ART: BRITTANY BINDRIM

With the newest issue of Kung Fu Breakfast less than a week away (this month’s theme: Tales of the Internet), I was privy to a sneak peek at the cover art by Brittany Bindrim by editor Jay Kantor. It’s maniacal, pulpy, and gorgeous. Much like last month’s cover from Caitlin Anne, this is the sort of art that makes me proud to be a part of such a dynamic, exciting publication.

Brittany is an artist, musician, entrepreneur, and graphic design guru who is the founder of Black Dove Design Company and the songwriter/vocalist of I:Scintilla, a band that defies easy genre categorization but flirts with synth pop, trip-hop, and indie electro. She has a versatile illustration style but I have selected work by her that I think matches the overall aesthetic of this blog: Macabre, creepy, and beautifully stark. She’s a striking talent and her work would be perfect for a variety of metal styles. I could see her designs as a cover for anyone from Kylesa to The Dillinger Escape Plan.

(PRO TIP: CLICK PICTURES FOR A LARGER  VIEW AND MORE BAD ASS DETAIL.)

Brittany says of her artwork,  “I honestly cannot remember a day that art was not in my life. At an early age, I found a way to escape reality and get lost in the dreamscape of creating art and have lived there ever since. With compelling vision and true passion, I aim to create memorable and meaningful illustrations with magical realism. Working as a graphic designer and art director for over 6 years has given me an innovative design sense to construct elaborate images and nurtured my bold graphic style.

“My latest body of work consists of pen and ink illustrations drawn with obsessive organic detail. These pieces have been fueled and inspired by dreams and nightmares, anxiety, the streets of New Orleans, the poetry of Charles Bukowski, conspiracy theories, and the horrors of the 9 to 5. I have been hypnotized by the pen to create rich black and white surrealist imagery. The organic vines and veins repeated in the work symbolize a complex and puzzling interconnectedness we have with the one another, nature, and the modern world.”

Check out more of her art and design work and find contact information at:  http://www.blackdovedesigncompany.com/

Prints of her amazing work can be purchased here:  iscintilla.imagekind.com

And listen to I:Scintilla’s music, streaming over at:  http://www.iscintilla.com/?page_id=8

I:Scintilla are releasing a new EP on May 3rd. You can check out a preview track here:

https://soundcloud.com/iscintilla/ruin

Many thanks to Brittany for allowing me to share her work! I will post links to the next issue of Kung Fu Breakfast when it’s officially released so you can all marvel at her mind-frying skill.

ART: KIM MARRA

 

 

Never underestimate the visual element of music. From Elvis to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to Alice Cooper to the horned altar thing Dragged Into Sunlight drags lugs show to show, rock’n’roll has always held the power of intense imagery close. This is one of the reasons I like to feature visual artists on this site. The other: Sense of artistic community. The artists covered may not be metal fans, or even considered “extreme,” but their serious talent can convey the entire spectrum of emotion, from rage and loneliness to jubilation. There’s metal for every mood, and that’s a massive part of why I feel there should be more artistic awareness about the diversity of heavy metal music. So while my main goal is to cover a sprawling genre that I adore, there’s a larger mission here, and that’s both introducing curious people to the wonders of metal as well as introducing metal fans to new talent as well.

Today I’m proud to present work from Kim Marra, a painter, pickleback enthusiast, and prolific pencil-collector based in New York state. Here’s Kim’s artist statement concerning her newest series of paintings:

 

“Through my paintings, I construct environments. I build seemingly possible, yet impossible spaces using elements of architecture and furniture. My environments speak to both dreamlike worlds and industrial landscapes. I use an ordered structure to create the illusion of stability, and skewed perspectives to provoke instability. I use this tension to simultaneously surround and close off, welcome and turn away. My paintings are inspired by architectural spaces that feel inhabitable, yet uneasy. For me these spaces mimic the impossible realities that I work toward. I use bright unnatural colors to further alter the viewers experience within this other world. Through these methods, I agitate a personal and collective sense of safety.”

 

Check out these paintings and tell me you can’t see a sludgy hardcore band using these as an album cover, or some grind band with furious signature changes. You can find more information on her work and contact information on her website here: http://kimberlymarra.wordpress.com/

 

Many thanks to Kim for allowing us to share her work!

 

ART: CAITLIN ANNE

This past autumn I started contributing short fiction to an art zine based in the West Coast called Kung Fu Breakfast. One of the perks of working with a community of artists like this is sharing work with other creative people whose pieces appear alongside yours (and make your work look even better). I was lucky enough to have my featured story this month in an issue with a cover painted by Caitlin Anne, an “illustrator, artist, and friend to all creatures great and small.” Caitlin Anne’s towering fox-giants are just the beginning of her strange, beautiful world. I encourage every reader to follow the links to enjoy her artwork, it makes you believe the world has plenty of magic and secrets left.

Visit her official website here:

http://caitlinanne.com/

Check out the newest issue of Kung Fu Breakfast featuring both of our material here (it’s a FREE digital download if you sign up for a free Magcloud account):

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/537452

And take a further look into her creative process at her Tumblr:

http://caitlinannemakesthings.tumblr.com