I’m giving a new series of posts a go: “So You Like…”

We are built to like art, but it’s understandably on the periphery of most peoples’ attention. And that’s cool; it’s hard to find art that really speaks to you, so it can be hard to wade through it all and get into art. I look at hundreds of images a day and only find a few a week that I would seriously consider buying, or even printing out and hanging on my studio wall.

“So You Like…” will help you fill that gap by linking an artist you’re already familiar with to other artists you might not have seen before.

This came about after Scott and I spent a weekend watching all the Alien movies. And the deleted scenes. And the featurettes. And the behind the scenes goo. Near the end, and just as an interview with Giger was about to begin I exclaimed exasperatingly, “I haaaaate Giger.” Scott was surprised, but with his lawyer-like questioning system we got to the bottom of the issue: I don’t hate Giger. I’m frustrated that he is the only trippy bio-mechanoid horror artist that most people are familiar with.

And so Scott suggested that I start a series of posts to lead people to more artists in a super easy way: “So You Like…”

Here we go!

Giger’s work popularized the biomechaniod genre and blends human forms with skeleltal structures, otherworldly shapes and and overtone of sexuality. His work generally lacks color, and has highly-detailed anatomical structures.

If you like H. R. Giger, give a look to Zdzislaw Beksinski:

Beksinski’s work lacks the sexual overtones, but echos Giger’s intricate anatomical structures and general horrific scenes.

Beksinski was from Poland and produced much of his work in the mid 20th century, before being murdered in 2005.

If not Beksinski, how about taking a look at Alex Gray? You might recognize his work from your high school years of rocking out to Tool. His work strays from both the macabre and the sexual and adds a good bit more color, but it sticks to the focus on intricate patterns within structures that hint at machinery.

I appreciate Gray’s work for the strong focus on structural and proportional accuracy, which is often lost in fantasy works of his ilk.

This is fun! I enjoy looking for artists who relate to one another outside of the context of art history class. Leave a comment and let me know if there are any artists you want to see explored. Otherwise I’m thinking of looking at something much older than H.R. Giger for the next entry.

Oops! I almost didn’t get this up. It’s been a crazy month for me, working my ass off on some big new projects. It’s been hard to keep my days straight.

Today is Blog it Forward day for me. Blog it Forward is kind of like an old school webring. Victoria from sfgirlbybay got a bunch of creative bloggers together to share what fuels us and also link readers to new blogs. Here’s where the next part of the webring comes in: tomorrow’s post comes from Nancy at Plum.

I share what inspires me pretty regularly, in my generally-weekly photo dumps. Today I think I’ll focus on what keeps my mind jumping in a broader sense. These are the things I turn to over and over to give me new ideas for paintings, drawings; things to make.

1. Stories. With the advent of podcasts, Netflix and iPhones, I’m finding it really hard to do anything without a story coming into my ears. I listen to This American Life, Risk! and The Moth every week, I haven’t missed the morning NPR news podcast in months, and during the day I spend bus rides reading books, keep a Netflixed movie going in the background while I work, and pop my earbuds in when I walk. It’s a little ridiculous, so I’m spending this week trying to let myself have some headspace sometimes.

Stories are just so…interesting. I’m on this constant, addiction-like quest for new information, new ideas, new turns of phrase, and these sources help keep fresh ideas on my mind.

2. Cartoons. I could watch good cartoons all day, every day. They combine the stories with art. Flapjack, Venture Brothers, Adventure Time, Chowder, Tiny Toons, Looney Tunes…

3. SCIENCE! I’ll never lose the science nerd part of me. Science makes mystical things less mystical and more awesome at the same time. Science finds new reasons to tell me every day that my brain doesn’t work by magic, but the more intricate its workings, the more absolutely incredible it is, right? Right! I’m a particular fan of all things in zoology. Like snub-nosed monkeys.

These are the main three categories that get me fired up to make. Check out sfgirlbybay for the full list of participating bloggers, if you’re looking for new reads!

