AOL Artists

We commission, curate, coax and encourage talented artists worldwide to create original works of art for AOL and, in turn, the world.

"Art isn’t easy." - Stephen Sondheim

So we created a platform to help original works of art get made. And seen.

Andrew Kuo is a genius.  Just do a google image search and be blown away by his use of color and text.    Next, go to his NY Times blog at ArtsBeat, and you’ll see how clever, intriguing & thoughtful his charts are.   He’s a mashup of Edward Tufte and Robert Christgau, with just a dash of Marcel Duchamp.  Finally, check out his Instagram “earlboykins” and really scratch your head!

- AOL Artists Guest Curator Daniel Stedman

msmachina: The incredible work of Sabrina Ratte 

DECADE Theme Preview: L.A. Angels Work 3: Liz Larner’s 2001, 2001 Liz Larner’s large-scale fiberglass and steel geometric sculpture 2001 is coated in automotive paint, giving the work an iridescent quality that makes it appear to change color from green to purple, depending on the angle at which it is viewed. Larner is part of a group of Los Angeles–based artists who use elements of dark humor in their creations. Some viewers are unsure how to feel about this sculpture, with its part-playful, part-foreboding, and slightly sinister qualities. Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles. © Liz Larner — Reblog: AOL Artists Guest Curator: Kathleen Massara 

DECADE Theme Preview: L.A. Angels

Work 3: Liz Larner’s 2001, 2001

Liz Larner’s large-scale fiberglass and steel geometric sculpture 2001 is coated in automotive paint, giving the work an iridescent quality that makes it appear to change color from green to purple, depending on the angle at which it is viewed. Larner is part of a group of Los Angeles–based artists who use elements of dark humor in their creations. Some viewers are unsure how to feel about this sculpture, with its part-playful, part-foreboding, and slightly sinister qualities.

Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles. © Liz Larner

— Reblog: AOL Artists Guest Curator: Kathleen Massara 

(Source: albrightknox, via publicartfund)

AOL Artists Introduces Kathleen Massara of Huffpost Arts as the Next Guest Curator

image

For the second installment of the AOL Artists Guest Curator program, it is no surprise that we stayed close to home. Kathleen Massara, editor of The Huffington Post Arts & Culture, has curated a collection of five existing AOL Canvases by Cate Parr, Dave White, Josh Cochran, Mike Leavitt, and Rebeca Raney.

The Guest Curator program rotates on a monthly basis, featuring leaders in art and technology. Each contributor curates a collection of existing AOL Canvases, lends their voice to AOL Artists’ social media channels, and guest blogs for the AOL Artists Tumblr. The program brings new and respected perspectives to the artists we have worked with and the pieces we have commissioned. 

In November, we kicked off with Annie Werner, Tumblr’s Arts Evangelist. Her collection featured AOL Canvases by Aakash Nihalani, Dee & Ricky, Jen Stark, Tomokazu Matsuyama, and more. We are thrilled to welcome Kathleen as our next Guest Curator. Her posts have become one of our main sources for Arts & Culture.

Exclusive Interview by Annie Werner (AOL Artists Guest Curator/Tumblr’s Arts Evangelist)  //CAT_LANDING_ON_ITS_FEET::PT.5// by EnoI became obsessed with Eno’s work after he submitted to Tumblr’s Moving The Still GIF project. There’s something so cinematic about his GIFs yet they’re also hand drawn. So, I wanted to learn more. I asked a few basic questions and he was kind enough to thoughtfully respond. Enjoy! What’s your process?  I always start from a video I like, something I’ve filmed or found on youtube or saw in a movie, which I then rotoscope. I get them printed out at a copyshop nearby and then I just draw on the back of the papers, I always get like 300 or 400 frames (at least) printed when I go because it’s cheaper. Then I just draw for a couple of weeks until they’re all done, scan them and turn my favorite parts into GIFs. I select favorite parts inside the images that interest me, or I connect parts or just draw things on the pages that don’t have anything to do with the printed side. I’ll have lines stopping where something in the image starts or something like that, the resulting effect kind of abstracts the images I started from but not so much that it becomes unreadable.  What are your influences?  When I made my first animation in this style I was inspired by this fan made video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUPJofuMNtE ) for an emeralds song. The way these slow motion images are constantly looped along with music had this hypnotizing effect on me. I kind of wanted to recreate this effect by focusing on movement and only showing certain parts of images that I find beautiful. Other than that, my main inspiration is music actually, my GIF’s are all about rhythm. Music from Oneohtrix point never, Steve Hauschildt, Laurel Halo and Vektroid are definitely what influences me most these days. What about the animated GIF appeals to you?  I like that it just keeps looping forever, you can sometimes get hypnotized by a good GIF. Like you start looking at one until you realize you’ve been watching the same loop over and over for 10 minutes. I don’t usually look at images for that long anymore, not in this age of the internet, except when I find a good GIF. I also like the loss of quality, you have to bitmap some of your images a bit and then you get these cool dot patterns, I haven’t done much with this effect but I’m experimenting with it.

