artsy forager

Author: Lesley

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 2 [ Artsy & Mr. Forager go to Vegas ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 2 [ Artsy & Mr. Forager go to Vegas ]

    As part of my longing to share a little more of myself and our life with you, Artsies, hope you enjoy this second installment of This Artsy Life, a new series of posts in which you get to see a bit of how Mr. Forager & I live. Last weekend, we made my first & our first together ( and probably last ) trip to Las Vegas. While it was nice to get away and stay in a luxurious hotel ( thanks, Hotwire! ) and we can now cross Vegas off our list of must-sees while we’re in SoCal, we didn’t enjoy it as much as we thought we might. Not to sound snobbish, but I think we just hated the artificiality of it all. I know, I know, that’s kind of the point.. yet we found it very wearing. There were a few highlights though, including a trip downtown to the up & coming 18b Arts District. Truly if you go and need a break from all the spectacle, hop in a cab or take a bus downtown and visit the galleries & artist studios there. Your soul & spirit will thank you!

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    [ drinks at Gordon Ramsay’s Pub & Grill.. Hell’s Kitchen is a guilty pleasure of ours ]

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     [ sculpture imitating art ]

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    [ socio-political art at 18b ]

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    [ art square studios ]

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    [ art is a weapon ]

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    [ our contribution to the letter to the president art project ]

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    [ ok, so Vegas isn’t all bad ]

    How about you, Artsies?  Love Vegas or hate it?  Want to see more of This Artsy Life?  Artsy Forager is now on Instagram!  Come follow and see what Mr. Forager & I find inspiring, comical, or just plain wacky!

  • Dangerous Beauty: Jane Maxwell

    Dangerous Beauty: Jane Maxwell

    While visiting with friends in San Diego recently, somehow the topic of self-worth came up.  My friend Veronica mentioned that the Dalai Lama didn’t understand the Western issue of low self-esteem– we are not born thinking negatively about ourselves, yet something sinister creeps in.  The work of Boston area artist Jane Maxwell uses vintage fashion, advertising, and pop-culture ephemera to deconstruct the messages being sent to women and young girls by the fashion and entertainment industries.

    Runway Girls and Circles by Jane Maxwell
    Runway Girls and Circles, mixed media and resin on panel

    Our body image issues don’t always begin with someone actually telling us we’re too fat, too skinny, too pale.. we are inundated daily, especially as women and young girls, with images of stick thin fashion models and actresses, being held up as the current standard of ideal beauty.  Maxwell chooses to use silhouetted versions of these iconic figures, deconstructing them so that they become an anonymous “every woman”, which could help us to see the somber truth that these women have indeed become pawns in this game of idealized beauty.

    Blue Circle Girls by Jane Maxwell
    Blue Circle Girls, mixed media with resin on panel, 48×48
    Circle of Thought by Jane Maxwell
    Circle of Thought, mixed media with resin on panel, 48×48
    Blue by Jane Maxwell
    Blue, collage, wax & resin on panel, 36×36

    This standard of beauty seems to fluctuate with each generation, remember the days of Reuben and his voluptuous figures?  Or the curvaceousness of the iconic beauties of the 1950s?  When will we reach a point where women of every size, shape, and color are held up as quintessentially beautiful?  Maxwell’s work recognizes that struggle within us of that longing to be lauded for our unique  beauty yet we continue to strive to attain the ideal.

    Walking Girls and Bullseyes by Jane Maxwell
    Walking Girls and Bullseyes, collage, wax, and resin on panel, 70×40

    What are your thoughts on Jane Maxwell’s work or on self-image in general?  Where do you see the struggle?

    To see more of the work of Jane Maxwell, please visit her website and Facebook page.  Her work can be seen in galleries throughout the US, you can find a list of her representing galleries on her website.

    Artist found via Lanoue Fine Art.  Images via the artist’s website and Lanoue Fine Art.

  • Friday Design Finds: A Touch of Brass

    Friday Design Finds: A Touch of Brass

    Until recently, the word brass conjured up images of hideous early 1980’s decor.  But brass is staging a comeback and when combined with wood, makes for a design statement that is at once organic and modern.  Here are a few brass & wood combos I’m especially intrigued by this week..

    Alma Brass Chair from Organic Modernism
    Alma Brass Chair from Organic Modernism

    source

    Sun-Tipped Serveware from Anthropologie
    Sun-Tipped Serveware via Anthropologie

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    Wood &Brass Triangle Ring from Of Matter
    Wood &Brass Triangle Ring from Of Matter

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    Wood & Brass iPhone case from EXOVault
    Wood & Brass iPhone case from EXOVault

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    Pia Wustenberg vase
    Pia Wustenberg vase

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    Have a fantastic weekend, Artsies!  Speaking of shiny things, I’m going Viva Las Vegas this weekend.  Hope to see an Elvis impersonator and hope to have some fun Vegas-style artsyness to share next week!

    All image sources are linked above.

