Based in California, Jupin is mostly known for his paintings but also sculpts and draws. In March 2017, he published his first book by Stolen Books titled “DOUBLE CHECK YOU’RE ALONE”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

With his paintings, an element of play is introduced through optical illusions: “I usually have an idea that I’ll mock-up in photoshop using an assortment of references,” Jupin explained in an interview with Juxtapoz, where he shared his creative process. “But typically, I leave room for chance,” he admits. “I like to give myself options in the direction my painting can go. I think some of the best paintings I’ve made come from those opportunities.”

But though immersed in irony, Jupin aspires to be as truthful as he can with his art. “I’ve been trying to be more honest with myself as a painter and making paintings that interest me,” he notes. “The humor comes from the viewer’s own subconscious connection to these images, and I’m not trying to force this humor on anyone.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

According to Jupine, exploring the anti-real within the logic of cartoons is when the paintings become absurd. “It’s at this moment that I feel levity become present, the paintings explore animation and absurdist reality comes along with it,” he says. Indeed, painting through a nostalgic lens allows him to communicate the absurdity of how images from Disney cartoons are remembered from childhood.

“There is no rhyme or reason to my process, no schedule in how I made these recent works,” says Jupin. “Some days I feel like drawing and other days I feel like painting.” Follow his creative journey on social media.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

The post Enter the Surreal, Nostalgic Landscape of Aaron Elvis Jupin appeared first on TheWanderWit.

“I’ve always been inspired by patterns in nature, natural phenomena, and things that feel much bigger than ourselves, while also feeling familiar,” reflected Heisch in a recent interview with Whitewall. And yet, being abstract, her paintings also have a sense of openness to them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

“I’ve been thinking more about fantasy, really striving for less rigidity in my work,” says Heisch. “I’m thinking about space, actual imagery of outer space, but more so I’m thinking about the forms in my paintings existing in a space that isn’t grounded or rooted in architecture.”

These spaces can reflect both the outside world and our personal interpretations of it – a psychological landscape of sorts that reminds of surrealist paintings from the early 20th century. “I’m thinking of this newer work as exhibiting forms grown in nature, the balance and chaos that entails, and having lots of fun exploring all the possibilities of that imagery,” says Heisch.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

Her sense of exploration and experimentation can also be traced to her creative process. “I start with a series of thumbnails, to get a few possible scenarios for a painting,” explains Heisch. “From there, I most often make a pastel based on one of the thumbnails. The pastels are great to work out color, and maybe to edit composition.” She adds that while she tries to match colors accurately to the pastel during the first few layers of underpainting, she usually stops paying such close attention to the pastel reference as the painting progresses.

Born in New Zealand, Heischwas raised in Buffalo, New York, and attended SUNY Potsdam, where she received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in 2011. She then went on to attend the University at Albany, where she received her Masters in Fine Arts in 2014. Now based in in Brooklyn, New York, her selected solo exhibitions include Trapeze, Davidson Gallery, Heed, Transmitter Gallery (both in NY), and Like Molasses, No Place Gallery, Columbus, OH.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

The post Angela Heisch’s Surreal Paintings are Both Familiar and Unfamiliar appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But her introduction to art was much earlier, as a young child. “I started making art as a child,” she shared in an interview with Issue Magazine. “I was probably first introduced to it in kindergarten. My first recollection comprises plasticine, paper collage, watercolor and the varied possibilities of Lego blocks.”

These days, the majority of her work is based around people—portrait painting, that is. Often depicting people with whom she has significant relationships, Mathenge’s paintings are realized through structured compositions emboldened with gestural strokes and mark making.

According to Mathenge, through her work, she hopes to demystify what it means to be a Kenyan woman. “I was always intrigued by the fact that there was so much ignorance in the West as to the totality of conditions in Kenya,” she admits.

“Questions regarding the building structures, the cities, transportation systems all stumped me because these are things that I took for granted—that the West was aware that nations in Africa were organized and developing.”

Her portrait art is, at times, a reminder of what it looks like in these liminal spaces (between Africa and the diaspora), other times simply a glimpse back into the past, into other spaces as a way of recalling and recording. Scroll down to see some recent works by her.

