... three rosy bubbles...
... two iterations...
... and a tale for tugging heart strings.
Last year for day three I posted three Etsy shops that I loved, this year I figured we'd go along with that theme and highlight some amazing artists whose work you can get you hands on, but shift websites and look to Redbubble.
Now, I'd like to put the disclaimer that I don't fully love this website, the reasons being three fold. Firstly, they limit their art print sizes to A3 or A4 being the smallest, which if you have lots of space is great, if you don't or simply like a variety in the sizes of artwork you have on your wall, this can be irritatingly large - though I admit you can by art boards and photoprints in smaller sizes, but I like the paper the prints are printed on and the sizing irks me. Secondly, their postage is not only expensive, it's slow and if you're needing something as a gift or in time for Christmas, order early - I've ordered two or more weeks in advance and still had to give late presents. Thirdly, and this is where a lot of my unease about the site comes, there is a lot of people selling other peoples work and sometimes you don't realise this until it arrives on your door and the poor image quality gives it away.
Do any of these things stop me buying from the site? No. Does it make me check if the artwork is by the person selling it? You bet it does. I'd much rather give my money to the artist than a con-artist.
Anyway, pre-Christmas I was stuck in a Redbubble loop, searching for ideas for gifts and I found a few artists that I really loved and want to share...
Fabio Mancini, is an artist and illustrator based in a town near Rome, where, according to his Redbubble profile, "he pretends to be the legitimate heir of some unfortunate emperor..."
Most of his work is based on history and Greek mythology.
For Christmas, my sisters bought me this beautiful print by Mancini called "Persephone Blossom" and it is the fifth print in a series of five, taking Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, from seed to blossom. Persephone, who is the Greek Goddess of Spring, as well as being associated with fertility of vegetation being portrayed as seed growing into a beautiful flower.
I love this. It's incredibly beautiful. Thank you to my sisters for buying it for me.
Another of Mancini's collections is based around the life of Joan of Arc. In a seven print series taking her from visions of the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who tell her to support Charles VII and help return France from English domination during the Hundred Years War, through victories to her capture, trial and inglorious end, executed by being burned at the stake.
Throughout the series the artists uses a consistent palette of cool grey, almost denim, blues with warms gold tones, which is a really attractive palette. They're also two colours often seen in the illuminations within religious manuscripts, so seems like an appropriate combination of the subject matter.
Mancini also creates repeat patterned illustrations based on the plays of Shakespeare. I was that weird kid that looked forward to reading Shakespeare in school, so it's not that weird that I'm attracted to these, though I think they - for me at least - would make better product prints than art prints. This Macbeth print on a tote or zipper pouches, absolutely perfect. I do foresee one of those in my future.
Link || Fabio Mancini || Redbubble || Website || Instagram || Facebook || Bēhance
Prints || Persephone Blossom || Joan of Arc - defeat || Shakespearean Pattern - Macbeth
Karl James Mountford, a German illustrator based in Wales, is probably one of my favourite artists on Redbubble, and one whom I found directly through the website. I just love his style of traditional and digital illustration, it makes me happy and right now - in the exhausted post holiday haze - I can't think of anything remotely intelligent to say other than this guy's work is awesome.
Despite having absolutely no wall space left to put prints up in my room, my plan has been to gradually collect art prints so when I do have space, I can actually have things to put up and don't miss out on something I really like, purely because I can't necessarily enjoy them just yet.
"Rhythm of Grief (Day of the Dead)" is probably next print on my purchase list. I just really love the colour and composition, and generally I like the Day of the Dead aesthetic, however I like that this has a more subdued, ethereal colour scheme. It reminds me of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice...
On the wedding day of Orpheus, a great poet and musician and Eurydice, a wood nymph, which should have been the happiest day of their lives, the bride was bitten by a snake, and succumbed to the fatal poison before her husband could reach her side. Overcome with grief, Orpheus decided to travel to Hades, the land of the dead and beg for his love to be returned to life from where no one had every returned. Reaching the gates of the underworld, he began to play his lyre and Cerberus, the three-headed dog and should have barred his way, lay down and allowed him to pass with ease. Then reaching the River Styx, Charon - the ferryman - was so moved by the music, he allowed Orpheus free passage across the river.
Entering the palace of Hades (Pluto) and Persephone, Orpheus began to play his lyre and sing of his love for Eurydice and beg Hades to give her a few more years of life, since all living things would eventually reside in the land of the dead for all eternity. As his song ended, all hell stood still and moved by his story, Hades and Persephone granted him his request under one condition. As he climbed back out of the underworld, he was not to look back to see is Eurydice was behind him, he must just trust that she was following. If he did, she would be returned to the land of the dead forever. He agreed and began his journey. But the further he went, he became more and more paranoid that she wasn't there and the King and Queen of hell had played a cruel trick. There was no sound of footsteps following, no way of being sure, and as he took his final few steps towards the light of the living world, he lost faith and turned, only to see his love behind him and lose her all over again.
