Jon Shireman

        This is the work of Jon Shireman, who soaked flowers in liquid nitrogen, shattered them, and photographed the effects. I think part of the reason that I like this work of his is in the way he plays with the idea of the texture that things "should have" with the abnormal ways we can make them look. Turning an object like a flower from a soft, pliable object to one with a rigid, breakable form, and then actually breaking it gives a TON of expression and energy. Something as simple as breaking apart a single flower into many shards allows the viewer to look at the flower in a very different way as well. More from this collection can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonshireman/sets/72157623284478818/

Artist Inspiration: Sofia Arnold

        Sofia Arnold was born in Wisconsin in 1986. She now lives in Boulder, CO. Much of her work is very whimsical and playful feeling. She mostly uses acrylic and oil, but occasionally will use other media as well. I was very drawn to her work for a number of reasons. The stories behind each piece are incredibly and quite amusing to try to interpret. I also really like her style--she combines realistic with very abstract with moderately abstract very well. She also plays around with color, shape, and pattern, especially in her backgrounds. 

 

M. Wormhole on her Birthday

The Mossholders after Fertile Finger

We Love to Barter, But This is Better

The Last Minutes

Short Cut-Tobacco Field

For more......... http://sofia-arnold.com/index.html