Each year, Pantone announces its “Color of the Year”. The color authority combs the world looking for influential color and its Color of the Year proclamation affects design decisions in fashion, interiors, products, packaging, you name it. This year’s color is a bold and vibrant reddish-orange, Tangerine Tango. Artists, always ahead of the curve, have been embracing orange for quite some time. I know it’s always been one of my own favorite hues. Take a peek at some of these lovely examples of tangerine dreams!
Orange Ocean Edge by Christina FoardAn Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds by Luke StephensonSpring Flowers by Susan MelrathClickety Clack by Pamela ViolaWithout You by Margaret Glew
Any orangey hued works you’re loving lately? Would love to hear about them! Have a great weekend, Artsies, and if you’re snowed in and in need of some warming, check out today’s featured artists’ websites!
George and I are people watchers. Sometimes when the hubby and I are stuck in a public place with time to kill, we love to watch the people go by, making up stories about who they are, where they are going.. Occasionally, in the course of observing, we may make eye contact with a stranger. Just a glance, but in the moment, there is a recognizable connection between souls. Los Angeles artist Kris Lewis shares his own experiences in human observations with his wonderfully moody portraits.
Scintillating Venuses, oil on wood, 24×23
If you’ve read the blog for a while, then you know I’m a sucker for interestingportraiture. Lewis follows in the footsteps of portraitists that came before him, his figures are beautifully drawn and rendered. But what sets his work apart is the capturing of the fleeting emotion of a moment, whether conveying a sense of vulnerability, power, sadness, even resolution.
Destruction Period, oil on canvas, 24×24
The faces portrayed often seem decidedly modern, but when juxtaposed with costumes of another era and surrealish landscape backgrounds, as one blogger put it, the result is “modern spooky”. These aren’t prosaic traditional portraits to hang above the fireplace. They are explorations of experience, revelations of hidden narratives.
Fire Tower, oil on wood, 12×16Low Tide, oil on board, 24×36
It’s almost as if, in carefully observing his subjects, the artist sees them in another life. A life previously lived in a different time and place.
Red, oil on wood, 20×24
Which makes me wonder.. how would such an artist depict me? Or you? Wouldn’t you love to know?! Visit Kris Lewis’s website to see more and while he’s in the process of updating it, you can find his latest work on his Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, have you “liked” the Artsy Forager Facebook page? If not, you may be missing out on all sorts of fun & interesting tidbits not shared on the blog!
Thank you to Christine at Bijou and Boheme for introducing me to this incredible artist!
Featured image is Weathered Oak, oil on wood, 24×20. All images are via the artist’s website.
Good things come in small packages. But sometimes, really awesome things come in large packages! Although there is definitely a trend in the interior design world toward showcasing collections of small artwork, sometimes, you just gotta go big to make a statement.
Photography by Miles ReddDonna Karan’s Manhattan Apartment, photographed by Richard PowersImage via Apartment Therapy, interior design by Fran Keenan, artwork by Amy Pleasantvia Lonnymag.com
There have been several large pieces I’ve coveted over the years.. one day! Any larger than life artwork you’re loving right now?
PS– Artists– Do you have images of your work in a client’s home you’d like featured in Artsy Dwelling on Artsy Forager? Shoot me an email with the jpeg or a link to the image online! Merci beaucoup!
It’s EIL Tuesday again! Make sure you stop by Escape Into Life to check out my post today featuring Minneapolis artist, Melissa Loop. Her Utopian compositions never cease to amaze me!
Over the weekend, following a walk in the brisk January air, I was consumed with a desire to paint. Although I’d recently cranked out seven (!) paintings as Christmas gifts for my nieces, I really haven’t painted consistently since college. As I set out to create a little study of an Idaho Locust seed pod found on our walk, my underpainting, nothing but brushstrokes and color was so much more interesting than anything I would create out of it. Artist Kerry Irvine understands the potent power of color to invoke emotion, mood and form.
Letting Go, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on canvas, 24×36
Kerry’s use of color creates an ambience and sense of place, be it a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual destination.
Oil Pond, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 40×60
They are places we’ve been before, moments of joy, times of reflection, memories of days past, dreams real or imagined. But all having made us who we are.
Tree of Life, acrylic and oil stick on canvas, 36×48
Kerry’s work takes us on a journey. A sojourn through color with sidestepping adventures in texture, line and form.
Cherry Blossom Freeze, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 36×48
To see more of Kerry Irvine’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.
Featured image is Midnight in the Garden, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 63×48. All images are via the artist’s website.
Perhaps it began with too many pre-teen viewings of Funny Face or Gigi. Or maybe it was even earlier with The Aristocats. For whatever reason, France in general and Paris in particular, have always been a source of fascination and inspiration to me, as it has to countless artists through the ages. Recently, it seems as if Paris is just in the air. So, today, mon chere Artsies, I bring to you a few of my recent Frenchy favorites. Vive la France!
