It’s easy to romanticize what it means to be an artist. The mind’s eye produces a lone, backlit figure brooding in an industrial warehouse, lost in a euphoric trance of creative clarity, with only his genius, paints and palette to keep him company. But nothing creative is ever that simple– or glamorous. Rarely do we consider the creative droughts, the agonizing and monotonous hours spent in front of a blank canvas. If I had a nickel for the number of times I was stricken by writer’s block, struggling to construct a strand of words that were satisfying, then I would have a lot of spare change. Art-making and collecting is all about perspective; that’s precisely what Issue 03 investigates. Our featured artists use their work as a vehicle to meditate on the past, contemplate their personal history, and shape the future.
Mark Schoening presents an exclusive 3D animated video featured on our cover that visualizes the topography of his intricate design and complex surfaces.
In her practice of paper quilling, Lisa Nilsson devotes herself to the quotidian material of paper. By transforming swatches of paper into meticulous studies of human anatomy, Nilsson mends bones, constructs tissues, and invents muscle and skin with the precision of a surgeon.
Owner of Gentlemen’s Breakfast Van de le Plante thrives in his reliquary of vintage eyewear, where each frame prompts a discussion of history. His unconventional collection is as functional as it is visually compelling, often a rarity for collectors.
Find out about the four most compelling art-collecting Apps available in the App Store: artists, collectors, and techies will find innovation, information and elegance in our Evolve feature.
Los Angeles-based author Mike Walzman has penned his debut novel and is busy working on a second. He shares the influence of architecture on his writing and his devotion to Frank Lloyd Wright, presenting a poetic look at “form follows function.”
Consider your own perspective and we’ll see you back here the same time next week.