Via Fecal Face: Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Marc Bell’s work is constantly negotiating between disparate influences including comics, folk art, popular culture and Fine Art. Embedded in his drawings is complex and layered wordplay that allude to these influences while remaining deeply funny. Bell’s works vary from pen and ink drawings coloured with subtle watercolors, to comics, to elaborate mixed media cardboard constructions, and, put all together for the first time in HOT POTATOE, provide a comprehensive portrait of a multi-talented and influential contemporary artist.

Regarding his process, Marc responded: That depends what kind of piece I am working on. If I am working on a watercoloured drawing it is fairly straightforward. I could explain further if you like (the specifics) but they are essentially that (an ink drawing that is watercoloured). My mixed media pieces are a little different/more involved in that they can go through all sorts of changes. I have a couple boxes of “scrap” material that I go through to select things to get the image going. The scraps are usually old drawing scraps of mine or paper I find interesting. Sometimes they are actually half-finished works or pieces of pieces that didn’t work out that I decided might be better composed into something new later on. Anyway, so I gather some things and begin and see how it goes. In some cases I will compose one of these works and work on it over a long period of time and then decide I am not happy with it and then cut it up and it ends up being used to create several new pieces. For example: recently I was working on a 20″ x 15″ piece and decided it just wasn’t working and so that was cut down into three stand alone pieces and there were several other parts were leftover and these elements were integrated into (I think) three other works. So I like it to be changing and shifting in an attempt to keep myself engaged. Sometimes these things just become uninteresting to me and something must be done about it.

Pulished by Birkhäuser, Unfolded – Paper in Design, Art, Architecture and Industry covers a wide range of design projects from different disciplines in the first part, while the second part forms a reference resource explaining high-tech paper products and technologies. Unfolded features work by designers including Stefan Diez, Konstantin Grcic and Issey Myake, and has been designed by German studio Pixelgarten.

Unfolded features work by designers including Stefan Diez, Konstantin Grcic and Issey Myake, and has been designed by German studio Pixelgarten. From Japanese washi paper and paper foam, to ceramic paper and carbon fiber paper, Unfolded presents the latest in research and development, as well as the most important methods and technologies in handcrafts and industry.

You complete me. A dream is a wish your heart makes. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get. You make me want to be a better man. Hearts will be practical only when they are made unbreakable. When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. And the list of memorable love quotes from Hollywood goes on. We recently noticed a nerdtastic message of love at Pop and Shorty on a fridge magnet. You are the CSS to my HTML will not be the next, you had me at hello, but it will hit certain people right behind their pocket protectors.

Starting today, street artist Lucas Price aka Cyclops will be hosting a solo show, called “Jesus Help Me Find My Proper Place,” at Black Rat Press on London’s Rivington Street, which opened earlier this month. Price has fast become one of Britain’s most popular new street artists, covering east London with his unique, visceral pieces. This show will feature subversive slogans, on light boxes, which Price has left in high-visibility locations around London. I know that remixing letter boards is not revolutionary stuff, but Price isn’t some poetic drunkard who thought it would be funny to L our of lass. His work is carefully thought out, and positioned in highly unusual places such as the entrance to a Tube station, and in the middle of busy intersections. Additionally, he’s been known to add his own personal touch to construction equipment, giving them faces and a message of their own.

I’ve come across Si Scott’s work in the past, but when it came time to decorate my house, and put some flair up on the walls, I was instantly drawn to his piece titled “the Swan”. I find his work to be a juxtaposition of simplicity and complexity, while in some cases, his animal images display certain parallels with native paintings. For further insight, I turned to an interview Scott did with Type for You back in ’06. Regarding his process, Scott answered as follows: “I always start by picking a font I feel fits the brief or works with what I am trying to achieve the piece and then will play around with different page layouts for a while. The next phase is to just bring the piece to life using fine liners to create the illustration. I always work bigger than the finished piece is going to be and scan the illustrations at 1000dpi at 125% so when it is decreased to the actual size it’s very crisp an clean.”

Regarding his training, education and inspiration, Si Scott provided this answer: “I am a graphic designer from the Uk who is originally from Leeds but has moved around the country quite a bit (the next plan is to spend some time living abroad hopefully New York or somewhere like that). I left school at 16 and went to Leeds College Of Art & Design (Where I am now a part time lecturer) to study a BTEC in Graphic Design and then a foundation in Visual Communication, before going to Buckinghamshire Chilterns University to study a degree in Graphic Design. Upon completion I stayed in London for another 2 or 3 years and worked for a number of different small design agencies whilst continuing with my own work and freelance projects on the side. Most of my inspiration comes from music – I am constantly listening to music while I work and the lyrics especially. I’m really into words!”

Via Fecal Face: Austin Eddy responded to a question regarding the use of magic and magician gloves in his work: “My thoughts on magic are always changing. Though I would like to think as an artist I am in a way a magician and in being so I am trying to make people believe in the painting or object much like a magician for hire is trying to convince people to trust in the trick that they are looking at, and letting go enough to lose themselves in what is in front of them. I think iconic magic imagery is a metaphor for the magic found everywhere in the world. At the moment, this imagery has taken the back seat and now is functioning more as an underlying experience in the work.”

