drawings

TODD KURNAT

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(1973, Great Lakes State)
 

Todd Kurnat grew up tracing Iron Maiden album covers and drawing Jim Phillips graphics on his bedroom wall. Fast forward to the current day and you’ll find that Todd’s visual work is predominantly done using ink and paint on re-purposed materials. Often finding inspiration in nature, wildlife, typography, fantasy and sound.

Todd is a self-taught artist who briefly attended the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in the late 90s where he pursued courses in illustration and graphic design. Upon his move to San Francisco in the early 2000s, his art took a back seat to his graphic design successes.

In 2012, wanting more out of life than a paycheck, he began to pursue his art again. Reborn and with intent, Todd’s recent work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout San Francisco.

STEVEN VASQUEZ LOPEZ

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(California, US)

Steven Vasquez Lopez was born in Upland, California and currently lives in San Francisco. Raised in Southern California in a Mexican-American household, Lopez's early obsession with architecture, manual labor and bold fashion continues through his hard-edge graphic acrylic painting and ink drawings. 

Lopez received his BA in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara in 2000. He was a recipient of the William Dole Memorial Scholarship (1999, 2000), Abrams Prize (2000), Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship (2006), ArtSlant Prize (2012). Since completing his MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2007, Lopez has exhibited at CES Contemporary, Aqua Art Miami, ArtsPadSF, the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery, Riverside Art Museum, Diego Rivera Gallery, Parklife Gallery, Roll Up Gallery & Root Division Gallery.

STANLEY DONWOOD

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(UK)

Stanley Donwood is an enigma. His work on Radiohead's albums and all associated artwork has gained him worldwide recognition. Since 1994, having designed all artwork from the second album ‘The Bends’ onwards, his evocative and haunting imagery has helped to create one of music’s most distinctive brands. In 2006, the release of Thom Yorke’s ‘Eraser’ record brought Donwood’s very distinctive artwork ‘London Views’ into the public eye once again.

As an artist he veers from propagandist graphics to introspective illustrations, but a consistent strength is its combination of deep personal and political emotions with modesty and humor; weighty subjects examined not entirely seriously but certainly respectfully. Notoriously reclusive, Donwood himself doesn't pander to the disingenuous media trend for grandeur, and like many intelligent creatives operating in such a conceited sphere, cannot resist underselling himself.

Stanley Donwood is recognized as one the UK’s ‘popular contemporary’ artists and has exhibited his gallery art to an international fan base, including galleries in London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Rotterdam.

Watch Stanley explain how he creates art for Radiohead and Thom Yorke's solo album:


NATE VAN DYKE

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Nate (N8) VanDyke is a prolific artist and illustrator who began drawing at the age of two. His medium of choice ranges from: pencil, ink, marker, watercolor, gauche, acrylic and oils. Regardless of what medium he picks up, his signature style can be seen in the contrast of his thin and thick lines in his pen and ink work and the high sheen contrast in his mixed media pieces.

Nate's heavily detailed illustrations feature his heavy metal humans and his well-known future primitive apes with dark menacing personalities. His color work features studies of animals (apes, elephants, giraffes) against lustrous backdrops.

He recently took a job as a senior concept artist at NCsoft working on City of Heroes/City of Villains. Just prior, he finished creating concept art and storyboards for the Sega video game, Iron Man. His work has also been featured in several magazines such as JUXTAPOZ, XBox, PlayStation and Heavy Metal. Over the years N8 has attracted clients such as Converse, Levi Strauss, Scion, EMI Records, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Burton Snowboards, Slayer and Wired. N8’s work has been commissioned and showcased internationally.

Watch N8 in his studio:

KOZYNDAN

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(Los Angeles, US)

Kozyndan are husband-and-wife artists who work collaboratively to create highly detailed paintings and drawings for both illustration and fine art. 

The pair met while majoring in illustration at California State University, Fullerton. Since then, their projects have included CD covers for bands such as Weezer and The Postal Service, clothing (including lines of illustrated shoes), and posters for companies such as Nike, Inc.

Kozyndan care deeply about the topic of shark finning. In December 2012, Dan Kitchens posted a controversial statement about finning to accompany an Instagram photo of shark fins for sale. He referred to those who engage in the practice of finning as "Chinks" due to Chinese consumption of the shark dorsal fin.

Watch this timelapse video of them painting:


DENNIS MCNETT

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(1972, Virginia, US)

Dennis McNett has been carving surly block prints for over 18 years. His encouragement as a kid came from his blind grandfather, who told him over and over again that his drawings were good. Later influences came from the raw high-energy imagery pouring out of the early 80's skateboard and punk rock scene.

His graphic aesthetic and love for narrative work has been translated in many ways. His work ranges from larger than life Viking ship performances and parades in Philly, resurrecting Nordic giants on West Broadway in Manhattan, Dragon slayings in Oklahoma, masks, installations and sculptures to unique hand-carved wood cut pieces, traditional relief prints, and graphics. 
 

Participating in both the fine art and design worlds, Dennis has been fortunate enough to create series’ for Anti-Hero skateboards, design shoes for Vans, have work fill the windows of Barneys, NY, and participate in the Deitch Artparade. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Juxtapoz magazine, Thrasher and Complex Magazine. 

Watch Dennis in his studio by Vans:



ARMSROCK

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(1984, Coppenhagen, Denmark)

Armsrock is an urban-artist and activist who, for the last several years, has been working with the human condition in the urban environment. He has been working with the medium of drawing in various ways to explore and comment on the city and the society that’s housed within it. He has been trying to question the role of art and artist in society by making art that is ephemeral, for free and for everybody. 

By creating hundreds of unique drawings of his fellow citizens, and placing these original pieces on the walls of the city, in an attempt to generate a critical understanding of the stories and fates that houses around and in all of us, he hopes to send a signal or raise a question about the details and mechanisms of our society.

Watch a visit to Armsrock studio by Daniel Lahonda here: