Featured Artists
Posted By Olly / 16th April 2013
Fabrizio is a graphic designer and artist living near to Florence in Italy. Until 2003 he worked as a surveyor before retraining in graphic design at the International School of comics. Fabrizio creates an interesting mix of Op Art and strong poster art style graphics, often using just three strong colours (black, red and white).
Did you study art? If so, where?
I was a surveyor. In 2003 I moved to Florence, where I studied graphic design at the International School of Comics.
Why do you like Op Art?
Maybe because it combines symmetry and art and I am fascinated by the way you can invoke emotion through that combination. I like the way op art contains a depth which isn’t immediately apparent. In my opinion op-art should allow the viewer to project their own interpretation onto the piece. (The more you look, the more you see.) I like the idea of people getting lost in a piece.
How do you make your art?
Generally I take inspiration in moments of boredom or relaxatio – for example the shower is a good place. As to which tools I use – I start with a good old fashioned paper and pencil, then I scan it in and rework it with Adobe Illustrator.
What’s the process for making one of your artworks?
The more detailed process of actually creating the artwork within Adobe Illustrator involves measuring and transposing various elements to create a type of symmetry. If I were to print it, I’d do so on wood so as to introduce a certain texture.
Any other art you like and other artists that inspire or have inspired you.
Escher first and foremost. I was very inspired by work I saw while holidaying in Aix in Provence at the Vasarely foundation. I’m also inspired by the protest art of Shepard Fairey.
Outside of Op Art, what else do you enjoy doing?
I love music, movies and see exhibitions. I like Indie / Punk / Rock music, some of my favourite bands include The Clash and Queens of the Stone Age. I enjoy films by M. Scorsese and P.T. Anderson.
You can see more of Fabrizio’s work on his flavors.me web page and additionally on his behance profile.
Posted By Olly / 7th March 2013
Lucy Alva Latashew is an Argentinian born artist living and working in Barcelona. All of the work you see is hand painted and is masterfully precise in execution. Lucy has been concentrating on Op Art and geometric abstraction for several years and has exhibited in Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Israel. You can see more of her work (and excellent photographic work in addition to the paintings you see here) on her site.
Did you study art? If so, where?
I was born in Argentina but I have been living in Barcelona for 13 years. I studied Fine Arts in Buenos Aires; I studied under Ary Brizzi, who introduced me to geometric abstraction.
Why do you like Op Art?
When I was a Fine Arts student I started working around the concept of geometrical abstraction and its various tendencies deriving from the constructive and concrete art tradition. I’m basically interested in virtual movement which is created in our mind and then recreated in painting: which makes painting in itself, an illusion.
I want to experience what the eye can see: the rhythm, the tension from the various modifications I make to the initial composition.
I’m fascinated by the world of colour: by the vibrations it provokes, by its behaviour as a fundamental element which can modify space and generate energy and finally by the many interpretations that it can evoke.
Since new technology has allowed for new forms of creation, giving impulse to the development of the Op Art language, this is my way of interpreting the world today.
How do you make your art?
I use different kinds of media.
I use the computer to set up my composition and then I switch to non-virtual (traditional) two-dimensional media.
When I sit in front of the screen, there’s a real exchange game that starts between myself and motion, the game of visual perception. During this process, I mainly use PhotoShop and Illustrator. Afterwards, I use canvas or methyl methacrylate as a base with acrylic paint, airbrush, paint brushes, pencils …
What’s the process for making one of your artworks?
The process can vary both in terms of phases and timing. It depends on what I am looking for at that moment.
I usually set up the drawing or composition on the computer.
Then a kind of a dialogue starts on between me and the Form.
When I am working on the digital image, I create various colour situations; obviously I know that in this phase I’m working with RGB colours, which are totally different from pigment colours.
When I am ready to transfer my composition onto a real base, canvas, paper or any other media, I prepare different colour samples until I get what I’m looking for.
When I’m actually painting, I always keep one part of my work covered so that I will never have a whole vision of it in front of me. It’s a game between what’s hidden and what’s revealed, like in a masked ball.
Any other art you like and other artists that inspire or have inspired you.
All kinds visual arts and music.
Among some of the artists I admire I can mention Kasimir Malevich, Naum Gabo, Joseph Albers, Piet Mondrian, Marcel Duchamp, Max Bill, Richard Paul Lohse, Jesús Rafael Soto, Bridget Riley, Vasareley, but of course the list is not exhaustive.
Anything else?
I love watching films, reading, going to exhibitions and I also try to keep informed on what’s going on in the world.
Posted By Olly / 16th February 2013
Op Art started primarily in black and white. Bridget Riley’s early pieces for example were painted solely in black and white. Later she introduced shades of grey and later still a limited set of colours. It’s nice to see the artist ‘Anomynous’ (sic) going back to the roots of Op Art and producing some excellent hand painted black and white pieces all created without the use of a computer.
My work as the artist Anomynous is an experiment of the ideal versus the ego. Through my work I am seeking to communicate a language of proportion based on geometric principles that is not only accessible to the observer, but also challenges them to re-think their preconceived view of reality.
