Design Design Foraging Fashion Jewelry

Design Foraging: Get Out Your 3D Glasses, Ya’ll

Posted on April 5, 2013

Ok, so I’m not really using 3D in quite the right context in that there title.  But doesn’t the whole 3D thing still seem terribly futuristic, even though every other movie these days is being made that way?  I admit, I tend to avoid 3D movies if I can.  I think it goes back to a harrowing 3D movie snake experience at Marineland as a youngin’.  Thus solidifying my dislike of snakes and my skepticism about 3D films.  But 3D printed jewelry?!  That’s a snake of a different color.  The idea that you can design an object on a computer and then print it, not on flat paper but in real, three dimensional proportions and in mediums other than paper was mind blowing! I’m just beginning to explore this world, but check out some of my favorite finds so far!

Radial Necklace I by Nervous System

Radial Necklace I by Nervous System

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Matryoshka Earrngs by Michiel Cornelissen

Matryoshka Earrngs by Michiel Cornelissen

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Rabbit Bracelet by Ineke Otte

Rabbit Bracelet by Ineke Otte

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Round Stone Dangle Earrings in Multi by Half Craft Studio

Round Stone Dangle Earrings in Multi by Half Craft Studio

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Hexagon Rays Necklace by Alissia Melka-Teichroew

Hexagon Rays Necklace by Alissia Melka-Teichroew

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I’m kind of dying to see some 3D jewelry up close & personal now.  How about you?  Have you seen any 3D jewelry?  Do you own any?  An inquiring Artsy wants to know.  Have a fantastic weekend, Artsies!

All image sources linked above.

Daily Artsy Figurative Paintings Still Life

Artsy Lately: The Deep South and Other Stories by Gigi Mills

Posted on April 4, 2013

Having lived the first ahem, three decades, of my life in the South, I completely understand why people are drawn to it.  There is a co-mingling of worlds in the South, some owing to its sordid history, others a product of the atmosphere and the people who find themselves there.  New Mexico artist Gigi Mills, having grown up with her family in the circus on the West Coast of Florida, far from the “traditional South”, finds herself repeatedly drawn to its charms.  In her latest series, The Deep South and Other Stories, which debuted at Gallery Orange in New Orleans two weeks ago, the artist explores her attachment to a life that could have been hers.

Some Days by Gigi Mills

Some Days, oil on panel, 20×16

A childhood in the circus, while filled with color, charm and adventure, doesn’t offer much in the way of stability.  For Gigi, it is that sense of permanence of place, of generations of history that leads her again and again to southern places.

Somewhere on Esplanade Interior by Gigi Mills

Somewhere on Esplanade Interior, oil on paper, 21×24

Laundry in a Dark Landscape by Gigi Mills

Laundry in a Dark Landscape, oil on panel, 24×20

Interior with Baker and Cake by Gigi Mills

Interior with Baker and Cake, oil on paper, 22×25

In her work, as in many areas of the South itself, there is an enchanting sense of elegance and charisma that completely bewitches us.  But it is the complexities of this world that we find most intriguing– the secrets kept, the stories told and untold.

Lagniappe of Pearls Conversation with Carlos by Gigi Mills

Lagniappe of Pearls, Conversation with Carlos, oil, 12×16

If you’d like to see more from the Deep South and Other Stories series, please visit the Gallery Orange website.  Gallery Orange also has beautiful Gigi Mills books available for purchase through their website– a lovely way to learn more about the artist and enjoy her work, even if a painting is out of reach.

All images via Gallery Orange.

Daily Artsy Figurative Photography

Bright Cravings: Kelly Nicolaisen

Posted on April 3, 2013

As I mentioned on Monday, I am battling a doozy of a cold.  I’m on my third day of confinement and first day of being out of bed before 10am ( although I’m writing this at 10:37am and I’m ready to crawl back in ).  I’ve been consoling myself with Pinterest and guilty pleasure tv marathons on Hulu.  But the bright colors and quirky compositions of the work of San Francisco photographer Kelly Nicolaisen remind me that there is fun and life to be had on the other side of this temporary yuckiness.

