In some ways, it seems like collage work is on the downside turn of its recent resurgence. There is so much of it out there, it can be a challenge to find work that feels fresh and original. Los Angeles artist Heather Landis uses a tight palette of color, cheeky use of typography and just the right mix of vintage and modern in her collages.
Her palettes are filled with those decidedly vintage-feeling hues of peaches and pinks, accentuated by the steely greys that were so indicative of the atomic age. Much of her work seems to deal with the coming loss of “innocence” brought on by turbulence of the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and well, just the end of what many perceive as the The Golden Age of pop culture.
The women in Landis’ collages seem to be blissfully unaware of what is soon to come. Beatific domesticity will give way to struggling to push through the glass ceiling and climbing the corporate ladder.
But Landis isn’t hitting us over the head with messages. Just subtly drawing us in to her happy-go-lucky world, then subversively reminding us that what used to be wasn’t always better.
I just discovered the most horrible accident! It seems that WordPress in all her annoying glory never posted this Guest Forager feature back in April! And I just discovered the “missed schedule” post. For shame! So today you get a bonus post, one that should have posted oh so many moons ago. Mucho apologies to Gab who wrote such a wonderful post!
Today’s Guest Forager is Gabriel Cabrera, whose art blog The Artful Desperado is chock full of deliciously lovely artwork as well as artfully inspired food, florals, fashion and more! Be sure to check it out!
Hello artsy foragers! This is Gab from The Artful Desperado. Fancy meeting you here.
It’s no secret how much I love quirky art, and today I’ll be sharing some of that love with ya. Say hello to Gordon Wiebe and his cheerful collage illustrations!
Mr. Wiebe is a Toronto-based artist (yay Canada) whose work has been honored by the Society of Illustrators in NY and LA, among many others. He’s well known for his bold, conceptual images that are influenced by childhood memories and even some political affairs.
I love how there’s always some sort of smiley face painted in his illustrations. It’s always nice to find a happy surprise when you’re looking at art, yes?
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ve probably guessed that Mr. Forager & I are the outdoorsy types. Hiking, biking, camping, did I mention hiking? All stuff we love. Are you an artsy sport type? Just because you’re sportin’ it up doesn’t mean you can’t be artsy. Today’s design finds prove it.
How long has it been since I’ve done an Artsy Lately feature? Way too long, if you ask me! Especially since sooo many of the artists whose work has been featured on AF are continually amazing me! This young artist has been working hard and when I saw what she’s been up to, I just had to let you see. Tallahassee artist Anna Kincaide knows that the way to grow as an artist is to continually practice your craft and experiment. She’s playing with color and pattern these days and I’m loving this direction!
Catwalk is part of a series the artist completed for the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at Florida State University. Perfect! If you’d like to see more of Anna Kincaide‘s work, please visit her website and Facebook page. Want to see more of what AF featured artists are up to? Follow the Artsy Lately Pinterest board! If you’re an artist whose work I’ve featured and you haven’t received an invite to participate in the board, shoot me an email at lesley(at)artsyforager.com!
Have you ever gone back to places you visited as a kid and found that they were nothing like what you’d been remembering all this time? Perception can be muddled by age, memory, and association. The work of UK artist Stephen Thorpe speaks to our distorted perceptions of place and reality.
Void, oil on canvas, 59.8×71.7Lepton, oil on canvas, 17.7×23.6
We might associate a place with a certain feeling, due to the memories created there, sometimes good, sometimes bad. In our travels, I’ve definitely found that distance and time softens my memories of some places. The town I couldn’t wait to leave, I can now look back on fondly. Well, sort of.
Boson, oil on canvas, 17.7×23.6
Sometimes, we might remember a place altogether differently than the reality of that spot. Thorpe’s paintings jumble reality with transparent planes and skewed perspectives. What looks vaguely familiar seems just a bit abstracted and absurd.
Deviant Boson, oil on canvas, 23.6×29.9Event Horizon, oil on canvas, 35.8×29.5
If you’d like to see more work by Stephen Thorpe, please visit his website. Love his work enough to make it your own? Selected works are available at Saatchi Online, including some works as prints. Accessible, affordable art. It’s a good thing.
