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  • Finding My Own Artsy: #colorforaging2014!!

    Finding My Own Artsy: #colorforaging2014!!

    Have you made a list of resolutions for the new year?  I’ve come to prefer the term goals instead, as something to shoot for, rather than promises to myself I’ll feel guilty about when I fail to keep them.  In looking back over 2013, especially the last 9 months or so, something was missing.  And that something was my creative passion!  Sure I’ve been blogging like mad ( and loving it! ) but creative time away from the computer screen just wasn’t there.  So I decided to force myself into a tiny little daily practice– enter #colorforaging2014!

    #colorforaging2014

    Each day in 2014, I’ll be playing with paint and discovering color.  Sometimes the color will be straight outta the tube, but more often I’ll be Ms. Mix-A-Lot, mixing paint combos and will share 365 days of my color finds on Instagram.

    #colorforaging2014

    I’ve always been drawn to color, fascinated by the way different shades interact, color theory and the psychology of color.  A painting a day was a bit too much for my slightly commitment-phobic soul and I felt the need to get back to basics.  So exploring color each day seemed like the perfect way to dip my toes back into the artsy water!

    #colorforaging2014

    #colorforaging2014

    My hope is that by starting on this simple exercise each day, once the paints & brushes are out, I won’t just stop with that daily mix.  Instead, I hope to feel the push to continue, to paint, to draw, to find color and inspiration all around me and to truly see it and grow not just in my artistic practice but in the way I see and approach the world around me.  Just this morning, I’ve already seen half a dozen examples of Naples Yellow ( color #1 )surrounding me without even leaving our apartment!

    #colorforaging2014

    I hope you’ll follow along with me, offer up your own thoughts on color, and most of all, keep me accountable!  I’ll post a new color daily on Instagram, ( follow #colorforaging2014 ) but will only occasionally pop in with a #colorforaging2014 update here on the blog.

    #colorforaging2014

    I’m so excited about this and what 2014 may hold, I can’t even tell you, Artsies.  I’m ready to give up what doesn’t really matter for what makes my heart sing.  I hope you’ll join me on my color-filled journey!  Follow along on Instagram, #colorforaging2014.

    All images by Artsy Forager.

  • Sparkle in the Decay: Jared Small

    Sparkle in the Decay: Jared Small

    Mr. Forager and I have been talking a lot lately about our eventual home.  We have no idea where exactly it will be located, but we keep honing in on what our wants and needs will be.  While we love the idea of building our own from scratch, so that we suit it precisely to our needs and desires, I can’t help but keep going back to the idea of reviving a home that has lost its luster.  These paintings by Memphis artist Jared Small celebrate the past lives of decaying structures and perhaps give a nod to the potential sparkle still to be found.

    Burnout by Jared Small Jared Small Jared Small Jared Small Magnolia by Jared Small

    Small uses light to great effect in showcasing these structures, using it to add emotionality and personality to each composition.  In some, the houses recede into the darkness, shy and retreating, like a scared child hiding behind his mother’s legs.  But for others, the houses are lit up and gleaming through the darkness like a beacon, letting us know that although the outside may seem run down, there is still hope and joy to be found therein.

    To see more of Jared Small‘s work, please visit his website.  If you happen to be in the Memphis area, you can see his work in person at the David Lusk Gallery.

    Images via the artist’s website and the David Lusk Gallery website.  Artist found via David Lusk Gallery.

  • January Featured Artist: Christy Kinard

    January Featured Artist: Christy Kinard

    Happy 2014, Artsies!  I can hardly believe we have turned the calendar over to a new year so soon!  2013 was a year filled with changes and opportunities, some worked out, some didn’t, but I hope we all have come out stronger and wiser and read to take on the world in the year ’14!  I’ve lined up a slew of fabulous artists taking part in the monthly Featured Artist program ( going strong for nearly 2 years now! ) for this year and am excited to kick off the year with the lovely work of Memphis artist Christy Kinard, who’ll be gracing the blog and AF social media all this month!

    Love for Hydrangeas by Christy Kinard Mixed Bouquet with Blue Stripe by Christy Kinard XO Orchid by Christy Kinard Fiori by Christy Kinard Picasso Vase by Christy Kinard

    Like me, Christy is a Southern girl whose work lovingly reflects the bounty and color of life in the South.  Southerners in general are great lovers of beauty, and often lovingly tend gardens exploding with color.  In these mixed media paintings, Christy weaves a tale of Southern charm and tradition, taking inspiration not only from Southern gardens and flora, but also from quilt making and childhood memories.

    Her work has layers of texture and color, much like life anywhere, deeply rich and filled with meaning, memory and secrets.  The bouquets she chooses to paint aren’t necessarily prim and proper, they’re a bit messy and beautiful in their imperfections.

