artsy forager

Category: Figurative

  • Cages. Bradley Wood.

    Cages. Bradley Wood.

    Every person’s cage is of a different sort.  We may feel trapped by our jobs, our circumstances, even the things that we own.  Even the most opulent and luxurious of places can seem like a prison.  As I begin contemplating a new body of work, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of freedom, of space to move.  A feeling of space doesn’t necessarily correlate to a large building– depending on our state of mind, we can feel more free in a tiny studio than an extravagant mansion.

    Bradley Wood | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Bradley Wood | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Bradley Wood | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Bradley Wood | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Bradley Wood | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

    For us, feeling confined correlates with traffic and overpopulation.  We feel most free surrounded only by  trees and mountains.  But for you, it might be different.  The thought of being out in the wide open wild might seem incredibly imprisoning.  The important thing is to be able to identify what it is that makes you feel free and then run headlong straight for it.

    Paintings above by artist Bradley Wood.  To see more of his work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Strength. Courtney Murphy.

    Strength. Courtney Murphy.

    For centuries, women have been defined as the “fairer”, even the “weaker” sex.  Daintiness, extreme ideas of femininity were valued and celebrated.  Yet it is in exactly what defines us as feminine in which our greatest strengths lie.

    Courtney Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fashion #figurativeart Courtney Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fashion #figurativeart Courtney Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fashion #figurativeart Courtney Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fashion #figurativeart Courtney Murphy | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fashion #figurativeart

    Praised for their curvaceous beauty, our bodies are capable of growing another human being, they expand and do miraculous things for the sake of giving another life.  That same body nurtures, arms provide a loving embrace, feet stand for long hours at work, and at home.  Sometimes, what makes us female becomes our enemy, as women who have suffered through breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer will tell you.  Yet in that feminine weakness, is still found their greatest strength.

    Paintings above by Los Angeles artist Courtney Murphy.  To see more of the artist’s work, please visit her website.

     

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Skidmore Contemporary.

  • Dress-Up. Adrienne Stein.

    Dress-Up. Adrienne Stein.

    One Christmas, a long time ago when my oldest nieces were still little, I painted an old suitcase and filled it with old prom dresses and costume jewelry, creating for them a Dress-Up Box.  Looking back, I wish I had thrown in a doctor’s coat, a stethoscope, an artist’s palette.. options to dress up in more than just pretty dresses.  But we love to fantasize about who we could be, to dress ourselves up in costumes that, at least visually, transform us.

    Adrienne Stein | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Adrienne Stein | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Adrienne Stein | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Adrienne Stein | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Adrienne Stein | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart

     

    There is that old adage, “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have“.  The costumes we put on have a way of sometimes transforming us from the outside in.  We feel fancy when we put on a fancy dress, we feel powerful and in control in a suit.  There have been a few stereotypical artist ensembles like the dark, all black, beret-wearing brooder and the wild hair, layered boho hippie look.  But my wardrobe, like most artists, lies somewhere in between.  I sometimes think if I could start over, if I could overhaul my wardrobe to perfectly reflect how I want to be seen as an artist, will I then feel like the real deal?  But I know it won’t work.  It is still a costume.  I feel like the real deal when I pour out my heart on a canvas, no matter what the outfit.

    Paintings featured are by Pennsylvania artist Adrienne Stein.  To see more of Adrienne’s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Vulnerabilities. Thomas Donaldson.

    Vulnerabilities. Thomas Donaldson.

    We lay ourselves open in more ways than just physical nakedness.  Baring our souls often requires much more bravery.  We aren’t just our bodies but our spirits.  And it is in those deepest places that our true selves reside.

    Thomas Donaldson | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Thomas Donaldson | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Thomas Donaldson | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Thomas Donaldson | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Thomas Donaldson | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

     

    As artists, we lay ourselves bare every time we put brush to canvas.  We make ourselves vulnerable as we pour ourselves out in color and form.  It is a scary thing to be an artist, to embrace the emotional roller coaster of putting ourselves out there and opening up what is inside for the world to see.

    To see more of Thomas Donaldson‘s work, please visit his website.

    Images are via the artist’s Facebook page and Saatchi page.

  • Seen. Cesar Biojo.

    Seen. Cesar Biojo.

    Some people look at us and see what they want to see.  Others look and see exactly who we are, loving and accepting us without reserve.  These paintings by Cesar Biojo with their obscured faces remind me of  the way we are not always seen clearly, even by those we love.

    Biojo3 Biojo1 Biojo5 Biojo2 biojo4

     

    Being seen as we truly are is a rare gift, one that should never be taken for granted.  But it isn’t always the fault of the see-er.  We need to reveal our own truths in order for them to be completely visible to others.

    To see more of Cesar Biojo‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via I Need a Guide.

  • Waning. Patrick Puckett.

    Waning. Patrick Puckett.

