Melissa Cruz
Thornton Dial is a man of truth – unclaimed by the pretentions of high art, the Alabama-native creates pieces constructed out of everyday objects strewn throughout the home. The truth lies in the message behind his work – simplicity in metaphor, a reconstruction of the civil rights-era racism through the placing of mop strings or scavenged tin. Dial utilizes commonplace, intricately Southern scraps to often depict America’s most glaring realities: racism, war, bigotry and homelessness.
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Fashion designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos are a dynamic duo. Pilotto, half-Austrian and half-Italian, and De Vos, half-Belgian and half-Peruvian, have brought their design skills together to create a name for themselves on the international stage. Their empire grew fast, having only begun to receive greater recognition when they were cited as London guide's Time Out magazine’s designers to watch in 2007.
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British alternative rockers Elbow began their band like many do – as a group of college students, looking to play a few gigs at a local bar. And as is the plight with many college bands, their group generally maintained slight visibility and stayed largely below the radar. What decisively set them apart, however, was not only their unusual sound, a form of British pop focused on both the alternative and avant-garde, but their persistence, as well.
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With eyes trained over the edge of water, you may witness a swimmer in a moment of suspended balance. The second where their body is a weightless, floating object; their guarded breath escape in bubbles that distort their head’s swirling image. Any swimmer knows this moment, the quiet break from gravity’s bonds where you are for an instant captured by the pull of water.
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In many ways, Kelly Durette's illustrations look as though they could easily fit among the pages of a fashion or bridal magazine. The women she draws are exquisite, eyes focused, with hands grazing the curves of their cheeks. Yet there is one distinct difference between Durette's women and the ones that often appear on the covers of Vogue -- hers are not among the living. The curls of their hair are held in place by decorative bones, skulls and tissue are exposed by a decaying face, and their lips are cracked with age. Durette has taken the looks of models and flipped them, emphasizing macabre elements to both challenge and promote the beauty of her subjects.
The Ontario-based, self-taught artist has often had her work categorized in the "Day of the Dead" genre. Of course, the skulls and balance of bright tones through primary and colored pencils speaks to a certain aesthetic. But Durette's focus transcends the popular style by having a particular focus on the anatomy of her subjects. She tells the alternative art magazine Creep Machine, "I have always been fascinated by medical illness, anatomy and what happens to the body after death. It’s not meant to be creepy, but rather to draw these beautiful women and add a touch of the macabre without losing the overall sexiness." Consequently, her work generally inspires a realistic feel, as opposed to the painterly qualities of many "Day of the Dead" pieces. Durette’s work literally feels as though its subjects are decaying; the pinks of the muscles can be seen past the paling skin.
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