  • Artsy About Town: Ruud van Empel’s Strange Beauty

    Artsy About Town: Ruud van Empel’s Strange Beauty

    I have had the work of Dutch artist Ruud van Empel pinned to my Pinterest board for months now.  Imagine my excitement when we arrived in San Diego back in October and I saw who was coming to the Museum of Photographic Arts at Balboa Park!  Since then, I’ve had the postcard for his show, Strange Beauty, hanging on our fridge, just waiting to see this compelling work up close.

    *I snapped this pic before I saw the sign for no photography.  Shhh.. don’t tell on me!

    The artist’s first solo show in an American museum, Strange Beauty showcases over 40 of van Empel’s digitally created works.  I hate to call them digitally enhanced photographs because they are so very much more than that.  Ruud van Empel carefully constructs each piece, meticulously layering staged photographs, digital imagery, and collage.

    World #7 by Ruud Van Empel
    World #7, cibachrome, 41.43×59.06

    The results are stunningly haunting, complex imagery.  With a background in theater arts and graphic graphic design, van Empel sets a beautifully enticing stage, one in we aren’t sure whether his characters should feel right at home or terribly out of place.

    World #20 by Rudd van Empel
    World #20, cibachrome, 23.5×33
    The Office #41 by Ruud van Empel
    The Office #41, digital print on paper, 12.01×13.78
    Untitled #1 by Ruud van Empel
    Untitled #1, cibachrome, 33.11×46.81

    As you look closely at each image, you aren’t sure where the actual photograph and the manipulation or collage begins.. in many we would be surprised to know which elements were not present all along.

    Generation #2 by Ruud van Empel
    Generation #2, cibachrome, 130×49

    Strange Beauty runs through February 3, 2013 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego.  If you’re anywhere near the area, I highly recommend a visit!  You can also see more of Ruud van Empel’s work on his website.

    Top image by Artsy Forager.  All other images are via the artist’s website.

  • Caught in the Act: Jim Gaylord

    Caught in the Act: Jim Gaylord

    OK, I’ll admit, I’m not a big action-movie fan.  In fact, the latest super-hero based film is usually the very last on my movie watching list ( although I end up watching them with Mr. Forager so that he’ll watch the latest costume drama/foreign film with me ).  But I might be rethinking my prejudice due to the work featured today.  The recent work of Brooklyn artist Jim Gaylord is based on action sequences in films– now there’s an action movie screening approach I could get into!

    High Muck-a-Muck by Jim Gaylord
    High Muck-a-Muck, oil on canvas, 24×20

    In Gaylord’s work, some paintings, some collage/mixed media, we are met with a cacophony of shapes, colliding upon one another.  The crashing of objects, the roar of engines.. it’s almost audible.  Can you hear it?

    Coat of Arms by Jim Gaylord
    Coat of Arms, gouache on cutout paper, 40×26
    Rat King by Jim Gaylord
    Rat King, oil on paper, 43.75×30
    Victory Lap by Jim Gaylord
    Victory Lap, gouache and soot on cutout paper, 26×36

    Pops of white amid the chaos resemble clouds of smoke, distorting the full scene from our view, while smaller forms are catapulted out from the midst like shrapnel.

    Soft Endorsement by Jim Gaylord
    Soft Endorsement, oil on canvas, 22×17

    I think I’ll be looking at action sequences a bit differently from now on, won’t you?  To see more of Jim Gaylord’s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Gregory Lind Gallery.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 1 [ Artsy & Mr. Forager Go to San Diego, We Meet The Sweater ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 1 [ Artsy & Mr. Forager Go to San Diego, We Meet The Sweater ]

    One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how to inject more of myself into the blog.  Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely not going to turn into the Artsy & Mr. Forager show.. but the way we live is so unique and our opportunities for adventure and exploration so rich that I thought you guys might enjoy the occasional glimpse into the way we live.   So beginning this week, I’ll post a little recap of how we spent our weekend, part of a This Artsy Life series.  Mind you, not every weekend will be filled with new sights and discoveries.. sometimes we’re really boring. 😉  But I hope these posts will help you get to know me a little better, and in turn, we’ll get to know each other a little better!

    Last weekend was spent with dear friends in San Diego.  Our times with the Jameses and their three sweet boys are filled with the sharing of food, drink, and laughter.  And sometimes a tickle fight.

    [ beer tasting at Ballast Point Brewing ]

    [ Ruud van Empel at MOPA* ]

    [ the sweater likes coffee** ]

    [ artsy eating ]

    [ tickle fight ]

    [ turkish coffee at Hillcrest Farmer’s Market ]

    *Look for a post on this amazing artist & exhibition soon!

    **There’s a story behind the sweater.  And many to come.

  • The Elegant Wild: Katja Fritzsche

    The Elegant Wild: Katja Fritzsche

    Did you have a favorite animal growing up?  One that you loved, identified with, family members bought you t-shirts & stuffed animals in their likeness?  Isn’t it interesting how we, as young children, identify with our fellow members of the animal kingdom, then as with most of the magic of childhood, we outgrow our connection to our spirit creatures.  The work of Tuscon artist Katja Fritzsche reminds us that those connections we once felt are not gone forever, only buried for a time.

