artsy forager

Category: Daily Artsy

Artists featured in a solo spot on Artsy Forager

  • Win Artsy Stuff: March Art Association Contest!

    Win Artsy Stuff: March Art Association Contest!

    What better way is there to officially kick off Spring than a chance to win some art?!  I assert that there is none!  That’s right, Artsies, Art Association is back and this one is going to be crazy good, I can feel it!  After February’s contest Erin, my partner in AA crime over at artsocial, and I persuaded this month’s artist, Karen Schnepf to participate and we think you’ll love her work just as much as we do.  Seriously, it is gorgeous!

    If you’re new to Art Association, here’s the what’s what — You create a Pinterest board around one work of art ( which we provide ), filled with anything and everything that pops into your mind while gazing at the catalyst piece.

    Are you ready to get started?  Of course, you are!  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and you’re ready to pin your little hearts out.  Our catalyst piece for this month is.. Wedding Day by Karen Schnepf!

    Wedding Day by Karen Schnepf
     Here’s how Art Association works–

    Step 1|  We give you a piece of artwork, this month’s work is Wedding Day by Karen Schnepf ( above ).

    Step 2 | You create a Pinterest board titled Art Association, like mine here, where you pin any and all images you associate with the featured artwork ( like word associations, only visual )– here’s a sneak peek at some of my associations

    Step 3 | Leave a link to your Art Association pinboard in the Comments section of this post

    Step 4 | Follow both art social and Artsy Forager on Pinterest ( if you already are, you’re ahead of the game! )

    Here’s what you can win–

    Colors Layered 26 by Karen Schnepf, collaged painting with high gloss finish, 12×12

    Erin & I will choose the best board entry, who will be the lucky new owner of Colors Layered 26 by Karen Schnepf ( below )!  Colors Layered is a series of work in which paper is painted, cut, then layered onto panel and coated with a smooth, high gloss finish.  ( The work has to be photographed before the finish s applied or else it is impossible to capture without glare ).  Isn’t it stunning?  I’m incredibly jealous of whoever wins this lovely.

    The pinner with the best Art Association board ( as judged by me and Erin ) will be chosen on Wednesday, March 27th at 5pm (mountain standard time).  I can’t wait to gaze upon all the beautifully colored boards I just know you guys are going to come up with!  This currently desert-dwelling-gal needs some color!

    OK, now go forth and pin!

    **So sorry but the contest is open to US residents only.  Stupid laws.

    Would you like your artwork to be featured as an Art Association subject?  Shoot me an email atartsyforager@att.net or Erin an email at artsocialonline@gmail.com for more info.

    Art images via Karen Schnepf.


  • A Special Ordinary: Elaine Pamphilon

    A Special Ordinary: Elaine Pamphilon

    What did we do before the days Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to record the beauty of every day life?  How would anyone know how lovely my lunch might be on any given day?  I don’t think UK artist Elaine Pamphilon has ever asked that question.  Her lovely mixed media works capture the ordinary in an incredibly special way.

    Cornish Window Sill by Elaine Pamphilon
    Cornish Window Sill, mixed media on panel, 80×60 cm

    Often dividing her surfaces into planes of color, Pamphilon treats us to glimpses of moments that, though simple as they may be, draw us in with their sweetness and humor.

    Blackbird Eyeing Up Sleeping Lily.. by Elaine Pamphilon
    Blackbird Eyeing Up Sleeping Lily Wondering If He Can Borrow Crumbs From Phillip’s Plate, mixed media on canvas, 50×40 cm
    Studying India by Elaine Pamphilon
    Studying India, mixed media on panel, 30×30 cm
    Indian Seed Pods and Chai by Elaine Pamphilon
    Indian Seed Pods and Chai, mixed media on panel, 30×30 cm

    There is such a sense of collected spontaneity about her work, as if each finished piece is just a quick little sketch in her journal, a remembrance of the day, sights, sounds, and findings.

    At the Old Rising Sun by Elaine Pamphilon
    At the Old Rising Sun, mixed media on panel, 40×30 cm

    Sigh.  Her work makes me wish I was a better journal keeper.  Guess I’ll have to settle for Instagram. To see more of Elaine Pamphilon’s work, please visit her website.

    Artist found via Christina Foard.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Johan Rosenmunthe

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Johan Rosenmunthe

    More and more of our interaction and how we present ourselves to the world, as well as how we perceive others is based on online representations.  In his Off II series, Danish artist Johan Rosenmunthe places digitized images of friends from the internet into entirely analog settings.  See more from this series of work in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life here!

    Off II series by Johan Rosenmunthe

    Johan Rosenmunthe on Escape Into Life

  • In Abundance: Sandy Welch

    In Abundance: Sandy Welch

    Do you ever have days when you just feel abundantly blessed?  I hope you do!!  These days I’m feeling amazingly thankful for so much.  Mr. Forager, the life we lead, the life we’re building, what I do here and everyone who shares in it.  When I was gazing at these abstract paintings by Conneticut artist Sandy Welch, one word came to mind: abundance.

