Our memories of the people we love aren’t full scale photos, but more the recollections of the details that made them special to us– the softness of a grandmother’s hand, the freckles on a child’s face, the little particulars that make us unique. In his work, New York painter Stephen Wright gently records the minutia of a face, a lock of hair, the turn of a neck.
Occasionally, when we sitting together, holding hands while watching Colbert or a movie, I am struck suddenly by the realization that when we’re old and perhaps Mr. F is no longer around, that my hands will remember what his felt like around mine. That those physical memories will be more precious than any photograph could be.
Stephen Wright zeroes in on the minor details of his subjects bodies, we get the sense that we can almost feel what that skin is like, soft, maybe cool to the touch, or we feel the sharpness of a clavicle, the roughness of hair gone grey. I love that his compositions often crop out the subject’s face, after all, we know the hands, feet, the shoulders of our loved ones just as well as their faces, but often fail to really think about how integral they are to our memories of them. What about you, Artsies? What details do you remember most about those you love? I can still smell my grandmother’s perfume and know every freckle on my niece’s cheeks!
Edward Hopper‘s body of work is one revered and admired by many artists and art lovers, including this Forager. New York photographer Richard Tuschman found himself drawn to the painter’s method of visual storytelling, saying so much with so very little. He created the series Hopper Meditations as an homage to the renowned artist’s work, yet these are not exact recreations, Tuschman tells Hopper’s stories in much of his own language.
The paintings of Edward Hopper focus on scenes from the stories that unfold in everyday life and just as minutia takes center stage, Tuschman methodically recreates Hopper’s compositions creating dioramas into which figures are painstakingly photoshopped. It isn’t surprising that a photographer should find such inspiration in the work of Hopper, his paintings having an almost photographic, slice-of-life style of composition. Yet, in Tuschman’s images, there is a softness to the light and a warmth to the palette that yields a sense of intimacy to the scenes, whereas Hopper’s originals seem much more cooly detached.
I can’t think of many more inspiring ways to live than with a partner who shares your passions. Yesterday, we had a little chat with Jon Davenport, who is married to fellow artist Christy Kinard, and today, it’s Christy’s turn to fill us in on her thoughts on what makes their creative partnership so special. You’ve heard what He Said, here’s what She Said.
artsy | Christy, you’re from the American South, Jon is from the UK. How have your backgrounds influenced your own work and has each of your backgrounds influenced the other’s work?
she said | The South has always influenced my work with its beautiful rich landscapes and flowers. The brightness and vibrancy of the South comes out in my work. There is a lot of light in my work which comes from being in such a bright environment. My work is colorful and happy. I did live in in London with the darker overcast sky and I truly believe the sunshine is a direct influence in my work. It pours into my studio space and flows into the details of my work.
After living in London and painting there, I had the opportunity to visit many fabulous museums and galleries. Two of my favorites are the Tate Modern and the Saatchi Gallery. I use to walk along the South Bank almost weekly to visit the Tate Modern and I always went to the exhibitions at Saatchi Gallery. The work in both of these places are extremely contemporary and very different from my own.
I also had the opportunity to paint with a British artist in a studio in Wimbledon. My work was less edgy but I loved being around something different . This was a wonderful time for me and changed my work significantly. I started to incorporate fabric and fabulous papers while in London. They had an amazing paper shop I found in London and I started to really layer my work with fabric I found and really fantastic papers.
artsy | Do you share a studio or work separately?
she said | Jon has his own office space where he does graphics and design which he incorporates in his work he spends most of his time there. I have the studio or did have the studio..lol! I have a large studio space and Jon does use it, but we are usually not working at the same time. I am usually in the studio during the week and he will slip in and do his work sometimes but it is usually when I am not painting. He works sometimes over the weekend he will use the studio. We are respectful of each other’s space and the studio is really large enough to share.
artsy | Do you talk about your work together, give each other artistic advice of any kind?
she said | Yes! We talk about our work. We have critiques often, it is really quite helpful to see your work from another set of eyes. When painting for shows, it is especially helpful when I am stuck on a piece. He has such a great sense of design and composition, he can help me start to get unstuck. It is me though who either takes his advice or not. I sometimes I disregard it and sometime I play with his idea but always make it my own. I have to say though it is a beautiful situation. I love him being there and it’s a great gift to have him when I need advice.
