Mary O’Mally’s Bottom Feeders

Mary O’Mally has a rare gift for creating porcelain crustaceans that make every day objects seem as if they were pulled out of the ocean after decades of being abandoned in shipwrecks. She currently works out of a barn on the southern shores of Long Island crafting some of the most amazing ceramics I’ve seen in a while. Under the name Bottom Feeders, she’s built up a great body of work that encompasses every form of tableware imaginable, crusted over with intricately crafted marine life.

To see more of her work, see where she will be exhibiting next, or find out more about her, visit her website.

Shop online at her Etsy store.

She also creates custom cremation urns.

Sensationally Surreal Sea Sculptures by Keng Lye

These three dimensional hyperrealistic sculptures of sea creatures by Keng Lye are mind-blowing. The Singapore-based artist uses acrylics and epoxy resin to render these incredible works of art by first pouring resin into a receptacle, then meticulously painting a layer of acrylic over it, and adding another layer of resin, building up layer after layer until the forms emerge. Much like the process of how a 3-D printer functions, each slice reveals more about the animals he creates, creating this amazing illusion of structural depth.

So are they paintings or are they sculptures, one asks. I guess they could be classified as both. The technique was originally used by a Japanese artist named Riusuke Fukahori, who focuses his creative energies on three dimensional goldfish. In his series “Alive Without Breath”, Lye takes the process an extra step by having the creatures emerge from the surface, creating a greater sense of dynamic perspective. To achieve this, he adds physical pieces that he paints to match the layers below.

“I started my first series in 2012 where all the illustrations were “flat” and depth was created using the layering of resin and acrylic over the different parts of the illustration. This year, I started on the octopus and it was purely an experiment; I just wanted to see whether I could push this technique to a higher level. After applying acrylic paint straight onto the resin, I incorporated a 3-D element in this instance, it was a small pebble for the ranchu and octopus. For the turtle, I used an egg shell for the turtle shell and acrylic paint for the rest of the finishing. The whole idea here was to give the art work an even more 3D effect therefore you can have a better view from any angle. I think there are still many other techniques to explore.”

To check out more of his work, visit his gallery.

Hopare: Adventures in Graffuturism

French street artist Hopare has an amazing grasp on can control and incorporates a serious dose of futurism in his work. His images are dynamic and burst forth from whatever he’s painting on with an intense feeling of dramatic energy and resistance to finite boundaries. Lately he’s been moving from letter-based work towards more of an emphasis on themes involving characters and a strong sense of narrative flow. Having already graced the walls of many cities worldwide, he continues to travel around the globe spreading his vibe in the form of diverse and majestic large-scale murals.

Hopare was also part of a huge mural installation in Paris, on the Champs Elysees. Check out some of the photos of him at work.

To see more of his incredible work, visit his website.

The Astoundingly Dramatic Atmospheres of Hilary Brace

Using a few simple tools, Hilary Brace is capable of creating these amazing otherworldy cloud formations and landscapes. To create these dramatic works, she begins by using a polyester film surface and darkens it with charcoal, then deftly works away at it with erasers. Her technique is nothing short of miraculous in it’s refined approach and the result is almost photographic in quality.

“When I compose an image I work without premeditation, beginning with only a vague suggestion, so the places I make often surprise me as they unfold in a series of unanticipated discoveries. The subjects change and shift as a nascent world comes slowly into focus. Even though my desire is to create places and events that are vivid and seem true—to make impossible places tangible—they stay elusive and enigmatic to me.

In the end, the drawings are both a record of discovery and a means of re-experiencing the mystery. They also remind me of our desire to search for truth and meaning as we encounter and attempt to define our shifting world, even if such a search might be futile.”

This incredible explorative process is what I think captures such an intense psychic manifestation and unanticipated primordial effect. The fact that each piece is created without premeditation, also mirrors the unexpected nature of atmospheric phenomena. No wonder she’s received so many awards and acclamations, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2006, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1993, an California Arts Fellowship, and numerous grants over the years.

Check out her website.

To buy prints, visit her page on artspace.com.

Utterly Intricate and Frangible: The Sculptures of Franc Grom

I’m a great in the kitchen, but when it comes to eggs, I’m all thumbs – that’s why I’m so smitten by the incredible patience and skill of Franc Grom. His egg sculptures are absolutely amazing, and yet so fragile, that one can barely breathe around them without fear of shattering their beautiful and masterful designs.

Inspired by the Slovenian designs that are traditionally found in the small village of Vrhinka where he grew up, Grom works with a very tiny electric drill, a rock-steady hand and the eye of an eagle to create these stunning works. Sometimes it can take him several months to finish one, because the process of piercing such miniscule holes into such a delicate medium takes thousands and thousands of hours of patience and dedication (and some 2,500 to 17,000 holes per egg). Some of them have connecting parts that are barely a millimeter thick and he often illuminates them from the inside to draw more attention to the details. At this point, he is reported to have over three hundred of these eggs completed.

To see more, visit his tumblr page.

The Technogeneous OtherWorld of Sergey Skachkov

Russian artist Sergey Skachkov uses Photoshop to create wonderous otherworldy cityscapes that ignite the imagination and tell a thousand tales.

“I dream of strange, wonderful cities on the water and hear a beautiful tune. This is a parallel world that lives from its own law and rules. The metallic rasp of a technogeneous world serves as a background for the sound of horns warning about something. The very air seems replete with humming and buzzing melodies. This fantastic apparition fascinates and astonishes.”

The combination of science fiction and fantasy is tinged with a slight touch of steampunk to create an incredible body of futuristic works worthy of the attention of filmmakers worldwide. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see these landscapes brought to life on screen?

Visit his portfolio to see more amazing work.

To buy prints, visit saatchionline.com.

The Amazing Anamorphic Sculptures of Jonty Hurwitz

Based in London, Jonty Hurwitz is one part artist, one part scientist. His incredible anamorphic sculptures have been gaining popularity due to their impressively creative nature – they can only be viewed via their own reflections. Using cylindrical mirrors, Hurwitz creates each piece by scanning a three-dimensional object and working with it in a special kind of computer software in order to manipulate it’s physical shape. “Finding that line between art and science is the underlying motivator in my art life,” says Jonty. “At heart I’m an artist scientist archetype that loves projects and people. Each of the art works and ventures on this site represent a part of what I am.”

To see more of his work and learn more about his many passions, visit his website.