Blow it to Smithereens!

Peter Garfield is a magic man. I'm pretty sure he was the guy Heart sang about. Just look at this house gone-kaboom:

This is more magical than Disney. Flying, falling houses. Spaces that held so many intimacies and private lives, now exploded. And we get to see a vital split-second view of these airborne buildings.

So no, these aren't actually real life-size houses, broken and tossed up. They've actually impeccably build little models. Seriously though, isn't that just as impressive? 

Typographic Map of The City

Undeniably, we're surrounded by typography. Urban centers are plastered in branding, because buying and selling is pretty much how people live. Totally fine, I guess. Unless it's especially stunning, it usually goes unnoticed, because we're so used to it all. How can we easily see and understand what comes at us in a public space? Artist Matt Siber takes a step back and digitally isolates text from the visual information in the photograph, displaying them side-by-side in huge diptychs.

These places look so bizarre once type is removed. Bare, pure, and perversely naked. And the separated text on the right comes in varied, compelling compositions. The photographic perspective plays a hand in that, no doubt. 

Also, that's a lot of photoshopping. Hard to believe, but I can get nerdy at times... I know, a sultry bombshell isn't supposed to get nerdy, but I'm also a woman of mystery, full of surprises. One of my deep dark secrets is that I love tedious editing, so viewing his work gets me all sorts of excited!

(I know, too much information. But it's not like I want to eat it or anything. Because that wouldn't make any sense.)

Sucker Punch of Colour

Welcome to the inaugural post of Marmalade Parade! To start us off with a bang, I'd like to present the work of Eliza Griffiths, who is hands-down, holy hell, one of my all-time favourite artists. And she's Canadian! Her 'Psycho-Drama' paintings are intimate and bizarre, glamourous in a dirty fairy-tale sort of way... and yet still feel utterly human.

The protagonists are kind of broken human creatures, living in a disturbing gorgeous daydream of desire, bruises, disenchantment, body hair, comedy, struggle, neon... all of which are the most fun things in the world! At least to me.

Here are some of my favourite pieces by the incredible Ms. Griffiths:

Need For Speed (2000-2001)

Abundance (2005)

Universal Healthcare For Everyone (2005)

Honestly, it's all the more mesmerizing up close, in real life. If you're lucky, you can catch her latest paintings and drawings showing at the Katharine Mulherin Gallery in Toronto (exhibition runs until October 24th). Here are examples of more recent pieces:

 

Urban Narrative (2007-2010)

 Hypnotist (2007-2010)

 Gamblers (2007-2010)

(Images from elizagriffiths.com)

I was inspired by her work even in my high school years, designing an extremely limited fashion line (ahem, 2 outfits.... yep, pretty limited) for my school fashion show. Revealing garments, vivid colours accentuated with innocence. Alas, no bare nipples allowed.

Frankentoys & Regretsy

As you probably already know, Etsy is an awesome marketplace for crafters and artists to sell their works (and I buy from it constantly). But if you've ever searched through listings on Etsy, you'd see that it's definitely hit and miss. And that's where Regretsy comes in.

Regretsy showcases the best of the worst of Etsy goods, and I mean that as a compliment. Your shit is probably bananas-bad if it's on Regretsy, and I think it's exciting to cause such an effect with your work. Which leads us to Frankentoys. 

Yes, Frankentoys has been featured on Regretsy, but I honestly don't think the works by Frankentoys are awful in a pitiful sad way. Actually, they're terrible in the best way possible! Unexpected toy juxtapositions, sewn together in ridiculous and wonderful ways. This is art, my friends, whether you like it or not. Clever, unpretentious, and hilarious. 

Red Carpet Chupacabra (69.95 USD)

Jurassic Jane (42.00 USD)

Death by Dolphin (42.50 USD)

Plus all of these toys have been rescued and repurposed, which fits with the idea of living more greenly, right? I remember when I was a wee little girl, I would recycle the strangest things to make new masterpieces. Snakeskin shoulder pads? Turned them into a flashy purse for my 10-year-old self. But I've got nothing on Frankentoys creator Rachel Peters. And I hope she doesn't Regret(sy) making these beauties. God, that last joke was awful.