_Paint Pens in Purses_female urban art collective

My work uses science and mass media as metaphor for our emotions about the inner chaos of our world. I aim to reflect the isolation of those who may be ignored or shy but still want to be seen. The beauty is there, waiting for be discovered, but we don’t see it because we cannot shed our prejudices.

Featured Artist ||| Chrissy Angliker (Switzerland/ New York) 

Chrissy Angliker is a talented painter who’s art is absolutely dreamlike. It first reminded me of one of those dreams where everything starts all nice. A wonderful summer vacation, then somewhere along the way you start feeling uneasy. Like perhaps the beach is too crowded. Then before you know it the dream swirls off in some surreal direction. Chrissy’ work captures this transition. She writes,”the theme of this series arose from the feeling of life itself being a balance between control and chaos.  As people, we have intentions, but must anticipate the intervention of outside forces beyond our power.”  

Chrissy’s work has recently been featured in Nylon Magazine, Raw Art Fair in Rotterdam, Burton Snowboards, and even on the cover of Wired Magazine which accompanied an article on the strange and chaotic Internet collective known as Anonymous. To read more and see more amazing artwork visit Chrissy Angliker’s website. 

Bio: Chrissy Angliker was born in Zurich, Switzerland. Her artistic inclinations emerged at an early age, as she experimented with stone, clay, and found objects among other materials. In 2002, Chrissy had her first solo show at Gallery Juri in Winterthur, Switzerland.  Seeking to broaden her means of expression, she then pursued a degree in Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. After spending her post-graduate years working in the design field, Chrissy’s creative expression shifted back to painting in 2008. Chrissy’s  art is focused on visually translating her perception of herself in relationship to the world.

Featured Artist ||| Cristina Natsuko Paulos (Las Vegas, NV)

This week’s featured artist is Cristina Natsuko Paulos, a talented animator, puppeteer, cartoonist, illustrator and artist who resides in Las Vegas, NV. As a Gemini, I was instantly drawn to Cristina’s series, Mirror Twins. At the risk of oversimplifying, it also reminded me of the my favorite Sanrio characters, the Twin Stars. So, perhaps I am a bit impartial. In any case, I hope you will enjoy reading more about the undeniably amazing, Cristina Natsuko Paulos. For more of her work visit: www.cristinapaulos.com and http://nookofcuriosity.com.

Cristina Natsuko Paulos graduated from Cal Arts in the Character Animation Program in 2006. In her work she creates from her own original characters the MIRROR TWINS. She often works on wood, handmade papers and canvas.  She uses mix media materials such as oil paints, acrylic, watercolor, graphite, sumi ink, and dyes.  In her work she combines narrative storytelling with abstraction influenced by cartoon movement used in animation.

“My paintings are made through the process of drawing, rather than using traditional painting techniques. I work very fast but with very slow pacing, to stop and reflect back up upon the subject. The painting “build up” process and the drawing immediate response are infused, often chaotic but with fluidity of movement.

Taking the elements of intuitive approaches to line-marking, I am able to expose the raw emotion, gravity, lightness and coarse beauty of those I capture.” -Cristina Natsuko Paulos

Here is a little bit about the Mirror Twins, which I pulled from Cristina’s website. I was quite thrilled to see that they are Geminis! 



Names: Victoria and Eleanor
Birthday: June 1st
Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Unknown
Hangouts: Antique Shops
Food: Japanese Sweets
Likes: socks, cat’s cradle, outer space, jump rope, the changing of the seasons


Victoria and Eleanor are two twin girls. They were born in a test tube in a desert town. They speak in “idioglossia” their own secret language. Their secrets lies in their eyes. 

Featured Artist ||| Amy Miller (New York) 

Amy Williamson Miller explores life passages and social norms by questioning how identity is formed around life events; when we fall apart, reshape, agonize and come out anew. Her work is part storyteller and part autobiographical, born from the site of cultural construction and consumption. She seeks to memorialize, while simultaneously revealing, an increasing need to abandon or modify these fraying conventions. She commemorates these extraordinary events using the language of confections. Using this saccharine symbol, Miller reconstitutes and exaggerates in order to convey a sense of longing, wonder and familiarity, celebration and failure, desire and anticipation. She has developed the materials she uses in her process to create an aesthetic experience by mimicking the ephemeral colors, textures and forms native to confections and the pageantry associated with ceremony. More information and images can be found at www.amywmiller.com.

Bio: Amy Williamson Miller spent many years as an artisan and designer in Atlanta, GA. She then moved to New York City where she earned her MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute. She maintained a daily art practice in a studio situated within Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg artist enclave. Concurrently, Miller worked with other designers and artists in NYC as a specialist fabricating sculptural costume pieces for many industries including Broadway, the Met Opera, ballet, fashion and film. Most recently she completed a three month long exhibition of sculpture at the Florida Museum for Women Artists aided by funds awarded by the Sarasota Arts and Cultural Alliance. Miller’s work was featured at Select Art Fair 2012 in Miami Beach alongside fellow members of Sarasota’s contemporary artist collective S/aRt/Q. Outside of her studio, she is a design specialist at the Ringling Museum of Art and co-partner of Parlor Arts. In addition, she creates heirloom quality costumes for children in her store on ETSY, No. 9 DreamLand. Miller’s work has been featured in curated and juried group shows throughout NYC, Florida, and Atlanta as well as a six month long exhibition at The Urban Institute for Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids, MI. 

Featured Artist ||| Jodee Knowles (Sydney, AUS) 

Jodee Knowles lives and works in Sydney, Australia. Her work is heavily based on the human condition and the emotional state of mind that makes or breaks a happy existence. Her portraits are a reflection of one’s memories and expectations, in which the concept of an intoxicating other is celebrated or hated. 

Jodee’s characters attempt to awaken forgotten memories and desired longings. By thematically dealing with the feeling of being torn between addiction and satisfaction, between excess and boredom, she attempts to confuse her viewer’s senses and breach space, time and feeling. The works portray her own existence, where extreme experiences, fear and obsession collide. 

Jodee describes herself as always hungry for emotional familiarity and addicted to the chaotic environment of them. Each work represents and displays her connection with individuals who are involved in her life emotionally, and whose existence causes her to constantly question her own.  

Jodee is currently working on illustrations for a children’s Halloween book which is scheduled to be released in 2013. She is also prepping for her latest solo show entitled “Irreplaceable Essence”, which is based on the idea that no two people sharing the same memory of the same moment. The exact date will be announced later in the year. To see more of Jodee Knowles’ work and to follow her latest news visit her website. 

(Source: facebook.com)

Paint Pens in Purses presents…animation artist, Agnieszka Woznicka

I recently visited a small independent movie theater in San Francisco to watch the 2012 Oscar Nominated Shorts. There were some interesting films but all of them seemed too heavily computer-based this year. I felt reminiscent of the warmth that stop-animation, claymation and hand-drawn cartoons offer.

The experience made me fondly think back on one of my favorite short film animators and professors at RISD, Agnieszka Woznicka. I first saw one of her eerie and beautiful films at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and was immediately intrigued. Afterwards, I had reached out to her and was delighted when she agreed to let Paint Pens in Purses show her film, Birdy, at one of our art openings.

Her films have been screened in Poland, Great Brittain, Australia, Italy, Uruguay, Bulgaria, India and in the USA. It is amazing to see her films on the big screen but in the meantime, here is a link to two of her short films available online. Enjoy! http://vimeo.com/22008523

Bio: http://www.risd.edu/Film-Animation-Video/Agnieszka_Woznicka/

Article by: Shayna Yasuhara