artsy forager

Category: Mixed Media

  • It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Hilary Williams

    It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Hilary Williams

    The world(s) created by Hilary Williams, that is.  But really her work is no more absurd than the world we see around us every day.  A San Francisco printmaker, Hilary takes elements of urban life, the natural environment and their inhabitants and repositions them into surreal landscapes.

    Song and Dance for a Laugh

    Haunting images of leaning buildings and ghostly figures are juxtaposed with decorative motifs and child-like doodles.  Echoes from the past haunt the present, creating a commentary on how far we’ve come, but perhaps, how little we have truly gained.

    Herding Out Saturday Night

    The dark, eeriness of the iconic architecture contrasts with the light and cheerful colors and patterns to create an absurd dichotomy.  Not unlike many recent trends that look to the past while still trying to find a place in the future.  Such irony is not lost on this artist and conveys the struggle of humanity to co-exist within the urban and natural landscape.

    Adventures in Coasting

    Hilary’s work is heavily layered which gives it a visual depth and complexity that draws the viewer in.  There is so much to see and figure out.  My husband George & I first saw Hilary’s work in The Pines Art Gallery in Hood River, OR.  We fell in love with her work and George could not stop looking at it.  A true testament to the power of the work!

    The Front Porch by Hilary Williams

    Check out more of Hilary’s work on her website, I think you’ll love it as much as George & I do.

  • Art For Guys

    Art For Guys

    Today I was stuck on what or who to feature on the blog.  Nothing was jumping out at me.  Desperate,  I asked my husband.  His first ( joke ) repsonse was “Thomas Kinkade”.  Hardee har har.  His next suggestion was “Guy Art”.  I was like art featuring guys?  Art by guys?  No, art guys like.  Oh!  I asked if the blog was becoming too girly.. he said no, but I have my doubts.  There’s been a plethora of pink around here lately.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But my taste in art isn’t always so feminine.  I like a bit of edge and irony, too.  So in honor of my hubby, whose own appreciation for art is growing every day, here are some examples of art that any guy would be happy to hang in his swingin’ bachelor pad.

    Martyr by Alwin Jackson

    Alwin Jackson is a painter.  He doesn’t put up a front of pretentious, artsy bullsh**.  Maybe that comes from having been in the corporate advertising world for twenty years.  His images are clean and bold and I think most guys would appreciate their no-nonsense attitude.  This girl certainly does.

    Untitled ( History Painting ) 2011 by Tony Rodrigues

    Tony Rodrigues’ work takes an introspective look back at icons from childhood and pop culture.  What grown man doesn’t have memories of playing “cowboys and indians” when he was young?  His sentimental take on figures and themes take us back to the “good ol’ days”, but leave us wondering, how good were they, really?

    Beats in Paint by Robert Leedy

    It is a truth universally acknowledged that most guys wish they were musicians.    ( My hubby will attest to this fact, though I think he’s a better guitar player than he gives himself credit for ).  How many rockstars started out by picking up an instrument as a way to meet girls?  I bet Robert Leedy’s Beats in Paint make you want to wail on a drumset like you’re Keith Moon.

    Building Faces- Crown Fountain Juxaposition, Chicago, IL by Doug Eng

    Boys love to build stuff.  It’s why Erector Sets and Legos have been around for so long.  Many men have contributed to the architecture of great cities like New York and Chicago.  Doug Eng captures a glimpse of humanity among the concrete and steel, reminding us that these buildings are built for, built by and filled with, people.

    Freedom by Steve Williams

    Teddy Roosevelt was a man’s man president.  A boxer, a soldier, a hunter and outdoorsman, embodying his ideology to “Speak softly and carry a big stick”.  Artist Steve Williams pays his due to this former president in his Currency series.

    Stoic by Brian McGuffey

    For those guys who want to show off their bagged game, but not actually, you know, kill a beautiful wild creature just for the bragging rights, Brian McGuffey’s Stoic is just the thing.  I don’t know, this deer looks seriously ticked off for having been decapitated. I wouldn’t cross him if I were you.  Just nod gently and let him be.

    Remember that thing about guys wanting to be rockstars?  Is there a rockstar cooler than the gravelly-voiced Tom Waits?  Seriously.  John Duckworth renders his steely glaze perfectly.  And yes, there’s some pink in there.  Duckworth and Waits aren’t afraid to rock the pink.

    Tom Waits by John Duckworth ( #2 of triptych )
  • Friday Faves: City Slickers

    Friday Faves: City Slickers

    We are headed to Seattle this weekend, one of my favorite cities in the world, the city where George and I fell in love.  And while I was falling in love with G ( I was probably a little in love with him when we were friends in FL, but that’s a story for another time ), I was also falling in love with Seattle.  I adore visiting cool cities– the urban landscape and architecture fascinates me.  So it carries over that I would adore the art of the cityscape.

