008 INSPADES

Rebecca Millen

Requiem - Exposing humanity’s Achilles heel

@pr0ject_uno MAROON 5 Winners Contest

Ian Ross Pettigrew

Justin Peters

Masterful manipulation of fantasy through surrealist expression

SALTYGIRLS - Changing the face of cystic fibrosis through photography

June Burke Unstoppable creativity that even cancer could not quell INSPADESMAG.COM - DEC 2017 - N8 • $6.99 - 1 Year 19.99

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Karli Forgèt

| Alex Black | Keith Heppler

www.hotlipstoronto.com - www.facebook.com/hotlipsmusic

Karli Forgèt

| Alex Black | Keith Heppler

(Vox/Synth + Drums)•(Bass/Vox). Maintaining a relatively enigmatic profile, the trio have earned a large underground following with their unique heavy synth based sound and powerful vocals which have been compared to a combination of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Nine Inch Nails. In the vein of bands such as Royal Blood and fellow Toronto artists Death From Above 1979, Hot Lips is successfully composing and performing music with the use of keys, drums and bass only. Their engaging live performances have gained them reputable supporting spots for bands such as 3TEETH and Econoline Crush. www.hotlipstoronto.com - www.facebook.com/hotlipsmusic

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA - WWW.CREATIVESPADES.COM

THE ALL-FEMALE TRIO OF CANADIAN OPERA SINGERS THAT ARE CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF THE CLASSICAL CROSSOVER GENRE. VIVATRIO.COM - @VIVATRIO

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Runaway Train

Tips from a small town model strutting big city runways

Albany Pickering

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Jaclyn truss

Lauren Dunham

Letter from the editor

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Poignant portraits by Por

Jamari Lior

Giacomo Por

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Mesmerizing animations

A melodic tale of humanity’s Achilles heel

Sergio García

The stars aligned to bring her to photography

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Wonjune Kim

Enveloped within the fourth dimension

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P1 maroon 5 Contest winners • • • • •

Mukti Echwantono Fabiana Casco Emily Ashbaugh Cricher Jose Alexy Préfontaine

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Ian Pettigrew

Read why his photography book SALTYGIRLS went viral—globally

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Thérèse Cilia

Strawberry Snail Illustrations - a little nest for dreaming in

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Despite living with lung cancer, her spirit and artwork flourishes

Graceful ballerinas and enchanting macros

June Burke

Lena Zelenkevich

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Mariaa.rio gregrola Contest winners • • • • •

James Faber Joshua Mamaril Hugo Domingues Cristopher Matamoros Jacky Chen

Rebecca Millen

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SERGIO DAVID SPADAVECCHIA Publisher/Creative Director - info@creativespades.com creativespades.com - @creativespades JACLYN TRUSS Editor in Chief - info@inspadesmag.com

Anissa Stambouli Assistant Editor - info@inspadesmag.com - @astamdesigns Guinevere Joy - Writer Albany Pickering McCabe - Resident Poet CONTRIBUTORS Célia Berlemont - Writer Talia Markos - Editorial Assistant Dario spadavecchia - Media Research Christina Deveau - PR & Social Media - @christinadeveau PR0JECT_UNO COMMUNITY CAROL GONG - CHIEF CONTENT AGGREGATOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES info@creativespades.com

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Justin Peters

Realizing fantasy through surrealist expressions

COVER: REBECCA MILLEN INSPADES Magazine is designed & distributed by Creative Spades © All images, text, logo and content of INSPADES Magazine or Creative Spades properties is under the Copyright Laws of Canada.

Any reproduction strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

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“Runaway Train” I’m not a princess and you’re not a knight in shining armor.

There’s no dragons to be slain, only engines made of anxiety and self-loathing.

I’m just a girl on a runaway train, long past the detour, barreling towards a washed out bridge.

And through it all, you’re my brakes.

And when I can’t brake, you’re the one who fixes the bridge.

And that, my darling, is more rare and valuable than a knight in shining armor.

Knights may slay the dragon, but they don’t like to get their hands dirty, so they never stay to clean up the blood on the tracks.

-by Albany Pickering-

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Fabiana Casco @fabicascofotos

Letter From the Editor BY JACLYN TRUSS

You Are Here

In the grand sum total Of all that was hoped Ridden in grievance Mired in trope

Older than young With so much beyond A tempest ocean depth A hapless shore becalmed

Paled in the lighthouse beacon Flashed against the spray Pressed against a ring of rocks To keep it all at bay

A voice as sudden as it calls Breath gasped to breach to surface From sunray to satellite Beamed vitally with purpose Spine pressed through skin The strength of the soul Bared subtly in sinew Uniting what is whole

One foot that bends In the direction of the other Every moment is one birthed Everyone of us a mother Living unknown grandeur Delicately within the fray Wherever you may go in life Here is where you stay

Enjoy,

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Lena Zelenkevich alenagoodphoto.com

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Jamari Lior

Once Upon a Chance Encounter…

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

“Both staged and ethnographic photography reveals something about a culture. It is interesting to see how the ideas of what is special and beautiful changes depending on the society.” @Jamarilior - www.jamari-lior.com

Jamari Lior is a photographing force to be reckoned with. Pairing artistic vision with the intellectual approach of an anthropologist, her astounding photography will pulse through your senses with explosive patterns, an intense clarity that sears the eye and a fantastical wash of post-production magic.

With feminine subjects twirling through scenes, decorated in elaborate makeup and costume, the artistic direction that Lior applies is incredible, to say the least.

“I wasn’t always someone who liked to take pictures,” Lior confides to INSPADES, yet through repeated turns of spontaneous events, Lior’s life has taken her from serious academic spheres to the most exotic creative circles.

Lior was never one to focus on her appearance, nor one to dream of life in center-stage. In earlier years, she would not have imagined that one day she would make a living in front of the camera or be a photographer, and yet, grew to find that her future self was wielding talents unknown. For lucky Lior, life has been a wonderful surprise of serendipitous opportunity and exponential experiences.

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“I wasn’t always someone who liked to take pictures.”

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It all began in university, where Lior studied anthropology and psychology. Upon receiving a scholarship to study in southern India for a year, she moved there from her home in Germany and, deciding to immerse herself in her new local culture, enrolled in traditional dance lessons. Showing skill through her lessons, Lior was invited to dance in an Indian film. This unforeseen opportunity led to an unexpected offer from a model agency, establishing Lior in a lifestyle she never thought she would partake in.

“Me, a model? I never considered myself to be particularly good-looking,” Lior divulges, “But I viewed the opportunity as an experience.” Despite being average in height, Lior even went on to model on runways, being “exotic enough to look interesting” and “dark enough to not look alien in South India.”

When she returned to Germany, Lior continued to model to financially support her studies. After a time, she became “bored” with the limits of being a subject and desired to control the lens.

“I wanted to be in charge of the entire creative process,” she recalls. Having met various models, photographers, designers and makeup artists in her modeling days, Lior had no shortage of contacts to reach out to when she decided to cross to the other side of the camera.

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Depending on the project, Lior works in small groups or large teams, allowing for elaborate sets and costumes that impress the eye immediately. In one of her series, which features extravagant, clownish subjects, Lior worked with Punthip Schramm, a makeup artist with whom she has maintained consistent creative collaboration.

As for wardrobe, while Lior works with stylists, she also dips into her wardrobe. “Parts of my house are filled with items that I buy when traveling,” she shares, citing places like India, Indonesia and Guatemala as some of the locations where she has collected traditional dresses. “I also have the honour to work with very talented designers,” Lior adds.

While Lior travels much for her artistic photography, her journeys also connect with her work as a visual anthropologist. Working especially in ethnographic photography, Lior captures scenes of cultures abroad, portraying people in the organic settings of their daily life and within society. From these images, the viewer gains an understanding of how others live.

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“Pictures taken abroad not only tell us something about the culture portrayed, but foremost something about the photographer herself - she is a product of her own culture, and what is found in front of her lens issues a statement about her culture as well.�

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“Both staged and ethnographic photography reveals something about a culture,” Lior explains, “It is interesting to see how the ideas of what is special and beautiful changes depending on the society.” Through visual presentation, Lior can help the viewer understand what other cultures, or people, desire in life—“ what they fear and what they hope for.”

