Art is an evolutionary process. If it weren't, the artist could become stagnant in style, form, and talent. As an artist it is the hope to continually improve and push to the next plateau. It feels there are stages as an artist pushing and climbing one level to the next, till there is an almost 'ah ha!' moment that clicks and skill level has leveled up to the next ability.
For the past near decade I have been honored to work with a group of three other artists in a collaboration process. @BlaineGarrett and @Velveteendream are two of the three members that make the Twin Cities based artist organization Dim Media. http://www.dimmedia.com/ Our series have ranged in style and content from celebrity portraits, to a few run off abstract series, to cartoon like murals, to our more recent evolved style of urban graffiti influenced surrealism that combines the use of hand drawn stencils, spray paint, as well as the implementation of traditional techniques: brush and hand. I like to define the style as Urban Surrealism.
The following are images from our 2014 series: "DEMIURGE"
This series was the next evolutionary form from our "Corrosion Maintained" Series
https://steemit.com/art/@ghostfish/corrosion-maintained
We sent some composition guidelines and limitations such as layout and technique (It's always important to maintain some level of limitation, that it be a color palette, subject matter, etc to keep sane in what the achievable objective goal is trying to be). Here we decided to focus on a 'noun' or subject matter as a focal point to a formatted processed and textured background. You'll see the hard sharp contrasting composition line down the 2/3 mark on the right on ever piece, as well as a softer one at the lower 2/3 line near the bottom.
The first dozen pieces of the series stayed true to our guidelines of foreground figure in composition.
See them all here:
http://www.dimmedia.com/gallery/series/demiurge/
I started to experiment and break the rules by including more drawn marks, patterns, over stencil sprays, and including words to some of the later pieces.
"Far and wide screams echo dark chasms. Sex and new day does the mother welcome this dream. Visions of plague and future, her eyes beneath a veil of venom. Burning to be alive and knowing these things. An endless mouth swallowing. The consumption of the human race. Producing death as an unconscious byproduct to the natural state of the human condition. This thread of existence shelled in scales and scars. Being boxed in flesh. This new religion, this ancient philosophy. Only in the White Room. Nothing is saved. Nothing can be seen. This Soul, she touches with fang and finger. glide across the cave, a new day shall rise from destruction. Taste her kiss. Swallow her poison. Ungrateful purge, a blessing and curse. This inevitable evolution."
One of the greatest attributes to working as an artist collaborative are all the fascinating ideas and directions multiple minds go. I am always happily surprised and impressed with the new ideas and innovations the other members of Dim Media have along our process. It keeps us fresh and on our toes, evolving as artists.
