We’ve done it again. Mr. Forager & I have moved just a bit south of Seattle to a small town just outside Olympia. After a whirlwind week of showing Mr. F’s sister around our favorite city, we had just a few hours on Sunday to empty our Seattle apartment, pack up our car, clean said apartment, drive down & unpack here in Shelton. Whew! Needless to say, this Artsy was pretty pooped yesterday evening, so not much unpacking was accomplished. And so, dear Artsies, I’m taking the day today to try to get us settled into our new home. But don’t feel too sorry for me– check out my view!
This is our backyard for the next three months. So inspiring! Perfect for an artsy life. Can’t wait to share more photos of our new home. It’s small, but artsiness abounds!
It will be a sad day if I ever develop lactose intolerance. I love milk. Especially with a big piece of chocolate cake. 😉 It looks like there are some other artsy folks who can’t get enough of the white stuff either! Check out these artsy milk carton designs–
Maybe it was all the costume dramas I watched with my mom as a kid. Or maybe it was all those fairy tales my grandmother read to me. This abstract-lovin’ Artsy is also a sucker for all things with a romantic past. These porcelain plate paintings by Flemish artist Jan De Vliegher take decorative museum pieces and amp them up to larger than life works of art.
( no title available ), oil on canvas
De Vliegher takes photos of plates in museum displays– you know the ones in the room off to the side that people take one peek in and then turn around in search of the Picassos– then uses the photos as reference for his larger than life paintings. He takes these precious little objects, hiding behind their glass cases and pumps them up in size and energy.
Sevres, Dancing Girl, oil on canvas, 43×43( No title available ), oil on canvasFlower and Saz, oil on canvas, 79×79
These are no photorealistic depictions of prized antiques. De Vliegher doesn’t concentrate on detail, but rather turns his attention and brush to capturing the essence of the atmosphere of each of these pieces in their little glass houses. They almost come to life with the way in which he freely and loosely sketches their likenesses. Cold porcelain resurrected.
Cleopatra, oil on canvas, 79×79
Hear the artist speak about his process and see installation images in this video in which Vincent Zambrano interviews Jan De Vliegher.
Want to see more work by Jan De Vliegher? Check out his artist’s page at Mike Weiss Gallery.
There can be abundance found with restraint. When a bush is pruned correctly, it blooms more profusely, doesn’t it? In her series of White Page paintings, Los Angeles artist Caitlin Lonegan doesn’t shy from letting the white of her canvas show through. In fact, she embraces it.
Untitled ( White page, brown ), oil on canvas, 72×78Untitled ( White page, Writing III ), oil on canvas, 48×60
Instead of the white canvas being just a surface to be covered, it becomes part & parcel in the composition– a place of rest for the eye, an expanse of space in which the marks made by the artist’s brush are not just strokes but the subject.
Untitled ( White Page, Teal ), oil on canvas, 72×78
The confidence an artist must have to allow her marks to be laid so bare is humbling and astonishing to me. Every little stray swipe of the brush, every little drop of paint is there for the eye to see. And it is in these little gestures that I find the most depth and delight.
Untitled ( White Page, Writing ), oil on canvas, 48×60Untitled ( White Page, Blue Line ), oil on canvas, 48×60
Want to see more work by Caitlin Lonegan? Please visit her website by clicking through on her name.
Mr. Forager’s sister has been visiting with us since Saturday and it has been so fun watching this bro & sis duo together! But it’s got me missing my own brothers like crazy. Our siblings are our first conspirators in adventure, first sharers of secrets, first partners in memories. The Point of View series by Beth Hoeckel captures that time of imaginative connection we have with our earliest companions.
Glacial
There are places and objects that have deep meaning for us due to the memories they hold. Even more than that, the things that we experienced together can immediately take us back to that moment in time. To this day, anytime we hear a certain type of whistle– my brothers and I do a double take, thinking that it’s our dad, calling us home for dinner.
Count SheepMagic Carpet
As we grow older our appearance changes, yet when we look into the faces of our siblings, we still see the mischievous countenance that signaled the beginning of an adventure, a game of hide and seek or a deeply competitive game of Monopoly. We don’t see the gray hair ( or lack thereof! ), the extra pounds, the wrinkles.
Mountain RangersRanges
I was really hoping we’d be in Seattle long enough to get one or both of my brothers out to visit. They have to see this. And we need to make some new memories together!
Want to see more of Beth Hoeckel‘s work? Be sure to check out her website ( click on her name for the link ). And, bonus, she has prints of some of these pieces available at great prices in her Big Cartel shop!
As someone who works from home, I spend a lot of time within the walls of each of our temporary homes. And when you’re staring at the same walls each day, one of two things happens: a) you begin to notice the hidden beauty around you or b) you find your inspiration outside those walls. Lucky for us, Spanish artist Carlos San Millan finds and paints the beauty he discovers within confined spaces.
Untitled, oil on board, 90×70 cm
I still remember and often think about every nook and cranny of my lovely little home I left behind in Florida! When we first landed in the Northwest, we lived in a gorgeous two-story Craftsman home and though the little town left much to be desired, we loved every second of our time in that house. I was continually inspired by the rooftop views and the vintage craftsmanship. Our little house in Joshua Tree surprised me by instigating some of the most creative and inspired moments I’ve had in years.