Using her lens to deconstruct contemporary trends, both Lior’s staged and ethnographic photography explore the historical and cultural origins of current social values.

For example, does the carnivalesque glamour of clownish makeup in many of Lior’s work comment on society’s obsession with facial ornamentation, or does it reflect the individual’s desire to deflect the gaze of others by distracting one’s true identity with a decorative mask of makeup? Analyzing the behaviour and underlying customs of a culture through ethnographic photography, or analyzing individuals and our own society through studio images, make Lior’s repertoire truly compelling.

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For Lior, photography mirrors current matters and values in society, additionally conveying the desires and motivation of the subject being photographed, as well as the photographer themselves. Lior asserts: “Pictures taken abroad not only tell us something about the culture portrayed, but foremost something about the photographer herself - she is a product of her own culture, and what is found in front of her lens issues a statement about her culture as well.�

In addition to playing the role of photographer, Lior is also an editor for a photography magazine and gives photography lectures internationally at universities and institutions. While Lior calls Bonn, Germany home, her work continues to take her from one end of the world to the next. She is currently working on two books for a 2018 release, one featuring studio photography with models, and the other highlighting her ethnographic photography from years traveling.

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Photo by Sergio D. Spadavecchia | Creative Spades • Model: Adam Joseph Chase

A sock for every man.

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ENV ELO PES

BY JACLYN TRUSS

W O N J U N E

K I M

@ W A K _ P O R T F O L I O

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The perspective

imagery achieved by Wonjune Kim’s work is much like a warped hawk’s view, whose perched position allows for transcendent vision that defies sense or reason, enveloping the world we live in with a swirl of shape and colour.

Despite including plants, animals, nature and manmade objects in the details of his work, the images—if seen from a great distance—become simple, repetitive patterns that leave a powerful impression.

In Kim’s eyes, our physical world—with its many beings and stories—is simply made up of infinite envelopes filled with different letters. With his series ENVELOPES, he hopes to capture and fold your unique story into a life-changing perspective.

Fascinated at the age of ten by an image captured without a flashlight, Kim has since developed a consistent interest in experimental photography; however, it was not until a decade ago, that Kim committed his efforts to photography on an entirely different level. With a focus on experiential landscapes, Kim began participating in exhibitions and entering various competitions, including solo exhibitions, and has since won awards on the international stage for his striking and spectacular style.

Layering and rotating one image multiple times to create surreal works of art, Kim has created images that transcend the limits of physical senses. The results are hypnotic, dreamy and abstract, but always result in forging a new vision of the things we thought we knew. In an exclusive INSPADES interview, we connected with Kim to discuss these psychedelic pictures, his successful exhibitions and what it is like to stand naked in public.

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Where did your journey in photography begin?

I was sixteen-years-old and entered the first national pro-baseball photography competition, which was meant to promote the newly born pro-league in Korea.

I had never had any education or studies in photography. To me, it was just a fun and exciting way to use my father’s expensive camera and take photos. I eventually passed two rounds of the selection process and earned the 5th prize. At the award ceremony, I realized that I was the only amateur photographer—let alone high school student—in the contest.

The mere fact that I won the award gave me a naïve confidence in photography, and I have kept shooting since.

How did you progress from your days as an amateur?

Although I kept taking photographs, I never thought that I would take it seriously and exhibit my work; however, after my career and business interests reached their full bloom and died down eventually, my interests in creativity were just beginning to bud.

I have always been engaged in some kind of creative work like playing instruments, writing poetry, editing videos or taking photographs; among these activities, photography has lasted the longest and in a most persistent way, mostly because of its universal appeal without language barriers. Once an opportunity in photography arose, it wasn’t hard for me to choose what I wanted to.

The images featured here are very different from your original landscape photography. You have described these new works as a drive to create “images beyond this three dimensional world”. Can you speak about the evolution of your work?

I always wanted to have my own signature style in photography, a style that people can immediately associate with my name. After a successful solo exhibition, Sketching Memories, in 2014, I struggled to materialize my various thoughts in terms of images that I could create. There was also an intention to incorporate my post-production techniques into my style.

It was in mid-January of 2015 that I tried to create a new image from shots around a lake that I took while on a photo trip the previous winter.

First, I created a panoramic shot long enough to go around all four sides of the image. It correctly reflected my initial thought, but it was nothing special. Furthermore, the number of my panoramic shots were limited, and they did not have the same image sizes to set any rules.

Although I now see some discrepancies, my initial thought behind multiplying one image around four sides was based on the following simple theory: Multiple dots, which are a one dimensional element, create a line—which is a two dimensional element, and then multiple lines create space—a three dimensional element. If I could multiply an image of the three dimensional world in an orderly fashion, I would be able to show the higher dimensional world.

The title of this collection, ENVELOPES, also suggests how the three dimensional world is being enveloped and viewed from the higher dimensional world. The back of an envelope is coincidentally folded four ways, similar to the way my images are created. The challenge is how to create a higher dimensional world that is persuasive and beautiful at the same time.

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You have been featured in so many exhibitions, can you tell us how that came to be?

After I moved to Virginia from New York in 2008, I joined a local photography club to share similar interests and make friends. Soon, my works were selected for their annual group exhibitions.

Additionally, I pursued more competitive venues to exhibit my photography by entering the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s (TFAC) juried exhibitions. Over a few years, I was able to exhibit my photography three times at the TFAC’s gallery, and also at Alexandria’s City Hall exhibit, which is a bi-annual event.

These experiences played a great role when I moved to Korea and began to find galleries that would showcase my photography.

During my two and half years in Korea, where I was living due to my wife’s work, I was able to have five solo shows and two group shows.

Fortunately, the series ENVELOPES was able to earn awards from multiple international competitions.

What has that experience been like for you?

Exhibiting my works in public is like standing naked in a crowded room.

I feel like I am showing my deepest secrets and emotions to the public and explaining them at the same time—that is the scary part, but the inspirational aspect is being able to share and connect my emotions with those who are viewing the photographs. Considering who is seeing my work and where my work is being seen, just blows my mind.

You mention sharing and connecting with our own emotions, as well as with those of others. How does your work make you feel, and what has it evoked in your viewers?

The response to my work has been fantastic and inspirational to other artists as well. For example, an image from my ENVELOPES series, “DESIRE,” was too strong even for me to look at, since the image exuded such strong force; however, a petite female collector fell in love with it and said that it would give her positive energy every time she looked at it. I explained to her that the original image that helped to shape “DESIRE”, called “Dragon’s Scale”, was a picture of waterfalls in a rocky valley. She greatly appreciated it, since her two favorite elements are rocks and water, so she ended up purchasing “DESIRE”.

Experiences like this are a great blessing to me; they help me gather new ideas for my next works and solidify my artistic conviction.

What can we look forward to for your next project?

This collection involved studying physics and higher dimensional theories.

I hope that these scientific theories will inspire me with much more exciting images. I tentatively named my next project, which includes 3D rendering, BOXING. I hope to build this new project with more scientific backing and excitement around it. The important thing is never to stop. Similar to the words of Thomas Edison, art is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Kim’s Gear:

“Canon 5D MK III, and I always have an old Canon 35mm 2.0 lens with me.

There is an extra lens holder called Go Wing which allows me to carry either Samyang 14mm or Canon 70-200mm 2.8L.”

Kim’s Tools:

Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. “I use layering, rotating, masking and blending techniques in addition to basic image-enhancing techniques.”

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Requiem of a

Dream

RebeccaMillen @shizukapicture

BY JACLYN TRUSS

D

D

ripping in gold, cast in silver, adorned with feathers, flowers and fearsomeness, Rebecca Millen unveils sheer masterpieces of photography, digital manipulation and transformational inspiration.

Having always had a poetic mind, it was completely natural for Millen to inhabit all her ponderings within the realm of the fantastic. As a child, Rebecca Millen imagined that the human soul resembled a harp; now, she creates striking portraits that, metaphorically strung like a harp, play the melodic tale of humanity’s Achilles heel: the lack of acceptance of self and others.

Inspired by transformation and the ever-shifting consciousness of the planet, Millen is driven by how people react and develop in response to the circumstances that permeate their lives.

Using her exquisite art as a channel to express all her experiences and emotions, Millen hopes that her work gives people the chance to reflect on themselves, both on an individual and collective level.

