Henry David Thoreau said, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Street artists take that idea quite literally, by taking art out of the isolating artistic environments of galleries and museums, bringing the art to a public that might not otherwise be exposed to it. Check out these examples of art full of street cred!
Alice PasquiniNeSpoonBen WilsonJuliana Santacruz HerreraSnyder
Keep your eyes peeled for street art while you’re out and about this weekend! Would love to see some examples from your community!
Featured image by Alice Pasquini. Click on each image to view the source.
As many of you know, my husband and I are currently living in a new locale every three months. Each new place has its own personality and part of the excitement ( and scariness! ) of our journey is to find where we fit within each community. Peruvian-born artist Cecilia Paredes‘ work explores, what to me, are very personal themes of displacement and relocation.
Parades uses make-up, body paint and costume to visually blend into intricate backgrounds. This visualisation of our desire to fit, to be a part of who or what surrounds us resonates with me, not only as someone not currently rooted, but also because I am in many ways, still learning who am I apart from what or who surrounds me.
In each image, though her figure is well disguised, we are still given a hint to her presence, whether it be through her hair or the whites of her eyes. She is hidden in full view. Blending in, yet waiting to be discovered.
Normally, this is where I would direct you to the artist’s website. Cecilia Paredes does, indeed, have a website, but unfortunately, at the time of this posting, it doesn’t seem to be working. You can find her on ArtNet or check out any number of reviews that come up on Google. I found her via Lost at E Minor.
When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter? Or read a book made of paper instead of on your Kindle? Wrote a check? As we shift closer and closer to becoming a paperless society, it seems that by foregoing that physical connection with common materials, we are losing some little part of the soul of our humanity. Albuquerque, New Mexico artist, Valerie Roybal takes the forgotten ephemera of the past and resurrects it, giving it a new life through her work.
Transmutation, mixed media
Just as much of the joy of a handwritten card comes from the process– the choosing of just the right design, taking the time to sit down and write, the physical sensation of putting pen to paper, walking it to the mailbox– so is Roybal’s work process-driven. From her artist statement, “Order, association, and reverence emerges from the sorting, arranging, and placement of each accumulated piece into a whole.”
Transmutation 4, mixed media
In her “In the Library” series, the artist uses that process of sorting and arranging to create compositions reminiscent of stacked book spines. There is a kind of random orderliness to these not unlike a library of treasured collections.
In the Library 14, mixed media
Through her work, Roybal also explores natural physiological processes such as cell mutations. The resulting compositions possess the seeming precision of scientific illustrations, but with the bursts of life and color that remind us of the wonder of the organic world.
A Brief History 3, mixed mediaTransmutation 5, mixed media
To see more of Valerie Roybal’s work, please visit her website. Thanks to Hillary at Stellers Gallery Ponte Vedra for introducing Artsy Forager to this artist!
Featured image is Transmission, mixed media. All images are via the artist’s website.
Artists and designers have been inspiring each other for centuries. Whether we realize it or not, much of the clothes we wear, jewelry we sport and objects we use are a result of the symbiosis between art and design. And I for one, love to celebrate such connections! For this first feature in the new Artsy Fodder series, let’s have some fun with artfully inspired jewelry designs. These pieces may not have directly influenced each other, but there is an unmistakable resemblance.
Art…
Friday Night 27848 by John Duckworth
Bejewelled…
Kate Spade, City Lights Idiom Bangle
Art…
Oceanic Series by Thomas Hager
Bejewelled…
Anthropologie, Jumbled Loops Necklace
Art…
Untitled by Amy Pleasant
Bejewelled…
Paige Novick, White Howlite Cuff
Art…
Yin and Yang by Jennifer Bain
Bejewelled…
Jill Schwartz, Mosaic Pin
Art…
Screen ( Barn Owl ) by Kevin Appel
Bejewelled…
M. Missoni, Chain Necklace
Do find yourself buying pretty baubles that remind you of your favorite artwork? Take a look inside your own closet or jewelry box and I’ll bet you’ll see some similarities!
Each year, Pantone announces its “Color of the Year”. The color authority combs the world looking for influential color and its Color of the Year proclamation affects design decisions in fashion, interiors, products, packaging, you name it. This year’s color is a bold and vibrant reddish-orange, Tangerine Tango. Artists, always ahead of the curve, have been embracing orange for quite some time. I know it’s always been one of my own favorite hues. Take a peek at some of these lovely examples of tangerine dreams!
