Category: Art

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Wonderful Christmas Time

This interview called Wonderful Christmas Time was originally published in issue 5 The Celebration Issue of Things&Ink magazine (December 2013).

Samanatha Sorci, 38, works in social media and lives in Caerphilly with her husband, Brim (of Nu Rose Tattoos), and their little boy Loki. Here she tells us about her festive sleeve…

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‘My Christmas sleeve is a celebration of one of my favourite times of the year. Christmas has always been magical for me. When I was little, I’d go to bed on Christmas Eve after putting out a tray of ginger biscuits and a glass of milk for Santa and our house would look the same as always.

‘Then I’d wake up in the morning and there’d be a stocking at the end of my bed, a little white tree on my chest of drawers and the rest of the house had been decorated. The biscuits and milk would be gone, so the only logical answer is that Santa had brought Christmas with him, and that kinda magic definitely needs celebrating!

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‘When I had decided on the theme for my tattoo, I took my time to find the ideal artist and settled on Gary Weidenhof of Inkredible Kreations, Perth, Scotland. We started the sleeve around eight years ago at the Peterlee convention. That was a flippin’ awesome day. It was March 25th (my birthday!) and I turned up to find Gary’s booth all decorated with a Christmas tree, tinsel, and presents, and everyone was wearing Christmas hats. It was the best start to a sleeve ever.

‘Over the following months, I had sessions at other conventions as well as two consecutive days at Gary’s studio. I’m still not quite finished, I need a gingerbread man popped in at some point, but I’ll get there.

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‘I still totally love my sleeve and I think that’s because I chose a theme that’s so special to me– as well as an artist who is so good. Now I just need to make sure that all of my future Christmases are magical for my little man, Loki Ramone.’

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Mais2 Illustration

Alessandra Criseo, better known as Mais2 on Instagram, is an illustrator and crafter from Italy who has lived in London for the past five years. Inspired by Things&Ink Alessandra created this tattoo inspired girl for us… 

 

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How would you describe your style? Sometimes it’s hard for me to see- I love trying a lot of different things and techniques so sometimes I feel inconsistent, but apparently other people can see my identity better than I can. People that know often talk about my style mentioning the fact that it has humour and makes them laugh, and that it has something creepy about it as well. Both compliments.

What inspires you? From my side I get inspired by things happening to me and sentences that I form in my head in specific situations, things connected to my childhood and people and things I love. Externally I get my inspirations mostly from fashion, food, objects, strange combinations of items together. I realised that I get inspired more by photographic stuff than illustration, I guess because it is a different media.
I do of course follow a lot of amazing artists, but often when I see a drawing I really love and I think that is perfect, I don’t feel like I need to repeat what they already did.

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Do you have a background in art? I do, instead of high school I went to art school in my city, but it was quite crap at the time. It was the only art school in town and It wasn’t very good. In my third year I have chosen to specialise in fashion, where I met two of my favourite teachers though, so no regrets. I also did a two year course in a school of comics that allowed me to meet some of my artist friends and professionals and start my career.

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What medium do you use? I tend to draw and ink traditionally (with any pencil and graphic liners) because it relaxes me much more than digital. I colour digitally in Photoshop, or if I go for a more traditional technique I use markers.

What do you like to draw? I definitely love to draw silly people,oh and food- if together even better. I love spooky and dark subjects too, drawing street fashion and animals.

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Can people buy your illustrations? I have a bigcartel shop where people can buy everything I put on sale. At the moment you can find a few things in there and between those there is my first self published book Memento Bento that is an illustrated diary of my first trip to Japan- I’m very proud of it!

Do you have any tattoos? What do you think about tattoos? I love tattoos, I adored them from far away for ages before getting mine.
It’s always hard for an artist to decide what to get as a first tattoo because we change our mind easily and in my case my only certainty was that I didn’t want to design it myself- but I couldn’t stop picturing the composition in my head!

Tattoos are a big influence on my style, a lot of people get my illustrations as tattoos as well. Becoming a tattoo artist and tattooing my pieces myself is a dream of mine, I seriously have thought about that but I haven’t been brave enough to just do it yet. I wish some of my friends were tattoo artists to teach me and help me get started! Maybe one day, hopefully soon!

I got my first tattoos two years ago, on both of my calves.They are subtle references to two video games that really influenced my taste during my childhood and I’m sure I will love forever: Monkey Island and Prince of Persia. I also have a moon on my right wrist and I love it.

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Are there any artists that you admire? One of my biggest weakness is making lists of things I love or hate, seriously, that’s so hard for me! I don’t even know what my favourite food or song or colour are! Generally speaking I love a lot of Japanese illustrators, ancient and modern. I love their humour, I feel like they get me. I love a lot of graphic illustrations- I enjoy the process of limiting yourself with the amount of colour and detail. It makes the result so elegant and timeless, and I find it calming as well when I do it myself.