April In Paris by Liz Lind, limited edition, 16×16, 24×24 or 32×32Green Chairs by Lisa Abelson/Dasken DesignsParis by George ButlerPretty Maps ( Paris ) by Aaron Straup Cope
Be sure to check out the websites of my fellow Francophiles below. Have a beautiful weekend, Artsies!
None other a luminary than my husband’s man crush, Eddie Vedder said, “It’s an art to live with pain.. mix the light into the grey.” Although I don’t necessarily subscribe to the notion that all artists must suffer in order to create great work, artists have long had a way of funneling hardships endured into their work. The result is often something extraordinary. When diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, Cleveland artist Arabella Proffer channelled the painful endurances of modern medical procedures into research of the remedies of the past. The result is a new series, The National Portrait Gallery of Kessa, a collection of paintings exploring the medical procedures and superstitions of the past.
Skin of the Fox Cures the Pox, oil on linen, 16×20 ( via Lee Joseph Publicity )
Being in the midst of a Frida Kahlobiography, Arabella’s work immediately struck a chord with me. But these aren’t remade Kahlos. There may be a similarity in style and subject, but while Kahlo’s work dealt directly with her own experiences and emotions, Arabella instead chose to portray imaginary female subjects, creating not only a visual representation but a history and backstory for each.
Violets for Heart Veins, oil on linen, 16×20 ( via Lee Joseph Publicity )
From the artist: “After having a section of my leg removed, I began researching medicine from the Middle Ages through the 18th century; this series was a good way for me to work out my anger and be even more thankful that what I’m going through is nothing compared to old remedies and techniques. My art and interests were in the way society lived in the past, but with emphasis on the defiant, glamorous, and eccentric — not daily strife. You could have been rich, important, or beautiful, but if sick, you would still receive brutal or worthless treatment.”
Sawed, oil on linen, 16×20Black Madonna, oil on linen, 5×7
This series, along with selected works from the Black Madonna series, are now on display in a solo exhibition, Ephemeral Antidotes at Articulated Gallery in San Francisco through February 3rd. If you’re not in the San Fran area, be sure to check out Arabella Proffer’s website for more of her work.
Featured image is a detail from Violets For Heart Veins, oil on linen, 16×20. All images are via that artist unless otherwise stated.
The work of Canadian artist Takashi Iwasaki creates a bright and candy colored world, full of shapes that may seem incongruous, but are creating tableaus representing, for the artist, either completely imaginary worlds or the world he sees every day, as he sees it in shape and color.
Midoriyaamehatzga, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 51cm x 51cm
Though the composition may have meaning to the artist, he purposefully keeps the titles vague ( they are a combination of fragments several languages and sounds based on themes or elements in each work ), so that the viewer may drawn his own conclusion as to what is being seen.
Kamidaredentou, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered,) 41cm x 41cm
Although the bright tones are decidedly cheery and the shapes often whimsical, it could be easy to interpret these with a dark sensibility. They are at times alien-like and the Sputnik-ish motifs along with the clean aesthetic lead me to often see a kind of mid-century extraterrestrial sort of world. One that I would happily be abducted to.
Taretentokaku, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 30.5cm x 30.5cmMinotogetenti, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 35.5cm x 35.5cm
In addition to the embroidered ( ! ) works above, Iwasaki you can also see wonderful paintings and drawings on his website. They will take you to another world!
Featured image is Nijiawapaip, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 41cm x 41cm. All images are via the artist’s website.
My hubby and I have the best conversation over drinks. Not necessarily alcoholic beverages, coffee will do. It’s something about being out and having nothing to do but sit and sip and talk. A recent conversation led us to the topic of art. Now, my husband is kind of new to this whole art world thing but he is a voracious student and always eager to learn something new. His great love is music, so naturally he made the connection between the evolution of art and the evolution of music. Artist Amy Mass, like many artists, listens to music while she paints. What sets Amy’s work apart is that she paints to the music. So each piece is a direct result of the music being played during the painting process.
West Side Story, acrylic on canvas, 36×48
Like the musical scores which inspire them, Amy’s paintings are filled with rhythm and expression. You can almost see the staccato of the notes, the resounding beat of the drum.
Cocktails With Cole Porter, acrylic on canvas, 40×40
Layers of color and texture mimic the overlapping cacophony of sounds inherent in a symphonic composition.
A Single Man, acrylic on canvas, 48×60UnNamed, acrylic on canvas
To see more of Amy Maas’ melodious work, please visit her website. Have some fun and put the inspiration tunes on while you peruse her work!
Featured image is Celtic Woman, acrylic on canvas, 48×36. All images are via the artist’s website.
