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Category: Paintings

Fresh Graphics: Kate Mullin

Days are getting shorter, nights are cooler, and kids everywhere are headed back to school. Summer’s end is near, and as much as I’m looking forward to the arrival of my favorite season, I do hate to see some summer things go! The bright, happy colors of flowers with their faces turned to the sun never fail to make me smile. These graphically painted floral still lifes by Charleston artist Kate Mullin just might get me through the coming cold and rainy months.

Sally, oil on canvas, 22×28

Pink & Pink, oil on canvas, 16×20

Mullins’ use of flattened planes seems to be a deliberate nod to vintage paint-by-numbers ( which I love and have a few of my own in storage! ), but she amps up the modern feel by mixing in bright, saturated color and graphic blacks.

Zinnia Arrangement, oil on canvas, 24×24

Teal Zinnias, oil on canvas, 28×22

Mullins’ bouquets are full of light and life. They fairly drip with color and vivacity! The perfect antidote for the coming dreariness. 😉

Coral, oil on canvas, 16×20

Want to see more work by Kate Mullin? Be sure to check out her website and Facebook page!

All images via the artist’s website.

August 26, 2013
Hope in the Dark: Wendy McWilliams

As much as we would love to be happily skipping through life at all times, there will always be moments that get us down. We get stressed, overwhelmed, and sometimes just plain sad. But in the darkness, there is always a light of hope. These abstract paintings by Tennessee artist Wendy McWilliams illustrate in paint that feeling of glimpsing the light in our dark moments.

I’m not sure this was the artist’s purpose when she set out to paint these canvases, but it is what these pieces are speaking to my own, slightly stressed mind today.. There is always something happening, something or someone clamoring for our attention. Sometimes the noise is welcome, other times, not so much. But in the light and color of McWilliams’ work, today I’m reminded that the stress doesn’t last forever.

We always manage somehow to come through the chaos, to tackle the seemingly insurmountable tasks before us or to just plain grin and bear it until it’s all over. Whether it is through our own strength, help from another or above, we get through it. The color returns and so does the light.

Want to see more work from this artist? Check out Wendy McWilliams’ website.

All images are via the artist’s website.

August 21, 2013
A Sublime Display: Jan de Vliegher

Maybe it was all the costume dramas I watched with my mom as a kid. Or maybe it was all those fairy tales my grandmother read to me. This abstract-lovin’ Artsy is also a sucker for all things with a romantic past. These porcelain plate paintings by Flemish artist Jan De Vliegher take decorative museum pieces and amp them up to larger than life works of art.

( no title available ), oil on canvas

De Vliegher takes photos of plates in museum displays– you know the ones in the room off to the side that people take one peek in and then turn around in search of the Picassos– then uses the photos as reference for his larger than life paintings. He takes these precious little objects, hiding behind their glass cases and pumps them up in size and energy.

Sevres, Dancing Girl, oil on canvas, 43×43

( No title available ), oil on canvas

Flower and Saz, oil on canvas, 79×79

These are no photorealistic depictions of prized antiques. De Vliegher doesn’t concentrate on detail, but rather turns his attention and brush to capturing the essence of the atmosphere of each of these pieces in their little glass houses. They almost come to life with the way in which he freely and loosely sketches their likenesses. Cold porcelain resurrected.

Cleopatra, oil on canvas, 79×79

Hear the artist speak about his process and see installation images in this video in which Vincent Zambrano interviews Jan De Vliegher.

Want to see more work by Jan De Vliegher? Check out his artist’s page at Mike Weiss Gallery.

Images via Mike Weiss Gallery and Beautiful Decay.

August 15, 2013
White Out: Caitlin Lonegan

There can be abundance found with restraint. When a bush is pruned correctly, it blooms more profusely, doesn’t it? In her series of White Page paintings, Los Angeles artist Caitlin Lonegan doesn’t shy from letting the white of her canvas show through. In fact, she embraces it.

