artsy forager

Category: Figurative

  • Temporal. Bill Armstrong.

    Temporal. Bill Armstrong.

    This is my first blog post since my mom left this earth.  It has been seventeen days.  We were lucky in that we had time to prepare, time to say goodbye, but it still doesn’t seem real.  I can still hear her voice in my head, that musical little “Hi Les!” that always greeted me on the other end of the phone line.  I still see her in my dreams, but she is never sick, always whole, always the way I most remember her, the way I want to remember.

    Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography Bill Armstrong | artsy forager #art #artists #photography

     

    It was a harrowing, heartbreaking experience, to watch someone you love so much slowly slip away.  The hospice nurses marveled that she held on as long as she did– that she must have had some sort of unfinished business to tend to.  But those who knew her well knew that she would let go of her tortured body in her own good time.  Always the boss, always organized and in control, she would decide when.

    If there is anything I’ve taken away from this last year of my mom’s life, it is that we have no guarantees. She never should have been gone at only sixty seven.  There were still plans to be made, life to be lived, grandchildren to watch grow up.  If my mom could be gone, then so could my husband, so could my brothers, so could I.  I’ve been left with a resolve to follow my passions more fully, bask in each day more completely, love more abundantly.  I have today and for now it is enough.

    These photographs by Bill Armstrong reminded me of the fleeting nature of our lives on this earth.  To see more of his work, please visit his website.

    Artist found via Dolby Chadwick Gallery.  Images via the artist’s website.

  • Colors. James Rieck.

    Colors. James Rieck.

    Beauty is often found in its purest form– a hidden waterfall, the smiling face of a child, the soft wrinkles of a grandmother’s hand.  But other times, perfection is manufactured and beauty hides a darker truth.  In his ColorSafe series, Los Angeles artist James Rieck spins the glossy glamour of 1960s and 70s catalogue models into a look at social contradictions happening then and now still.

    James Rieck | artsy forager #art #artists #painitngs #figurativeart #fineart James Rieck | artsy forager #art #artists #painitngs #figurativeart #fineart James Rieck | artsy forager #art #artists #painitngs #figurativeart #fineart James Rieck | artsy forager #art #artists #painitngs #figurativeart #fineart James Rieck | artsy forager #art #artists #painitngs #figurativeart #fineart

     

    Rieck takes the ubiquitous catalogue model poses and reinterprets them– painting them in such a hyperrealistic way that they take on a now too-glossy, unreal quality.  In pairs, one light skinned model, one dark, the figures wear the same brightly colored and patterned fashions of the day, similar smiles on their cropped faces.  The playing field seems oddly leveled– equality, acceptance and coexistence seemingly achieved.  But there’s an underlying tension.  The dark skinned figure usually slightly behind the lighter or somehow leaning in to her counterpart.  Subtle, but there.  Equality in idea, but not in reality.

    To see more of James Rieck’s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via It’s Nice That.

  • Wrinkles. Elizabeth Chapin.

    Wrinkles. Elizabeth Chapin.

    Aging is not for the faint of heart.  Now that I’m truly and well into my, ahem, forties(!!), I know this to be true.  Metabolism is no longer my friend and each day seems to bring a new grey hair spotted, an ache in a previously undiscovered muscle.  Our culture celebrates, even idolizes youth.  Instead of seeing the elderly among us as founts of knowledge, wisdom, and experience, we cast them aside.  We search instead for the latest in what is fashionable among the young.

    Elizabeth Chapin | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Elizabeth Chapin | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Elizabeth Chapin | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Elizabeth Chapin | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Elizabeth Chapin | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

     

    These paintings by Austin artist Elizabeth Chapin seem to celebrate the dignity and beauty that comes only with age.  I’m not immune to longing for more youthful days– especially when I was a smaller by a few dress sizes.  But I recently listened to an interview with actress Frances McDormand on aging and something she said really struck me– those lines on your face are a map of your life.  Every wrinkle was earned in some way, whether through hard work or a life filled with laughter.  What we lose in smooth skin and toned muscles we gain experience no fountain of youth can replace.

    To see more of Elizabeth Chapin‘s work, please visit her website.

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

  • Carefree. Charlotte Evans.

    Carefree. Charlotte Evans.