    Springtime in the Park #2 by Sandy Welch
    Springtime in the Park #2

    These paintings are filled to overflowing with vibrant color and energetic rhythm.  Fairly frenetic with joy, they are brimming with life, just as the world explodes in color each spring.

    All That Jazz by Sandy Welch
    All That Jazz, acrylic, 30×40
    Spring II by Sandy Welch
    Spring II

    The paint is almost dancing off the canvas, isn’t it?!   Each one is just brimming with hopefulness and frivolity.  I think we need to remind ourselves sometimes that it’s OK to be happy.  Life isn’t perfect, no, but overall it is pretty darn good.

    A Walk in the Park by Sandy Welch
    A Walk in the Park

    To see more of Sandy Welch’s work, please visit her website and Pinterest page.

    Images via the artist’s website and her Pinterest page, linked above.

  • Sketched: Kate Long Stevenson

    Sketched: Kate Long Stevenson

    I will never forget how intimidated I was during my first figure drawing class. And how incredibly awful I was. My professor was very encouraging, telling me to push through until it clicked. And then one day it did and I loved it. All that time spent agonizing over drawing the perfect figure gave me the freedom to let loose once I got it. Charleston artist Kate Long Stevenson seems to get it, too. Her elegantly sketched figures are perfectly imperfect.

    Femme Nue by Kate Long Stevenson
    Femme Nue, oil, latex, charcoal and chalk pastel on canvas, 22×28
    Pastoral by Kate Long Stevenson
    Pastoral, oil and charcoal on canvas, 30×40

    With a minimum amount of line, Stevenson shows us the essence of each figure, a hint of a toe reveals a foot, shapes and angles slightly exaggerated so that our eye finishes the sentence they’ve begun.

    Reclining by Kate Long Stevenson
    Reclining, 28×20

    Bold patches and slashes of paint cause the eye to follow the colors around the canvas, landing and concentrating on just the right spots.

    AKT by Kate Long Stevenson
    AKT, oil, acrylic, gouache, and charcoal on canvas, 18×24
    Woman by Kate Long Stevenson
    Woman, oil, gouache, charcoal and chalk pastel on canvas, 42×48

    To see more of Kate Long Stevenson’s work, please visit her Kate Long Stevenson website.

    All images but Reclining are via the artist’s Kate Long Stevenson website. Reclining is via the Chicago Artsource Chicago Artsource website.

  • Artsy Eats: Christina Baker + Strawberry Truffle Pie

    Artsy Eats: Christina Baker + Strawberry Truffle Pie

    Did you know that today, 3.14, is Pi Day?  The happiest of all days? Get it?  Pi/pie?  I have a deep and abiding love for pie.  Ask Mr. Forager.  I’ll take pie ( fruit filled, please, preferably berry ) over cake any day of the week!  And as you know, being artsy is a way of life as much as it is a type of person.  And this artsy loves her pie.  Especially this one from BHG made with fresh strawberries AND chocolate.  If you love Christina Baker’s sweet painted confection, I bet you’ll love this pie, too.  A little rich chocolate, fresh strawberries and a flaky crust perfectly mime Christina’s February painting filled with berry-hued pinks, creamy whites and fresh brights.  I can almost taste them both..

    Gotta go, I need some strawberries STAT.

    art | February by Christina Baker, available at Found Gallery on Artsy Forager

    pie | Strawberry Truffle Pie, recipe at BHG.com

    You can check out February and more of Christina Baker’s candy-colored artwork in the City Mouse | Country Mouse show up in Found Gallery until March 28th.  You can even buy that little sweet for yourself, which let’s face it will be much better on the waistline than confections of the pie variety.  Aaaah, I’m always craving art, but now I’m craving pie, too!  Happy Pi Day, Artsies!

    Christina Baker image via the artist, pie image via Better Homes & Gardens website.

  • Clothed in Transparency: Cassandra Straubing

    Clothed in Transparency: Cassandra Straubing

    So much is made of the clothing we place on our bodies.  I maintain my belief that the clothes we choose make a statement about who we are.  But lately, the concept has been taken further to encompass not just the style of the fashions we wear, but what they are made of, where, and how.  In her sculptural work, glass artist Cassandra Straubing addresses domestic and industrial labor, two of the major producers of clothing through the centuries.

    With His Wife Now Gone, His Clothes Never Seemed to Make it Back in the Drawer by Cassandra Straubing
    With His Wife Now Gone, His Clothes Never Seemed to Make it Back in the Drawer, cast glass with found objects, 33.5x17x19
    With His Wife Now Gone ( detail ) by Cassandra Straubing
    With His Wife Now Gone ( detail )

    Last Monday, as I was driving home, ironically from a day of shopping for a few clothing basics at Target, TJ Maxx, etc., I listened to this story on NPR regarding the trend of “fast fashion” begun in the 1980s and gaining relentless momentum since.  Clothing is being produced, consumed, and disposed of at alarming rates, all the while using up valuable finite resources.  And although the impetus behind Straubing’s work, according to her artist statment, is linked more to clothing as a representation of who we are and who we become, I see in it a throwback to the simplicity of the way clothing was once viewed– it’s first purpose was practical, perhaps overalls or an apron for every day, a suit and “Sunday dress” for special occasions.