    Blue Sky Ram by Katja Fritzsche
    Blue Sky Ram, reverse painted mosaic and hand cast glass, 30x20x22

    By casting her creatures in the glass with perceived rigidity and coldness, Fritzsche’s work serves to recall to us that though we overlook our fellow animals, destroying their habitats as we build our own glass and steel monuments, they are still among us.  We catch glimpses of them in unexpected places, a lost deer wandering a suburban neighborhood, a hawk perched high atop a skyscraper.

    Edge by Katja Fritzsche
    Edge, blown glass and hand worked bronze
    Migration by Katja Fritzsche
    Migration, cast glass and hand forged bronze, 18x10x10
    Mapplethorpe by Katja Fritzsche
    Mapplethorpe, mosaic glass and hand worked glass, 30x21x10

    As we amble clumsily through life, the animals live each day with instinct, grace, and purpose.  Each born to his own calling and knowing it from birth.  How have we strayed so far from our own guiding spirits?

    Violet by Katja Fritzsche
    Violet, blown glass, mosaic glass and pressed flowers, 24x15x22

    To see more of Katja Fritzsche’s work, please visit her website.  I went through a pretty serious manatee phase when I was young– such gentle, unassuming animals, while Mr. Forager has always had a fascination with wolves. What creature did/do you identify with?  Has it changed over the years?

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Visions West Gallery.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Chyrum Lambert

    I am loving the mixed media work of Los Angeles artist Chyrum Lambert, featured today on my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life.  They remind me of wonderful puzzles waiting to be solved!  See more of Chyrum Lambert’s work on EIL here.

    The Artist as a Portrait of His Material by Chyrum Lambert

    Chyrum Lambert on Escape Into Life

  • Divided Unity: Sherri Belassen

    Divided Unity: Sherri Belassen

    You know that old saying “Good fences make good neighbors”?  There is much truth to be gleaned from that quote.  Freedom and space is important, but boundaries and divided spaces can help create a sense of protection and privacy.  In a painting, divided spaces can create a sense of balance and compositional interest, as in the work of Arizona artist Sherri Belassen.

    Hammock by Sherri Belassen
    Hammock, oil on canvas, 66×40

    In her paintings, Belassen utilizes line and color blocking to create shadow, shape, and texture within the layout of each canvas.  Figures are connected to each other and their surroundings, creating a sense of visual depth and the suggestion of surrounding spaces.

    What If by Sherri Belassen
    What If, oil on canvas, 36×48
    Love is in the Air by Sherri Belassen
    Love is in the Air, oil on canvas, 48×48

    Her figures take on almost a monumental, landscape-ish quality, as if these are giant canvases we are glimpsing from high above.

    Divine by Sherri Belassen
    Divine, oil on canvas, 30×40

    To see more of Sherri Belassen’s work, please visit her website.  Her work may be seen in person at a number of galleries around the US– see the list here!

    Hammock and Divine are via the artist’s website.  What If is via representing gallery Jules Place and Love is in the Air is via representing gallery Elizabeth Gordon Gallery.

  • January Featured Artist Christina Baker

    January Featured Artist Christina Baker

    This month’s featured artist, Christina Baker, is a painter whose work I’ve followed since we were both living in Florida.  Christina now resides in Tennessee, while at the moment you can find me in California..  While we are geographically distant, I’ve enjoyed watching her artistic career flourish from afar.  It has been such an amazing journey to watch as Christina grow into her own style as her work has blossomed into sophisticated expressions of her own visual language.

    Manhattan Memories by Christina Baker
    Manhattan Memories, acrylic on canvas
    Runaway Deer by Christina Baker
    Runaway Deer, acrylic on canvas, 40×40

    Christina’s work harnesses the power of color and emotion as she translates the feelings of a moment onto canvas.  Her palette goes through phases and cycles, just as our psyches do.  In many cases, you can truly see the joy she was feeling as warmth and light bounces around the canvases.

    Mint Chocolate by Christina Baker
    Mint Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20
    White Chocolate by Christina Baker
    White Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20

    Often in her work, there is a sense of fluidity and movement, possibly a byproduct of so much time spent near the ocean in Florida.  Shapes float among the light like drops of ocean spray or falling leaves.  Whatever the moment, wherever the place, it is a happy one.

    Love Letters by Christina Baker
    Love Letters, acrylic on canvas, 40×30

    To see more of Christina Baker’s work, please visit her website.  You can see her work in person at her representing galleries, Gregg Irby Fine Art in Atlanta and Imagine Gallery of Fine Art in Franklin, Tennessee.  Be sure to follow Artsy Forager all month long for more Christina Baker goodies!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

    PS– this post was published by mistake last Wednesday, my apologies to Christina and anyone who saw it and then went back to find it gone!  Blog operator error. 😉