Hungry? Dive right in! Today’s Soup of the Day was cooked up by London-based surreal collage artist Maya Land. 🙂
We all crave something different from time to time; images that blend fantasy with reality can satisfy our sometimes quirky appetites. Until I recently stumbled upon Maya’s work, I didn’t realize surreal collage art was “a thing.” I’ve since noticed other artists who create similar pieces.
Surreal Collage Artist Maya Land.
But back to Maya. A native Londoner, she’s been interested in art since the age of 5. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Greenwich, then studied oil painting at The Art Academy. After graduating, she soon realized collage art was her true love and hasn’t looked back since.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it: An Alma Berrow still-life sculpture grabs your attention, makes you smile, enables you to see the mundane detritus of everyday life in a new way.
Who’d have ever imagined that ashtrays and cigarette butts could be so intriguing? Or that whatever is left over or left behind, when immortalized in ceramics, is strong enough to have its own thought-provoking narrative? Thanks to Berrow’s creations, inconsequential items we ordinarily dismiss — pistachio shells, note scraps, coins, even moldy lemons — demand we take a second look.
Based in London, Berrow (b. 1992) initially studied Fashion and Textiles at Falmouth University, then spent the next ten years or so working in various creative industries (Pastry Chef, Artist Assistant, Creative Youth Worker, Hospitality). It wasn’t until the 2020 lockdown, when she relocated to Dorset, that she began experimenting with ceramics in her mother’s studio. Her first pieces included small boxes with little body parts on them, a lighter and matches, and of course, cigarette stubs (the ashtrays came later).
Awwww . . . will you just look at that face? Who could resist a dog who loves sausages? If he came to my house, I’d served him bangers and mash for breakfast, toad in the hole for lunch, and a mixed platter of bratwurst, chorizo, and Cumberland for supper. I hope he likes me just as much as I like him. 🙂
British artist and illustrator Alison Friend.
Our sausage loving friend was created by UK artist Alison Friend (perfect name). You may know her as the illustrator of over 20 children’s books (Bramble and Maggie series, Making a Friend (Tammi Sauer), Bear’s Book (Claire Freedman), Mr. Brown’s Bad Day (Lou Peacock)).
I first saw her art on greeting cards she designed for the publisher Two Bad Mice, which preceded her picture book work. Painting animal portraits was a natural progression from creating anthropomorphic characters for children’s stories. She’s a lifelong animal lover and began drawing in childhood.
First greeting card I saw featuring Alison’s art.
Born in l973, Alison graduated with a degree in Fine Art and Printmaking from Nottingham Trent University in England. She was also the first female stonemason for the City of Nottingham. She currently lives in the Lake District.
Her animal paintings blend realism with humor. She’s brilliant at capturing facial expressions and conveying the emotions of her subjects. Check out the cheeky grins, side eyes, mischievousness, surprise, innocence, and earnestness. The longing gazes and overall adorableness melt the heart. So much personality! It’s amazing how endearing these animals are; people connect with them right away.
Perhaps, at first glance, you assumed this delicious spread was a photograph. It’s actually one of Brett Humphries’s amazing hyperrealistic still life paintings.
You probably know I am quite partial to this genre, especially when the subject is food. I simply had to share Brett’s work with you, so step right up to the buffet and enjoy the feast!
Brett lives and works in the UK, and has been painting and drawing since childhood. He’s been obsessed with detail from an early age, and particularly remembers trying to render objects as realistically as possible.
Brett sourcing items for his work.
I realised that a humble object like a piece of fruit had the potential to amaze, if only we would notice. I think this is why the still life genre resonates with me, because it openly celebrates the dance of light between two objects, or the warm subtle hues of a piece of fruit as a thing of real beauty. There is no need to explain or justify, we can just enjoy it for what it is!
Jama's Alphabet Soup 