Stan Mott

Mind-bending images and ideas from a fabulous cartoonist and a superb illustrator If you ever wondered what a steam locomotive racing might look like, or fantasized about driving the biggest baddest vehicle across the desert with its own supply of sharks and waterplanes, look no further - the eccentric imagination of Stan Mott might prove simply unmatched. We'll start with the (probably) the most outrageous picture we've seen this month: "The Supertanker Chopper"! - It's hard to summarize Stan Mott's interests in a few words. The man is brilliant and has done some really amazing things ... like ride a go-cart around the world!! Here is an info that appeared in the "Road & Track" Magazine, June 1979: "It's impossible to type the zany, crazy Mott (who lives on a yacht - sometimes), one of our readers' favorite cartoonists / writers and co-founder of Automobili Cyclops, the firm that rocketed to fame in its first appearance in R&T in 1957. When we asked Stan to tell us about his life, he said, "Well, I escaped Flint, Michigan at an early age, owned 50-percent interest in a Cragar flathead A-bone roadster at 12, ran at El Mirage at 15, had first automotive cartoons published in Rosetta Timing Association's program in 1948. Went to Art Center College, developed sense of humor working in World's Greatest Rolling Clown Show (GM Styling Section). Then worked as fry cook, mercenary, airline pilot, art director of R&T, farmer, Wall Street broker, poet. Drove go kart around the world, became an Alpine guide, did freelance art work and smuggled. Helped found Automobili Cyclops SpA and hold position of propaganda minister in perpetuity. Now working philantropically to solve moral situations in Southern Mediterranian waters for the U.N." Stan refuses to talk about his CIA work, arctic exploration or his stint as a human cannon ball." From "The History of Tanks" (Racing Tanks, that is) When asked by our DRB team for an update on his life, Stan adds: "Since '79 I learned to fly gliders in Cyprus, did a "Captain Stan Show" in 1983-4 for Radio 103.2 in Mallorca, Spain, sailed the first Turkish caique across the Atlantic, roamed the Caribbean for seven years, settled here in Neuss, Germany. Also, I'm working on a 76-page graphic novel.". According to the Top Gear Magazine (Dec 2001): "The Captain Stan Show was a Pythonesque consciousness weird-out which must have left baffled tourists wondering if their Watney Red Barrel had been spiked." All images and artwork are copyright Stan Mott, used by permission. You can see more at S. Berliner's wonderful archive site of Stan's artwork - click here. Fantasy Steam Racing Locomotives "Les 24 Heures de Choo-Choo" ("The 24 Hours of Choo-Choo" - as in Le Mans): Other Wicked Fantasy Vehicles Here is the personal aircraft carrier for the impossibly wealthy Oil Sheik. The Sheik is sea-sick, so the carrier rolls on the dry ground, while the seaplanes land on its deck filled with water. Some sharks were provided to keep the waters free of Russian scuba diving spies. Of course, some may remember Stan Mott as the creator of "Cyclops" series of cartoons (a few "Cyclops" mini-cars were even manufactured by Automobili Cyclops SpA), which blessed the John Bond's great Road & Track Magazine with much fun and colour in the 60s. S. Berliner, III again provides an extensive coverage of this series - click here. Don't miss Stan's tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Soviet aircraft designer Igor Sokerov. It's brimming with radical aircraft technology ideas and is a lot of fun. And here is the man himself, surveying the terrain outside Quarzazate, Morrocco:

Ben Grasso

Brooklyn-based Ben Grasso paints these wonderful suspended architectural structures frozen somewhere between construction and deconstruction. It’s rare that I encounter oil paintings and have a strong reaction, Grasso’s work is definitely an exception. Via his web site:

Grasso’s paintings are feats of engineering. His is an architecture of the apocalypse, but one whose seams thread shapes we can as yet not fully determine. Excitement and surprise are as much part of this wildly imagined landscape as is a more measured, even nightmarish, uncertainty. Here the whacky, the sublime, and the catastrophic converge upon us unremittingly, but not without grace.

There’s much, much more to see on his site. (via hard feelings)

Found Here: http://thisiscolossal.com/2011/06/ben-grassos-exploded-structures/

Ben Grasso is a New York based artist who creates paintings that are absolutely beautiful and carry a strong attraction power. It is really difficult to differentiate whether they are photographed or really painted. The details in each painting is very fine and one can quickly fall in love with his creations.

The theme of the paintings are abstract but the deeper look you give to them, the more you will find them beautiful. They are truly surreal!

Well, I have become a great fan of his paintings that led me to contact him for an interview. He has been so kind to accept the offer. Catch his interview and some beautiful painting by him below:

Ben, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.

I am a painter working in Brooklyn, NY.

Your paintings look amazing!! What motivates or influences the artist within you?

If there is an artist inside me he's probably motivated by the desire to see the outside world. Is there anyone whom you idolize?

