artsy forager

So if you read yesterday’s late afternoon post, you’ve heard the news– Mr. Forager and I have officially moved to Seattle!  That’s right, no more traveling around, no more putting up with someone else’s decor taste or grody furnishings.  We’ve rented a sweet little mid-century apartment in a beautiful Seattle neighborhood and I’ve been completely obsessed with furnishing it.  Since I’m not working yet ( Did I mention I now have to get a real J-O-B? ), we’ve been furnishing on a “for now” budget until we have two incomes coming in.  And then there’s all my lovely home goodies in storage back in Florida.  I can’t wait to see them again, but am having serious issues remembering what I kept!  So I’ve been doing a bit of day dreaming today.. looking at lovelies that would be perfect for our first real home together.  My favorite colors, a little artsy for me, a bit rustic for Mr. F.

Large Jar in Summer Moss by Ben Fiess

find it here

Teak Measuring Spoons

find them here

Hawaiian Salt Cellar

find it here

Forest Found Hook

find it here

Rose Ombre Velvet Pillow

find it here

Anyone else doing some artsy nesting in a new home?  Any Seattle  area artsies know of a job opportunity for a hard working Artsy?

All images linked above.

So I’ve hardly made a secret out of how very excited we were for Mr. F to take a work assignment here in Seattle. We seriously have to pinch ourselves even after being here for almost two weeks!

Finally getting to be in this place that we love so much, where we fell in love, got us thinking. Why not stop here? We adore this city, the food, the mountains, the water, the music, the ART(!) so very much.

It’s something we’ve been talking about off and on for a few months. Circumstances seemed to be leading us in this direction. We’ve loved traveling and have enjoyed ( almost ) every minute of the last two years of adventure together. But we couldn’t ignore the timing and the way in which it seemed a hand was guiding us here.

So we signed a twelve month lease on our apartment and have begun furnishing it. After being married for over two years, we’re finally truly making a home together. And it feels good.

As we’ll be staying put here in Seattle for a good long while, perhaps forever we hope, it’s time for me to re-enter the work force. I’ve done a few freelance projects since we started traveling but we’ve always agreed that once we stopped traveling I would go back to work full time. And you know something? I’m kind of excited about it.

So any Seattle area artsies– if you know of any job openings in the arts ( galleries, art consultants, museums, etc ), let me know! I have several prospects in the works already. We’re feeling really positive about the choice we’ve made. This is our city. This is our home.

I’ve been told I’m a good listener.  So people tend to tell me things.  Secret stuff that maybe no one else knows.  We all have that friend, the one everyone confides in and is completely confident their secrets will be taken to the grave.  In her Other People’s Secrets series, Portland artist Dorothy Goode has found a way to get those piled up secrets out, without ever truly spilling a single one.

No. 3, Egg tempera and sumi ink on panel, 32×48

No. 16, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32 x48

The artist began each panel by dipping her fingers into sumi ink, then sprawling secrets over the surface of each panel, first her own and then the confidences of others came leaking out.  The letters and forms are mostly illegible, making sure that each secret is still safely hidden.

No. 1, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48

Once the secrets are spilled, the artist then covers them with colorful, scrawling abstract gestures in paint.  In that final step, I see an analogy to the way we live with our own well kept mysteries– we hide them in plain sight, often burying them just beneath the brightly colored surface.

No. 8, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48

No. 13, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48

To see more of Dorothy Goode’s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.

May just seems to be slippin’ right through my fingers!  I can’t believe it’s time again for another  Art Association Pinterest contest! Each month, Erin of artsocial and I team up with an artist to inspire you AND give you a chance to win an awesome piece of artwork!

If you’re new to Art Association, here’s the way it works– You create a Pinterest board around one work of art ( which we provide ), filled with anything and everything that pops into your mind while gazing at the catalyst piece.

Our catalyst piece for this month is Lily by Kuzana Ogg ( below )!  Gorgeous, right?!

Lily by Kuzana Ogg

Step 1|  We give you a piece of artwork, this month’s work is Lily by Kuzana Ogg ( above ).

Step 2 | You create a Pinterest board titled Art Association, like mine here, where you pin any and all images you associate with the featured artwork ( like word associations, only visual

Step 3 | Leave a link to your Art Association pinboard in the Comments section of this post

Step 4 | Follow both art social and Artsy Forager on Pinterest ( if you already are, you’re ahead of the game! )

Here’s what you can win–

Isn’t that a sweet little piece of artwork?!

