Big artsy thanks to everyone who participated in this month’s Art Association and HUGE thanks to artist Emily Jeffords for providing such an interesting and inspiring catalyst and art prize!
Alexandra’s board was amazing.. she even pinned some of her own artwork, she obviously loves that palette as much as Emily does! Be sure to check out Alexandra’s AA board on Pinterest and her website to see more of her own pretty awesome artwork!
Be sure to stay tuned in March for another fun & inspiring Art Association! You are going to love March’s art catalyst and prize. Pinky promise.
Hotels are usually advertised as a luxurious means of escape. A place where you don’t have to make your bed and clean, neatly folded towels appear while you are out as if by magic. But they can also be places of desolation and despair. Where a cast-out husband goes to sort out his life, where the traveling salesman spends countless hours missing his family. In his Hotel series, San Francisco artist Jeffrey Palladini explores the intimacies of this microcosm of life.
Pool #10, oil and charcoal on wood, 55×37
When I first spotted Palladini’s work at the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, I was immediately drawn to his quiet expanses of solid color. The simplicity of his palette adds to the somber, isolated feeling in some of the work.
A Late Morning, oil and charcoal on wood, 13×9Missing Our Reservations, oil and charcoal on wood, 13×9The Highlights, oil and charcoal on wood, 13×9
Then there’s the flip side of hotel visits– when all is fun and irresponsibility. Staying up late, sleeping in, lounging around the pool doing nothing at all. The anticipation of what might happen and memories you might make. In showing us glimpses of his subjects from behind, we voyeuristically gaze, wondering which kind of hotel scene we’ve stumbled upon.
Pool #8, oil and charcoal on wood, 37×25
If you’d like to see more of Jeffrey Palladini’s work, please visit his website. I hope you love this work as much as I do. Seriously it was like a scene from a hotel bar.. I spotted it across a crowded room.. 😉
I just love the idea of translating the artwork we love into the jewelry and clothes we wear. After all, the artwork we love is an extension of our souls, so why shouldn’t the way we clothe ourselves be, too? In this edition of Wear the Artsy, Featured Artist Diana Lemieux’sWhen Night Falls in the Forest pairs beautifully with an agate ring from Terrain.
art | When Night Falls in the Forest by Diana Lemieux
ring | Dendritic Agate Ring by Melissa Joy Manning
I think any maiden of the forest would be thrilled for this ring to adorn her artsy finger!
Sometimes there is nothing more inviting than curling up in one of Mr. Forager’s shirts. He has his favorites and most of the time, the others hang in the closet, just calling out for me to put them on! They’re so roomy and comfy and wearing them physically connects us. Pullman, Washington artist Michelle Forsyth has created an entire series centered around the plaid patterns her own husband’s shirts, lovingly titled Letters for Kevin.
Kevin’s Shirt: Seven Diamonds, gouache on paper, 10×10
The series consists of paintings of the initial plaid patterns, the weaving of the actual material in her Pullman studio, and often the eventual painting of the finished textile crumpled against a stark background. I’ve often made mention of the importance and influence of the materials we clothe ourselves in. And, as evidenced in Forsyth’s series, the tale being woven by our choices isn’t one just for our own ears, but a story we are telling to others, as well.
Kevin’s Shirt: Vintage, gouache on paper, 10×10Studio in Pullman, WAKevin’s Shirt: Vintage ( woven ), wool, alpaca and cotton, 18x 40
These plaid patterns, with their beginnings in Scottish highlands, were also once the domain of preppy yuppies in the 80s and grunge fashion in the 90s. So with such a diverse background, what can we infer from these plaids? Perhaps, due to the grid-like repeating pattern that the person who wears them is stable and the rock for all who know him. Or maybe the intersecting lines tell us he enjoys connecting with others and for others. The artist, in the variety of patterns, may be telling us how many very different sides she sees to the person with whom she has chosen to spend her life.
Small Plaids, all watercolor on paper, 5×5 each
All of my inferences may be true or they may just be what I’m construing on my own. But this series is obviously a labor of love. Take it from another wife of a plaid-wearing husband. To see more of Michelle Forsyth’s work, please visit her website.
Less is more. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Sometimes, I just love to cleanse the artsy palate so to speak, with work that is beautiful in it’s seeming naivete and guilelessness. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to the work of Atlanta artist Eva Magill-Oliver and am featuring her in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today. Go on over to EIL here to see more of Eva’s work!
