I absolutely adore work that is marries striking visual elements and imagination stirring imagery. Come and take a magical ride through Geoff Mitchell’s work with me over on Escape Into Life today!
Category: Figurative
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Translucent Revelations: Christina Bothwell
With the increasing sophistication of technology, we have become more and more aware of the realities of what was once mysterious. We know what the inside of our bodies look like, it’s even possible to see an unborn baby in 3-dimensional form. We can know what our children will look like before they ever take their first breath. Yet, what remains to be revealed is their personality. How they will evolve spiritually and emotionally remains a mystery. Sculptor Christina Bothwell‘s figures illustrate for us the metamorphosis of our beings, our deliverance into who we are become.
Deer Girl, cast glass, raku, clay, antlers, and oil paints, 28x27x11 In her cast glass sculptures, Bothwell incorporates figures within figures. We see smaller figures nestled into the glass, most often in the shape of a newborn.
Octopus, cast glass, raku clay and oil paint, 48x23x23 From the artist: “I think of these pieces as souls, each being pregnant with their own potential, giving birth to new, improved versions of themselves.”
Hair, cast glass, raku clay and oil paints, 10x31x8 As long as we are breathing, we are constantly evolving, hopefully into a better version of ourselves. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to know that at the end of your life, you had become your most strong, your most loving, your most compassionate, the very best version of you?
Centaur, cast glass, raku clay, oil and found objects, 21x21x11 
Phoenix, cast glass, raku fired clay, oil paints and wood, 33x60x21 Bothwell’s work shows us, not the end result, but the transformation. We see the adaptation and evolution of the spirit as translated into the material. To see more of Christina Bothwell’s work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Dawn, cast glass, ceramic, wood and oil paint, 38x10x7. All images are via the artist’s website.
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The Wild Selves: Anne Siems
As I mentioned before, there were certain shows I knew I wanted to see while we were in Seattle last weekend. I’ve loved the work of Seattle artist Anne Siems since first seeing it online and was excited to get my chance to see her work up close and personal. Her solo show, Guidance is showing at Grover Thurston Gallery, just up ( or down? Still don’t have my Seattle geography down pat ) the street from Foster/White, so away we went.
Wolf Girl, acrylic on panel, 48×48 Siems’ inspiration behind the show was the evolution of her daughter from childhood into adolescence and the idea that wild animal spirits may help children navigate their way through this transition. In each of us there is a wild, animalistic-like spirit that, as we grow up and grow older gets buried under years of suppression and training in proper behavior.
Antler Girl, acrylic on panel, 40×52 In Siems’ work, we see children taking on historically grim expression and formal, constricting garb, reminding us of centuries of children whose innocence is lost all too soon. Children whose natural wild spirits may fight against the constraints of social tradition and custom.
Bison Boy Drawing, mixed media on paper, 38×50 I was particularly drawn to Bison Boy ( above ), perhaps for the way the figure is isolated starkly against the white paper background. He has been taken out of his environment, out of his element. His garments are in the somewhat effeminate style of his era, yet his bison head & skin seem to be reminding us to not forget the wildness within.
George’s favorite work in the show was Lynx Cap ( below ), as this figure retains a sprightly, little girl expression in contrast to the other figures’ more suppressed, even haughty countenances. She is still an innocent.
Lynx Cap, mixed media on paper with embroidery, 22×30 
Guidance Tree, mixed media on panel, 48×48 I could go on and on about these and talk about every one– they are so interesting, visually and spiritually. If you’d like to see more of Anne Siems’ work, please visit her website. If you’re in Seattle, I highly recommend a visit to Grover Thurston to see these in person, a truly stunning show.
Featured image is Heart Branches, mixed media on panel, 30×30. All images are via the artist’s website.
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Artsy on Escape Into Life: Robert Townsend
Take a look back with me on Escape Into Life today! I’m in love with the nostalgic pop culture work by California artist Robert Townsend.
Bill Connor by Robert Townsend, oil on panel, 72 x 48 -
April Facebook Featured Artist: Steve Williams
When I launched the Artsy Forager Facebook Featured Artist program this month, I was thrilled when Steve Williams agreed to be my inaugural artist. Like me, Steve is a native of our hometown, Jacksonville, Florida and has long been a fixture on the art scene there. Steve, along with his then gallery partner, Jim Draper, encouraged a young Artsy Forager to continue painting just out of college. Even though I allowed myself to get sidetracked, I never forgot their kindness.
Marco Polo, mixed media As he splits his time between being president of his family’s successful sign business, Harbinger Sign, the gallery he has created at the business’s headquarters, Florida Mining, his own work as an artist AND being a devoted father of three, Steve is a busy soul. Which makes it all the more amazing to see the quality of thoughtful work he creates.
Jackson, mixed media His experience in the sign business is evident in the strong graphic quality and balance evident in his compositions. His most recent Money series ( images above ) explores currency as symbolic of all that we strive for as a society yet ensnares and imprisons us.
Into the Goodly Land, mixed media on panel, 60×72 While I love this current direction, my personal favorite works of Steve’s are those that incorporate layers of texture and color in which graphic signs and images are enshrouded. These works, as well as the Money series, invite us in, asking us to look more closely at not only the world around us, but the motives and desires within us.
TV Exploration of Mars II, mixed media, 12×12 
Revolutionary Exploration: Shallow Discovery, mixed media, 11×19 I hope you’ll check out more of Steve Williams‘ work on his website. And do yourself a favor– don’t miss his blog, Making Cheddar, or his Twitter feed. He’s as hilarious as he is insightful.
