Dom – our CEO – sent me a link to Alexa Meade’s website some time ago and I have been meaning to write about it ever since.

She is an American artist who’s known for putting models in tableau scenes and painting their flesh to look like two-dimensional paintings. I knew absolutely nothing about her but I was totally awestruck when I checked out her work. It is truly beautiful – she plays with light and bold brush strokes to create striking shadows. When I first saw her work it took me a little while to realise that they were real people and that I wasn’t looking at a painting but at a photo of a three dimensional scene.

I am lover of traditional art forms like painting, I have an unhealthy obsession with photography, and I work in an environment where CG illusions rule, so Meade’s work ticks all the boxes for me.

We debated her work in the office and someone pointed out that Boo Ritson – an English artist represented by the Saatchi Gallery – had been using the same technique. I don’t really know – or care – which of the two got there first, but for me, Ritson’s work is not a patch on Meade’s. It is a lot more contemporary in style and it simply doesn’t have the same magic.

I guess it is all subjective and some of you will disagree with me, but why not check it out for yourself? You can find Ritson’s work here, and Meade’s work here.