artsy forager

Category: Daily Artsy

Artists featured in a solo spot on Artsy Forager

  • What Lies Beneath: Antonio Santin

    What Lies Beneath: Antonio Santin

    So here’s the thing.  When I first saw these paintings by Antionio Santin in my Pinterest feed courtesy of designboom, I loved the palette and hyperealism and unusual subject matter.  I immediately repinned them for featuring later on the blog.  Then, before I had a chance to write about these paintings, I started seeing other people post about there being bodies under the carpets!

    Santin_Nubes O Nieblas Santin_Missing Edna santin-marearojaHR Santin_Agatha Santin_Spiel

     

    Santin began his artistic journey as a sculptor and has since focused much of his work on the figure, namely women who seem to have met their fate, with pattern often playing a large role in his compositions.  A natural progression then, to place the body instead of on top of the carpet, under it?  Much more subversively sinister, to be sure.  But nonetheless, beautifully rendered work!

    If you would like to see work by Antonio Santin, please visit his website.  You can also read an interview with the artist and get a peek into his Berlin studio here.

    Antonio Santin, Painter in his studio in Berlin Wedding

     

    All art images are via the artist’s website.  Studio image via Freunde von Freunden.

  • The Freshmaker: Heather Landis

    The Freshmaker: Heather Landis

    In some ways, it seems like collage work is on the downside turn of its recent resurgence.  There is so much of it out there, it can be a challenge to find work that feels fresh and original.  Los Angeles artist Heather Landis uses a tight palette of color, cheeky use of typography and just the right mix of vintage and modern in her collages.

    Heather Landis Landis5

    Her palettes are filled with those decidedly vintage-feeling hues of peaches and pinks, accentuated by the steely greys that were so indicative of the atomic age.  Much of her work seems to deal with the coming loss of “innocence” brought on by turbulence of the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and well, just the end of what many perceive as the The Golden Age of pop culture.

    Landis3 Landis6 Landis2

    The women in Landis’ collages seem to be blissfully unaware of what is soon to come.  Beatific domesticity will give way to struggling to push through the glass ceiling and climbing the corporate ladder.

    Landis1

    But Landis isn’t hitting us over the head with messages.  Just subtly drawing us in to her happy-go-lucky world, then subversively reminding us that what used to be wasn’t always better.

    Want to see more of Heather Landis‘ work?  Go on over to her website and her Society6 shop.

    All images are via the artist’s website and shop.

  • Guest Forager: Gab AKA The Artful Desperado

    Guest Forager: Gab AKA The Artful Desperado

    I just discovered the most horrible accident!  It seems that WordPress in all her annoying glory never posted this Guest Forager feature back in April!  And I just discovered the “missed schedule” post.  For shame!  So today you get a bonus post, one that should have posted oh so many moons ago.  Mucho apologies to Gab who wrote such a wonderful post!

    Today’s Guest Forager is Gabriel Cabrera, whose art blog The Artful Desperado is chock full of deliciously lovely artwork as well as artfully inspired food, florals, fashion and more!  Be sure to check it out!

    Hello artsy foragers!  This is Gab from The Artful Desperado.  Fancy meeting you here.

    Wiebe1

    It’s no secret how much I love quirky art, and today I’ll be sharing some of that love with ya. Say hello to Gordon Wiebe and his cheerful collage illustrations!

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    Mr. Wiebe is a Toronto-based artist (yay Canada) whose work has been honored by the Society of Illustrators in NY and LA, among many others. He’s well known for his bold, conceptual images that are influenced by childhood memories and even some political affairs.

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    I love how there’s always some sort of smiley face painted in his illustrations. It’s always nice to find a happy surprise when you’re looking at art, yes?

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    Check out the rest of his work over here: http://gordonwiebe.com/.

    Enjoy!

    All images are via the artist’s website. 