As I have already mentioned, tattoo art is a huge inspiration as well. I love symbolism and really appreciate the composition that a good tattoo artist is capable of creating. I love how a well done design can stand alone perfectly without even any need for a context. I also follow a lot of illustrators that don’t fit in any of these categories, especially on Instagram and Tumblr- I kinda like everything.

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An Evening Filled With “An Exchanging Glance”

The Jeremy Hush Exhibition at Last Rites Gallery, NYC
21 November 2015 – 16 January 2016

On November 21st, I attended the opening reception for “An Exchanging Glance”, a solo exhibition of new works by Philadelphia illustration artist Jeremy Hush. The title of the show comes from one of the main pieces featured in the exhibition, where a Bateleur eagle sits atop an empty skull that rests in its nest, the piercing stare of the eagle juxtaposed with the vacant human eye sockets. It’s a reversal of dominion (i.e., the thinking of what humans actually assert dominion over) and what that entails. This piece, along with others included in the exhibition, is meant to remind us of the responsibility we have to other inhabitants of this world. In this way, Hush’s work demands that we rethink our roles, definitions, and the ways we understand ourselves as somehow superior to nature. Many works feature humans at moments of extreme vulnerability, or even demise, and with utter emotional vacancy. The plants and animals, on the other hand, are depicted with rich emotional and psychological character. This aesthetic experience comes complete with a massive installation comprised of five wooden rosette arches underlying the works of art.

When I first saw the media for this show, the images reminded me of 17th – 18th century Northern European still-life paintings, the really beautiful but incredibly ominous ones that contain time pieces, skulls, rotting fruit and dead animals, things which serve as symbols for death, life, vanity, earthly pleasures, greed, etc. Hush’s work, like these classic paintings, also holds a cautionary message about our behavior and inclinations towards the world we live in. The golden giant rosette arches, reminiscent of those found in a church surrounding stained glass windows or comprising the alter rails, create a dramatic contrast with both the imagery of the works and the black walls of the gallery. They inspire further contemplation of the things we humans do and why we do them. Religion depicts man as God’s highest creation, the earth with all its plants and animals is ours to use as we like. Often that statement seems to be interpreted as ‘abuse as we like’. Humans have used God not only to commit atrocities against each other, but against Mother Nature as well. Hush’s work forces us to confront the notions we have about our status in this world (i.e., a creature among creatures or an entitled godly beast) and even question the things that supposedly make us superior. At this ‘place of worship’ we do not find imagery of the Good Shepherd holding the docile beast, but rather we discover triumphant aspects of the natural world teaching humans the error of hubris. It’s all very dramatic and oh so stunning to look at.

As a philosopher, the theme was one that deeply interested me because historically great thinkers have attempted to assert and justify humankind’s superiority over nature by way of our rationality: we have big brains and can do logic, therefore we are master over mother nature! (I think, therefore I am the master of the universe.) Yet, we really know and control so little of this world. Hush’s work not only reminds us of the responsibilities we have to creatures great and small, but that this notion of ‘dominion over all’ we have entertained for over a thousand years will never succeed. It’s a fantasy. And given the state of the world at the moment – wars, poverty, racism, climate change, and reality TV – should we really be top beast?

Be sure to check out this exhibition before it’s gone. It’s beautiful, provocative, and insightful.

As for Last Rites Gallery, it’s a wonderful place to take in some great contemporary surrealist art. The gallery strives to display a showcase of thought-provoking art imbued with references to the dreamlike landscapes and ambiguous feelings originated from an intimate, philosophical contemplation of the self. Last Rites invites the observer to reflect inward and abandon himself to a conscious perception of what the innermost recesses of the mind can reveal and produce under the urge to see beyond our apparent limits. The gallery program is mainly focused on figurative paintings and sculptures featured by an unconventional interpretation of the human existence that seems to escape any definition of what is real, unreal or unknown.

 

About Jeremy Hush:
Born in 1973 in San Diego, CA, Jeremy Hush graduated from the Savannah College of Art in 1997. Inspired by the work of Arthur Rackham and other 19th century illustrators, as well as by the world of punk and heavy metal music, Hush’s imagery is strictly intertwined with the allegories and symbols of nature. To create his works, Jeremy prefers to use found materials such as ballpoint pens from around the world. While drawing and painting in a seemingly traditional way, Hush also experiments with a variety of unconventional mediums and techniques. Jeremy has been included in a number of group and solo exhibitions, and his works can be found in many private collections. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.

 

About Last Rights Gallery:
Established in 2008 by Paul Booth, Last Rites has become a premiere gallery for contemporary surrealism and a haven for artists who are not afraid of exploring and dissecting every aspect of the human condition to investigate the invisible, the unintelligible and the inexplicable with a focus on the most recondite twists and turns of reality.

Last Rites Gallery is located at 325 W 38th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, New York, NY.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 1pm to 9pm, Sundays 1pm to 6pm.
For more information, please email info@lastritesgallery.com or call: 212.560.0666.

