Tenane Faotu Blog

Daniel Ibanez creates paintings that are so like mirrors. His work clearly reflects hope, beauty, and the presence of the divine in all forms of existence in the world. No matter the haste you're in, you'll definitely not fail to miss one of these creations if it's hanging from a wall along your path. They are like a soft light that somehow sinks into your being, making you feel as if you'll never know darkness again. The skill of our artist is so boldly apparent, you can see, can't you? Daniel Ibañez is a contemporary realism artist, illustrator, and instructor of Traditional and Digital Arts from the state of Colorado, USA. The man has been painting since he was a baby and he's revealed that he's of a family of artists. His grandmother was an oil painter. Ibanez sold his first oil painting at fifteen and by the time he was nineteen, he had won awards, had had solo shows and had been privileged to have his work displayed in galleries like Abe...

This is where I want to ask: what do these kids see and what do they make of the obvious in their sociocultural and political environment? I want to slip into my childhood. Maybe I'll find the stuff I have missed all these years while I try to figure out my own thought process and visual culture as a kid. I am only affected this way by the large-scale, childhood themed murals of French artist, Seth Globepainter. Julien Malland (that's his real name) travels the word, infusing life and colour into rather unremarkable surroundings and structures with his paint brushes and spray paints, making strong political statements subtly while at it, and learning traditional styles from collaborations with local artists. It's interesting how one can make out expressions from his faceless figures, as if their small bodies tell it all. You are also touched by the gentleness and innocence these murals bear, and this is amazing as these same creations raise awareness on ...

Imagine the sea and all the treasures that must live in its depth- corals and shells and remnants of civilizations swallowed by its watery vastness. Then thrust your eyes a little forward, to the future. I mean, make your own sci-fi and maybe you'll find something akin to Mitch Pilkington's ceramic vessels. Just look at those curves, the symmetry! They're like some marvel of engineering, representing the remarkable ingenuity of the best of nature. Sublime, I'd say. Mitch Pilkington studied Ceramics at Falmouth School of Art & Design. She is based in North Devon and has been a potter for a number of years. See more of her work on Instagram and on her website. Photo Credit: Instagram @mitchceramics

Let's talk about Lebanese French artist Roula Bechara's sublime female figures. Once again we are reminded that the power of the nude painting is nothing sexual. Oh well, there might be some sexual energy oozing of it, but what hits you more with Bechara's work for instance is a bunch of surprisingly liberating emotions sparked by the delicacy, serenity, confidence and the beauty her figures exude. It's almost like everytime she paints, the artist goes out of her way to capture Eve from Eden and unto her canvas with all all the the things about her that screams of womanhood. See more of what she does on Instagram and on her website. Photo Credit: Instagram @roulabecharaartist

They scale and cling to buildings, walls, trees, and other living spaces like some strange yet truly relatable natural forms. Laura Ellen Bacon's sculptural installations are like enlarged replicas of those structures designed by smaller biological life forms like birds and insects. What makes her sculptures even more fascinating is the way they curl and weave across surfaces and appear like organisms that are alive, breathing. You'd think they are capable of shifting position on their own at anytime. A neat, exquisite emulation of nature! One would wonder how these sculptures are made. Well, first you have to know that Bacon's primary building material here are willow branches. And it's more than basketry really, even though the construction involves twisting, tying and knotting by hand and also with the aid of a few craft tools. What you have is actually a complicated system of weaves and knots coming together to present a solid, powerful, sinuous fa...

Come and get thrown, get hugged and caressed by water and it's pulsing, life sustaining, mysterious power. Breathe in the fresh beauty and glory of the empowered feminine. You start when you meet Lindsay Rapp, this young California based artist, and her paint brushes. Few things are as magnificent as Rapp's rendering of the nautical and marine life. Her pieces are all sea foam and lustrous ocean blues, and then the charming female form often represented as beings that are totally at home with the ocean environment. That is, sea goddesses and mermaids! The artist describes her style as 'Magical Impressionism'. Apt in my opinion. To experience Rapp's artworks is to be dipped into the vibrant, dynamic life of oceans and seas, to experience like you'll never do in real life, the magic in water's interaction with light, it is to appreciate the fertility and sensuality of the ocean. Truly magical. Lindsay Rapp studied at the Pennsylvania Academy ...

Onyinye Zennia forms powerful, telling images from plywood boards, nails and strings or just a board and nails. Imagine that! It's an astounding touch of creativity, it's genius and then it's more than all that because once again hers is art that owns a rather ambitious purpose, which is to inspire, educate and soothe the broken. Her works deal with themes such as happiness, abuse, equality, mental and spiritual well-being, women empowerment, peace, poverty. Zennia draws from the reserves of her experiences and observations into her creative processs, stringing strong lines across bold points to touch those who see her creations with fresh, empowering knowledge. Onyinye Zennia is a Nigerian visual artist, a graphic designer and a photographer. You can see more of what she does on Instagram. Photo Credit: Instagram @zennia_art