CHITRA GANESH:

Chitra Ganesh is an artist from Brooklyn, NY. I first saw her prints, which interested me because she utilizes multiple different printing techniques to create each one. She also does digital and photo-based works as well as very striking paintings and installations. The influence of Hindu culture and folklore is evident in her recurring female forms. However, the ascribing of deity-like qualities (such as multiple arms, eyes, and tongues) to her human subjects is particularly interesting and I think can be read in many interesting ways. There is of course an overall disturbing feel to most of her work as a result of the violent and overtly sexual narratives and themes she deals with. The fact that she combines two completely opposite ways of perceiving/addressing sexuality and the female is interesting, certainly daring, but I wonder what kind of specific commentary or message she is trying to communicate? Is it something specifically related to Hindu or Indian culture, culture everywhere, or just shock?

For more images or info click here

WILLIAM WEGMAN

Normally I think I might be adverse to the whole "me and my dog" art journey thing. However, the somewhat twisted or backwards feel that exists in some of William Wegman's work is very intriguing. He plays with the recognizable form of a dog (a Weimeraner to be exact) in a variety of ways. Either he dresses them up in clothing, or other materials, or uses the dogs' natural poses themselves. While some of his canine photography and prints focus more on exploring the dogs' form in a more classical or symbolic sense, there is always an element of playfulness in his work.

Uncle Charlie

Uncle Charlie (Charlie Hardwick) is a Houston based poster artist who has been making rock posters for over twenty years now. His clients have included bands such as Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beastie Boys. I first learned about Uncle Charlie when I was teaching myself how to silkscreen in high school. I was making fliers for my own band at the time, and after handing one to a teacher of mine, she informed me that she was married to one of the premier local poster artists. Naturally I became quite familiar with his work and even got the chance to interview him briefly. Anyway I figured he would be good to share with you all since he is a good example of a working artist from my area of the country that you all may not have come across otherwise.

While these are examples of his most recent work, all done in giclee, some of his older silkscreened posters can be seen in a very thick book entitled The Art of Modern Rock. What I like about his posters is the use of color, as well as the overall sense of completeness he gets through composition. There are many subtle touches, both in terms of design/decoration and in terms of imagery. You really want to look at these posters and explore them. I find that there is usually something a little bit disturbing or grotesque in each of his posters, which is interesting when paired with the bright attractive colors.

While I find his newer work to be more refined and perhaps more mainstream, his older work had a particular quality to it that I believe embodied the character of his signing name, Uncle Charlie. Cartoony and grotesque figures dominate his posters from the mid-90s, and each seems to tell a short but usually horrific story.

For more information and images, check out Uncle Charlie's website

Tom Huck

Tom Huck is a St. Louis based artist who works primarily in print media, his specialty being woodcuts. The influence of Jose Posada and other famous printmakers such as Goya and Durer is quite apparent in his large, layered and almost chaotic scenes. Huck's prints are quite large, and contain a stunning level of detail and use of contrast. He achieves a surreal level of depth despite the abstracted and grotesque nature of his characters.

The grotesque quality of Huck's figures is emphasized further by the carnival-like feel to his prints; they evoke the idea of the spectacle. These prints in particular come from series that the artist bases off of strange narratives, urban myths and stories that nobody can say are or aren't true. There is also definitely an element of social criticism, though masked with an uneasy humor.

It's as though Huck presents us with beautiful but exaggerated depictions of real scenes, pieces of the human experience, and then yanks the rug out from under us by challenging ideas of beauty, sexuality, and morality. The violence in his imagery is quieted and almost completely subdued by the various and numerous layers of action and scenery.

Check out Tom Huck's website and gallery: EVIL PRINTS

New prints from OBEY GIANT

*Obey Giant is a street campaign by print artist Shepard Fairey