I’ve never been to Greenville, South Carolina, but after getting to know this gallery and its owner, I am itching to go! Art & Light Gallery in Greenville is just the sort of spot I would love to spend hours perusing. So much lovely art and creative objects perfect for an artsy life! Owner and artist Teresa Roche has curated a charming collection of story pieces, style statements, and conversation starters. Want to hear more? Here’s a little email interview Teresa & I did recently..
AF | Has it always been your dream to own an art gallery?
TR | Honestly, owning the gallery was a bit of a fluke for me. I was a dance major in college and I have always had a passion for the arts in general, but it was until after I stopped dancing due to knee injuries that my focus turned to visual arts. My professional background was in marketing and event management and after a 9 year ride as an events manager for a bar code and point of sale company, I retired to follow my passions. I did not have a clue that I would be opening a gallery at that time. A friend of mine bought and renovated a beautiful building in what is now Greenville’s up and coming arts district – The Village of West Greenville. I was a part of a 5 person arts group – we held a yearly art show and it was our third year. My friend offered her new space for our show. When this show was over, my friend asked me to stay in the space and suggested that I do a gallery for emerging local artists…it only took me 5 mins. to make a decision and the rest is history.
AF | You opened Art & Light in 2007 and then the recession hit a few years later. To what do you contribute its survival when so many other galleries didn’t make it?
TR | Since my gallery was in a very rough area of western Greenville, an old textile mill village, I was in a position to trail blaze, I guess you would say. Greenville had a “First Friday” organization, so my business model was built on the First Friday gallery crawl. In 5 years I hosted 55 shows – a different show every month and I was only open on First Friday weekends for the first year, then after that I opened every Friday and Saturday. I sought out some of the best artists in Greenville and worked very hard to connect myself with Clemson University, Furman University and Bob Jones University art students and faculty. By doing so many shows, and changing it up monthly I was able to draw great crowds to openings – each crowd being very different, depending on who the artist was and the popularity of the artist. I also finely curated every show and included unusual furniture and lighting pieces to set up vignettes – which was a different concept in our area at that time. I not only marketed to art collectors and art lovers, but to vintage furniture and lighting collectors. At this time in Greenville, I was the only gallery doing anything like this concept. I developed a loyal following of people who were exceptionally curious about seeing what was coming next – I think that was total luck! Being in the arts district (which was in a very out of the way area) and the only retail gallery in the area was a struggle to say the least. The First Friday opening crowds were great, but it was difficult to drive traffic the rest of the time. I made a very hard decision to move the gallery to a high traffic, high income area a year ago. I am now open Tuesday – Saturday and the day to day traffic has more than doubled (of course that meant my expenses doubled as well. ) It broke my heart to leave the arts district, but was a very good move in the end.
AF |What do you look for in the artists you represent?
TR | First I look for great work, but that is not enough. I look for artists with work ethic and passion and the drive to keep producing original and interesting, well-done work. Many of the emerging artists I featured back in the beginning have stopped making art – many had to find full time jobs to pay the bills. Since the beginning days I have developed a gallery of resident artists who work in their craft full time – it’s my view that the only way a gallery can survive is to have new and original work on hand constantly. I have some of the most brilliant and dedicated artists in our area in my gallery and am so proud of that! They are all meticulous in their work and I feel honored to be representing them!
AF | What’s usually playing on the gallery sound system?
TR | Pandora is my music system and I constantly switch it up between a French channel, Sergio Mendes and a singer-songwriter channel – love my music and Pandora – I change it based on the shows that are up, the season and my day to day mood 🙂
AF | What type of work do you have in your own personal collection?
TR | It’s almost all local artists with the exception of several vintage pieces. My decisions to purchase are very emotional and one of the things I love most is making a connection with the artist – a mixture of paintings, drawings and mixed media. I allow myself to purchase a couple of pieces a year, but owning a gallery and be surrounded by the work is a little like Christmas every day! I love it! I consider myself very fortunate to do what I do every day.
AF | What sets Greenville apart as an arts destination?
