artsy forager

Author: Lesley

  • Slow Build: Mel McCuddin at Art Spirit Gallery

    Slow Build: Mel McCuddin at Art Spirit Gallery

    I can only imagine the courage it takes for an artist to create in front of a group of people.  Heck, even one other person would terrify me.  But at The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene, ID ( our hometown for just another 6 weeks ), their new featured artist for the month gives a demo on the Saturday following their opening.  It is a fantastic way to gain a real “behind the art” glimpse into the creative process!  I can’t believe it took me this long to attend one, but I’m so glad I did.  The work of Spokane artist Mel McCuddin is striking online, luminous up close, but to see it in progress was truly inspiring.

    Matchmaker, oil on canvas, 52×48
    Reveries, oil on canvas, 48×44

    Each canvas begins as an exercise in Abstract Expressionism– it is all about the paint, texture and color.  Slowly, as formations evolve in clouds, a figure emerges on the surface.

    The Old Dog, oil on canvas, 36×40
    Black Dirt Farmer, oil on canvas, 48×48

    McCuddin thoughtfully builds his layers, alternating patches of light and dark.  Deliberate smudging of large swaths of canvas give way to areas of delicate and careful application.

    The Late Bus, oil on canvas, 52×48

    His finished works are often left with an eerie glow, giving them a slightly alien quality yet they are approachable and likable.  His subjects stare back at us with curious wisdom.  You can see a slideshow of images of Mel McCuddin in action here ( Artsy Forager now has a YouTube channel! ).  His solo show can be seen at The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene until August 4, 2012.  I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area!

    Featured image is Three in a Tub, oil on canvas, 48×52.  All images are via The Art Spirit Gallery website.

  • Woodland Delicacies: Kari Herer

    Woodland Delicacies: Kari Herer

    As you may have gathered by now, hubby and I spend a lot of time in the woods.  Which means we’ve had our fair share of wildlife sightings, heck, we have deer visiting our yard every night at our current lakeside rental.  The sight of a moose, elk or bear is thrilling in a yikes-if-he-wanted-to-he-could-take-me-down kind of way.  But for me, it’s the lovely quiet and grace of smaller woodland creatures that captures my heart.  These prints from photographer and artist Kari Herer really impart their impish qualities I love so much.

    No. 9893 Fox & Flower
    No. 9889 Fox & Flower

    Even though deer sightings are pretty frequent for us, I still get a thrill when I look up and see them grazing in the woods around our yard.  Their quiet, peaceful movements always entrance me.  Rabbits and foxes are less frequent visitors, but we’ve had our glimpses..

    Rabbit No. 0048
    Rabbit No. 0031

    Herer’s mix of whimsically sketchy drawings juxtaposed with elegantly styled florals truly speaks to the dignity of these creatures and how we delight in them.

    To see more of Kari Herer’s work, please visit her website.  You can purchase prints of her work in her Etsy shop— a series of these would be lovely in a nursery!

    Featured image is No. 9894 Fox & Flower.  All images are via the artist’s Etsy shop.

  • Between a Rock and a Soft Place: Emily Gherard

    Between a Rock and a Soft Place: Emily Gherard

    Rocks are hard.  Anyone whose ever stepped on one knows this.  But I can remember a dream I once had as a little girl sleeping with a rock as my pillow.  Seattle artist Emily Gherard’s paintings provide us with a different way of seeing these often immovable objects.

    Untitled, oil on canvas
    Untitled, oil on canvas, 30×32

    Gherard presents us with rocks, mountains and cliff faces that though they are rigid to the touch, these stones are vulnerable.  The smallest crack can create a weak point, endangering the stability of the structure.

    Untitled, oil on canvas, 30×32

    We thinks of rocks as unyielding and impenetrable, yet they are shaped over time by the elements.  It may take eons to see the change but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t taking place.

