artsy forager

Category: Daily Artsy

Artists featured in a solo spot on Artsy Forager

  • Exuberant Lines: Jessica Simorte

    Exuberant Lines: Jessica Simorte

    You guys.  I get so excited when I come across a new artist!  In fact, I’m pretty sure when I clicked through from Instagram and saw this artist’s work, I might have let out a little squeal.    Jessica Simorte is creating these perfect little abstracts that practically sing with their exuberance of color, line, and composition.

    Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte Jessica Simorte

    Jessica Simorte

    These diminutive works ( I think the largest I saw was 12×12 ) pack a big punch.  I love how she is translating what could easily be large compositions onto a small surface.  And the little “imperfections” in each are really what get me.  The fearlessness it takes to let the world see sketchy lines and that little yellow streak coming down at the bottom of the last piece?  Possibly my favorite moment among them.  This is definitely an artist I will be keeping my eye on!

    Check out more of Jessica Simorte‘s work on her website.  I wish I could remember on whose Instagram I saw Simorte’s name/work.  Whoever you were, thank you for introducing me to a new favorite!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Woodland Treasures: Marilla Palmer

    Woodland Treasures: Marilla Palmer

    When we go out hiking, Mr. Forager is, with the exception of gorging on huckleberries and the like, strictly a leave-it-as-you-found-it hiker.  I am too, for the most part, although I sometimes find myself so very tempted by that perfectly shaped leaf or beautiful wildflower. A stone does occasionally find its way into my pocket, but with our traveling, my hoarding of rocks is limited.  Last week, I came across the work of Marilla Palmer, whose delicate constructions examine the intricacies of the forest and man’s hand upon it.

    Stella Maris Driftwood 2 by Marilla Palmer Sitting Birch by Marilla Palmer Collage With Stitching by Marilla Palmer Queen Anne's Lace by Marilla Palmer Stella Maris Driftwood 1 by Marilla Palmer

    The artist tenderly renders wispy branches, then adds in embroidery, sequins, glitter, and such.  The resulting compositions have the feeling of modern botanical renderings, a celebration ( or perhaps condemnation? ) of the coming together of man and nature.

    If you’d like to see more of Marilla Palmer‘s work ( be sure to check out some of her sculptural pieces! ), please visit her website.

    Artist found via Kathryn Markel Fine Arts.  Images via the artist’s website & Kathryn Markel website.

  • Stark Gentility: Bruno Walpoth

    Stark Gentility: Bruno Walpoth

    I seem to have a thing for pale, sad faces right now ( Exhibit A ).  But just take a look at these wood sculptures by Italian artist Bruno Walpoth and tell me how I could not share them with you?  Modern, young faces full of poignant longing, these pieces are the anti-selfie.  Representations of true emotions felt by real people, rather than a facade put up to show the world how cool and hip we think we are.

    Bruno Walpoth Bruno Walpoth Bruno Walpoth Bruno Walpoth Bruno Walpoth

    There is such a vulnerability about these gentle wood portraits.  That seems to be an emotion we could all stand to use a bit more of in our interactions.  To be honest enough, with ourselves and others– to truly be real in the way we communicate with our fellow humans, might go a long way in creating the connectedness that so many of us long for.

    To see more of Bruno Walpoth‘s stunning work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Little Corners of the World: Joseph Noderer

    Little Corners of the World: Joseph Noderer

    Our current little bungalow backs up to a beautifully landscaped yard, verdant and green, even in the midst of Fall.  As I sit working here every day, it’s easy to forget that the leaves are changing all around, I get so caught up in my own little world here.  Austin artist Joseph Norderer chooses to celebrate those little corners of the world in which we dwell.

    Jamboree by Joseph Noderer Host by Joseph Noderer Imperial Fork by Joseph Noderer Isle by Noderer Shed by Noderer

    Lush and lively, his compositions crop in tightly on a small crop of land, beckoning us beyond the bushes to find who might be living inside.  We get so caught up in our view from within that I think we sometimes forget that just a few feet or yards away, another life is being lived, perhaps very different or quite similar.  But more and more we chose to hide behind our own walls.  Choosing to dwell only in that same familiar corner.

    If you’d like to see more of Joseph Noderer‘s work, please visit his website.  You can also see his show at Tiny Park art space in Austin until October 19th.

    Artist found via The Jealous Curator.  All images via the artist’s website.

  • His Father’s Colors: Morgan Fisher

    His Father’s Colors: Morgan Fisher

    We all get sentimental about some of our possessions.  Especially things that remind us of the ones we love.  I have paintings by my grandmother that I’ll never part with.  Santa Monica artist Morgan Fisher honors one of his own prized pieces of family history by recreating a part of his father’s work in paint in his series Interior Color Beauty.  In the 1930s, Fisher’s father owned a pre-fabricated housing company and a booklet of paint color schemes his company produced inspired this series of minimalist paintings.

    C5 by Morgan Fisher B5 by Morgan Fisher C4 by Morgan Fisher B3 by Morgan Fisher L2 by Morgan Fisher

    His father’s legacy becomes larger than life as Fisher enlarges the paint chips on wooden panels.  Staying true to the original inspiration, the works are painted with acrylic house paint.

    We feel the influence of so many people throughout our lives, but our family’s impact usually leaves the strongest impression.  I love seeing this artist honor his father’s work in such a way!

    Interior Color Beauty is on display at Bortolami Gallery in New York until October 19th, if you’d like to check it out.  You can see more of Morgan Fisher‘s work on their website.

    Artist found via Design Milk.  Images via Design Milk and Bortolami Gallery.

