jon rappleye

Fantastic Planet

acrylic and spray enamel on paper

42.375"x72" 

2008

A Litany in Time of Plague 
acrylic and spray enamel on paper
22.25"x30"

2008

Serene in Springs Treacherous Cradle
acrylic and spray enamel on paper
52"x40"

2009

Awakened from Winters Tranquil Slumber

acrylic and spray enamel on paper

51"x51"

2009

Astounding in Infinite Awe and Wonder
acrylic and spray enamel on paper  
42"x38" 

2010

       In Slumbers Lurid Gaze
acrylic and spray enamel on paper
33"x23

2010

Jon Rappleye is an artist that i felt most inspired by in relation to my coursework. its obvious his work has changed a little over time. what fascinates me is how he fuses different elements of different animals together. not all the animals are weird though, some are normal. he uses a surreal like background, which is always in colour, and sets his subject matter in the foreground. the subject matter are usually in black and white with some hints of colour here and there. the tress are sometimes drawn in a cartoonish way, with thicker outlines, same goes for the animals. the animals are drawn with much detail, he even drew out small strokes of fur or feather. this kind of detail is amazing (to me) i like how what seem real is fused with what seem surreal. its like the animals are in their own world, free from human activities as seen in the paintings that there is no human activity depicted. the title of the different works also sounds heavenly. haha i cant find a good word, but the titles are "in slumbers lurid gaze", "astounding in infinite awe and wonder" and "awaken from winter's tranquil slumber" etc. they seem so magical, like its their own world. theres a sense of isolation between humans and animals. furthermore, the background are always painted (i presume spray painted) in cheerful colours like pastel blue and green and the animals seem to be enjoying themselves. it is also interesting to note how owls are a recurring motif in his works. in every work, there will be the owl with glowing eyes. its like his signature or something. he even does owl sculptures like :

Guardian

Slip Cast Vitreous China ed.9

 17.75"x20"x12"

2007 

not only is he a painter, he is also a sculpture and his sculpture works are also very detailed. extra attention is paid to the textures. i guess to him, the tactile experience is as important as the visual experience. 

Fairiewood 

Papier-Mache, acrylic paint, wood, sculpy and plastic tubing

Installation View: Jersey City Museum

96"x48"x34"

2007

this is another example of his sculpture, one in full view, the other is a close up shot. one can see that there is much detailing in his work. though mainly white, there are hints of colours, black for example (for the owl sculpture) and hints of red, yellow and orange for the sculpture Fairiewood.  Fairiewood makes me feel as if im in a enid blyton book for some reason. it reminds me of dwarfs, fairies and mystical creatures like cute little squirrels will gather, sit on toadstools and talk. haha, its the kind of whimsical, mystical kind of feeling. it brings with it happiness, a sense of playfulness, like a magical utopia where there is no violence, no pollution, little human activity, like an animal utopia, something along that lines. but i also feel that this sculpture emits a kind of creepy aura. its unique and playful but theres this unpredictability :/ its like something is gonna jump out from behind this sculpture or what it is just not right seeing such a sculpture because well, there isnt really such a tree with scale-like bark and sudden slim and relatively smooth (as compared to the scale-like bark) protrusion. its like a creepy fantasy haha. different people have different interpretation so yours may be different from mine. im amazed at the details in his artworks, be it installations or paintings. i've handled paper-mache once and it was kinda difficult to shape them into precise forms. maybe im lacking skills and am not that sensitive to sculptural forms and details.

Fantastic Planet

acrylic and spray enamel on paper

42.375"x72" 

2008

i personally like this painting (one of my favourites) i like how realistic looking the deer is and how the horns slowly become branches of a tree. i like how he fuses different animals together and it seems seamless. its continuous and it looks absolutely natural. the deer is part of the tree or is the tree part of the deer? only the body of the deer is shown, the horns and legs have become tree branches and roots. i also like how he juxtaposes different texture to make the work more visually stimulating. the coloured, surreal, background against black and white drawings. the realistic and detailed drawings of animal versus the cartoon like simplification of trees. its like the background and the foreground dont match! but they work together to give off a relaxed and happy animal utopia. i guess it would be nice to have such a realm exist. the frog is also rooted to the ground in the form of roots of a tree. it also has deer horns growing from its head. the prominent owl with glaring eyes is seen on the branches along with other birds and bats. at the bottom right hand corner, there is a human skull. maybe this is a world void of humans, after humans become extinct? or is a possible scenario where animals mutate to adapt while humans perish perhaps due to sickness or maybe the failure to adapt? this was what i thought when i saw this painting and i wanted to incorporate a similar meaning into my coursework. would the world be a better place without humans? what would the world be like? what if we aren't reality, just someone else's imagination. what if in actual fact the world is as portrayed in the painting? there aren't actually humans? haha i'm going off topic but these are some questions that i wonder about.