Visibly touched by opulent auras, Millen’s portraits display moods that we are not generally allowed to express in everyday life. Believing that dark times gift us with the great chance to learn to love ourselves more authentically than we could without them, Millen sees potential in sombre experience, finding abundant opportunities for growth and learning empathy.

Although it may seem unbelievable, Millen has been an autodidact in most of what she does. At 23, she is still searching for an apprenticeship, but with her incredible talent and already widespread recognition, it is a wonder that Millen has yet to be snapped up by a mentor eager to embrace her prodigious natural savvy. At the same time, Millen is always embracing more opportunities to learn and evolve her talents and is often approached by designers and models for collaborations.

Feeling as though she has finally found her place within a field of creatives that enables her to develop her own art and use it as a meaningful medium to inspire and uplift others, Millen shares her series Requiem and the emotional journey of humanity inside these masterful portraits in an exclusive with INSPADES.

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“Creative work is what makes me feel whole and connected to everything. It’s the air my soul is breathing.

A lot of creatives I know started out like me, doing self-portraits. In these selfportraits, I found a way to express many different aspects of myself and release my inner creativity into a tangible world. In the beginning of these projects, it just helped me to reconnect with my emotions and to realize my own strength.”

“In life, light and shadows get mixed. That’s our natural human experience. We are awash with feelings and thoughts. For me, the most important thing is to be conscious enough to decide which feelings and which thoughts I want to focus on—what is constructive, helpful, and what I want to give to humanity in relation to my talents.”

“I think that humanity is on a journey. Our collective has changed so much over thousands of years. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. Either way, in the long term we evolve, change, experience new ways of living in relative harmony, and a lot of people go with this flow.”

“I have a deep longing to be an inspiration for people feeling connected to my work, to be a person that gives people the chance to see themselves through different eyes—to see their beauty within every aspect of themselves and to feel accepted, especially when they are going through hard times. Nature’s variety often leaves us in awe, so why not be in awe of these incredibly unique and fascinating people?”

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“My works don’t always show characters or feelings that are appreciated by our society. I have a lot of dark moods within my work but it is not meant to be destructive. As an observer, you are free to let your feelings about these works guide you to your inner truth and, honestly, that’s what I wish for my audience. I personally appreciate my Requiem works very much on an emotional level because they give emotions space, and imply that it is okay to feel and express. To overcome those feelings, we have to accept and embrace our pain.”

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“When I see a person glowing from the inside, I know they have discovered their true self beneath the negative feelings that may have veiled it. Every single person has this ability to shine.

Often, it only needs the realization that we are all equal, no matter who we are. There is nothing in this world that could cause someone to have less worth than another. As children, we naturally feel okay with everything, until outer influences make us feel less good, less worthwhile or less acceptable. It is not the truth, it is a big illusion that humans are ‘rateable’.”

“When we create, we are free. We can express whatever we feel, whatever we think, whatever wants to be expressed through our talents. We can just enjoy this freedom or use our talents to serve humanity—to make people feel again and to make them see things from a different angle. Art is such a powerful way to reach out to people, which gives us the ability to connect and to feel connected because it makes us see that, although we are all very unique and individual, we have a common root and this can ignite empathy.”

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“Empathy is one of the most important things in our world, especially in our time. It can help us overcome differences and see the commonality. Everyone who has ever felt the power of a group that acts as one on a base of empathy and humanity knows the magic of it, and that this power can be overwhelming and world-changing.”

“Art can be an important moral foundation for our society, where everyone—no matter what religion or belief they might be a part of— can connect with it. Art does not discriminate, it doesn’t care about the life you’ve lived or the success you’ve had; it removes every barrier that makes people feel isolated.”

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“Imaginative art is a way to connect with our feelings, fantasies and deepest longings. Although I’m doing portraits touched mainly by fantasy, I see it as an incredibly authentic thing, visualizing things which are happening in another dimension and opening a window to our true majestic selfs. I hope my art can bring people to realize that they are majestic and perfect as they are and they just have to believe in their own power and beauty, a beauty far beyond physicality. By showing emotions like grief, sadness—and sometimes just a subtle dark mood—with a sense of dignity, I can change the interpretation and stigma around them, thereby removing selfjudgment for the image’s subject and viewer.”

“Thinking about a future where we stand side by side, enhancing our talents and supporting each other worldwide, makes me feel very excited. I know that everyone who wants to can take part in the process of reaching this goal. It’s time for humanity to wake up—to see that we are one.”

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

JUSTIN PETERS

IMAGINATION

UNBOUND Realizing fantasy through surrealist expression

“E

verything you can imagine is real.”

Such are the famous words by Pablo Picasso that surreal digital artist, Justin Peters, lives by. Enchanted by the ability to merge fantasy and reality into a hybrid dimension through Photoshop, Peters chases the sip of imaginative dreams with a grounding gulp of reality.

At only twenty-one years old, this self-taught German artist bought his first camera in 2015. Peters recalls taking “simple” photos in a forest near his hometown and experimenting with the wonders of post-production. Exploring Lightroom and Photoshop, Peters quickly formed a distaste for generic edits and began the journey that every creative person takes—Peters sought to find his artistic voice and conceive unique visuals.

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@JSTNPTRS - JSTNPTRS.MYPORTFOLIO.COM

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Soon after, Peters gained confidence in his edits and began to upload his photography on to 500px. After receiving positive feedback, he immersed himself in Youtube editorials to master the art of post-production.

It wasn’t until early 2016 that Peters first introduced his photography to the world of Instagram. Inspired by other artists in the online community, Peters became fascinated with night photography. He began to play with merged imagery, blending photos taken during the day with those captured at night, to achieve a fantastical element in his edits.

Later that year, Peters competed in his first art contest.

Tasked with editing another photographer’s work, Peters decided to combine several images by the photographer in order to achieve an abstract interpretation.

“It was the first time I didn’t use my own pictures for the edits,” Peters remembers. While he didn’t win the contest, a new interest emerged. “I started experimenting with stock images, and challenged myself to create new edits of digital art every day.”

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When asked about his relationship with original versus stock photography, Peters replied, “The main challenge of working with stock photos is finding pictures with similar lighting; otherwise, if you shoot other objects later to combine them with the stock image in Photoshop, you will have to mimic the lighting conditions to make the merge work.”

Today, Peters has settled into a consistently surreal style, where carousels swirl seats in the sky, and whales leap to form constellations in the stars.

“I don’t want to make fake pictures that deceive the viewer,” Peters explains, “I want my edits to look as natural as possible so that the scene appears real.” In creating these alternate realities, where moons drip down to become waterfalls, Peters offers a portal for the viewer to discover a new and different world, built on the scaffolds of a reality they recognize.

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Inspired by surrealist iconic painters such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Vladimir Kush, Peters invites the viewer to share in his experience of dreaming, suspending the belief in a rational world— in exchange for the daring indulgence of abstract perspective.

For now, Peters continues to enjoy playing with different styles and viewing each artistic project as an opportunity to brainstorm new approaches to editing.

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“I don’t want to make fake pictures that deceive the viewer—I want my edits to look as natural as possible, so that the scene appears real.”

— Justin Peters

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

JUNE

BURKE

“Digital art saved my life. Even with all the love from my husband and friends, I’m still not sure whether I would’ve made it through cancer if I hadn’t been able to create every day.”

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@ dayinjune

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T

his is the story of transformation. This is the journey of a woman who, as an artist, has traversed the circles of celebrity society, and flourished in the placid sphere of her home studio—tucked within the parameters of an iPad Pro. This is the story of resilience, of ongoing creativity and unstoppable inspiration.

This is the story of the unstoppable June Burke.

Born to a family of fine artists, this multi-faceted visionary began her creative journey at a young age. “I was three-and-a-half years old when my father built me a miniature easel and put a paintbrush in my hand, and I took to it immediately,” Burke recalls, “My first love was watercolours.”

Guided by her talented parents, Burke never lacked creative mentor-

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ship. Her mother was an oil painter and watercolourist, while her father—a poet and visual artist— practiced architecture and interior design by day while teaching courses in watercolour painting and interior design by night at New Jersey’s Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts.

Growing up, Burke had the opportunity to see the life of an artist up close and personal. “We had many family art shows and exhibits in libraries, restaurants and galleries,” she describes—a lifestyle which inspired Burke’s adoration for the fine arts and the progression of her own creative path. Burke’s parents provided a cultural upbringing of “rich heritage”, during which time Burke was educated and exposed to master painters like Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Tamara

de Lempicka, Georgia O’Keeffe and Gustav Klimt.

Hints of influence from these artistic icons are seen in Burke’s works like Abstractional Metamorphosis, which summons the intricate patterns and feminine grace of a Klimt painting.

A primary inspiration for Burke has been Tamara de Lempicka, whose influence is noted in Burke’s bold use of colour, as well as the voluptuous shapes and texture that are implicative of the decorative style of Art Deco, a signature tone of Lempicka’s extensive repertoire. In some of her pieces, Burke overlays unique patterns and textures on Lempicka’s original paintings, such as Portrait of a Young Girl or La Polonaise. Through visual homage, Burke collaborates across time with Lempicka to add a brick in

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the wall of creative progression.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Lempicka was known for her portraiture of high society women and trendy aristocrats. Similarly, Burke had her time with the stars, working in New York City as a makeup artist and stylist as a young adult. Putting her artistic knack to practice behind the scenes for print, film and television, Burke met A-list musicians like David Bowie, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper and Rick James while working on the sets of music videos.

“I was influenced by all of them, and feel blessed to have been around so much talent. I was lucky enough

to work with, and learn from them,” Burke recalls.

During this time, Burke also worked on a print ad campaign for the iconic fashion brand, Versace.

Designing the body paint for a Gianni Versace fragrance campaign in 1982, an ad that later appeared in Vogue, Burke remembers the delightful challenge of transforming a male model into a replica of Michelangelo’s famous Statue of David:

“After spending many hours meticulously painting his entire body to look like mar-

ble, and applying a bald cap so that I could sculpt fake hair from two pounds of moulding clay, it almost broke my heart to help the model wash it off after a long day of shooting.

As I watched all of the body paint and makeup go down the drain, I knew I wanted to do something more.”

Seeing the fruit of her creative labour slip away so easily inspired Burke to pursue an artistic medium that was less disposable and more permanent. She worked a brief stint in interior design,

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creating custom stencils for home décor and published a book, Stencilling for Your Home. Burke’s attraction to floral themes then drew her to her friend’s flower shop, where she occasionally assisted with floral arrangements; this period of her life accounts for the consistent presence of floral undertones in much of her current artwork.

It wasn’t until 2010, when unsuspecting news shook the foundation of Burke’s life, that the course of her artistic direction was thrown: she was diagnosed with cancer in her left lung. “I immediately packed up my essentials—as if I were running for my life—and moved down to New Jersey’s shore so that I could be closer to the hospital where my lung surgery and following treatments would take place,” Burke re-

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members of the difficult transition.

In her new home, Burke created an art studio for her work as her past homes always had, but for the first time, she was unable to use it.

After aggressive lung surgery and six months of chemotherapy, Burke physically could not work in the studio as she once had.

“That’s when I discovered digital art,” she exclaims. The great relief of her experience, digital artistry provided a portal to the outside world. Burke was able to tap into her creativity again, making art accessible once more from the comfort of a single sitting place. While cancer disabled her ability to paint, for the most part, it allowed her to discover a new mode of expression.

“I really feel that digital art

saved my life,” Burke asserts, “Even with all the love from my husband and friends, I’m still not sure whether I would’ve made it if I hadn’t been able to create every day.”

But Burke’s struggle with cancer wasn’t over yet. Three years ago, cancer was found in her right lung as well. Due to earlier surgeries with her left lung, and the weakened state of her lungs from living with severe emphysema, the invasive route was no longer an option.

“I am truly blessed to still be here,” Burke admits. Working with a CyberKnife oncologist and receiving radiation, the cancer in Burke’s right lung is now in remission.

Today, Burke still claims that art, as a creative outlet, has been her best therapy:

Go-To Apps: Sketch Club Procreate Perfect365 YouCam Perfect Dreamscope iColorama

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“Creating soothes the soul; it gives us something to live for, it returns to us our self-worth.

It gave me a reason to wake up every morning, and something to look forward to everyday—it still does.”

Due to her ill health, Burke still has limited opportunities to leave her house. While her earlier works included original paintings on canvas, Burke now works solely with her iPad Pro and digital editing apps like Superimpose, Sketchpad or Dreamscope. Using platforms like iCarousel or Pinterest to source

images to weave into her digital artistry, Burke will also paint unique floral patterns when able, to add to the mix.

For portraiture, she also works with other artists from the Instagram community. Creative muses and friends, like INSPADES veterans Jolanda Richter and Tanja Mortensen, will send images and self-portraits for Burke to paint over—usually using a combination of editing apps like Sketch Club or Procreate. Incorporating her background experience in makeup artistry, Burke will then use the YouCam Perfect app to design custom makeup overlays. Pulling clip art from outside sources to attach false

eyelashes and other vanity accessories, Burke will also digitally paint on effects like eyeshadow.

For Burke, one of the greatest perks of digital artistry is the ‘undo’ button. “There is no way you can make a mistake that can’t be undone,” she says. The reminder allows for greater experimentation, fearless risk-taking and complete freedom while creating.

From her home in New Jersey, Burke continues to flourish creatively and write poetry as well. Though she still lives with cancer, Burke’s healthy creative spirit continues to persevere within the limitless bounds of digital artistry.

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“ART” Art is the ability to express one’s inner voice without fear of judgment or limitations.

Art is the freedom to create without boundaries.

It is the comfort or the exuberance of color, texture, and form.

Art is a visceral conviction.

The reflection of our soul—a Art defines us...

By - June Courtland Burke 12/28/13

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“EVERY DAY WARRIOR” (A Prayer) God give me the strength to be an everyday warrior.

A woman of substance, with no illusions of grandeur.

Give me the strength to face turmoil— with a strong spirit.

To stand my ground, firm and tall.

To stay steadfast and true.

This, I humbly ask of you…

By – June Courtland Burke 11/7/2013

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uptownsox.com Photo by Sergio D. Spadavecchia | Creative Spades • Model: Alex Black - Hot Lips

A sock for every man.

Flying High On The Runway Lauren Dunham

BY JACKYN TRUSS

@_laurennn__xoxo

“The entire world just melts away when I am walking on the runway.”

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Lauren Dunham

takes to the runway. Music blaring, lights flaring and adrenaline surging, she struts down the catwalk with heels clicking silently amidst the cacophony that surrounds her.

Reaching the end, she confidently strikes a pose with all eyes on her— but she can’t see them—the world around her has faded into oblivion.

Dunham, a small town girl from just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, started modelling when she was 15-years-old. She had the chance to participate in a shooting with family friends who had a small photography business, and was immediately taken with it.

“What draws me to modelling is the idea of creating art.

When you’re submerged into the different concepts you model for, it is like acting—you’re playing a role to sell whatever it is you’re

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selling,” shares Dunham, “I like this idea; it helps you to escape everything in life except for the part that you are playing.”

Often doing her own hair and makeup for photo shoots, Dunham loves to experiment with bright, vibrant colours:

“Having brown eyes, this type of experimentation really makes them pop. I have an uncommon skin tone, being part Native American, and have a slanted eye shape.

Many makeup artists have a hard time with this, so sometimes it is easier to do it myself.”

Once she graduated from high school, Dunham was able to expand her reach to larger cities.

While networking can be difficult

and time-consuming for a rising model living far from the biggest city, it never deterred Dunham, who insists that the necessary commutes have been vital—at least until her growing network of people develop the willingness to travel to meet her instead.

“Don’t be afraid of travel,” she advises, “Driving to good photographers is going to help you build your portfolio, but always do your due diligence and contact a few of the models who have worked with those people to make sure the photographer checks out. Safety should always be the first priority,” she emphasizes. “Also, I think connections with other models are the most helpful connections,” Dunham adds, “They can tell you about their experiences—good and bad—which can help you learn and grow as well.”

“Trying to get into modelling in a small town was extremely challenging. There are a lot of ‘photographers’ in small-town settings that are just using that title to exploit naïve girls.”

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Dunham, a full-time college student who works part-time, currently does 2-3 photo shoots or runway shows a week, but it wasn’t always that way.

Dunham explains:

“Trying to get into modelling in a small town was extremely challenging. There are a lot of ‘photographers’ in small-town settings that are just using that title to exploit naïve girls, and you have to be able to weed out the legitimate offers from the creeps. In the beginning, this can be very difficult. I have had photographers try to coerce me into showing more skin than what I was comfortable with, and then

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shaming me when I refused.

I have also been skinnyshamed on multiple occasions by others commenting on my pictures because I am naturally very slender. I think these are huge problems, especially with photographers in the industry.”

Looking back, we can say with absolute confidence that Dunham’s perseverance paid off. In four short years, she has been published in the United States and the United Kingdom, and participated in her first and most memorable runway show for Alabama Fashion Week through the Alabama Fashion Alliance. Modelling for luxury brands such as Fossil, Dunham has been able to network en masse with photographers, designers, designer

representatives and other models.

“I just started doing runways this year and they are my favourite.

It makes me feel like a superstar and gives me a rush I have never felt before,” Dunham gushes, “The entire world just melts away when I am walking the runway.”

Although Dunham has broken into the modelling scene and accumulated many followers on social media, she keeps her sights aimed higher. “I don’t feel like I have made it quite yet,” she concludes, “To me, ‘making it’ would be walking in New York Fashion Week. That is my ultimate goal.” Having proved to herself that success is no accident, Dunham continues to effort diligently in the direction of her dreams, and will no doubt be flying high on runways for years to come.

Always stay vigilant Whenever you shoot with someone you don’t know, always check with models they have shot with before to make sure they are legitimate.

Stand your ground Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with in a shoot. Never be afraid to say no.

Branch out to new concepts.

Exploring your wild side or even creating subtle changes in your look can help diversify your portfolio.

Put yourself out there! Don’t be afraid of rejection, be sure to network and make connections with people.

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

Giacomo Por

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“My purpose has never been to represent anyone specifically, but rather, the essence of humanity.”

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F

rom the shadows of organic portraits, faces emerge to express familiar, universally experienced emotions. Giacomo Por, an internationally recognized photographer, creates a collection of abstract portraits in his latest series, Faces of the Undefined.

In this evocative collection, where silent images speak volumes, Por does not set out to tell stories or direct narratives for these soulful portraits. Viewing photography with a pre-established narrative as excessive, Por avoids orchestration, allowing the images to naturally express the human condition through primitive emotion alone.

“There are no stories behind the portraits but concepts--intuitions. All of my work lends itself to abstraction,” Por explains.

With a sort of alchemy, Por brings different elements together to achieve the effect of photographic gold. In doing so, he allows the pure essence of the subject’s soul to shine through.

“For me, it really doesn’t matter who I portray in my images,” says Por, who has made a habit of leaving the models of his Faces of the Undefined series unnamed.

“Contemporary art is saturated with the idea of storytelling and narratives, so I keep a distance from that approach,” he adds.

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Por is also resolved in keeping a distance from the models themselves, only allowing a familiar relationship with them once the session has been completed. “I talk a lot with the people I photograph, but only after the shooting,” he asserts. By using this method, Por is able to remove himself as an influence in the process, exposing the truth of the subject in his relative emotional absence.

Beyond serving as an exquisite creative outlet, Por’s portraiture sparks metaphysical epiphanies that allow him to better understand himself. “My visions--my revelations--are a continual game of chess between my present life and the unknown beyond.”

For Por, the drive behind a portrait is less about the individual subject and more about reflecting the elements that unite humanity. “The people I find to shoot always allow me to find myself in each portrait,” he shares.

Comparing his work to a “single mirror”, Por sees a symbolic reflection of himself when looking at another person’s portrait, the photograph acting a great equalizer for the universal human experience.

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Por’s portfolio is an equally balanced book of both dark and light images, working with high and low-key photography techniques:

“For me, white and black are two different doors that lead to different revelations. White and black are not a visual concern--they are not the answer to a simple question about a foreground or background. Instead, they rarefy the senses--a transient effect in which my inspiration is born.”

From silence, Por’s ideas are conceived. One to take his time in quietly developing an idea, Por often spends hours fine-tuning the lighting for a portrait until he is satisfied.

“I’ve often spent an entire day thinking about where to place one candle,” he admits.

Yet despite the laborious periods involved in a shoot, Por ultimately finds great satisfaction in viewing the astonishment of his subjects when they do not recognize their faces in a portrait he captures.

Por’s visual poetry speaks volumes with his rare and unique vision of human poignancy and clear expression.

His work has a cohesive resonance, yet an ever-evolving potential to seek new vistas. Presently, Por is working in Spain on a series of images that explore the juxtaposition of men with bulls.

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“My visions—my revelations— are a continual game of chess between my present life and the unknown beyond.”

Is inspired by: Man Ray Aaron Siskind Mario Giacomelli

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Maroon5CONTEST

G

rammy Award-winning musical artists, Maroon 5, have collaborated with Pr0ject _ Uno for an amazing event to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their first album, Songs About Jane, which was originally released June 25th, 2002.

This album was a huge international success, selling over 10 million copies, as of 2015!

When Maroon 5 came to P1 with the idea of creating a collaborative effort to thank their fans, they were more than happy and excited!

This challenge encouraged artists and fans from all over the world to create a graphic/visual depiction of any or all of the songs on their album. Maroon5 and their team picked their favourites from over 2500 entries!So, without further ado, here are the WINNERS!

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Mukti Echwantono of Malang, Indonesia You may remember from INSPADES Issue Cinque. I have pursued the world of photography since 2006, and my affinity for mysticism strongly affects my work. The beauty of a photograph is not strictly about being clean and bright, we must also learn to have a sense, a special touch for it so that we can create an image which presents not only beauty to the eyes, but that also makes an impression on the heart. Since ancient times, people have worn black to express their grief and there is a certain romance in darkness and melancholy. There is something mysterious about that which is hidden and unknown. A dark photo may seek to romanticize sadness and depression.

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Maroon5CONTEST Fabiana Casco of Buenos Aires, Argentina You may remember Fabiano Casco from INSPADES Issue Quattro.

A creative soul and rebel, I am transiting life daydreaming. Lover of images since I was a child, I loved to get lost in the images of Vogue-type magazines, story books, art and painting. In my early youth, I fulfilled one of my dreams to design clothing and sell it in my own boutique.

Today, I am already bigger and with much more experience after a health episode that marked a change in my physical state and a spiritual level awakening. I find myself with camera in hand and a small

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studio, creating my own images, characters, creating images for brands, portraying people and the soul of people.

I seek to transmit not only beauty but a concept, so that when someone is looking at the image, they connect with their inner self, and can imagine and immerse for a moment in my dreams.This year I began to give courses in editing and photo manipulation and working as a retoucher.

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Maroon5CONTEST Emily Ashbaugh of Oxford, Santa Barbara Some say that true artists do not have the title for themselves as such, they simply create and are perceived as one. I consider myself having a creative mind, with an eye for artistry and trained for design. I pursued my love for design by attending the number one city college in the nation. I recently graduated Santa Barbara City College and received my third Associate of Arts in Graphic Design. I am continuously studying and building upon my knowledge in web and graphic design as this field is constantly being changed and updated. I am now obtaining the skills and work experience I need to pursue a career in design. As far as my personal edits, I find inspiration in nature and science fiction. Whether it be movies or just fantasy, I grew up as a huge Star Wars fan and you can see this reflected in most of my pieces. I love being able to create edits that incorporate my thoughts and dreams and make them into realities.

I live by the quote, “When you are born into a world

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Maroon5CONTEST

you don’t fit in, it’s because you were born to help create a new one.” I aspire to change people’s perspective through my art and the way I live my everyday life. If I can make someone feel or see something in a different light through my art or if I can make someone change the way they think through a conversation, even if that may be to just think more positively, only then I feel a days work has been completed. I hope that through following each other’s artistry journey’s and continue to collaborate we can all make this world a more positive and beautiful place!

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Maroon5CONTEST Cricher Jose of Caracas, Venezuela Since I was little, I was always interested in the audiovisual arts, I started in this world with video editing for YouTube, unfortunately, a year later I had to put it aside.

