Set to an haunting musical composition by Jacaszek, GRADUATE is a surreal animated collage by Greek illustrator and motion/graphic designer Constantinos Chaidalis (aka Brittle). Chaidalis says that he created this…
These lovely and surreal mixed media artworks were created by Enrico Varrasso, a freelance illustrator and artist based in a small town near Toronto, Canada. After having graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1989 with diploma in Editorial Illustration, Varrasso started creating illustrations for a wide variety of reputed magazines and design studios.
While I found the illustrations in his portfolio to be colorful and eye-catching, his mixed media artwork completely fascinated me with their abstract shapes and patterns which are masterfully blended with his digital art.
I asked him to tell me more about his creative process, and he replied, saying:
My mixed media art usually involves some of my digital art, vellum paper, acrylic paint, old car manuals oil stick, pencil, matte medium…sometimes there’s some silver foil and found book/magazine imagery that I tear out or make copies of with my copier/printer. All of this is placed on either illustration board or plywood.
I usually work in layers of imagery using the digital artwork I’ve printed out onto vellum or grab the torn pages from the old books and magazines. after placing a layer of images down with the matte medium I like to push the artwork aside to dry and start the process again on another piece…I usually work on a few at a time. the following day (usually) I like to come back to the art with fresh eyes and assess where it’s at. I continue the same process again with whatever material I feel is needed for the piece. Once again I set it aside for a day so that it can be viewed with fresh eyes. at this point I usually add some final touches with my oil stick, pencils and paint.
Varrasso counts artists like Marcel Duchamp, Paul Klee, Gerhard Richter, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, amongst his many influences. He confesses that things are never easy when one is a freelancer, but he just wouldn’t have it any other way as he loves what he does for a living.
He sells select illustrations and mixed media works from his extensive portfolio (both original as well as prints) at his online store on Saatchi Online. He also undertakes commissions, and those of you who are interested can get a custom piece done in his signature style.
Link to Enrico Varrasso’s site | Tumblr.
You can check out more of his mixed media pieces after the jump. I’ve also included a few of his digital collages for your viewing pleasure.
These awesome digital collages are the creations of Hong Meow (aka Estefania de Armero), a Tokyo-based digital photographer, collage artist, and “wannabe” musician. Meow’s surreal works are heavily influenced by the garish, animated GIF excesses of the internet of the ‘90s, and also Japan’s anime culture.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, the artist is an alumni of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her works have been exhibited at the Desotorow Gallery, Savannah, Georgia.
You can visit her site (NSFW) to see more of her artwork. Don’t forget to check out her ongoing Faceshirts portraiture project, where you can submit a photo and have it turned into a custom made shirt design.
More images after the jump.
Check out a few wonderful mixed media artworks from the portfolio of Zach Welch, an 18 year old American artist.
Zach considers punk rock music as a major artistic influence, and combines realistic elements with abstract geometric ones to create a hybrid with a unique “punk edge” to it. He uses colored pencil, sharpies, watercolors, paint pens, collages, and spray paint to create his layered pieces.
You can buy prints and t-shirt of this young talent’s works at Bluecanvas and Forest Ink.
Burial, contributed to the JazJaz Flickr Pool by Jayne Surrena.
Collages and photographs from the portfolio of Bettina Birmarcker, a visual arts and graphic design student from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
More images after the jump.
Beautifully-layered mixed media works by André Azevedo, a terrific artist based in Brazil.
Link to Azevedo’s site (NSFW).
Hit the jump to see more images.
A man of many talents, Italian artist Claudio Parentela has been an active member of the international underground art scene for many years now. His mixed-media collages and paintings will firmly grab your attention, disorienting you with their raw, frenetic edginess and energy.
Claudio’s huge body of work has been featured in numerous magazines and art galleries. He lives and works from Catanzaro, Italy.
Link to Claudio Parentala’s site (NSFW, and filled with animated gifs).
Hit the jump to see some select art from his portfolio.
Irina and Silviu Szekely are two exciting UK-based artists, whose collaborative surrealist paper collages were inspired and influenced by diverse sources, including, but not limited to the works of Dada, “Encyclopaedia Acephalica, the writings of Benjamin Péret, Duchamp, Foucault, Bataille, or Julio Cortázar, to name just a few.”
We are a team of two emerging artists working towards Meta-real / Pseudo-DaDa directions that allow us to create traditional collages/assemblages/photo montages that one might find thought provoking and aesthetically incisive. We chose collage because it gives us the possibility to remove an object from its original space allocated once and for all in a definitive reproduction (photography, printed images, etc.) and to place it in a whole different environment in order to produce alternative visual and conceptual behaviours with parallel functionalities.
A closer inspection of the works of the two Romanian-born artists, reveals the masterful composition and skilled technique behind them. These are not your average collages, they have enough depth and perspective to entice us to take a peek inside.
Link to their site. Hit the jump to see more collages from their portfolio.
A selection of art from the portfolio of the super-talented Alex and Chris Couto (aka the Couto Brothers).
Snip from their site:
The artwork of the Couto Brothers is the culmination of the creative energies of two distinctly different individuals who share not only common blood, but a common drive for artistic exploration and excellence. Their exploration takes place not only on canvas but in their daily lives. The brothers have been influenced by five continents. Beyond having extensive travels in Europe and Africa the brothers were raised in Brazil and had periods of living in both China and India.
Their diverse cultural inspiration translates directly into their Work. Despite having many shared experiences they are in fact very opposite people. Their differences fuel an artistic union that allows them to complement each other to the fullest. Both brothers would say they are self taught. but in fact their strongest teachers are each other.
Hit the jump to see more artwork.