My pieces are designed to seed, grow and animate in the mind’s eye. They are formulas, they are simple principles that are universally familiar and they are reminders of our continued evolution, that this priceless journey of perception and understanding has not yet ended.
Did you study art? If so, where?
I have not had an institutional artistic education; what I know is what has captured my curiosity.
Why do you like Op Art in particular?
I like Op Art as I believe it is one of the few styles that allows for perceptive transgression; it has helped me unlock the way I see the world. What I really love about Op Art is that it is a language of proportions and understanding that language has been a key to my personal evolution as an artist.
How do you make your art? / What’s the process for making one of your artworks?
I incubate concepts during my time at my non artistic day job, often sketching them out. Later that night I’ll work on handcrafting the concept into a large scale piece. This ‘artisan’ approach involves using a compass (remember those?!), pencils and ruler on paper. I then use ink liners to outline the piece. The final stage is applying acrylic and/or black gouache for the fills.
While it is obvious that digital technology has contributed much to the op art movement, I personally find there is little that can surpass that certain exhilaration of crafting a fully realised piece by hand.
Anonymous – work in progress
I have a stage by stage photo method over at my blog for a more detailed review.
Any other art you like and other artists that inspire or have inspired you.
The biggest inspiration for my work is the laws of circle proportion and symmetry; these natural laws have entranced me in a continued deepening exploration.
As for artists, I am inspired by a diverse range of genres and mediums, I am drawn to anyone really who can manifest their emotions into the material world.
I have a heightened respect for masters such as Gaudi, whose work is simply transcendental.
I would love to encourage anyone to learn the simplistic properties of a single radius for themselves and experiment with this boundless power source of raw, creative vibrancy.
You can see more of Anomynous’s work at his website.
Posted By Olly / 30th January 2013
Igor Vojtela is based in Western Slovakia and has a background in teaching Maths and Physics but now works in the field of computing. He produces most of his Op Art pieces using Xara software, although the initial ideas are often sketched out on paper.
“When I was born in the last century in a small town in Western Slovakia, crayons, pencils and brushes had already been invented, but nobody even dreamed of computer graphics. “Scribbling” on paper or in a notebook has always been my favourite form of relaxation from my early youth right up to the present day. Even during my studies in maths and physics I constantly drew crazy figures or surreal landscapes in my notebooks.”
Did you formally study art?
I neither studied visual arts nor computer graphics – it is purely a hobby. I am originally a maths and physics teacher, although I have been working in the IT sector for quite some time now.
Why Op Art?
For me, OP-ART is a symbiosis of geometry, combinatorial maths and art. By combining simple patterns one can create intensely interesting structures, which often do not have a real meaning as such, but can give rise to a surprising optical sensation. In a way, it is similar to hand drawn humour (which I love), where by joining several lines or objects a new meaning is created entirely different from the original one.
Any other art you like and other artists that inspire or have inspired you?
The work of great visual artists such as Dalí, Brunovský, Mucha, Escher and Vasarely have undoubtedly had the most influence on my work.
How do you go about creating a piece?
Some pictures begin as sketches on a paper which are later re-created in PC, some are created directly in the computer, most often in XARA.
My pictures are usually made for my friends and acquaintances, but I also do commercial work from time to time. For example, in past I used to illustrate magazines, mathematical books, cartoons and corporate visuals.
If you’d like to see more of Igor’s work you can do so on his website.
Posted By Olly / 2nd January 2013
First update of the New Year is from London based artist Schneider who uses cubes, lines and vivid contrasting colours to “question our perception of space and perspective, producing imagery that echoes the Op Art and Geometric art of the 60s and 70s. ”
Did you study art? If so, where?
I’m self-taught
Why do you like Op Art?
Hard to say other than I love pattern, repetition & the concept of lines & colours creating space, depth & movement. I saw a huge Bridget Riley at the Tate Gallery when I was a child and stood in front of it for ages. I get excited about huge blocks of identical high-rise flats for example. Needless to say Manhattan is a source of perpetual wonder.
How do you make your art?
I use Flash to generate the image and experiment with colours. I save hundreds of the best ideas and keep the ones I like most on my desktop for a while and from these print out the ones that stand the test of time. Something then tells me which ones to paint.
What’s the process for making one of your artworks?
I buy wood panels or get bigger ones made up. I paint them with 4 coats of gesso and sand them down until they are perfectly smooth and then map out the image and paint it. I’m a perfectionist so the work isn’t finished until every edge is perfect. Drives me mad sometimes.
Any other art you like and other artists that inspire or have inspired you.
The obvious inspirations are early – Bridget Riley & Vasarely, plus I love the primary colours & repetitions of Pop artists like Warhol & Lichtenstein. I have started painting series of the same image in different colours as a result.
Current artists I love include Tauba Auerbach, Aakash Nihalani and James Marshall.
If you would like to see more of Schneider’s works, you can do so here.