The winning pinner  ( *NEW– we are now choosing a winner at random instead of judging the boards ) will be chosen on Wednesday, May 22nd at 5pm (mountain standard time).  Hope your fingers are set to pin!

**So sorry but the contest is open to US residents only.  Stupid laws.

Would you like your artwork to be featured as an Art Association subject?  Shoot me an email atartsyforager@att.net or Erin an email at artsocialonline@gmail.com for more info.

Art images via Kuzana Ogg.

It feels like things are sort of finally getting back to normal.. almost.  After being gone for what seemed like an eternity, I’m back on Escape Into Life today sharing the work of Nicolas Kuligowski in my Artist Watch.  Head on over to EIL to see more!

Untitled by Nicolas Kuligowski

Nicolas Kuligowski on Escape Into Life

Image via the artist’s website.

This Featured Artist post is coming a bit late due to the craziness of adjusting to our new digs.  Being born a flat-lander ( Sunshine State, represent! ), I continue to be amazed by the change in perspective that comes from living among the mountains.  Whether you’re in a valley looking up or gazing down from the top of a hill, your way of seeing changes.  The work of this month’s Featured Artist, photographer Pamela Viola moves our eye in much the same way into new perspectives.  Her way of seeing gives us a new manner of looking.

Brelly I

Viola focuses her lens, not only straight ahead, but up above, down below, over, under and every which way in between.  What we’re left with as the viewer is a capture of an angle we might have otherwise never noticed.

Gallery Place with Red Dots

Gray Light

Supreme Court Behind Bars

And it isn’t only those unique angles that draw us in.  But also the way in which the light and shadow plays differently from those unexpected perspectives.

Pyramids

To see more of Pamela Viola’s work, please visit her website and be sure to check out her work on the Artsy Forager Facebook page!

All images via the artist’s blog.

Greetings from Seattle!  I’m finally here, way tired, a bit frazzled and overwhelmed with settling in, but officially back among the blogging.  The last few weeks in the Forager universe have been a crazy mix of traveling, seeing new places, saying goodbye to old friends and hello to the new.  We clocked in well over 1300 miles, 5 nights in hotels, 6 nights with friends & family, drove through 3 states and tried over 10 Seattle apartments on for size in two days.  We’re still making our home here ( our bed, a sofa & a dresser is all we have so far in the way of furniture ), but we’re already finding some favorite neighborhood spots and our love affair with Seattle is still going strong.

While I scour Craigslist for furniture deals today, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few snapshots from our journey!

[ old town, san diego ]

[ bay bridge, san francisco ]

[ from the vaillancourt fountain, san francisco ]

[ fog simulation, san francisco ]

[ golden gate bridge, san francisco ]

[ lunch with a view of mt shasta while on the road ]

[ mountain greeting upon our arrival in seattle ]

Sorry for the lack of Seattle photos this go ’round.  We ( I )’ve been so distracted with finding a home and settling in that the camera hasn’t come out much.  Not to worry.  They are coming.  Just try and stop me!  Back tomorrow with brand new artsy discoveries!

Want to see more from our SoCal to Seattle trip?  Follow Artsy on Instagram, I’ll be posting pics from our road trip over the next few days.

 All images by Artsy Forager.

Seattle, Seattle, Seattle ( Marcia Brady voice ).. we arrived on Saturday and are completely in love with the city but overwhelmed by apartment hunting.  So this week, I’m re-running posts featuring some favorite Seattle artists.  Sorry for the repeats, hope to be back to normal artsy blogging next week!

For most of us, Crayola crayons were our very first artistic tools.  Whether it was those thick, fat ones perfect for uncoordinated, chubby little hands to grip or the de-luxe 64 pack with the built-in sharpener, those colorful little sticks were our first glimpse into the world of artistic expression.  Seattle based artist Diem Chau takes those original tools, carving them into tiny figures reminding us of how they shaped our own young imaginations.

Storytelling Crayons, installation view, carved crayons and wood base

That distinctive scent, the waxy texture, peeling the paper down so that more of the brilliant color could sweep across the paper.

