July's Favourites: Books

Patiently waiting for pay day so I can get my hands on these: 

Seven Deadly Sins: Emma Grzonkowski and Lust.

Lust, my favourite of the Seven Deadly Sins. It not only alludes to an intense sexual craving but also a passion, an enthusiasm and a desire for life, power, success or art. Lust can be more than just about sex. Music, for instance, lights fires in people's stomachs and makes your heart feel like its going to burst out of its chest. Lust is self- indulgent, its an overwhelming craving and a fierce, obsessive drive for pleasure or delight. 

"Lust (Luxuria) is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. It is a shared sin. Although mutual indulgence only serves to push both parties along the road to hell, it is not, in intention, wholly selfish."

In keeping with the theme, here are some works by Emma Grzonkowski. Directly below is 'Lust'.

'Lust' captures intense passion with use of an harmonious colour palette of reds, pinks and the figure's facial expression. The dynamic slashes of paint suggest a deviance from the norm and  almost replicate fireworks. 

I particularly like the Seven Deadly Sins collection by Grzonkowski because they present women as the 'rule breakers'. 

Tattooed Illustrations: Liz Clements.

Liz Clements is a London based illustrator with a style heavily influenced by tattoo culture. Her gallery of works includes numerous images of feminine figures proudly donning their body art as well as their extravagant hair styles in an array of colours. Her use of pastels contrasts with the preconceived idea that women with tattoos are anything but feminine; the juxtaposition of the conventional male-type designs on their bodies and the inoffensive, soft tints lighten the illustrations and force us to reanalyse the gender of the subject matter. Had the tiger's head been coloured with the traditional hues of orange, yellow etc we may consider it a more masculine image, however the colour scheme of tints creates a youthful, soothing feel to the illustrations. 

I love these illustrations because they challenge the belief that women should have 'girly' imagery on their bodies, if any at all and it is only socially acceptable for men to have snakes coiling up their arms and gory bear heads growling on their backs. It is about personal preference, self expression and the right to do what ever the fuck you want with your own body. 

Rough and Dark: Lauren Wolf Jewellery Collection.

Lauren studied jewellery design in the coastal mountains of Mexico and it is clear to see that her uniquely handcrafted pieces reflect her love of travel and her days spent surrounded by natural beauty. Her jewellery is bold yet maintains a certain subtlety. It possesses a rare blend of elegance and edge thats brings together "nature in form and industry in medium."

Her unique collection of earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces is array with unusual combinations of raw materials such as diamonds, jasper and pink Moroccan druzy with precious metals like 14 karat yellow, rose and green golds. Lauren's jewellery encompasses elements which allude to her working environments: her days as a student in Mexico surrounded by the desert and her current design studio in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Her castings of stingray skin are achieved through the lost wax casting process using a mould. It is then used to sculpt sterling silver and 14k green gold pieces.

My favourite piece is the Silver Stringray Claw Ring with Druzy Agate. Its rough, dark and shiny ( with the exception of the latter, that is exactly how I like my guys to be).

She has succeeded in creating jewellery of contrast that complements and commands attention.