For over forty years, Spanish commercial artist Gervasio Gallardo has been been enchanting viewers all over the globe with his fantastic works of fantasy and surrealism. His profound illustrative sensibilities and fine art techniques have rightly given him world wide recognition from both the fine art and illustration communities alike. Pictured above, are two examples from a rare collection of noncommercial work, published and seen here. However, Gallardo became known through his fantastic cover illustrations for fantasy fiction, in particularly the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series. more…

If your a fan of quality coffee and photography, you’d be interested to know about the 2008 Lavazza calendar, photographed by renowned Scottish photographer Finlay MacKay. His series of six images depict ‘The Most Majestic Espresso Experience’ and follow in the illustrious footsteps of previous calender photographers such as David Lachapelle, Thierry Le Goues and Ellen von Unwerth. Finlay’s contribution to the 16th edition of the calendar, nevertheless, is the most lavish and glamorous I’ve seen to date. His art nouveau inspired imagery give us plenty of insights into the dreamlike worlds of the French and Chinese imperial courts, chivalry of the Middle Ages and bejeweled queens enjoying a most majestic “Lavazza espresso” experience. In many ways, It is work that reminds me of lynn Goldsmith’s in the looking glass series - particularly, the imperial subjects and the surrealistic quality conveyed through hints of identity, irony, sensuality and elegance.

For more info visit Lavazza. Enjoy the rest of this beautiful series after the jump. more…

Funfair

What intrigues me most about Daniela Uhlig’s work is the expressive figures and animals done in a wide range of styles and techniques. She’s mostly into painting with traditional paint and brush, but recently (out of necessity) started creating digital artworks. Her online galleries both here and here, consists of mostly comic pop art, but you’ll also find a vast array of deliciously flavored imagery ranging from Art nouveau to full pin-ups of eroticism. Most, if not all pieces, are beautifully drawn and masterfully designed to encompass great sensuality, macabre humor and some rather fascinating “freakish” concepts that are illustrated perfectly. Note: Some of Daniela’s artwork could be considered NSFW, so it’s recommended only for a mature audience. View more after the jump.

Strawberry

Peg Leg

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Just discovered some truly paintalicious imagery by Gianluca Mattia, an artist born in Bari, Italy. After his studies in art, Mattia specialized in digital illustration and graphics 2D and 3D. His first illustrations represented creatures of different sorts, but it is in these modern, provocative, punk and sexy pin-up digital paintings that his talents have become realized. His works are admired by Maxon, a German software house who are leaders in CG graphics. Ultimately, this has lead to his works becoming a reference point for users of Cinema 4d. In 2006, Gianluca created the calendar for Suicide Girls of Los Angeles. Most recently,however, Mattia’s incredible talents are utilized by the the Italian fashion agency GoGo dolls and guys. View a few more of his beautiful imagery after the jump. more…

City View , 2003 - Light, Aluminum, Shadow - Permanent display at the 2nd floor of Nanba Parks Tower, Osaka, Japan. Commissioned by Nankai Railways Inc. Description: The numbers scattered on the wall, lit from the right, cast a silhouette of a woman.

Kumi Yamashita’s an extremely fascinating artist from Japan. She works mostly on installation pieces that’re constructed by using a host of obscure materials to trace figures in the most unlikely ways. In it, she questions all our expectations, by challenging our perceptions of predictable relationships between solids and their shadows. For example, on the wall, illuminated by a single light source, we can see an arrangement of numbered 3-d blocks. These appear to be scattered haphazardly on the wall, however, this is certainly not the case. Yamashita has carefully arranged these so that each casts a particular shadow which, when taken with all the other precisely placed objects, amazingly adds up to the illusion of a lifelike form of the human body. Incredible stuff. For more info about her art, visit Yamashita’s site.

Scintillating venuses - oil on wood - 24n x 23in

“As I begin a painting the subject physically, emotionally and spiritually reveals itself to me. Each brushstroke speaks to the subsequent stroke, carrying out a dialogue, linking my subject and me as if we were meeting for the first time. I find this uncertainty exciting and embrace the indecisive nature of my work.”

Enthusiasts and appreciators of the art of portrait painting will love the deeply compelling and dreamy works of Kris Lewis. From his bio: [Kris] studied Illustration at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he excelled in figurative painting. His major influences include Bougereau, the Pre- Raphaelites, Mucha, early Italian Renaissance painters, and the folklore of his Latvian heritage. Lewis’ most recent works are of a surrealist quality, replete with historical and biblical references and psychological undertones.

His completely absorbing portrait paintings follow the jump. more…