Hazel the Rule Breaker

Written by Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick on January 2011. Posted in Art

When I first sat down with Australian painter Hazel Dooney, I was intrigued by her sublime understated confidence that is both extremely attractive and strong. It is this quality of her character that she is able to get across in her work. Hazel personifies an alluring, punk rock, mischievous, genius artist. Since coming onto the art scene less than ten years ago she has emerged as one of the most controversial female artists of our generation. She is the outsider that everyone wants to be connected with. Some describe her art as Shock Pop.

Her provocative work has captured the attention of many of the trendsetters of our time. The subject matter is intensely sexual yet it evokes a kind of girlie openness that is refreshing. Nothing about her work or her nature is compromised. The work is pivotal and it strikes a chord within the viewer and makes them succumb to an inner dialogue with themselves…

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Art: James Houston

Written by Editor on August 2010. Posted in Art

His work embodies great lighting technique, lack of excessive retouching and use of space is breathing.

James Houston is a true visionary artist that understands what it means to capture beauty in its true art form; raw. The body of his work is a photographer’s dream. His work embodies great lighting technique, lack of excessive retouching and use of space is breathing. The enclosed pictorial ‘Great Faces’ is breathtaking and speak volumes. If you are a new photographer, James is the perfect mentorship to help train your eye.

James Houston is recognized as one of the leading beauty/body photographers working in America and Europe for clients including Chanel, Clinique, Donna Karan, Gap, Givenchy Paris, HUGO BOSS, Neutrogena and Victoria’s Secret.

James Houston: www.houstonphoto.com

Bio

James Houston — Photographer: James Houston was born in 1965 in Sydney, Australia. At an early age, he began to study ceramic sculpture and design at school, where he was awarded first in the state of NSW for Art in the HSC (High School Certificate). At 19 years old, shortly after leaving school, Houston held his first solo exhibition of ceramic sculpture. He was awarded an AFA (Advertising Federation of Australia) scholarship and subsequently spent three years as an art director in Sydney and Los Angeles. While on a business trip to Tokyo in 1990, Houston bought a second-hand Nikon 35mm camera and took up photography as a hobby.

With his background in sculpture and design, Houston started photographing the naked form and developed the clean and graphic style that has become his signature. In 1993, his first photographic exhibition, “Black and Blue”, focused on the human form interacting with natural landscapes.

In 1995, the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) awarded Houston the prestigious “Highest Score Overall” in Print for his “Buried Nude” series. In subsequent years, Houston became one of Australia’s leading fashion photographers, contributing to magazines such as Australian Vogue, Italian Harper’s Bazaar, Wallpaper and Oyster. Houston also photographed the first-ever nude cover for Australian Vogue (January 1997).

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