Then I started working with Cinema 4D, at first I only used it for curiosity and for fun, but over time I fell in love with 3D art, so I started working with more effort and dedication to get to where I am now.

Until now my work has been presented in a large number of pages dedicated to digital art, I have also had the pleasure of working with some well-known artists, and soon I will start working with a clothing line. One of my main goals is to get to work for big companies and artists, I would also love at some point to found my own audiovisual studio and have my own clothing line.

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Maroon5CONTEST Alexy Préfontaine of Montréal, Quebec My work is all about simplicity, colours, fantasy and emotions. With my recent work, involving 3D human figures, simple shapes and lighting, I want to share how I feel or visually represent a specific concept or feeling. On the other hand, I like to take the viewer on a journey into surreal, breathtaking and awe-inspiring worlds. I first got started by editing photos on my iPhone and then moved on to Photoshop and Cinema4D (a 3D software) to refine my style and explore new possibilities. I pretty much learned everything by myself, watching several YouTube tutorials and testing out different software.

So far I’ve known quite some success.

Being shared by Adobe, Photoshop, Fubiz and Abduzeedo, my work got much more attention during the summer of 2017. I also hope that I’ll be able to be a full-time freelancer and work in the music industry because it doesn’t feel like work at all. It is so great when I have the chance to work with talented people and merge my vision with their music.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Changing

the Face

Cystic

Fibrosis of

Ian Pettigrew ianpettigrew.com - @ ianpett

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picture may worth a thousand words, but portraits, in particular, can be worth a million more. Capturing compelling narratives with the click of a shutter, Canadian photographer, Ian Ross Pettigrew, encapsulates the amazing stories of each of his subjects within the frame of his lens.

Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) nearly ten years ago at the age of 38, Pettigrew took a pause from his design work and photography to travel North America for roughly a year, shooting portraits of authentic people living with CF. As a genetic illness, CF has often been considered a “childhood disease�, as it is usually diagnosed at birth or in the early stages of a child’s life; however, in recent years, that impression has become dated as the number of people being diagnosed with CF in adulthood has crept up in statistics.

Symptoms of CF will present atypically in adults, causing delays in diagnosis, but common symptoms will include difficulty breathing, incessant coughing, persistent weight loss, weakness, ‘salty’ sweat, and infertility for men or decreased fertility for women. It is often remarked by CF sufferers that they feel as though they are “drowning from the inside” from the fluid filling their lungs. While lung transplants are an important treatment option for people with severely damaged CF lungs, sadly, there is no cure. Many individuals struggling with the disease have to use a breathing apparatus or feeding tubes, or both, to aid in their daily functioning.

It is for this reason that Pettigrew decided to draw attention to the daily issues of adults living with CF, producing the photographic book, Just Breathe, in 2014.

This project quickly gave rise to SALTYGIRLS in 2015, a body-positive book that explores women struggling with CF. In an exclusive interview with INSPADES, Pettigrew chats about his rise in photography, his life beyond Cystic Fibrosis, and his pride in SALTYGIRLS. “I think my love for photography came from my father. He was quite a shutterbug and my whole childhood was very well documented,” Pettigrew begins. Despite his early exposure to photography, it wasn’t until college, when he took a course in darkroom photography for his graphic design program, that Pettigrew discovered a true passion for the art form.

In the final year of his program, Pettigrew left to pursue a career in advertising as an art director. During this time in the 1990’s, everything was still shot on film, which offered Pettigrew a view behind the curtain of traditional photography.

“It was so fantastic to see the actual process of shooting a big ad campaign on medium format film, and how when you had an ad booked and a hard deadline to submit, there was little room for error,” he recalls.

Attending photo shoots as an Art Director and observing the photographer’s role, Pettigrew was inspired to take a camera and embark on a new creative journey. He began to pursue photography with increasing vigour, submitting his work to various publications with successful results.

After his diagnosis with CF, Pettigrew began to grow restless with the standard content that busied his photography career. Shooting mostly fashion and nude studies at the time, Pettigrew began to feel that the direction of his work was “facile and unfulfilling.”

“I came up with the idea of raising awareness about CF,” he says. It was then that the idea for Just Breathe was conceived.

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Pettigrew embarked on a new journey that would change the course of his life and career, altering his perspective and establishing himself as a key amplifier for the voices of adults, especially women, living with CF. Travelling Canada and the United States in just under a year’s time, Pettigrew accumulated portraits of adults living with CF to convey their daily struggles and bring awareness to the disease as an illness for all ages, and not just children.

“It was tough and daunting at first because I didn’t know anyone else with CF, but the power of social media really came through,” Pettigrew recalls, “If I had undertaken this project 12-15 years ago without social media, I wouldn’t have known where to begin.”

In addition, the social networking, word of mouth proved to be a powerful aid in sourcing subjects for the project. “It became obvious to me that adults with CF had wanted to talk about their issues for some time,” Pettigrew noted after subjects expressed interest when word spread.

During his work with adults on Just Breathe, Pettigrew realized that women with CF, in particular, needed their own exclusive platform to shine a light on the disease. It became clear to him how the scars and feeding tubes that are worn by women with CF deserved called for a unique category in the body positive movement.

“Working on SALTYGIRLS certainly gave me a deeper understanding of the issues women living with CF face,” Pettigrew reflects. “Think about body image issues that the average woman faces, and then multiply it by a hundred. That’s what women with CF deal with.”

As a photographer, Pettigrew had grown used to working with professional models and was forced to adapt his shooting style to meet the organic expression of his subjects in SALTYGIRLS. “Professional models know what is expected of them, and how to pose. I’m not a big fan of overly coaching models during a shoot—working with an experienced model requires very little work,” he explains; however, working on Just Breathe and SALTYGIRLS provided an opposite dynamic for the photographer and his subjects.

“Many women were very camera shy, so I needed to be sensitive to the situation,” Pettigrew divulges, “The goal was to portray the subjects as themselves, with no artifice. Even if that meant showing the people as shy and awkward, the truth was more important than anything else.”

Pettigrew displayed compassion and artistry in the creative direction of his shoots, working to earn the trust of his subjects and keep them at ease. “I knew I was asking a lot from the women,” he says, “but they understood how important these two books were for CF.” While part of the goal for SALTYGIRLS was to provide a platform for women with CF to speak openly and to spotlight aspects of the illness that have rarely been talked about in general conversation, another large part was to draw attention to CF in general.

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“Trying to raise awareness for a disease that affects such a small portion of the population is a very tricky thing,” Pettigrew acknowledges, yet much to his surprise, SALTYGIRLS immediately went viral after publication.

Picked up by international media outlets, it was featured in People Magazine, ABC News, Women’s Health and Cosmopolitan to name a few.

“It was quite a whirlwind,” Pettigrew admits, “I was not only proud to have my photography featured on such a large stage, but also that these women were able to tell their stories to a worldwide audience.”

The title for SALTYGIRLS makes a cheeky reference to the ‘sweat test’, a standard method for detecting CF, as people with the illness have increased chloride (salt) in their perspiration. Capturing women with various stages of CF, the severity of the disease clearly marks the bodies of the featured women.

“While making working on these projects, I realized that Time was not on our side,” Pettigrew emphasizes, “Since I started the two books just a few years ago, 18 of the people that I photographed have died.”

According to Cystic Fibrosis Canada, 60% of the nation’s citizens living with CF are adults, and while each individual struggles with varying degrees of CF severity, the average life expectancy is 51 years—as opposed to 40 years in the United States. For individuals diagnosed at birth or in childhood, their average life expectancy is only 37.5 years—however, advances in treatment continue to expand this estimated age.

“Just Breathe and SALTYGIRLS have already accomplished way more than I ever dreamed of, so now I am focusing my efforts on building my business, both photography and advertising,” says Pettigrew, who has since stepped back from the topic of CF to solidify his unique style in photography.

Having worked as a professional photographer for roughly nine years, while maintaining business in graphic design, Pettigrew continues to explore the depths of his already impressive potential.

“I’m just blessed to be able to do something I truly love, and to be able to make a living out of it while I still have relatively good health.”

With two incredible books under his belt and a wealth of experience, we anticipate future artistic projects from this evocative portraitist.