    With the advent of Memorial Day last week, full blown summer is just around the corner.  It seems like we never outgrow that old “schools out” feeling of the summer months!  We want to linger a little longer, explore, leave our stresses and cares behind like last year’s books.  The paintings of Brooklyn artist Charlotte Evans bring to mind those slow, carefree days spent running nowhere special.

    Charlotte Evans | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Charlotte Evans | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Charlotte Evans | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Charlotte Evans | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Charlotte Evans | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

     

    As the artist recounts on her website, “resolutions for one painting might be found in another- a thread of narrative emerges.”  These painted memories could be glimpses of every summer, the scenes we see when we close our eyes mid-winter and dream of what is to come.

    To see more of Charlotte Evans‘ work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website. Artist found via Gallery Orange.

  • Memorials. Mackenzie Reynolds.

    Memorials. Mackenzie Reynolds.

    Happy Memorial Day to all the US Artsies out there!  And happy Monday to everyone else!  Considering today’s holiday, the What It’s Worth series by Wisconsin artist Mackenzie Reynolds, which explores the visual memories lost from one generation to the next, seemed a fitting feature.

    MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage MacKenzie Reynolds | artsy forager #art #artists #collage

     

    While my grandmother was a relentless notetaker ( the majority of our family photos have names and dates on them, thanks, Mimi! ), when my mom and I went through the huge stacks of black and white photos, many of the older images weren’t identifiable.  Luckily, my mom could make some pretty good guesses based on clothing and context.  As a family, we’re very lucky to have these momentos of our generational history.  But even we have had to discard some photos that weren’t identifiable or obviously a part of our family.  Photos of friends or acquaintances of my grandmother’s from when she was very young, people we never knew, my grandmother our only connection.  It’s a bit sad to think that someday another generation will discard our own images, or even worse, that in this digital age, there won’t be any physical record left of us once we are gone.  A hard pill to swallow, for sure, but if we know we’ve lived our best in this life, then we’ll care only for what happens now, not what is looked back on once we’ve left.

    To see more of Mackenzie Reynolds‘ work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Pale. Kat Hannah.

    Pale. Kat Hannah.

    When you’re hurting, the color seems to go out a bit from the world.  Having just spent the two weeks by my mom’s side, watching her struggle against a body that is failing, witnessing her spirit soar in one moment, only to crash in the next, it seems strange to get back to “normal”.

    Kat Hannah | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Kat Hannah | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart

    On one hand, I want to savor each day with fervor, for now more than ever, I know there is no promise of tomorrow.  But then something will grab hold of me, the whisper of a memory grips my heart and I am undone.

    Kat Hannah | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart Kat Hannah | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart

    It’s a struggle to climb out of that hole, once you’ve lost your footing.  Everything goes pale.  The colors fade like old sheets washed too many times.  But eventually, given time and love, slowly the washed out places will become renewed and refreshed.  I know that I’m not in my palest period, yet.  But I also know that the loss of color won’t last forever.  It will return in even greater brilliance.

    Kat Hannah | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart

     

    It is ok to languish in the pale for a while, though.  It has to be.

    The paintings featured today are by Kat Hannah.  You can see more of her work in her Etsy shop and on her blog.

    All images are via the artist’s Etsy shop.

  • Dreamscapes. Jeffrey Beauchamp.

    Dreamscapes. Jeffrey Beauchamp.

    Sometimes the world we enter when our eyes close at night is a bit scary, a bit malevolent.  But often I find myself in a place that is one part memory, one part fantasy.  The paintings of San Francisco area artist Jeffrey Beauchamp call to mind those fanciful dreamscapes where ordinary things come to life in extraordinary ways.

    Jeffrey Beauchamp | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Jeffrey Beauchamp | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Jeffrey Beauchamp | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Jeffrey Beauchamp | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Jeffrey Beauchamp | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

     

    I find places from my childhood cropping up quite often in my own dreams, which may be why I responded most to Beauchamp’s paintings of children.  The places I played, explored, pretended are almost always prominent.  After one such dream last night, I found myself wondering why some places stay with us so strongly.  Is it our connection to the place itself or the people who were there?  Or maybe they become part of our dreams because of how much they captured our imagination in life.

    To see more of Jeffrey Beauchamp‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Coasting. Lisa Golightly.

    Coasting. Lisa Golightly.

