artsy forager

Category: Photography

  • Art to Inspiration: Charlen Willliamson

    Art to Inspiration: Charlen Willliamson

    Wow, it seems like a long time has passed since I participated in Art to Inspiration, a monthly collaborative blog project, how I’ve missed it! Mr. Forager and I are still in the land of sand and sun, but our time here is finally growing short. This month’s inspiration, In the Mist by Charlen Williamson, has me longing to return to the cool grey of the Pacific Northwest. So it’s only fitting that Williamson’s image inspired me to put together a gallery of black & white photographs Mr. Forager & I have taken from our favorite places in the Northwest. 50 Shades of the Pac NW, if you will.. 😉

    The inspiration– 

    In the Mist by Charlen Williamson
    In the Mist by Charlen Williamson

    The gallery–

    20130205-153252.jpg
    Cape Disappointment, WA
    20130205-153346.jpg
    Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA
    20130205-153452.jpg
    Astoria, OR
    20130205-153643.jpg
    Olympic National Park, WA
    20130205-153723.jpg
    Ruby Beach, WA
    20130205-153757.jpg
    Olympic National Park, WA

    Oh, the Northwest!  We can’t wait to get back to you.  See more work by Charlen Williamson in her Etsy shop here.  You can see more photos from the travels of Artsy & Mr. Forager on the blog’s Instagram feed.

    You can find more information on Art to Inspiration here and if you would like to participate in the next Art to Inspiration, just fill out this form! Follow me and all the other Art to Inspiration bloggers on Twitter by subscribing here.  Let the inspiring begin! 

    In the Mist by Charlen Williamson via her Etsy shop.  All other images by Artsy Forager.

  • February Featured Artist: Diana Lemieux

    February Featured Artist: Diana Lemieux

    Sometimes I wonder if fine art photographers read art blogs and think “Painting, painting, painting!” ( cue Jan Brady voice ).  But painting doesn’t just happen with oils and acrylics.  An artist paints their composition with whatever medium they choose and this month’s Featured Artist, Diana Lemeiux paints with a camera.

    Lemieux creates and captures scenes from our dreams, mysterious and fleeting.. we see just a glimpse of a moment, not knowing what happened just before or what could arise in the next breath.

    Her limited palettes help foster the emotion she is bringing forth in each image– moody, somber neutrals or bright, warm saturated hues give us a sense of each scene and the story it has to tell.

    To see more of Diana Lemieux’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.  Diana’s work will be in the starring role on the Artsy Forager Facebook page all this month and be sure to check out the FB album full of my favorite Diana Lemieux photographs!

  • Kickin’ Off the Weekend & a New Month With a New Featured Artist!

    Kickin’ Off the Weekend & a New Month With a New Featured Artist!

    Happy weekend and happy February, Artsies!  Mr. F and I are excited because  1) it’s the weekend.. duh, 2) we are heading to San Diego tonight to spend the weekend with dear friends, always a good time! and 3) a new month means we are that much closer to leaving the desert and heading back toward our beloved Northwest!  But before I leave you to start packing for our weekend away, please allow me to introduce you to February’s Featured Artist, Diana Lemieux!

    Balancing Act by Diana Lemieux
    Balancing Act

    Head on over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see more of Diana’s breathtaking photography!  Then come on back to this spot on Monday for more!  You’ll be seeing lots of Diana this month here on the blog, as well as the Artsy Forager Facebook & Twitter feeds.  Looking forward to a February full of photography!

  • Insert the [ Artsy ]: Fuzzy Sculptures and Sunsets

    Holy wow, it’s been a long time since I did an Insert the Artsy post!  I’d forgotten how much fun they can be, dreaming and scheming what piece of artwork I would place in a room.  When I saw this room designed by Erin Martin, on Pinterest, I loved the warm sparseness of it, those wood beams, high ceilings and that magnificent hanging sculpture!  But then I thought, oh, maybe that space above the bed could use just a little cool, saturated color– not too much and nothing too textural to take away from what’s happening above.. enter the work of New York photographer Eric Cahan.

    room design | Erin Martin

    photo source | Eye on Design by Dan Gregory

    art | Eric Cahan

    I love the way the deep turquoise of Cahan’s work plays off the subtle browns and oranges in the wood, while the purple adds just the right touch of coolness.  The quiet sleekness of the photograph is a perfect foil for the shaggy texture of the hanging sculpture and rusticity of the wood beams.

    What do you think, Artsies?  What piece of artwork would you like to wake up to in this room?

    All image sources linked above.

  • Guest Foraging for UGallery: Curated Persona: Your Snow Bunny Sister

    Guest Foraging for UGallery: Curated Persona: Your Snow Bunny Sister

    After a little holiday hiatus, my Curated Persona series for UGallery is back!  I happen to have a lot in common with this month’s persona.. which is why Mr. Forager keeps threatening to move us to Alaska ( which I might be secretly OK with! ).  Check out my Curated Persona: Your Snow Bunny Sister on UGallery’s blog here!