Exclusive Interview by Annie Werner

(AOL Artists Guest Curator/Tumblr’s Arts Evangelist) 

//CAT_LANDING_ON_ITS_FEET::PT.5// by Eno

I became obsessed with Eno’s work after he submitted to Tumblr’s Moving The Still GIF project. There’s something so cinematic about his GIFs yet they’re also hand drawn. So, I wanted to learn more. I asked a few basic questions and he was kind enough to thoughtfully respond. Enjoy!

What’s your process? 

I always start from a video I like, something I’ve filmed or found on youtube or saw in a movie, which I then rotoscope. I get them printed out at a copyshop nearby and then I just draw on the back of the papers, I always get like 300 or 400 frames (at least) printed when I go because it’s cheaper. Then I just draw for a couple of weeks until they’re all done, scan them and turn my favorite parts into GIFs. I select favorite parts inside the images that interest me, or I connect parts or just draw things on the pages that don’t have anything to do with the printed side. I’ll have lines stopping where something in the image starts or something like that, the resulting effect kind of abstracts the images I started from but not so much that it becomes unreadable. 

What are your influences? 
When I made my first animation in this style I was inspired by this fan made video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUPJofuMNtE ) for an emeralds song. The way these slow motion images are constantly looped along with music had this hypnotizing effect on me. I kind of wanted to recreate this effect by focusing on movement and only showing certain parts of images that I find beautiful. Other than that, my main inspiration is music actually, my GIF’s are all about rhythm. Music from Oneohtrix point never, Steve Hauschildt, Laurel Halo and Vektroid are definitely what influences me most these days.
What about the animated GIF appeals to you? 

I like that it just keeps looping forever, you can sometimes get hypnotized by a good GIF. Like you start looking at one until you realize you’ve been watching the same loop over and over for 10 minutes. I don’t usually look at images for that long anymore, not in this age of the internet, except when I find a good GIF. I also like the loss of quality, you have to bitmap some of your images a bit and then you get these cool dot patterns, I haven’t done much with this effect but I’m experimenting with it.

The best way to mark the imagery of our nation’s Thanksgiving holiday beyond what’s on your dinner table is certainly the Macy’s Day Parade. Usually outfitted with cartoon characters and super heros, the occasion usually lends itself the Hallmark quality that plagues most other holidays — except for a few shining beacons of artistic integrity. This year, KAWS adds to the list of artists whose presences have floated down Macy’s Day Parade in the form of giant helium-inflated balloons. Look forward to seeing one of his Companions larger than life this Thursday, and take a peak at some of the artist design balloons of years past. I’m predicting a Yayoi Kusama psychedelic mushroom for 2013.  

— AOL Artists Guest Curator: Annie Werner

Seen on Staten Island

Seen on Staten Island.
Donate Now: http://www.indiegogo.com/HONYTumblr

Humans of New York raised over $100,000 in under 24 hours to support Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts while documenting the progress along the way with his candid, beautiful photography. You can never underestimate how much the creative process can amplify a great cause. 

— AOL Artists Guest Curator: Annie Werner

(Source: humansofnewyork)

Guest Curator Program

Today we kicked off a new Guest Curator program with Annie Werner of Tumblr.  Annie has curated a permanent collection of existing AOL canvases, will lend a voice to the AOL Artists Tumblr, takeover the AOL Artists Twitter for a day, and more. The new Guest Curator program will rotate on a monthly basis, featuring leaders in art and technology. 

Annie Werner runs the Arts Outreach program at Tumblr and Tumblr Open Arts. Her collection of AOL canvases will feature the work of a number of artists, including Mike Perry, Tomokazu Matsuyama, and Aakash Nihilani. 

“We at Tumblr are committed to helping artists thrive online, and I’m excited to partner with AOL Artists, an incredible platform for just that,” says Annie Werner.

A selection of photographs from 185 Days, a breath-taking photoblog by an incredible 24 year old woman going through 6 months of Chemo.

Happy (almost) Halloween! Start your celebration with these two new canvases by AOL Artist Nathan Fox. 

Happy Birthday Picasso! 

Happy Birthday Picasso! 

Print Giveaway!

We just reached 10k followers on Tumblr!

In celebration, we’re giving away five limited edition archival prints of this incredible canvas by AOL Artist Tomokazu Matsuyama.

It’s as easy as 1,2,3

1. Login to Twitter

2. Tweet a link to your favorite AOL Artist’s page, make sure to tag @AOLArtists in your Tweet

3. If you are one of the first five, you win!