These amazing collaged masterpieces are the creative work of Montreal based artist Madame Gilles. Her cut and paste work has been popping up around the streets of Montreal lately and Patternbank are loving her intense pattern and photo entangled work. Check out more of Madame Gilles work on her inspiring collage pieces on Tumblr.
These beautiful shapes and patterns created in the traditional technique of stained glassmaking are by the artist Kerstin Brätsch. In her solo exhibition at Gavin Brown in New York, Brätsch worked with master glassmaker Urs Rickenbach and his workshop Glas Mäder in Zurich. Patternbank love the abstract shapes of colour and transparent light created when viewing her work.
Boston, Don’t Look Back artwork by Gary Norman, Giles Spring 2012, Elisa Vendramin, Carter Smith, Firefly squid of Toyama Japan, Carter Smith, Tourmaline, Detail of viewing machine by Olafur Eliasson
Samantha Kelly Smith’s skill in colour can be seen in these beautiful paintings, where she strives to represent both hostile and natural worlds together. Patternbank love the way she uses paint to create these alluring inner worlds that hover between dream and reality, in a way that is simultaneously alluring and menacing. To see more of New York-based artist Samantha Keely Smith visit her website.
Patternbank have a major crush on Contino’s work and not surprisingly, he has garnered considerable attention for his unique approach to design utilising hand-drawn lettering and typographic illustration in conjunction with a modern, yet minimalistic sensibility. He has received numerous accolades for his fusion of old and new world aesthetics and continues to influence modern trends in graphic design and apparel design. Jon resides in Brooklyn with his wife Erin where he works not only as a freelance illustrator, but also as Co-Founder and Creative Director of menswear brand CXXVI Clothing Company (see our post on their Spring 2012 T Shirt Collection). The Great Discontent have just done a great post on him which you can read here or check out his website for more inspiring work.
Emma Kunz was born into a family of Swiss weavers in 1892. Kunz who was loosely considered a visionary or spiritualist artist, created these complex patterns that employed strict symmetry and geometric transformations of lines and crystalline shapes. Kunz created these mandala-like grids with colored pencil on graph paper which she used as visual instruments for healing.
Sarah Walker’s acrylic works on paper and panel are a complex mix of abstract shapes, organic patterns and intricate geometric structures. Walker is interested in how we scan and process information overload nowadays. Her lattice-like structures suggest blood vessels or crystals and rocks. In her words “I intend my paintings to operate as tools for perceptual recalibration. In them conditions exist for the viewer to process several systems at once. Patterns and diagrams found within the sciences, nature and architecture form the basis of imagery.” Walker lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. See more of her work at sarahwalker.org
The Patternbank team visited London’s Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park last weekend. The Affordable Art Fair’s formula is simple, yet unique: a relaxed, inspiring environment and lots of good quality contemporary art. In this post we give a quick snapshot of our favorite finds whilst walking the show. Check the website for dates and info on other global cities that the fair is visiting.
Maira Rivans (Liberty Gallery)