     

     

     

     

     

  • Artsy Lately: Anna Kincaide

    Artsy Lately: Anna Kincaide

    How long has it been since I’ve done an Artsy Lately feature?  Way too long, if you ask me! Especially since sooo many of the artists whose work has been featured on AF are continually amazing me!  This young artist has been working hard and when I saw what she’s been up to, I just had to let you see.  Tallahassee artist Anna Kincaide knows that the way to grow as an artist is to continually practice your craft and experiment.  She’s playing with color and pattern these days and I’m loving this direction!

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    Catwalk is part of a series the artist completed for the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at Florida State University.  Perfect!  If you’d like to see more of Anna Kincaide‘s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.  Want to see more of what AF featured artists are up to?  Follow the Artsy Lately Pinterest board!  If you’re an artist whose work I’ve featured and you haven’t received an invite to participate in the board, shoot me an email at lesley(at)artsyforager.com!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Distorted Perceptions: Stephen Thorpe

    Distorted Perceptions: Stephen Thorpe

    Have you ever gone back to places you visited as a kid and found that they were nothing like what you’d been remembering all this time?  Perception can be muddled by age, memory, and association.  The work of UK artist Stephen Thorpe speaks to our distorted perceptions of place and reality.

    Void by Stephen Thorpe
    Void, oil on canvas, 59.8×71.7
    Lepton by Stephen Thorpe
    Lepton, oil on canvas, 17.7×23.6

    We might associate a place with a certain feeling, due to the memories created there, sometimes good, sometimes bad. In our travels, I’ve definitely found that distance and time softens my memories of some places.  The town I couldn’t wait to leave, I can now look back on fondly.  Well, sort of.

    Boson by Stephen Thorpe
    Boson, oil on canvas, 17.7×23.6

    Sometimes, we might remember a place altogether differently than the reality of that spot.  Thorpe’s paintings jumble reality with transparent planes and skewed perspectives.  What looks vaguely familiar seems just a bit abstracted and absurd.

    Deviant Boson by Stephen Thorpe
    Deviant Boson, oil on canvas, 23.6×29.9
    Event Horizon by Stephen Thorpe
    Event Horizon, oil on canvas, 35.8×29.5

    If you’d like to see more work by Stephen Thorpe, please visit his website.  Love his work enough to make it your own?  Selected works are available at Saatchi Online, including some works as prints.  Accessible, affordable art.  It’s a good thing.

    All images via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Saatchi Online.

  • Divine Junk: Amy Santoferraro

    Divine Junk: Amy Santoferraro

    I come from a long line of hoarders, ..er collectors.  My grandmother had beautiful collections of costume jewelry from the 1940s-1960s that fascinated me as a little girl, as did her glass paperweight collection.  My grandparents were hunters of the first rate.  Always looking for something useful or unique and rarely paying much for it. 😉  That same spirit of finding objects with promise permeates these whimsical sculptures by Amy Santoferraro.

    Santoferraro_Three's Company

    The things that we hold onto say so much about us, what and who is most important to us, they physically tell the story of our lives.  For Santoferraro, the fascination with objects which may be past their usefulness leads to a reimagining of what those objects can be.

    Santoferraro_Spendid Grey Santoferraro_Ivory Dusk Santoferraro_Miami Moonlighting

    The artist creates these wonderful little dioramas using thrifted and Dollar Store finds meticulously arranged to compliment each other and give interest to the composition as a whole.  Kind of makes you think differently about that old fly swatter, doesn’t it?

    Santoferraro_Charlie Brown

    To see more work by Amy Santoferraro, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Art is a Way.

  • Feeling of Place: Michael J. Abrams

    Feeling of Place: Michael J. Abrams

    As we travel, Mr. F and I get to know the places we live in an intimate way.  Each place has its own distinct atmosphere, sense of rhythm and character.  In these paintings, Vermont artist Michael J. Abrams distills his landscapes down to their own sense of atmospheric beauty.

    Lucent Blue by Michael Abrams
    Lucent Blue, oil on canvas, 51×38

    The differences in each canvas are subtle, yet so often, are the differences in place.  We’re currently living in the same general area where we were two years ago.  And while many things are familiar and recognizable, this town and the immediate area surrounding it still feel new and unexplored.

