Abstract Art Collage Daily Artsy Mixed Media

Karina Noel Hean

Posted on May 29, 2013

The other day, Mr. F & I were listening to Rick Steves on NPR as he interviewed a woman who, when she entered places in Scotland where her ancestors had dwelt, she felt like she knew the buildings intimately– even going so far as to identify rooms that were not open to the public.  Have you ever experienced that degree of deja vu?  I can’t say that I have, but I can certainly relate to arriving in a place and feeling as if you’ve known it all your life.  In her Field Notes series, Santa Fe artist Karina Noel Hean draws in collage what that experience might be like.

Noel Hean_Field Notes XXI

Field Notes XXI, collage, acrylic, graphite, etching and ink on vellum, 17×11

In these abstracted, dream-like landscapes, what we see are glimpses of places, fragments of details that our minds may be remembering.  Whether it be from this lifetime or somewhere buried in our ancestry ( or past lifetime, if you believe in that sort of thing ), the artist is conjuring up a visual representation of what those perceived memories may be like.

Noel Hean_Field Notes XV_mixed media on vellum_11x17

Field Notes XV, mixed media on vellum, 17×11

Noel Hean_Field Notes XVI_mixed media on vellum_11x17

Field Notes XVI, mixed media on vellum, 17×11

Shapes collide, morph, twist and turn around and upon each other.  They feel like landscapes from another world and in a sense, they are.

Noel Hean_Field Notes XX

Field Notes XX, collage, acrylic, graphite, etching and ink on vellum, 17×11

To see more of Karina Noel Hean’s work, please check out her website here.  How about you?  Where have you been that felt like you’d been there before?

All images are via the artist’s website.

This Artsy Life

This Artsy Life: Weekend 21 [ Roamin’ in the Rain ]

Posted on May 29, 2013

As we thought it would, the rainy days came back full force here in Seattle, just in time for the long holiday weekend! That didn’t stop Mr. Forager & I from getting out and exploring some new ‘hoods. We checked out up & coming neighborhood Columbia City ( rumored to be the most diverse neighborhood in the US! ), discovered lots of Asian goodies & yummies at Uwajimaya Market in the International District, roamed around the uber trendy and totally fun nightlife on Capitol Hill and picnicked in the rain at Chateau Ste. Michelle, along with thousands of other Seattleites. One of my favorite things about Seattle? No one lets a few raindrops spoil their fun. Gotta love the determination!

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[ columbia city ]

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[ those streaks are rain drops.. 😉 ]

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[ periodicals at uwajimaya ]

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[ i promise, mr. f, i was trying to get a pic of the wine bottle in hand ]

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[ international district ]

Hope you enjoyed lots of fun in the sun in your neck of the woods!  See more from This Artsy Life on Instagram here.

All images by Artsy Forager.

 

Abstract Art Daily Artsy Paintings

The Lovely Randoms: Landon Metz

Posted on May 28, 2013

I love the surprise of a random find.  Whether it’s wonderfully creative and delicious food out of a tiny, tucked away dive or as simple as a pink flower growing amongst the rocks.  New York artist Landon Metz creates work that is simple and arbitrarily lovely.

Metz_Varying Degrees of Absurdity (V)_dye and canvas_50x62.5

Varying Degrees of Absurdity ( V ), dye and canvas, 50×62.5

Metz_Varying Degrees of Absurdity (II)_dye and canvas_50x62.5

Varying Degrees of Absurdity ( II ), dye and canvas, 50×62.5

The artist composes loose, casual compositions, in a subtle mostly pastel palette, punctuated by forms in dark hues of midnight blue and mossy greens.  The shapes recall pieces of torn and scattered paper, their edges appearing to be weathered and worn.

Metz_Varying Degrees of Absurdity (III)_dye and canvas_50x62.5

Varying Degrees of Absurdity ( III ), dye and canvas, 50×62.5

Metz_Varying Degrees of Absurdity (I)_dye and canvas_50x62.5

Varying Degrees of Absurdity ( I ), dye and canvas, 50×62.5

While our eye might at first perceive the compositions as accidental, we soon grow to see that each shape has been carefully and thoughtfully placed.  The result is work that gives the viewer a feeling of both freedom and balance.

Metz_Varying Degrees of Absurdity (IV)_dye and canvas_50x62.5

Varying Degrees of Absurdity ( IV ), dye and canvas, 50×62.5

Want to see more lovely randoms from Landon Metz?  Please visit the artist’s website here.

All images via the artist’s website.

Daily Artsy Figurative Mixed Media Paintings

Out of the Mystic: Spencer Herr

Posted on May 27, 2013

When we were in San Francisco, the famous San Fran fog had taken the day off in exchange for record setting heat.  But that didn’t stop us from experiencing it thanks to artist Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Bridge.  There was something mysterious and magical about walking through the fog, then emerging into the bright sunlight.  In his work, self-taught artist Spencer Herr embraces the power of the emerging figure.

Roman Trip

Roman Trip

Herr’s figures, starkly enshrouded within their backgrounds seem to be just breaking through the surface.  Or perhaps the opposite is happening.  Are they being enveloped by their surroundings?

Herr_Tally Mark_acrylic on birch panel_48x36

Tally Mark, acrylic on birch panel, 48×36

Herr_Slow Draw_acrylic on birch panel_36x48

Slow Draw, acrylic on birch panel, 36×48

Herr_Beloved_acrylic on birch panel_48x36

Beloved, acrylic on birch panel, 48×36

Keeping the compositions simple allows the viewer to compose his own story.  Like stills from a movie whose story we do not know, we are left to ponder who these figures might be and from what place they are emerging.

