Category — follow friday

Andy Singleton is a paper artist and illustrator based in Wakefield, England. He studied Animation with illustration at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating in 2006. His work is an exploration of the natural and manmade world through intricate paper cuttings, paper sculpture and hand drawn illustrations. To see more of his gorgeous handmade birds, please visit these links: SHOP /// WEBSITE

Laser Cats +

Alan Brown is a painter living in the USA who creates some pretty unique characters. His artwork showcases cats with laser beam accented eyes, geometric patterned animals and a few birds catching the early worm. To see more of his original water colour artwork & prints visit his shop Medusa Wolf.

Blawens +

Rudhira +

Laser Puma +

Staerlinc +

Revoluko +

Sandros Mimo +

Happy Friday all! Today’s Follow Friday post features art by Melissa Bryant. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and has a fabulous Etsy shop named My Wire Empire where she sells prints of her illustrations. I especially love the furniture designs she has with colorful patterns!

I am thrilled to have had the chance to interview Newport Beach mixed media artist Aaron Kraten. His style of art to me is very urban and beautiful at the same time. I first came across his works a couple of years ago and immediately fell in love with his style of figures. Here is what Aaron had to say about his life as an artist. Happy Friday everyone!

When and how did you first become interested in painting?
I started painting when I was working in a vintage clothing store in southern california , I always love to draw and found my self taking in old pieces of wood and painting on them in my spare time.

Have you always created art?
I grew up reading comic books and drawing all the time in school. In the mid 80′s I started skateboarding and the artwork on the skateboards was a influence on my work. All through my life i have been drawing , painting or doing some sort of art.

Did you go to school for art?
I never went to art school.

How long have you been an artist?
I have been painting since 1998

Are you currently an artist full time?
Yes

Can you describe what your creative process is like?
I start off my drawing in sketchbooks then move onto creating a composition of my drawing and painting.

Who / What inspires you?
Things that inspire me are graffiti , video games, post modern expressionism as well as pop culture.

Who are some of your favorite artists?
Geoff Darrow , Mark Gonzalez , Franz Kline are huge for me.

What is the story behind the figures you paint?
My Figures are about people and how we are all so different and expressive. Most of my people are complicated and I express that by including various important icons and environments in the composition.

On average, how long does it take to create one of your paintings?
From 3 weeks to 2 months. It all depends on the size and scope of the work.

Do you sell prints of your art and if so where?
I have a few prints of my work at  Room and Board in fashion island in Newport Beach.

What is the price range of your artwork?
From $150.00 – $1500

What is your favorite subject to paint?
I love to paint people and machines as well as architecture.

What is the average size of your paintings?
16″ x 20″

Do you work small scale or large paintings?
I work as small as 2×3 inches and as large as 4′ x 10′

Can you talk a little bit about the Polaroid series you created?
I have always loved photography and over the last 12 years I have taken over 100 Polaroids, mostly places I have traveled to. A side hobby of mine is modifying the camera’s to give unique effects to the Polaroids. Polaroids are very fun.

What is your favorite time of day to create?
The morning

Do you have a studio you work in that people can stop by?
I have a space where i work and live but It is not open to the public. I do however have a space with current work on display that I let serious buyers come by appointment.

Can you describe what a typical day for you is like?
A typical day for you would be wake up , get ready and check my email , then move onto the work at hand. I typically work on several paintings at the same time so the bulk of my day is consumes with painting. Some days I will have to ship artwork out to collectors and other days I will have to drop off artwork at a gallery for upcoming shows. Another thing that I have to manage is my website , publishing relationships and photographing the current artwork. This job has a lot of variety of tasks so it keeps life interesting to say the least.

What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
Showing in the MOCA in Los Angeles

What is the most challenging thing about being an artist?
Waiting for the paint to dry :)

Do you paint everyday or is it when inspiration comes?
I paint about 4 times a week , the other days I am dealing with other aspects of the art business.

Do you listen to music when you paint and if so what type?
Yes music is a great motivator. Some favorite bands are catparty, guided by voices, fad gadget, the horrors and the list goes on and on.

Have you exhibited internationally?
I have a great fan base in France , the UK and Germany but have not shown in these places.

You absolutely cannot go without …..
Japanese Video Games.

What are some places you are scheduled to show this year?
I just finished a few big shows and am now focusing on creating new work so nothing lined up in the near future.

What projects do you have coming up?
I just completed a solo show and am working on a new body of work.

Where do you find the inspiration for your work?
I find it in music , environment and in pop culture.

Have you ever started a painting and then ended up destroying it because it wasn’t on the right path?
I have never destroyed a painting but i have painted over parts of a piece to make it much better. Some of my biggest mistakes have been my greatest successes.

What is something you would love to create but haven’t tried yet?
A book would be awesome.

Do you have any advice for artists starting out and wanting to pursue their craft full time?
I think working and painting full time is a good way to start out. It is all hard work but work that you believe in is very rewarding.

Where do you see yourself creatively in five years?
I’d like to do more larger works as well as putting out a book of my work.

Favorite type of cake/cupcake?
Lemon frosting on a chocolate cupcake.

Coffee or tea?
Tea

Where can people find your work?
www.AaronKratenArt.com and on Facebook