I found him by accident last year, when I was passing time by randomly google-ing for tea painting or some sort while waiting for my tea-stained paper (it really turned out looking kind of like parchments, so I was happy:) to dry.And then I came across him. Carne Griffe is an artist and illustrator who works primarily with calligraphy ink, graphite and liquids, such as tea brandy, vodka and whisky. His works explore both human and floral forms, figuratively and in abstract sense (He had worked as a gold wire embroidery designer for 12 years, hence the floral patterns, repetition and flow in his works).
Taken from his bio, I couldn't have explained his works better:
"He is fascinated by the flow of line and the ‘invisible lines’ that connect us to the natural world. These may be considered lines of energy or spiritual connections between ourselves and our surroundings and his work is often an emotional response to images and situations encountered in daily life. These daily images are recorded in a dream like sense onto the page where physical boundaries are no longer important. Carne’s work takes us on a journey of escapism, often focusing on scenes of awe and wonderment, they offer a sense of abandonment to the artist and to the viewer an invitation to share and explore this inner realm.
The violence of flowers series explores our relationship with nature further. It draws an analogy between our darker side and the deception and violence inherent in the plant kingdom that is often masked by their beauty."
Here are a few I liked the best: |
| Comfort Carne Griffe |
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| Goldleaf Carne Griffe |
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| Fragments Ink and Tea Carne Griffe |
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| Torn Carne Grif |
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| Revive Carne Griffe |
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| Sunlight Carne Griffe |
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| Metamophosis Carne Griffe |
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| Smothered Carne Griffe |
It is one thing when an artist uses one medium well, but it is another thing when an artist combines multiple mediums (graphite, ink, tea, brandy and so on) all on a piece of paper, have them complementing each other and supporting each other to make a great piece of work. And this is one of the the main reasons why I love Carne Griffe. In his works, the different mediums seems to be made for each other, each playing a key role in bring out the mood and atmosphere of the works. Also, I really really like how he incorporated floral designs into the works, they fit very well with the mood and everything, and with flowers, there's always a sense of delicacy, which I think helped to make the work more emotional.
Another thing about his works that appeal to me is the details on top of the washes, splatters, drips and slashes of colours. His works do not only look amazing from far, the amount of details and the delicacy of the lines are enough to awe me too.
As I am writing this, I'm also kind of comparing his with Agnes Cecile's works, as both artists do have some similarities in styles. I felt that though though both artists' works are emotional, Griffe's feels more delicate, more sensitive, there's a softness to even the most emotional feelings in his works(perhaps it's because of the colours). while Cecile's is more vibrant, even when her work is portraying grief, thoughtfulness and so on, there's always that glimmer of hope (It's like saying: 'at least they still have the vibrant colours, no hope is entirely lost yet.')~ I do like most of her colour palattes. Therefore her works are definitely more eye-catching, but sometimes I wish that she'll explore more types of emotions, and not painting 'perfect' faces (they are awesome of course..in a good way:), and more desperation in their eyes, to show the viewers their emotions. As for Griffe's, his works catches the heart better, that's all I can say:)
Anyway, I still love both artists and I think they rock in their own (still) unique ways, and I am glad that I can be inspired by both of these two awesome people:)