The post The Striking Portrait Art of Wangari Mathenge appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But it’s her miniature paintings and collages on used tea bags that turned this relatively unknown artist into a viral sensation. It all started on January 3, 2015, when she launched the 363 Days of Tea Project, a visual daily record of her impression of the moment, using the emptied-out tea bag as her canvas. Silvious kept her promise to herself and for the next 363 days, she altered teabags, creating a new work of art each and every day.

Her paintings on tea bags, some inspired by her travels around the world, have been featured in numerous publications including CNN Travel, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Good Morning America. She was even featured in the internationally syndicated Ripley’s Believe it or Not. 

Based in New York’s Hudson Valley, her art is exhibited internationally and is featured in public and private collections. She is also the author of 363 Days of Tea: A Visual Journal on Used Teabags (Mascot Books, 2016), and Reclaimed Canvas: Reimagining the Familiar (Mascot Books, 2019).

“I want viewers to keep an open mind and think beyond the boundaries of what they may consider traditional art,” says Silvious. “In today’s throw-away culture, where we have immediate access to an abundance of materials and numerous mediums to choose from, all things become possible.”

Prepare to be inspired.

The post Ruby Silvious Will Inspire You to Make Art with What’s Infront of You appeared first on TheWanderWit.

The focus is still on the subject but the power is in the parts we cannot see. The viewer is therefore invited to fill in the blanks. “I try not to impose a clear cut narrative on the viewer,” she explains on her website. “My aim is to illicit an emotional response without dictating to the viewer what they should or shouldn’t be feeling.”

Her unfinished portraits are drawn or painted, relying on found photos of strangers, with particular focus on ambiguous or, at a glance, neutral expressions. “The unknown subject and therefore his or her unknown emotions have become an important aspect in my work,” she notes, “where I, in turn, find myself instinctively attempting to read the individual – something which gradually becomes apparent in my treatment of the work.”

The finished-yet-unfinished products are perceived differently, depending on the individual viewer, and what one person perceives can be in complete contradiction to the next. Sometimes these reactions can be clearly explained by the individual and other times it is something visceral that can’t quite be placed. “The piece is then no longer about the face looking back at us, but about the feelings that it stirs and what that means about us,” she reflects.

Follow her thought-provoking work via Instagram.

The post The Uncomplete Portraits of Lucy Pass appeared first on TheWanderWit.

Known for her intense paintings, dense with symbolism (incorporating skulls, flora and fauna, as well as more fantastical motifs), her work has also attracted an impressive following online, with almost 40k fans on Instagram alone. “I think the internet is key to show your work and access content everywhere,” she reflected in an interview with Drawfolio, adding that “a negative aspect can be that your work is more easy to steal, but that’s a risk you take before playing the internet game. The most important thing is to keep working and using the internet in an adequate fashion.”

Her inspiration comes from a variety of sources, stating artists like Henri Rousseau, David Hockney, Aleksandra Waliszewska, and Giorgio De Chirico. “But I don’t get influenced only by painters or artists,” notes Bellido. “I get inspiration from childhood memories, things that draw my attention during the day-to-day, or books I’ve recently read. The most important thing is to find a way to make these ideas real and make them your own.”

Her advice to other aspiring artists out there: find a personal style you’re comfortable with, set up small goals to prevent burn-out. and put in the effort. Solid advice, if you ask us.

The post Mercedes Bellido’s Paintings are Rich With Symbolism appeared first on TheWanderWit.

Relying on her 3D models allows Bennett to manipulate the setting, offering complete control over lighting and composition, as well as a vantage point to achieve a certain dramatic effect. Her recent models included a town, neighborhood, lake, theater, doctor’s office, and church.

“My earlier paintings are more explicitly narrative,” explained Bennett on her website. “Similar to memory, they are glimpses of a fictional scene that might move the viewer to consider the moment before or after the one presented in the painting. I am interested in storytelling over time through repeated depictions of the same house or car or person, seasonal changes, and shifting vantage points.”

The narratives she creates, using both models and painting, are eerily silent – a sort of horror scene that unfolds in front of the viewer’s eyes. Peek inside her miniature worlds in the gallery below.

