As they always seem to be in the habit of doing, Facebook pages recently changed! If you’re a fan and don’t want to miss any news, go to the Artsy Forager page and hover over the “Liked” button and select “Show In My Newsfeed”. Otherwise, you may not receive updates in your feed from Artsy Forager. Sorry for the extra step, but I don’t want you to miss out on any of the inspiring artsy stuff being posted on Facebook!
PS– If you aren’t following Artsy Forager on Facebook, please join in the fun! Lots of artsy goodies are posted over on Facebook between the features here on the blog.
I have always been a lover of things past. Some of my favorite places have been cities or towns that truly celebrate their history, even revel in it. To walk into a building that has been repurposed and restored is such a delight. But it seems that more often than not, older buildings and homes instead of being loved and revered are neglected and then torn apart to make way for the shiny and new. The sculptural work of Aaron Moran uses pieces of found architectural wood to create works that are as complex and chaotic as our history.
Progress Sprawl, found wood, acrylic, graphite, house paint, varnish, 23x19x21
Each piece becomes a small monument to our collective history. Just scraps might be affixed to repair a dying structure, so these scraps from buildings long gone are bound together physically in each work and spiritually in their shared destiny.
Low Base, found wood, metal, acrylic, house paint, graphite, 19x12x14
Instead of languishing at the bottom of a landfill, these relics become sculptural harbingers of what we hope may be our fate– to leave behind a little of ourselves, to know that our existence is remembered and celebrated.
Geom Ridge, found wood, acrylic, house paint, pencil, 11x8x9
To see more of Aaron Moran’s work, please visit his website. My husband and I used two pews from the church where my grandparents were married for our outdoor wedding last year. It meant so to have that continuity and share in the past as we began our future. Is there a building from your past you wish you had a part of?
Featured image is Tier 2, found wood, acrylic, house paint, graphite and varnish, 10x13x14. All images are via the artist’s website.
As I may have mentioned, my hubby and I are renting a little apartment on a lake here in Northern Idaho for the next few months. We’ve taken a few meals down to the water, eating and drinking wine on the dock, waiting for that bewitching hour when the light begins to turn. New England artist Henry Isaacs’ work captures the magical pink light of dusk and the abstract beauty to be found in every landscape.
Near Elizabeth, NC, oil on linen, 16×12Mountain Spring ( along Rte 92 N ), oil on linen, 40×30
Isaacs’ work beautifully captures the simplicity of form to be found in our surroundings and how when the light changes color, so too, does the landscape take on a new hue.
Canon Rock #2, oil on linen, 40×30
In the brightest warmth of day, yellows dominate, then, as the sun softens the colors slowly fade and the light becomes softer.
View East from the Terryberry’s, oil on linen, 40×30View South from Elizabeth City, NC, oil on linen, 40×30
To see more of Henry Isaacs’ work, please visit his website.
Featured image is View East From the Terryberry’s, oil on linen, 40×30. All images are via the artist’s website.
The work of South African artist Karin Miller caught my eye on Pinterest and I was blown away after visiting her website. Check out the examples of her work I’m featuring over on Escape Into Life today!
Something interesting happens on our cloudy days here in the Northwest. The grey softens and disguises the landscape so that details are normally left unseen and undercover are brought to the fore. The paintings featured from Elizabeth Terhune today remind me of those days when the light is at its softest.
About the Moon, oil on linen, 22×22
Sure, we live for sunny days here in the Northwest. When the sun shines, the landscape is absolutely breathtaking! But when the clouds roll in, everything, even the sky becomes quiet. A hike in the woods on a cloudy day offers a study in contrasts, much like Elizabeth Terhune’s abstract paintings.
In the Realm of Mutability, oil on linen
Dark tree trunks stand tall, silhouetted against a cloud-filled sky. Above we see a mass of dark leaves, but the vibrant yellow flowers entwined along our path suddenly pops out at us, happy to have been given a chance to shine. As in Terhune’s paintings, the complex becomes simple. Shapes blend into one another but the darkest and brightest of them all demand our attention.
