Visual Inspiration: Ida Applebroog

One of the things I like about Ida Applebroog's Photogenetics series is its process.  The artist starts with a lump of white clay, which she molds into a strange, lumpy, semi-human figure.  The figures look unfinished and awkwardly built, and she rightly compares one of them to the Venus of Willendorf [one of my favorite things].

Next, she photographs the figures with a black background, usually posing or reclining in some [creepy, awkward, weird!] way.  Then she adds hair, facial features, cigarettes, or whatever to the images in Photoshop.  There are usually very few additions, but the added features dramatically transform the figures.

After printing out large copies of the images, she will sometimes add a little paint or other material.  In the case of Bettie, she added some silver glitter to the braces.  The end.

I saw her do this on Art21.

Vera Mae

Betty

This last picture is obviously something different, but I like it too because it fits in with my last post: