I’ve been told I’m a good listener. So people tend to tell me things. Secret stuff that maybe no one else knows. We all have that friend, the one everyone confides in and is completely confident their secrets will be taken to the grave. In her Other People’s Secrets series, Portland artist Dorothy Goode has found a way to get those piled up secrets out, without ever truly spilling a single one.
No. 3, Egg tempera and sumi ink on panel, 32×48No. 16, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32 x48
The artist began each panel by dipping her fingers into sumi ink, then sprawling secrets over the surface of each panel, first her own and then the confidences of others came leaking out. The letters and forms are mostly illegible, making sure that each secret is still safely hidden.
No. 1, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48
Once the secrets are spilled, the artist then covers them with colorful, scrawling abstract gestures in paint. In that final step, I see an analogy to the way we live with our own well kept mysteries– we hide them in plain sight, often burying them just beneath the brightly colored surface.
No. 8, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48No. 13, egg tempura and sumi ink on panel, 32×48
To see more of Dorothy Goode’s work, please visit her website.
It feels like things are sort of finally getting back to normal.. almost. After being gone for what seemed like an eternity, I’m back on Escape Into Life today sharing the work of Nicolas Kuligowski in my Artist Watch. Head on over to EIL to see more!
Seattle, Seattle, Seattle ( Marcia Brady voice ).. we arrived on Saturday and are completely in love with the city but overwhelmed by apartment hunting. So this week, I’m re-running posts featuring some favorite Seattle artists. Sorry for the repeats, hope to be back to normal artsy blogging next week!
There are some artists whose work just sticks with me. I first saw Seattle artist Victoria Johnson’s work during my art consulting days through art publisher Grand Image. I loved using Grand Image for unique, stylish, colorful work and Victoria’s paintings definitely hit all those criteria. So when I spotted a painting of hers leaning against the wall at Lisa Harris Gallery in Seattle– boom! The love for her work came flooding back to me.
Nereides- Sea Nymphs, pigmented resin on panel, 20×20 ( via Lisa Harris Gallery )
Free-flowing, organic forms drift in and out of her canvases’ planes, creating enticing visual rhythm and movement.
Coast to Coast, pigmented resin on canvas over panel, 48×40 ( via Lisa Harris Gallery )
The placement of shapes lend the idea of landscapes to these abstracts, yet their enigmatic colors and forms keep the work abstract and modern.
Lady of the Lake, pigmented resin on panel, 80×20
A warm palette juxtaposed with muted, more neutral-hued highlights create even more depth and spatial play.
The Echo, pigmented resin on panel, 36×24Simply Said, pigmented resin on panel, 40×50
To see more of Victoria Johnson’s work, please visit her website. Thanks to the Lisa Harris Gallery for reminding me of Victoria’s work!
Featured image is Lady of the Lake, pigmented resin on panel, 80×20. All images are via the artist’s representing Seattle gallery, Lisa Harris Gallery.
While Mr. Forager & I wind our way up the Pacific Coast Highway to Seattle, I’ve asked a few of my fellow art bloggers to step in and share some of their own artsy finds.
You’re already familiar with Erin of artsocial as my partner in artsy pinning for the Art Association contest we hold every month. But did you also know she has her own fabulous art blog? It’s like a party every day. With art! Without further ado, take it away, Erin!
Abstract is IN this season in a big awesome way. Everywhere I turn, I’m seeing amazing paintings, rugs, pants – you name it – all decorated with incredible abstract designs… and I love it.
Mini Interior 9, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4
A newfound favorite of mine is abstract artist, Pamela Staker. Her intense color combinations, bold patterns, and expressive brushstrokes infuse her work with an undeniable and irresistible energy.
Mini Interior 10, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4
Starting with simple shapes and vibrant colors, Pamela builds up her playful abstractions with mixed media and unconventional materials like duct tape, rope, and vinyl wall covering. Isn’t contemporary art the best?
Mini Interior 11, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4
Her work beautifully expresses a balance between energetic spontaneity and carefully structured compositions. Which one is your favorite?
Mini Interior 12, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4
This is only a small sampling of Pamela’s amazing work. Her shop is FULL of incredible pieces.
P.S. there’s a whole section of abstract cats! Not to sound too much like a cat lady, but it’s pretty awesome. You can also find larger works on Cureeo.
See more from Pamela Staker on Etsy and her website.
In this world, it’s difficult sometimes to find something truly genuine. Everything seems to be derivative of some earlier idea. In her We’re Going on Vacation series, sculptor Erin McKenna takes fragments of hot tubs and plays with their inherent imitator qualities to create sculptures recalling sea life, both of the artificial and organic variety.
Brominator, altered piece of hot tub, glitter, flocking, sculptamold, enamel paint, 19x9x13
So hot tubs are designed to look like the inside of shells– thinking that somehow our simple minds might be fooled into thinking we are in some sort of tropical hot spring instead of where we really are, a plastic box full of chlorinated water. McKenna takes broken pieces of jacuzzi plastic and reminds us of the artificiality they represent by recreating them into artificial representations of actual seashells.
