>
     
     
 
by James Watkins
 
 

Scenario: Your friend has asked you to come over to his computer to check out some art that he's found whilst trawling the internet looking for imagery. At first glance you think "oh sweet..some grainy 35mm film photos of naked hot girls". Then your mate tells you that they're not photos and that they're all done with a standard ball-point pen by an artist called Juan Francisco Casas. Your eyebrows rise whilst your face involuntarily screws up as you definitively proclaim that that's "bullshit man there's no way you could get that detail with a ball point pen" - they reply "nah man for real they're all large scale works with a ball point pen".

You're busy at work and bit confused as to why your friend is wasting your time continuing with this ludicrous line of humour, nearing the point of exasperation you retort "what the fuck are you tripping on man, that shit's photo realistic - it's an actual physical impossibility to render hair like that with a ballpoint pen". Your mate (whose patience is now also waning) sighs - becoming frustrated with your pessimism he goes on the offensive and applies the knockout blow to the debate by taking you to Juan Francisco Casas' website where you spend the next 20 minutes spellbound, devouring the hyper-real imagery of this potential ball-point demi-god.

It's only after viewing his website and realising that he's not just some guy with the-gift-of-the-gab going around taking photos of scantily clad/unclad beautiful woman he's managed to talk into bed - but one of Spain's most accomplished artists whose curriculum vitae (even when heavily truncated) is about as impressive as it gets in the art world, that you reluctantly accept that someone can actually be this talented.

- 1999: First in his class whilst acquiring a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Granada as well as winning the National Award for Master Thesis of the Ministry of Education and Science University for the best record in Spain

- 2000: Received the scholarship of Teacher Education and Research. From that year until 2004 served as teaching drawing and printmaking in the Department of Drawing at the University of Granada while doing his doctorate at the same institution.

- 2002: Selected for INJUVE Art Show at the Circulo de Bellas Artes de Madrid and later toured the capitals of Latin America

- 2005: The only Spanish representative in the 2nd Biennial of Prague, organized by the major international journal of contemporary art: Flash Art Magazine, and was among other with relevant international artists from Damien Hirst, Maurizio Cattelan and Neo Rauch.

- 2008: Exhibited at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid) and Royal Academy of Spain in Rome 

- 2009: Showed at the Instituto Cervantes in New York in the exhibition 10 Years of Art in ABC Awards that toured different venues of the institution in Moscow, Tokyo and Paris.

In parallel to his efforts as a visual artist, Juan Francisco Casas is also an eloquent writer and a published poet. His blog contains essays of his, written in both Spanish and English - the reading of which provides an insight to the artist and adds another dimension to his work and the reasons behind it.

"My work is not nearly as skeptical as you might understand, since, as I decided that painting itself might be an exercise in honesty, as I think should be any artistic work in these times of shams. My work talks about what I know and my surroundings, my life, what I like and what I do, friends, lovers, everyday moments of absurd, strangely common moments, domestic hedonism with a touch of surreal delirium".

Artists like Juan Francisco Casas are a rarity. You can divide the reactions of other artists seeing his work into two distinct categories:

1) Those that see his work and think "holy shit, that is incredible. I feel totally inspired and motivated and now all I want to do now is quit my job, go home and practise drawing for the rest of my life until I have completely mastered my chosen medium".

2) Those that see his work and think "holy shit, that is incredible. There's no way in hell I'll ever be even close to that good, even if I drew all day every day for the rest of my life. I'm going home to burn all my art supplies in a fit of rage then either shoot myself in the head or get a soulless job at IKEA, where I can waste away my remaining dark days as a bitter ex-artist, lamenting the moment I laid my eyes on Juan Franciscos Casas' work. I now have to accept the daily living hell of having to deal with these sickening loved up couples buying their first cheap queen sized bed, thinking it's hilarious to subtly allude to the fact that they'll be consistently consummating their relationship on said bed, whilst I get none because I've totally lost my mojo thanks to Juan Francisco Casas and his carnally charged and ironically bed orientated ballpoint pen masterpieces".