    For this Friday Fave round-up, I’d like to share some of urbanist artists whose work I’m crushing on lately:

    Hill Houses 2 by Brin Levinson
    Passing 1 by Jason Webb
    Solitary I by John Duckworth
    Loew’s Hotel, 33rd Floor, Philadelphia by Sara Yeoman
    Miyami by Darra Crosby
    Great Tortoise Hostel, Seattle by Robin Weiss
    Boulevard Windows by Sharon Dowell

    Looking forward to bringing you more from these artists soon!  In the meantime,  take a gander at their websites..

    1.  Brin Levinson

    2.  Jason Webb

    3.  John Duckworth

    4. Sarah Yeoman

    5. Darra Crosby

    6. Robin Weiss

    7. Sharon Dowell 

    Are you taking it to the city streets this weekend?  What’s your favorite city for artsy inspiration?

  • Visceral Sophistication: Casey Matthews

    Visceral Sophistication: Casey Matthews

    Casey Matthews lives a double life.  Splitting her time between her home on Amelia Island, FL and a Chelsea apartment in New York City, in many ways, the Texas native is living an artist’s dream.  The best of both worlds, surrounded by natural beauty and small town Florida charm on one hand and the energy, excitement and grit of Manhattan life on the other.  She puts those hands together to create a body of work that is at once cosmopolitan and organic.

    While Goldfish Sleep, mixed media on canvas, 48×60

    Translucent washes of color recall water washing over sand or the pearl-like finish of the inside of a seashell.  Amoebic shapes cluster together like bubbles, a few occasionally breaking from the pack and seeming to drift across and down the surface of the canvas.

    In The Thick Of It, mixed media on canvas, 36×48
    Sleep Deprived and the Dog Can’t Wait, mixed media on canvas, 48×60

    But look closely at those clusters of shapes and color– it is in these little pockets that Casey lets the urban darkness come through..

    Sleep Deprived And The Dog Can’t Wait ( detail )

    Casey is nothing if not a self-aware artist, working through the dynamics of her “dual citizenship” in the two pieces City Mouse, Country Mouse ( below ).

    City Mouse, mixed media on canvas, 48×72
    Country Mouse, mixed media on canvas, 48×72

    This is intuitive work, the colors, shapes and forms emerging from the artist’s surroundings, emotions and experiences..

    Prolapse, mixed media on canvas. 24×30

    …with a touch of sardonic wit thrown in for good measure.  Are those grey tones reflective of the bleached Florida sand or is it the haze of NYC steel and concrete?  Only Casey knows for sure.

    Construction Worker Boyfriend, mixed media on canvas, 36×48

    Check out more of Casey Matthews’ work on her website and blog.  If you’re in the North Florida area, stop by Blue Door Artists in downtown Fernandina Beach for 2nd Saturday Artrageous Artwalk this Saturday, July 9th, Casey is their featured artist for July.

  • Cardboard Kaleidoscopes: Candace Fasano

    Cardboard Kaleidoscopes: Candace Fasano

    Candace Fasano is a painter and a poet.  Where the paintings end and the poetry begins is not always distinctive.  According to Wikipedia, “poetry primarily is governed by idiosyncratic forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretation to words, or to evoke emotive responses.”  Substitute words for images and you’ve hit just the beginning of what makes Fasano’s work so interesting.

    Topographical Remembering, mixed media on canvas, 48×48

    Like poetry, Fasano’s paintings abound with symbolism and rhythm, their ambiguous nature often leaving them open to interpretation.  Though they may have been created with a certain narrative in mind, the visual elements expressed are more suggestive than overt.

    OMGGMO, oil on canvas, 96×72 diptych

    Just as Candace the poet plays with words, Candace the painter plays with paint.  Building up texture, leaving whispy washes of color and sketchy lines contrast with typographical verbiage.

    Balancing Act, oil on canvas, 30×36

    Layers of imagery create layers of meaning.  Objects within the works are often rendered realistically, but are not necessarily resting in their reality.  They may become transparent, weaving in and out of the composition like the ghostly marks left behind after an pencil eraser has done its work.

    Warmth, oil on canvas, 66×56

    imaginary landscapes attract 

    pictures from our collective mythologies.

    text or fragments take hold like scaffolding

    constructing and deconstructing

    realities into temporary truths

    revealing fragile limitations 

    of growth and decay –

    viewed through a cardboard kaleidoscope

    –c.fasano

    To see more of Candace Fasano’s work and to read more of her poetry, visit her website and blog.  If you like her work as much as I do, please fan her Facebook page to keep up with all her latest news.  If you’re in the North Florida area, be sure to visit the Cummer Museum‘s “The Neighborhood As Art” show, which features one of Candance’s pieces.

