The incredible paintings of Leslie Ditto

About Leslie Ditto:
As far back as I can remember I have always been drawn to self expression through visual arts. As a young girl, growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, I was not exposed to any classical surreal artist until I attended Overton High School for the performing and Visual Arts. Before that I was raised around an “old school” Harley Davidson shop that my father and his brother owned.I spent many summers helping my father there at the shop and watching him build Harley motorcycles from the ground up and then painted the gas tanks ( and anything else he could find on the motorcycle) with fantasy images that were inspired by such artist as Franzetta and Boris Valleo. I then became fascinated with the beautiful, powerful and sexy women that these artist created.
I was accepted into Otis Parsons in Los Angeles. After only two month of training my father had become terminally ill and I was forced to return home to Memphis. I was never able to return to school but could not deny the artist in me the opportunity for expression just because I had never been formally trained.
Over the years I researched techniques of the “Old Masters” such as Leonardo DA Vinci, Rubens, Raphael, and Rembrandt .I fell in love with the technique of glazing transparent oil color over a neutral colored under painting. With strong influences from fantasy artist, surreal artist, and the “Old Masters”, I create disturbingly beautiful oil paintings that interpret to the viewer my deep emotions that are conceived from my views of current social, political, and religious dynamics. My ideas come to me in an organic fashion. Starting with a seed of a simple idea and growing into many complex symbols and images. My main goal is to capture my audience and bring them to my emotional state in the hopes that my test for an echo will be a success.

Go by her website and view her stunning collection of paintings.

http://leslieditto.com/

The Welkin Contest - Calling all EU artists!

In partnership with Etika Projects and SWAB Contemporary Art Fair, The Welkin Contest offers an exciting and unique opportunity for creatives. The opportunity includes a round trip flight to Barcelona, Spain to take part in designing AND producing a large scale art installation for this years Contemporary Art Fair.

The Project:
The installation includes 10 individual ARTBOXES, made of wood and sized 1.80 x 1.80 meters. This cube is the artists' platform. Ten artists from across Europe are invited to customize one ARTBOX each. Etika Projects has offered up one of the ten boxes to The Welkin Contest and to one talented contestant who will be able to take part in this exciting project.

You can apply for the competition at:

www.thewelkincontest.com

Visit www.etikaprojects.com to find out more about the ARTBOX PROJECT.

International Women Exhibition at the Warrington Museum

International Woman
Warrington Museum
Curated by Frankie Shea and

Tina Ziegler

Opening reception: March 29th 2012. 6pm On display until 7 July 2012

Following the success of ‘Gossip Well Told’ group exhibition that launched the first Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, Frankie Shea & Tina Ziegler return to Warrington Museum in March with an exhibition called ‘International Woman’. In conjunction with Moniker Projects, 'International Woman' brings together a stellar roster of more than 15 artists from 10 countries, being the first exhibition in the UK that highlights the cross-over of the Pop Surrealism and Urban fine art movements under one roof.

Working in underground art movements these women have forged names for themselves by pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, experimenting with new mediums, ideas and visual concepts. Individually they have enhanced the overall direction of these underground movements, and as a collective they have changed the way women are viewed in urban culture today.

Exhibiting artists: Catalina Estrada, Elizabeth Mcgrath, Faith 47, Hera, Holly Thoburn, Kukula, Mel Kadel, Miss Van, Pam Glew, Sarah Joncas, Stella Im Hultberg, Swoon, Tara Mcpherson and Xue Wang.

www.shea-ziegler.com

Picks of the Harvest at Thinkspace Gallery

‘Picks of the Harvest 2012’

Reception with the artists: Saturday, March 3rd from 5 to 8PM

On view March 3rd through March 24

Its the great time of year again when Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City, California puts on its

yearly Picks of the Harvest group show. Picks of the Harvest 2012 will showcase numerous artists we’ve had our eye on over the past year exhibited alongside new works from several of our regular Thinkspace family members. Showcasing work from over 60 artists from all walks of life from around the world, Picks of the Harvest 2012 aims to shine a light on some of the most exciting young contemporary artists in our

movement.

Above images left to right (Dabs Myla / Jason Thielke /Drew Young)

www.thinkspacegallery.com

Charming Baker rises to the top...NY STUDIO GALLERY

NY Studio Gallery is pleased to host Stupid Has a New Hero, featuring brand new paintings, a suite of limited edition prints plus a few surprises from fast-rising British painter Charming Baker.

A graduate of Central St Martins in London, Charming Baker has established a loyal international following with his darkly humorous work - oil paintings with a mix of beauty and brutality. Equally comfortable applying a paintbrush as he is a bullet to his work (as seen in the Youtube video documenting the shooting of one of his paintings) the artist is influenced by a wide array of both familiar and odd elements.

“The effect I’m aiming for in my work,” says Charming, “is that slightly unnerving feeling you get when you have your arse patted in public, but you're not exactly sure who's patting it.”

In 2008, Charming was invited to share a discussion platform with Shepard Fairey, the creator of the Barak Obama presidential campaign poster. The following year, Charming received a commission by Amnesty International to produce a piece for the Blank Canvas Project alongside Brit Art giants Tracy Emin, the Chapman Brothers and Sir Peter Blake.

Charming Baker’s work is embraced by the fine art fraternity, music royalty, taste makers and captains of the creative community. He has exhibited in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco and his work now sells worldwide.

http://www.nystudiogallery.com/

http://charmingbaker.com/

Read this great article by the Telegraph about Charming Baker and his most recent sell out show in New York.

