British artist Simon Claridge explains why he incorporates famous female icons in his work.

The most recent Simon Claridge prints have included portraits of iconic Hollywood starlets, supermodels and legendary musicians, which have been encrusted with diamond dust.

Some of the limited edition Simon Claridge prints in the Diamond Dust Collection feature Bridgette Bardot, Kate Moss and Marylin Monroe and the artist has revealed that he chose these women because of the reactions they provoke.

Simon Claridge has said that his portraits are intended to celebrate society’s fascination with female icons of the modern age who are synonymous with desires and dreams of glamor, sex and fame.

The artist specifically chose to depict Monroe, Bardot and Moss as they have each influenced the way that successive generations viewed fashion and beauty.

Furthermore, while the trio of women are very much symbolic of the era they lived in, they also have the ability to transcend time.

Claridge also said that his work has been directly inspired by Pop-Art guru Andy Warhol who started encrusting his portraits with diamond dust in the 1970s and ’80s.

“The use of Diamond Dust adds a new dimension to my canvas surfaces. In part, this collection is a direct response to Warhol and his use of the glittery surface,” the artist is reported as saying on The Original Art Shop.

Critics of Warhol said that by creating a glittery surface the artist was commentating on society’s obsession with glamor, illusion and extravagance and this has been expanded on by Claridge.

Simon Claridge said that Warhol’s work is as relevant as ever and is continuing to resonate as people life more extravagant lives.

Warhol’s comments about everyone having 15 minutes of fame in the future have seemingly been proved correct by the media’s fixation with celebrity and reality television stars.

Claridge has said that ultimately the portraits have been painted to create a connection between the subject and the audience.

“I am just a fan of these icons and it has been a pleasure to interpret them in paint in a way that I love. All I hope for is the painting to be a bridge between the infamous icon and the viewer,” the website reported Claridge as saying.

Art enthusiasts will be able to see Simon Claridge prints on display at the Artisan Fine Art Royal Exchange Gallery (Great Britain) on June 17th, 2010.

Simon Claridge will be there in person to discuss his work and personalize any pieces which are purchased on the day.

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My Artbroker offers the opportunity to buy and sell work from some of the most contemporary artists including Neil Dawson prints, Bob Dylan prints and Simon Claridge prints.

Marilyn Monroe nude time lapse painting by Simon Claridge

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Roger Dean Album Artist

Since Alex Stein Weiss designed album covers for Columbia Records in the 1940s, many famous artists and designers have also designed iconic and stylish album cover. From the famous Cartoonist Robert Crumb, the Janis Joplin's "Cheap Thrills" album designed to enhance the contribution of Andy Warhol to the "Rolling Stones" Sticky Fingers "LP cover, have many well-known artists work and share their talents and put a picture to the music of rock and roll bands and artists.

One of these artists, Roger Dean, is world renowned for his legendary album cover designs and concepts. He is known for his partnership with the progressive rock band “Yes.”

Dean was born in Ashford, Kent, England in 1944, and spent much of his childhood moving around the world (he’s lived in Cyprus, Greece and Hong Kong) with his British Army father. The family returned to England in 1957, where Dean was attended the Canterbury School of Art and earned a National Diploma of Design. In 1968, he graduated from the Royal College of Art.

Besides his artwork, Dean is a designer. In fact, one of his inventions was a “sea urchin chair”… This is a foam chair, with a spherical appearance. The uniquely designed chair was for the film "A Clockwork Orange".

It was around this time that Dean began doing the now famous art design work that he is best known for, designing and painting unique album covers for various rock bands.

His first album cover was for a band called "Gun." In 1971, Dean designed the cover for the first Osibisa LP, an African / Caribbean band and this art drew much attention and interest in his work. In fact, later in the same year, Dean designed the stage for the band “Yes” as well as the album cover for the band Yes..

Yes guitarist Steve Howe explains: "There is a fairly close relationship between our sound and Roger's art." Dean’s Art is dreamy, space landscapes, floating islands and fantasy habitats. He works mainly with watercolors, but many of his paintings to give a brilliant use of other artistic media such as gouache, ink, oil paint, crayon and collage. Dean is also a highly regarded calligrapher designer.

Besides his impeccable and incomparable album cover for Yes, he also designed album covers for rock bands, Uriah Heep, Asia, Atomic Rooster, and Budgie and artist Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman.

Dean landed a gig, in 1985, with Psygnosis and he has developed the artwork for several video games including Tetris Worlds, and the redesign of the Tetris logo.

In recent years, he has focused on architectural ideas and designs. As an architectural designer, he has designed homes and villages, which included all aspects of the own home design. The design is on the "Home For Life" concept which says that a house should portray itself artistically, and be environmentally friendly, but also quick and cheap to build.

Be assured that when Roger Dean works on the project, there will always be innovative, inspiring, and incomparable art.

About the Author: Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his ebook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting.” Contact Robert at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com —-Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Roger Dean- Album Cover Artist And Designer

Roger Dean Art For Sale

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