Steampunk

I have lately been intrigued by Steampunk. For those of you who don't know what Steampunk is, though I'm sure you're familiar with some of the things related to it, here is a general description.

Steampunk is a sort of science fiction genre based on fashions, inventions etc. of the 19th century. It is Victorian or Edwardian style, with some technology that didn't actually exist then, but what the culture may have envisioned. An alternate-history. The trend started to become popular around the 1980's and 90's; author K.W. Jeter came up with the name for the genre. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne books are great examples of the kind of imaginary machines and inventions that classify Steampunk. The time Machine, (Wells), Journey to the center of the earth(Verne), 20,000 Leagues under the Sea(Verne) are a few examples. A few Steampunk styles movies you may know include, Sherlock Holmes('09), Wild Wild West(Will Smith), Stardust, Atlantis: The lost Empire(Disney), The Prestige, and so on.

 Stardust

Wild Wild West

The Prestige

The fashions aren't generally seen on an every day basis(although I'm sure there are die-hard, 24/7 Steampunkers) but more for costume party or convention type settings. If you have ever been to Disneyland on "Bat Day" (unofficial goth day), you've probably seen some people with Steampunk inspired clothes or jewelry(and umbrellas!).

I wouldn't mind some boots like that!

Think mad scientist, extreme inventor, explorer, engineer, captain, clocks, robots, springs, goggles, trains, gadgets, levers, gears, steam(duh), and all kinds of cool stuff! I've been working on a couple of Steampunk inspired softies, so one of these days when I make one I like I'll share it on here...

"Requiem for Industry" Kazuhiko Nakamura

As a disclaimer on this post, I am interested in certain things, like the clothes and gadgets, but not so much the philosophies and beliefs that go along with it. There seems to be this emphasis on human power and accomplishment that tries to push God out of the picture. I've picked up on this and other evolutionary, modernism kind of influences in some of the books and movies I've mentioned. The only reason we have the abilities and talents to imagine, invent, and learn is because of God, the ultimate Creator and Designer.

You Rock :Warning: this post may contain corny puns.

Hello! 

I've been keeping busy with my summer projects, including sewing softies, flowers, scrap-booking, painting, etc. Here a few pictures of my rocky endeavors. I've given most of these away, but that's the fun part!

Rock on.

Have a rockin' summer.

I will rock you.

Ok I'm done.

Exploring

It's finally Summer. Actually, Summer break is more like it since I'm out of school until August! After this week I'm going to get to work on some ideas that have been brewing. I really want to try painting on different surfaces like wood or maybe some found objects. A girl in my painting class brought in some rocks she painted, so I tried it and it's a really different feeling- very cool ( kind of a new obsession... I used to be a little bit of a rock collector/hoarder). I'm excited to explore new surfaces and work on some of the new painting techniques I've been learning.
I like looking at paintings from the past and present, and seeing the progression of art and what there is to glean from the different time periods and styles. The last post I did I put up pictures of some awesome current artists, so here are some of my favorite paintings from the past...

Edgar Degas- Dancers (1899)

Jan Vermeer- The Girl with the Pearl Earring (c.1665)

Gustav Klimt- Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (1907)

Gustav Klimt- The Kiss (1907-08)

Leonardo Da Vinci- Female head (La Scapigiliata) (c.1508)

 Claude Monet- Fishing boats leaving the port of Le Havre (1874)

Mary Cassatt- Autumn (1880)

Albert Bierstadt- Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California (1868)

Albert Bierstadt-A Storm in the Rocky Mountains- Mount Rosalie (1866)

New Loves

Hello!

I had to do a couple of presentations in my painting class on my favorite historical and modern painters. During that process of looking up images online I stumbled upon several amazing artists, and was introduced to some others by my classmates. I thought I'd share some of my favorites from three of the more recent artists. I resisted putting up a lot more pictures than I did, so just look them up on Google or their home pages if you're interested. These are all fairly recent.

The first is Illustrator Nathan Ota. He does these amazing fantasy paintings that tell stories of monster trees, robots, birds, and monkey guys. I believe these are acrylic on wood. Love.
www.nathanota.com

                         Robo Baby                                                             Wishing on a Star

      Going Home

Past Notions

Broken School House

Next is Amy Sol. She creates these beautiful scenes of a girl with her cute little companions and nature. She is influenced by Manga, folk art, vintage illustration and modern design. I love the way the wood grain looks and how it complements the image. She's also self-taught which is pretty cool. Enjoy!

http://www.amysol.com/

                                    Music of Turtles                                                           Plumlit Night

Flying Fish

 Starlight Crumble

                                    The Cloverline Slumber                                 Spring Blush

Leave the hair and go free

And last but not least, Jacek Yerka. He is from Poland, and is an AMAZING Surrealist painter! I keep staring at the incredible detail and thinking about the bizarre ideas and worlds he's come up with. I wanna live in one of those tree houses! Seriously some of the coolest paintings ever. I'm not positive on the medium of each, but I think most are done in oil, maybe some in pastel?

 http://www.yerkaland.com/

The Piano

 Autumn

The Sargass Sea bishop

The Walking Lesson

Bible Dam

Green Squall

What I love about all three of these artists is their ability to paint realistically rendered fantasy scenes. They pull me into their stories and seem to capture this other-worldness that can be very difficult to accomplish. I am very much inspired and I want to go paint something...