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Portraiture

Art

Gorgeous Comic-Book Collage Portraits of Women

By Emily Temple on

The portrayal of women (and non-gender normative characters in general) in mainstream comic books has long been a subject of discussion and controversy — not least because of their ludicrously unrealistic physical portrayals. It’s easy to see echoes of this in the work of Montreal-based artist Sandra Chevrier, spotted over at HiConsumption – Chevrier covers the faces of her subjects in the pages of comic books, leaving only their mouths or eyes to assert their femininity. The result is beautiful and more than a little thought-provoking. Check out Chevrier’s lovely collages after the jump, and then be sure to head on over to her website to see even more. … Read More

Art

Surrealist Paintings of Notorious Outlaws

By Emily Temple on

There are certain nefarious figures that linger in our collective memory like a bad cold — outlaws whose gruesome habits make us wonder, whisper, and double-check the window latches. Or, in the case of Sean Lewis, make art. His series of portraits, which we spotted over at Hi Fructose, interpret some of the world’s most dastardly criminals in bright surrealist tones. After the jump, check out a few of our favorites, and then be sure to head on over to Lewis’s website to see even more of his work. … Read More

Art

Gorgeous, Ethereally Deconstructed Portraits by Henrietta Harris

By Emily Temple on

New Zealand-based illustrator Henrietta Harris blends whimsy and realism, with just a dash of something very unsettling, to create wonderful watercolor and gouache portraits, which we recently spotted over at iGNANT. There’s something incredibly beautiful and dreamlike about them, but they also sort of look like people letting their brains drift away in a soft breeze. And if you’re anything like us, they’ll have you humming “Where Is My Mind?” — the Emmy the Great version, in this case — for the rest of the day. Click through to see some of our favorites from Harris’ portfolio, and then be sure to head on over to her website to see a lot more of her awesome work. … Read More

Art

Gorgeous Portraits of Little Girls With Graffiti Backdrops

By Emily Temple on

Texas-based artist Kevin Peterson might be in trouble with some mothers. In his beautiful portrait series Graffiti Girls, he paints young girls against walls of graffiti, angelic beauty literally leaning up against the grunge of the streets. We love the juxtaposition of the innocence and soft lines of these adorable little girls against the harsh scribbles of wall tags — interestingly though, it’s the girls who seem to change the tenor of their background, making the paint seem gentle, pretty even, rather than the other way around. You go, girls. Click through to see a few of our favorites from Peterson’s series, and then be sure to check out his website for more information. … Read More

Art

Blurry Oil Portraits of Vintage Film Beauties

By Emily Temple on

Basing artworks on film stills isn’t anything new, but Nathan Ritterpusch’s series Old Enough To Be My Mother, which we recently spotted over at The Jealous Curator, takes a more wobbly view than most. These oil paintings, based on vintage film stills of ingenues and leading ladies, obscure the women’s faces with smears and wet lines, so you can’t help but think of makeup running — but it’s not just their makeup that’s running, it’s their faces. Even so, the portraits manage to be lovely, if somewhat sad, proving that beauty isn’t really only skin — or paint — deep. Click through to see a few of our favorites from Old Enough To Be My Mother, and then head over to Rare Gallery to check out more of Ritterpusch’s work. … Read More

Photography

People vs. Places: Gorgeous Collaborative Double Exposure Photography

By Emily Temple on

We know, we know — double exposure photography is nothing new. But when we came across Timothy Burkhart and Stephanie Bassos’s cool new project People vs. Places over at Co.Design, we have to admit that we got a little excited. Here’s how it works: Bassos takes a roll of 35mm film of only people, and then (without any consultation) Burkhart reloads the same film to take pictures of places — the resultant photos are random, often serendipitous, and usually quite beautiful. ”This double exposure project allows us to step back from having full control of the image making process and trust in one another while allowing coincidences to happen naturally on film,” they write. Trust, apparently, works wonders. Click through to see a few of our favorite shots from the project, and then head on over to the website for even more. … Read More

Photography

Akram Zaatari’s Striking, Thought-Provoking Portraits of Affection

By Emily Temple on

In Akram Zaatari’s arresting portraits, which we recently spotted over at It’s Nice That, young Arabic subjects pose for sweet, sometimes goofy portraits that provide a window their world. For instance, as It’s Nice That points out, it’s fascinating to look at all the images of subjects kissing: “we see same sex couples only because the conservative values held by those in Arab societies frowned upon any public interaction between men and women if they weren’t married.” But even with no context like this, each of these photos are evocative enough that a backstory blooms easily in the viewer’s mind. A large selection of Zaatari’s photographs are now on view at the Liverpool Biennial. Click through to see some of our favorites from the exhibit, and then head here to see even more of Zaatari’s amazing work. … Read More

Photography

Beautiful, Hazy Portraits by Tinca Veerman

By Emily Temple on

Summer may be winding down, the days growing shorter and the nights getting colder, but when we look at Tinca Veerman’s series Hazy Thoughts, which we recently spotted over at The Jealous Curator, all we can feel is the sweltering, humid midday heat pulling at the edges of our perception. Veerman’s portraits are blurred and dreamlike, evoking a beautiful kind of childish romance that makes us feel like we’re looking into jumped-through puddles. Can’t beat that to indulge your end-of-summer wistfulness. Click through to see a few of our favorites from the series, and then be sure to head on over to Veerman’s website for even more of her work. … Read More

Art

Fascinating Paintings of People Entranced by Their Phones

By Emily Temple on

Last year, we fell in love with New York City-based street artist Dan Witz for his phenomenal hyperrealistic mosh pit paintings – but it looks like the artist is just as interested in the quieter moments of human identity in modern life as he is in the wildest ones. Design You Trust pointed us towards this gorgeous and unsettling series of portraits of people completely hypnotized by their cell phones, whether texting or dialing or just staring into the gleam, their faces lit up by the electronic glow. Click through to check out the series, and you might just feel the urge to set your phone aside for an hour today. Maybe. … Read More

Photography

Evocative Portraits of People Submerged in Water

By Emily Temple on

Paris-based photographer Alban Grosdidier‘s series Drowning makes us feel a little bit like one of its subjects: trapped underwater, but possessed with a strange kind of clarity. Grosdidier writes that the project, which we first spotted over at My Modern Met, is concerned with the “feeling of submersion that you can have living in a big city. There are as many ways of dealing with it that there are people, and therefore there are as many portraits waiting to be done.” To deepen the impact, Grosdidier displayed large format prints of the watery portraits along the Seine and the Saint Martin canal this year. Here’s to hoping we can all attain a little bit of clarity without any of that actual drowning stuff. … Read More