¨¨¨°º the adventures of choklit chanteuse º°¨¨¨



2.09.2009

A Most Curious Menagerie

The work of Chicago artist Jessica Joslin always makes me feel as if I've stumbled upon a strange and beautiful alternate reality.

Gustave, Clockwork Circus, 2008

With her scientific attention to detail, Jessica has the most enchanting way of melding together the mythical, the mechanical, and the anatomical to create whimsical little beasties that are hauntingly life-like.

Lupe, Flights of Fancy, 2005

She uses found objects to make each oddity like a relic from a natural history museum that never was, in glorious juxtapositions that make magic out of the workaday world's detritus: brass meets fur, leather meets glass, velvet meets bone...

Lartet, Flights of Fancy, 2005

And I simply adore the names she gives her creations, names that somehow impart a sense of purpose and the promise of a breathtaking story - Odette, Leopold, Callisto, Lautrec...

Figaro, Curiosa, 2007

You can see more of Jessica's creations in her new art book, Strange Nature. And read Coilhouse's excellent interview with her if you're as intrigued as I am.

Add this to the list of Things I Must Have One Day When I Am Rich - a Jessica Joslin familiar to keep me company in my golden years.

14 comments:

Wenchie said...

I love how whimsical her work is!

Tom Banwell said...

Wow! That is some cool work. A bit disturbing even.

. c h o k l i t . said...

Yes, but that's precisely why I love them... dark and beautiful all at once!

Holly said...

I've seen her stuff, it's great! I had people at the art show asking me if I'd seen it like 10 times....haha

Anonymous said...

excellent stuff. J

nullalux said...

These are absolutely glorious!

FetishGhost said...

Her work sets the bar.
It's so amazingly well thought out.

Anonymous said...

Joslin's work is divoon. Go halvies with you on one? :D

Alli Woods Frederick said...

i have long been a fan of hers...her work never fails to delight and fascinate...have you seen her brother's work? genius is a family affair, it would seem...
Jared Joslin

Callooh Callay said...

Amazing work! I love how they balance between playful and macabre.

. c h o k l i t . said...

Jared is actually Jessica's husband! And yes, seriously dynamic duo...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the lovely post Chocklit...and to the rest of you for your kind compliments! :)

Alli Woods Frederick said...

ah. for some reason i thought he was her brother. that's what happens when you have too much random rubbish floating around in the brain. things get all muddled.
:)

and please don't kill me for doing this BUT:

i'm tagging you.
Here are the rules:
* Link to the person who tagged you
* Post the rules on your blog
* Write 7 random things about yourself
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post and link to them
* Let each person know they've been tagged

RockLove said...

This is just AMAZING! Thank you for posting it! Looks like I better follow your blog :) Steampunky goodness!