Influences /// ORAM ROUKES’ MORPHING FIGURES

Dutch painter Joram Roukes’ large scaled oil paintings of collaged images bring
 together moments of abstraction, figuration, and pop iconography together to create 
dynamic mutating and morphing figures. His imagery refers to the moral dilemmas one 
may find himself in, viewing today’s western society. Through experience by participation 
Joram Roukes reflects not necessarily on an opinion on society’s flaws in his work, but 
rather observes and reports on typical western phenomena, leaving judgement up to the 
viewer, who thereby, establish their own position in these matters. (via)

Influences /// Top Logo Designer #01

Herb Lubalin

Born 1918. Died 1981.

Read more about Herb Lubalin here.

Influences /// List Of Most Influential Designers by Design Museum

This is a huge compilation of the most important product designers, graphic designers, architects and other great professionals that made part of our history contributing to the evolution that we see today in each field. The data information is provided by thedesignmuseum.

Alvar Aalto

Architect (1898-1976)

The most important Finnish architect of the 20th century, ALVAR AALTO (1898-1976) was a central figure in international modernism. His greatest buildings, like the 1927 Viipuri Library and 1928 Paimio Sanatorium, fused the naturalism of Finnish romanticism with modernist ideals: as did his influential furniture and glassware.

Influences /// London Olympics 2012 Branding & Design

Life /// Kipu Surfboards / Brand New Boards!!!!!

Influences /// Brigitte Bardot

Influences /// Salvador Dalì

Influences /// Jane Birkin

Influences /// Alfred Gescheidt

Life /// That's Life

Influences /// Star Trails over the Australian Outback

Australian photographer Lincoln Harrison shot these awesome star trail photos over the Australian Outback. The photos are HDR composites to properly expose the foregrounds. The star trails appear circular because as our planet rotates around its axis every 24 hours, the visible stars in the sky rotate around the polar axis. Read more about how to shoot star trail photos.

Influences /// SHANNON FINLEY’S TRANSLUCENT GEOMETRIC PAINTINGS

Through an intensive process, Shannon Finley applies numerous, translucent layers of acrylic paint and industrial polymers onto canvas with specially designed palette knives. The results offer prism-like surfaces whose subtle nuances chronicle the build up of the material itself. This process draws from the history of geometric abstraction in painting as much as the reductive language of early computer graphics. But Finely eschews any simple opposition between the hand and the pixel, exploring instead the optics of the picture plane while constantly emphasizing the limits of the edge, which provide an unexpected archive of his painterly layers. Ultimately, these compositions remain suspended between the immaterial and the concrete, and are best apprehended as passageways into indeterminate spaces. In this, Finley invokes traces of sacred geometries and religious architecture within a technocratic context, but only as an alternate mode for engaging the unseen. (via)

Influences /// NEW WORK FROM BRECHT VANDENBROUCKE

It’s been a while since we last looked at the work of Belgian Illustrator Brecht Vandenbroucke. Imbued with awesome pop culture and comics flavors, his work never disappoints. There’s so much going on in these paintings that I can’t always tell the difference between references to Adventure Time, and social commentary. But who says the two don’t mix?

Influences /// WAYNE MARTIN BELGER BUILDS CAMERAS FROM HIV BLOOD AND HUMAN SKULLS

Time to once again danse macabre by way of self-taught artist Wayne Martin Belger. Belger uses unusual materials (human skulls, HIV-positive blood, bullet shells) to build functional cameras that lend their composition to the work itself.

Wayne Martin Belger is one of the rare two-part artists that create works relying on each other through the synonymity of  the repeated aesthetic.  That is to say, when you look at his cameras, sculptures that represent something painfully graphic and simultaneously beautiful,   you relate to the photographs in a different way. I find it fascinating that his installations show the cameras first, then you see the completed ancient photograph — it was made with this thing?

HIV-POSITIVE BLOOD is used as his red filter, then shot on 4 x 5; Image below.

Influences /// BRIAR MARK’S HAND-STITCHED TYPOGRAPHY

Auckland, New Zealand based designer Briar Mark decided to take some jabs at the computer age with her meticulous hand-stitched typographic illustrations. Consisting of tens of thousands of individual stitches Mark’s retro technique rolls back the hand of time and critiques the ease of typography via the computer. Check out the in process time lapse video of Mark’s at work after the jump! (via)

I COULD HAVE DONE THIS.. from Briar Mark on Vimeo.

Influences /// PETER WU- SEGMENTED REALITY

Wait- we haven’t featured Peter Wu on the blog yet?! Dude’s even from L.A!  Showpaper in NYC hipped me to the artist a couple months back, when they illustrated a cover with one of his segmented, semi-schizophrenic mixed media works, and my brain muscles are still tingling. Looks like he’s been doing a lot of sculpture lately and has a solo coming up at Greene Exhibitions fairly soon. A few images after the jump, but be sure to check out his website for more.

Influences /// STAR WARS MEETS M.C. ESCHER IN THIS RAD DIORAMA

Fill your nerd quota for the day and check out this piece of lego sculpture made by Paul Vermeesch. It’s a diorama reproduction of M.C. Escher’s “Relativity” using Star Wars legos. It’s lit from the inside and even includes a faithful depiction of the plot from the much loved film series. Nice work, Paul!