The beautiful artwork of Robert Proch

Robert Proch's abstract, colourful figurative work has already gained considerable traction in both his native Poland and central Europe.

Ever since I first discovered his work I have been following him. There is so much emotion and depth in his work, a blurred line of detailed illustration and abstract brush strokes. His use of colour is incredible, from fire oranges to deep blues, he has developed the perfect combination.

Proch's style is inspired by state-of-the-art animation as much as classic caricature, and impressionism as much as modernist graffiti. But rather than being 'gritty' or downbeat Robert's work is dynamic, arresting and often strangely encouraging: he presents an augmented emotional reality that remains pleasing to identify with.

Also a successful animator, Proch's grasp of movement and the distinct manner in which he employs it is central to the beguiling nature of his work. Currently Proch has his first UK solo exhibition at The Outsiders Newcastle showcasing a range of new original paintings.

However if you are interested in his work I recommend visiting his website directly or going through Intoxicated Demons..they are really nice guys and respond to your e-mails quickly!

Femme Fatale - Celle Gallery

Saturday, February 25th, Cella Gallery is pleased to present “Femme Fatale”, a group exhibition featuring the works of over 35 innovative artists handpicked by Nicole Bruckman and Stephanie Chefas.

An archetype in history and art, the femme fatale is a timeless figure whose mysterious beauty has inspired artists for generations. Although this seductive character is constantly evolving to represent the social views of the times, she remains a symbol of female independence and a welcomed challenge to traditional gender roles.

“Femme Fatale” gathers some of the most powerful contemporary artists whose inherent aesthetic is heavily influenced by the beauty of the female figure. The exhibition explores how individual perceptions of feminine allure can be expressed through each artist’s specific genre. Expect to be seduced, ensnared and dangerously dazzled as though in the crosshairs of a femme fatale herself.

Participating artists include Aaron Nagel, Apricot Mantle, Anna Chung, Aunia Kahn, Casey Weldon, Cate Rangel, Charles Ketcham, Chris Peters, Christopher Umana, Cristina Natsuko Paulos, Chrystal Chan, David Bray, Dave MacDowell, Delphia, Douglas Alvarez, Edith Lebeau, Gail Potocki, Jason Rudulph Pena, JAW Cooper, Jeff Ramirez, Jessica Ward, JoKa, Jose Carabes, Ken Garduno, Korin Faught, Kris Moore, L.Croskey, Lily Mae Martin, Linnea Strid, Morgan Slade, Nicole Bruckman, Nom Kinnear King, Paul Chatem, Roman Cho, Sara Haase, Sarah Folkman, Stella Im Hultberg, Ted von Heiland and THH70.

The opening reception for “Femme Fatale” takes place Saturday, February 25th from 7-11pm, at Cella Gallery. The reception is open to the public, and the exhibition will be on view through March 17th, 2012. To request a VIP online preview, please email stephanie@platinumcheese.com.

David Choe - 200million from facebook

David Choe — the graffiti artist who stands to make more than US$200 million from the Facebook IPO after choosing stock options over cash when asked to paint a mural in the company's first offices — was in New York City this week to meet with the media. He sat down with such heavyweights as Howard Stern, Barbara Walters on ABC's Nightline — and of course ... Next Media Animation.

Choe quickly became disillusioned by the mainstream press, passing up offers to speak with the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He instead chose to meet exclusively with staff at NMA's New York office. Not trusting anyone else to tell his story, David collaborated with us on this animation about his time spent in the city.

Ever the affable renegade, Choe says he'll disappear for the next few months to stay out of the sudden and intense spotlight. But should something happen to him per chance, NMA will be sure to report on it.

He is unstoppable!

Inside out project - JR

"I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT." – JR

INSIDE OUT is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. These digitally uploaded images will be made into posters and sent back to the project’s co-creators for them to exhibit in their own communities. People can participate as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.

The INSIDE OUT project recently came through the city of Barcelona, here are just some photos of the activities outside CCCB. Photos taken by photographer Ivan Jimenez.

Join the project: www.insideoutproject.net

New shows at Thinkspace Gallery

This weekend, February 4th 2012 - two new exhibitions will open at Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City, California.

An all new solo show 'There is Time to Kill' by Ana Bagayan in the main gallery space and the project space will feature new works by Liz Brizzi.

About Ana's show:

'There Is Time To Kill Today' will showcase new oil paintings, drawings and the debut of a new series of charcoal works on canvas from artist Ana Bagayan. The exhibit will also feature the release of two new giclee print editions.

Opening reception with artists in attendance - February 4th from 5pm to 8pm.

Visit www.thinkspacegallery.com for online previews and more information.

Local Talent - Patrick Joest Photography

I know i don't normally post about photography but I have recently come across the photography of Patrick Joest. He is a German photographer that lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. He recently did this new series titled, Meeting the Gods. It about Investigating divine beings and the myths around them. Thought it would be a good project to share with you all. Go by and visit his website here:

http://www.pjoest.com/series/meeting-the-gods

Show some support to upcoming talent.

About the series:

Since the beginning until today, people of all races and parts of the world are believing in different divine entities affecting their lifes and their environment – either in a relieving or an repressing way. The symbolism of the gods can be found everywhere and still is worshipped in many ways.

Their myths and stories are told extensively and are deeply anchored in the common perception. Assuming that the gods are among us again in modern times and their stories represent perceived history of our ancestors rather than just tales: how do we deal with them? How would we face them? Obeying and worshipping when necessary – but also investigating and researching with the tools and thoughts of a more and more scientific society. Tales retold, today.

website:

http://www.pjoest.com/series/meeting-the-gods