Masterful Mosaics of Kevin Champeny

The beauty of the mosaic art form is how the experience changes based on the viewing distance. Wisconsin-bred, New York-based artist Kevin Champeny capitalizes on this dichotomy by creating custom hand cast urethane objects that comprise the resulting assemblage that complement the full meaning of each piece. Champeny’s work is not only visually impactful, but…

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Fauxsiacs

As we’ve mentioned before, we occasionally have a lapse of design envy. It doesn’t happen too often… after all, we are a pretty terrifically creative bunch here at Barbour. But sometimes we encounter work that is just so damn brilliant. So good, in a “why didn’t we think of that?” sort of way, that we…

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Lego Masters

Legos and art have been crossing paths for years now (here and here and here). These colorful bricks that come in a vast spectrum of colors inspire not only young children, but also creative-thinking adults the world over. We are in awe of this brilliant ad campaign for Lego from a few years back, featuring highly…

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David Bowie 1947-2016

The late great David Bowie has been a cornerstone of pop culture for decades. So it’s no surprise that visual artists around the world have paid tribute to him and his chameleon-like persona over the years. Here’s a sampling of some of our favorites. R.I.P. David Bowie Pablo Lobato (Buenos Aires) Via Flickr Vincent Altamore…

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Mosaic Master

Exercises in typographic and mosaic compositions bring us back to our early studies as designers. Not because they are novice or effortless, but because they touch on the fundamentals of good design. Italian artist/designer known as Antonio Village9991 is quite adept at both, as exhibited by this sampling of his impressive body of work. For…

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Scott Blake’s Brave Body of Work

You may already be familiar with the work of contemporary American artist Scott Blake. Blake’s work is not only visually compelling, but also engaging and usually interactive. Some of his most prominent works involve bar codes (aptly called Barcode Art), which fittingly mock consumerism and the increasing societal dominance of big data. Blake has a…

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Emoji Alphabet by Christopher Rouleau

Let’s face it, emojis have infiltrated the general consciousness. When your mom is using them, you know they’ve hit the mainstream. These small digital images used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication are now becoming the subject of art itself, which is another touchstone of cultural proliferation. Wildly talented Toronto-based letterer/designer/artist Christopher…

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High Profile Mosaic Portraiture by Ed Chapman

The decorative art of mosaics dates back thousands of years, yet this art form never ceases to amaze us (here and here and here). Artists continue to find new ways to push boundaries, creating intricate photorealistic works with a variety of materials. One such master is British mosaic artist Ed Chapman. Influenced by artists like…

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Pixelated Portraits

Australian artist Guy Whitby, otherwise known as WorkByKnight (or WBK) has a terrific eye for mosaic compositions, which (and we know from experience) is much more difficult and time consuming than it looks. These pixelated portraits are deceivingly complex, and serve as visual commentary for the global shift from analog to digital. Each piece is…

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Obsolete Media Masterpieces by Nick Gentry

London-based mixed media artist Nick Gentry, like many other creative individuals, creates artwork partly as a means to disseminate some sort of commentary. Gentry’s work is not only visually stunning, but also touches on the evolution of “consumerism, technology, identity and cyberculture in society, with a distinctive focus on obsolete media.” Gentry recycles such outdated…

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