Why is that fish smoking a cigarette? Any ideas?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Nibblers
Random drawings Marcel whipped up while bored at work:
Hmmm, the things I scribble while bored on the phone at work are nothing like this...
I'm always particularly drawn to a good wing rendering. Have you looked at the real wings of a big bird up close before? They're magnificent. I've got an African Gray around that likes to mimic body movements - if it's feeling friendly. If I stretch out my arms over my head, it'll show off its impressive wings in return, stretching them out wide, one side at a time. Seeing the mechanics and details of these instruments of flight up close has made a lasting impression on me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this example (scroll down through the photos when you get there):
Colorado Red-Tailed Hawk
Most of the drawings I come upon that include winged humans lack the impressive quality real wings of flight have. Mainly, it has to do with the fact that they aren't believable: (Setting aside the fact that humans/humanoids don't have wings) they are usually much too small and frail looking (especially on the fairies) and are almost always barely attached to the back - so that even if they do look big and strong enough to take flight, they would break off under the pressure of trying to lift a body up with them. Marcel's drawing shows wings firmly attached, and each is about as long as the body - er, skeleton - is tall. Admittedly, they are in tatters, putting into question their actual ability to lift off....but hey, it IS a skeleton, it's supposed to be falling apart and is already animated by some kind of magic in itself. You may say this is what gives all the fairies and other puny-winged creatures the ability to fly as well, and I can't argue with that logic. But if you're going to add wings, don't just sprinkle them on. They're WINGS - they give the ability to FLY! They should look impressive (not just cute) - I mean, unless you were going for the impotent look.
Hmmm, the things I scribble while bored on the phone at work are nothing like this...
I'm always particularly drawn to a good wing rendering. Have you looked at the real wings of a big bird up close before? They're magnificent. I've got an African Gray around that likes to mimic body movements - if it's feeling friendly. If I stretch out my arms over my head, it'll show off its impressive wings in return, stretching them out wide, one side at a time. Seeing the mechanics and details of these instruments of flight up close has made a lasting impression on me. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this example (scroll down through the photos when you get there):
Colorado Red-Tailed Hawk
Most of the drawings I come upon that include winged humans lack the impressive quality real wings of flight have. Mainly, it has to do with the fact that they aren't believable: (Setting aside the fact that humans/humanoids don't have wings) they are usually much too small and frail looking (especially on the fairies) and are almost always barely attached to the back - so that even if they do look big and strong enough to take flight, they would break off under the pressure of trying to lift a body up with them. Marcel's drawing shows wings firmly attached, and each is about as long as the body - er, skeleton - is tall. Admittedly, they are in tatters, putting into question their actual ability to lift off....but hey, it IS a skeleton, it's supposed to be falling apart and is already animated by some kind of magic in itself. You may say this is what gives all the fairies and other puny-winged creatures the ability to fly as well, and I can't argue with that logic. But if you're going to add wings, don't just sprinkle them on. They're WINGS - they give the ability to FLY! They should look impressive (not just cute) - I mean, unless you were going for the impotent look.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Marcel's Art: SEAHORSE
Finally!
Thanks to Picture4Ever we have some professional shots of Marcel's artwork available (instead of relying on the ones I took, seen in the slideshow below, plagued with discoloration and glare). Over the next few weeks we'll explore each particular painting, up close and personal.
First up: Seahorse Bowl
In a previous post I mentioned that Marcel doesn't aim to infuse his paintings with a lot of his personal feelings.
Yet emotions do have a way of leaking through, sometimes in the most obvius way.
Check out the painting above - does that look like a red fist in the center of the abstract creation?
It is.
There's so much to say about this particular technique. Fisting, as I believe it is called, originated in the 1960s, when soluble artist quality acrylic paints became commercially available. Since then, the technique has evolved to include a number of paint application processes that use any portion of the body in leiu of a paintbrush or another tool. The most popular method in recent times, by far, is full body application.
What do you think of how the technique was used here?
- It's honest (the painting, not what I just wrote).
- It's raw.
- It's organic.
Frustrated artist indeed.
The original Seahorse Bowl is now available for purchase on Ebay!!! Please search for a Malinowski original :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Inspiration
Why does Marcel paint? Simply because for him, there's just nothing better.
Art lasts. It does not fade. Amidst all the daily activities and accomplishments, artwork is something that will not be forgotten. It is a way to leave behind an imprint of one brief human existence - that, at least, is the idea. Art provides meaning.
And yet, Marcel's paintings are not a recording of his thoughts or emotions. He writes music and lyrics as Wordsworth wrote poetry: during a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. But his art takes too long to create to capture fleeting feelings, however powerful. Instead, Marcel's art is an experiment and an evolution. And he is looking for any type of reaction.
Art lasts. It does not fade. Amidst all the daily activities and accomplishments, artwork is something that will not be forgotten. It is a way to leave behind an imprint of one brief human existence - that, at least, is the idea. Art provides meaning.
And yet, Marcel's paintings are not a recording of his thoughts or emotions. He writes music and lyrics as Wordsworth wrote poetry: during a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. But his art takes too long to create to capture fleeting feelings, however powerful. Instead, Marcel's art is an experiment and an evolution. And he is looking for any type of reaction.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Back Cover
"Calming chaos. Somehow uplifting darkness. Marcel has the eye and the feel of a pro, but with grassroots ethics and training. The paintings are open to interpretation, and free of heavy background. He's a refreshing difference to the heavily weighted meaning in a lot of the work I'm seeing today. Whatever happened to art, for art's sake? Whatever happened to color and shape and design, without overarching attitude and aggressiveness? His paintings bring it back.
With an undertone of the dismalness that is life, Marcel's first works are more than expressively good art. They're a front which is backed by amazing potential, which I can't wait to see."
- Sam Sleevi
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