artsy forager

Posted on April 8, 2014

We are a few weeks into Spring here in Northern California and this weekend, something wonderful happened.. we seemed to have finally turned a corner into deep spring. That time of year when the air is warm and soft and everywhere you turn something extraordinary is blooming. All I want to do is turn my face to the sun, lie in the grass and soak it all in. This piece by April Featured Artist Alexandra Bellissimo perfectly captures these deep days of spring, the longing to be one with the blossoming world. And this Scenery at Sunset Dress by Modcloth is just the perfect translation of that light and airy feeling that the first warm days of spring delivers.

art | find it here

inspiration | find it here

dress | find it here

Today I’m even wearing my own version Surface, this work by Alexandra Bellissimo, a new scarf I’ve been eyeing that feels like spring. Winter, I love you, but I think I’ll always have a bit of a crush on Spring.

Keep watching the blog & social media for more from Alexandra Bellissimo all throughout April, including an exciting announcement coming soon! *Hint: it starts with a P and ends with “rints”. 😉 And of course, you can always peruse Alexandra’s website for more of her stunning work.

Want to see more of the Wear the Artsy series? Check out the archives here!

Image sources linked above.

Daily Artsy Sculpture

Posted on April 8, 2014

There are small, recurring moments in our marriage that make my heart swell. Every night when Mr. F offers me a piece of chocolate after dinner, hidden love notes, and when while we’re in a gallery, Mr. F calls me over and says “Did you see this?!” Recently while we made a quick unplanned tour of a gallery here in Eureka, we came across this artist’s work and both immediately loved it. Eureka artist Shannon Sullivan creates these incredible ceramic forms, taking cues from nature yet remaining completely modern and compelling.

The artist’s website is filled with incredible work– I seriously had such a hard time choosing what to feature– but felt the most drawn to her Plots series. The series is based on ideas of land use and cultivation inspired by a trip to South America. Soft looking ceramic forms are adorned with acrylic or polymer clay shapes, a nod to the effect of man’s hand on the natural environment. The result is striking, engaging pieces that are visually intriguing even without knowing their reference.

To see more work by Shannon Sullivan, please visit her website— there is so much more to see!! Not just incredible sculptures, but wonderful wall pieces as well.

All images via the artist’s website.

Daily Artsy Figurative Photography

Posted on April 7, 2014

I rarely feel more at peace or more excited than when Mr. Forager & I are hiking in the woods. To be among the wildness, where plants and animals live and roam freely is completely exhilarating and intoxicating. The forests are full of magic and wonder, it isn’t surprising that so many fairy tales get their start in such a place. Moscow-based photographer Katerina Plotnikova takes her lens to wild places, creating stunning photographs telling fantastical tales.

She weaves her models into their surroundings, often posing them intimately with real wild animals, producing that beautiful, slightly horrific feeling the best fairy tales provide. When we are out hiking, I am always blown away by nature’s beauty and bounty, yet continually cautious and on alert, knowing that we are trespassing into the home of wildness.

To see more of Katerina Plotnikova‘s work, please visit her 500px page and follow her work via her Facebook page.

All images via the artist’s 500px page. Artist found via I Need a Guide.

Artsy Around the Web

Posted on April 5, 2014

Hey ya’ll! I know I normally don’t post on Saturdays, but I wanted to pop in and share a little exciting news. I’m the newest Guest Curator over at OAC Gallery! OAC is an online curated gallery featuring original, affordable artwork and they invited me to share my favorites from the gallery as a Guest Curator.

Come on over to OAC and take a peek at my collection ( you’ll recognize a few of the artists! ) and read my thoughts on collecting original art. And while you’re there peruse the gallery to see work by their other amazing artists. So much good stuff, all in one spot!

Abstract Art Daily Artsy Paintings

Posted on April 4, 2014

I am daily amazed by the talent I find in my foraging each day. But occasionally, I see one painting by an artist, think “oh that’s nice!”, then go to their website to be completely blown away. The work of Spanish-born New York based artist Pepa Prieto astounded me with her visual movement, texture and lively sense of composition. I can’t get enough!

There is so much going on, so many corners and nooks to explore in each piece, each one is like a virtual fun house and I want to get lost in them all! The artist paints these pieces intuitively, evoking a particular memory or moment in time, “a detailed snapshot of my inner dialogue”. What a beautiful conversation she is having.

To see more of Pepa Prieto‘s work, and you know you want to, please visit her website. Happy weekend, Artsies! What are you up to? We’ll be checking out Eureka’s local ArtWalk on Saturday, excited to share my finds with you next week!

All images via the artist’s website.

Abstract Art Finding My Own Artsy Paintings

Posted on April 3, 2014

Like many women of my generation, I somehow missed An Affair to Remember until Meg Ryan brought it to my attention. It was beautiful, witty, romantic and sappy, just like a great chick flick is supposed to be. And Deborah Kerr’s Terry McKay was completely captivating and one of the first iconic female characters I thought of when beginning the Feminine Wiles series.

found here

With her warm auburn locks and creamy complexion, the film’s wardrobe designer Charles Le Maire wisely capitalized on her natural palette by using autumnal peaches and oranges in her costumes peppered throughout the movie.

Deborah Kerr as Terry McKay in An Affair to Remember, acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6

The character is smart and sassy, beautiful but down to earth and practical. Characteristics perfectly portrayed with a warm, simmering palette.

I have no idea how many of these I’ll do, but am thinking of broadening soon into more contemporary film characters– maybe even by decade? Um, hello, Molly Ringwald anyone? To see more paintings in the Feminine Wiles series, check the archives here.

Film image linked above, art by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.

Daily Artsy Sculpture Textiles

Posted on April 3, 2014

Mr. F and I have known each other a long time. We were friends from way back before we became Mr. & Mrs. Long enough and well enough to know each other’s exes. We often speculate on what our lives had we stayed with our former loves ( and thankful each day things turned out the way they did!! ). In her Men I Have Known series, New York artist Juliet Martin crafts woven textile sculptures, each representing a different lover.

In these colorful, playful phalluses ( I didn’t immediately see the phallic quality to some, but then I can be pretty naive like that.. ), the artist, according to her website, is satirizing the idea of man as conqueror and possessor of sexual power. Instead, she’s creating her own “trophies”, bedpost notches, if you will. At first glance, the viewer would have no idea the meaning behind these pieces but the mystery is half the fun, yes? 😉

To see more of Juliet Martin‘s work, please visit her website.

All images via the artist’s website.

Design Design Foraging Interiors

Posted on April 2, 2014

Interior designers have a special place in my heart. Perhaps because I call so many of them friends and because I spent a few years studying to be one. That plan derailed ( a story for another day! ), but I’m still so appreciative of the work that designers do, especially when it comes to incorporating original artwork into the spaces they design. And Seattle’s Brian Paquette of Brian Paquette Interiors, of course, is showing the world how to using original artwork infuses a space with personality and turns the fabulousness up to 11.

The work Paquette chooses add yet another layer of texture to his already gorgeously layered designs. The spaces are elegant, yet warm and friendly, much in thanks to the contemporary art he uses that is anything but stuffy. Named one of The Next Big Names in Design by Lonny Magazine, the future’s looking bright in rainy Seattle for Brian Paquette Interiors.

To see more of the Brian Paquette’s portfolio, please visit the Brian Paquette Interiors website.

All images via the designer’s website.

Abstract Art Daily Artsy Paintings

Posted on April 2, 2014

We are more than the color of our skin. Who we are inside and what we do are so much more, yet we’re often instantly judged on this one small detail. In his current series, Puerto Rican born artist Edgar Sanchez Cumbas explores in paint and mixed media the idea of discrimination based on skin color.

We often begin our lives being teased for what makes us different– maybe our skin is pale thanks to a Celtic heritage or perhaps we’re on the other end of the flesh color spectrum and feel excluded due to a complexion much darker than our contemporaries. Instead of embracing the beauty in our diversity, in our longing to belong we ostracize. We lose the ability to see not just see beyond color but to see all color as equal and equally beautiful.

Sanchez Cumbas explores these ideas through his sculptural paintings, the artist builds up thick layers of color and texture, which are then obscured by a large swath of color. Only small hints at the layers beneath remain visible.

To see more of Edgar Sanchez Cumbas’ work, please visit his website.

All images are via the artist’s website.

Artsy Spots Galleries

Posted on April 1, 2014

The forecast for last Saturday in Eureka was cloudy and rainy, so Mr. F and I planned to spend a leisurely day drinking coffee and catching up on work in a downtown coffee shop. And we did, for a few hours.. until we noticed that the rain didn’t seem to be coming and the sun was shining! So we decided ditched work to spend the afternoon doing a little more exploring around Old Town Eureka. We tasted grains at the local brew shop, browsed a dusty antique shop and a fun little vintage clothing boutique. As we were about to grab a burger & hit up Mr. F’s favorite Eureka watering hole, I spotted an open sign at Sewell Gallery and was so pleased at what we found inside.

Sewell Gallery exclusively features the work of Humboldt County artists and showcases some of the best the region has to offer in a large and inviting space. The current show, up for just a few more days, features the work of textile artist April Sproule . She creates these amazingly intricate contemporary quilt designs– I was especially drawn to the graphic quality found in her monochromatic work.

quilt by April Sproule, sculpture by Conrad Calimpong

April Sproule quilt details

In addition to the featured exhibition, Mr. F and I found a wide range of mediums and styles to peruse. We both loved these ceramic pieces by Shannon Sullivan— gorgeously crafted and temptingly priced!

ceramics by Shannon Sullivan

Of course, you know I can’t resist abstract paintings and these two were calling to me across the sunlit gallery..

details of work by Leslie Price [ top ] and Victoria Ryan [ bottom ]

It was just the perfect day to wander through a gallery! We’ll definitely be putting Sewell on our list of places to stop in occasionally.

It’s looking pretty likely that Mr. F and I could be in Eureka at least through the summer and I’m more excited about that prospect than ever. With the largest concentration of artists per capita in all of California, Humboldt County has so much to offer and discover!

If you ever happen to be in Eureka, make sure to put in a stop at Sewell Gallery! Coming up Saturday is my first Eureka Arts Alive event. Stay tuned for more on that next week!

Exterior gallery image via Sewell Gallery on Facebook. All other images by Artsy Forager.

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October 6, 2019
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September 4, 2019
Showing. Anne Irwin Fine Art EAS 2019.
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All posts are written by Lesley Frenz, unless otherwise stated. If you would like to repost something you see on Artsy Forager on your own blog, please provide a link back to the original post. All artwork images are the property of the individual artists, please link to this site or theirs when reposting and credit the artist appropriately. Artsy Forager contains some contextual affiliate links. An affiliate link means that I receive commission on sales of the products that are linked to in noted posts. So if you click on a link and make a purchase from an affiliate site, such as Mantle Art or Great.ly, then I may make a commission from that purchase. Those affiliate links may also be found on my Pinterest page. Artsy Forager reserves the right to delete any comments deemed as inappropriate. Play nicely, please.

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