The post Amy Bennett Creates Dramatic Scenes in Miniature Form appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But the meaning of the paintings is open to interpretation. “I’m often not sure what it is I want the figure to be feeling,” says Flint. “I need to surrender and find it within the painting. We are used to seeing people depicted smiling or scowling in advertisements where ambiguity isn’t going to sell anything.”

Treating her art as a way of making peace with reality, Flint paints her women in sheer contrast to images splashed in fashion magazines. “Fashion magazines are meant to reflect our desire and imagination,” she says. “But it is a world that just feels so engendered to me now.”

Take a peek into her small, relatable worlds.

The post Prudence Flint Paints Women in Relatable Settings appeared first on TheWanderWit.

“Before I start a new painting, I keep thinking about what I want to say in it. It can have a specific narrative or just convey a mood or feeling—it mostly reflects on a memory, life event or something I have recently read,” she told This Is Colossal.

Khosravi wanted to be an artist since she was very young, but always felt pressured to pursue something more practical, like engineering. She studied graphic design as a compromise and later earned a Master’s degree in Fine Arts in illustration.

You can see her art below and more on her Instagram page.

The post Arghavan Khosravi’s Paintings Talk About Human Right Issues appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But her artistic career bore fruit by a sort of chance. “One day a gallery owner dropped by and asked me, ‘Are you interested in exhibiting your work?’” she told the Donna Wilson blog. “He invited me to a group exhibition in New York! That happened when I was twenty years old… I think I will keep drawing as long as possible, even when I get older.”

Focusing mainly on flora and fauna, Takahashi says she enjoys drawing animals and nature because of their unique shapes and colors. Her artwork is inspired by her every day strolls, but also by her inclination to daydream. “I like daydreaming in my head,” she admits. “‘If I gave a hat to a rabbit, what kind of hat would that be?’ ‘If this turtle could talk, what would he want to tell me?’ It’s a bit weird, but I think these things are part of what creates my style. Oh, and I dream every night too. I sometimes take inspiration from their stories and the color contrasts.”

Follow her Instagram for a pop of quirkiness.

The post These Naive Paintings Make Us Aww appeared first on TheWanderWit.

Based in California, Jupin is mostly known for his paintings but also sculpts and draws. In March 2017, he published his first book by Stolen Books titled “DOUBLE CHECK YOU’RE ALONE”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

With his paintings, an element of play is introduced through optical illusions: “I usually have an idea that I’ll mock-up in photoshop using an assortment of references,” Jupin explained in an interview with Juxtapoz, where he shared his creative process. “But typically, I leave room for chance,” he admits. “I like to give myself options in the direction my painting can go. I think some of the best paintings I’ve made come from those opportunities.”

But though immersed in irony, Jupin aspires to be as truthful as he can with his art. “I’ve been trying to be more honest with myself as a painter and making paintings that interest me,” he notes. “The humor comes from the viewer’s own subconscious connection to these images, and I’m not trying to force this humor on anyone.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

According to Jupine, exploring the anti-real within the logic of cartoons is when the paintings become absurd. “It’s at this moment that I feel levity become present, the paintings explore animation and absurdist reality comes along with it,” he says. Indeed, painting through a nostalgic lens allows him to communicate the absurdity of how images from Disney cartoons are remembered from childhood.

“There is no rhyme or reason to my process, no schedule in how I made these recent works,” says Jupin. “Some days I feel like drawing and other days I feel like painting.” Follow his creative journey on social media.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aaron Elvis Jupin (@jupescoops)

The post Enter the Surreal, Nostalgic Landscape of Aaron Elvis Jupin appeared first on TheWanderWit.

“I’ve always been inspired by patterns in nature, natural phenomena, and things that feel much bigger than ourselves, while also feeling familiar,” reflected Heisch in a recent interview with Whitewall. And yet, being abstract, her paintings also have a sense of openness to them.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

“I’ve been thinking more about fantasy, really striving for less rigidity in my work,” says Heisch. “I’m thinking about space, actual imagery of outer space, but more so I’m thinking about the forms in my paintings existing in a space that isn’t grounded or rooted in architecture.”