Untitled, oil on board, 80×80 cmUntitled, oil on board, 36×43 cm
What I love most about these paintings of Carlos San Millan is the loveliness he is capturing in lived in spaces. Random stuff on the floor, paintings stacked against wall, an arm flung casually off a chair– these aren’t perfectly styled rooms. They look much like ours do every day, it’s the way we live and though we may not see the inhabitants, their presence is felt.
Untitled, oil on board, 81×53 cm
Over the last few days, I’ve been finding myself daydreaming about our new little place outside of Olympia, where we’ll be headed in nine days! I can’t wait to share photos with you. It’s a dreamy little spot and I’m already anticipating how inspiring it will be. I’ll give you a hint: Waterfall. IN THE BACKYARD.
Want to be inspired by more of Carlos San Millan‘s work? Be sure to visit his website ( click on his name for the link ).
As a part of the purging to travel light process, over the weekend, I went through my jewelry and decided what pieces I just had to have with me on the road. While I have some lovely pieces– many of them vintage courtesy of my maternal grandmother who had a large collection of costume jewelry from the 1950s-80s– there’s something about most pieces that just don’t quite feel me. A little too safe, a little too ordinary, which I hope this Artsy is not! I would love to revamp my collection and I’ve got my covetous eye on these beauties by Italian jewelry artist Marzia Rossi!
Stanze #4, mica, acrylic glass, shibuishi, red goldTransparent Orchid #2, acrylic glass, white gold, cold enamelSpinosi #4, silver, micaStones #2, azurite, acrylic glass, red goldTransparent Orchid #6, acrylic glass, red gold, cold enamel, silk
Her work is so delicate and the organic materials and shapes are right up my alley. And the construction details? Just might be the best part. Want to see more? Head over to Marzia Rossi‘s website and drool all over your keyboard.
I’m not sure what it is about Aussie artists, but I am almost inevitably drawn to their work. Case in point: Emily Ferretti. Ferretti’s sparsely populated compositions and chalky palette provide an aesthetic salve to an overwhelmed and frenetic mind.
Her work has such a mellow softness to it, contrasting interestingly with the fragmented shapes and lines that are a recurring theme. It is work which reminds me that when life is pulling me in a million different directions, I can brush my life’s canvas with tender vulnerability– a soft place to cushion life’s hard edges.
Please visit the artist’s blog to see more work by Emily Ferretti. Also, there is a lovely interview and studio visit with the artist on The Design Files site. You know I love a good studio visit!
I’ve been working on a freelance art curation project for a healthcare installation– which for this one means looking at a lot of stock photography.. yesterday it was flowers & marshes, today, fitness photos. So you know what makes me super happy right now? Some fantastically awesome abstract paintings! These abstract works by Brooklyn artist Ky Anderson are all about balance and relationship and they are speaking to my stressed out little mind!
One Has Three Shadows, acrylic on paper, 50×38
Anderson uses simple lines and forms, intertwining them in his compositions so that everything feels just cautiously balanced. Like a game of Jenga, it seems as if the pieces of the whole are carefully placed so that each is supporting the other.
Settled In, acrylic on panel, 16×18Untitled, acrylic on paper, 22×22Pressure, acrylic on panel, 16×18
The artist continues her balancing act in his chosen palette, softening dark black lines with creamy pastels and translucent blues. Each piece a study of careful balance.
Centered Single, acrylic on paper, 22×30
I highly recommend you check out more of Ky Anderson’s work on her website. Each piece more lovely than the next!
As Mr. Forager & I go through our belongings, deciding what goes with us and what stays behind, one of the hardest things to part with have been books. Even as my family was packing up our Florida storage, it was so difficult to say “don’t ship it” to my books. But it feels like we have less and less time for reading these days. In fact, when I came upon these crystallized book sculptures by San Francisco artist Alexis Arnold, they reminded me of what my own mind feels like sometimes, having grown frozen from under-utilization!
Post Mortem, book, Borax crystals, 7x9x5Cookbook, book, Borax crystals, 9x6x6.5
Reading stimulates the brain in ways other activities just don’t provide. If you’re like me, you actually feel differently when reading a book than you do when reading online or even a magazine. I feel like my mind is more engaged, more completely consumed than I do with any other type of reading.
San Francisco Magazine, magazine, Borax crystals, 11x6x5.5The Catcher in the Rye, book, Borax crystals, 7x5x3
But for some reason, I just haven’t been compelled to pick up a book lately. I’ve been known to devour books within a few days time. Lately, though, in the evenings, normally prime reading time, I find myself reaching for my iPad instead, using the time to catch up on blogs or social media. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a super comfy reading spot in this apartment. Or maybe it’s because we only have overhead lighting ( which I hate! ), so there isn’t a cozy, makes-me-want-to-curl-up-and-read atmosphere.
Allure, magazine, Borax crystals, 11x12x3.5
These are all just excuses. I am now adding an item to my to-do list: READ. Not blogs, not social media. A real live, smells like musty paper book. I will do it! Soon.
Want to see more of Alexi Arnold’s work? Check out her website. Anyone else suffering from book withdrawal?
