What do you get when you take one part line sketch + one part abstract expressionism + a flair for fashion? The stunning work of Denver artist/photographer/designer, Leigh Viner. Leigh elevates what could be a simple fashion sketch to fine art by her extraordinary eye for composition, figurative expression and well-placed explosions of color and texture.
Push
Look closely at the women Leigh is painting. These models aren’t faceless mannequins, each one has a story to tell. Their faces are full of subtle emotion– vulnerability, longing, confidence.
PerceiveGatsby
The strength of her work is in it’s simplicity. She is an artist that understands “less is more”. In her hands, a simple line drawing becomes a striking portrait with just a few limited dashes of color.
Draw The LineAbstractions Aside
To see more of Leigh’s work, visit her website. Her work is available for purchase in her Etsy store, jkldesign, which features original art, as well as prints of her artwork and photography. Leigh also writes a delightful blog, CREATE. You’ll be inspired.
Kicking off artsyF A S H I O NWeek here at Artsy Forager! Fashion and art have long been intertwined. For centuries, artists have, perhaps at times unwittingly, been the recorders of the history of fashion and style. It is in thanks to artwork that we can track what was worn by whom hundreds of years ago. Paintings weren’t just art, but were the fashion magazines and blogs of their day. For instance, thanks to Vermeer, we see a glimpse of the difference in the daily costume of the classes in a Mistress and Maid.
Mistress and Maid by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1666-1667
Today’s artists seem to have a bit more freedom to interpret instead of record. Fashion is such an integral part of our modern culture, it is no surprise that it still holds a fascination for contemporary artists. For some artists, the fashions themselves are worthy focal points. Denver artist Roxanne Rossi elevates a simple dress’s silhouette into an artistic statement, a sculptural fashion plate, clean but heavy in texture, it seems like it could come to life at any moment.
Afternoon Delight by Roxanne Rossi, acrylic, 36×60
Sometimes the fashion media becomes a literal component to a piece of fashion-influenced art, such as in the collage work of Melbourne, Florida artist Derek Gores. His imagery has the composition of a Vogue magazine spread and the collaged photos, magazine, labels, etc give each piece a painterly depth.
All Summer Long by Derek Gores, mixed media collage
Painter Kelly Reemtsen uses the constraints of mid-century era mindsets about fashion and juxtaposes them with garden tools and hardware, producing visual statements about the expectations placed on women, by themselves and the world at large.
Throwback by Kelly Reemtsen, oil on panel, 36×36
Celebrating the female form, both physically and spiritually, Leigh Pennebaker’s wire sculptures reveal designs that are sensuous and soft, despite their industrial materials.
Madeline by Leigh Pennebaker, wire sculpture
Like many fashion-forward artists, Megan Cosby began with an interest in fashion design, but decided she was more interested in the people themselves and what their style said about their personality, who they are, where they’ve been and where they are going.
Better by Megan Cosby, mixed media on canvas, 14×12
And then there’s the smart and cheeky work of Sarah Ashley Longshore, at once playing homage and poking fun to our culture’s obsession with fashion. I’ve featured her Audrey Hepburn paintings several times on the blog, but she also has this fabulous series focused on fashion and pop culture.
Trophy Wife Junk Drawer by Sarah Ashley Longshore, acrylic and high gloss reisn on canvas, 48×72
More fashiony-artsy goodness to come this week! Stay tuned.
Featured image is Major Poontang by Sarah Ashley Longshore.
Sometimes a princess has to do what a princess has to do. Like kiss a frog, get a horrible night’s sleep with a pea stuffed under the mattress or maybe just open her eyes and wake up. Seattle artist Deborah Scott has created an intriguing new series, Waiting For Prince Charming, which explores how traditional fairy tale themes would be translated in our modern world.
Snow White, oil and mixed media on canvas
For instance, how would Snow White’s modis operandi of relying on her beauty and reputation as “the fairest in the land” work to secure her prince in today’s world? Mass media advertising, of course. Scott depicts her, perhaps this most vapid of the fairy tale princesses, as a purely passive participant in her own fairy tale. Her happy ending isn’t a result of anything she does or who she is, but merely because of her famous looks. Sound familiar?
The Girl Would Believe Anything, oil and mixed media on canvas
And then there’s the chick from The Princess & The Frog. How many women have been deceived into thinking that warty, nasty toad would one day magically turn into a prince? He may seem debonair and sophisticated, but he is a frog all the same. And once we realize how duped we were.. we are horrified at our own stupidity.
A Social Climber's Romance, oil and mixed media on canvas
In A Social Climber’s Romance, we see a well rested young woman and a pea peeking out from under the mattresses– she obviously hasn’t passed the real princess test, but is oblivious to the meaning of her sweet slumber. In this series, Deborah continues to hone her classical, figure-focused narrative style, which works tremendously well to carry out the themes in each work.