    To more work from Christy Kinard, please visit her website and Facebook page.  And while you’re doing the Facebook thing, head over to the Artsy Forager page to check out Christy’s cover art and an album of some of my personal favorites from her portfolio!

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • This Artsy Life: So Long, 2013!

    This Artsy Life: So Long, 2013!

    I don’t know about you, dear Artsies, but I am ready to say goodbye to 2013 and get to the good stuff that I just know is waiting in the New Year!  All in all, 2013 was a pretty good year for me and Mr. Forager.  For today’s This Artsy Life post, I put together a little look back at some of our favorite moments from 2013 [ in case you’re wondering about the song choice, it is “our song” and still fits Mr. F & I so perfectly ]–

    No life is ever perfect and ours, though exciting and full of adventure compared to most, is no different.  We learned a lot this year, about ourselves and each other.  We each went down new roads, sometimes things worked out and sometimes they didn’t.  But in the process, we grew and we feel like we know better now what we want and where we’d like to be.

    You can catch up on the specifics of our year in the This Artsy Life archives.  Starting in 2014, I’ll take a break from doing these features each week but will be posting scenes from our life on Instagram and will pop in here on the blog with an occasional This Artsy Life post when I have something special to share.  Meanwhile, I’m excited to begin a daily creative exercise that I’ll be posting on Instagram each day!  More on that later this week!

    Mr. Forager and I wish you all the very best in the New Year!  Thank you for coming along on this journey with us.

    All images by Artsy Forager.  Video created using the Flipagram app.

  • Vulnerable Abandon: Heather Chontos

    Vulnerable Abandon: Heather Chontos

    I’ve been reading up on the Abstract Expressionists lately and have found myself completely enraptured by the movement and the entire era.  Working intuitively, many abstract artists set out without a clue as to where their composition will ultimately end up.  The work is an extension of who they are in that moment in time– a big part of what fascinates me about abstract work and abstract expressionism.  In the work of Heather Chontos, I see much of that same intuitiveness and freedom.

    Heather Chontos Heather Chontos Heather Chontos Heather Chontos Heather Chontos

    Heather made a name for herself in the world of fashion publications, styling and set designing for the likes of Barneys & Anthropologie.  And in these abstract works, there carries over that sense of composition, you can almost see her rearranging her shapes and lines on each canvas, much in the same way she might stage & style for a shoot– moving things around until it feels just right.  She isn’t afraid to let us in on that process, too.  Smudges in charcoal and paint let us know where perhaps she switched out one shape or line for another.

    Of course, there is beauty in the slick and perfectly painted canvas– but often being able to let go of our need for perfection and allow ourselves to be vulnerable as artists is a deeper challenge.  It is an act of truly putting yourself out there, there is no hiding, you are laid out on canvas for all the world to see.  Completely scary, for sure, but amazingly liberating, too.

    One of my own resolutions  goals for 2014 is to get serious about painting again.  I’ll be starting a little daily exercise over on Instagram ( come follow along! ) and will share more on that later this week.  It’s a daunting prospect, especially as I hope to be busy with freelance work too, this year, but my heart is longing for it.  Artists like Heather are reminding me that the work isn’t always about the result but about learning from the process.

    To see more of Heather Chontos’ work, please visit her website, and follow her on Facebook & Instagram.  You can purchase her work through the Milk Farm Road shop.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Affronting Our Fronts: Tristan Pigott

    Affronting Our Fronts: Tristan Pigott

    We all want to present ourselves in the best way possible.  But with the infiltration of social media into every aspect of our lives, its tempting to cross the line over from putting our best foot forward to presenting an inauthentic picture of who we are.  In his work, artist Tristan Pigott examines our habits of self-projection and the superficiality we often perpetuate.

    Tristan Pigott | artsy forager #art #painting What's Your Point by Tristan Pigott Tell Me by Tristan Pigott Tristan Pigott | artsy forager #art #paintings Waiting by Tristan Pigott | artsy forager #art #paintings

    His compositions employ fashion models in the place of “ordinary” people, to further enforce the notion of the fronts and facades we create for ourselves.  It’s so easy to fall into the trap of wanting every photo we post to be beautiful, to encite envy among our social media followers and to lead them to believe we live a life to which they should aspire.  And maybe we do in some ways.  But in other respects, each life is filled with the same sorts of gunk and uncomfortable human stuff that we are all too often so very careful to edit out.  How many photos have you seen this holiday season of burnt cookies?  Or a child in mid-meltdown because Santa didn’t bring exactly what he asked for?  Not many, I’m guessing. I certainly didn’t post the photos of the burnt Honey Rosemary Pecans I made or my non-made up face upon waking first thing Christmas morning.