Herr_Trip_acrylic on birch panel

Trip, acrylic on birch panel

To see more of Spencer Herr’s work, please visit his website.

All images via the artist’s website.

Artsy Reads Design Design Foraging Fashion

Design Foraging: Rainy Day Artsy

Posted on May 24, 2013

When we arrived in Seattle and pretty much for the last few weeks, the weather has been glorious.  As in uncharacteristic bright skies and unseasonable warmth.  At first we thought it some kind of cosmic joke– we’d left Florida, then most recently the California desert, to escape the heat, thinking we’d be safe from it in Seattle..  But we found that we didn’t flee in vain.  The grey skies, soft drizzle and cool temperatures returned this week, leaving me ready for a quiet day spent doing rainy day fun.  Here are a few artsy essentials I found to aid in the soggy fun!

Delicious: The Life and Art of Wayne Thiebaud

Delicious: The Life and Art of Wayne Thiebaud

find it here

Print Burst Umbrella

Print Burst Umbrella

find it here

Emobossed Dots Mug

Emobossed Dots Mug

find it here

Cavez Rain Boot

Cavez Rain Boot

find it here

Mosaic Dots Tote

Mosaic Dots Tote

find it here

On damp days, we love to sit for hours in a coffee shop, chatting and reading.  Mr. F likes to tour breweries ( that’s on sunny days, too 😉 ) and I love to spend rainy afternoons wandering around a favorite art museum.  What are some of your favorite activities for the days of grey?

All images linked above.

Daily Artsy Photography

Eccentric Circles: Loretta Lux

Posted on May 23, 2013

There are artists who take a subject which might, in other hands, be cloying and saccharine, and create imagery that is interesting, intriguing and ok, perhaps a teeny bit creepy.  It is in that contradiction that photographer Loretta Lux has found her own sweet spot.

Hopper

Hopper

I first discovered Lux’s work through The Jealous Curator site, where blogger Danielle Krysa compared Lux’s figures to characters from of Wes Anderson film.  I totally see it.

Marianne

Marianne

Boy in Yellow Pullover

Boy in Yellow Pullover

Thanks to her pale, subtle palette, absence of detail and painterly use of light and composition, Lux has created portraits that are eccentric and just so slightly off in a wonderfully delightful way.

The Waiting Girl

The Waiting Girl

To see more of Loretta Lux’s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.

Daily Artsy Sculpture

Life in Balance: Ben Fiess

Posted on May 22, 2013

Mr. Forager & I both marvel at the way architects here in the Northwest deal with the terrain.  Houses and other structures are built to hug the earth or conform to it, often leaving us wondering what a feat of design and engineering it took to solve that problem!  The ceramic compositions of Philadelphia artist Ben Fiess  remind me of those precariously perched buildings.. seemingly random or off-kilter, yet as a whole making perfect sense.

BC: DD: DB:: YW, porcelain, stoneware, fabric, tape, wood, 23x10x7 cm

BC: DD: DB:: YW, porcelain, stoneware, fabric, tape, wood, 23x10x7 cm

BL:: DD:: DO:: FS, porcelain, fabric, 23x10x7 cm

BL:: DD:: DO:: FS, porcelain, fabric, 23x10x7 cm

Fiess, whose more practical design I featured in last week’s Design Foraging, puts together these compositions with great care and concern for the elements of texture, materials and space.  Indeed, each piece seems like a perfectly balanced still life in three dimensions.

GP: FS: SD:: PB, porcelain, stoneware, lizella, felt, rubberband, 23x13x7 cm

GP: FS: SD:: PB, porcelain, stoneware, lizella, felt, rubberband, 23x13x7 cm

In addition to line, form, and texture, color plays a key part in Fiess’s compositions.  He works within a tight palette, each cool tone balanced by the natural warmth of wood and textile elements.

IW: WP: DD:: LB, porcelain, izella, wood, felt, tape

IW: WP: DD:: LB, porcelain, izella, wood, felt, tape

IC: SB: PS:: GD, porcelain, stoneware, felt, tape

IC: SB: PS:: GD, porcelain, stoneware, felt, tape

Want to see more of Ben Fiess’s work?  Be sure to check out his website here.

All images are via the artist’s website.

 

Abstract Art Daily Artsy Paintings

The Pleasure of the Journey: Charlotte Foust

Posted on May 21, 2013

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”  Do you think the same is true of a piece of artwork?  We place so much value in the end result, the “finished” painting, sculpture, or photograph, that sometimes we spend little time thinking about the pilgrimage the artist undertakes to get there.  Abstract painter Charlotte Foust finds delight in each mark making expedition upon which she embarks, each painting becoming a travel journal of her creative adventure.

Untitled

Untitled

Summer's Day

Summer’s Day

Our vagabondish life has afforded us some pretty incredible adventures.  We’ve lived in the mountains, the desert, and in the city.  Every voyage to the next destination has brought us new discoveries and places to remember.  Foust uses the strokes she makes with paint, graphite and collage to mark a part of the journey of her creative process.  In finding her way through the work, she is discovering the painting that longs to be found.

Foust_Untitled2

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

As she explores, she invites us along for the ride.  We can the breadcrumbs of her expedition in each brushstroke and are happily taken to our final destination.

To see more of Charlotte Foust’s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.