Refused entry to the underworld as he tried to return again, Orpheus swore to never love again, only to sing of love and separation.
Depending on which version of the myth you read, Orpheus is either killed by the Maenads - mad/wild women - who couldn't bare the idea that a poet who sang so beautifully of love, wouldn't love them, or that Zeus struck him with lightening, so not to reveal the secrets of the underworld to mankind. In either of these versions, death at least allows Orpheus to finally return to the underworld and his love, Eurydice.
In other versions, he dies, but the Muses decide to save his head, to keep him singing forever.
So, for me at least this drawing is of Orpheus and Eurydice, and "Orpheus lamenting, a harbour, a house there, and a girl in it." (Adrift by Norman MacCaig)
"Alice in Wonder" is obviously an homage to Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951), and particularly reminiscent of Mary Blair's original concept artwork for the animation...
"I Think We Work Well Together" is one of the more stylised of Mounford's prints, it looks almost like a three part lino cut. It's cool and weird and the more I write this post the more items I'm having to place in my shopping basket. Dagnabbit!
Link || Karl James Mountford || Redbubble || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Tumblr || Society6
Prints || Rhythm of Grief (Day of the Dead) || Alice in Wonder || I Think We Work Well Together
D.J.R. Bennett is a freelance illustrator based out of Preston, who mostly works in tradition mediums (ink and watercolour) is inspired by history and wildlife, but seems to have a penchant for the mythological, a large portion of his work dedicated to dragons, dinosaurs and sea monsters, in particular ones who drink tea. Something the artists admits in their Redbubble biography, to drinking a lot of whilst they work.
A mug of tea being a dangerous desk accessory for a watercolourist, when absentmindedly cleaning brushes and potentially choosing the wrong vessel. Hands up if you've been there.
The fact that Bennett's illustrations are done by hand shows in comparison to a lot of the art on Redbubble, makes it stand out. Not that I'm bashing digital art or photography, both are wonderful and impressive and jealousy runs rife through me at not being able to work out how the hell to draw on a computer, but the texture within their illustration, such as "Sea Monster & Lighthouse" are what drew me to the artist in the first place.
"Snow Dragon" was the first illustration I came across, and between the smile on the Christmassy Dragon's face and all the individually drawn scales, I was sold. Kind of reminds me of our cat, hiding under the Christmas tree - though fortunately he has no interest in either playing with the baubles or climbing it - and playing in the wrapping paper and boxes. This dragon just looks happy that it's Christmas.
A recurring theme within Bennett's illustrations is their aforementioned favourite, tea. Whether it's dragons firing the kettle for the next brew, or sharing a cup with St. George ("Dragon, Tea & St. George"), the illustrations have personality. And I'd much rather a tea drinking dragon than one who flies around burning down villages and treating the inhabitants as a quick drive through snack. Though I suppose the red dragon may be considering whether to dunk St. George in its tea or not...
One last thing that has made me love D.J.R. Bennett a little more are the two Labyrinth (1986) inspired armoured Goblins that they posted on their Instagram...
Link || D.J.R. Bennett || Redbubble || Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Tumblr || Pinterest || Society6
Prints || Sea Monster & Lighthouse || Snow Dragon || Dragon, Tea & St. George
I'm not saying that Redbubble is the greatest place in the world to find and buy art (I'm certainly not shilling for them either), neither is it necessarily the best place to support artists and illustrators, but as long as you're discerning there are a ton of great artists and prints to discover and potentially choose to add to your collection. It just seemed like a nice way to showcase some creators, and as always I've link each of them to as many places as I could, so if you like any of them, seek them out and share the love.
Now, I realise it's well past Christmas and indeed past New Years now too, so I hope everyone had a good holiday, and there's no point making excuses for my tardiness with the posts when it's just apparently who I am these days. But let's not go down that rabbit hole.
I hope 2020 treats you well, and I wish you all the best for it.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Part four soon…
Link || Redbubble || Website || Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Tumblr || Pinterest
Link || Orpheus & Eurydice || Wikipedia || TED-Ed
Link || Mary Blair || IMDb || Wikipedia || Gallery Nucleus
Link || Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) || IMDb || Wikipedia || Rotten Tomatoes
Link || Labyrinth (1986) || IMDb || Wikipedia || Rotten Tomatoes || The Jim Henson Company || Lucas Films
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Listening: Carol of Bells - George Winston
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