STUDY TASK 3 - Pinterest

I've been keeping a Pinterest for a long time and I was a little disheartened at the idea of starting a new one, but I can understand why.

This new Pinterest will be much more organised and structured (my current one has got super cluttered and busy over the years).

My Old Pinterest is here:

https://uk.pinterest.com/jaystelling/pins/

My New Pinterest is here:

https://uk.pinterest.com/js254607/pins/

PURPOSE, CONTEXT, PROCESS, PRODUCT, AESTHETIC, CONTENT

PURPOSE

I really appreciate art that has a purpose. Rather than just being aesthetically attractive and pleasing to look at, I value work that demands some kind of greater function.

I'm particularly interested in children's books and cautionary tales.

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Carlson Ellis illustrated this cover for WILDWOOD, a modern fairytale. It's empowering, inviting and evocative of adventure. Conforming to the genre but updating those old expectations.

CONTEXT

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Illustration can move! This is from a paper stop-motion video by My Robot Friend, who has used stop motion to move these hand-drawn illustrations and transform it into a film. So clever and I love to see illustration slide into other forms, not just printed media.

The traditional pen-and-ink paper illustrations bring a handmade, old-school charm to the video. It feels authentic and delicate.

PROCESS

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I'm always intrigued by artists who move beyond drawing and painting, doing something different and innovative to tell stories or make an image.

Tyler Thrasher combines science and art by collecting dead insects (mostly cicadas) and forming crystals on them. Each one is unique because of the reactions and molecular structures of the crystals and minibeasts.

A really unusual process, but the final outcome is breathtaking. It walks the line between taxidermy and fashion, naturally.

PRODUCT

Where does illustration become product? What makes it commercial?

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Yosiell Lorenzo is the father of these 'Sicklings'. They're art toys, collectable sculptures that are showcased in exhibitions and galleries but can also be 'adopted' Lorenzo sells his Sicklings as though they are pets, with product descriptions describing their personalities.

I think that this really adds to the believability of character and illusion of life in these creatures. I think the jars are a great touch too, a clever way of solving packaging but also protecting the sculptures too.

AESTHETIC

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Anandamayi Arnold makes these beautiful crepe paper objects. Their aesthetic is a natural, biological and representational approach to botanical illustration, achieved through constructing 3-Dimensional tissue paper forms.

I love this aesthetic because it's something I've never seen before. They're so realistic but also idyllic and almost surreal in their perfection.

Anandamayi hides tiny 'surprises' inside the sculptures, which is a lovely little feature, but also quite amusing. People buy these gorgeous artworks because of the craft and precision that has gone into them, and yet the artist reinforces them to ruin that work! Crack them open and look inside... I couldn't bring myself to destroy the artwork, no matter what was inside.

Is this the artist's joke? Is she commenting on the concept of 'treasures' and possessions? The power of curiosity?

CONTENT

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Louis Wain drew anthropomorphised cats, but as his mental condition worsened (he was hospitalised with Schizophrenia), his cats began to change in appearance... they became more colourful, abstract and busy.

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I find it so incredible to see how his art changed and the content of these drawings seemed to evolve with his illness.