Artist of the month

Meghann Altomare

When did you become interested in photography?

My first job was working at a local photo lab; I was 14. My boss was a photographer and a lot of my coworkers were also. We had a lot of spare time and I worked through photoshop magazines and couldn’t wait until I got my own camera.

Explain your process of conceptualizing your work

I take my camera wherever I go. Half of the time I don’t have a concept to start with, but it presents itself as I work.

What or whom has been your favorite subject?

My grandmother, definitely. She is so expressive without trying to be. She doesn’t pose for the camera and she isn’t worried about how she looks. It helps that she is one of my favorite people in the world, so I like to take care of her in a way when i photograph her.

If you could sum up your work in three words what would they be?

honest, straight-forward, intimate.

Does your lifestyle influence your work?

Yes. I tend to photograph the people around me that I care about the most. I never realized how much I photographed my family, but it has become increasingly important to me. Over the past few years I’ve become interested in food production and local farms. I met a cattle farmer at a farmers market in my home town and became friends with him and have visited his ranch a few times, and it’s so wonderful because he’s thrilled that someone my age is even interested and I’m thrilled because he doesn’t mind my questions! I think it’s great when a cattle farmer and his wife are willing to show me their life when I’m an urban vegan artist.

Who are you most inspired by?

My family.

What are you doing when you aren’t photographing?

I have a new found love for printmaking, but also reading and napping.

If you could collaborate with anyone dead of alive who would you chose?

Robert ParkeHarrison, probably. I love his work and he has found a way to bring environmental issues into his photography in a way I can’t seem to do. I’m also interested in his sets and how he manipulates the negatives before he prints them.

If you would like to contact this artist or apply to be a future artist of the month, please email us at: urbnbloom@yahoo.com

Theme for December: Hibernation

Hibernation is a period of inactivity in animals (typically mammals, birds can torpor which is seen as a short term or temporary version) which functions like a time capsule. By lowering their body temperature and metabolic rates animals can sleep through the winter and wake up to a time when food is plentiful. Hibernation can also be thought of as a stagnant period before change, awakening from hibernation usually results in a flurry of activity. A good idea often has to “over-winter” requiring a time of inactivity to become fully formed and to gain insight.

Very recently a baby mammoth was discover in Russian who had been essentially hibernating for last 40,000 years only to become the focus of large exhibit at the Field Museum (Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age). Named Lyuba (pronounced Lee-OO-bah) after the wife of the reindeer herder who discovered her, she made headlines around the world as a remarkably preserved specimen, giving researchers rare insights into the lives and habits of her extinct species.

learn more here:

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/museum_info/press/press_mammoths_lyuba.htm

We will be following up with more articles and theories throughout the month but please feel free to come to your own conclusions and ways of conceptualizing the piece. Work in any medium you prefer. If it is a video or story, we will make it work. If you have any questions feel free to email us at urbnbloom@yahoo.com. And as always, pass it on. The more people we get involved the better.

Submissions will be taken until the 23th of this  month, but honestly the earlier we get them the better. The December issue will be posted New Years Day!!

Thanks guys! 

November Issue is here at last!

Check out the new issue! Sorry for the wait. Thank you for everyone who contributed.

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download it here: novemberissue

Artist included this month are:

Austen Clements, Alex Zak, Boris  Ran, Jessica Dean Camp, Kelsey Keaton, Max Shepard, Megan Pryce, Michelle Wang, Sarah Carolan, and Sarah Legow

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Name: Lauren Smith

1. Describe your methods for creating art.

When faced with a blank canvas or a white sheet of paper, I feel the urge to destroy it. Nothing is more mocking than the color white. Armed with an outrageous paintbox I attack the painting with color. I lay down down paint quickly just to get my hand in the piece. As the painting develops I slow down and consider light, texture, and a generous amount of artistic license when considering color. Blocked portions of color pool into their complimentary creating cracks of pigment I can not control. Having a fervent attitude while maintaining a sense of chance in my painting may seem contradictory, however it is this balance that continues to surprise and inspire me.

2. What are you most inspired by?
Stained glass has been a constant source of inspiration for me not merely for its material or context but for its light. The colors a glass window can display so vividly when pierced with sunlight has inspired an entire aesthetic for my watercolors. I tend to compartmentalize even in my personal life, which also reflects in my painting style.

3. What are your long term goals for your practice?

My watercolors will always play an important role in my artistic endeavors, however I firmly believe in experimentation in material. For myself, I explore many different mediums including fiber, glass, and ornamental objects, but my bread and butter will forever be painting. I hope to inspire the imagination with my illustrations and also to encourage a new way of looking at the natural world.

4. List three adjectives that describe you

Colorful, Playful, Zealous

5. What hobbies do you have outside of making art?

Recently I have delved into the world of sustainable agriculture. While maintaining a rooftop garden over the summer I’ve volunteered at Chicago City Farm and found myself constantly bulldozing through books on the food industry and the politics involved over vegetation. Basically my 2 great loves: Art and FOOD.

6. Who are your favorite artists? Why?

Gustav Klimt- because he is a genius
Eric Carle- because he inspired me from day 1
Peggy Macnamera- because she reminds me it’s ok to be lost and confused every day of your life

7. If you could have a drink with one person dead or alive, who would it be?

Albus Dumbledore

8. If you could only have three materials to work with for the rest of your life, what would they be?

the windsor & newton travel watercolor set, a nice # 6 round tipped brush, and a glass of red wine

To see more of Lauren’s work visit,

http://www.lsillustrations.com/

If you are interested in being an artist of the month, please contact us at, urbnbloom@yahoo.com

Taking a Leif from the the Vikings….

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Want a green roof? Here is a great example that was brought to my attention…. These types of turf roofs are a product of viking ingenuity and can still be found today in different parts of Scandinavia, the photos above … Continue reading →

Big Bang Big Boom

Check out this animation by BLU. It will blow your mind. I promise

DECAY

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Volunteering at City Farm this season has been really rewarding. It’s amazing to watch a plant go through it’s cycle of life starting from a seed, being very carefully nurtured and finally harvested. Pulling up all of the tomato plants is a … Continue reading →

The October Issue

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At the Back of the North Wind: Speculations on the Windy City

Here is a list of the artists featured in this months zine:

Anna Gorman    4,10

Anna Timmerman    6

Austen Clements    8

Karl Poulson    12

Kelsey Keaton    1,3

Lauren Smith 7,9

download the pdf. here:

At the Back of the North Wind: Speculations on the Windy City

Lost and Found

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Edina Tokodi is a Hungarian based graffiti artist- but with a twist. She is part of a new movement- green graffiti. Green graffiti started with artists scrubbing imagery into dirty walls and streets. Artists like Edina Tokodi have taken it … Continue reading →

Lost and Found

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Our lost and found series is based off of imagery we have found that relates to flora and fauna in the city. We came across this artist, wrendmade, on Etsy. The shop features work by Wrenay Gomez Charlton. I love … Continue reading →