    Reindeer by Valerie Chiang
    Reindeer by Valerie Chiang, available from UGallery.com

    Image via the UGallery website.

  • Isolated Moments: Elisa Noguera Lopez

    Isolated Moments: Elisa Noguera Lopez

    I used to have two cats ( who now live with Mr. Forager’s mom ).  One of said cats, Simon, used to occasionally turn his back on me and just sit very still, and at those times, there was a sense of sadness that always seemed permeate the scene.  But then he would suddenly start chasing the sunlight or stretch out for a long nap.  London photographer Elisa Noguera Lopez creates a similar sense of isolated moments in her series, Perhaps Finally Alone.

    In this series, the artist places domesticated animals against a simple decorative background atop a plinth-like stool.  Capturing her subjects in ambiguous, seemingly-headless poses creates a sense of lonely disquiet to each scene.  Their backs to us, the subjects are disengaged, leaving us longing for acknowledgement.

    While the scenes may feel lonely at first, the longer I study them, the more of an anticipatory feeling I get.. the cat is watching a lizard on the floor below, ready to pounce at any second.. the woman has just flipped her head upside down and will whip it back up Rita Hayworth-style.

    What do you think, Artsies?  Do you find these headless bodies charming or disturbing?  Let me know in the comments!  To see more of Elisa Noguera Lopez’s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via It’s Nice That.

  • Artsy On Escape Into Life: Brian Taylor

    Artsy On Escape Into Life: Brian Taylor

    I’ve finally joined the world of Instagram, which definitely has me taking more photos than I normally would with just my camera. Which is leading me to think more carefully about what I choose to photograph and how I choose to frame the composition.  So needless to say, I’ve got photography on the brain!  In my Artist Watch today on Escape Into Life, I’m featuring a photographer much more accomplished than I.  Check out the work of Brian Taylor here!

    Little Pink Houses by Brian Taylor

    Brian Taylor on Escape Into Life

  • Artsy About Town: Ruud van Empel’s Strange Beauty

    Artsy About Town: Ruud van Empel’s Strange Beauty

    I have had the work of Dutch artist Ruud van Empel pinned to my Pinterest board for months now.  Imagine my excitement when we arrived in San Diego back in October and I saw who was coming to the Museum of Photographic Arts at Balboa Park!  Since then, I’ve had the postcard for his show, Strange Beauty, hanging on our fridge, just waiting to see this compelling work up close.

    *I snapped this pic before I saw the sign for no photography.  Shhh.. don’t tell on me!

    The artist’s first solo show in an American museum, Strange Beauty showcases over 40 of van Empel’s digitally created works.  I hate to call them digitally enhanced photographs because they are so very much more than that.  Ruud van Empel carefully constructs each piece, meticulously layering staged photographs, digital imagery, and collage.

    World #7 by Ruud Van Empel
    World #7, cibachrome, 41.43×59.06

    The results are stunningly haunting, complex imagery.  With a background in theater arts and graphic graphic design, van Empel sets a beautifully enticing stage, one in we aren’t sure whether his characters should feel right at home or terribly out of place.

    World #20 by Rudd van Empel
    World #20, cibachrome, 23.5×33
    The Office #41 by Ruud van Empel
    The Office #41, digital print on paper, 12.01×13.78
    Untitled #1 by Ruud van Empel
    Untitled #1, cibachrome, 33.11×46.81

    As you look closely at each image, you aren’t sure where the actual photograph and the manipulation or collage begins.. in many we would be surprised to know which elements were not present all along.

    Generation #2 by Ruud van Empel
    Generation #2, cibachrome, 130×49

    Strange Beauty runs through February 3, 2013 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego.  If you’re anywhere near the area, I highly recommend a visit!  You can also see more of Ruud van Empel’s work on his website.

    Top image by Artsy Forager.  All other images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Akihiko Miyoshi

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Akihiko Miyoshi

    New Year’s Eve is a time for self-reflection, right?  I mean, between the glasses of champagne, that is.  Which makes the work of photographer Akihiko Miyoshi perfect for today’s Artist Watch on Escape Into Life.  In his work, the photographer seems to be looking into his own lens, distorted by the forms standing between.  I find them fascinating and hope you will, too!  Check ’em out here!

    112111c by Akihiko Miyoshi
    112111c by Akihiko Miyoshi

    Akihiko Miyoshi on Escape Into Life

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Margriet Smulders

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Margriet Smulders

    Lusciously layered, elegantly styled, richly colored photographs resembling classical floral still lifes?  Yes, please!  Have a peek at the sensual work of Dutch artist Margriet Smulders, featured today in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life.  Escape the rush of this Christmas Eve by gazing at these lovelies found here!

    Zwelterusten by Margriet Smulders
    Zwelterusten by Margriet Smulders

    Margriet Smulders on Escape Into Life