artsy forager

Category: Paintings

  • In Celebration of the Mundane: Giordanne Salley

    In Celebration of the Mundane: Giordanne Salley

    We love our adventuring, we truly do.  But there’s somehow something even more special in those ordinary moments we spend together each day.  Comfort and joy in our routine, the way we “assume our positions” at the sink following dinner, he rinses, I fill the dishwasher.  How I know that I’ll get a kiss each night before I close my eyes.  It makes me think that these moments, not the big ones, are the ones we miss most.  New York artist Giordanne Salley captures the warmth and life in her paintings that I think so many of us forget is there in the every day.

    Yellow Sink by Giordanne Salley | artsy forager #art #paintings Penny by Giordanne Salley | artsy forager #art #paintings #cat #quilt Friends by Giordanne Salley | artsy forager #art #paintings #quilt #love Cat Under the Table by Giordanne Salley | artsy forager #art #paintings #cat Family Dinner by Giordanne Salley | artsy forager #art #paintings

    I love her use of texture and pattern– real life is layered with complexities and real homes don’t always look perfectly trendy and spotless.  But if we’re lucky, we are graced with a roof over our head and every day life is filled with people we love.  The next time you find yourself ready to complain about those ugly kitchen cabinets or wishing you could just redecorate that living room, remember, it isn’t the place you live that matters, it’s who lives there.

    Want to see more of these charming paintings by Giordanne Salley?  Please visit the artist’s website.  

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy Lately: Amanda Clyne

    Artsy Lately: Amanda Clyne

    If you’ve been following Artsy Forager for a while, you may have noticed a few recurring themes in some of the work I write about– man’s relationship with nature, fashion industry and its psychology of influence, and art historical themes being a few.  When I first wrote about the work Toronto based artist Amanda Clyne , she was drawing reference from and making connections between historical portraiture and high fashion photography.  In her latest series, she continues the fasciation and the lines become even more blurred ( pun intended ).

    In this work, she begins with a photograph of a painting.  The photograph is then printed onto paper to which it doesn’t stick, creating a wet, workable surface.  She then “paints” the photograph, then once the residue dries, the surface is scanned and the painting then once again becomes a photograph of a painting.

    Gainsborough, Erased by Amanda Clyne Coello ( Catarina Micaela ), Erased Fragment by Amanda Clyne Van Dyck ( Henrietta Maria ), Erased by Amanda Clyne Coello(la Dama del Abanico), Erased by Amanda Clyne

    The resulting image is ghostly, with an x-ray-ish quality.  A nod to the illusory nature of the original portrait?  An attempt to find the real person beneath the layers of fashion and facade?  In style and palette, these are much softer than Clyne’s previous series.  Yet they are still asking the same questions and it seems we, as a society tend to continue to give the same answers.

    If you’d like to see more of Amanda Clyne‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Wear the Artsy: Megan Auman Scarves + A Special Deal Just For You!

    Wear the Artsy: Megan Auman Scarves + A Special Deal Just For You!

    I am forever in awe of how interconnected we have become through the glory of the inter webs!  Case in point– I receive an email from artist & designer Megan Auman, telling me about her new line of gorgeous scarves based on her paintings.  I think to myself, Artsy, these are awesome!  But those paintings look so familiar.. Sure enough, a quick check of my Pinterest boards reveals that I’d recently pinned one of Megan’s paintings for a future Artsy Forager feature.  Turns out I’d seen her work through Jaime Derringer’s Instagram feed and well, the rest is internet history!

    I’ve made no secret of my scarf obsession.. my friends and family know it well!  And scarves that begin life as abstract paintings, thereby combining two of my absolute favorite things?  Winner, winner, warm & artsy neck!

    Megan Auman Scarves

    Auman’s richly colored abstract paintings provide the starting point for these lovelies.  The work is then digitally printed onto soft organic cotton ( bonus! ) and hand sewn in her Pennsylvania studio.  Each scarf is made in small batches and available in limited quantities.  Truly works of wearable art!

    SONY DSC

    WTA_Auman_trio

    SONY DSC

    Auman collage

    Megan Auman scarves are available for purchase in her online shop here.  And Megan is generously offering a special FREE SHIPPING offer to Artsy Forager readers!  Just enter the code ARTSY at checkout, but make it fast because this offer ends at midnight (EST) on Sunday 10/27.  Be sure to check out Megan’s other artsy wares– gorgeous art pillows, jewelry, and especially these ingenious cozy/cuffs!

