An artist known for spending untold hours painstakingly hand-cutting tiny paper sculptures inspired by diatoms, bacteria, viruses, coral and other natural structures has augmented his process with the precision of lasers. Rogan Brown submerges himself in careful study of the tiniest of living things, such as the microbes and pathogens mimicked in his series ‘Outbreak.’ With ‘Magic Circle,’ Brown places collections of these cut-outs into a large circular display measuring about 40 inches across.

In his paper cuts, Brown “explores the boundaries between observational study and artistic interpretation, existing somewhere between scientific accuracy and pure, unbridled imagination.” While previous works have focused mostly on one type of microscopic organisms at a time, ‘Magic Circle’ brings a variety of them together in one piece.

“This piece is part of a new series of works that mixes hand and laser cutting to create an incredibly detailed and varied visual texture making multiple references: coral, bacteria, pathogens, diatoms, etc… each motif is however completely fictive and imagined; it is this interplay between the imagination and the ‘real’ world that fascinates me, reality is transformed and estranged through the creative process which paradoxically makes the finished work more real and unique.”

‘Magic Circle’ will be on display at Miami’s Aqua Art Fair, December 2nd through 6th. See more impressively intricate paper cuts in a range of styles, from dizzyingly complex patterns to tapestries that span several stories of a gallery.

They may not play music any longer, but these records definitely have something to say. Artist Carlos Aires created this series, entitled “Love is in the Air”, by using a digital process to laser-cut shapes drawn from images of pornography and disaster and juxtaposing them with innocent scenes of animals and children.

It may not be obvious at first, but this laser-cut vinyl art is more than just simple shapes. What is suggested but not shown is just as much a part of each work as the silhouette itself, and even the text on each record imbues subtle meaning – such as the “Touch Me” title on the body of a muscled man.

Mostly known for his photography, Aires is certainly known for deviating from the conventional in his art, which consists of uncommon subjects like dwarfs and parks known for gay sex cruising in a hazy, fairytale-esque style that imitates romantic painting.

Raised in Spain and currently dividing his time between his birth city of Málaga and Antwerp, Belgium, Aires earned an MA in Photography at Ohio State University. His entire portfolio can be viewed on his website, CarlosAires.com.