Hugo Wilson   11 February – 21 March 2015    After a spontaneous invite to this show, knowing nothing about the artist or gallery, I left with a new contemporary artist to keep my eye on.   Hugo Wilson is a conceptual artist that works with his studio to create these huge beautiful paintings full of colour and movement. There is a definite influence of the old masters, especially Rubens and the other masters currently on show at the...

A little summary of the week that’s just been! Including art history news, DIY tips, exhibition & literature reviews, auction announcements, etc. Email me with your ideas. I’d love to hear from you.     1. A Chagall for the Price of Potatoes The Moscow Times reports on the amazing story of avant-garde collector George Costakis. His collection contained the likes of Kazimir Malevich, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky and many more...

…sew amazing! The work of Cayce Zavaglia is unlike something I’ve ever seen before. There was a resurgence in the popularity of embroidery during my art school days, but I’ve never seen portraits with such attention to detail and awareness to colour.     The optical mixing that happens in these works made of thread is amazing. From afar they could be a new pointillist work, up close and in reverse they are a mess of...

…introducing Retake Roma   American painter Christine Finley travelled to Rome in 2008 for an artist residency and took it upon herself to improve the landscape of the city in a very original way. Having previously worked as a set designer, she’d amassed a large quantity of decorative paper. She covered standard city-issued dumpsters with the ornate wallpaper patterns to help cover a common urban eyesore. Since then,...

John Malkovich being… Sandro Miller, Diane Arbus / Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967), 2014 Sandro Miller is a prolific photographer. Having worked with Nikon to launch new products worldwide, working with clients such as Coca-Cola, Nike and the US Army, and being invited by the Cuban government to document it’s athletes are just some of his many accomplishments. Miller has been taking photographs for over thirty years. In...

…was once involved in an international incident with China Ben Clarkson is not your average illustrator. His work has appeared in The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, and a few other well respected publications. He’s Manitoban born, but now resides in Montreal with a woman and two cats.  His work is playful. With plenty of art historical references and a tongue in cheek sense of humour, Clarkson takes his illustrations to the next level....

…another famous granddaughter Langley Fox isn’t just a pretty face. She’s got degrees from Parson’s and Otis in illustration and has worked with some of the world’s leading designers. Creativity runs through her veins: she’s the great granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, but certainly doesn’t ride on his coat tails. She gave up her famous surname in favour of her middle name, giving her a more anonymous...

…this will get under your skin Californian graphic designer Cameron Drake has taken on an interesting commission. Working with x-rays from Weiss Orthopaedics he’s created a series of .gifs to show joints in motion. His portfolio is varied, and these examples aren’t even scratching the surface. He seems to be a man of many talents, as his Behance profile proclaims: I have been accused of always speaking in superlatives and will...

…and then there were three (to stalk)! I read a lot of blogs. A lot. They are my guilty pleasure. I used to buy fashion magazines, then that got too spenny for a graduate student. I discovered Olsens Anonymous while living in London and have been hooked for years. I hate to say it, but these girls are the tastemakers of our generation. From Full House to The Row, they have it going on. Here are some reasons why you need to check out...

a world outside your world… Aki Inomata creates intricately crafted plastic habitats for hermit crabs and other shell dwelling creatures, which are influenced by the architecture of major cityscapes. The Japanese artist is inspired by the New York skyline, the classic architecture of Paris and the modern Tokyo style housing. The creatures are left to choose Inomata’s creations as a new home. In this piece I gave hermit crabs...