    Untitled, oil on canvas, 30×32
    Untitled, oil on canvas on panel, 9×12

    To see more of Emily Gherad’s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in the Seattle area, you can see her work in person at the Francine Seders Gallery.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Wayne White

    The work of multi-talented artist, art-director, illustrator, etc. etc., Wayne White spoke directly to my cheeky-art-lovin’ little heart when I first saw it on The Jealous Curator.  Witty, thought-provoking messages painted over vintage reproductions?  Brilliant.  See some of my faves over on Escape Into Life today!

    Crapola

    Wayne White on Escape Into Life

  • Sensual Flora: Megan Cosby

    Sensual Flora: Megan Cosby

    There are some artists whose careers I’ve had my eye on for quite some time.  Florida artist Megan Cosby definitely falls into that category.  I’ve always loved her figurative work, but when I saw her beginning to move in a more abstract direction, I knew she was really getting into a beautiful groove.

    Bouquet Toss, mixed media, 40×30

    This new series of abstracts, inspired by flowers, is soft, sophisticated and sensual.  In these mixed media paintings, I see abstract representations of the emotion of flowers.  The happiness they bring, their lingering scent and fleeting beauty.

    Gardenia Perfume, mixed media on canvas 40×40

    Flowers, with their delicately temporal nature, are associated with both life and death.  An early sign of spring’s renewal, as well as a token of abashed apology.

    Bouquet Confetti One, mixed media on canvas, 18×14
    Bouquet Confetti Two, mixed media on canvas, 18×14

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

  • Life in Pairs: Amanda Blake

    Life in Pairs: Amanda Blake

    John Donne wrote “No man is an island“.  And of course, no woman is either.  We come into the world needing other human beings to survive and very often, we go out the same way.  All throughout our lives, we are seeking, finding, nurturing relationships.  Madison, WI artist Amanda Blake’s work explores these connections, both the ones we choose and the ones into which we are born.

    When we are very young, our parents and siblings supply most of our relational needs, along with the ocassional imaginary friend.  As we mature, we begin to seek more and more outside our tiny familial sphere to find friendship among others, some very much like us, others very different.  Eventually, most of us begin looking about for a partner, someone to share our lives with.

    For some like me, this journey takes longer than we anticipate.  But it is during this time that all of those other relationships are nurtured the most.  We spend our time bonding with friends over adventures and over shared memories with siblings.

    Eventually, we may perhaps find the other half of our pair.  Once we do, we’ll take everything that we learned while cultivating those other relationships to care for this one.  And the cycle begins again.

    To see more of Amanda Blake’s work, please visit her website.

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

  • Friday Finds: Young Photosnappers

    Friday Finds: Young Photosnappers

    There is something about the art of photography that has always made it appealing to the young.  These days maybe, it is the advanced technology often involved.  But most of all, I think photography provides a relatively accessible mode of self-expression, which as we all know, is such a huge part of discovering who we are and who we are meant to be.  I’m happy to wrap up F/Stop Artsy week with a round-up of some amazingly talented young photographers!

    Eleanor Leonne Bennett
    Kristen Cates
    Brian Oldham
    Cristina Otero
    Alex Stoddard

    Eleanor Leonne Bennett | Kristen Cates |  Brian Oldham | Cristina Otero | Alex Stoddard  

    I hope you’ll check out the websites of these young talents, linked above.  Let’s encourage the next artsy generation!

    All images are via the artists’ websites, sourced above.

  • Artsy Dwelling: A Photoshopped Home

    Artsy Dwelling: A Photoshopped Home

    For many folks, the only photographs on display at home are family portraits and vacation snaps.  This afternoon, I’d like to get your creative inspiration going with some beautiful examples of the way art photography can have an amazing impact on your home’s artsiness!