    Growing up in Florida, we spent a lot of summer days at the beach.  It’s just what you did.  My favorite thing about beach days was the way it felt when we left the sand and surf behind.  Salty skin, tangled, wind blown hair, a bucketful of found treasures.  There was a feeling of ease and freedom, elation mixed with contented exhaustion.  Those beachside impressions are the subject of the paintings of Portland artist Lisa Golightly.

    Lisa Golightly | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #prints #affordableart Lisa Golightly | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #prints #affordableart Lisa Golightly | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #prints #affordableart Lisa Golightly | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #prints #affordableart Lisa Golightly | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #prints #affordableart

     

    Using found photos as the catalyst for her paintings, Lisa explores memory, how photographs of experiences influence our perceptions.  Am I more likely to remember those beach days fondly thanks to the old square photos in worn albums looked through a hundred times?  Pushing back memories of jellyfish stings and sand in places it should never be, we look back with eyes that see only the wonder and magic.

    All of the paintings featured in today’s post are available as prints in the Artsy Forager gallery on Great.ly!  Just click on each image for a link to each print’s detail page.  To see more of Lisa Golightly‘s work, you can also visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

    This post contains affiliate links.  As a Great.ly Tastemaker and curator of The Trove, I receive a small commission on each piece sold from The Trove boutique gallery.

  • Embodiments. Jenny Morgan.

    Embodiments. Jenny Morgan.

    Throughout my younger years, my body seemed to bend to my wishes.  I was one of the lucky ones, eating whatever I liked and barely gaining an ounce.  Never breaking bones, full of energy for whatever came my way.  But as the years have passed, that body has changed.    Harder work is required to keep my body in the kind of shape I need it to be.  That ideal shape has evolved– no longer do I obsess over being model-skinny.  I want to be strong.  My body is not a clothes hanger, it is a work horse.  I want it to take me up that mountain and show me things I can’t see from my sofa.  I want it to be my ally, not my enemy.

    Jenny Morgan | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Jenny Morgan | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart #contemporaryart Jenny Morgan | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart #contemporaryart Jenny Morgan | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart #contemporaryart Jenny Morgan | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart #contemporaryart

     

    New York figurative artist Jenny Morgan renders in paint self portraits and portraits of friends and family in which there seems a strong interconnection between the physical, psychological, and spiritual.  Bodies are simply the vessels in which we move through this life.  They can be a help or a hindrance but in the end, they are only a part of who we are.  In my hands I see years of work and my mother’s genes.  My legs have carried me on numerous hikes and adventures beside my husband.  But those memories aren’t carried in this physical body alone.  They reside in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit.  And when this body no longer serves it’s purpose, I will carry them with me.

    To see more of Jenny Morgan‘s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in New York, mark you calendar for her upcoming show, All We Have is Now at Driscoll Babcock.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Associations. Marshall Crossman.

    Associations. Marshall Crossman.

    I’ve been out of high school a long time ( we won’t mention how long! ).  If it weren’t for Facebook, I think it’s safe to say there would be few folks from high school I would be keeping up with today.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a great high school experience.  But I’m a firm believer that people move through our lives in seasons– some come to stay, others stay just for awhile.  But what is it about high school that seems to create such strong bonds for some?

    One thought might be that commonality of going through the same experience at the same point in time.  We are becoming a singular person, but are immersed in a large group.  Striving to find ourselves, yet often losing ourselves among the crowd.  The Class Photo series of paintings by Pacifica artist Marshall Crossman  seems to illustrate that experience of individuals melting together to form a whole.

    Marshall Crossman | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Marshall Crossman | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Marshall Crossman | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Marshall Crossman | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Marshall Crossman | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

     

    The way the artist reduces the ubiquitous class photo pose into simple shapes and strokes reinforces the idea of young people still in “formation” mode.  Who among us knew who we would ultimately be while in high school?  I certainly didn’t!  Maybe it’s true that my life’s path didn’t take the journey I thought it would at eighteen, but deep inside I’m the same soul I was in high school.  Introspective, striving, shy.  When I look at the current faces of my former classmates, I don’t see the changes life has dealt.  What is left is the essence of those souls who are forever linked with mine through our shared experience, our shared moment in time.

    To see more of Marshall Crossman‘s work, please visit her website.

    Artist found via Dolby Chadwick Gallery.  All images are via the Dolby Chadwick website.