Skip to main content

Katie McCann's delightfully grotesque paper creatures


Every now and then I like to go to Katie McCann's tumblr and dig through her wonderfully weird creations once again to see what new can I find in them. Her collages are insane, and I mean that in the best possible way. 

Katie (aka Beetle Blossom) is an English artist currently living and working in Berkeley, California with a passion for everything unusual, grotesque and unique. Using cut outs from old medical books and magazines, she creates intricate Frankenstein-like figures "who are sometimes static like specimens and at other times are surviving in a unique habitat." She often incorporates lace, beads and fabric into her work to make them appear more elegant.

Artist Statement:
"I have known such a creature (Charles Altamont Doyle) is how I start my collages. As a child, I lived in a wonder world of faeries, witches, science fiction and botany. Not much has changed, the only difference being that I record all of my thoughts and stories in the form of intricately cut and pieced together collages. I like everything old and a little tired so I seek out images and photographs that are antique, vintage and forgotten. I transform these paper memories and records into other worldly creatures who are sometimes static like specimens and at other times are surviving in a unique habitat. I am rooted in the tradition of old fashioned childhood where discovery was at the bottom of the garden in amongst the crushed leaves, the lilac and the fungi. I hope that the creatures I uncovered in that quiet landscape are reflected in my collages."




Follow Katie's tumblr for more disturbing goodness.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Soothing abstract paintings by Jewelle Yeung

Jewelle Yeung creates some beautiful, soothing paintings. Her vivid strokes and soft blends invite the viewer to transition between reality and the dream. They're vibrant and dynamic, but at the same time elegant and graceful. No wonder I'm finding calm today as I look through her website .  Unlike other artists who work from a sketch, Jewelle paints directly on the canvas, using flat-faced paintbrushes and pallet knives to create her pictures. "I am fascinated by dreams and how our mind processes pieces of reality into our subconscious, mixing it up, and finding its way back to our conscious mind again," she said in an interview. "I like to bring these things out in my work." Of Chinese and Filipino descent, Jewelle spent her formative years split between Hong Kong and the Philippines. After completing her under graduate in Fashion design and Technology at the University of the Arts, and obtaining a Masters Degree at the City and Guilds of L...

This guy makes suits of armor for mice and cats

Calgary-based multi-media artist Jeff de Boer creates suits of armor… for cats and mice. He started designing and building these meticulously crafted metal pieces over 30 years ago as a little side project on his sculpting class at the Alberta College of Art and Design, where he majored in jewelry design. The side project eventually turned into a full time job. Jeff's work is inspired by Medieval times, Ancient Rome, the Renaissance Era, and Japan's Edo period. He uses different metals for his sculptures, but mostly bronze and copper. Though his creations look wearable, the artist has never really tried putting them on mice, though he did get scratched by one of his cats while doing so. While most of Jeff's work is done on a commission basis, he occasionally have pieces available for sale. Check out more of his impressive sculptures on his website and follow him on Facebook .

The Three-Step Secret

Have you ever encountered a painting that, up close, is pure chaos—a riot of color, a tantrum of brushstrokes? Yet, take a few steps back, and suddenly, the mess organizes itself. As if by cruel magic or divine intervention, the disarray snaps into clarity. That is the experience of viewing the art of Montana Engels . Her work is a testament to this phenomenon. Up close, Montana's canvases appear as nothing more than abstract, hand-painted stripes. Then you move away. Instantly, the mess resolves into a stunning, realistic portrait. The technique is extraordinary, turning proximity into confusion and distance into focus. Montana wasn’t always a phenomenon. Her creativity was just a hobby. Then came Belgium’s Got Talent . Suddenly, she was noticed. Now, she's everywhere. If you have a Facebook account, you might want to follow her .