  • Cut Like Glass: Ramon Todo

    Cut Like Glass: Ramon Todo

    The rocks out here in the Northwest fascinate me.  Growing up in Florida, there wasn’t much in the way of rocks that I remember.. just tiny pebbles and sand.  But out here, there are big, beautiful rocks!  I always marvel at the variety when we find ourselves in a dry, rocky river bed.  Dusseldorf-based artist Ramon Todo is juxtaposing rocks with their distant cousin, glass, for some stunning studies in contrast.

    Todo1 Todo2 Todo4 Todo3

    The blue green hue and reflective surface of the glass give these stones a landscape-ish quality, almost as if the sky or sea were caught between the two pieces of earth.  Such an interesting contrast of textures, don’t you think?  And the glass is perfectly cut to fit between the stones, as if it evolved there naturally.  I want to turn one over in my hand and see how the light changes the reflections in the glass.

    If you’d like to see more from Ramon Todo, please visit his page at Art Front Gallery.

    All images via This is Colossal.

  • Scratching the Surface: Jeane Meyers

    Scratching the Surface: Jeane Meyers

    It’s so easy to get caught up in the superficiality of life, isn’t it?  But what happens when we look beyond the surface glitter and get real?  Are we afraid of letting people see beyond the facade to the layers of disfunction and mistakes? There are artists who do just that.  Like self taught Port Townsend, WA painter Jeane Meyers, who builds up and covers up in order to go back and reveal what’s underneath.

    Meyers_Right Turning Meyers_Her Minor Idea Meyers_Her Basic Instinct Meyers_Sinking Into the White Sky

     

    Yes, maybe revealing the ugly might not be so fun or flattering, but it adds texture and depth and a certain sense of vulnerability, not only in Meyers’ work, but in our lives, as well. By submitting to the process and taking what is found underneath, we letting go of our compulsion for perfection.  And in return, the work ( and we ), become more interesting and more complex.

    To see more of Jeane Meyers’ work, please visit her website.  Her work is currently showing alongside Portland sculptor Lisa Kaser in Wax On, Wax Off at Simon Mace Gallery in Port Townsend.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Come Closer: Jerome Lagarrigue

    Come Closer: Jerome Lagarrigue

    I like to inspect things closely.  And when they aren’t aware of it, I like to examine people closely.  There is so much expression and beauty held within the eyes and the lines of each face.  French born artist Jerome Lagarrigue, in his larger than life portrait studies, focuses his brush on the eyes of his subject, revealing emotion that we might not notice without such targeted attention.

    Eye #6 by Jerome Lagarrigue Jerome Lagarrigue Lagarrigue_Eye #8 Eye #14 by Jerome Lagarrigue Jerome Lagarrigue

    Sometimes, when Mr. F & I are sitting together, reading or watching a movie, I can’t help but gaze at him for a while.  Pretty sure it creeps him out a bit when I do that!  But there is something so lovely about memorizing the face of the one you love, isn’t there?  Not to mention really seeing all the people you interact with every day.  How many of us could describe the faces of friends, family, colleagues well enough to create a true likeness?  If we don’t know a face well, how will we ever be able to read it?  To know what isn’t being said?

    To see more of Jerome Lagarrigue‘s work, please visit his website.  Take some time to sit and stare at someone you love today, Artsies. 😉

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Great Expectations: Denise Prince

    Great Expectations: Denise Prince

    Yesterday, I shared with you Lucky Jackson‘s work and wrote about the masks we wear.  Well, it seems like I’m on a bit of an identity-crisis train this week, so hop aboard!  I was really struck by this series of photographs by Austin artist Denise Prince, in which we find women dressed in finery, yet seeming very out of place.

    Jesus, Empire Waist by Denise Prince Block Ice by Denise Price Daughters of Industry by Denise Prince Store Bought Lemonade by Denise Prince American Bingo by Denise Prince

    These women, decked out in evening wear, seem frozen in time, not just physically, but perhaps spiritually as well.  They could be the homecoming queens whose lives began with such hopes for greatness, only to find themselves living a much more ordinary, less glamorous life than they ever expected.  Sometimes, we put such expectations on our future, don’t we?  Of course it’s perfectly normal to have dreams.  Haven’t we all, especially when we were young, dreamt of accepting an Oscar or Grammy in our evening gown or tux?  Maybe we expected our lives to turn out differently.  But no matter what turns life has taken, we can always still be the star of our own story, just perhaps less formally attired.

    Want to see more of Denise Prince‘s work?  Please visit her website.

    All images via the artist’s profile at Saatchi Online.

  • Artsy Lately: Rachel Denny

    Artsy Lately: Rachel Denny

    Mr. F and I often talk about what has drawn us to the Northwest.  The mild summers have a lot to do with it, but even more, is the feeling that, in comparison to so much of the US, there is a wildness here.  Big cities are few and far between, the landscape filled more with small towns, rural communities and much still wild and untamed wilderness.  The thought that we can go out on a hike and see deer, elk, bears, and even moose in some areas, is thrilling.  We are living on the edge, ya’ll.  But that also means that we, as humans and society are ever encroaching on the wilderness and the animals found therein are paying the price.  These themes of nature and our relationship with it and effects upon it are the catalyst for the work of Portland sculptor, Rachel Denny.

    Cold Comfort by Rachel Denny Tangled by Rachel Denny Soft Heart by Rachel Denny Lemon Thief by Rachel Denny Rumor of Spring by Rachel Denny

    In her work, Denny has created a visual language for exploring the charm and delicacy to be found in the natural world.  Whimsy belies a deeper meaning, if we take the time to look beyond what we see.

    Rachel Denny’s latest work can currently be seen in her solo exhibition, Outside In at Foster/White Gallery in Seattle through October 26th.  You can also see more of Denny’s work on her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.