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Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that mainly affects the cells in your body that make mucus, digestive fluid and sweat. While the mucus and fluid created by the body are usually thin and slippery, CF causes the body to produce mucus that is thick and sticky. Accumulating inside the lungs, this glue-like mucus traps germs and leads to both chronic and acute lung infections, which cause inflammation and deterioration of the lungs and ultimately leads to a loss of function. It can also cause cysts (fluid-filled sacs) and fibrosis (scar tissue), which is how the disease was named. Additional complications related to the disease include a difficulty in digesting fats and proteins and an inability to absorb nutrients as the mucus also clogs tubes from the pancreas to the small intestine—leading to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, sinus infections, and CF-related diabetes.

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Photo essay Ian Pettigrew ianpettigrew.com - @ ianpett

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

SS

trawberry nail

Thérèse Cilia @strawberrysnail

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A

delight to all that behold them, the wonderfully whimsical and playful pictures by illustrator and painter, Thérèse Cilia, are born of an animated mind and dedicated imagination. Having found their cheerful abode in fine art prints, children’s books, textiles, stationery and commissioned works, Cilia’s darling depictions are inspired by stories of the human spirit and the natural world.

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing and painting, Cilia was heavily influenced by her schooling at the Ontario College of Art and Design, a university in Toronto. It was there that her infatuation with formalism and the precision of painting developed, in addition to her obsession with artists’ materials and paper products.

Structured by steadfast daily routines and procedures, Cilia’s creative process is highly regimented. Her works are finely detailed, thoroughly planned from conception to execution. An element of this process ensures that she gives room for her ideas to breathe so that they can ruminate, culminate and exhale organically into the world. With the creation of her company, Strawberry Snail Illustrations, a collection of Cilia’s works adorably adorn a variety of items— from prints, to greeting cards, to pillow cases—and of course, her illustrated books.

When Cilia’s artwork and business was discovered by Flanker Press, she was teamed with writer Dwayne LaFitte to publish her first children’s book, Over by the Harbour, as well as her second, Bullet the New Steam Engine. Her third illustrated book, Keeper of the Light, written by Janet Barkhouse, is the story of a young heroine, based on the real experiences of children who worked at lighthouses in the early 1900s. Cilia’s books have appeared on the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s (CCBC) Best Books for Kids and Teens and, in the spring of 2016, Cilia was honoured to receive an Arts Recognition Award for her contribution to the arts.

INSPADES takes an enchanted journey through the imagination of this fanciful illustrator, who shares with us the intricacies of her creative process and personal reflections of her artwork.

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“My art always begins with a pencil and sketchbook. Drawing is an extremely important process for me—it helps me to make sure that I’ve exhausted all the possibilities, and it also makes sure that I understand the essence of my subject before I go to paint. When I’m painting I really just want to be focusing on colour and gesture, so that the end piece looks really fresh and easy. I always use watercolour but, sometimes if I feel it’s needed, I add pencil crayon, gouache or ink.”

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“I enjoy making and looking at paintings because they are quiet, and I can only reside in an idea when there is such silence that everything stands still. Creating and observing art is not just a form of escapism; it’s activating a place in the mind where we can be our true selves. Making and perusing art, reading a book, listening to music, meditating—these are vehicles that take us to a residing place where we experience meaning. It is a little bit like another dimension. When you’re making art, you’re always trying to get to that dimension.

When you’re residing in it, that’s when your artwork has succeeded.”

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“I think a painting is good when it reflects that meditative state that the artist was in, that third dimension. It’s amazing to me that a moment of a person’s being can be transferred onto a piece of paper by way of art, and can be held there long after we’re gone. My works are a reflection of that meditative space, where the critical mind is completely shut off and the process is based only on intuition—this colour feels right here, this line feels right there. In this space, I am not bound by rules or tradition or judgement.”

“When I first began painting with ink and watercolour, I didn’t know what children’s illustration was, only that the style came naturally to me. It was as though an entire visual language had been tucked away somewhere and suddenly presented itself. I was in my third year of a drawing and painting in my Bachelor of Fine Arts, when students and teachers ‘mistook’ me for an illustrator. I vaguely knew what that was, but I didn’t know it was what I was doing. The picturebook work came much later, as a natural progression.”

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“By this time my second book was published and I was getting a good amount of commissions and projects, selling online with Etsy, and participating in lots of local art fairs—always getting a great response. I knew then that there was something really unique about my work that resonated with others.”

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“Similar to the ways in which a writer observes the world around her for her stories, I am always studying colour and gesture. In art, colour is paramount when telling a story—it sets the tone. It tells the viewer what they should be feeling— it is very emotional. The colour of a shadow thrown from a lighted object, for example, can transport a viewer from reality to a fictional space, an emotional space, a remembered space. With gesture, I am always seeking the truth. This is what makes good art, no matter what you’re portraying; it represents the moment of connection between art and viewer. As an artist, I am always trying to get to the heart—that is, the essence of something, but also the viewer’s heart.”

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“My need to always be on my toes and learning new things has recently led me to the world of pattern design, which stems from a lifelong love of fabrics, but also my love of anything botanical and animal which lends itself so well to textiles.

The detail found in nature figures so well in my own propensity for getting lost in drawing and painting detail. I am influenced by Victorian pattern and prints and scientific illustration. In 2016, I purchased a sewing machine and taught myself how to sew, opening up a whole new world of surface design and thus, a new line of products. My goal is to eventually work with companies, providing surface design for a whole range of products like stationery, gift items, fabrics, product packaging and so forth, so I can focus more on the painting, rather than production.�

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“My hope is that my paintings are for viewers what they were for me as I made them—like little nests for dreaming in, shelters for imagining. Sometimes when I’m in the studio and have an idea, I am residing so much in that idea that when I go to the kitchen to fill up my coffee cup, I am literally tiptoeing so as not to disturb it. It’s a little bit like when you’re dreaming and you’re half awake, and you’re trying to get back into the dream.”

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

Prism of the

Soul Lena Zelenkevich

“As a picture, photography is the soul of the world—seen through the prism of the author’s soul.”

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B

eautiful black and white ballerinas, posing gracefully, and enchanting macros—such are the tender images captured by photographer, Lena Zelenkevich.

With a keen eye for beauty and images that resonate, her passion lies in capturing great moments with her camera and enhancing them in post-production.

Hailing from Minsk, Belarus, Zelenkevich’s love of photography began with travel. Armed with her Nikon D7000 camera, she finds inspiration in the natural environment and in people, endeavouring to catch the beauty and atmosphere of new places, so that each journey because a photographic series of wonderful memories.

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Furthermore, Zelenkevich is additionally moved by the vibrancy of nature. “Nature is perfection itself, and one could not imagine such a combination of colours,” she explains. Through captivating macro photography, Zelenkevich’s frequent homage to the natural world is made clear. Parting from the crisp, clean finish of standard nature photography, Zelenkevich flourishes her edits with a generous use of bokeh and vignetting effects to create soft and alluring results.

Like creatures influenced and insync with their ecosystem, Zelenkevich is deeply rooted in the creative culture of human society. Also infatuated with ballet, she is inspirited by the graceful movements of a dancer’s form.

In the Diva Studio in Minsk, Zelenkevich captured a memorable collection of photography while working with a ballerina.

While Zelenkevich had to hunt for the right ballerina to model, and a proper studio to shoot in, she insists that shooting the model ended up to be an “easy” endeavour.

The project was well worth the wait, and the resulting images are nothing short of stunning.

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“I am inspired by music, dance, film and works by famous photographers,” Zelenkevich shares, “They all get infused into my work.”

To further elaborate, Zelenkevich quotes renowned American photographer Ansel Adams: “You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

While Zelenkevich looks forward to the day when she can be a full-time photographer, in the meantime we are still able to view the beauty of the world through her lens. “As a picture, photography is the soul of the world— seen through the prism of the author’s soul.”

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“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

—Ansel Adams

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Art nimation The of

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

SERGIO GARCÍ A

“I’ve spent my whole life with the ocean at my doorstep.

I think that’s why I’m so fascinated by everything that has to do with water. Also, humans are largely made up of water—water is life.”

Sergio García

possesses a profound, fundamental understanding of the fluidity of life and art. Hailing from Málaga on the southern coast of Spain, the ever-present seascape of the Costa del Sol has suffused García’s soul with the ebullient washing of the waves.

