This thread is inspired by Jaime's post in the My Avatar's thread. She posted the source of her current avatar rotation, and I found it interesting to be exposed to a new artist's work.

I wanted to start this thread so we could all post our links to our favorite artists be they famous or well kept secrets. Also, if you feel so inclined, please state why you like the artist's work, what draws you to it?


I'll start with a few of my own in no particular order to get things rolling.

Ron English: website I actually found this website recently, some of his art was featured in Super Size Me. Interesting evolution of the pop art movement, some of it is pretty dark and it is all politically loaded.

Shag Art: website I love this guy's work mostly because it is a complete retro throwback and I have always enjoyed the idea of decorating my place that way. Maybe someday.

Mona Brooks: website I like my wife's stuff because I have to! No, just kidding. She's currently in photography school and this site is a mix of various kinds of images taken at various stages of her evolution (I'll eventually get around to creating a professional site).

I'd pick Michael Birawer - he's done quite a few legendary local nightspots here in Minneapolis, and now I see he's got quite a few of Chicago too...

gallery

Ooh, a chance to plug my husband's best friend, Jaron Neal, and his art gallery, DemNoLiKus, in Phoenix!

Their gallery focuses on African American art and artists and is the ONLY Black-owned gallery in downtown Phoenix's art district. They have a lot of jazz and urban-inspired artwork. My favorite piece, Mr. Cool, will be hanging on my wall before too long. I really enjoy the other artist, Jamar Jones. My favorite piece of his is a mixed media piece - Soul Ave..

The gallery isn't even officially open (they only open once a month on the first Friday of the month for Phoenix' "First Fridays") but they are already making names for themselves in the local scene.

Oh yeah, and I run their website (free crappy geocities, I know, but they aren't raking in the dough enough yet to upgrade to their own domain just yet). It serves its purpose though. I'm updating it with new artwork from May's showing tonight so feel free to check back later if you like what you see.

Come check them out!

I enjoy the surrealism of Michael Parks' work (I have a print of "Creation"), even though that may be weird, considering his works feature female nudes. Michael Parks

Surprisingly, I'm not very up to date on modern art. I painted for many years, fantasized about being an artist until I realized my talent was more technical than creative. My favorite artists are all dead , the most modern being Vincent Van Gogh and Auguste Rodin (I have a litho of his drypoint of Victor Hugo, though I'm not certain of its authenticity: Victor Hugo)

In my misspent youth , I was horse-crazy and painted many western themes. I enjoyed Charlie Russell's work as well as Frank McCarthy (really more of an illustrator). Frank McCarthy paintings

As you can see, my tastes in art are pretty eclectic.

AndyMosity, I really like Michael Birawer's paintings-great sense of aliveness with the rubbery, distorted perspectives. Very cool!

I like Gerard Brom's work. He's been on the cover of many fiction publications.

Terese Nielsen's art has a comic quality to it.

And of course Boris Vellejo.

New here, first post from me, long time lurker. I highly recommend Alex Grey. I don't know how to properly describe Mr Grey's work but my best descriptor would be hyper-real realism.

The surrealism of Rene Magritte appeals to me.


For science fiction and fantasy illustration, I like the work of Michael Whelan a lot.

I guess I like unreal things drawn in a realistic way.

Cool stuff Lesly, I think I have seen a few of these on the cover of fantasy novels, although I can't think of which ones right now.



These are very interesting too, I particularly like "The Lovers" series, I couldn't stop looking at them for several minutes, trying to figure out what the meaning was.

Ahh, I love this topic. Victoria Silverwolf! Rene Magritte! High-five in the air! I really like Magritte, along with the other surrealists (especially Dali). But I must say that my absolute favorites have to be the pop artists (especially Warhol, Lichtenstein, Johns, Rauschenberg and Oldenburg). The Dadaists are right up there with the surrealists in my book. I also like most modern art. I volunteer a considerable amount of time at the local art museum (the Knoxville Museum of Art), and so I get to be around the works of some great modern artists. One of my favorites that we have right now has to be John F. Simon, Jr.

This one will be rather interesting. One of my picks is legendary, one is somewhat well-known, and the other, none of you may probably have heard of.

My first pick, Michaelangelo. I have always been a fan of religious art and art that is realistic (i.e. I was never a big fan of Picasso). He put his life and soul into every piece he created. I have always wanted to visit the Sistine Chapel, and behold the imposing piece above the alter, also known as The Last Judgement. You could be an atheist, walk into that chapel, look at Michelangelo's depiction of the apocalypse, and walk out a god fearing Catholic. I mean, thats how much of an impression the painting left on me, and I've only seen pictures.

The second one of my trio, a German, and a master of the woodcut is Albrecht Durer. I have his Saint Michael's fight against the Dragon as a wallpaper on my desktop. The detail one puts into a woodcut is very fine. In this piece, every wing of St. Michael and the other angels is detailed. The intricacy of the Dragon, wriggling under St. Michael as he thrusts his lance into him is so amazing, it's as if you were in the skies as the battle took place. Very beautiful, detailed artwork.

The last of my Trio is one you have probably never heard of, but you have heard of the basis for many of his pieces. The frenchman, Gustave Dore has done work for such classics as Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio, Milton's Paradise Lost and The Bible. His illustrations of Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven again, make you feel as if you're standing in front of the heavenly host, surrounded by rows and rows of encircling angels. It's one of those things that you can't really describe. You just have to see it.

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin to it....

I think one of the best artists ever was Bob Ross. he could paint an amazing landscape in 20-25 minutes. he also had a great personality (from what I've seen on TV at least) and was simply an awesome painter. not only that, but his technique is such that if you do as he says on "the joy of painting" you could, with a little time and practice, paint beautiful landscapes as well.

and while michelangelo, da vinci, dali, picasso and the like are all, in their own respects, good artists, in my opinion none were as cool as ross. besides, every white guy with a 'fro I've ever known was cool (and usually smoked "herb")