artsy | Being an artist especially in the internet age, is often an around the clock job. How do you balance your work and home life?
she said | It is a real challenge and I’m still working on it! My day usually starts at 9-10 and ends at 4-5. We are lucky to be able to work at home with our three young children. We have some help with the children during the week but it’s nice to run upstairs to eat lunch with them or say hello. We like to be involved with our children and it is a blessing to be here with them and watch them as they grow. During the week they also go to preschool so we still have the flexibility to be there for carpool and all that comes with having children at school. We have a schedule now that is working but something is always changing with three kids 4 and under!
artsy |Every marriage is a balance of gifts and personality, each partner bringing with them their own strengths and imperfections. Are there certain areas where you each excel and others in which you find yourself helping each other out?
she said | Jon is super dad with the kids! He does all the “boys stuff “with our three which is new to me being the youngest of three girls. He does so much with the boys and their games. I grew up in a house with barbie dolls and cabbage patch kids. I am learning though about super heroes and legos!
I help keep the house in order! With three boys there is lots to do at home everyday. I love being an artist and having this career but as much as I love being the artist I love more being a loving wife to Jon and a mom to my three boys. We both help each other out, we are a team and have to be to be able to run family and careers and try to find that balance.
artsy | You have three young ( and adorable! ) sons. Have any of them shown an artistic inclination? If one of your sons told you he wanted to become an artist, what advice would you give?
she said | One of the twins, Charlie, is showing unbelievable talent at 2! I think he may be an artist or do something with the arts. His drawings and paintings are so developed for a 2 year old, they have shocked Jon and I. All three are special though and exceed in many activities. I will encourage my children to go after their dreams..always! Thats what I did!
artsy | What do you see as the most important characteristic for two creative people in partnership to cultivate?
she said | To encourage, love and support each other and work together as a team. It helps to have the kindest most loving husband in the world. I am deeply in love with him.
Thank you so much to Christy & Jon for giving us this little glimpse into their work and family lives and how the two are intertwined. The way they love and support each other as people and artists truly shines!
All the world can be boiled down to the simplest shapes and forms. Our eyes tend to focus on details, yet when we really look, we can see the world as a system of circles, triangles, and rectangles. Brooklyn artist Don Voisine focuses on the relationship of shape, the forms that exist and the various ways our eyes will perceive them.
Using a limited palette and flat color, Voisine’s shapes seem to shift, moving forward and back within each panel’s picture plane. You can never be quite sure which shapes are in the foreground and which in the background, so that even with the relative simplicity of form, there are complex perspectives happening. And with their tightly cropped composition, we’re left wondering what happens to each line and color once it leaves the confines of the panel.
To see more of Don Voisine‘s work, please visit his website. If you happen to be in the New Haven, CT area, a solo show of his work can be seen through March 1st at the Fred Giampietro Gallery. Don’t miss it if you’re in the area!
I’m excited to bring you a new feature, Artsy Chatter, in which I chat a bit with creatives to find out more about how they live, work and balance it all together. You might recognize this month’s Featured Artist, Christy Kinard but did you know she is married to an equally talented artist, whose work you saw here yesterday, Jon Davenport? So much creative energy in one family! Two career families are tough to manage and two artists building a family and a life together is no different. I knew there had to be some lessons to learn from them, not just for artists but for husbands, wives, partners and families. So I asked them both to answer the same set of questions, knowing each would give us their own unique perspective on being a part of a creative couple.
We’ll hear from Christy tomorrow. Today, we chat with Jon!
artsy | Christy is from the American South, Jon, you’re from the UK. How have your backgrounds influenced your own work and has each of your backgrounds influenced the other’s work?
he said | Working in as grand and bustling a city as London gave me a great appreciation of the Visual Arts – From ‘crazy’ installations at the Tate Modern and the Saatchi Gallery to high end boutique design shops as well as all the ground breaking advertising agencies. But it wasn’t really til I met Christy and moved to the south where I found that good art is created, purchased and appreciated by a much larger section of the community. She has made a hugely successful career out of it and that has really spurred me on. In terms of creative influence, I just love that how, she embraces her whirl of creative chaos, where great textures and colours come together in the most perfect of storms.
