Inspirational Artists :: Carved Books

Montreal based artist Guy Laramee carefully carves vintage books, dictionaries and encyclopedias into various landscapes.
I love it when artists use materials not initially intended to be used for creating a work of art. 
If you like his work, make sure you also check out the altered books made by Brian Dettmer.

pics via artist's website

Inspirational Artist :: Banana Tattoo

Pushpins + Bananas = a different kind of art. 
For multimedia artist Phil Hansen, one of his newest ventures is using pushpins to pierce the skin of a banana which causes the fruit to become exposed to air and turn brown. These pin pricks are done similar to the method of pointillism and eventually create an image. 
Just when you thought you'd seen it all... :)

image via Pinterest

Inspirational Artist :: Deconstruction

Off to Austria!
Austrian artist Jochen Höller, creates some truly beautiful collages. Made of deconstructed books or other typed material, his work is a nice fusion of both imagery and narrative. 
A collection of his work is on display at MAM Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art in Salzburg through June 30th.

pics via artist's website

Inspirational Artist :: Bonsai Treehouse

First stop, Japan!
Japanese artist Takanori Aiba, is the architect behind these amazing bonsai sculptures. He creates his sculptures using materials like stone, clay, copper line, plastic, and resin - doesn't it appear that something, or someone...very miniature of course...has taken up residency in these beautiful bonsai treehouses?! His goal is to make a modern bonsai that portrays "the beauty of spiritual accordance between human and nature in miniature." Love it!

images via artist's website

Inspirational Artist :: Transmuted Spaces

San Francisco based artist Tobias Tovera creates paintings that beg the viewer to let go and let the mind wander. I love the fluidity and organic feel of his work :: very relaxing don't you think?

images via artist's website

Inspirational Artists :: Repair, Patch, Lego

German artist Jan Vormann uses Legos to repair damaged walls in his ongoing project, Dispatchwork. He has patched up surfaces in cities around the world like Tel Aviv, Berlin, New York City, and St. Petersburg. Such a simple yet striking idea! 

pics via the artist

Inspirational Artists :: The Invisible Man

Chinese artist Liu Bolin takes photos of himself painted so that he blends into his surroundings :: talk about unique camouflage! It can take him up to ten hours for him to complete a single shot! No trick photography, no photoshop...he just paints himself!

images by CATERS NEWS and Liu Bolin

Inspirational Artists :: Twist and Weave

Combining his carpentry skills and love of nature, internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty uses sticks and saplings to weave monumental environmental sculptures. Both elegant and whimsical, these often site specific installations have been built all over the world. If you live in the Twin Cities I highly recommend going to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where you can see one of his works...fittingly named the Uff Da Palace, (first pic below). 

photo credits in order by: Todd Mullvihill, Dennis Crowley, Charles Crie, & Doyle Dean

Inspirational Artists :: Pour

In his "Pour" series, New York artist Holton Rower pours successive layers of paint onto three-dimensional surfaces. The end results are amazing, but it's the process that I think is truly mesmerizing! Don't miss the video below!

Inspirational Artists :: Earth's Clothespin

You may have already seen this floating around the web, but I think it's just too darn cool to not mention again in my little corner of the www.....Turkish artist and professor of art Mehmet Ali Uysal, created this giant clothespin sculpture for the Festival of the Five Seasons in Chaudfontaine Park. Located on the outskirts of Liège, Belgium, this giant sculpture is just one example in a series of his works. 

via inspire me now
pic by the artist