I have a weakness for Abstract Expressionism. I’m not sure what it is about the paintings of that time and the artists who created them, but there is just something about these works that move me. Maybe it is the experimentation, or the emotionality behind them or the rebellion against a post-WWII saccharine society.
The last of the original group of the Abstract Expressionists, Hedda Sterne has passed on. Perhaps a lesser known member, her work was still widely collected and is held in the collections of several prominent museums.
I am so excited to bring you our very first Artsy Forager studio tour, featuring ( drumroll, please! ), Amelia Island artist Theresa Daily! *applause*
Theresa and I struck up a friendship through the glory of Facebook long before we’d ever met in person. This self-taught artist struck me as incredibly funny, generous and kind-hearted, not to mention talented. Once I met Theresa in person last year, there was no doubt that my initial impression was true.
The artist in her studio
Though a Kentucky native, Theresa is definitely an “island girl” at heart. Her work lovingly depicts the landscapes and life surrounding her on Amelia Island.
You can usually find Theresa painting at Blue Door Artists on Centre Street in Downtown Fernandina Beach, FL– look for the blue door and crazy stairs! She shares her sun-filled second floor studio with fellow artist, Carol Sprovtsoff. You may even catch a glimpse of Theresa’s grandchildren, two adorable artists-in-training!
Potato-chip bag evidence, kids are about!
A peek inside her watercolor stash
Working in a collective studio like Blue Door allows the artists to share ideas and inspiration, as well as help each other out when they get “stuck”. The idea of an artist working away in a lonely studio may be romantic, but not be nearly as much fun. These artists feed of each other’s creative energy, which results in growth and more dynamic work. For instance, when Theresa was struggling with her latest piece ( pictured below, behind the easel ), fellow Blue Door artist, Casey Matthews was there to encourage, offer suggestions and be a source of support.
Theresa’s work has gone from mostly representational to more intuitive , abstracted landscapes. But a consistent style and palette keeps the work coherent and instantly recognizable as hers.
The studio’s gallery space
Art for sale!!
Thank you for joining me on a little visit to the creative space of this local artist. Stop by Blue Door anytime Monday- Saturday, 11ish to 5ish ( island hours! ) and you may be lucky enough to see Theresa Daily in action and enjoy a chat.
Can you believe it’s already Friday again? Where did the week go?!
There is no real theme for this week’s Friday Faves.. other than these are a few of my favorite things right now. All art related, all colorful, all inspiring to me for different reasons.
This may possibly be my favorite quote ever. And something I struggle with daily. ( Yes, “loose” should be “lose” and the artist acknowledged it, but somehow that imperfection makes it even better ).
I want to spend the day outside, playing with watercolors, not caring whether or not the sketches are any good. ( I stink at watercolors! )
I love everything about this image. The jewelled rainbow color palette, the abstract expressionist paint splashes, the idea of the paint falling like rain, the black & white vintage girl… love, love, love.
I fell hard for this little guy the first time I saw him. So dapper, so sophisticated!
Wishing you a weekend full of warmth, spring color and artsyness! Be inspired.
Beauty was abounding in Jacksonville last night and I’m not just talking about the perfect weather. My sister-in-law and I attended the monthly Downtown Art Walk and were treated to not just the usual visual stimulation but mental and emotional engagement, as well. Now, I had a list about a mile long of the spots I wanted to hit, but we arrived late and spent quite a bit of time at each one, so.. yeah, we only made it to a few.
But we began the night with a bang at The VAULT Gallery, Willliams-Cornelius’ space in a former bank vault ( yes, you read that right! ) on Forsyth Street. Greeted by the Mr. Williams & Ms. Cornelius themselves, and intern Adam, we set off to see what artist Jeff Whipple had in store for us. Whipple has been working on this “Spasm” series for more than thirty years. What began as a painterly device to fill negative pace, the three-barred icon has grown from an element in the background to become the object of an entire series of work.
The three bars that comprise a “spasm” serve to symbolize life, lifetime or a lifestyle. The artwork is open to interpretation, based on the viewer’s own experience– how you see it may not be the way I see it and that’s OK. All of our lives are different and it is in this difference that we each find meaning in the spasms. This is work that truly that makes you stop and think– what does this mean? To the artist? To me?
In conjunction with the showing of Jeff Whipple’s work, Williams-Cornelius also presented a performance piece by self-proclaimed “deformance artist”, Liz Gibson. Gibson was born with a birth defect causing her to have only seven fingers– five on one hand and only two on the other. The performance last night was a character of Gibson’s own creation “Ben Wa Betty”. Betty appears as part archetypal Asian lady, but in a hip and provocative way. Gibson tells stories of how at times she felt lucky or unlucky to have been born with a deformity, all while pouring wax over her deformed hand, proving how you can take something that seems unlucky and make something beautiful out of it.
The overaching theme is one of contentment– be happy with who you are and how you were made. At times you may feel unlucky, but there will always be a reminder of just how lucky we all are.
