Viewfinder, 2006 - 20 x 24 inches chromogenic Print

American photographer Thomas Allen constructs witty and clever dioramas using figures cut from the covers of old pulp paperbacks. Using salacious pulp art drawing’s of the ’40s and ’50s that covered books such as ” I Married a Dead Man” and ” Marihuana Girl’, Allen constructs one set of pictures up close while obscuring another, and in the process creates a different context. Each piece is given a brand new storyline, though never quite strays from their cheeky origins. See more…

La Mine, 2002. Chromogenic c-print, available in 16 x 16″, 24 x 24″, and 32 x 32″, Limited edition

Paris-Brest, 2004, Chromogenic c-print mounted on plexiglass, 32 x 32 inches x 2 (diptych)

This is the first major solo United States exhibition of works by the Paris-based artists, Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida, featuring a selection of works from the MINIMIAM series of diptych photographs created between 2002-2008.

The husband and wife team present a manufactured micro universe, part Toy Story, part Candy Land, populated with diminutive humanoid characters engaged in a range of ordinary and extraordinary activities. Since the project inception in 2002, the series has grown to over 60 images. more…

Personal piece - Mixed media - ‘The Halloween Banquet’ / “The Fortune Cookie Hunter”, Mixed media on wooden panel in vintage tin can

Here are a some example pieces by Dutch artist/illustrator Femke Hiemstra, who’s work is currently on display (Through May 3) at the Roq La Rue gallery, seattle (with Travis Louie). Am sure you will agree Hiemstras paintings have an incredibly unique and quirky Lowbrow style that evokes the work of Mark Ryden and Robert Williams. Here is an excerpt from her show:

(Amsterdam) meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings are homes to a dark, lush fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors. Gingerbread men hunt for elusive confections, persian cats attended by moths smoke opium pipes, and flowers extract their revenge on insect tormenters. Femke uses typography in her work, using words and phrases from various languages and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vibrant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a cover for a fantastical adventure book, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story inside. She will be exhibiting 12 original paintings and several drawings.

On her website Femtasia, Hiemstra sells prints, shirts and buttons, and while it all looks to be of excellent quality, I’m most impressed with the button designs. You can see more of Hiemstra’s charming paintings from the show after the jump. more…

Like many artists of their generation, English brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman allude to an incredible amount historical reference in their work. This is particularly evident in a series (aptly) named “Hell” (1999–2000), of which portrays an apocalyptic vision of hell on Earth as war, Nazi atrocities, concentration camps, and mass executions with thousands of miniature figures taken apart and put together again. These were arranged in nine glass cases laid out in the shape of a swastika and later destroyed by the artists. Dinos Chapman is reported to have shrugged off the loss, saying, “We will just make it again… It is only art.”

See more from this series after the jump more…

Devils Charm // Lie - Both Graphite Miniatures on Antique paper

My work is strongly influenced by the images of my childhood. I was first exposed to Art through the colorful pages of children’s books. They fascinated me, and profoundly affected my artistic sensibilities. To this day, Fairy tale and nursery rhyme imagery are ever-present in my artwork - Jason D’Aquino

Jason D’Aquino is a Miniaturist from Brooklyn, NY. His drawings are done on a painstakingly tiny scale, many works not exceeding one inch by one inch. As you can imagine, work of such proportions must be viewed at very close proximity with the aid of powerful magnification. It is not just the meticulous detail that adds poignancy to the message in these, but the juxtaposition of the old and new, by drawing on a supercharged surface such as a (strike-on front) matchbook, 18th century animal skin vellum and other pieces of vintage ephemera.

See more at Jason’s virtual gallery featuring fantastical small-scale, highly detailed graphite drawings and surreal fairy-tale imagery here. Continue after the jump to see some of my favorites. more…

Bike Accident, 2005

• Julia Fullerton-batten

It is for her personal work in the field of fine art photography that UK-based Julia Fullerton-Batten is getting a reputation. In particular, the series entitled: Teen Stories. This series was developed out of Julia’s adoration for miniature villages. The photographs are hypnotic, slightly unnerving, juxtaposing teenage girls at the moment of facing maturity, many of which are involved in everyday leisure activities, at home, in the garden, at the swimming pool, or at the beach. Many of her concepts in this series, are in part: fairy tale (Alice in wonderland) with unique surreal twists. What’s more, they exemplify the real art of photography; making the ordinary into the extraordinary by seeing it in a completely unique way. See more examples from this extraordinary series after the jump. more…