    All images are via Megan Auman.

  • Exuberant Lines: Jessica Simorte

    Exuberant Lines: Jessica Simorte

    You guys.  I get so excited when I come across a new artist!  In fact, I’m pretty sure when I clicked through from Instagram and saw this artist’s work, I might have let out a little squeal.    Jessica Simorte is creating these perfect little abstracts that practically sing with their exuberance of color, line, and composition.

    Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte

    Jessica Simorte

    These diminutive works ( I think the largest I saw was 12×12 ) pack a big punch.  I love how she is translating what could easily be large compositions onto a small surface.  And the little “imperfections” in each are really what get me.  The fearlessness it takes to let the world see sketchy lines and that little yellow streak coming down at the bottom of the last piece?  Possibly my favorite moment among them.  This is definitely an artist I will be keeping my eye on!

    Check out more of Jessica Simorte‘s work on her website.  I wish I could remember on whose Instagram I saw Simorte’s name/work.  Whoever you were, thank you for introducing me to a new favorite!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Little Corners of the World: Joseph Noderer

    Little Corners of the World: Joseph Noderer

    Our current little bungalow backs up to a beautifully landscaped yard, verdant and green, even in the midst of Fall.  As I sit working here every day, it’s easy to forget that the leaves are changing all around, I get so caught up in my own little world here.  Austin artist Joseph Norderer chooses to celebrate those little corners of the world in which we dwell.

    Jamboree by Joseph Noderer Host by Joseph Noderer Imperial Fork by Joseph Noderer Isle by Noderer Shed by Noderer

    Lush and lively, his compositions crop in tightly on a small crop of land, beckoning us beyond the bushes to find who might be living inside.  We get so caught up in our view from within that I think we sometimes forget that just a few feet or yards away, another life is being lived, perhaps very different or quite similar.  But more and more we chose to hide behind our own walls.  Choosing to dwell only in that same familiar corner.

    If you’d like to see more of Joseph Noderer‘s work, please visit his website.  You can also see his show at Tiny Park art space in Austin until October 19th.

    Artist found via The Jealous Curator.  All images via the artist’s website.

  • His Father’s Colors: Morgan Fisher

    His Father’s Colors: Morgan Fisher

    We all get sentimental about some of our possessions.  Especially things that remind us of the ones we love.  I have paintings by my grandmother that I’ll never part with.  Santa Monica artist Morgan Fisher honors one of his own prized pieces of family history by recreating a part of his father’s work in paint in his series Interior Color Beauty.  In the 1930s, Fisher’s father owned a pre-fabricated housing company and a booklet of paint color schemes his company produced inspired this series of minimalist paintings.

    C5 by Morgan Fisher B5 by Morgan Fisher C4 by Morgan Fisher B3 by Morgan Fisher L2 by Morgan Fisher

    His father’s legacy becomes larger than life as Fisher enlarges the paint chips on wooden panels.  Staying true to the original inspiration, the works are painted with acrylic house paint.

    We feel the influence of so many people throughout our lives, but our family’s impact usually leaves the strongest impression.  I love seeing this artist honor his father’s work in such a way!

    Interior Color Beauty is on display at Bortolami Gallery in New York until October 19th, if you’d like to check it out.  You can see more of Morgan Fisher‘s work on their website.

    Artist found via Design Milk.  Images via Design Milk and Bortolami Gallery.

  • Scratching the Surface: Jeane Meyers

    Scratching the Surface: Jeane Meyers

    It’s so easy to get caught up in the superficiality of life, isn’t it?  But what happens when we look beyond the surface glitter and get real?  Are we afraid of letting people see beyond the facade to the layers of disfunction and mistakes? There are artists who do just that.  Like self taught Port Townsend, WA painter Jeane Meyers, who builds up and covers up in order to go back and reveal what’s underneath.