artsy | Do you share a studio or work separately?
he said | A bit of each, we have our own workspaces in our basement (away from the kids!) but there tends to be a bit of encroachment on my part when certain paints, brushes and extra bench space are needed, when a show is coming together or things are getting a bit hectic.
artsy | Do you talk about your work together, give each other artistic advice of any kind?
he said | Yes she is my first port of call when it comes to any issues I have or problems that seem unsolvable, She has such a good eye when it comes to art, she should probably run her own gallery.
artsy |Being an artist especially in the internet age, is often an around the clock job. How do you balance your work and home life?
he said | Definitely around the clock, sometimes I’m painting at 6 in the morning or late at night, (I don’t try to make a habit of it though!) just so I can fit in going to the supermarket or fitting in 15 minutes playtime with the kids or another urgent errand. But I feel that helps with the creative process, I think as long as you can embrace the creative urge when it strikes, you’re not really losing out. Plus 9-5 jobs arent all they’re cracked up to be!
artsy |Every marriage is a balance of gifts and personality, each partner bringing with them their own strengths and imperfections. Are there certain areas where you each excel and others in which you find yourself helping each other out?
he said | I’m hands down the best cook, particularly skilful at building brilliant lego robots and have a very comfortable shoulder to cry on when things get too much. My problems luckily lie where Christy’s skills begin, she’s a wonderfully loving mother, she makes sure the kids and the house run like clockwork, bills get paid on time, and she’s the toughest negotiator, I’ve ever met, great for getting deals and taking down some jobs worth in customer service. But we both share the dirty nappies duty, no one deserves to do that on their own!
artsy |You have three young ( and adorable! ) sons. Have any of them shown an artistic inclination? If one of your sons told you he wanted to become an artist, what advice would you give?
he said | They all seem very talented in their different ways, William has an unbounded imagination, James is amazing with the letters and numbers, but Charlie is the one with drawing skills, he can draw a perfect circle and even create surprisingly accurate faces of people at 2 years old. I think my advice would be to embrace what you love doing, if that turns to be art, the do you best to pursue it. Life is too short to be stuck in a career you don’t love.
artsy | What do you see as the most important characteristic for two creative people in partnership to cultivate?
he said | Four words. Talk to each other! Communication is the key whether you’re happy, sad or even stressed up to the eyeballs. Being creative comes with lots of peaks as well as plenty of troughs, so just be there, communicate and have lots of empathy for you’re partner.
Thank so much, Jon for chatting with me! We’ll hear what wife Christy had to say tomorrow.. To see more of Jon Davenport‘s work, please check out his website and be sure to follow him on social media!
Are you missing flowers yet? I absolutely LOVE winter, but we’ve gone a few weeks now without any snow and the brown grass is making me uncharacteristically antsy for spring. I imagine many of you are longing for the brightness of a blooming earth, too, yes? These magical floating floral worlds of Swiss artist Thierry Feuz are sure to warm your spirit.
Flowers and organisms float freely through the atmosphere, squiggling and jiggling their way through, destination unawares. Feuz’s work brings to the forefront of our minds just how very magical the natural world is– how haphazard it can sometimes seem but how cleverly and intricately it is designed and connected. And how very fragile each species is, tethered to life by the most delicate of strings.
There’s a school of thought that white walls = boring. But white walls + wooden textures + pops of colorful artwork? Anything but!! And this Artsy is here to prove it to ya. Let’s take a beautiful, airy space like the one below. The white surfaces have already been warmed a bit by pops of cozy wood textures. The way the light bounces off those walls make this the perfect place for some color. And that beautifully curved staircase wall? It’s just crying out for a fabulous wall sculpture or installation. Don’t believe me? Let us count the ways..
There are lots of different ways you could take the artwork in this space– those white walls are the perfect blank canvas!
1 | happy texture Smooth surfaces abound in this space, which leaves ample room for adding pattern and texture. A Liz Tran sculptural installation is like a party on a wall, providing an instant shot of joyful movement. Or how about gettin’ a little groovy with a retro-ish weaving? Tanya Aguiniga‘s Multi Knot Wall Hanging is a bit more minimalistic, but still adds just the right amount of texture and color. Making a simple, bold statement is hardly ever the wrong choice and one of Jen Pack‘s fabric & wood wall sculptures packs just the right amount of punch.