These spaces can reflect both the outside world and our personal interpretations of it – a psychological landscape of sorts that reminds of surrealist paintings from the early 20th century. “I’m thinking of this newer work as exhibiting forms grown in nature, the balance and chaos that entails, and having lots of fun exploring all the possibilities of that imagery,” says Heisch.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

Her sense of exploration and experimentation can also be traced to her creative process. “I start with a series of thumbnails, to get a few possible scenarios for a painting,” explains Heisch. “From there, I most often make a pastel based on one of the thumbnails. The pastels are great to work out color, and maybe to edit composition.” She adds that while she tries to match colors accurately to the pastel during the first few layers of underpainting, she usually stops paying such close attention to the pastel reference as the painting progresses.

Born in New Zealand, Heischwas raised in Buffalo, New York, and attended SUNY Potsdam, where she received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in 2011. She then went on to attend the University at Albany, where she received her Masters in Fine Arts in 2014. Now based in in Brooklyn, New York, her selected solo exhibitions include Trapeze, Davidson Gallery, Heed, Transmitter Gallery (both in NY), and Like Molasses, No Place Gallery, Columbus, OH.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @angelaheisch

The post Angela Heisch’s Surreal Paintings are Both Familiar and Unfamiliar appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But her introduction to art was much earlier, as a young child. “I started making art as a child,” she shared in an interview with Issue Magazine. “I was probably first introduced to it in kindergarten. My first recollection comprises plasticine, paper collage, watercolor and the varied possibilities of Lego blocks.”

These days, the majority of her work is based around people—portrait painting, that is. Often depicting people with whom she has significant relationships, Mathenge’s paintings are realized through structured compositions emboldened with gestural strokes and mark making.

According to Mathenge, through her work, she hopes to demystify what it means to be a Kenyan woman. “I was always intrigued by the fact that there was so much ignorance in the West as to the totality of conditions in Kenya,” she admits.

“Questions regarding the building structures, the cities, transportation systems all stumped me because these are things that I took for granted—that the West was aware that nations in Africa were organized and developing.”

Her portrait art is, at times, a reminder of what it looks like in these liminal spaces (between Africa and the diaspora), other times simply a glimpse back into the past, into other spaces as a way of recalling and recording. Scroll down to see some recent works by her.

The post The Striking Portrait Art of Wangari Mathenge appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But it’s her miniature paintings and collages on used tea bags that turned this relatively unknown artist into a viral sensation. It all started on January 3, 2015, when she launched the 363 Days of Tea Project, a visual daily record of her impression of the moment, using the emptied-out tea bag as her canvas. Silvious kept her promise to herself and for the next 363 days, she altered teabags, creating a new work of art each and every day.

Her paintings on tea bags, some inspired by her travels around the world, have been featured in numerous publications including CNN Travel, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Good Morning America. She was even featured in the internationally syndicated Ripley’s Believe it or Not. 

Based in New York’s Hudson Valley, her art is exhibited internationally and is featured in public and private collections. She is also the author of 363 Days of Tea: A Visual Journal on Used Teabags (Mascot Books, 2016), and Reclaimed Canvas: Reimagining the Familiar (Mascot Books, 2019).

“I want viewers to keep an open mind and think beyond the boundaries of what they may consider traditional art,” says Silvious. “In today’s throw-away culture, where we have immediate access to an abundance of materials and numerous mediums to choose from, all things become possible.”

Prepare to be inspired.

The post Ruby Silvious Will Inspire You to Make Art with What’s Infront of You appeared first on TheWanderWit.

The focus is still on the subject but the power is in the parts we cannot see. The viewer is therefore invited to fill in the blanks. “I try not to impose a clear cut narrative on the viewer,” she explains on her website. “My aim is to illicit an emotional response without dictating to the viewer what they should or shouldn’t be feeling.”

Her unfinished portraits are drawn or painted, relying on found photos of strangers, with particular focus on ambiguous or, at a glance, neutral expressions. “The unknown subject and therefore his or her unknown emotions have become an important aspect in my work,” she notes, “where I, in turn, find myself instinctively attempting to read the individual – something which gradually becomes apparent in my treatment of the work.”

The finished-yet-unfinished products are perceived differently, depending on the individual viewer, and what one person perceives can be in complete contradiction to the next. Sometimes these reactions can be clearly explained by the individual and other times it is something visceral that can’t quite be placed. “The piece is then no longer about the face looking back at us, but about the feelings that it stirs and what that means about us,” she reflects.

