Contemplative Women Emerge Through Subtle Grids in Stelios Pupet’s Paintings

a woman with a large sunhat stands in a garden surrounded by cacti. the painting is gridded

“Les murmures du jardin,” oil on canvas, 200 x 200 centimeters. Photo by Auryn F. All images © Stelios Pupet, shared with permission

Whether working on a wall or canvas, artist Stelios Pupet begins with a grid. What starts as uniform blocks slowly morph into varied, angular shapes as he works, adding depth and structure to his largely figurative compositions. Viewed through the subtle distortion of the grid, his subjects are often crouching amid cacti and potted plants or curled into themselves in moments of contemplation. He describes his process:

I am focusing on creating a nice image, different or contemporary and easy on the eye. Sometimes, there is a personal story behind a canvas or a painting on a wall that makes the artwork more powerful or important (to me at least)…I believe that if you give everything in the creation of an artwork, somehow a part of you is captured and in this way, feelings are being created (for) the viewer.

Following a busy few months of working on murals across Europe, Pupet is currently creating a small piece in a park near his home in Athens. Follow his progress on Instagram.

a woman's back is turned to the viewer as she grasps a potted plant on the floor

“Amongst Greenery,” oil on canvas, 120 x 120 centimeters

a close up of a woman wearing a sunhat

Detail of “Les murmures du jardin,” oil on canvas, 200 x 200 centimeters

an aerial view of a robot like character mural amid rubble

“MR Tlaloc,” Athens. Photo by Dimitris Maniatis

a mural of a crouching woman with a large sunhat surrounded by cacti

“Amidst the Cacti,” Zaragoza, Spain. Photo by Marcos Cebrián

A grid-like portrait of a stern woman looking directly at the viewer

Remake of the Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres painting, “Portrait of Madamme Gaudry” (1864), acrylic and crayons on canvas , 40 x 40 centimeters

an aerial view of a mural of a woman curled up on a blue background

“Solitude of Contemplation,” Antonis Tritsis Metropolitan Park, Athens

A woman on a wooden chair with her legs pulled up. All on a gridded purple backdrop

Study for the canvas “They keep coming,” gouache on paper, 25 x 18 centimeters

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Olga Prinku Grafts Blooms and Branches Into Expansive Embroideries

A large embroidery hoop with a piece made of thread and real flowers.

All images © Olga Prinku, shared with permission

Using a vibrant array of real flowers and foliage, North Yorkshire-based artist Olga Prinku (previously) designs intricate embroideries that explode with natural colors and textures. The artist embraces experimentation at a large scale, challenging the traditionally more intimate surfaces of embroidery.

In addition to blooms and leaves, Prinku has recently focused on branches in a new series called Graft. Using primarily silver birch, she describes the works as “a reference to the horticultural process of transferring twigs from one setting to another but also a nod to the slang meaning of ‘hard work’—it takes a lot of time and patience!”

Prinku’s embroideries are currently on view in a group exhibition at Contemporary Applied Arts in London through November 18, and a piece selected for the SCAF Emerging Artist Award is on view until January at Lawrence Batley Theatre Gallery. She is currently working toward a major exhibition for Hidcote in the Cotswolds next year. Find more on her website, and follow her on Instagram for updates.

A delicate embroidery piece made with real yellow flowers on a transparent screen.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

Detail of embroidery made with real flowers.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface, with a wooden frame.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface, hinting at the shape of an eye.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Olga Prinku Grafts Blooms and Branches Into Expansive Embroideries appeared first on Colossal.

Olga Prinku Grafts Blooms and Branches Into Expansive Embroideries

A large embroidery hoop with a piece made of thread and real flowers.

All images © Olga Prinku, shared with permission

Using a vibrant array of real flowers and foliage, North Yorkshire-based artist Olga Prinku (previously) designs intricate embroideries that explode with natural colors and textures. The artist embraces experimentation at a large scale, challenging the traditionally more intimate surfaces of embroidery.

In addition to blooms and leaves, Prinku has recently focused on branches in a new series called Graft. Using primarily silver birch, she describes the works as “a reference to the horticultural process of transferring twigs from one setting to another but also a nod to the slang meaning of ‘hard work’—it takes a lot of time and patience!”

Prinku’s embroideries are currently on view in a group exhibition at Contemporary Applied Arts in London through November 18, and a piece selected for the SCAF Emerging Artist Award is on view until January at Lawrence Batley Theatre Gallery. She is currently working toward a major exhibition for Hidcote in the Cotswolds next year. Find more on her website, and follow her on Instagram for updates.

A delicate embroidery piece made with real yellow flowers on a transparent screen.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

Detail of embroidery made with real flowers.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface, with a wooden frame.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface.

An embroidery artwork made with real flowers on a transparent surface, hinting at the shape of an eye.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Olga Prinku Grafts Blooms and Branches Into Expansive Embroideries appeared first on Colossal.

Monumental Paper Installations by Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen Bring Vibrant Flora Indoors

A large paper sculpture of a flower, held by a figure to show its large scale.

All images © Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen, shared with permission

Enormous blooms crafted from thousands of sheets of creased, textured, and twisted paper explode in Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen’s vibrant installations. The Copenhagen-based artist (previously) draws inspiration from real blossoms like peonies or dahlias, adding fantastical, patterned embellishments to the pistils and stamens. The artist emphasizes larger-than-life sculptures, often creating painstakingly detailed displays that radiate from floor to ceiling.

If you’re in Copenhagen this winter, you can see Scott-Hansen’s Christmas installation at Illum department store. She is currently working with The Spaceless Gallery to make some of her pieces available for purchase and is collaborating with HAGD Contemporary to take the botanical theme a step further in a series of masks. You can explore more work on Instagram.

A large display of paper flower sculptures.

A draping paper botanical sculpture, photographed in a studio.  A large paper installation of flowers held by a figure to show its large scale.

Two images of large paper sculptures of flowers, held by a figure to show the large scale.

Detail of a huge colorful paper flower sculpture.

Two details of paper flower sculptures. The left image shows numerous flowers in different shapes and colors. The right image shws the center of a yellow flower.

The artist is shown holding a large paper sculpture of a flower with green and pink interior and petals of blue and white.

A detail of the center of a large paper sculpture of a flower in bright red and pink.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Monumental Paper Installations by Marianne Eriksen Scott-Hansen Bring Vibrant Flora Indoors appeared first on Colossal.