Endangered Flora and Fauna Are Recreated in Textured Paper Sculptures by Mlle Hipolyte

   05 Feb 00:00:10  |  ThisIsColossal

From her studio in Lyon, Mlle Hipolyte scores, crimps, and fringes bits of paper that become sculptural interpretations of endangered species. She undertakes a rigorous research process that’s comparable to that of a botanist or zoologist before starting a piece and largely is concerned with the effects of the climate crisis on plants and animals. This realistic approach bases her practice in both preservation and celebration as she conveys the intricacies and natural beauty of coral reefs, flowers, and birds through works that vary in scale, sometimes spanning entire walls and others squeezing into tiny glass tubes. More

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Fantastical Atmospheres Are Rendered with Dark Impasto Strokes in Digital Paintings by RHADS

   05 Feb 00:00:10  |  ThisIsColossal

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Delightful Nighttime Landscapes Nestle into Stacked Wooden Boxes in Allison May Kiphuth?s Dioramas

   04 Feb 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

Allison May Kiphuth (previously) shrinks the expansive landscapes found throughout the eastern United States into picturesque dioramas brimming with natural life. Through layered watercolor and ink renderings, the Maine-based artist creates a mix of quiet forest scenes and ocean habitats often under a dark, nighttime sky. She then stacks the outfitted wooden boxes, blending the marine and land-based pieces in varying positions that create new ecosystems with every combination.
Although Kiphuth derives much of her subject matter from the area around her home, she shares that experiencing new scenes is essential to her practice. More

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A Wildly Relatable Animation About Existential Dread Reminds Us to Enjoy the Moment

   04 Feb 00:00:12  |  ThisIsColossal

Existential dread, we all have it. A poignant animation by Alisha Liu captures our collective anxiety as it zeroes in on a typical Sunday afternoon in Central Park. The main character (i.e. all of us) breaks the calm with questions about the meaning of life, human insignificance, and of course, the overwhelming feeling that nothing matters. Through minimal scenes, the short film shifts between both mundane moments with passersby and expansive shots of the star-studded galaxy. More

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A Dramatic Bouquet of Paper Flowers Interprets an Ornate Pattern in Three-Dimensions

   03 Feb 00:00:15  |  ThisIsColossal

In “Artemis,” artists Julie Wilkinson and Joyanne Horscroft translate the moody, floral pattern of House of Hackney’s wallpaper into a stunning, three-dimensional bouquet. The sculptural work is a tribute to the designer’s classic motif, which has the same name, and took weeks for the duo to render digitally before crafting with jewel-toned and embellished paper. “We just had to pay very close attention to what we saw as the original mood and intention and draw on expanding that feeling,” Horscroft tells Colossal. More

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Demented Toys by Obvious Plant Confront Harsh Realities and the Mundanity of Life

   03 Feb 00:00:15  |  ThisIsColossal

Unless you want a distraught child, double-check the packaging of your next purchase in case you accidentally snag a one-off toy by Jeff Wysaski, aka Obvious Plant. For years, he’s been littering supermarket and drugstore shelves with his action figures and small games that cleverly comment on capitalism and the harsh realities we all experience, from a birthday for one?it “includes one party blower because that is all you will need”?to a “childless couple” riding matching jet skis. More

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A Monumental Collection of Slouching Figures Considers the Effects of Aging on the Body

   02 Feb 00:00:11  |  ThisIsColossal

Nicole Havekost describes her towering figures as exhibiting the contradiction of “sublime embarrassment… Bodies are magical and glorious and gross and bewildering. Bodies are civilized and feral.” Through hand-sewn sculptures, the Rochester-based artist explores the ways aging affects peoples’ figures and the emotional process of adjusting to a new reality.
She stitches large anthropomorphic works from industrial felt, shaping bodies that are bulging and covered with knots and uneven seams that serve as a reminder of restoration. More

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RISD Continuing Education Announces 140+ Online Courses This Spring

   02 Feb 00:00:11  |  ThisIsColossal

Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education is excited to announce more than 140 online courses for adults and teens this spring?including RISD?s Advanced Program for High School Students. RISD CE Certificate Programs are now being offered 100% online.
Continuing Education students can take online classes from anywhere in the world, at any time of day or night. Courses are taught by professional artists, designers, and makers, and RISD CE is open admission?everyone is welcome. More

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Mysterious Marine Ecosystems Populate Rich Paintings by Robert Steven Connett

   31 Jan 00:00:30  |  ThisIsColossal

Whether rendered as a snapshot of the ocean floor or a few drops of water under a microscope, the densely inhabited paintings by Robert Steven Connett (previously) are brimming with vitality. The Los Angeles-based artist probes the planet’s bodies of water, unveiling a range of flora and fauna that populate the mysterious and sometimes psychedelic ecosystems with exacting detail.
From jellyfish and seaweed to microbes, the organisms memorialize Earth’s dwindling biodiversity. More

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