TR | That is a very hard question – I will try to keep it short. I believe that artistically distinguished cities are cities that have interesting retail spaces, theatres, music venues, parks, and residential areas — the visionaries of have worked tirelessly to bring all of those elements together. We also have a very strong arts organization – The Metropolitan Arts Council with outstanding leadership which in my opinion is one of the engines that drives the arts here. Greenville also has Artisphere ( a wonderful yearly arts festival – one of the best of it’s kind). Open Studios, with over 140 participating artists, culinary events, First Friday Gallery Crawls, the Peace Center for Performing Arts and 3 strong colleges in the area. I believe that Greenville is “authentic” and that the people here have an “art frame of mind” – my dream would be that the percentage of people who support and think about the arts as a whole would GROW – it’s very hard to compete with football and NASCAR – I can dream, can’t I?
I can’t wait to see more of what Teresa has in store at Art & Light! If you’re in the Greenville area, a new show at A&L featuring artist Kim Hassold opens tomorrow evening– I’m sure you’ll be in for a treat! Want to find out more about Art & Light? Please visit their website and be sure to see the gallery when you’re in Greenville! Be sure to follow along with A&L on Facebook & Pinterest, too!
I come from a long line of hoarders, ..er collectors. My grandmother had beautiful collections of costume jewelry from the 1940s-1960s that fascinated me as a little girl, as did her glass paperweight collection. My grandparents were hunters of the first rate. Always looking for something useful or unique and rarely paying much for it. 😉 That same spirit of finding objects with promise permeates these whimsical sculptures by Amy Santoferraro.
The things that we hold onto say so much about us, what and who is most important to us, they physically tell the story of our lives. For Santoferraro, the fascination with objects which may be past their usefulness leads to a reimagining of what those objects can be.
The artist creates these wonderful little dioramas using thrifted and Dollar Store finds meticulously arranged to compliment each other and give interest to the composition as a whole. Kind of makes you think differently about that old fly swatter, doesn’t it?
There are certain artist’s work I seriously dream about owning. And if I can’t own one myself, why not daydream about how one might look in someone else’s home? Which brings me to the latest edition of Insert the Artsy. I’ve mentioned before how much I would love to own one of Susan Hall‘s paintings.. This piece, Veil of the Sky is particularly lovely and lyrical. Don’t you think it would be the perfect complement to this modern traditional room? It would add just the right amount of delicate visual interest and texture without competing with the beautiful architecture.
As we travel, Mr. F and I get to know the places we live in an intimate way. Each place has its own distinct atmosphere, sense of rhythm and character. In these paintings, Vermont artist Michael J. Abrams distills his landscapes down to their own sense of atmospheric beauty.
Lucent Blue, oil on canvas, 51×38
The differences in each canvas are subtle, yet so often, are the differences in place. We’re currently living in the same general area where we were two years ago. And while many things are familiar and recognizable, this town and the immediate area surrounding it still feel new and unexplored.
Bourn Jetty, oil on panel, 8×8Scattered Yellow, oil on canvas, 74×68Bulrush, oil on panel, 8×8
Abrams’ paintings carry that same sense of mystery, the anticipation of what could be just beyond the haze, right around the next corner.
I’m a bit of a homebody, I admit. But am finding I’m a little more stir crazy than normal lately. I blame working from home. And the home health job which necessitates Mr. F to always have the car during the week. So when asked what I wanted to do this weekend, I replied, “Anything, as long as it gets me out of the house!”.
While we were in Coeur d’Alene last summer, we loved exploring all the Rails to Trails bike trails. So we were excited to find there were a few decently long trails within an easy driving distance. Despite the clouds, we set off on Saturday and did a quick little 17 mile ride. Not nearly as pretty as the trails around CdA, but the fresh air did my heart and mind lots of good. Still not wanting to be at home, we finally tried what looks like it might be the best place to eat in the tiny town of Shelton. A little barbecue and some fried green tomatoes are always a good idea for these Southern transplants! Oh and the awesome beer & drink selection didn’t hurt either. Shelton has redeemed itself.
On Sunday we decided to go over to Olympia to grab coffee and try to hunt down some duck for a recipe Mr. F was dying to try out. I love Olympia’s funky, grungy feel. It has a fantastic downtown filled with shops, galleries and eateries. Hope to go back for a day soon and give you a little artsy tour!
[ it was beginning to look like fall on the trail ]
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