The Drawings of Femke Hiemestra Depict Fairy Tales with Looming Consequences
In a world not so unlike our own, during a time not that long ago, a mother wolf sits comfortably upon an abandoned tree stump in a clearing in the woods. Surrounded by carefully rendered flora and fauna, the creature is positioned upright with impeccable posture and human-like mannerisms. Her hind legs are crossed at the knees as she reads the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood aloud to a pair of misty-eyed pups.
The Chinese characters from this particular translation are illuminated by the drippy candle effortlessly balanced on the mother’s head, offering a bright glow to the immediate space the trio inhabits while making the surrounding foliage appear that much darker. Her pups circle around her howling and crying in disbelief at the story being read. This narrative is one of many that can be seen in the extensive portfolio of acrylic paintings, mixed media pieces, and graphic works by Femke Hiemstra.
Hiemstra is a significant fixture within Pop Surrealism. Her illustrative style is akin to Mary Blair and Richard Scarry. She posses a precision I and naturalism comparable to John James Audubon, which she combines with a hearty smattering of otherworldly symbols, a discernible amount of irony, and compositions similar in temperament to those from the late-fi fteenth and early-sixteenth centuries by fellow Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.
Animals are the primary subjects of Hiemstra’s works, with dogs and cats slated as her favorites and thus reoccurring most often. In art, like literature, animals can challenge perceptions of reality exhibiting an uncanny resemblance to the behaviors of their human counterparts. Hiemstra explains, “I find animals with all their different shapes and forms very interesting and I’m keen to learn about their behavior. In this behavior, I see parallels to the lives of humans—and vice versa—and that triggers my imagination.”
Hiemstra matriculated from art school with a focus on illustration, and subsequently held a career as an award-winning illustrator for several years before choosing to focus solely on her art. For Hiemstra, the biggest difference between her works on paper and her paintings is that drawings take more planning as she prefers to work with the darkest tones of graphite,which makes erasing more than once nearly impossible.
Her paintings comprise multiple layers of acrylic paint, a medium that is fast drying and translucent in nature. Layers of paint are expertly built up by Hiemstra to add depth to every piece, with each layer playing host to another layer of the story like an intricate cake whose flavors have been specially selected by some culinary mastermind so that each bite compliments the flavor before and seemingly introduces you to the next. In her mixed media pieces, Hiemstra trades in canvas for a variety of found objects, harboring a strong affinity for vintage book covers. “I was struck by the beauty of the covers,” she muses. “I loved how they looked with their imperfections and damages, and so I thought they would make an interesting canvas.”
If you’re intimidated about misinterpreting her work, don’t be. Hiemstra says, “With my work I like to invite the viewer to imagine the world that lies inside.”*
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I find animals with all their different shapes and forms very interesting and I’m keen to learn about their behavior. In this behavior, I see parallels to the lives of humans—andvice versa—and that triggers my imagination.”
Mitsuya Watanabe's new drawings take on an almost collage-like effect. The artist draws lightly shaded forms with graphite that contrast strongly with their dark backgrounds. Some of the figures have white outlines around them, flattening the scene and making them look like cut-outs, which adds to their surreal, dreamlike quality. Watanabe has a solo show coming up at Hellion Gallery in Portland titled "Immaculate Eve," opening on May 7. A series of new drawings filled with floating objects and bizarre juxtapositions, Watanabe likens these works to interpretations of dreams.
Rebecca Morgan’s portraits of country folk are delightfully weird if somewhat off-putting. Set in hunting camps and other woodsy environments, the artist's work is an exploration of rural and off-the-grid culture, featuring an array of eccentric characters. Her paintings and drawings bounce between humorous, ambivalent and grotesque depictions of everyday existence in rural Appalachia, inspired by the artist's upbringing in a small town in central Pennsylvania. Check out more of her work on Instagram.
In the series “Marquees Tropica,” illustrator Ardneks crafted works “reflecting different stages” of his personal life, with each completed with a single song on repeat. The result is a set of vibrant, wild works packed with details to decipher. The artist’s practice has included album covers for multiple acts, but this series takes a decidedly intimate slant, as compared to those pieces. The above work, titled "COASTAL JUiCEBOX" was made alongside the tune
"風の回廊(コリドー)" by Tatsuro Yamashita.
Last weekend, Pictoplasma (previously covered here) returned to Berlin for their 11th annual showcase of Contemporary art and design trends. Pictoplasma is well known across the globe for its character design annuals, but the festival also highlights fine art, street art, illustration, toy design, animation, and graphic design. This year saw a continued interest in character-driven Pop surrealism, which addressed modern societal issues through kitsch and cute characters by an eclectic roster. Over 40 international artists took center stage with an extensive program of workshops, lectures at Babylon theater, and two major exhibitions- Pictoplasma's main exhibition "Form Follows Empathy" at Silent Greene and the Pictoplasma Academy Group Show at Urban Spree.