    Meyers_Right Turning Meyers_Her Minor Idea Meyers_Her Basic Instinct Meyers_Sinking Into the White Sky

     

    Yes, maybe revealing the ugly might not be so fun or flattering, but it adds texture and depth and a certain sense of vulnerability, not only in Meyers’ work, but in our lives, as well. By submitting to the process and taking what is found underneath, we letting go of our compulsion for perfection.  And in return, the work ( and we ), become more interesting and more complex.

    To see more of Jeane Meyers’ work, please visit her website.  Her work is currently showing alongside Portland sculptor Lisa Kaser in Wax On, Wax Off at Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Come Closer: Jerome Lagarrigue

    Come Closer: Jerome Lagarrigue

    I like to inspect things closely.  And when they aren’t aware of it, I like to examine people closely.  There is so much expression and beauty held within the eyes and the lines of each face.  French born artist Jerome Lagarrigue, in his larger than life portrait studies, focuses his brush on the eyes of his subject, revealing emotion that we might not notice without such targeted attention.

    Eye #6 by Jerome Lagarrigue Jerome Lagarrigue Lagarrigue_Eye #8 Eye #14 by Jerome Lagarrigue Jerome Lagarrigue

    Sometimes, when Mr. F & I are sitting together, reading or watching a movie, I can’t help but gaze at him for a while.  Pretty sure it creeps him out a bit when I do that!  But there is something so lovely about memorizing the face of the one you love, isn’t there?  Not to mention really seeing all the people you interact with every day.  How many of us could describe the faces of friends, family, colleagues well enough to create a true likeness?  If we don’t know a face well, how will we ever be able to read it?  To know what isn’t being said?

    To see more of Jerome Lagarrigue‘s work, please visit his website.  Take some time to sit and stare at someone you love today, Artsies. 😉

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • The Masks We Wear: Lucky Jackson

    The Masks We Wear: Lucky Jackson

    It’s that time of year.  Kids are planning who they’ll “be” for Halloween, adults are racking their brains to come up with costumes for themselves that are funny, clever, sexy, whatever the think they are or wish that they could be.  But the latest series by Canadian artist Lucky Jackson, I am the Hero of This Story, has got me thinking about the masks we all put on every day.

    Lucky Jackson Lucky Jackson

    It’s funny how we all grow up thinking we can do anything, be anything, but slowly over time as we age and life beats us down, doubt creeps in.  Maybe I’m not smart enough, or pretty enough, or cool enough, or brave enough.  So instead of believing that we can be the hero of our story, we play dress-up each day, pretending to be who we are not, faking it, hoping to make it through.

    Lucky Jackson Lucky Jackson

    Eventually though, either publicly or privately, whether when we’re young or at the end of our days, the facade will begin to crack.  We’ll come to realize that face we’ve been putting on all these years isn’t really who we are.  And hopefully, if we’re lucky, we’ll figure out who is truly hiding behind the mask.

    Lucky Jackson

    These painted woodcut pieces by Lucky Jackson harken back to those days of dreaming of who we would become, but also look to what happens to who we become as we listen to the voices around us.  Want to see more of Lucky Jackson‘s work?  Please visit her website.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Wear the Artsy: Jennifer JL Jones

    Wear the Artsy: Jennifer JL Jones

    I don’t know what it is about the work of this month’s Featured Artist, Jennifer JL Jones that reminds me so much of the Pacific Northwest.  Maybe it’s the watery, downward strokes that make me think of the softly falling rain or perhaps it’s the subtle glowing light, so different from the blaring bright this Florida girl had been used to!

    This piece in particular, Sukha [Totems], is just the perfect representation of a Pacific Northwest Fall and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t anywhere near her mind when she painted it!  Autumn here in the NW is such an interesting mix of brilliantly changing leaves, grey skies and rain soaked earth.  Days that are made for cozy sweaters, boots and definitely don’t forget your raincoat!

    Wear the Artsy collage

    art | Sukha [Totems] by Jennifer JL Jones

    ring | Patina Pleat Ring

    sweater | Boucle Cowlneck

    bag | Dylan Tote

    jeans | AG Stevie Ankle Cords

    boots | Dahlia Punched Boots

    coat | Classic Snap Up Trench

    My perfect Northwest Autumn day would be spent wrapped up in these cozies, grabbing coffee and heading to the art museum, followed by an evening at home by the fire gazing up at Jennifer Jones’ painting. 😉  One day, I will have one!  One day.

    Image sources linked above.