Thursday, May 1, 2008

A great find: Tim Biskup


Artwork copyright Tim Biskup

It's not too often that I come across books that totally capture my attention and blow me away. But recently I had that very experience when a co-worker showed me a book by California artist Tim Biskup. Tim's work is amazing not only for its use of color, composition and concept, but the fact that it is minute in stature. The books themselves measure only 5.25" x 5.25" but are packed with inspiring and beautiful work that goes on and on.


Artwork copyright Tim Biskup

So with the experience I had looking at my co-workers copy of the book, I knew I had to get my own copies. I was able to find 4 books of his online and an amazing deck of cards called "The Lucky Stack" in which he has illustrated every card in a poker deck with his fantastic work. Of the four books that I was able to get, there is one titled "100 paintings by Tim Biskup" which states "The 100 paintings project encompasses his bizarre world of oozing monsters, delicate birds and abstract flourishes into compact portions." What makes these books even more amazing is the fact the the illustrations within the tiny format are actually produced at actual size! The other three books are apart of a 5 book series called "The Jackson 500". These are books that "are spontaneous compositions that contain the buds of many of Biskup's recurring characters, themes, and color theories" Each volume has a collection of 100 paintings and leave you wanting to see the next set.

As an illustrator and painter, it is really nice when you can find these unexpected gems. I totally love the fact that the books are produced in a way that is of quality and of great concept and execution. There petite size and strength of content definitely make them books that I will collect and add to as the come out!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

These are fantastic Shawn!

I love this sort of mid-century style.

Shawn McCann said...

Hi Cynthia. They are quite fantastic. The best part is that they are even better in person and in your hand. The small paintings just explode off the pages and they are so rich in color and content. I have looked through them numerous times already and still find new and interesting things I didn't see before. Hope you have a great weekend!