Waiting For Prince Charming opens at All City Coffee in Seattle September 10th and will be on exhibit there until November 5th. If you’re in the Seattle area, please check it out! Better still, there will be an artist’s reception on October 21st, Deborah is a delight in person and meeting her will give you such deeper appreciation for her work.
In the meantime, stop by Deborah’s website to see more of her work and check out her introduction on Artsy Forager here.
Featured image is Princess And The Pea. All images are courtesy of Deborah Scott.
Special thanks to Deborah for giving me a studio tour and a sneak peek at this new work when George & I were in Seattle last week! Look for features on some of her talented studio mates on the blog soon!
Please enjoy this oldie but goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!
Swimmingly [ swim-ing-lee ]
–adverb- Definition: without difficulty; with great success; effortlessly.
‘Tis the season for swimming. If you’re in Florida at least, maybe if you’re elsewhere ’tis the season to dream of swimming. I recently came across the paintings of New York ( by way of Minnesota ) artist, Samantha French, bathed in sunlight and clear blue water.
Reminiscent of summers spent on Minnesota lakes, French’s work seeks to recapture those fleeting, carefree days of summer. Days spent in the water, underwater, by the water.. nothing compares to the lovely worn-out feeling of a day spent swimming and relaxing in the sun.
The swimmers and sunbathers in French’s work are reminiscent of days gone by.. of colorful convertibles, hotdog picnics, the days of Hepburn and Tracy.
French has a show titled “Open Swim” opening at the Left Bank Gallery in Essex, CT this Thursday. To learn more about the artist, visit her website and be sure to fan Samantha French Art on Facebook! Prints of her work can be purchased through her Etsy store.
Please enjoy this oldie by goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!
I never fail to be blown away by the humility I find in amazingly talented artists. When Deborah Scott contacted me after I posted in the Seattle Artists group on LinkedIn, I had no idea what I would find when I clicked on her website. It thrills me beyond belief when an artist contacts me to be featured on Artsy Forager and I go to their website and find artwork that is fresh, unique and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Goosebumps, ya’ll!!
This Seattle area born & bred artist began her professional life in a marketing career working for big brands like Betty Crocker and Amazon.com. She would eventually leave the marketing world behind, pursuing art full force, immersing herself in arts education and copying the work of old masters.
Balance, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×69
Her familiarity with image recognition and brand iconography comes through in her narrative figural work, where she employs classical compositions and perspectives juxtaposed against modern branding instantly recognizable to our 21st century eyes.
Lucky Charms, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60Consumption of Innocence, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60Stalemate, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60
Like the classical masters she studied, Deborah’s work has layers of meaning, symbols abound– some obvious, others more subversive. But the result causes us to pause and consider, truly gaze at each work, wondering what the artist is getting at.. Is she poking fun? Is she making a serious commentary on a topical issue? A little bit of both?
The meaning isn’t obvious. Though realistic in style, Deborah’s work seems abstract in meaning. A blending of the best of both worlds, if you ask me.
Check out more of Deborah Scott’s work on her website, here. Her work is currently on display at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA and The Hive Gallery in Los Angeles. She hits the East Coast next year, showing at Susan Eley Fine Art in NYC.
It’s been such a grey, gloomy week here in North Florida, that I thought we could all do with a little sunshine! Maribel Angel’s work never fails to make me smile. Maribel grew up in a Spanish speaking family and their influence definitely comes through in the vitality and liveliness of her work.
Maribel’s work tells a story, one that comes from within her own imagination and world of dreams. A place filled with festive color, galloping horses, flying bunnies and fanciful birds.
As Maribel’s work symbolically explores the effects of layers of time and history, so her treatment of her mediums are often a layering of paper, images, paint, text and symbols.
It is in these details that Maribel’s graphic design background comes through. Not only in the use and placement of text, but also in the juxtapositions of color and pattern. Actually, I’ve always thought she could be a very successful textile designer. I would totally buy a fabric or wallcovering in the design of “Bohemian Blossom” ( pictured below ), wouldn’t you? I’m picturing a this on a full skirt with a crisp white shirt and floppy straw hat!
So, Maribel Angel.. Painter-Graphic Designer-Future Textile Designer ( if I had my way! ).. let’s see, any other hyphenates to describe this multi-talented artist? Oh, that’s right–she’s also a sculptor!!
Maribel takes found objects and gives them new life in her assemblages and I must admit, I find every one of these “Cuckoos Nest” birds absolutely charming. Seriously, I’ve never met one I didn’t completely fall for. Maribel was sweet enough to give me a wonderful miniature guy and it is one of my favorite possessions.
