he puts a lot of different things together and makes them fit. I think that he is pretty amazing with paint, simply because it's not your typical artist that works with paint. I really haven't ever seen anything like this, but I like it =]
ReplyDelete.:k.sutton:.
mikayla: I thought this guy is really really creepy. I think his art is cool but it scares me. I am going to have bad dreams for days.
ReplyDeleteMaisie said:
ReplyDeleteI love this guy's work! :D The colors are realistic, but with a darkened tint that give nod to his darker subject matter. I think that his compostition, the echo effect he does with subjects, is intensely interesting and very amazingly cool. Imagine the kind of work it would take to do that.
I also think that tattooed people as subjects is a really neat concept. While I don't really advocate tattoos, myself finding them unethical, I must agree that they can be very artistic and are a good vehicle for people to express themselves with, and that their culture, as Mrs. Padilla called it, needs some time in the spotlight too.
One of the things I love drawing people for are their character. I like to try to capture the nature of the person, rather than an physically accurate portrait. Because, if you think about, who we are makes up more of our character than what we look like. That, and I'm horrible at trying to draw accurately from life. xDDD I often draw random designs around the eyes of faces I've drawn before, so I really think that what Barber does with his figures is awesome.
I'm still never getting a tattoo, though. ;3
i dont really know what to say about this artist. i love how he put two arts together, and i love how he echos the pictures; i love the joshuas hands painting. it looks like couples hands on top of each other, and its really eligant. and in the chantal menard painting, when he echoed her, it looks like she moved and hes in a completely different position, it doesnt look like the same exact position, also witht he hand painting. i dont know, i just enjoy these paintintgs :)
ReplyDeleteI like this artists work is different and unique...
ReplyDeleteAre the cats attacking the plastic dolls?...
The eyes have many details... I also
like the arm of designs.......
thanks for the bribal braclet mary :)
ReplyDeletei think his portarits are great but the one with the dolls a was a bit creepy with the two headed cat and a one headed cat and a doll thats just one headed cat and a creepy doll on the floor and a doll thats just a head and the room was full of shadows in the dark but it was prety cool.
ReplyDeleteKatie B :
ReplyDeleteMmmkay... I really like this. I'm personally a huge fan of tattoo art and its about time someone incorporated it into traditional art. But, to be honest, The Dolls series kinda creeps me out, though I do like it. It really stands out from most art.
As for me though, I've always been interested in painting/drawing bigger sized people. I think there's more to a person's beauty then just what society deems is attractive. People shouldn't have to be rail thin or have a perfectly muscular body to be beautiful, and should be proud of their curves, and I think its time that people see that.
ooohhh creepyyyyyy
ReplyDeletesays cody learn
Shawn Barber's artwork is really interesting in the way that he makes a reflection of the image in another position. I really love that. And the fact that he puts tattoos on the firgures facinates me. For me, drawing people that have really interesting facial features and positions is what i like to draw. Also, i like to draw the wrinkles of fabric and clothes. Im not sure why but details are what i love.
WoW...wrk is really detailed and kreppy...
ReplyDeletei really like the one with the woman and there is a shadow (gohst like person if the back of her) i love the way he shows texture and color is the art...it almost feel like the painting cud jus walk out and touch you....
for example the one with fist it looks like the fist is bout to punch you in the face....
although it is not some thing i would perfer in my house if the ever have an art gallery i wud love his art in it....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```
~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~
to me the human feature that brings the most out of the body is the face to with out the face you jus have a plain body like evry other body but a face put evryhthing togeather.....
<3
Brandon said:
ReplyDeleteShawn Baker is obviously a very talented artist but I question his subject for artwork. Usually, an artist is inspired by something when they create a piece of artwork. I do wonder what his "inspiration" for is artwork is or if he just likes to paint people with tattoos; I don't know. As for the doll collection, he has a very unique way of portraying these baby dolls and I am not fond of these artworks.
However, I commend his skill with the use of his differnet mediums and admire the detail of his work.