"Demure"

Hello everyone! As you can tell, I have posted my second flower-hybrid collage that pairs well with my previous collage Allure (see previous post). The image displayed below is titled Demure.

(Click below to view larger scale)

Demure

16in. x 16in. photo collage

Series : Efflorescence

By comparison, Demure was much simpler to assemble than Allure because the flower was constructed to wrap around the female's face instead of blending into each of her facial features. Although I will say that the tulip used for this piece was slightly more difficult to photograph... 

When I first purchased the tulip it was closed and had a perfect oval shape. But by the time that I brought the tulip into my studio to shoot, the flower had already bloomed and lost it's beautiful shape. So the tulip that you see in this image was actually taped shut from the inside of the petals to "fake" it's closed configuration. In addition, the original color of the tulip was a fiery orange-red so I converted the colors to B&W and manipulated the tones so that the petals would appear to be a milky white color (like the female's skin tone).

Stay tuned for more posts in the near future!

© Alexandra Bellissimo 2014

"Allure"

Hello again! I have completed my second collage for the Efflorescence series, although you might say it fits perfectly with the Simulations series as well. The piece shown below is titled "Allure":

(Click below to view larger scale)

Allure

16in. x 16in. photo collage

Series : Efflorescence

As you can tell, I used a single White Moth Orchid as the subject for the piece, (perfect for the start of Spring!) I love how the soft and delicate curves of the orchid pair well with the female face. Orchid's have been known to be symbolic of many female traits, such as fertility and beauty. When combining the female and the orchid together, I believe it results in an eerily strange and beautiful hybrid of the two.

Unlike most of my other collages, "Allure" was fairly simple to construct because I only used 6 individual cut-out pieces total. To view a detailed shot of how each piece is layered onto the image, click on the image below. 

Thanks everyone, I'll post again soon!

All Images © Alexandra Bellissimo 2014

"Sanctuary"

Happy New Year everyone! I'm excited to kick off 2014 with a brand new photo collage series titled V. The inspiration for the title stemmed from the letter "v" and how it represents feminine characteristics and femininity as a whole. Each piece should be considered an abstract interpretation of femininity rather than a literal one (for example, using a doe's skull). As you can see below, I have posted the first completed piece from the V series titled "Sanctuary".  

(Click below to view larger scale)

Sanctuary

16in. x 16in. photo collage

Series : V

The two images below should give you an idea of how the piece was constructed. Each tree branch was individually cut out by hand (see the image on the right) using an Xacto knife. Although it is tedious and time-consuming to cut and adhere each branch separately, I like that I am able to control the overall shape and fullness of the "frame" to my liking. I honestly lost count of how many branches were used total...but it was a lot.

Cheers to the New Year!

"The Perceiver"

I have completed my final collage for my Metamorphosis series, which consists of nine insect-human pieces total. A nine piece series may seem short, but I have exerted a year of creativity and hard work into this particular series and I feel as though I have nothing left to explore (or offer) with this series. Below is the final Metamorphosis collage, "The Perceiver".

(Click below to view larger scale)

The Perceiver

12in. x 16in. photo collage

Subject : Lanternfly

Model : Max

If you enlarge the image above you'll notice the "tiling effect" I utilized on the insect as well as the model's face (i.e. the forehead, cheeks, and nose). I'm glad that I was able to end the series with a color piece, considering the majority of the images in Metamorphosis are presented in black and white. 

I'm ecstatic to announce that I have spent the past month conceptualizing my newest series...

Stay tuned for blog updates!

"The Siren"

My hectic summer is finally winding down, which means I will have more time to concentrate on completing (for now) my Metamorphosis series. Below is my ninth finished piece for the series, "The Siren". 

(Click below to view larger scale)

The Siren

14in. x 20in. photo collage

Subject : Larvae (Firefly)

Model : Self

The firefly larvae was fascinating to light in my studio because its outer shell photographed eerily similar to leather. I decided to play up the "leather" feel by constructing the larvae to appear as a sleek and vampy costume onto the female. 

And although I'm pleased with how graphic and contrasty this piece turned out, this should be my last B&W collage I make for Metamorphosis because the series is seriously lacking some color. Here are some shots of me working on the piece as well as the actual insect I used below:

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

"ONE-OF-A-KIND" Photo Show at RayKo!

Is anyone planning to travel to San Francisco within the next two months? If so, I strongly suggest you to check out the "One-of-a-Kind" Show at the RayKo Gallery. The group show features unique, "one-of-a-kind" photographs from a diverse group of photographers, (including yours truly). The show will display 6 of my original collages from my Simulations series. 

The opening reception will be this Thursday, July 11th, 6-8pm. I will be attending the opening reception along with the other artists, so I hope to see you there!

The show will also feature original pieces from artists: Christopher Colville, Klea McKenna, Laura Parker, Diane Pierce, Meghann Riepenhoff, Saul Robbins, Ian Van Coller, and Mimi Youn.

The exhibition will run from July 11 - September 1, 2013. It should be a truly unique photo show! For additional information, check out the RayKo site here.

"The Hunter" + CHAPTER 89 Interview

Hello again! It's already mid-June, and I'm already growing anxious over what will be an absurdly busy summer for me. I will try to produce as much work as possible in the next few months, but it will be a challenge - considering all the traveling I'll doing between now and the end of July. Here is the newest collage for my Metamorphosis series titled, The Hunter.

(Click below to view larger scale)

The Hunter

14in. x 20in. photo collage

Subject : Bronze Stag Beetle

Model : Nathan

This particular species of stag beetle, (apparently there are over 1,200 types of stag beetles...whoa.) is considered a cyclommatus metallifer. It's large mandibles (jaws/pinchers) are said to resemble deer antlers. Instead of merging the beetle's mandibles to the model's jawline, I decided to play up the "antlers" comparison and construct them on top of his head. His pose is intended to appear stoic and proud, while remaining gentle and graceful at the same time. For a clearer view of how I utilized the "tiling" effect in this piece, I added two detail shots below. The shots should give a better indication of how the collage was constructed in layers on top of one another: 

 

In addition to The Hunter, I was asked to do a Q&A with CHAPTER 89 - a new online magazine devoted to showcasing contemporary artists, (in the arts, music, design, etc.) with in-depth interviews. To learn more about me and my creative process, click the link below:

CHAPTER 89 INTERVIEW

Images © Alexandra Bellissimo 2013.