Nicolaisen is an art photographer with an incredible eye for color and composition.  Each image is carefully balanced yet they still feel like the capturing of a fleeting, ordinary moment.

Just in case we’d forgotten, Nicolaisen’s imagery reminds us of the color, joy and humor to be found in this life.  We aren’t meant to live in worlds of taupes and greys.  We need and crave the bright spots.  Living in the desert has taught me that.  For it is in those moments that we remember there is still delight to be found.

To see more of Kelly Nicolaisen’s work, please visit her website.

All images via Saatchi Online.

Daily Artsy Mixed Media Paintings Still Life

Floral Flow: Alicia Tormey

Posted on April 2, 2013

I always remember my first visit to Seattle in the springtime.  The cherry trees were blooming in the neighborhood where Mr. Forager was living ( this was before I became Mrs. F ) and then it rained, as it is always wont to do in Seattle.  After the rain, the blossoms weren’t quite as fluffy and perfect as they’d been, but we were left with a magical blanket of pink petals dotting the sidewalks.  The wind would eventually sweep each petal into its breeze and carry it away to some unknown place.  As I look at the floral encaustics of Seattle artist Alicia Tormey, I’m reminded of the delicate strength it takes to withstand the storms.

Floral Study IV by Alicia Tormey

Floral Study IV, encaustic with mixed media, 10×10

Tormey’s flowers have a wonderful, swirly diaphanous quality as translucent strands float from and around them.  In some, we see look to be veins coming through, as if these are the angels of flowers loved and pressed between book pages as a remembrance.

Fly Away by Alicia Tormey

Fly Away, encaustic, shellac and ink on panel, 36×36

Floral Form V by Alicia Tormey

Floral Form V, encaustic, shellac and ink on panel, 24×24

Each flower almost takes on the personality of a dancer’s movements.. wild yet graceful.. controlled chaos, passionate yet maintaining an elegant line, always.

Floral Study III by Alicia Tormey

Floral Study III, encaustic with mixed media, 10×10

To see more of Alicia Tormey’s work, please visit her website.

Images via Gilman Contemporary and Chase Young Gallery.

This Artsy Life

This Artsy Life: Weekend 13 [ Good Thing We Had Our Fun on Saturday ]

Posted on April 1, 2013

It seems like every time we go to visit our friends in San Diego, one of us inevitably catches whatever those three cute little germ monsters AKA The James Boys are harboring.  After our return, Mr. F kept complaining of not feeling so hot and I was feeling great.. until last Thursday.  Apparently, it was my turn at the virus wheel.  We’d already planned a day of wine tasting with friends we met on our first travel assignment in the Northwest, so I popped a few Dayquil and soldiered on.  There was wine to be drunk and friends to catch up with!  But then Sunday came.

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[ rare Artsy photo ]

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[ southern cali is in full bloom! ]

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[ made a sweet lil goat friend ]

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[ sharing of stories over vino ]

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[ how I spent most of Sunday ]

I felt great for most of the day on Saturday, until about ten minutes before we left the last winery.  Then I found myself barely awake for the ride home, most of the day Sunday and a good part of the morning today.  Being sick is no fun!! *cough*  Going to make myself some soup and head back to bed.  Thank God for Hulu.  Take care, Artsies!  I’ll see you on the other side of this cold.

Artsy Forager Featured Artist Mixed Media

April Featured Artist: Hooper Turner

Posted on April 1, 2013

Happy April, Artsies!  I’m excited to welcome in the month of April for many reasons, A | we finally leave the desert this month!, B | I get to celebrate one of my favorite days of the year, the day Mr. Forager was born ( never mind that my own b-day is in there, too, ugh ) and C | the celebration of a fabulous new Featured Artist!  You may remember New York artist Hooper Turner from my post featuring work from his Catalog and Fashion series n which he meticulously depicts the imagery found in luxury catalogs and fashion magazines.

#129 by Hooper Turner

#129, oil on catalog page, 12 3/4×9 7/8

#85 by Hooper Turner

#85, oil on catalog page, 10 5/8×14 3/4

In his latest body of work, Typeforms, Turner continues his fascination with fashion and found imagery, this time extending his reach into the commodified art world.  In choosing to paint letters and numbers directly onto found art auction catalog pages, the artist is perhaps speaking to the struggle of contemporary artists to find their own voice in among the masses.

