Domestic Etch

Sam Wolfe Connelly

Wow! These are stunning. They have a sort of muted and surreal Sam Weber quality to me, which I, of course, can't get enough of. I especially love these graphite-digital pieces; the color adds just enough punch to make them have some real depth, but they still manage to remain very soft, while also creepy and mysterious. I love the sense of glow you get as well, with each element sort of popping out as you roam around the page. That said, Connely's pure graphite and chalk pieces are classically quite appealing, especially the ones with literal ghosts roaming about. He's worked for playboy, SCAD, and a bunch of other cool clients, and has also exhibited at Gallery Nucleus and Spoke Art Gallery. Can't wait to see more from him. More work on his website.

Steven Tabbutt

So perfectly surreal, and I love the combination of a smooth paint application with the scratchier hair-like ink lines. I can't decide if I like his fine art or illustration more, but both are great! He also has some nice sketches on his website.

David Benjamin Sherry's Birth in Futureverse

Great work from David Benjamin Sherry, who was also named one of the New York Times 50 Best Photographers of 2010. I like his "Birth in Futureverse" series in particular, especially his "Self Portrait as The Born Feeling Begins" below, but his more geometric Form Forming Formation is great as well.

Helena Wurzel

Some interesting ideas about femininity and ritual in Helena Wurzel's pieces. I love how she can use such simple forms and color palettes to convey really layered scenarios, and I admire her ability to comment on modern society and the portrayal of gender and female sexuality and appearance while still creating images that are fun to look at. I also like her willingness to mix gouache and cut paper, which I think often don't work well together, but are very cohesive here. She teaches and critiques at RISD, and some of her work is also available over at 20 x 200.

Evgenia Barinova

Moscow born illustrator Evgenia Barinova (though pronounced as Yevgenia, in case you were wondering) has been making some great stylized illustration. I love the the consistently rectangular but noodly way that she draws her characters, and how she places them in these surprisingly perspective based landscapes. Lots more work on her website, including some really nice simple kids illustrations.

Ellie F-P's "Writers' Portraits"

Love this series of portraits based on famous authors that Ellie F-P (Foreman-Peck, for those who were wondering) did for telegraph review. Really nice texture, and just enough caricature to be recognizable and fun without being too kitschy. Lots more work on her site.