Proceed with caution.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
by James Watkins
     
>
 
In our contemporary world of instant digital gratification, special effects and photoshop shortcuts, a true artist like Gabriel Moreno rises to the top - much like the rich cream liberates itself in a pail of fresh milk tugged from the udder of your favourite organically grazed cow which has lived on the farm for 10 years and is now considered a member of the family.

Madrid based illustrator,engraver painter and Fine Arts graduate Gabriel Moreno graces us with his work this week, continuing the thread of breathtaking imagery from Spanish artists in this issue of T-Squat.

Staying true to tradional art mediums, Gabriel flawlessy and painstakingly combines pen, ink and watercolour on canvas to create these superlative examples of fine art. His imagery has the ability to transport the viewer into a vibrant world that exists only in the infinity that is his vivid imagination. Steeped with surrealism and using a limited and selective colour palette to his advantage, his art work is worldclass and has been used by virtually every major international publishing agency and has been showcased in esteemed publications such as the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Art Noveau Magazine and Harper's Bazaar. His most recent work includes the cover of the official biography of Brian Eno.

It's nothing short of an honour to share Gabriel's work with you on T-Squat this week. We'll be keeping our eyeballs on his website gabrielmoreno.com to see what this borderline visual savant produces next, we highly recommend you follow suit.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
>
 

Swedish born illustrator Anneli Olander has been drawing since she got her first crayon in her hand at age two. By 15 she made her debut as a cartoonist in the magazine “Utsikt Mälardalen”. That same year she started illustrating the comic “Julia” for the “Strängnäs Tidning”, a local magazine. Two years later she went to artschool in Stockholm. After this she moved to Australia to study design and illustration at the University of Newcastle. Returning to Sweden in 2005, Anneli Olander went back to drawing comics. She created “Maja”, an appreciated comic strip which was published on a regular basis in the Swedish magazine “Södertälje Posten”.

In January 2007, Anneli Olander started her company A.Olander Illustration. After two months she had her first big client from USA. She mostly works with illustrations for magazines, apparel companies and book publishers - but is now exploring the gallery world and dipping her toes in anything interesting she comes across (like T-Squat). In 2008 she took part in the female project and exhibition in Italy - the Pink Attitude project as well as exhibiting her art in exhibitions in the USA.

Today Anneli works as illustrator and designer for the largest community for girls in the world - Stardoll.com, updates her own website anneliolander.com whilst actively freelancing with clients all over the globe.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
>
 

Sofles, who was labeled a ‘Graffiti King’ by local newspapers, TV news and current affairs following a conviction for illegal graffiti in 2009, has recently won a slew of competitions and been commissioned by corporate giants like Myer, Footlocker, Adidas, Tooheys, Red Bull and more – proving not only his worth as an artist, but also the undeniable popularity for graffiti as an art form in general.  

Recently Sofles was commissioned to paint a wall outside of Brisbane’s Magistrates Court – the same court house in which he was recently trialed and convicted for illegal graffiti.

“It’s funny how one day you’re in court getting fined for writing your name and soon after they pay you to write your name on their court house to make it look nice” mused Sofles.

His work, ranging from three-storey murals, to tattoos, to mixed-media canvas, combines his graffiti roots with an ever-changing aesthetic of highly rendered illustration, mind-bending 3D abstraction, and kaleidoscopic color; and focuses on street culture and the female form.

Here T-Squat presents a selection of Sofles' art work, as well as a few photographs he made whilst recently travelling on an art-orientated trip to the United States of America. Check Sofles' website sofles.com for more of his work and there's also some sweet spraycan art goodness on his paint sponsors website Ironlak: ironlak.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
>
     

Skipping, hopping and dancing around the whimsical line between grown-up and childlike, Elisa Mazzone is the creator of some very beautiful characters, which exist solely in illustrative form, and communicate through their colour, shape, flowing line and embellishment. Pencil and paper form a foundation for breathing life into surreal feminine forms that evoke myriad emotions and represent unique personalities. Contact www.signedandnumbered.com.au if you'd like some of her art on your walls to enjoy every day.