Bryan Schnelle

Bryan uses the image of a ski mask through a lot of his work. By painting it over fashion ads, it gives these normally "beautiful" people a sinister feel. As if they are secretly stealing from you, whether it be money or self-image. He also uses repetition the same way that magazines do, forcing many of what might as well be the same image down your throat. Leading you to remember them long after you've put them down.

Check them out here.

Mark Weaver

Following the collage theme, Mark is a great example of someone who does digital collage brilliantly. Anyone can cut and paste some stuff together with Photoshop, but Mark has a great gift for combining elements to make one cohesive image. To add to the greatness, he silk screens his images in 4 color process to make an actual hand rendered print.

Check it out here.

The Kube

The Kube is the artist Mark James Yamamoto. He uses vintage and current fashion images to create unsettling collages commenting about pop culture and superficiality today. He works along the same likes as Barbara Kruger, juxtaposing recognizable images with hard edged, bold text messages about the effect of mass media messaging on the self image.

Check it out here.

Ben Turnbull

A London based artist, Ben is obsessed with American culture and the way our society affects its youth. In his latest series he carves the images of guns into old school desk tops. It almost appears that the guns are growing up out of the wood, surrounded by the sophomoric graffiti that is normal on school desks. The craftsmanship is gorgeous.

Check them out here.

AJ Fosik

AJ has to be the most patient craftsman. He uses tiny pieces of wood to make his figures and masks. Each piece is hand-cut and glued together. We must be talking some kind of fume headache. His works are inspired by native masks and deities from eastern cultures. They are aggressive and delicate at the same time, and you could spend all afternoon looking at the details of just one image.

Check it out here.

Charles Krafft

Charles has been around for quite a while, but I'm constantly inspired by his work. The contrast of technique and subject is brilliant. In his newest series, Disasterware, he uses the beautiful and intricate technique of Delft ceramic painting and contrasts it by focusing on morbid and violent subject matter. A kind of fragility of life commentary.

Check it out here.

Monica Cook

Monica was also at Savannah the same time I was. She's an amazingly friendly person. Her painting focuses on human interaction. Often surreal in nature, she also continually explores her own sense of self through her self-portraits. She has a new show up at the Marcia Wood Gallery of her nudes.

Check them out here.

EINE is by no means new, but his work always feels fresh. He takes sign lettering and elevates each letterform to a single beautiful graphic image.

Check it out here.

Fabio Viale

Fabio is a truly unbelievable craftsman. He works exclusively in white and black marble, but chooses to focus on mundane objects like paper airplanes rather than the traditional human or religious themes. In one series, he does carve a skull form and a Madonna form, however instead of making them smooth and glossy like most marble statues, he carves the surface and details to make it look as if it's been carved from styrofoam. He also made a totally functional speedboat out of marble to cruise the canals of Venice in. He really takes craftsmanship to a new level.

Check it out here.

Eleanor Grosch

Eleanor Grosch is a graphic artist in Philadelphia. She creates mostly images of animals based on the aesthetic of Charlie Harper. She has done work for companies like Keds and Urban outfitters, but her prints remain the highlight of her work for their color and simplicity.

Check them out here.