Tim Burton’s Big Eyes has burst into theaters this season, telling the story of Margaret Keane and her big eyed waifs (and the fraud her husband committed surrounding them).  The paintings were the height of 1970s kitsch - each showing an apparently scared (or scarred) child with a focus on their out of proportion eyes.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending Context - an art show in Miami during Art Basel weekend.  I stumbled upon the artwork of Mari Kim, and I was immediately  mesmerized.  She refers to her works as Eyedolls.

Kim also illustrates cartoon-like characters with big eyes, yet she uses real life inspirations for her work.  She created an entire series around movie stars and fashion icons - entitled The Famous Show- and her pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Coco Chanel are charming and vibrant, unlike Keane’s depressing works.  She also chose to include Marie Antoinette, Margaret Thatcher and Gloria Steinem, either as a tribute to the most influential women in history or a play on their feminism.

Kim also created the Eyedolls as windows to the soul, but she sets her work in a more uplifting tone, stating that the images are meant to convey the women as “children with limitless potential.”   Kim uses highly saturated colors and digital illustrations, removing the brush strokes, and the only work done by “hand” is her signature and the name of the piece at the bottom of each canvas.

To me, Kim’s work is humorous, charming and dynamic.  Whether one of her Big Heads or her Famous Eyedolls, I am saving up to purchase one for my living room wall.  Unfortunately for me, I suspect that her work should take off on the wave of the success of Tim Burton’s movie.

Aqua Art Fair is in itself an experience - the Aqua Motel is transformed into a series of galleries, each room is removed of its furniture and a gallery takes over the space.  The courtyard has a DJ and a bar, and each room opens onto the courtyard.  The experience is very Miami Beach - open air, open art, and exotic people.

I had never visited this art show although I grew up in Miami Beach, and I was excited to have the experience.  I was entranced with the environment, and I was really drawn to two particular artists who used techniques I felt would be great projects for graphic design students.

Richard Garrison
Garrison uses gouache, which in and of itself was a triumph for me.  He transforms every day color experiences into unique, abstract geometries full of humor and artistry.  His parking lot series was a large canvas filled with many swatches of different shades of grays and browns, and it one was labeled by the location of the asphalt - outside of the gym, grocery store, etc.  Some of my favorite of his works were spiral palettes containing the colors of the pages of a Target mailer - the junk food section had bright reds and oranges, the cereal blues and browns.  I don’t think I could have understood his work before I took color theory and had to create color palettes for myself, but I think I would have always been drawn to his shapes and geometry.

David Hollier
Hollier uses type to create images that also portray the message of the type.  His series on display used works with a profound and often positive message - John F Kennedy, George Washington, and the Beatles.  One of my favorites was the 21st Amendment written in the shape of a Corona Beer Bottle.  He uses hand made type as well as actual typewritten type depending on the context of the message.  This series also reminded me of a project from my first Typography class, and I wish I had seen his messages to take inspiration and joy.