2 | organic elegance Not only can a space like this handle something dynamic and full of color but a single elegant representational sculpture can add just the right amount of elegance to bring the slightly casual atmosphere up a notch.
3 | slick pop Interesting juxtapositions your game? Graphic, pop inspired pieces provide an intriguing touch of je ne sai quois when paired with these white walls and warm textures. Think of the neon signs, sand and palm trees of Miami– opposites never looked so good together.
Have I convinced you yet? Are you running out to buy gallons and gallons of white paint? 😉 See more of my favorite artsy interiors on my Artsy DwellingPinterest board. Oh and like what I put together here? I can do it for you, too!
I’m a Southern girl. You may not know that about me, since we’ve been all over the Northwest during most of Artsy Forager’s existence. OK some may not include Florida as the Deep South, but North Florida is pretty dang close to South Georgia, which is pretty dang Southern. Mr. F is a Southern boy and while we definitely feel more at home in the Northwest, there are things about the South that are so incredibly identifiable and iconic, that only Southerners, whether by birth or transplant, truly understand. Artist Jon Davenport came to the US South by way of the UK where he grew up well versed in Southern iconography, but it wasn’t until he was fully immersed in its culture that he began his artistic exploration of distinctly Southern tastes.
Jon, who shares a similar style to his wife, this month’s Featured ArtistChristy Kinard, creates heavily textured, layered work filled with vintage advertising imagery much of which built up our ideas about life in the South, for better or for worse. Some of these icons can still be seen as faded paintings on the sides of buildings, especially in small Southern towns. In many ways, there is a fierce desire to hold onto the past in the South, where Sunday dinners at grandma’s and yes ma’am and no ma’am are still the norm.
Yet behind the fun and frivolity and charm, there was a darkness that would best be forgotten and which many Southern cities are still fighting to overcome. Many strive to overcome lingering stereotypes and “Ol’ Boys Networks”, while seeking to maintain the best of what it means to be a part of what has been a troubled region. Davenport’s work with its bright but slightly faded palette and layered drips and splotches of paint remind us that time marches on, ideals fade, but hopefully what is left is our favorite, most positive parts of ourselves.
To see more of Jon Davenport‘s work, please visit his website. His work can be seen in his solo show at Matre Gallery in Atlanta through February 8th. Stay tuned over the next few days for interviews with Jon & Christy in a special “He Said, She Said” feature on what it’s like to be half of a creative couple!
Our modern society has such a fascination with speed and we are constantly feeding our need for it with faster internet, cars, food, you name it. But once upon a time, most cultures valued things done with meticulousness and care. Florida based Japanese artist Hiromi Moneyhun hand constructs elaborate and delicate paper cuts using a methodical and time consuming process, hearkening back to the careful artistry and precision long cherished in the Japanese culture.
Drawing upon characters synonymous in traditional Japanese culture for their artful deftness such as the geisha and oiran, Moneyhun carefully drafts these complex paper-cuts first as line drawings. It is only after the initial drawing is complete that she begins the slow, methodical process of cutting around the lines to create sculptural drawings that delicately float, an interesting juxtaposition to their bold lines and composition.
In one way or another, we all buy into the idea of “the American Dream“, we strive for success and prosperity. And if we haven’t achieved it, we’ll fake it ’till we make it. Or we’ll just fake it. In his mixed media work, Brooklyn artist Matthew Conradt looks at the contradictions we’ve built in our pursuit of the prosperous dream.
We buy McMansions with more space than we’ll ever need, filling them huge flat screens and designer knock-offs. We stand in line to upgrade to the latest phone, we trade in perfectly running cars for new. We’ll present ourselves as successful and prosperous, even if we are drowning in debt in our pursuit of a facade.
Conradt’s work begins with the collection of found imagery symbolic of American Life. The images are then reconstructed and transferred onto mylar in large scale form, reinforcing the “bigness” of American culture. The resulting images focus on the contradictions we find in our culture and how they creep into our subconscious.