Untitled ( White page, brown ), oil on canvas, 72×78

Untitled ( White page, Writing III ), oil on canvas, 48×60

Instead of the white canvas being just a surface to be covered, it becomes part & parcel in the composition– a place of rest for the eye, an expanse of space in which the marks made by the artist’s brush are not just strokes but the subject.

Untitled ( White Page, Teal ), oil on canvas, 72×78

The confidence an artist must have to allow her marks to be laid so bare is humbling and astonishing to me. Every little stray swipe of the brush, every little drop of paint is there for the eye to see. And it is in these little gestures that I find the most depth and delight.

Untitled ( White Page, Writing ), oil on canvas, 48×60

Untitled ( White Page, Blue Line ), oil on canvas, 48×60

Want to see more work by Caitlin Lonegan? Please visit her website by clicking through on her name.

All images are via the artist’s website. Artist found via Little Paper Planes.

August 14, 2013
Beauty Confined: Carlos San Millan

As someone who works from home, I spend a lot of time within the walls of each of our temporary homes. And when you’re staring at the same walls each day, one of two things happens: a) you begin to notice the hidden beauty around you or b) you find your inspiration outside those walls. Lucky for us, Spanish artist Carlos San Millan finds and paints the beauty he discovers within confined spaces.

Untitled, oil on board, 90×70 cm

I still remember and often think about every nook and cranny of my lovely little home I left behind in Florida! When we first landed in the Northwest, we lived in a gorgeous two-story Craftsman home and though the little town left much to be desired, we loved every second of our time in that house. I was continually inspired by the rooftop views and the vintage craftsmanship. Our little house in Joshua Tree surprised me by instigating some of the most creative and inspired moments I’ve had in years.

Untitled, oil on board, 80×80 cm

Untitled, oil on board, 36×43 cm

What I love most about these paintings of Carlos San Millan is the loveliness he is capturing in lived in spaces. Random stuff on the floor, paintings stacked against wall, an arm flung casually off a chair– these aren’t perfectly styled rooms. They look much like ours do every day, it’s the way we live and though we may not see the inhabitants, their presence is felt.

Untitled, oil on board, 81×53 cm

Over the last few days, I’ve been finding myself daydreaming about our new little place outside of Olympia, where we’ll be headed in nine days! I can’t wait to share photos with you. It’s a dreamy little spot and I’m already anticipating how inspiring it will be. I’ll give you a hint: Waterfall. IN THE BACKYARD.

Want to be inspired by more of Carlos San Millan‘s work? Be sure to visit his website ( click on his name for the link ).

All images are via the artist’s website.

August 12, 2013
Life Fragments: Emily Ferretti

I’m not sure what it is about Aussie artists, but I am almost inevitably drawn to their work. Case in point: Emily Ferretti. Ferretti’s sparsely populated compositions and chalky palette provide an aesthetic salve to an overwhelmed and frenetic mind.

Her work has such a mellow softness to it, contrasting interestingly with the fragmented shapes and lines that are a recurring theme. It is work which reminds me that when life is pulling me in a million different directions, I can brush my life’s canvas with tender vulnerability– a soft place to cushion life’s hard edges.

Please visit the artist’s blog to see more work by Emily Ferretti. Also, there is a lovely interview and studio visit with the artist on The Design Files site. You know I love a good studio visit !

All images are via the artist’s blog.

August 8, 2013
A Careful Balance: Ky Anderson

I’ve been working on a freelance art curation project for a healthcare installation– which for this one means looking at a lot of stock photography.. yesterday it was flowers & marshes, today, fitness photos. So you know what makes me super happy right now? Some fantastically awesome abstract paintings! These abstract works by Brooklyn artist Ky Anderson are all about balance and relationship and they are speaking to my stressed out little mind!

One Has Three Shadows, acrylic on paper, 50×38

Anderson uses simple lines and forms, intertwining them in his compositions so that everything feels just cautiously balanced. Like a game of Jenga, it seems as if the pieces of the whole are carefully placed so that each is supporting the other.