Madeleine Peck-Wagner has a way of taking subjects that could be trite and making them extraordinary. Her latest series features mythical wolves and horses, but in Madeline’s hands, they are treated in a way that is contemporary and elegant. The cross-hatching & precision of the lines are reminiscent of architectural drafting, giving the figures depicted a strutctural, landscaped quality. Conversely, blots and washes of brightly colored paints call to the spiritual significance such animals, both living and decayed possess.
Fighting HessiansRussian Winter IIWolves At The DoorWe Are All Tragedies
Today, I have a case of the mean reds. If you know what that means, you’re awesome. If you don’t know what that means, you need to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s asap. Holly Golightly’s cure for the mean reds is to get in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Well, there is nothing even closely resembling a Tiffany’s here in Aberdeen. It wouldn’t be my happy place anyway. Anthropologie would be more like it, but there’s nothing like one of those here either. So today, I’m trying to cure the mean reds by enjoying some artwork featuring Miss Golightly herself, the fabulous Audrey Hepburn. Yes, I know I’ve already done a feature on Sarah Ashley Longshore’s Audreys. But she’s been busy painting some new ones, so I think they deserve a second look. And a third and fourth look. Really, as long as she’s painting them, they’ll be showing up here.
Now that is all the chatting I feel up to today. Enjoy Sarah’s Hepburns. Don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly seized by the urge to put on a little black dress and pearls.
Mariposa, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 60×72Audrey With Peacock, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 48×72Audrey Underwater With Goldfish, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 24×24Audrey Rojo, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 24×24
You can see more of Sarah Ashley Longshore’s work on her website or by visiting the Gallery Orange website, her representation in New Orleans.
I am a lover of stories. Ever since I was a little girl, cuddled in my grandmother’s arms, listening to her read me story after story, I adore being drawn into another world, wondering what will happen next. Whether in novels, the spoken word, song or artwork, I adore anything ( and anyone! My hubby George is a wonderful storyteller ) with a tale to tell.
So when I came across the work of painter Shannon Richardson at the RiverSea Gallery in Astoria, OR, I was drawn in by their narrative quality. Each painting feels like the viewer is walking into the midst of a story.
Traveling Companions, oil on canvas, 24×24
These are illustrations of stories, but not completely fictional ones. What Richardson paints, is memories of illusions of her own memories. Not always as they actually occurred, but how they live in her mind, heart and dreams.
Wedding Belles, oil on canvas, 24×18
In these visual narratives, Richardson creates a fantastical world that is at once familiar and foreign. Dream-like visages filled with other worldly characters and landscapes, but the feelings surrounding the imagery are universal– hopefulness and helplessness, elation and despair.
The Casual Departure, oil on canvas, 18×24
Each image is a fable to which we can relate, not because of our experience of the fantastical creatures or dreamlike quality, but because we have all been in situations of betrayal, soaring happiness, quiet contentment and such. We all have our memories of the heart in common.
Time for Togetherness, oil on canvas, 36×48
To see more of Shannon Richardson’s work, please visit her website. In addition to RiverSea Gallery, you can also see her work in person at The Churchill Gallery in Newburyport, MA and The Joanne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA.
The featured image is The Companionship of Memories.
A man gives many question marks, however, a woman is a whole mystery. ~Diana Stürm
Artist Brad Kunkle is a creator of feminine mysteries. Haunting, glistening visual fairy tales which are at once throwbacks to the past and yet thoroughly modern.
Candela, oil and silver leaf on wood, 33×32
His work takes inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelite era, as evidenced by the medieval-feel of the compositions, near photographic precision and intricate surface detail.
The Quickening, oil and gold and silver on linen, 44×22
But don’t be mistaken, Kunkle’s figures and compositions are not antiquated, but rather fresh and current. The paintings are like pages of out a Vogue magazine fairy tale– and I mean that in the best possible way. These aren’t helpless ingenues, but contemporary women caught up in circumstance.
Afela’s Nature by Brad Kunkle, oil and gold and silver on linen, 16×14The Arrangement, oil and silver leaf on linen, 34×18
These are the modern daughters of Eve, tempted and tempting, the subject of desire and blame. Filled with sensual strength tinged with sadness. Kunkle tells the story of their past by placing them in classical compositions and poses, but the elegant background treatments and inherent edginess keep them firmly on current ground.
The Source, oil and gold and silver on linen, 26×18
To see more of Brad Kunkle’s work, please visit his website. If you’re in the New York area, his work is represented by Arcadia Gallery, where he will exhibit a solo show in Spring 2012.
Featured image is “Girl With Serpent and Pearls”, oil and gold and silver on linen, 25×30.
