Do you appreciate tattoo as a visual art, but can’t bear the idea of desecrating your skin? Drew Storm Graham’s flat “3D-like” sculptures offer an alternative, embracing the aesthetic of skin art without subjecting anyone’s epidermis to hours upon hours of needles and blood.
The Virginia-based artist calls his work Aslant Art. We’re not sure of the reasons for the name, but his tattoo- and graffiti-inspired creations craftily recreate the look and feel of both mediums in flat yet three-dimensional sculptures meant for mounting up on walls.
Each labor-intensive figure features individual wood pieces sliced using a jigsaw power tool. The pieces are arranged in overlapping layers to create shadow effects, turning erstwhile two-dimensional graffiti and tattoo designs into flat sculptures that, somehow, appear rounded. Every part is individually airbrushed with automotive paint, using strokes that further create the illusion of an extra visual dimension.
The tattoo designs are largely 50s/Americana-inspired, as seen in pieces such as Grenade (a grenade with angel wings and a halo pin), GT500 (a heart bursting with muscle car parts) and Hold Fast Collage (which incorporates various old school imagery, including swallows, a boat anchor, tattooed fists and more). His chaotic graffiti designs are similarly noteworthy.
If you’d like to see more of Drew Storm Graham’s work, check out his website from the link below. He’s got a small photo gallery of finished works there, as well as a list of upcoming shows.
[thanks Drew Storm Graham]