Art links for the interested
Ok, so I've been collecting interesting art sites for ages, and I thought I'd do a post with some of my favourite, and more...unusual ones. You'll notice that a big portion of them are to do with dolls - but these are nothing like BJDs (although many of them are ball-jointed). So a word of warning - if dolls scare you, don't look. Very seriously. Taken that on board? Good - enjoy!
Dolls - I'm breaking this into two categories; 'doll-like' dolls (made in multiples, generally, as dolls you can buy), and 'artist's dolls' (once-off/art-piece-type dolls). The doll-like ones are probably 'safer'. They're less likely to look at you :P.
Doll-like:
- One of my favourites - I just love some of the sculpts. Well worth a look, I think.
- Maybe not such unusual sculpts - a bit more 'pretty' - but rather lovely, some of them.
- (why do the banners never do justice to the site? If you're a good photographer, wouldn't you put your best work where others would see it? *confused*) I don't find the dolls themselves as interesting as some, and it's certainly not artistically challanging, but the presentation is too gorgeous to leave alone - frills, lace, Victoriana, Alice in Wonderland (ie, if you're a loli, look here :P) - lovely clean photographs and very pretty indeed. One of the exhibitions - I suppose because it has more scope for installation art - has a bit more bite to it, but generally just sweet.
- Pure silliness, but trust me, when you see the sheep you'll understand. SHEEEEEP!!
Artist's Dolls:
- LOVE for this site...just love. I think the the most recent bisque dolls are particularly gorgeous, especially together. Note every face is stunning, but most of them are interesting, and a few of them are really breathtakingly lovely. Some beautiful photography in there as well...much reccomended, and not scary - unless you count the fact that a number of them look quite sentient.
- Ah yes, Etsuko Miura, of the infamous violin doll - now would be the time to run if glass eyes and ball-jointed knuckles have ever freaked you out ^^; If not - please, please look at this. Words can simply not describe.
- Hands-down the most gorgeous stuffed toys I've ever laid eyes on - just beautiful. I'd buy one, and that's saying a lot for me.
I actually couldn't find one link that I really wanted to put up here - you know how I said dolls don't creep me out? Well, this site's almost an exception...the dolls are life-size, with fully-jointed fingers, and...well, they're pretty amazing, and photographed quite eerily. If - when *detirmined* - I find it, I'll post it. See who's brave enough to check it out XP - these sites are (mostly) pretty tame, I think...
Extra:
- Artist's hub, I suppose - mixed, but some of it's beautiful.
Cipango - A blog/listing (?) for Japanese dolls - good bouncing point, if you're interested. Mostly artisan's work - some beautiful, some not - but Caress of Venus managed to slip a photo in too...^_~
2D Art:
- SOOOOOOO much awesome - just soooooo much. Really very, very cool art, one of my favourites for years, now. Very much worth it, even if you don't feel like looking at anything else.
- Truthfully, not entirely my kind of work - it's a bit too 'clean' stylistically :P - but it's too beautiful to pass by. Also, there's just something about using soft, faded, sugar-colours and a pretty, more girly, classical style to portrey rather twisted subject matter that really appeals to me. I like the fact that you can look at this work for a moment just admiring...and then you realise what's going on in the picture (and that it's not necessarily 'nice'). I reccomend the paintings particularly, and I like the sketchbook scans, too (but that's cause I'm obsessive about my sketchbooks).
Random:
Gothic Rose Antiques - 'Tis a shop of curios, I suppose - dare you to take a look at the Laboratory and Curiosities section (but only if you're sure you won't be freaked out by a purportedly real shrunken head, Figi mermaid {not claiming to be real}, or other bizarrities in the same vein)
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Hope you found something to entertain you, then - I'm off to play with the porcelain I bought the other day. I had to take it home on public transport. It was not fun. I think I also got more weird looks hugging my squishy, plastic-wrapped cargo than I've ever gotten for carrying a doll in public - however, nobody messes with a girl who totes around a 5-7kg brick, so I didn't get any actual comments -_-; I console myself that my pain will soon be converted to something useful - it's been a couple of months, now, since I last had the chance to sculpt, I am very much looking forward to it (and porcelain should be a lot of fun to use, too ^^).