Ever throw a party, then wake up the next morning to a completely disheveled house, yet revel in the knowledge that you know a good time was had? The work of California artist Kim Squaglia, with its effusive confetti-like dots and streamer-like lines against soft, solid backgrounds reminds me of the quiet morning after a rockin’ party.
Lolly, oil, acrylic and resin on panel, 24×24Lolly ( detail )
As you can see in Lolly ( detail ) above, Squaglia’s technique of layering acrylics, oil and resin results in incredible depth, almost cut-paper like in nature, adding to the confetti and streamer effect I can’t seem to get out of my head.
Scend, oil, acrylic and resin on panel
Then there are works like Scend ( above ) and Cirque I ( below ), which are a bit more reminiscent of cosmic configurations and tangled vines. There is also an interesting cell-like structure to many of her compositions, which may seem like a microscopic peek inside the human body or other organism.
Cirque I, oil, acrylic and resin on panel, 48×72
So many possibilities to be discovered! What do you see in Kim Squaglia’s work? To view more of the artist’s work, please visit her website.
We live a crazy, unique life. Mr. Forager’s work as a traveling medical professional means that we live in a new place every three to six months. In the last two years, we’ve lived in five different states! Since we never know from one work contract to the next exactly where we’ll end up, we like to take full advantage of where we are at the time. Which means a lot of time spent exploring, seeing everything in the area that seems artsy and/or interesting. The result equals few weekends at home just being. For the next several weekends, we are doing just that. Chillin’. Giving ourselves the gift of time and peace and quiet. Days to relax, freedom to do whatever we feel like or nothing at all.
[ feet up, body relaxed, mind at ease ]
[ slowing down means noticing the beauty we take for granted ]
[ it also means time for making homemade stock ]
[ and catching up on that pile of art magazines ]
[ and sketching with no real purpose in mind ]
[ and just opening your doors to possibilities ]
This weekend, I continued on my journey to Finding My Own Artsy.. some painting happened, but this little trip has only begun. More on that later, if I’m brave enough.. How do you spend your “chill” weekends?
I often envy Mr. Forager. When we’re camping or out hiking, he has no problem at all laying down wherever– absolutely no fear of bugs or other creepy crawliest like yours truly. He can really allow himself to be one with nature. The collages of Los Angeles artist Alexandra Bellissimo beautifully simulate what it might really be like for the human body to merge with the natural world.
Bellissimo photographs her models ( often she is her own model, giving even more emotional depth to her work ), in their own completely natural state.. No clothing, nothing between the skin and the world around it. The nude figure appears vulnerable, easily overtaken by the flora creeping over its form.
While there is some work done in Photoshop ( I.e., the removal of an arm to be replaced by a branch ), the added elements are done through traditional, meticulous cut and paste collage. In doing so, the artist maintains a very real feeling of physical transformation.
The Observer, photo collage, 12×16
To see more of Alexandra Bellissimo’s work, please visit her website. And if you’d like to read about and see some insight into her process, be sure to check out her blog!
Nothing against your grandma or her patchwork. Heck, I have a cherished and loved until it is falling apart patchwork quilt that belonged to my own grandmother. But patchwork has gotten an update. Bright colors, bold patterns and modern mixes are taking this old tradition from granny-style to boho chic. Not sure I could ever talk Mr. Forager into a sofa, but maybe a bowl or two? A little updated antiquarian boldness goes a long way.
I love the artsy boho feel of these pieces! So many artwork pairings I can think of.. Jill Ricci, Maribel Angel, Christy Kinard, just to name a few! Have a wonderful weekend, Artsies! Have you seen the City Mouse | Country Mouse exhibition yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Check it out here.
*If you love these modern takes on patchwork, Squint Limited will be heaven for you!
If you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, hopefully you’ll recognize the work of these painters. Each painting is an original and available for purchase through the artists, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Nashville Zoo. Now I’m not sure they have any mice at the zoo, but I’m sure there are lots of other wonderful little furry foragers!
City Mouse | Country Mouse will be showing in the found gallery through March 28th, so you’ll have until then to snatch up one of these beautiful little paintings all for your very own! Throughout the month we’ll get to know the artists a little better, too!
So what are you waiting for?! Grab a handful of cheese and click here to see for yourself!
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 8 [ Artsy & Mr. Forager Chill ]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/20130225-112651.jpg)
