It’s riddle time: What do you get when you combine cartoony illustrations with loosely created paintings and throw in (for good measure, of course) a murder scene or a bear wearing pants?
If you guessed “outrageous mixed-media artwork created by the wild imagination of Jiri Bures” you’ve earned yourself a cookie! Jiri’s modern-meets-futuristic compositions have won several awards and are represented in private and corporate collections in many countries, including Japan, the U.S. and Singapore.
Coming Home is a classic example of Jiri’s overall style. He manages to create an old-timey look to the painting with the aged yellow tinging the background, as well as the matte, retro automobile.
Even the little boy’s features are drawn like ads featuring children that you’d see back in the 30s. Add in a horse riding a skateboard, a jet taking off east and flying ants escorting one home, and it’s just another day in bizarro-land.
That’s what I love most about Jiri’s paintings—they get you out of the everyday, normal world and into a mischievous one full of possibility and wonder.
Bad Safari is next—and really, what more can I say about this scene than its succinct yet descriptive title doesn’t already convey?
A sunken bus at the deep end of the ocean is seemingly cause for celebration among the flying fish, who with their wing-like fins, appear to be jumping for joy as they welcome the new addition to their home. Either that, or they’re getting out of the way—pronto!
Meanwhile, hands strain outward from the mucky ocean floor, which has consumed some poor soul. It’s a rather morbid scene, but the sunlight from above creates a magnificent emerald and blue light show, which cheers it up a bit, don’t you think?
And finally, when you think about your last day on Earth, do you envision the sights in End of the World?
The creepiest of items make their presence known in this painting, much to Jiri’s delight, I’m sure. You see the tattered garden gnome that has come to life to wreak havoc on all the peeing dogs of the world.
The scary dolls your grandmother had in her beloved doll collection are present, as well, as are mythical demons, creatures and even Godzilla! Fire-breathing dinosaurs complete the unsettling scene, closing in from all angles amidst the ironically beautiful, luminous flora and fauna.
Just when you thought you were beginning to know Jiri through his awesomely weird paintings, you discover he also makes stunning glass plates, vases, slightly twisted prints, and unique ceramic teapots, cups and more. Check ‘em out on his website!
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