Creep Machine Magazine – Contemporary Art & Culture

Author: Creep

  • The Surreal work of Patricia Ariel

    The Surreal work of Patricia Ariel

    Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Patricia Ariel received her Bachelor’s in Art Education at the Rio de Janeiro State University before moving to the US. It was here in the States that she decided to spend more time on her fine art work. She is influenced by the “theater and ballet to Eastern Art, from the Art Nouveau and Jugendstil to contemporary Pop Art, including occult symbolism, Tarot, Astrology and metaphysics.” Patricia is also a member of the Energy Art Movement which aims to capture energy in artworks with form, color, and composition. As you can see from the images below, her work is not only colorful, abstract and surreal, but very figurative. Just as there is a variety of elements in her paintings, they are also made up with a few types of media such as acrylics, oil-based pencil, and water-soluble pencils. I really love the blend of monochromatic flesh tones, and the vivid, colorful, backgrounds that surround the figures in her work. Each painting is loaded with color, texture, and motion. Take a look at the preview images below, and then make sure to check out Patricia’s homepage for more.

    Patricia Ariel




  • Prints: “The Baptism” by Martin Wittfooth

    Martin Wittfooth has a new print available on his online shop entitled The Baptism. This print is 20″ x 20″ on a 24″ x 24″ sheet of 310 gsm Hahnemuhle paper with UV protective varnish, signed and numbered in an edition of 50. Each print also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The great thing about this print, aside from getting an outstanding looking images, is that 25% of each print sale is donated to the Big Life Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Africa’s wildlife and ecosystems.

    Get it here: Martin Wittfooth Online Shop

  • Gag Me With A Toon 4 @ WWA Gallery

    This past Saturday on March 27th, the 4th Annual Gag Me With Toon group show opened at the WWA Gallery. This installment features more Saturday morning cartoon madness from many of your favorite artists. This years show is curated by Steven Daily and Tomi Monstre. There is some amazing work this year, take a look at the preview images and then head over to the gallery’s website for more.

    Gag Me With A Toon 4 @ WWA Gallery



  • Agnes-Cecile for 1000 Drawings in Amsterdam

    Agnes-Cecile for 1000 Drawings in Amsterdam

    A few months ago I was introduced to the work of Agnes-Cecile (Silvia Pelissero). I have always been a fan of watercolor paintings, and when they are done in a manner that is energetic and borderline messy, I am instantly drawn in. Agnes-Cecile will be featuring a new painting for a charity even in Amsterdam entitled “1000 Drawings”, in which proceeds from the sale of this one night event will “support FairPen, which helps children in Uganda to run an editorial office with their peers, investigate issues, think critically, and publish handwritten, hand-drawn newspapers to each other and to their local communities.”

    Below is a video Agnes-Cecile created showing her process of making this painting, and the finished work right below. Make sure to check out her homepage, and take a look at the bio section which has links to social profiles and her Bigcartel shop. Agnes-Cecile Portfolio

  • The Art of Ali Cavanaugh

    Ali Cavanaugh received her BFA at the Kendall College of Art and Design, and was in the New York Studio Residency Program in 1994. In 1996 she founded the New School Academy of Fine Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan before relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was after her relocation that she developed her watercolor technique that is seen throughout her current portfolio. Painting on clay panels, Ali is able to achieve what she refers to as “neo fresco secco” and uses “small controlled strokes of overlapping colors to create depth while letting the white clay surface illuminate through the pigment.”
    While her paintings are amazingly photo-realistic, you can see brush strokes creating a slight texture if you look close enough, something that is very reminiscent of egg tempera style paintings. I would love to see one of these in person to really study this technique she has developed. Take a look at the preview images below and then over to her homepage for more.

    Ali Cavanaugh Homepage



  • Review: “Wayward Fairy Tales” @ Modern Eden Gallery

    On Saturday, March 10th, the Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco opened the group show Wayward Fairy Tales, curated by artists Glenn arthur and Jeff Felker. Each artist in the show took inspiration from a classic fairy tale, and gave it a new spin. While this was a smaller group show, with 8 artists submitting work, the paintings were outstanding. I like the idea of group shows with 20 or even 100 artists participating, but I often feel as though some of the work in the show doesn’t get the full attention it deserves. That was definitely not the case with this exhibition, the art was good and the crowd spent a good deal of time enjoying it.

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  • Art Focus: “Northbound” by Dan May

    It’s been a while since I have created an “Art Focus” post, the section where I spend a bit more time talking about one painting or even series of paintings. Today, Dan May released a new painting that gave me the inspiration to get this section back on track. For those familiar with Dan May’s work you are well aware of the content in most of his paintings. He employs a dry-brush style with acrylic paints, and creates these magical worlds with creatures plucked right out of his imagination. In the past two years however, Dan has been adding more figurative elements to his work. Stylized figures, often with little or no facial features, would make their way into his paintings and slowly more and more figurative has been filling his portfolio. In 2011 (Flickr) Dan created a few paintings that hinted to a new possible direction, as well as showed the artists ability to render faces and figures.

    This new painting, entitled Northbound, focuses a majority of the attention on the figure. The stylized hair seen in his most recent figurative work The Departure, is missing and Dan has opted for a more realistic presentation. The lighting, and sky is the background, is a bit moody, however it serves to really push the focus on the figure. Aside from the skin tones, expression, and energy in this figure, I am most impressed by the “weight” the figure seems to have. It’s clear that Dan thought of the internal anatomy while painting this figure, as opposed to creating a shell that tries to represent a figure. The most impressive figurative works are those that you can believe the person exists, no matter how stylized they may be, you can sense every element, every bone and muscle that makes up the figure. Dan has achieved this perfectly with his first painting of 2012, and now I am curious as to what the next year will bring.

  • Preview: “Wayward Fairy Tales” group show @ Modern Eden

    Opening this Saturday, March 10th from 6-10 PM is a new group show entitled Wayward Fairy Tales. Curated by Jeff Felker and Glenn Arthur, this show will feature work by Jason Levesque, Leilani Bustamante, Chelsea Greene, Glenn Arthur, Kelly Castillo, Ahren Hertel, Aunia Kahn, and Jeff Felker. Each artist will be presenting their rendition of classic fairy tales. We’re all used to the “happily ever after” ideal, but this show will set out to prove that “beautiful tragedies” can be just as amazing. This exhibition runs until April 7th, so if you can’t be there for the reception make sure to stop by when you can.

    Modern Eden Gallery




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