I never thought I’d say it, but I think Instagram may be surpassing Pinterest as my new favorite social media tool. I do still lurve Pinterest, but am finding Instagram to be much more friendly, creatively and socially. And it’s become quite the source for finding artists, too! Case in point with today’s artist. I discovered watercolor artist Marta Spendowska on Instagram and have been marveling at her juxtapositions of soft strokes and bold color.
Social media, for the most part, isn’t much about delicacy. It’s more about who screams for attention the loudest. But once in a while, a whisper breaks through the noise, as in the case of Marta’s work.
For most of my life I’ve lived surrounded by friends and family, so being without a home never seemed like a very real possibility to me. As Mr. F and I travel, we do occasionally find ourselves “between homes” temporarily, but that usually just involves a few nights in a local hotel while trying to find a rental. While living this past year in Eureka, we’ve encountered a homeless population to rival larger cities. I always wonder about them, how they came to where they are– was it a series of bad luck? Was it by choice?
We find ourselves walking by them, not making eye contact, trying not to notice them so they won’t notice us and make us uncomfortable. Perhaps through no fault of their own, these are the cast-offs, society’s discards that we’ve thrown away and never given a second thought. Because if we really think about them, we might see ourselves in their eyes.
These watercolor paintings from New York artist Alvaro Naddeo focus our attention on the consumption and consequent dumping of what was once needed, shiny and new. To see more of Alvaro Naddeo‘s work, please visit his website.
There is work that enchants us for a moment, we think, “oh, that’s very nice!” but then move on, maybe occasionally coming back to it. But then there is work that is completely mesmerizing from the moment we see it, drawing us in and nearly drowning us in its magic. These watercolors by Seattle artist Jeffrey Simmons have me utterly hypnotized with their radiating forms and precisely blurred lines.
These pulsating forms have an incredibly cosmic quality, like stars shining brightly in the blackest night. The shifts in color are so incredibly subtle, that I find my eyes moving almost imperceptibly between forms, diving down into the depths and then emerging to the feathery banks. This is watercolor taken to another universe, devoid of tradition and full of possibility.
To see more of Jeffrey Simmons‘ work, please visit his website. You can see his work in person at Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle, one of my favorite spots in my favorite city.
It’s so easy to get caught up in our world of 21st century technology, especially when working from home. How slippery a slope it can be to go days on end without stepping outside! I often spend hours and hours a day in front of a screen ( or several! ), so our Saturdays spent hiking are utter bliss for my soul. Last weekend, Mr. F and I took a coastal hike where we marveled at the power and grace of the waves and the variety of stones washed upon the shore. In her work, Australian artist Carmel Seymour explores our relationship to the magic of nature, as we search for connections in our increasingly unnatural existences.
The artist states, “Natural objects linger in the home like a ghostly presence, an echo of pre-civilized humanity, an aesthetically pleasing reminder of our mastery and our diminutiveness.. Our attempts to bring nature into these constructed places can be seen as shrine to a deity more permanent than ourselves.”
Seymour’s work mirrors this thought of domestic tameness versus wildness in the way she juxtaposes carefully wrought figures and objects against puddles of loose watercolor. For all our “advancement” and self imprisonment, we are each one a wild creature born from a wild earth.
To see more of the work of Carmel Seymour, please visit her website and the website of her representing gallery, Helen Gory, where you can see her work in person if you find yourself Down Under.
Artist found via the Helen Gory Gallery. All images via the gallery’s website.
Well, Artsies, Mr. F & I have said goodbye to Idaho and hello to California! And we all wished a fond farewell to February and wish a bright and cheery welcome to March and this month’s new Featured Artist, Erin McIntosh!
I first posted about Erin’s work almost exactly two years ago and have been closely following her artistic journey. Her works on paper continue to retain the floaty, gossamer quality that first drew me to them. But her work has evolved in the most lovely way into these newest pieces, with their organic patterns and forms leading us to dream of the prettiest science class illustrations ever. There is a bit more structure to these pieces, but the artist’s hand keeps them feeling fresh and spirited.
You’ll see more of Erin McIntosh‘s work on the blog this month, but if you can’t wait a second longer to explore ( and who can blame you?! ), head over to her website and have a good long look around. Plus, have a peak at the Artsy Forager Facebook page, where Erin’s work is gracing our cover and I’ve created an album of just a few of my McIntosh faves! If you happen to be in the great state of Georgia, Erin’s work will be hanging at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Macon as part of the Emerging Artists show through June!
