'Art Held in Contemp.' Volume 3 by Briana Melendez

 I've always been a visually stimulated individual. As a kid I was always mesmerized by the vibrant colors in nature & much to my parent's dismay the metal radiators in our home quickly became works of abstract art as I was entranced by the melting of my 64 colors of Crayola. The MOMA is by far my favorite museum in all of NYC. I can never get enough of the smooth perfection in marble and the vibrant colors of early 19th century paintings. As much as I love all these beautiful representations of creativity I could never feel connected completely. They are products of bygone eras that while I can admire I could never fully feel a part. That all changed a few years back. I picked up this art magazine called 'Juxtapoz' & BAM! It hit me like a Batman punch. There were images I understood, images I could relate to. Artwork that made sense & represented me. Knowing that 'my' art was alive & kicking has sent me on a quest to look for artist & works of art in which we all can see a little bit of ourselves. With each new installment I'll be aiming to do just that. Sit back & enjoy the ride, I know I have been.

During the Victorian era, taxidermy art was quite the fashionable thing to own. Birds in pseudo-flight and cats sitting down for tea were to be found in many parlors. The art of Polly Morgan is not your great-grandma's taxidermy.  Morgan who is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists studied under professional taxidermist George Jamieson for a short time. Her vision is to try and show "the moment between death and dying" in opposition to traditional taxidermy which typically shows the animal mimicking 'life-action'. All her 'subjects' have died naturally or accidentally and have been donated by vets, bird owners, etc....

Artist Polly Morgan

'Bistrothique Commission'

Click 'READ MORE' below for more art!

Morgan with departed squirrel friend

'Receiver'

'Flight of Fancy (Nuthatch)'

'Murdocks Commission'

'MS Found in a Bottle'

'Still Life After Death (Fox)'

'La Petite'

'Morning'

'Rest a Little in the Lap of Life'

'Take Heart'

'To Every Seed His Own Body'

'Still Life After Death'

'Still Birth (Teal & Red)''

'Carrion Call'

'Carrion Call'

'Rabbit on Hat'

'Systematic Inflation'

Check out more about Morgan's start in the art world and her technique by clicking here

Any Contemporary artists you'd like Mz. Melendez to spotlight? Email her directly:
brianamelendez@gmail.com

link to previous installment of 'Art Held in Contemp.'