Creator: Vas Littlecrow

Hey, let's talk about something other than galleries! Sounds like a plan to me. 

Ordinarily, I hate watermarks, but for some reason, this looks kind of cool.

Today, I'm gonna talk about somebody I've chatted with online intermittently over the past couple years, whom I personally admire. Vas Littlecrow is an artist and fascinating person who has a lot of experience to share on many topics. She has posted insightful articles about art culture, the biz, and her personal stories. My contact with her is embarrassingly infrequent, but I asked if she would mind me writing about her work here and she gave me her blessing. Last I checked, this was a contemporary art blog, so let's ditch the books and meet a real contemporary artist!

The work I want to specifically focus first on is her abstract art, which she creates using digital medium. These are essentially art exercises, as she herself explains: 

"When I am having creative blocks, I love going on nature walks or looking and old travel photos. From these excursions, I create digital abstract paintings based upon what I see. I will often distort shapes and colors, just to see what happens. It's a lot of fun and the results can be strange, dynamic or just plain beautiful." 

See, this is the sort of thing that I wish people talked about more in art academia. There doesn't always need to be a profound message behind every last brushstroke. Sometimes--a lot of the time, really--art can be there just to be uplifting and visually pleasing. In addition to abstract art, she also has some comics and caricatures, which range from fanart to portraits and pinups.

Rosie the Riveter ain't got nothin' on these guns.

That being said, her art can also have some real punch to it. When she does have a message, it really cuts through the bull puckey and gets straight to the heart of the matter. But boy, you don't want to tangle with her more confrontational art if you're of the weak and spineless persuasion, like me.

Pictured: A weak and spineless person.

Along with her individual works, she also writes a couple webcomics, Rasputin Catamite and Rasputin Barxotka. Both are very much NSFW, but if you can handle the mature content, they're well-worth reading. I'd like to point out, when I say mature, I don't mean the moronic "mature" that (dis)graces entirely too much of our comedy cinema, with its flaccid (this is the part where said movies go "hur hur") arsenal of scatological humor and grade-school intellect. I mean, these comics deal with serious social issues from a adult perspective and it does not shy away from the uncomfortable or taboo. Vas' work is similar to the Underground Comix movement in that sense, dealing with topics mainstream writers won't touch, and exploring those topics in a way that's deeply personal and intimate.

And sometimes just straight-up terrifying.

I would, of course, be remiss if I didn't also bring up her blog posts and articles on both Rasputin Catamite and Velvet Rasputin. Being experienced as she is with webcomics, she often writes about the struggles of being an indie creator and outlining important things newbies need to know. These topics include fan art, dealing with criticism, her own inspirations and influences, how she views aesthetics in comics, general advice and how-to material, and a host of other subject matter. And on occasion, she can also be really freakin' funny.

There's a whole lot more I could say about her work, but she says it better herself. If you aren't afraid of a little raw honesty and ferocity, read her comics and blog posts when you get the chance. And if you're weak and spineless--again, like me--she has a treasure trove of beautiful abstract works on DeviantArt. So whatever flavor you like, give it a try. She'll challenge you if you let her, but you can always just sit back and enjoy her expressions of pure aesthetic if you're not up for the challenge.

Wuss.

Totally Not Biased At All Final Rating: S'mores