When most people hear the term 'fine art', they usually start thinking of oil paintings by the old European masters hanging in stuffy, inaccessible museums - but art is so much more than that. Art is a living, breathing expression of our individual passions, and you don't have to look very far to start discovering some truly unique work being created by artists who are pushing the traditional boundaries of what we call art.
I'm in love with the work of Rosemarie Fiore, who is best known for her paintings made using lit fireworks. Yeah, you read that right! While I'm not sure how she manages to avoid lighting her canvas on fire, the resulting abstracts are often unexpectedly beautiful - if a little understandably chaotic - as you can see below:
"Firework Drawing #6"
2009
I can understand her drive to find a new way to create, of course. Exploring new methods of painting is what lead me to discovering the palette knife painting technique that's become my signature style. I was feeling frustrated with more traditional painting techniques, and almost by accident I stumbled onto impasto and my love of the palette knife was born!
Unique art isn't just about finding new ways of working with existing media, though - sometimes it's actually about changing what you think an artistic medium can even be. Belgian artist Wim Delvoye is known for some pretty "out there" conceptual installation pieces, but some of his most appealing works grew out of the fact that he sees opportunity whether other people see garbage. These intricate carvings are part of a project called 'Pneu', and the level of texture and detail is exquisite.
While in San Clemente last weekend, I came across an artist that I love. She finds sea glass and uses it to create little pieces of art. Check Signs of Shop out here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/signsof and here: https://www.instagram.com/signsofshop/
One of the great things about finding a practicing artist whose work you love is that not only can you get a piece of truly unique art, you're actually directly supporting them and enabling them to keep on creating. When you hear about a painting sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars, the artist almost never sees a cent of that money (even if they're still alive!). Supporting a living artist is a win-win for everyone involved!
To see more work from a still-living artist (me! :) ) come and follow me on Instagram for all my portraits, landscapes and still life pieces: instagram.com/trishaknifepainter/ or check out my portfolio here: http://www.theknifepainter.com/all/
Who's your favorite unique artist? Comment below.