  • Batik Storyteller: Lisa Telling Kattenbraker

    Batik Storyteller: Lisa Telling Kattenbraker

    The Matisse post yesterday got me in the mood for color.  AND it’s the first day of summer, perfect for sharing work that is bright, colorful and full of whimsical goodness.  George & I took a day trip to Olympia, WA this past Saturday to scope it out a bit.  In Childhood’s End Gallery, we both fell in love with the imagery of Lisa Telling Kattenbraker.

    U-Turn

    Lisa works in batik, an ancient process of wax-resist dyeing.  Her work juxtaposes traditional Batik patterning with simple, stylized childlike imagery.

    Language Convergence

    Most of her figures are faceless, so that the viewer can apply their own experience and emotions to the scene, which reminds me of another favorite artist, Yvonne Lozano.

    Dress Rehearsal

    These just make you smile, don’t they?  Wouldn’t you love to see this gal every day?  Doesn’t every good goat need a yellow rain slicker and wellies?

    Lorelei the Pacific Northwest Goat from the New Moon Goat Rescue and Sanctuary

    I would love to begin a tradition of collecting one piece of artwork from each of our travel assignments.  Thinking a Lisa Kattenbaker might just be The One for this summer.

    Find out more about Lisa and her work, including originals and ( very affordable! ) limited editions on her website, here.

  • Friday Forager Faves: Birthday Wish List

    Friday Forager Faves: Birthday Wish List

    Today is my birthday, ya’ll.   I will be happily spending the day with the one who birthed me, touring the Downtown Jacksonville studio of Christina Foard and researching downtown galleries for an article I’m writing for EU Magazine ( my first published print article! ).   In the spirit of Steve Martin’s SNL “Christmas Wish” sketch, I’m indulging in my own Birthday Wish list.

    These are works of art that, “If I could have but one birthday wish this birthday”… to own any one of these would be my birthday wish.  These are the pieces I covet, the pieces that I know I would love forever and ever and give them a kind and loving home.

    Sleep Deprived and the Dog Can Wait by Casey Matthews

    The title alone makes me smile.  I love how the palette is both warm and cool AND neutral all at the same time.  And I have a thing for circles.  I’ve seen this in person and it is stunning.

    Lucy in the Sky by Maribel Angel

    I love the Beatles.  I love the idea of a flying bunny chasing carrots.  I love Maribel’s work.  I would never tire of seeing this.

    Speak No Evil by Pam Moxley

    This reminds me of what it was like to be a kid, without a care in the world.  Summer days, carefree ways.  Before life was complicated.

    Hotel, Calgary by Theresa Maxwell

    This sweet little painting makes me think of honeymooning.. living out of a suitcase.. letting someone else make the bed.. bliss!

    Lifetime Partners by Christina Foard 

    I fell in love with this the first time I saw it on Christina’s Facebook page.  It reminds me of the devotion and complete commitment it takes to make a life with someone, to be a united front through thick and thin, to be sure of each other no matter what may lie ahead.  Maybe I’m just a starry-eyed newlywed.

    I could go on and on adding more and more to this list– believe me, there are MANY more!  But I was raised to not be greedy, so I’m limiting myself to these five.  Even if I don’t have the real thing, they will always be here for me to gaze upon lovingly.  Happy birthday to me!

  • Introducing Julia Hensley

    Introducing Julia Hensley

    As many of you know, my hubby George and I have been planning to move to the Pacific Northwest, pretty much since we started dating a little over a year ago.  But first we had to #1, get engaged, #2, sell his house in Tulsa, #3 plan a wedding, #4 get married and #5 sell my house in Jacksonville.  We have finally accomplished that last objective ( well, almost, our closing is May 18th ) and are planning the next stage of our life together.

    I have an ongoing list of artists I’d like to feature on Artsy Forager, but sometimes fate steps in and pushes a certain artist ahead of the rest.  I happened to be checking out a design blog I follow and spotted a painting the blogger had purchased from Seattle artist, Julia Hensley.  I surfed on over to her website and was impressed by what I found.   I discovered via Facebook, that today is Julia’s birthday! 

    So, in honor of Julia’s birthday, our upcoming move to the Northwest and just because her stuff is just genuinely awesome, I’m sharing her work with you.

    Chinatown, oil on masonite, 13 1/2″ x 11″

    65th and Roosevelt, gouache collage on bristol board, 9″ x 12″

    Hot Day Bremerton, gouache on bristol board, 7 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ 

    ( this might be my favorite )

     

     Flat Iron, acrylic on bristol board, 8″ x 12″

    Sunday Downtown, acrylic on paper, 19″ x 24″ 

    Hope you enjoyed meeting Julia, be sure to wish her a happy birthday!

    You can see more of Julia Hensley’s work here.

    Or check out the blog that led me to her, From The Right Bank.