“I’ve spent my whole life with the ocean at my doorstep. I think that’s why I’m so fascinated by everything that has to do with water,” García confesses to INSPADES, “Also, humans are largely made up of water—water is life.”

Like a wave upon a shore, easily made weary by the stagnant and familiar, García constantly seeks change, adventure and challenge. “I’m always looking for new places to visit or new techniques to learn. That’s what keeps me motivated to live.”

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Through animation, García has found a way to express motion in a way that photography alone has been unable to do. “A static image is interesting, but a moving image is dynamic,” he insists.

Working with programs like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects and Plotagraph Pro, García’s animations are truly mesmerizing. Often incorporating water and smoke into his images for their constant, natural movement, the results are hypnotic.

Some of García’s most cherished accomplishments include working with renowned tattoo artists Chaim Machlev (@DotsToLines), Abián LaMotta (@abian_lamotta) and Corey Divine (@CoreyDivine). With digital wizardry, García brings the tattoos to life, transforming intricate ink into moving masterpieces.

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As movement is paramount to García’s happiness, creative dance has also proved to be fulfilling for the artist, allowing him to express movement in a physical way, and not just visually on a digital screen. For the past eight years, García has practiced urban-style dancing with a focus on hip-hop and popping and currently dances with a company dedicated to performance and competitions.

“If there is a connection between my digital art and dance, it is because I dance with a fluid style; I often try to be like water when I dance so that I can adapt to any music or environment.”

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As if mastering professional dance and digital artistry wasn’t enough, García is also an accomplished painter. True to his love for water, his favourite medium to work with is watercolours, infusing each piece with the fluidity of his signature style. Raising the ante for each painting, García subtly animates particular elements of the piece, breathing life into the fixed image.

Looking ahead to the future, García hopes to widen his audience. With his flowing creativity and talent, García’s career is sure to unfold as beautifully as the animations he creates.

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@FABERVISION

JAMES FABER

OF BRAMPTON, ONTARIO

ine years ago I got my first camera but, N actually, it wasn’t mine. My father gave it as a Christmas gift to my mom, and I was fortunate

enough to be allowed to use it, but only if I asked for permission. I would use that camera as often as I could until, eventually, my mom surrendered ownership of the camera and it unofficially became my camera. Back then, I had no idea what I was doing, I would just point the camera and take pictures of what I thought was interesting, which at the time was landscapes and flowers.

Eventually, my friends started asking if I could take photos of them. It was difficult at first, but I loved the photos I was creating. I always loved interacting with people, so combining that with photography was a perfect match. When out on a shoot I try to make it as fun as possible for everyone involved, as the energy of the shoot will always lead to photos that are unique and stand out. I always try to capture a smile that is genuine, I feel that capturing these fleeting moments creates an image as unique as the individual

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JAMES FABER

themselves. The past year, I began to attend different photography meetups in the city, I didn’t know many other photographers and it really got me to step out of my bubble and learn from other photographers, and be inspired by their work as well. This really pushed me to really work hard at becoming a better photographer and getting really great photos.

The last meetup I attended was a big one for me, it was hosted by some people on Instagram (@maria.rio and @greg.rola).

I got some good photos and thought that if I was lucky, I might get the third place spot. To my amazement, I came in first!

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That was a big encouragement for me that I certainly wasn’t expecting. I don’t expect to be slowing down anytime soon and look forward to seeing what opportunities my photography unfolds in the future.

This is the winning photo from the Instameet, at this time most people started going home. As the sun was setting, the lighting was getting just right for that perfect shot. I asked Beau (@iebeau) if I could get a few last minute shots before it got dark out.

He was just about to leave but he agreed to it. He was great to work with one on one and the photos were amazing, It was the perfect way to end a day of shooting.

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JOSHUA MAMARIL OF TORONTO, ONTARIO @GEEKONSKATES

igital art has been D something that I have appreciated from a

young age, particularly photomanipulation and photography, and now, I am a graphic design student at George Brown College.

I began to experiment with photo manipulation in junior high; I am selftaught and have been continuing to teach myself using Google and Youtube.

The amazing possibilities of photo manipulation led me to a more serious pursuit photography in December of 2016. Shortly after at the end of May 2017, I committed to buying my first full-frame camera: the Nikon D750.

So far, I have only entered one photography contest: RioRola by Mario Rio and placed 2nd using the D750 with an 80-200 f4.5 manual lens. All this would not have been possible without

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the help and support of my family and friends.

I feel that my style of photography and editing revolves around the idea of “looking up at the sky under the pouring rain”; very melancholy. Recently though, I have been experimenting with different styles which I found inspiring and I hope that others can be inspired by my experimentation.

I love meeting and connecting people; the rewarding feeling of being able to relate and introduce everyone to one another is something that I greatly cherish, especially when I can connect them through my work. Other notable things that I love doing are ice skating, slalom rollerblading, and fixing computers (Windows in particular), hence the name of my Instagram “@geekonskates”; it is not a lie!

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JOSHUA MAMARIL

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HUGO

DOMINGUES OF TORONTO, ONTARIO @HDOMIN96

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a self-taught artist from Portugal, who has Ikid,am always been curious how things are done. As a I used to draw and make art with anything

I could get my hands on. At school, in art class, everyone could see how much I loved it. Also, I liked radical sports, such as skateboarding and downhill biking, and I was quite good at both.

To show the others what I was able to do, I took pictures and recorded videos. As the time passed, I still continue to improve my skills - I learn something every day that helps me achieve a level I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know I am going to do next. Time made me what I am. Photography is the happy side of my life and I wish that I could make art for a living. My background of growing up in a rural area helped me love the outdoors and gain inspiration from the colourful natural world around me. I constantly try to achieve the “wow” factor while capturing the moment. I won 3rd place in the “RioRola” contest hosted by @mariaa. rio and @gregola with a photo of @lisahearn2626.

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HUGO DOMINGUES

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@CHRISMTM

CRISTOPHER MATAMOROS

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international An student from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I

moved to Canada just over a year ago to attend college for a 3-year film program, although, I hope to become a Canadian resident in the future. My first and only real photography lessons came from Juan Pablo Martell (1928-

2017), who was a wellrespected photographer from my country and who I considered a mentor, he taught me that to capture a good image you begin before even pressing the release button. I started my photography journey with landscapes, travelling to several villages and towns around my country to

capture life away from the city, however, that shifted with time into portraits.

I’ve been shooting mostly portraits for about a year now, and something I like to do is to capture emotions, not only show how a person looks but to show how they are, and I do this through colours as each colour represents

a different emotion. Even though I’m happy shooting portraits, I would love to go back to my roots in a near future and shoot landscapes and life and culture again.

My dream is to be able to combine my three biggest passions which are travel, photography and film, and foreign culture, and turn them into a lifestyle. inspadesmag.com • 185

CRISTOPHER MATAMOROS

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@CHXN.JXCKY

JACKY CHEN

OF MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO

urrently, I am in my senior year of high school, and I C first took an interest in photography in 10th grade, when I was using my dad’s old DLSR mainly to take self-portraits. In the beginning, I was honestly terrible at it, for some reason I was shooting fully manual and I think that’s what pushed me to learn and understand my camera. After a few Google searches and YouTube videos that’s when

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I started to understand what to do and, as I got more time with my camera, that’s when I realized I really loved taking pictures. So, I started to take portraits of my friends, and we would often go downtown or to abandoned houses to shoot. The point where my photography career really took off was at my first Instagram meet, there, I met tons of creative people who taught me a ton about composition, my camera, etcetera. After that, over the course of 2 years, my style began to develop from street to more a more portrait-based style of photography which I still continue to do. I hope to one day develop and discover what my own personal style is. Also, the dream of any Instagram photographer is to get a ton of followers and become an influencer. I think the biggest challenge for me was really time. The worst part about being a student photographer is that school work can often get in the way of creating my pictures, and it becomes difficult to find time to really go anywhere to take pictures if I have tests and assignments to do at the same time. However, my schooling still hasn’t stopped me from creating my art, photography is my passion and it’s what gives me purpose in life, and I truly want to do it for the rest of my life and I’m definitely not stopping anytime soon. inspadesmag.com • 189

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