Simply Creative

Dust Paintings by Allison Cortson

Los Angeles-based artist Allison Cortson uses dust to paint the background of her artworks and called it Dust Paintings.

She said, "I was sitting on the couch watching dust particles float around in the light coming through the window and the idea came to me. I'm interested in the fact that the older we get, the more dust we create - it is made up of 70 per cent dead skin. I enjoy painting people and thought dust would be the perfect material to represent them in their own environment."

"For these portraits, I photograph the subject in their home. Then over a period of months I collect the dust from their home via their vacuum bags."

"Dust arrives in our homes as a remnant of our own existence and degeneration from decaying particles from our bodies and objects. The painting is completed by rendering the subject in a realistic manner with oil paints and the rest of their environment is made solely out of the dust from their home, which I sprinkle on the canvas and manipulate with a brush. When finished the dust is coated with an acrylic sealer."

She sprays the painting with a sealant so it permanently sets and does not cause problems for allergy sufferers.

It took around a week or two (depending on the size) to finish a painting.

"There aren't any special tools I use, except a fine mesh strainer I bought from a cooking store to sift out the dust".

Check her website: http://www.allisoncortson.com/index.html

Images taken from here

Light Painting by Brian Matthew Hart

Minneapolis-based photographer Brian Matthew Hart creates these mind-blowing light paintings using photographic techniques.

Light painting, also known as light drawing or light graffiti is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera.

Source: wikipedia

Hart sets up living scenarios for which he applies the photographic technique.

Each these light drawings can take 6 to 17 minutes and some of the paintings consist of hundreds of individual photographic exposures.

Brian explains how he captured this painting:
“open the shutter in a dark room—no lights on—then for this one, 3 of us sat in a circle and tossed these small blue led frisbees around for a few minutes. After that we used these tiny pin leds to trace ourselves. after we're done drawing, we close the shutter.”

Images taken from here and here

Matchstick Rila Monastery by Plamen Ignatov

Bulgarian artist Plamen Ignatov has created a detailed matchstick model of the Rila Monastery - the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria - using 6 million matchsticks.

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It took him 16 years to complete the project.

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The face of Christ resides in in one of the miniature wooden walls.

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The real Rila Monastery

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Charcoal Photorealistic by Robert Longo

New York-based painter and sculptor Robert Longo spending hours to create incredibly realistic drawings that look amazingly photo-like using charcoal, graphite and paper.

All images are © Copyright of Robert Longo

Check his website: robertlongo.com

Incredibly Realistic 3D Goldfish Paintings by Riusuke Fukahori

Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints incredibly realistic three-dimensional goldfish using acrylic paint layered over clear resin.

The resin is mixed with a hardener or catalyst, allowing Riusuke to paint each successive layer, eventually creating a ‘sculptural painting’ that can be viewed at various angles and vantage points.

He also uses more traditional painting skills to enhance the 3D effect.

When struggling with artistic vision, Fukahori’s pet goldfish became his inspiration and ever since his passion and lifelong theme.

His unique style of painting uses acrylic on clear resin which is poured into containers (from large sushi vessels, to small bowls and even a hollow bamboo stick), resulting in a three-dimensional appearance and lifelike vitality.