    Why?  Because I’m chicken.  I don’t want the world to see the dark circles under my eyes or to know that I occasionally leave food in the oven just a bit too long. ( Oops guess now you know my secret! ).  Like everyone else, I want the world to see my life as beautiful.  But here’s the thing.  Every life IS beautiful.  Filled with beauty.  It may not be magazine spread perfect, but each and every one of our lives is full of moments that take our breath away, that make us laugh and yes, make us mad or embarrassed.  But what makes our lives the beautiful messes that they are is embracing the imperfectness, being able to laugh with and at ourselves.  Letting people into our beautiful mess.

    To see more of Tristan Pigott‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Tender Highways: Grant Haffner

    Tender Highways: Grant Haffner

    Many of you may be on the road as I type this, on your way home after much holiday merriment.  Isn’t it interesting how much different the landscape looks from a car?  I remember being fascinated by the blur of grass and trees seen from my backseat window as a girl.  Even when half asleep after a long day, my young mind could still tell just by the timing and turning of corners when we were almost home.  Long Island artist Grant Haffner captures his love of his own hometown roads in his tender, colorful paintings.

    Grant Haffner

    Longbeach by Grant Haffner Entry 3 by Grant Haffner Gerard Drive by Grant Haffner Bay by Grant Haffner

    In these acrylic paintings, Haffner beautifully captures that feeling of being on the road, the whizzing blur of color, the towering power lines, the never-ending expanse of sky.  Sure, air travel may be faster, but a road trip offers so much more in the way of adventure and discovery.  There could always be some hidden potential just around the next corner, just over that hill.  Haffner’s paintings capture that sense of excitement and anticipation and their lack of cars and people give the viewer a through-the-windshield feeling of being that sole traveler indulging their wanderlust.

    To see more of Grant Haffner‘s work, please visit his website.  Our journey from Florida to Washington three years ago is among my best road trip memories.  Do you have a favorite?

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via The Jealous Curator.

  • Momentary Souvenirs: Stephanie Brody Lederman

    Momentary Souvenirs: Stephanie Brody Lederman

    Did you make some wonderful memories yesterday, Artsies?  What will you recall?  Will it be the main event, the big moments or will it be the small, seemingly insignificant minutes that you’ll look back on with fondness?  In her latest work, New York artist Stephanie Brody-Lederman in her own visual language, illustrates the moments that capture her emotions and imagination.

    Our Ancestors Lives by Stephanie Brody Lederman Being Human by Stephanie Brody Lederman Lantern & Lamp by Stephanie Brody Lederman At This Late Hour ( Still Swimming Forward ) by Stephanie Brody Lederman Dawn by Stephanie Brody Lederman

    Some people recall certain events in great detail.  That’s never been me.  I remember more the sensuality of memory– the smell of my paternal grandparents’ house, the soft skin of my maternal grandmothers’ hands, the thrill of the first kiss my husband gave me.  In these paintings, it is that untouchable sensation of memory, the emotion of certain moments that Brody-Lederman is capturing.

    In small symbols and still scenes, she evokes a sense of the remembrance of an instant.  After all, our memories don’t necessarily record full scenes like a movie, but more brief flashes and hints of feeling remind us of what has been.

    To see more of Stephanie Brody-Lederman‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Wishing You a Happy, Artsy Christmas!

    Wishing You a Happy, Artsy Christmas!

    Merry Christmas, Artsies!  I couldn’t let this day go by without taking a moment to wish you more peace and love than your heart can handle.  I am so thankful for the gifts of your time, attention and companionship as I wander down this journey.  Spend today knowing that you are dear to me, each and every one.

    Artsy Christmas 2014

    Happy Christmas!
    Artsy & Mr. Forager

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 51 [‘Tis the Season]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51 [‘Tis the Season]

    Well, Artsies, I trust you’re either fully prepared for tomorrow’s festivities or up to your eyeballs in preparations!  Here in the Forager house, we’re somewhere in between.. I still have some Christmas brunch prep to do and will be heading out soon to brave the post office, so today’s This Artsy Life post will be short and sweet.

    We had a beautiful blanket of snow covering the ground for most of the weekend, just in time for Christmas!  Nothing like crisp air and fresh snow to get you in the mood!  Here’s just a few snaps from our weekend..
    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ white christmas dreams come true ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ don’t mind if i do! ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ before ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ after ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ all wrapped up** ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 51

    [ indeed it is ]

    **If part of your day today includes rushing out because you ran out of gift tags, stay home & print your own Instagram tags like mine!  I found the template through Pinterest, you can find it on the Going Home to Roost blog here.

    Merry Christmas Eve!

    If you’d like to see more from This Artsy Life, you can catch up on all our adventures on the blog here or follow me on Instagram!

    PS– Between now & New Year’s, I’ll be taking a little break to get organized and prepped for what I think will be a busy and exciting year!  I’ll still have an daily artist post going up and one final This Artsy Life, but no extras until 2014.  You guys will all be too busy to hang around your computers anyhow! 😉

    All images by Artsy Forager.