Where is the imagery and composition coming from? “A lot of these things I am trying to make I am using a lot of stock imagery from art history as well as textiles and other highly patterned objects and images. In regard to the newer work I am also pulling a lot from the compositional tools of Matisse, Avery, and Picasso as well others old and new. That being the foundation or starting point of the works I am also using my personal relationship as well as my experiences of seeing in the world to be combined and tell this sort of ambiguous story. It all really takes place in my head and in order to distill these things I use my imagination in order to attempt to make something interesting if not “new”.”

Aaron Bondaroff, also known as A-ron The Downtown Don, has produced legendary gatherings, designs, and creative direction that have received a tremendous amount of international recognition, earning him a permanent place in the New York City timeline. Bondaroff is the Co-Founder and Co-Creative Director of O.H.W.O.W. as well as the Founder of the NYC based aNYthing brand. Aaron recently provided a first glimpse at the OHWOW pop-up store inside the New York Minute exhibition that opened last week in Rome. The exhibition and store were designed by another massive name in design, Rafael de Cardenas. If you’ve never heard tell of de Cardenas, you need to check out this interview where he talks at length about his involvement with the O.H.W.O.W. Pop-Up Store.

Regarding the challenges he faced with this project, de Cardenas responded: “When you’ve been designing for a while, you come to each new project with a bag of tricks. There are ideas you like, that you know tend to work for you. O.H.W.O.W. was kind of like a playground. I got to take my favourite ideas out for a run—like, the whole black and white motif, for example. I love that contrast. But in a way, my approach to design operates as its own control. I’m very invested in the way spaces are experienced. So that leads to things like the pattern on the O.H.W.O.W. floors suggesting pathways through the galleries.”

Via Otto: The Palace of Versailles, the 17th and 18th century home of Marie Antoinette and the rest of the French Royal Family, is now a sparkling showcase of royal French style and décor. The last thing one expects to see when visiting the château is contemporary art, but that is exactly what Veilhan Versailles, an exhibit of artist Xavier Veilhan’s work at the palace, offers from September 13 – December 13, 2009. The crisp modernity of Veilhan’s pieces are sharply contrasted by their posh and extravagant surroundings, and make for an overwhelmingly successful exhibit. The abstract purple horses of Le Carrosse, and the deceased astronaut, aka Le Gisant Youri Gagarine, are personal favourites.

Robin Williams is a painter both wise and talented beyond her years. Last Spring, Hi-Fructose Magazine got a chance to catch up with Robin on a brief studio break, and she was gracious enough to share some of her thoughts and work. Regarding art school and how it prepares one for the real world, Robin states: “When I first graduated, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t have more knowledge of the business side of the art world. In retrospect though, I’m glad I spent most of my time at RISD learning to be an artist instead of a business woman. The business stuff you tend to figure out on your own, and it just takes practise. The art making atmosphere and the artistic community were what I really valued about art school. I’ve considered going back for my MFA for those reasons, but we’ll see”.

Regarding the importance of life outside of the studio, and away from the brushes, Ms. Williams responded as follows: “Very. I work hard, and I put in full weeks at studio. But man, I am not one of those artists who works 24 hours a day and is a slave to their work. I love what I do, but I need balance. I think that is one of the advantages of being an artist and working for yourself. So many people, in New York especially, are what they do. I think it is a very American thing to work constantly and invest all your self-worth in your job. Artists can choose to do that as well, but I think they live longer and have more meaningful lives if they strike a balance. Besides, if I work too long I go brain dead. There comes a point where I can’t be creative or productive anymore. I have to rest my mind. I get a lot of my ideas outside of studio.”

The Museum of Arts and Design will begin a new exhibition next month dedicated to the phenomenon of cut paper in contemporary art. The exhibition will feature numerous paper based works by 50 international artists, including 12 site-specific works in the museum. These pieces will be built and installed during the show giving the public a chance to peer into the creative process. While paper has a traditional role as a surface for art, this exhibt explores artwork that uses paper as a medium in itself. Curated by the museum’s Chief Curator, David Revere McFadden, “Slash” is the third exhibit in MAD’s materials and process series after previous shows on knitting and embroidery. Artists on show include Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Tom Friedman, Noriko Ambe, Judy Pfaff and Chris Kenny, among others.

LAPP-pro (light art performance photography) is the name given to an ongoing project by Jan Wallet and Jorg Miedza. The German duo create these colourful images by taking a slow exposure photograph of various light sources such as LEDs and strobe lights. Each piece is the result of a rehearsed performance – none of them are enhanced using additional software. “LAPP is descended from from light drawing and has been developed into it’s own art form. LAPP, as the evolution of light drawing, is complemented with additional elements in the form of light figures, colours and light forms to create such a special view of the general view.”

Interview snippets via Format Mag: (Format) It is obvious that a lot of emotion goes into each of your paintings. Tell me about Pedro Matos as a person and how your personal life/upbringing/experiences influence your art. (Pedro) I am 20 years old and I live in Lisbon, Portugal. Having a graffiti/skateboarding background and travelling a lot has definitely influenced how I live, see, think and paint. I am a pretty emotional person myself, so I guess that will just reflect upon my work no matter what. The emotions expressed on my paintings are my own.

(Format) I know you are a graffiti artist as well. How do you tie your graffiti passion into the beautiful works you create on paper and canvas? (Pedro) I don’t do traditional graffiti these days that much and that has always been something I did with friends just for fun. I do take street-art more seriously though, and I try to put up good work. Having a graffiti background has given me the experience to go out and not get caught. Obviously those influences translate into my paintings, and I find it beautiful to juxtapose this graffiti/street look with something more classic, realistic, figurative and detailed.