Featured image is Grant, mixed media, 60×36. All images are via the artist’s website.
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Naked Abandon: Lee Price
Sometimes, I find an artist’s work so powerful, that I can’t write about it immediately. When I found New York artist Lee Price’s work, I wanted to share it as soon as possible, but just couldn’t write about it yet. So I featured her on my Artist Watch over on Escape Into Life, where I can simply post images, a bio and a link.
Having been naturally thin and active almost my entire life, up until recently, I’ve never really had weight issues. There were times I actually wished to be a little more curvy, more womanly. But as I approach the big 4-0 next week (!), I find myself struggling more than ever with my body image. Having listened to every woman I know complain about her body at one time or another, I know that I am not alone.
Lee Price’s work speaks to food obsessions and compulsions so common, especially among women. Her pastel, candy-colored palette belies the darkness at the heart of each painting. Her women are isolated, surrounded not by friends, family or lovers, but by piles of food, rarely untouched.
Constantly bombarded with conflicting media, we, as women, are often left feeling inadequate and confused. We retreat into ourselves, indulging when we are alone so that the only judgement we’ll feel is our own. Will we ever stop condemning ourselves so harshly?
For me, its still a struggle to make the right choices. Gone are the days of being able to eat whatever I like and still be a size 5. But also gone are the days of eating like a bird and obsessing over the way my body looks in a bikini. I may be a bit more curvy, but I’m choosing to be happier than ever. For me, it’s been a choice worth making.
To more of Lee Price’s work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Ice Cream, oil on linen, 62×31. All images are via the artist’s website. -
Sometimes the Waiting is the Hardest Part: Brett Amory
Does it ever seem like you are always waiting for something? An answer to a question, a check in the mail, the pizza to be delivered. At times, it can feel like life is just a series of waitings. Oakland artist Brett Amory has created an entire series of work based on the monotony and futility of our waiting.
Waiting #66, oil on wood panel, 48×48 There are times when we get so caught up in anticipating what we are waiting for that we miss out on what is happening right in front of us.
Waiting #54, oil on wood panel, 48×24 It’s easy to get caught up in what might be around the next corner or where that next bus might take us.
Waiter #10, oil on mylar, 14×17 What might happen if we all lived a little more in the moment? Instead of tapping our feet in impatience, let’s look around at where we are while we are waiting and those we are waiting with. We may find that we love where we are.
Waiting #71, oil on wood panel, 48×48 
Waiting #64, oil on wood panel, 71×48 To see more of Brett Amory’s work, please visit his website. What are you waiting for? 😉
Featured image is Waiting #77, oil on wood panel, 96×48. All images are via the artist’s website.
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Fragile Ambiguity: Kris Knight
Sometimes, in a world filled with sarcasm and cynicism, we can easily forget the vulnerability of the human spirit. How one wounding word can hurt and haunt us. Toronto artist Kris Knight’s portraits remind us that the strength we so often feign is not impenetrable.
Waves ( Augustus ), oil on canvas, 30×40 The pale pastel palette Knight employs translates to us the inherent frailty of our psyches. Though each subject takes a strong stance, often looking straight into the gaze of the viewer, their faces tell a different story. Beneath the facade, we see flushed cheeks, downturned mouths and eyes that seem to be bright with unshed tears.
Caught, oil on canvas, 12×16 Some wear netted masks, hiding in plain sight. While others at once stand defiant under our close attention, yet their eyes are pleading.
Winter Wheat, oil on canvas, 30×40 
Mischief, oil on canvas, 14×18 They are the faces of loved ones and strangers. People we think we acknowledge but who are longing to be known. To see more of Kris’s work, please visit his website.
Artist found via Escape Into Life.
Featured image is Run Deep, oil on canvas, 16×20. All images are via the artist’s website.
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Artsy on Escape Into Life: Anna Magruder
Every time I go back to the work of Portland artist Anna Magruder, I fall more in love with it. Come and see why over on Escape Into Life today!
Observer ( Mediator ), oil on canvas, 16×16 -
Anticipated Moments: Shaun Downey
We all know what it is like to wait. Wait to grow up. Wait in line for coffee. Wait on hold for customer service. Wait for a new life to come into the world. Sometimes it seems that life is a series of transitioning from one type of waiting to another. Toronto artist Shaun Downey captures fleeting occasions of expectancy in his subtly emotional scenes.
Kelly and the Red Dots, painting on canvas, 65×42 How many of us have consoled ourselves with the monotony of the every day while we long for the arrival of what we have been waiting for? Even when we have no idea what or who it may be.
Last Glance, painting on canvas, 32×48 How do we console ourselves when it seems our waiting is in vain? We wait and wait and wait, but the door never opens.
The Tooth Fairy, painting on canvas, 65×42 Perhaps we are too distracted when our awaited arrives to even notice and before we know it, the opportunity is gone. Or maybe it remains and is just watching for us to awake to its presence. And sometimes, once the waiting is over, the transition is bittersweet. Because who knows what is around the corner? More waiting, perhaps more wonderful.
The Old Apartment, painting on canvas, 18×24 
Packing Up, painting on canvas, 48×48 To see more of Shaun Downey’s work, please visit his website. I’m waiting for spring to finally arrive here in North Idaho. What are you waiting for today?
Featured image is Packing Up, 48×48. All images are via the artist’s website. Found via artist Brad Kunkle.