Settled In, acrylic on panel, 16×18

Untitled, acrylic on paper, 22×22

Pressure, acrylic on panel, 16×18

The artist continues her balancing act in his chosen palette, softening dark black lines with creamy pastels and translucent blues. Each piece a study of careful balance.

Centered Single, acrylic on paper, 22×30

I highly recommend you check out more of Ky Anderson’s work on her website. Each piece more lovely than the next!

All images are via the artist’s website.

August 7, 2013
August Featured Artist: Candace Fasano

I just love it when an artist seems to take a bit of a break for a while and then BOOM!, comes back strong! Such seems to have been the case with Florida artist Candace Fasano, this month’s Featured Artist.

Double Exposure, oil on wood, 24×24

Long time Artsy Forager readers might remember Candace’s work from way back in July ’11 ( where have the past two years gone?? ). Over the past few years, I would occasionally glimpse a post on her blog or Facebook page, but then just within the last few month, suddenly it seemed like this artist was back and she meant business! When I clicked on a blog post back in January, I was thrilled to see a bunch of new, exciting work looking back at me.

Alternating Phase, oil on wood, 12×12

EG3, mixed media on wood, 12×12

Fasano is still playing with her imagination ( and ours ), delving even past narratives into the worlds of scientific mapping and microbiological patterns. There is still the typography and wispy lines that are part of her artist’s signature, but these new paintings seem to be an artist who has discovered new caves to explore and is diving deeper beneath the surface.

Double Etch Trenches, oil on wood, 11×14

I’m so excited to feature the work of Candace Fasano all August long here on Artsy Forager! Be sure to check out her website, blog, and Facebook page. You can see one of Candace’s paintings gracing the Artsy Forager Facebook page, too, as well as a whole album of my favorite Fasano works!

All images are via the artist’s website.

August 1, 2013
Inside Job: Chelsea James

One of the most fun things about traveling the way we do is being able to try on different types of places. It’s always interesting to me how each place has its own personality, reflected in the town’s homes and buildings. The look of Seattle and Joshua Tree couldn’t be more different! Interior obsessive that I am, I couldn’t help but share these lovely paintings by artist Chelsea James.

Studio b, oil on canvas, 36×36

Utility Sink, oil on panel, 36×36

I first spotted James’ work on the New American Paintings blog a while back and was immediately drawn to her style of painting. Her use of angles and perspective really draws you into the space of each painting, reminding me greatly of another favorite interior artist, Peri Schwartz.

Sink, oil on panel, 12×12

And of course, I always love any artist who sees the beauty in the ordinary. Thanks to Chelsea James, I will never again take for granted the loveliness to be found in a sink!

Sylvia, oil on panel, 12×12

Piso 7, oil on panel, 12×12

If you’d like to see more of Chelsea James’ work, please click on over to her website. Don’t you want to do a Risky Business style slide across that floor in Piso 7? Just me?

All images via the artist’s website.

July 31, 2013
Twisted & Tangled: Deborah Dancy

Sometimes, as I’m looking through my artists queue and planning which artists to feature, I have to go back and search the Artsy archives because I come across an artist whose work is so fantastic, so just up my alley, that I’m shocked I let this artist’s work sit in queue for so long. I can’t believe I waited so long to share these gorgeous abstract paintings by artist Deborah Dancy.

As the World Turns, oil on canvas, 60×48

Dancing in the Dark, oil on canvas, 60×60

Dancy spins a web of layered painterly texture, light, shadow and intricately concocted yet wonderfully spontaneous cages of line. My eye gets caught up in each tangled maze of paint, getting utterly lost and never wanting to come back.

The Object of My Affection, oil on canvas, 46×46

Stormy Weather, oil on canvas, 30×30

And have I mentioned the palette? Warm rusty desert tones contrast with pale cotton candy pastels, keeping things fresh and light.

Gates of Paradise, oil on canvas, 60×48

Want to see more of Deborah Dancy’s work? Of course you do. Check out her website.

All images via the artist’s website. Artist found via Sears Peyton Gallery.

July 30, 2013

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