Charles Burchfield. I've loved his work forever. There was recently a fantastic show curated by Robert Gober at the Whitney museum. He's one of a small number of painters whose work really took off towards the end of his career.

When did you start painting? Do you remember your first painting?

I started drawing and painting as a kid. I remember my first painting; I think it started off as a man and a car and then turned brown. And I had a hard time deciding what to do with the oil and the turpentine and all the colors. I remember drawing with paint and the process feeling clumsy. It was really difficult and I decided to stick to drawing with pencils and sculpting things with modeling clay until I was much older. Most of your paintings have abstract theme that appear visually attractive and very realistic. How do you manage to give them so unique look?

I have no idea. I intend to make things that are personal and unique but invariably someone annoyingly says "this looks like such and such." I'm glad to hear they seem unique. Mostly I work from images I take when I'm visiting cleveland, where i grew up. A lot of the city is slowly disappearing and evolving into something else. I find this endlessly fascinating. Which is your favourite painting; a piece of your work that you will always cherish?

I don't really cherish my own work. But I remember a drawing I made of my dad when I was six and my parents kept it. I really like this drawing. What are the other things that interests you?

I'm building a bicycle frame as a hobby. I've been building and riding bikes forever. I think my bike is like a part of me or something. I anyways love fixing bikes. I've been building bikes and wheels for friends, mostly out of things other people throw away. I decided to learn how to gas weld and am in the process of putting the frame together. I love making things; its learning how to work with a new material and how to deal with having only a few tools that I really enjoy.

Many other artists would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?

My favorite bit of advice came from an undergraduate teacher and of course I forgot the actual quote and only remember the message; its was something like "go through life like a duck on water; appear to glide across the surface while treading like hell underneath."

Ben, that's a wonderful advice given by you. Thanks for sparing time to us. It was a pleasure to have you with us. All the very best!

Visit Ben's website and catch up some really cool paintings. Found Here: http://www.e-junkie.info/2011/05/interview-with-ben-grasso-artist-who.html

Satoshi Sakamoto - Sur-naturalism

The introduction of Sur-naturalism

　Sur-Naturalism is my style of art, attempting to emancipate and direct life's power and potency through pure forms and colour. It strives to　represent the archetypes that are ever-present in　nature. I use red to re-create the vital experience of initiation into a world where all living　things act as stimulus for the human soul. Like magma and blood, red declares a duel between internal nature and externalnature. We can see said contrast in the red shrines of Japan, with the green forests surrounding them. The solemn art of the past, such as ancient Japanese earthenware, drew me to meditate upon the mythology from which it was inscribed. The paintings often reflect my experiences derived from karma,rooted in the duality between man and woman, killer and victim, mortals and nature.

Found Here: http://www.myspace.com/maxoputer

Satoshi Sakamoto

I was born in the northern Japan in 1970. The culture of Aomori prefecture where I raised is different from the typical well known Japanese culture from Kyoto. The most popular summer festivals, Nebuta and Neputa represent primitiveness in such vivid colors and dynamic movements.

In high school, I was inspired by a book of paintings by HR Giger and the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. In art university I studied classical techniques and tried to use an airbrush and oil paints in exploring my own style; Sur-naturalism which is based on the primary colors and abstract archetypes..

My faith has been shaped by exploring the internal realms of creation; not relying on outer influences or the past. It might share the motivation of the artists who tried to develop abstract art in the early 20th century. The work to continue gazing at the darkness has been extremely difficult. In the mean time, I feel uncomfortable about the landscapes standardized by modernization. The beauty of tradition in?the artificial has been becoming too inferior due to commercialism and industrialism. This is the reason why I keep my images independent of outer environment as a conservative reformism.

Ultimately 2 dimensional art should help create blue-print for 3dimesional objects which could be realized in the future. Art is laid between the natural and the artificial. It is unavoidable that art carries a role in directing the shape of manmade things and nature. My ambition is not to be in galleries or museums but to be in the fundamental places where we live, like our houses and offices, or the shrines and the festivals.

. I am curious about the artworks of the past, like ancient Japanese earthenware. It suggests to me that immortal archetypes in chaos could show us a mythology far beyond our words. I believe that primitive art works already achieved higher states than any other modern art. I think that the designs by ancient people were implicated to karma with the shapes of duality which meant woman and man, killer and victim. Those are reflected in my paintings subconsciously as well.

I chose red to recreate the experience of initiation into a place where all living things are activating our souls. Red also means anger and mercy, or destruction and creation. In this area we can’t distinguish the boundary between the inside and the outside. I have imagined that Japanese red shrines intimate our red blood which contrasts against the green forest. I thought red and green means a reversible relationship between internal nature and external nature.

Sur-nature and Super-nature are not the same. Sur-naturalism is a method of possibility to deal with primary phenomena within nature including the self of humankind. The sense for the archetypes is a key to open the secrets. As opposed to the supernatural, it can be perceived and understood in its entirety.

Found Here: http://www.hdfest.com/artist/satoshi.html