    Using photography can give an edge to an ultra-feminine space–

    Home of Philip Leeming & Leong Ong

    via

    Photograph of Beirut by Elger Esser

    via 

    You can make a big impact in a small space like a dining room with an oversized photograph–

    Interior design by Design Loft Interiors; photo mural by Alex Turco

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    Interior Maison Magazine, Oct/Nov 2010

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    Designer: Thom Felicia; Featured photograph: Roberto Dutesco

    To add graphic texture to a neutral space, monochromatic photography does the trick–

    Interior design by Julia Starr Sanford; Art photography by Thomas Hager

    via the artist

    **be sure to check the Artsy Forager Facebook album, Artsy Dwelling, for more of Tom’s residential installations!

    Interior design and styling by Lisa McGraw; art photography by Daniele Albright

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    How about personalizing your space by commissioning an art photographer to document your little ones?

    Interior photography Llama’s Valley Magazine

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    Interior photography by Bieke Claessens

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    Or even better, enlarge a favorite photo of them and fill an entire wall!

    Design by Brian Patrick Flynn

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    How are you living with photography, Artsies?

    Image sources linked below each photo.

  • A Curious Haunting: Kisa Kavass

    A Curious Haunting: Kisa Kavass

    I love a good mystery.  Not the throat-slasher kind, but the good ol’ Nancy Drew, Wilkie Collins, Daphne Du Maurier variety.  In this world of over sharing, there is something so magical and magnetic to be found in the mysterious.  The work of Tennessee based artist Kisa Kavass brings to life her own cryptic yet enchanting imaginings.

    Kavass’ sepia-tinged images are full of misty light, curious shadows and haunting visages.  There is an other-worldly spell cast by them that though shrouded in enigma, we sense that in this world we are safe.

    Though things may be as they seem, the mysteries are innocuous.

    Like strange dreams from which we awaken not startled or scared, but wishing we could revisit with each slumber.

    To see more of Kisa Kavass’s work, please visit her website.

    Thank you to artist Christina Baker for introducing me to Kisa’s work!  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Nowhere Land: Jenna Gang

    Nowhere Land: Jenna Gang

    Photography, more than any other medium possesses such a power to transport us to anywhere in the world.  And because of it’s documentary nature, we often believe what a photograph is telling us.  When New York based photographer Jenna Gang contacted me, I was especially intrigued by her series of images from Israel.  It turns out this controversial country has very special meaning for Jenna.  I hope you’ll enjoy hearing her talk about the series in this email interview we conducted recently.

    Artsy Forager | Your series of photographs from Israel have such a different, more quiet focus than most imagery coming from that country.  What was your catalyst for the series?  Did it evolve over time or did you begin with your concept already in mind?

    Jenna Gang | The catalyst for this series was my grandfather. As a holocaust survivor, he expressed throughout my childhood how important it was for me to visit the holy land.  After he passed away, his 35mm camera was given to me by my grandmother.  By merging his camera with his aspirations for me, I thought it only fitting to honor his memory by shooting this series.

    Throughout my development as a photographer, I have always been drawn to images that were minimalistic and left interpretation to the viewer. Through photographs, the world sees Israel as a conflict. I wanted to show that Israel is so much more than that. I simplified my subject to lines and shapes to reflect the natural beauty of the country.


    AF | Who do you count among your photographic heroes?

    JG |  In hopes of not sounding too generic, most of my fellow FIT alumni are my heroes. This is because although our foundation was built in the same way our results vary so widely. Erin Kennedy, Christian Thorman and Nadirah Zakariya were each given the same tools that I was and yet we all emerged with distinct individual styles. I wait in anticipation to see what they create next.

    AF | What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a photographer?

    JG |  If I weren’t a photographer, I’d be a food critic. Since I love to eat, this would be a worthy profession. I understand that I would have to eat some bad food along the way, but it would all be worth it for that one good dish.

    AF | What is your dream photography project?

    JG |  During my free time, I enjoy travelling the world via Google Earth, planning how I would capture each of the different landscapes. I am fascinated with Japan and would enjoy a trip to the countrysides of Tokyo, Samurai sword in tow.

    To see more of Jenna Gang’s work, please check out her website.