#130 by Hooper Turner

#130, oil on catalog page, 12×19 1/4

#166 by Hooper Turner

#166, oil on catalog page, 10 5/8×8 1/4

Although I’ve chosen to focus on his auction catalog pages, Turner also gives found imagery of celebrities and models the same treatment.  Perhaps in doing so, he is reflecting upon the artist as celebrity and what that elevated status means for the art marketplace.

#99 by Hooper Turner

#99, oil on catalog page, 11 3/4×8 3/8

Bold and striking, whatever their message, these pieces are saying it loudly and proudly.  To see more of Hooper Turner’s work, please visit his website and be sure to stop by the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see his cover image and an album of a few of my favorite Turner pieces ( in addition to these, of course! ).

Design Foraging Textiles

Design Foraging: Tangled Up

Posted on March 29, 2013

Mr. Forager & I like to browse through thrift stores occasionally.  He’s always hoping to score something or other needed for beer making and I love finding great deals on vintage and designer clothes.  Every once in awhile, in our perusing, I spy a crocheted wall hanging, usually a bit worse for the wear, but it immediately takes me back to my aunt and uncle’s 1970s apartment!  There are artists & artisans who are embracing the homespun weaving craft and giving it a decidedly artsy and modern edge.  Here are a few contemporary woven tapestries I’ve spied recently–

Try Angles by Liz Toohey-Wiese

Try Angles by Liz Toohey-Wiese

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Woven Tapestries by Maryanne Moodie

Woven Tapestries by Maryanne Moodie, photo by Brooke Holm

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Maze by Hannah Waldron

Maze by Hannah Waldron

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Pink Windows by Mimi Jung

Pink Windows by Mimi Jung

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I just love how these weavings do warm and folksy in a way that is completely current!  Have a wonderful weekend, Artsies!

All image sources linked above.

Daily Artsy

Ding Ding Ding! We Have a Winner!

Posted on March 28, 2013

Every month Erin and I host the Art Association contest and every month is gets harder and harder to choose a winner!  But we toughed it out and decided that we just couldn’t resist artsocial reader Elizabeth Langston’s board full of beachy fun and color.

The winning associations!

Very soon, Elizabeth will be the proud new owner of an original work by artist Karen Schnepf ( below ).  Lucky girl, right?

Colors Layered by Karen Schnepf, collage painting under resin, 12×12

If you’d like to win a piece of artwork by just doing what you love– you know we all love pinning– check back here next month for another Art Association!

Daily Artsy Sculpture

Invented Nature: Renee Brown

Posted on March 28, 2013

Last night, as Mr. Forager and I were taking our evening walk around Joshua Tree, we spotted the most amazing little creature!  Appearing to be a hummingbird, we moved in closer and took a few photos in the quickly disappearing dusk light.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the photos this morning and saw that it wasn’t a hummingbird at all– but an insect of some kind!  ( A pair of antennae we couldn’t see last night being an easy tell ).  A quick Google search confirmed what we had seen as a striped hummingbird moth!  It seems such a fanciful little thing, not quite real somehow.  Similarly, ceramic artist Renee Brown crafts her own fanciful interpretations of nature’s forms.

Desert Rose by Renee Brown

Desert Rose, vitrisite spary, 21″ high

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Inspired by stones, bones, and minerals, the artist expands on the reality of the natural world to create sculptures in which her imagination takes us beyond reality, yet still leave us believing these couldbe real.

Sliced Gold Nugget by Renee Brown

Sliced Gold Nugget, avacadonium, celadonium, bark spray matrix

Sliced Gold Nugget ( detail )

In carefully straddling that line between reality and fantasy, Brown’s work may leave us questioning the vision before us.  Are my eyes deceiving me?  Is that a hummingbird I see?

Untitled by Renee Brown

[ no info available ]

To see more of Renee Brown’s work, please visit her website.

Artist found via Daily Dolan Geiman.  All images are via the artist’s website.