Alexa Meade: Realism turned upside down!

Recently I posted an entry on an upcoming Chilean artist Nicolás Radic who is awesome because his hyperrealistic paintings are at the same time, abstractions of the things portrayed in real life. This time, I found Alexa Meade, who challenges the definition of what a canvass is. I'd say her approach is maybe the inverse to Nicolás'; she paints on her subjects and turns the real thing into wonderful paintings:

Mediation 2

alexameade.com
24x15 Chromira Print. Limited Edition of 7. For pricing information, please contact lauren@irvinecontemporary.com

Amazing, eh? From afar you could actually believe it's an oil-on-canvass, only the hair seems to give away the true reality of the piece of art.

Blake

24x18" Chromira print. Limited Edition of 7. For pricing information, please contact lauren@irvinecontemporary.com.

Seems like tons of fun, and probably a lot easier than it really is. Now, I wonder how would it feel to be there in person and walk around the 'painting' (as a photograph we no longer perceive depth, hence our illusion of it being flat), and if it would be equally convincing.

Probably not but that's maybe not the point. If only, then we'd be able to one day achieve amazing effects... remember that Robin Williams movie 'What dreams may come'?

Alexa Meade's official Page

Another person who blogged about her art (more pictures! And stuff she says about her own work)

Scene from What Dreams May Come

Hyperrealism and Abstract Art

Artist Nicolás Radic (who I met on one occasion, pleasant dude) broke my brain with several of his crazy hyperrealist paintings. Particularly that series of paintings I saw printed in a booklet my dad gave me called ''La Trampa De Luz'' (The Light Trap). I'm still impressed at the level of observation and precision required to replicate on oil and canvass the things he does, for example, the reflections a crumpled sheet of tinfoil creates. And that's why they're like abstract art but coming from realistic styles of painting, because what is reflected on his subjects is far removed from what it originally was. Wowee.

Óleo Sobre Tela

Then again, thinking about the process that went into making each of his works is really interesting. It seems that in this one, funnily enough, he's painting another painter, and his painting! And the reflections on a camera and every little detail. Really interesting, art within art:

espacios confinados

More of his paintings can be seen on these sites:

ArtSlant
Kunst.com- Chilean artists site