Every month, Beautiful Bizarre chooses one of our favourite artists to TAKE OVER our social media for the day. On 9 May Sheri DeBow took over beautiful.bizarre and we loved learning more about her inspirations and how they have affected her work and ideas.
We couldn’t be more excited than to have been able to present another one of our favourite artists – Sculptor, Painter and Doll Maker Sheri DeBow. Sheri’s one of a kind dolls are carefree and beaming with colour. They immediately fill you with the kind of joy you can’t contain, their playfulness reminds you of a fantastical place filled with fairy-tales and dreams. Sheri is also a wonderful human being and we are so happy to present a small number of her favourite works. May we present – Sheri DeBow Takes Over beautiful.bizarre, over to you Sheri.
Let me start by saying what a privilege it was to be asked by beautiful.bizarre to reflect on some of my favorite art and artists in a one day media take over. That being said, it was equally torturous as I was limited to only eight and there are vast arrays of artists I truly admire and respect. I decided not to write about the obvious classical masters that we all love so as not to be “preaching to the choir”. Instead, I have chosen eight artists currently working and striving, living amongst you and perfecting their craft every day.
Maryanna Hoggatt is an artist working in the Pacific Northwest. She is a painter and sculptor who tells adventure stories with her forest dwelling creatures. She is so adept at making all her sculptures have personalities of their own. Her work is so detailed and although she has been painting for years, the amount of technicality and perfection are quite astounding, as she has only been sculpting for a short time. Maryanna has the ability to pull you into her characters adventures and make you want to join them on their trek into the woods or out across the ocean. This piece by Maryanna is called “Look Further”
Kurtis Rykovich is a painter that creates alluring work no matter what his subject. Whether it is one of the latest pop icons or a figure from his own imagination, there is a provocative feel to his gorgeous work. His detailed sketches lay the ground for rich paintings that emotes mischief, sauciness and a loss of innocence. He is the master of “The Bad Girl”. There is a bit of danger behind Kurtis’ characters, but even still, his work in oil captures you, and draws you in with those coy glances and come-hither stares. You never know what trouble is around the corner with these characters. This piece by Kurtis is called “Harley”.
Calvin Ma‘s technical abilities are over the top in the features of his Ceramic sculpture. Calvin takes Ceramic clay and pushes it beyond what it should even be able to do. He has come up with characters that follow through all of his three dimensional work, that show an exaggerated pull between oversized and delicate. The somber faces on his enlarged heads carry so much feeling in every facet of each piece. You don’t have to know Calvin to feel the painstaking time and dedication that goes into every carve, cut or engraving component that he puts into his clay. This piece by Calvin is called “Fennec Fox”.
Kelly Vivanco pulls you into a storybook world like no other. Her ability to capture and use light as another feature within her narrative just makes her characters even stronger. Each piece has an old world feel with a modern twist. Although her fairy tale like characters are painted many times with looks of trepidation on their faces, she creates an equal amount of fearless warriors and adventurous children. It is very easy to get lost in the mixture of delicate vines, dark forests, floating bubbles or marbles but the characters always pull you back to a central theme within each painting. Kelly’s work captures the extreme feelings in childhood we can all relate to that bounce between self made super hero or hiding up a tree. This piece by Kelly is called “Knapsack”.
Erika Sanada‘s art infuses a gentle side to ceramic sculpture. The tiny, tedious etchings of fur and wrinkles on all of Erika’s creations are mind boggling. When you are looking at her work, you literally want to reach out and stroke a softness that you see on the surface of her figures. Erika manages to find balance between tiny helpless creatures being set in a world that could precariously devour them. Her use of blended colors, tints and glazes are the perfect accent to bring all her other worldly, delicately sculpted animals to life. There is a tenderness to her characters even when they are staring at you with a mouth full of jagged teeth. This piece by Erica is called “Cope”.
Matt Dangler is a painter who finds the perfect match of mystery and light. There is hidden comedy concealed within his detailed pieces and the perfect amount of the ominous danger that is lurking. The palette is blended so effortlessly and although the colors are soft, there is a great intensity because of his glowing use of light. His characters give a nod back to childhood movies, books, and television shows but they are twisted perfectly to become his own inventions. Even the recognizable characters become something all new under Matt’s brush and then they are seamlessly fused into the harmony of his paintings. This Piece by Matt is called “The Soul Whisperer”.
Doubleparlour – Cassie and Ernie are two of the most prolific sculptors I have ever seen! Their quirky figures and creations constantly win the hearts of people all over the world. From the somber to the sweet to the grotesque, they manage to marry all aspects of sentiment and melancholy into their massive amount of sculptures. They also find time to sneak in monsters and an array of outer worldly creatures from beyond the norm. The straightforward palette combined with pops of surprises in detail keeps their work fresh and ever changing. Although you will always recognize their unique style, just when you think you have seen it all Doubleparlour switches it up again. This piece’s are the “Clam Kiddos”.
Jennybird Alcantara paintings are a world within a dream within another realm. The detail in her work is nothing less than awe inspiring and museum level. She is able to create a perfect balance in her composition even though her paintings are teeming with endless amounts of imagery, foliage, animals or whatever speaks to her heart. Her palette has a limitless range, but her characters are always clearly defined even with the softest skin tones or wafts of lace. All the hidden aspects in Jennybird’s paintings and her tireless attention to every facet of her work will make anyone want to dive into her world. This piece by Jennybird is called “The Cherished”.
This is the final piece chosen from the amazing Sheri DeBow. Thank you so much Sheri for sharing your inspirations and loves with our readers. We are overjoyed with your selections and truly grateful to you for participating in the beautiful.bizarre TAKE OVER.
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