    The days are slowly growing shorter.  Kids are going back to school, the lush green of summer has begun to fade.  The transition from summer’s ease into the bounty of Fall is here.

    The paintings of Austin artist Patrick Puckett with their warm, autumnal palette and easy repose remind me of this final slowing down before the busyness of the cooler months begins.

    Patrick Puckett | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Patrick Puckett | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Patrick Puckett | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Patrick Puckett | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Patrick Puckett | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

    Will this be the last al fresco dinner?  The last beachside picnic?  Soon we’ll trade these delights for briefcases and backpacks, for crisp, cold nights and warm, baked bread.  Each season’s end brings a bit of melancholy, but with each end is a new and different beginning.

    To see more of Patrick Puckett’s work, please visit his website.  If you’re in the Seattle area, don’t miss his show at Hall Spassov Gallery in Bellevue, up through August 31st!

    All images via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Wally Workman Gallery.

  • Verge. Grazyna Smalej.

    Verge. Grazyna Smalej.

    It can be strange the way we can move so effortlessly between worlds, blending seamlessly from work to home, city to country.  In these paintings by Polish artist Grazyna Smalej, small figures seem to slip in and out of the abstracted backgrounds.

    Grażyna Smalej | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Grażyna Smalej | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Grażyna Smalej | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Grażyna Smalej | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Grażyna Smalej | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart

     

    Sometimes it can feel like we’re stuck in one world, unable to move over to the next.  Or maybe we’re slowly, imperceptibly dissolving over, the way Smalej’s figures seem to stand alone and yet blend in.  They are on the verge.

    To see more of Grazyna Smalej‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Saatchi Online.

  • Blues. Marta Penter.

    Blues. Marta Penter.

    Philo said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  We all have our pain and struggles that we carry around with us.  But some of us are better than others at hiding our battle scars.

    Marta Penter | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Marta Penter | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Marta Penter | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Marta Penter | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Marta Penter | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

     

    These paintings by Brazilian artist Marta Penter called to my mind the thought of the lonely and hurting who walk among us.  We can’t see the pain behind their smiles, the wounds beyond the laughter.  Every one of us is one of them.  Some days we might be carry our blues more prominently than others, but they are always there, just beneath the surface.

    To see more of Marta Penter‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

     

  • Humanity. Heidi Draley McFall.

    Humanity. Heidi Draley McFall.

    I see it every day among my friends and family on social media.  Division.  Us vs. them.  Outright hatred. It is so disheartening to see such vitriol leveled against people we don’t even know.  It all seems so pointless.  A waste of time and energy.  We are more alike than we are different.  We were all born in the same way, we all die the same death.  We are all one race– human.

    Heidi Draley McFall | artsy forager #art #artists #figurativeart #drawings

    Heidi Draley McFall | artsy forager #art #artists #figurativeart #drawings Heidi Draley McFall | artsy forager #art #artists #figurativeart #drawings Heidi Draley McFall | artsy forager #art #artists #figurativeart #drawings Heidi Draley McFall | artsy forager #art #artists #figurativeart #drawings

     

    These hyperrealistic drawings by Heidi Draley McFall touch on that link between us all– our humanity.  We laugh, we cry, we are sad and vulnerable, angry and joyful.  Every person of every color on every inch of this planet feels these same emotions, has the same physical needs, and most of the time, we just want to be happy.  So why do we allow prejudices and judgements against our fellow humans to steal our joy?  It seems a most useless endeavor.  Imagine what kind of world this might be if we all tried to treat our fellow humans not as the enemy, but as ourselves.

    To see more of Heidi Draley McFall‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via the New American Paintings blog– check out Ellen Caldwell‘s Process of a Painting with the artist for a glimpse into her studio process!

  • Chicness. Ryan Jones.

    Chicness. Ryan Jones.

    Once upon a time, I was one of those girls.  Saturdays were for shopping.  Fashion magazines were poured over.  Hours were spent pursuing just the right pair of shoes.  Rinse and repeat.  For years.  Now don’t get me wrong, I still love a little shopping spree here and there.  But I don’t obsess over the things I have or what I wear.  It doesn’t define me.

    In his large scale oil paintings, Bay Area artist Ryan Jones immerses his viewer in the world of luxurious living, where skin is perfectly toned and tanned, life is perfectly chic.

    Ryan Jones | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

    Ryan Jones | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

    Ryan Jones | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

    Ryan Jones | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

    Ryan Jones | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

     

    Some folks seem to have been born with the chic-gene.  Even if they aren’t a part of the Beverly Hills elite, they still seem to carry themselves with that certain something.  I’d like to think that I fit that description, but I’m doubtful.  More than likely, my shoes are worn from travel, my hair is windblown and unkempt, my clothes probably stained with paint.

    In exchange for the pursuit of chic, the quest for the latest fashion, I am reaching for the next moment of inspiration, the next place to explore, the next adventure.

    To see more of Ryan Jones‘ work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.