Yellow Girl, carved crayon and wood base, 3×3.5×3

Girl and Dog, carved crayon and wood base, 3×3.5×2

My most distinct memory of Crayolas happened on a summer road trip with my grandparents.  A long trip in the car, of course, meant bringing along plenty to keep us busy.  For me, that meant books, crayons and paper.  My crayons ended up strewn all over the back deck of my grandparents’ green Impala and were promptly forgotten about when we stopped for a bit.  We came back to a colorful mess!  I don’t think my Mimi & Papa were ever able to completely clean the wax out of the upholstery.  Oopsie!

Boy and Girl, carved crayon and wood base, 3×3.5×3

What memories do Chau’s crayons bring back for you?  Please visit her website to see more of her work.  She’ll be showing at the Elvistravaganza during Bumbershoot in Seattle or if you’re on the other coast, you can see her carving crayons LIVE at Saks 5th Ave on Sept. 6th from 6pm-10pm.

All images are via the artist’s website.

Seattle, Seattle, Seattle ( Marcia Brady voice ).. we arrived on Saturday and are completely in love with the city but overwhelmed by apartment hunting.  So this week, I’m re-running posts featuring some favorite Seattle artists.  Sorry for the repeats, hope to be back to normal artsy blogging next week!

There are some artists whose work just sticks with me.  I first saw Seattle artist Victoria Johnson’s work during my art consulting days through art publisher Grand Image.  I loved using Grand Image for unique, stylish, colorful work and Victoria’s paintings definitely hit all those criteria.  So when I spotted a painting of hers leaning against the wall at Lisa Harris Gallery in Seattle– boom!  The love for her work came flooding back to me.

Nereides- Sea Nymphs, pigmented resin on panel, 20×20 ( via Lisa Harris Gallery )

Free-flowing, organic forms drift in and out of her canvases’ planes, creating enticing visual rhythm and movement.

Coast to Coast, pigmented resin on canvas over panel, 48×40 ( via Lisa Harris Gallery )

The placement of shapes lend the idea of landscapes to these abstracts, yet their enigmatic colors and forms keep the work abstract and modern.

Lady of the Lake, pigmented resin on panel, 80×20

A warm palette juxtaposed with muted, more neutral-hued highlights create even more depth and spatial play.

The Echo, pigmented resin on panel, 36×24

Simply Said, pigmented resin on panel, 40×50

To see more of Victoria Johnson’s work, please visit her website.  Thanks to the Lisa Harris Gallery for reminding me of Victoria’s work!

Featured image is Lady of the Lake, pigmented resin on panel, 80×20.  All images are via the artist’s representing Seattle gallery, Lisa Harris Gallery.

Seattle, Seattle, Seattle ( Marcia Brady voice ).. we arrived on Saturday and are completely in love with the city but overwhelmed by apartment hunting.  So this week, I’m re-running posts featuring some favorite Seattle artists.  Sorry for the repeats, hope to be back to normal artsy blogging next week!

I grew up in a family of motorheads.  My grandfather owned a neighborhood service station from 1961 to 1979, the kind where you didn’t pump your own gas and a fluid check and windshield wash was complimentary.  I was only seven when he retired but can still remember the sights and smells of the station.  Seattle photographer Todd Jannausch’s series Garage Evidence captures the decline and decay of these iconic landmarks.

Garage, 2009

Through Jannausch’s photos,  I can practically smell the familiar faint odor of oil mixed with orange cleaner ( my grandfather kept his place immaculate! ) and hear the ring of the station bell as a car drives over it, signaling Granddaddy to service.

Tune-Up, 2009

Little Boxes, 2009

I can remember playing on the lifts in the garage, drinking Coca-Cola in glass bottles and following my grandfather around like a puppy.

Old Pumps, 2009

Just like my grandfather’s station, these old relics have been replaced by more bigger, more efficient yet less friendly models.  Thank you, Todd, for capturing their last breaths and for taking me back to the time I spent in such a place. Be sure to check out Todd’s website for more from the Garage Evidence series, as well as his other work.

PS– Scroll down for a peek at my granddaddy, Lester ( aka L.V. ) Hamilton on the day of his retirement, April 14, 1979, the day before my 7th birthday.

Lester Hamilton, April 14, 1979

All Todd Jannausch images are via his website.