Giraffe, oil on linenCrosshair’s Gaze, oil on linen, 22×23
To see more of Elizabeth Terhune’s work, please visit her website. I’m hoping to take a cloudy day hike or bike ride today. I’ll be thinking about Elizabeth’s work!
Featured image is In the Realm of Mutability, oil on linen. All images are via the artist’s website.
Very often, negative space is just as important to our understanding of form as the form itself. Think about clouds– their beauty is most apparent when surrounded by bright blue sky. In Portuguese artist Cristina Troufa’s work, the painter uses simple lines and negative space to punctuate her compositions, choosing to highlight the flesh which makes her figures essentially human.
Pedestal, mixed media
Her concentration of color and light on the exposed flesh of her subjects speaks to our tendency to judge on appearance, often unable to look past the person we think we see and notice each other for who we really are.
Pelo Ralo, mixed media
Her compositions are simple, the backgrounds stark, only a detail left to us here or there.
Degraus, mixed media
What do we see when we fill in the blanks? Who are these women, this boy? What is this moment we’ve caught them in? Have we been there before?
Etapas, mixed mediaSombras No Sotao, mixed media
To see more of Cristina Troufa’s work, please visit her website and her page on Meseon.
Featured image is Salto. All images are via Cristina Troufa’s page on Meseon.
Big thanks to everyone who entered the Win Artsy Stuff: Geoff Mitchell book giveaway! I’m happy to announce the winner of his very own autographed copy of Geoff’s book, Moon Rabbits is Daniel Tjoelker! Congratulations, Daniel! Please send me an email ( artsyforager{at}att.net ) with your mailing address so we can get your book on its way.
Daniel’s favorite piece is Trinket ( pictured below ). Daniel is an artist is his own right, make sure you check out his blog!
Hiya Artsies! I’m so sorry for the lack of posts and comment responses for the last few weeks. We’ve been trying to get a full internet connection established in our little summer rental and well.. let’s just say it’s been a comedy of errors. Finally got things up and running last night, so Artsy Forager will be back to normal next week. Thanks for understanding! I’ve missed you guys and can’t wait to get back into the swing!
PS– Make sure you’ve entered to win the Geoff MitchellMoon Rabbits giveaway! Contest ends today at 5pm PST! Go here for details.
Sorry for the reposting, turns out there was a little hiccup with EIL last week and Sean’s work didn’t get posted last Tuesday! Uh oh. So you’ll find it on EIL today!
There are artists whose work just sticks with me. I still remember when I first saw the work of Sean Mahan, way back during my gallery days in Florida. We all loved his work, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for the more conservative, corporate-ish gallery I was working in. So when I happened to see his work featured over on The Art Cake, I was super excited for him. He has such a unique style and vision, I just had to share his work with the Escape Into Life readers today. Please take a little jaunt over to EIL to see more!
PS– I know I usually post twice on Tuesdays, but since things have been sooo hectic lately, this will be my only post today. Hope to have blog life back to normal next week!
Last weekend, while we were visiting Whitefish, MT with friends from Florida, we spotted the biggest, most orange moon I’ve ever seen. Its glowing intensity loomed over the distant mountains, seeming close enough to touch. Rana Rochat’s encaustic work reminds me of the seemingly random beauty and chaos that surrounds and surprises us.
Untitled A108, encaustic on panel, 54×48
The universe is constantly moving, people rushing about, planets migrating, everything in constant flux and evolution. It seems that the world is never still, it is always changing creating tension between the chaos of life and the natural order of the universe.
Untitled L750, encaustic on panel, 54×48
In her work, Rochat explores this dynamic balance between regularity and impulsiveness. Each work using similar marks and complementary palettes, yet surprising in their fluid movement and arrangement.
Untitled ( 96 ), encaustic on panel, 60×35
Shapes float across the canvas and lines seem to trace movement of forms unseen. Her work feels like a visual record of migratory journeys and chaotic progression.
Untitled ( 98 ), encaustic on panel, 42×42Untitled ( L790 ), encaustic on panel, 48×70
To see more of Rana Rochat’s work, please visit her website. Her work can be seen in several galleries across the US and Canada ( see the Contact page on her website for a full list ).