Crest, altered piece of hot tub, glitter, flocking, sculptamold, Great Stuff, enamel paint, 19x12x15Clam, altered piece of hot tub, resin, glitter, flocking, paper mach, enamel paint, 31x23x15Shell, altered piece of hot tub, resin, glitter, flocking, paper mache, enamel paint, 15x8x9
I think that’s what I find most interesting about McKenna’s Vacation series.. the glorification of imitation. Taking an object that emulates nature and fashioning it into objects that parody that same nature. There’s a parallel with our own lives in there somewhere. How often do we borrow ideas only for them to echo back to us their counterfeit nature?
Crustacean, altered piece of hot tub, glitter, flocking, sculptamold, enamel paint, 12x16x8
To see more of Erin McKenna’s work, please visit her website.
For an artist or avid art lover, often the joy and specialness of a work of art is to be found not in the overall meaning or composition but in the mark making. Those little strokes that mean so much. The work of Australian artist Camille Hannah gives us pause to consider how each mark of the brush is made.
Venus Tactus, oil and acrylic on aluminum, 204×203 cm
In each squiggle, the light and shadow moves along with the paint. These strokes create form, line and texture, all through choice of paint loaded onto the brush and the way in which the hand of the artist guides it.
Caecus Macula, oil and acrylic on aluminum, 204×203 cm
This adept “play with paint” is always what draws me in. There is such beauty in the way the paint swirls from the bristles of the brush, the way the colors mix together on the surface, catching the light and deepening not just the visual but the visceral experience of the painting!
Austramythicus Paternus, oil and acrylic on aluminum, 204×203 cmOrexis ( Between Skins ), oil and acrylic on aluminum, 204×203 cm
To see more of Camille Hannah’s work, please visit the website of her representing gallery, the Nellie Castan Gallery.
The nights here in the desert are full of stars! The work of Sarah Giannobile, featured in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today, reminds me of the constellations hovering above us. See my Artist Watch featuring Sarah here!
These abstracts by Canadian artist Karen Darling are so full of contradiction– love the contrasting dark black surfaces mixed with translucent brights! I’m featuring Karen’s work in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today, so head on over and check it out here!
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “spiritual experience”? Does a mountaintop epiphany come to mind? Or beachside meditation? Spiritual experiences come to us in all sorts of guises, for example, Mr. Forager & I had one last year as we drove up the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, both awed by the beauty and shedding tears of thankfulness that we were able to share it with one another. Australian artist Marisa Purcell pursues spiritual experiences in her abstract work– encounters with paint so mystical they embody spiritual sensation.
Buzz, acrylic and oil on linen, 183×172 cm
Floating, ghostly orbs of color appear and recede before our eyes. We squint to try to get a closer look, but even as we narrow our gaze, the forms do not become clear.
Caress, acrylic and oil on linen, 153×137 cmThe Halos of San Marco, acrylic and oil on linen, 183×172 cmHum, oil on linen, 153×137 cm
Suggestions of shape, illusions of form, are all the hints we are given. Light permeates and glows from each piece, enveloping the canvas and the viewer. We are left with the feeling that something has just happened, yet we aren’t sure quite what.
Elastic II, acrylic and oil on linen, 75×59 cm
To see more of Marisa Purcell’s work, please visit her website.
What better way is there to officially kick off Spring than a chance to win some art?! I assert that there is none! That’s right, Artsies, Art Association is back and this one is going to be crazy good, I can feel it! After February’s contest Erin, my partner in AA crime over at artsocial, and I persuaded this month’s artist, Karen Schnepf to participate and we think you’ll love her work just as much as we do. Seriously, it is gorgeous!
If you’re new to Art Association, here’s the what’s what — You create a Pinterest board around one work of art ( which we provide ), filled with anything and everything that pops into your mind while gazing at the catalyst piece.
Are you ready to get started? Of course, you are! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and you’re ready to pin your little hearts out. Our catalyst piece for this month is.. Wedding Day by Karen Schnepf!
Step 2 | You create a Pinterest board titled Art Association, like mine here, where you pin any and all images you associate with the featured artwork ( like word associations, only visual )– here’s a sneak peek at some of my associations
Step 3 | Leave a link to your Art Association pinboard in the Comments section of this post
Colors Layered 26 by Karen Schnepf, collaged painting with high gloss finish, 12×12
Erin & I will choose the best board entry, who will be the lucky new owner of Colors Layered 26 by Karen Schnepf ( below )! Colors Layered is a series of work in which paper is painted, cut, then layered onto panel and coated with a smooth, high gloss finish. ( The work has to be photographed before the finish s applied or else it is impossible to capture without glare ). Isn’t it stunning? I’m incredibly jealous of whoever wins this lovely.
The pinner with the best Art Association board ( as judged by me and Erin ) will be chosen on Wednesday, March 27th at 5pm (mountain standard time). I can’t wait to gaze upon all the beautifully colored boards I just know you guys are going to come up with! This currently desert-dwelling-gal needs some color!
OK, now go forth and pin!
**So sorry but the contest is open to US residents only. Stupid laws.