    Bourn Jetty by Michael Abrams
    Bourn Jetty, oil on panel, 8×8
    Scattered Yellow by Michael Abrams
    Scattered Yellow, oil on canvas, 74×68
    Bulrush by Michael Abrams
    Bulrush, oil on panel, 8×8

    Abrams’ paintings carry that same sense of mystery, the anticipation of what could be just beyond the haze, right around the next corner.

    Windham Light #9 by Michael Abrams
    Windham Light #9, oil on panel, 18×18

    To see more of the work of Michael J. Abrams, please visit his Facebook page and the Sears Peyton Gallery website.

    All images are via the Sears Peyton Gallery website.

  • Fragile Souls: Olivia Pendergast

    Fragile Souls: Olivia Pendergast

    Back in my gallery days, the gallery owner I worked for had a way of describing work that I’ve held onto ever since– it either has soul or it doesn’t.  Work either grips you by the heart and spirit or leaves you cold.  These figurative paintings by Seattle artist Olivia Pendergrast are filled with raw, honest emotion.

    Pendergast_Yellow Jumper Untitled by Olivia Pendergast

    The artist has traveled through Africa and Haiti, immersing herself in the people and culture of each place.  Indeed, each portrait captures the mingled innocence and heartache of the people she encountered.

    Untitled by Olivia Pendergast Untitled by Olivia Pendergast

    The muted palettes and sketchy lines bring to mind the sadness that permeates each country, and elongated limbs and fingers bely the fragility of life.

    Side of the Road by Olivia Pendergast

     Want to see more of Olivia Pendergast‘s work?  Please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Temporal Tableaus: Andy Denzler

    Temporal Tableaus: Andy Denzler

    Do you ever have days when it feels like you wake up one minute and it’s time to go back to bed the next?  Days when the time just passes, too busily or hastily, and all too quickly it’s gone.  And we hardly remember it.  The paintings of Zurich artist Andy Denzler draw us into a world where time seems to stand still.

    Couple Sharing Bed by Andy Denzler
    Couple Sharing Bed, oil on canvas, 140×120 cm
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    Bedroom Portrait Face Down, oil on canvas, 120×140 cm

    Denzler’s work is based in classical representation of the figure but the artist incorporates gestural twists through each canvas, leaving us with the impression of a paused moment.

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    Across the Shallow Stream, oil on canvas, 120×140 cm
    Something Waits For You to Breathe Again by Andy Denzler
    Something Waits For You to Breathe Again, oil on canvas, 120×140 cm

    Captured forever is the loveliness of each instant, the simple moments of the mundane, the stillness of a stretch of quiet and calm.

    Touch by Andy Denzler
    Touch, oil on canvas, 140×120 cm

    If you’d like to see more of Andy Denzler‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Vintage Visions: Jay Zerbe

    Vintage Visions: Jay Zerbe

    Mr. Forager tends to roll his eyes and snicker when I settle in to watch an old Doris Day or Cary Grant flick.  Yes, I’ll admit, sometimes the story lines are implausible and the acting a bit affected, but something about entering those make-believe worlds touches the part of me that longs for beauty and elegance and grace.  The paintings of artist Jay Zerbe seem cloaked in the palette of those longed for days.

    Shadows and Signs by Jay Zerbe
    Shadows and Signs, acrylic and crayon on canvas, 36×48

    There is something in his chalky palettes that remind me of the energy of the mid-twentieth century.  The colors seem to be telling the story of young love, white gloves and big Cadillac tail fins.

    Celery Soup by Jay Zerbe
    Celery Soup, acrylic and crayon on canvas, 36×36
    Ascension by Jay Zerbe
    Ascension, acrylic and crayon on canvas, 36×36

    But there is something underlying the nostalgic palettes.  A subtle darkness and shadow, reminding us not everything bright and shiny is without its demons.

    57 Bonneville by Jay Zerbe
    57 Bonneville, acrylic and crayon on canvas, 24×24
    Paper Lantern by Jaz Zerbe
    Paper Lantern, acrylic and crayon on canvas, 30×48

    If you would like to check out more of Jay Zerbe‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.