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Interview with Hannah Hill

21-year-old Hannah Hill is the talented lady behind independent business, Hanecdote. Since 2012 she has been creating cute and quirky embroidered patches, along with establishing the Ghoul Guides International club. Not only does her stitching wizardry make you smile, with slogans such as “Avocado Angel” and “Pizza Princess”, but they also bring awareness to subjects such as mental health, racism and feminism.

Amber Bryce caught up with Hannah to talk about her art, inspirations and amazing collection of tattoos, of course…

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When did you first start embroidering? I started embroidering when I was about 17, at college studying a BTEC Art and Design course, where I was given the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of mediums and techniques. Saying that, my mum has always knitted and stitched so the influence has been around me for most of my life.

Where do you find your inspiration? My sources of inspiration can vary a great amount. I find beauty in kind people and my intense love for my best friend, nature, architecture, pop culture, emotions and politics, girls, identity and family. I find huge inspiration and support in my online feminist art babe community, and people constantly making me want strive to be better and make even more meaningful work.

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Are you interested in any other art forms? I love all kinds of art forms and styles, although hand embroidery is my main skill. Both of my grandparents were architects, which influenced my outlook on the world around me from a very young age, and as I mentioned, my mum is a very talented crafter, who has done projects including mosaic, stained glass, knitting, painting, floristry, embroidery and sculpture. All my life I have been surrounded by art/design in one way or another, whether it was crafternoons, gallery trips or work experience. This year on my fine art course, I hope to expand my textile techniques as well as explore my identity further. This is something I am really excited about, and look forward to seeing where my work goes.

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Do you have a favourite artist? There are plenty of artists who I love but I don’t think I could choose just one. I recently saw Ai Weiwei’s exhibition at the Royal Academy and it was incredible. What stood out to me in particular, other than the deep historical context and emotion behind lots of his pieces, was the beautiful craftsmanship, which just further represented aspects of China’s history.

I also love Yayoi Kusama’s work and am really inspired by her resilience through mental health issues and how that transpires in her hypnotic, colourful work. Right now I am obsessed with Reuben Dangoor who has been painting Grime artists as if they were landed gentry, which combines my love of grime music and classical painting. I am all about changing up the art world, and injecting the variety of cultures now residing in the UK into what we think of art and history in England, and this series really represents that crossover.

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Which of your creations are you proudest of? Over the past year, my embroidery has grown from teeny patches expressing hobbies and interests, to more biographical pieces, which are much more detailed. I love both kinds equally, but the patches that are closest to my heart are ones that support and encourage little victories, activities that are hard for people with mental health issues but still deserve to be rewarded. Knowing that I have impacted someone’s mental health, and helped them to not feel so alone is so heartwarming to me.

I personally love the embroidered self-portrait I made last year, which was challenging but my hard work really paid off. It had originally started of as a self-care project, which turned into really fun way of working for me.

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What are your future plans for Hanecdote? As far as my shop, its had to be put on the back burner while I’m back at university, but I do hope to reopen it soon, just selling machine embroidered versions of my classic designs while I study. Next summer I will have more time to commit to my business, introducing some clothing, expanding the machine embroidered range and also offering customised embroidered hoops, similar to the ones I have been making. I love being able to share my creations and designs with people, but I wouldn’t say I enjoy business, so I kind of make it up as I go along, improving and learning constantly, and I would like to grow personally as an artist for a while before committing to my shop again.

What advice would you give to others wanting to start their own business? It takes a lot of patience, that’s for sure. I struggle to think of sound advice as it is all about trial and error for me, and I’ve been running Hanecdote since I was 17 so there really has been a lot of learning and figuring out the best process. I was making and sharing kind of crap things for a year or more before I made my Ghoul Guide patches and they got popular online, which propelled me into the patch machine I have turned into over the past two years. I guess be confident in your products, work ethically, don’t copy other peoples designs and have fun expressing yourself.

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Tell us about your tattoo collection? I got my first tattoo a week after my 18th birthday, which is a bum in a heart shape and could still be one of my favourites as my mum also got tattooed with me and it brings back fond memories. I also have a black cat on my wrist; a matching honey jar with my brother, which commemorates a fond memory with our grandpa; an interpretation of my popular Too Cute To Care patch; a palm tree, which I got in Antigua with my boyfriend; a pin up girl with a snake wrapped around her, inspired by John Collier’s painting of Lilith and Salma Hayek’s character in From Dusk Till Dawn; a skull pin cushion; a Friday the thirteenth embroidery sample; a sad girl; a crying eye; lil ghoul; a heart with a G inside; a heart saying ‘mine’; a nude Polaroid, and a butterfly.

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Have you got plans for anymore in the future? I have lots of ideas for tattoos in the future, including some mermaids, no doubt more embroidery inspired ones, some more babes, and I’ve been really thinking about a beautiful under boob tattoo. I think I’m gonna go easy for a while though, if I can help myself! Matching tattoos are my favourite and I would love to get some more. Hopefully one day I can convince my dad to get one with me