All photos courtesy of Amanda Lynn.
I’ve had my share of fangirl moments when writing this blog. Talking with or meeting the person behind the mural only helps to add more context to a piece. Yes, some mystery is fun — and many a street artist likes to keep his/her identity hidden — but sometimes knowing the thought process behind a specific piece just makes it more meaningful. Or, you know, you might just want to talk to the person because they seem super interesting.
I first ran across Amandalynn‘s work in San Francisco and her female figures seemed to peek out at me from every corner of the city. The SF-based artist often teams up with Lady Mags to create work under the team tag Alynn-Mags. She often depicts enigmatic women surrounded by flowers and other natural elements. In addition to large-scale murals, she also creates fine art. The women are strong and confident, often looking straight out at the viewer as if they know a secret the viewer doesn’t know. Amandalynn’s line work is fluid and vibrant, no doubt due to the fact that she often uses brushes.
She graciously answered a few of my questions via email, check them out below!
I met Lady Mags in 2011, we shared a car ride back to San Francisco from Los Angeles. After talking for 5 hours straight, she invited me to paint a wall with her. I never imagined that I would find so much inspiration and life long friendship from painting murals and fine art together, and I feel incredibly lucky to have her as my artistic partner!
When you have a blank wall and full spray cans, what color do you reach for first?
Well I don’t use a lot of spray paint, I am much more of a brush painter, and my first color is always black! I tend to rely heavily on my underdrawing and sketches to layout my imagery. I then apply depth and shadows through different color layers and washes.
When Forces Unite: co·lab at Athen B Gallery
Work by Brett Flanigan and Jean Nagai
In a fun game of artist exquisite skeleton (the Surrealists’ favorite pastime where you would draw something, fold the paper over and have a friend unwittingly add to a drawing they couldn’t see), Athen B. Gallery has filled its walls with work from 17 pairs of artists. The artists in the show work in different mediums, sizes and styles. And what they create together on a canvas carries traces of their signature style but also the process of a unique collaboration.
co·lab features the collaborative work of Lauren YS and Meryl Pataky, Gaia and Nanook, Brett Flanigan and Jean Nagai, Martina Merlini and Derek Bruno, and much more. What I find really interesting about the show is that some collaborations feature public and street artists working with primarily fine artists. Each piece — each result of the exquisite skeleton game, you could say — showcases a new side of each artist involved.
If you’re in San Francisco, the opening reception for co·lab is taking place this Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7pm. The show is up until Nov. 6.
Check out some more photos below:
Work by Lauren YS and Meryl Pataky
Work by Bunny Reiss and David Marc Grant
Work by Moneyless and Sten Lex
Kaleidoscope Vision: Hueman’s Just One Moment
Photo by Brock Brake for Mirus Gallery
Artists get asked a lot about inspiration, about source material. And then they get asked about process, about all those little steps in between prepping the paint and declaring a work the finished product.
But there’s nothing quite like walking into a gallery without this information to get a little lost (and maybe a little dizzy) by jumping head-first into an artist’s unique vision.
Hueman, aka Allison Torneros, is a street and fine artist working out of San Francisco. Her recent solo show, “Just One Moment,” includes more than 15 new pieces. Much of Hueman’s work features vibrant colors, flowing lines and mysterious faces.
The works in the show are described as “a look into a singular moment in time, spliced, dissected, and manipulated through intersecting lines and planes.” Hueman often plays with perspective, asking that the viewer put together the pieces — or surrender to the work’s intertwined parts and get lost in their ordered chaos.
For this show, Hueman pushes that concept further by also manipulating the canvas. No longer a square surface, it also alters the expectations of the viewer. In some instances, the canvas echoes the movement of the work’s content; an edge mirrors the curve of a woman’s neck and back while sharp angles echo the angularity of strong lines.
At this point, Hueman has already gained the viewers’ trust – and will continue to break it into gorgeous, dizzying pieces.
“Just One Moment” is on view at Mirus Gallery until October 10.
Check out some more photos from the show:
Photos courtesy of Mirus gallery; final photo by Brock Brake for Mirus Gallery.