    The Beekeeper's Wife by Cassandra Straubing
    The Beekeeper’s Wife, cast glass with found objects, 18x32x3
    Mrs. Evans by Cassandra Straubing
    Mrs. Evans, kiln cast glass and found objects, 22.5x30x3.25

    But today, we fill closet after closet with “disposable” clothing, literally buying into what the fashion industry, media and manufacturers tell us we need.  As Straubing’s glass articles of clothing suggest, we are all becoming naked emperors.

    She Waited for Him on Pins and Needles by Cassandra Straubing
    She Waited for Him on Pins and Needles ( detail )

    How do we combat against falling prey to trendy fashion?  Perhaps if we imagined each new fashion was sculpted of glass, might we be so quick to want it?  Says the woman who travels with 5 large plastic bins of clothes, 1 giant suitcase, and several smaller suitcases.  But I’m working on it and have two garbage bags full of Goodwill destined clothes to prove it.

    To see more of Cassandra Straubing’s work, please visit her page at San Jose State University.

    With His Wife Now Gone.. and She Waited for Him.. via the artist’s page at SJSU, The Beekeeper’s Wife and Mrs. Evans via Bullseye Gallery.

  • Wear The Artsy: Peri Schwartz + Block Shop

    Wear The Artsy: Peri Schwartz + Block Shop

    The limited palette and tight scope of the work of this month’s Featured Artist, Peri Schwartz is what continues to keep me enthralled with her paintings.  An artist whose work shares these same characteristics is Lily Stockman, whose work I’ve featured twice here on the blog.

    Lily and her sister, Hopie, have teamed up to create Block Shop, a textiles company creating hand block printed, naturally dyed scarves crafted in India by the Chhipa family of master printers ( more about the process here ).  Doesn’t it seem fitting that if you love Peri’s focus on her place of inspiration, creation, and process that you would wear an artist designed, hand crafted and created scarf?  Of course it does!

    art | Studio III by Peri Schwartz

    scarf | Mosaic [ marigold + black ]

    Because they are hand crafted, only a limited number of Block Shop textiles are created at one time.  The entire inventory sold out in less than a week when Block Shop launched back in December!  So Lily & Hopie have restocked and are taking pre-orders for April 1st shipping.  And if you love these as much as I do, you’d better get your order in now before they’re gone!

    See more from Peri Schwartz and Block Shop on their websites, linked here and here.

    Image sources linked above.

     

  • Dissected Perfection: Joseph Phillips

    Dissected Perfection: Joseph Phillips

    As we travel and move from rental to rental, Mr. Forager and I talk a lot about our future permanent home. We think about our ideal life, which, aside from a smallish house in the Northwest, can be a pretty fluid concept for us. We see so many people striving for that “perfect” life, the one we are told we should have, a big house in suburbia, perfectly manicured lawn and all. The work of Joseph Phillips website embodies this obsession in succinctly drawn works depicting dissections of perceived perfection.

    Double-Wide Bunker with Paradise Package by Joseph Phillips
    Double-Wide Bunker with Paradise Package, gouache, graphite and ink on paper, 41×30
    Duplex Bunker by Joseph Phillips
    Duplex Bunker, gouache, graphite and ink on paper, 17×14

    Scenes of neatly trimmed grass and crystal clear pools are isolated against a white background and we see from the outside looking in that these are manufactured replicas of an idealized life.

    String Theory ( diptych ) by Joseph Phillips
    String Theory ( diptych ), gouache, graphite and ink on paper, 24×18 each

    The utopian ideals take on a slightly sinister, Stepford-like aura, where perfect grass is revealed to be carpet, where pine and palms live together, where a perfect house comes with a bunker, acknowledging that life isn’t anywhere near perfect.

    Vertically Integrated Model for Multi-Climate Living by Joseph Phillips
    Vertically Integrated Model for Multi-Climate Living, gouache, graphite and ink on paper, 30×39
    Auxilliary Lot with Site Plan by Joseph Phillips
    Auxilliary Lot with Site Plan, gouache, graphite and ink on paper, 41×30

    To see more of Joseph Phillip’s work, please visit his Joseph Phillips website.

    Artist found via New American Paintings blog. All images are via the artist’s Joseph Phillips website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Misha Ashton-Moore

    It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.  Double-exposure photography is hardly a new concept, but the way Portland, Oregon photographer Misha Ashton-Moore does it is something special!  I immediately feel for her warm + cool palettes and mixture of images, sometimes subtle, sometimes completely yet beautifully disparate.  Check out more of her work in my Artist Watch today over on Escape Into Life.  See it here!

    Portland OR USA by Misha Ashton-Moore
    Portland OR USA by Misha Ashton-Moore

    Misha Ashton-Moore on Escape Into Life

    Artist found via Daily Dolan Geiman.  Image via the artist’s website.