Follow her thought-provoking work via Instagram.

The post The Uncomplete Portraits of Lucy Pass appeared first on TheWanderWit.

Known for her intense paintings, dense with symbolism (incorporating skulls, flora and fauna, as well as more fantastical motifs), her work has also attracted an impressive following online, with almost 40k fans on Instagram alone. “I think the internet is key to show your work and access content everywhere,” she reflected in an interview with Drawfolio, adding that “a negative aspect can be that your work is more easy to steal, but that’s a risk you take before playing the internet game. The most important thing is to keep working and using the internet in an adequate fashion.”

Her inspiration comes from a variety of sources, stating artists like Henri Rousseau, David Hockney, Aleksandra Waliszewska, and Giorgio De Chirico. “But I don’t get influenced only by painters or artists,” notes Bellido. “I get inspiration from childhood memories, things that draw my attention during the day-to-day, or books I’ve recently read. The most important thing is to find a way to make these ideas real and make them your own.”

Her advice to other aspiring artists out there: find a personal style you’re comfortable with, set up small goals to prevent burn-out. and put in the effort. Solid advice, if you ask us.

The post Mercedes Bellido’s Paintings are Rich With Symbolism appeared first on TheWanderWit.

Relying on her 3D models allows Bennett to manipulate the setting, offering complete control over lighting and composition, as well as a vantage point to achieve a certain dramatic effect. Her recent models included a town, neighborhood, lake, theater, doctor’s office, and church.

“My earlier paintings are more explicitly narrative,” explained Bennett on her website. “Similar to memory, they are glimpses of a fictional scene that might move the viewer to consider the moment before or after the one presented in the painting. I am interested in storytelling over time through repeated depictions of the same house or car or person, seasonal changes, and shifting vantage points.”

The narratives she creates, using both models and painting, are eerily silent – a sort of horror scene that unfolds in front of the viewer’s eyes. Peek inside her miniature worlds in the gallery below.

The post Amy Bennett Creates Dramatic Scenes in Miniature Form appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But the meaning of the paintings is open to interpretation. “I’m often not sure what it is I want the figure to be feeling,” says Flint. “I need to surrender and find it within the painting. We are used to seeing people depicted smiling or scowling in advertisements where ambiguity isn’t going to sell anything.”

Treating her art as a way of making peace with reality, Flint paints her women in sheer contrast to images splashed in fashion magazines. “Fashion magazines are meant to reflect our desire and imagination,” she says. “But it is a world that just feels so engendered to me now.”

Take a peek into her small, relatable worlds.

The post Prudence Flint Paints Women in Relatable Settings appeared first on TheWanderWit.

“Before I start a new painting, I keep thinking about what I want to say in it. It can have a specific narrative or just convey a mood or feeling—it mostly reflects on a memory, life event or something I have recently read,” she told This Is Colossal.

Khosravi wanted to be an artist since she was very young, but always felt pressured to pursue something more practical, like engineering. She studied graphic design as a compromise and later earned a Master’s degree in Fine Arts in illustration.

You can see her art below and more on her Instagram page.

The post Arghavan Khosravi’s Paintings Talk About Human Right Issues appeared first on TheWanderWit.

But her artistic career bore fruit by a sort of chance. “One day a gallery owner dropped by and asked me, ‘Are you interested in exhibiting your work?’” she told the Donna Wilson blog. “He invited me to a group exhibition in New York! That happened when I was twenty years old… I think I will keep drawing as long as possible, even when I get older.”

Focusing mainly on flora and fauna, Takahashi says she enjoys drawing animals and nature because of their unique shapes and colors. Her artwork is inspired by her every day strolls, but also by her inclination to daydream. “I like daydreaming in my head,” she admits. “‘If I gave a hat to a rabbit, what kind of hat would that be?’ ‘If this turtle could talk, what would he want to tell me?’ It’s a bit weird, but I think these things are part of what creates my style. Oh, and I dream every night too. I sometimes take inspiration from their stories and the color contrasts.”

Follow her Instagram for a pop of quirkiness.

The post These Naive Paintings Make Us Aww appeared first on TheWanderWit.