Again, I grabbed great images from all over the place this week. I’m trying now to collect more art in addition to photos. It seems weird to me that I collect 90% photos. More like 95%. But maybe I’ll start with the next week…

An illustration by Claudia Pearson, as featured on The Things We Make

Over and over, I hear people say, “I love art, but who can afford it?”

Fine original art seems locked away in a tower, reserved only for wealthy collectors. And I understand how art got this rep. Traditionally art has been supported wholly by patrons, dedicated to buying landscapes and commissioned portraits and supporting their favorite artists.

In the last century, art has taken a new and more affordable turn. The internet has kicked its accessibility into high gear, and now art is more affordable than ever.

I know you love art. Everyone loves art. We are built to love art, decoration, symbolism. There does not exist a healthy human adult who doesn’t like objects that strike them as pretty. So why despair that art is beyond your reach?

First, think of art as an investment, and treat it as such. Traditionally, art is collected, with the expectation that one would be able to resell it for a higher value down the road. Now, you can’t buy a piece from an Etsy seller expecting that, but you could view art as a long-term investment for your home. You could bring home a $40 giclee from Target, but it isn’t made of archival materials, its frame will warp, its colors will fade. Instead, look for original art and prints made of high-quality, archival materials. I’ll be the first to tell you: not all artists concern themselves with the longevity of their work, so ask questions. Even if a piece isn’t on acid free paper, it still may be of a loner lasting material than a mass-produced poster canvas. It’s like the difference between buying a cheaply made pair of shoes that will last a year and buying a costlier but higher quality pair that will outlast the cheap pair by years. And they make your feet look nicer.

Sometimes, just finding the art can be daunting. Where do you find art you like at all, let alone pinpoint art that’s affordable?

Blogs can be a great resource. Amy over at Things We Make keeps a roll of pieces she likes, and in 2009 was committed to bringing home a new print every month. She provides an easy entry point to collecting art. I love Amy’s feature of illustrator Claudia Pearson (whose drawing is at the top of this post).

Poke around the internet for other blogs you might like who feature art. When you find someone with tastes similar to yours, who devotes time every day to looking at art to buy, it’s like having your own curator.

20×200 is a direct source for affordable prints. Two new prints come out each week, and every single edition is available in $20, $50, and $200 versions.

Society6 is also a fantastic place for affordable prints. Each artist controls their own offerings, but Society6 handles shipping and printing. I have a few prints available there, and its visual search (and random “Discovery” button) are really fun ways to navigate. Each artist sets their own prices, but it’s hard to find an outrageously priced print.

Finally, check out your local venues! Entry-level galleries, arts events like Craft Saturday and Market Day, even small shows at coffee shops; they’ve all got affordable art, and you might score a cool story or a new buddy out of the buy.

So, where else do you shop art? Etsy? Fine Art America? Share it!

King Demon 1 is done, and now I’ll move on to other realms of fear. After a good sit-down thinking session about it. I had a really nice brainstorming conversation about fears the other night, the nature of fear, what fear does to us, where it comes from and how it manifests. I never know how much to write here about those things. I’m a painter, not a writer, and I feel that if I gave it all away my paintings would only be illustrations to a story instead of a story in and of themselves.

I also completed two small watercolor postcards, more for mental stretching than anything.

Elsewhere on the web:
For further reading: My friend Adrienne is having labor induced tonight, and she writes a really funny new blog: Adult Onset Reality. It’s largely about her soon-to-be-momhood and her husband, and I am describing it as funny as someone who doesn’t really like reading mommy blogs (as a childless woman who only enjoys 2 of the young children I have ever met), so that means something, I tell you.

I’m also watching an Oprah bit about nuns living as nuns. Because I’m obsessed with nuns and, to a lesser degree, Lisa Ling (ever since her days on Channel One when I was in middle school). That makes me sound creepy.

Coming up right here:
Tomorrow morning I’m posting the simply titled, “Yes, You Can Afford Art”. Hopefully it will help the art newbie get into collecting original works.