Oh the sun drenched days of summer! It’s February and while I love winter and don’t mind the misty rain and clouds of the Northwest, I do love those lazy summer days. These watercolors by Oakland artist JD Olerud, transport me back to those days when the sun wasn’t such a stranger.
There is something about watercolor as a medium that captures the magic of dappled sunlight so perfectly. Olerud using his white spaces to create that wonderful sense of the warmth and light of a summer day. I almost feel like squinting or wearing sunglasses when looking at these! Oh to lie down in the grass and feel the radiant light once more! Of course, Mr. F and I will be spending the next three months on the soggy Northern California coast, so I expect it will be some time unit l get to experience that bliss. 😉
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things about this time of year is the food! Putting diets aside, we allow ourselves to focus on the inherent feast for the senses that delicious food can bring. Nothing beats the scent of freshly baked bread wafting through a home, am I right?? This season is about indulgence and much of it of the decadent sweet kind. In her Bakery series, artist Heather McCaw Kerley focuses her attention on those baked objects of desire.
Isolating these treats, each a monument to delightful indulgence. “I’ll have just one“, these seem to be saying. And when we taste the sweetness of icing on our tongues, a wave of satisfaction washes over. We know we can’t make a steady diet of doughnuts and cupcakes, but oh, if only we could! How sweet life would be. Maybe. Or perhaps, if we were to indulge all the time, special treats would lose their luster. We would no longer savor them slowly, but devour them without truly tasting their deliciousness. I think the same can be said of events like holidays, if we were celebrating this way every day, the shine would soon grow weary. But its the anticipation, the build up, the focus of intensity that makes these days so special. Let’s savor them like the delectable cupcakes they are.
We are now well into November and the holiday season is approaching at lightning speed ( see yesterday’s Artsy Holiday post, early I know, but I couldn’t resist! ). The brilliant October color has yielded to the breezes and leaves are now scattered across the landscape. Nature has begun her winterizing and it seems a good long time before the flowers show themselves again. These watercolors by Northwest artist Kiana Mosely have the feel of flowers pressed between the pages of books to remind us that spring will begin again.
Kiana’s flowers have such a flowing simplicity and the characteristic “bleedy” quality of watercolors reinforces their pressed flower sensibility. Its almost as if these flattened floral shapes are here to remind us that though the spring seems far away, the flowers are still there, waiting for the thaw.
If you’d like to see more of Kiana Mosely‘s work, please visit her website and Facebook page. Prints of these gorgeous watercolors are also available in her Etsy shop!
I am loving the illustrative quality to these watercolors by Massachusetts artist Michelle Morin! I’m sharing more of Michelle’s work in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today.. head over to EIL to check it out here.
Normally, I love thick paintings. Canvases piled high with mounds of paint and lots of gooey and delicious texture. But there is a fluidity in abstract watercolors that I find just as appealing. Watercolorist Marsha Boston imbues her work with such a lovely sense of light and tranquil color, they feel like looking at the world from under a blanket of warm water as the sun shines above.
Saucer Magnolia, watercolor and ink
Her botanical work focuses on our relationship with nature, our power over it in areas such as genetic engineering and nano-agriculture. How easy it seems to be for man to take for granted and ultimately destroy the delicate balance that is inherent in the natural world, all for our own purposes.
Leaf Mutants in Pea, acrylic on canvas
Her Remembering Water series stemmed from the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill, spawning an interest in aqueous plants and their usefulness and value in our ecosystem. When oil spills occur, much is made of the impact on animal life, but the harm to plants and microorganisms that sustain them is rarely highlighted.
Widgeon Grass, Remembering Water series, acylic on canvasOculina, Remembering Water series, watercolor on Fabriano
I love art for art’s sake and pretty pictures as much as the next girl. But do you know what I love even more? Beautiful artwork that tells an important story. And that’s what Marsha Boston’s work does. It is telling us the story of the destruction and misuse of the very resources that are here to not only sustain us but give us pleasure. It would be a sad day if there were no more wildflowers to inspire artists like Boston to capture their beauty.
Mountain Cranberry, watercolor and ink
To see more of Marsha Boston’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.
Featured image is Indian Fig, watercolor and ink by Marsha Boston. All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.