Our next stop was Southlight Gallery, where there is always a display of exceptional art by some of the most well-known artists in Jacksonville, right along side with talented emerging artists. The featured artist last night was wood sculptor, Grant Ward.
I’m a sucker for any burl or wood sculpture and have been a fan of Ward’s pieces for a long time. There is something about an artist that looks at a log or a tree stump, sees the potential for creating something unique AND possesses the craftsmanship to create something polished and beautiful out of such rough raw materials.
I have always especially loved Ward’s pieces that combine burl wood with spun metal. These pieces take on, for me an other worldly space-like quality. It is as if the wood is a planetary surface and the metal pieces are alien pods making their home there.
After leaving Southlight, we made our way toward the river to the Suntrust Tower, new home of Town Editions, Thomas Hager’s new line of accessibly affordable limited editions– making this artist’s beautiful work available to even a young collector.
These hand-crafted, signed and numbered editions are created using vintage photographic processes, which give the simple subject matter an elegance and sophistication lacking in much of today’s photographic prints. Also on view are some of Hager’s paintings ( He paints, too! I know! ).
Filled with texture and a pastel & neutral palette, these pieces are reminiscent of sand or rock. They have an organic feeling to them that such completely non-representational work rarely possesses. I’m looking forward to seeing Tom’s paintings evolve just as his photography continues to do so.
I wish I could tell you more about all the places we visited and amazing art we saw, but alas, that was the end of our night. I can tell you that I will be back downtown soon to visit the exhibits and studios I missed. I’m not sure how anyone could see it all in ArtWalk’s four hours.. but what an awesome problem to have!
May’s Downtown ArtWalk will be May 4, 2011. More information available here. Hope to see you there!
Yesterday I learned of the passing of one of the great leaders of the art community in Jacksonville, Hamish MacEwan. Hamish was born in Scotland, eventually coming to the US and earning a Masters of Art degree from Harvard University. His career brought him to Jacksonville and though he gained notoriety as the head of the arts department at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville and producer of cultural programs for Jacksonville’s local PBS Station. It is in his paintings and personal relationships that Hamish’s real legacy is found.
I can still vividly remember my first encounter with Hamish. I had only been working at Fogle Fine Art for a short time, when Hamish came into the gallery on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. I had, of course, already been familiar with his work from living in Jacksonville and working for SuperStock, who handled the licensing of much of his artwork.
He came into the gallery looking like a character from a Rosamunde Pilcher novel, dressed in cordoruoys, tweed jacket ( complete with elbow patches! ) and hat. His voice had that beautiful Scottish lilt and he was the epitome of a Scottish gentleman. I always remember his hankerchiefs, because they reminded me of my own grandfather, also an old-school hankerchief user.
Hamish was a prolific artist, painting every day even into his 90’s. In 2009, Fogle joined forces with MOCA Jax to do a retrospective of his work the year Hamish turned 90 years old, “90 in “09” showcased the artistic journey of this remarkable artist. I was fortunate to give Hamish a ride home after the opening at the gallery. He was blown away by all the attention and so appreciative and humbled by this celebration of his life of work.
After I dropped Hamish off that night, I watched him amble along the sidewalk to his apartment, leaning on his cane. I pictured him the next day, same as always, painting in his studio. I like to think that he is still painting.
Goodbye, Hamish. Thank you for the creative legacy you have left us all.
Have you heard about this? Really interesting happening in the art world, especially considering today’s rampantly open internet. The article does a great job of outline exactly what Fair Use is and why Prince’s work didn’t meet those standards and is therefore, considered copyright infringement.
Sorry for the late post today– we’ve had some big things happening, so I’ve been a bit preoccupied. More on that later! For this week’s Masters Monday, we’re going a little more modern– enter Pablo Picasso and cubism. Cubism is an early 20th century art movement that was begun by Picasso and Georges Braques in which objects were depicted from a multitude of viewpoints in a seemingly random fashion.
Breakfast by Juan Gris
For me, cubism was a quite a breakthrough while taking figure drawing classes in college. Once figure drawing started clicking for me, ( it was horribly frustrating at first, but my professor at UNF, Paul Ladnier, told me that one day it would just “click” and it would be smooth sailing– I didn’t believe him until it actually happened that way! ) it was then that Paul suggested I try a little cubism. That’s when things REALLY started to get more fun and interesting! I loved exaggerating the planes and forms.
Girl With a Mandolin ( Fanny Tellier ) by Pablo Picasso
I realize Cubism isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it was the introduction into a different way of seeing, a new perspective on how we look at the things we see.
Occassionally here at Artsy Forager, we’ll feature exceptional applied arts such as architecture, interior design, etc. If you’re anywhere near Indianapolis, check out the Miller House & Garden designed by Eero Saarinen and opening to the public in May.
I have a weakness for Abstract Expressionism. I’m not sure what it is about the paintings of that time and the artists who created them, but there is just something about these works that move me. Maybe it is the experimentation, or the emotionality behind them or the rebellion against a post-WWII saccharine society.
