After completing the drawing of Tommy Kane (see my last post), I wanted to draw another artist who inspires me. If you have followed my blog over the past year, you know that I am a fan of Artists Anonymous (“AA”), a group of artists in London and Berlin, who are known for painting in the afterimage. You can read more about AA in my posts, “For the Love of the Game“, and “Artists Anonymous“.
AA’s paintings are impressive. Even more remarkable is that the afterimages of their works often look more intentional than the originals. It is rare to find contemporary artists doing something truly original, and yet AA is doing just that.
The members of Artists Anonymous prefer to remain anonymous. They do so in part to see what happens if they take authorship away from their works. As a result, AA is as much a social experiment as it is a moniker. Nevertheless, one of their founding members, Maya van Malden, is their spokesperson, and the only artist whose identity we know. So in order to draw Artists Anonymous, I borrowed a photo of Maya, and drew her portrait. Given AA’s unique method of painting, I thought it only appropriate to draw Maya in the negative (see above). Below is the afterimage of my drawing.
Artists Anonymous is among my favorite artists, and there is much more to their art than just their painting techniques. To see some online images of their works, check out www.artists-anonymous.com.
P.S. It’s been over two months since I wrote my last blog post, and recently, I had been thinking that The Hipping Post experiment had run its course. But blogs, Facebook, and other social media, can serve a greater purpose than just throwing a voice into the void. Used thoughtfully, social media allows you to share, collaborate, and connect. THP has allowed me to connect with people I never otherwise would have met, and for that I am grateful.
I draw and paint for myself because I enjoy it, and I also write mostly for myself. But I have enjoyed sharing this blog, so I am going to continue with it. The posts may come more sporadically, but hopefully I will add some value to those of you who continue to visit and give me some of your time to read my posts.
Filed under: Art, Friends