Orange Ocean Edge by Christina FoardAn Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds by Luke StephensonSpring Flowers by Susan MelrathClickety Clack by Pamela ViolaWithout You by Margaret Glew
Any orangey hued works you’re loving lately? Would love to hear about them! Have a great weekend, Artsies, and if you’re snowed in and in need of some warming, check out today’s featured artists’ websites!
George and I are people watchers. Sometimes when the hubby and I are stuck in a public place with time to kill, we love to watch the people go by, making up stories about who they are, where they are going.. Occasionally, in the course of observing, we may make eye contact with a stranger. Just a glance, but in the moment, there is a recognizable connection between souls. Los Angeles artist Kris Lewis shares his own experiences in human observations with his wonderfully moody portraits.
Scintillating Venuses, oil on wood, 24×23
If you’ve read the blog for a while, then you know I’m a sucker for interestingportraiture. Lewis follows in the footsteps of portraitists that came before him, his figures are beautifully drawn and rendered. But what sets his work apart is the capturing of the fleeting emotion of a moment, whether conveying a sense of vulnerability, power, sadness, even resolution.
Destruction Period, oil on canvas, 24×24
The faces portrayed often seem decidedly modern, but when juxtaposed with costumes of another era and surrealish landscape backgrounds, as one blogger put it, the result is “modern spooky”. These aren’t prosaic traditional portraits to hang above the fireplace. They are explorations of experience, revelations of hidden narratives.
Fire Tower, oil on wood, 12×16Low Tide, oil on board, 24×36
It’s almost as if, in carefully observing his subjects, the artist sees them in another life. A life previously lived in a different time and place.
Red, oil on wood, 20×24
Which makes me wonder.. how would such an artist depict me? Or you? Wouldn’t you love to know?! Visit Kris Lewis’s website to see more and while he’s in the process of updating it, you can find his latest work on his Facebook page. Speaking of Facebook, have you “liked” the Artsy Forager Facebook page? If not, you may be missing out on all sorts of fun & interesting tidbits not shared on the blog!
Thank you to Christine at Bijou and Boheme for introducing me to this incredible artist!
Featured image is Weathered Oak, oil on wood, 24×20. All images are via the artist’s website.
Good things come in small packages. But sometimes, really awesome things come in large packages! Although there is definitely a trend in the interior design world toward showcasing collections of small artwork, sometimes, you just gotta go big to make a statement.
Photography by Miles ReddDonna Karan’s Manhattan Apartment, photographed by Richard PowersImage via Apartment Therapy, interior design by Fran Keenan, artwork by Amy Pleasantvia Lonnymag.com
There have been several large pieces I’ve coveted over the years.. one day! Any larger than life artwork you’re loving right now?
PS– Artists– Do you have images of your work in a client’s home you’d like featured in Artsy Dwelling on Artsy Forager? Shoot me an email with the jpeg or a link to the image online! Merci beaucoup!
It’s EIL Tuesday again! Make sure you stop by Escape Into Life to check out my post today featuring Minneapolis artist, Melissa Loop. Her Utopian compositions never cease to amaze me!
Over the weekend, following a walk in the brisk January air, I was consumed with a desire to paint. Although I’d recently cranked out seven (!) paintings as Christmas gifts for my nieces, I really haven’t painted consistently since college. As I set out to create a little study of an Idaho Locust seed pod found on our walk, my underpainting, nothing but brushstrokes and color was so much more interesting than anything I would create out of it. Artist Kerry Irvine understands the potent power of color to invoke emotion, mood and form.
Letting Go, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on canvas, 24×36
Kerry’s use of color creates an ambience and sense of place, be it a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual destination.
Oil Pond, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 40×60
They are places we’ve been before, moments of joy, times of reflection, memories of days past, dreams real or imagined. But all having made us who we are.
Tree of Life, acrylic and oil stick on canvas, 36×48
Kerry’s work takes us on a journey. A sojourn through color with sidestepping adventures in texture, line and form.
Cherry Blossom Freeze, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 36×48
To see more of Kerry Irvine’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.
Featured image is Midnight in the Garden, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 63×48. All images are via the artist’s website.
