Each year, Pantone announces its “Color of the Year”. The color authority combs the world looking for influential color and its Color of the Year proclamation affects design decisions in fashion, interiors, products, packaging, you name it. This year’s color is a bold and vibrant reddish-orange, Tangerine Tango. Artists, always ahead of the curve, have been embracing orange for quite some time. I know it’s always been one of my own favorite hues. Take a peek at some of these lovely examples of tangerine dreams!
Orange Ocean Edge by Christina FoardAn Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds by Luke StephensonSpring Flowers by Susan MelrathClickety Clack by Pamela ViolaWithout You by Margaret Glew
Any orangey hued works you’re loving lately? Would love to hear about them! Have a great weekend, Artsies, and if you’re snowed in and in need of some warming, check out today’s featured artists’ websites!
Over the weekend, following a walk in the brisk January air, I was consumed with a desire to paint. Although I’d recently cranked out seven (!) paintings as Christmas gifts for my nieces, I really haven’t painted consistently since college. As I set out to create a little study of an Idaho Locust seed pod found on our walk, my underpainting, nothing but brushstrokes and color was so much more interesting than anything I would create out of it. Artist Kerry Irvine understands the potent power of color to invoke emotion, mood and form.
Letting Go, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on canvas, 24×36
Kerry’s use of color creates an ambience and sense of place, be it a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual destination.
Oil Pond, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 40×60
They are places we’ve been before, moments of joy, times of reflection, memories of days past, dreams real or imagined. But all having made us who we are.
Tree of Life, acrylic and oil stick on canvas, 36×48
Kerry’s work takes us on a journey. A sojourn through color with sidestepping adventures in texture, line and form.
Cherry Blossom Freeze, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 36×48
To see more of Kerry Irvine’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.
Featured image is Midnight in the Garden, acrylic, gouache and oil stick on linen, 63×48. All images are via the artist’s website.
The work of Canadian artist Takashi Iwasaki creates a bright and candy colored world, full of shapes that may seem incongruous, but are creating tableaus representing, for the artist, either completely imaginary worlds or the world he sees every day, as he sees it in shape and color.
Midoriyaamehatzga, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 51cm x 51cm
Though the composition may have meaning to the artist, he purposefully keeps the titles vague ( they are a combination of fragments several languages and sounds based on themes or elements in each work ), so that the viewer may drawn his own conclusion as to what is being seen.
Kamidaredentou, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered,) 41cm x 41cm
Although the bright tones are decidedly cheery and the shapes often whimsical, it could be easy to interpret these with a dark sensibility. They are at times alien-like and the Sputnik-ish motifs along with the clean aesthetic lead me to often see a kind of mid-century extraterrestrial sort of world. One that I would happily be abducted to.
Taretentokaku, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 30.5cm x 30.5cmMinotogetenti, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 35.5cm x 35.5cm
In addition to the embroidered ( ! ) works above, Iwasaki you can also see wonderful paintings and drawings on his website. They will take you to another world!
Featured image is Nijiawapaip, embroidery floss and fabric (hand embroidered), 41cm x 41cm. All images are via the artist’s website.
My hubby and I have the best conversation over drinks. Not necessarily alcoholic beverages, coffee will do. It’s something about being out and having nothing to do but sit and sip and talk. A recent conversation led us to the topic of art. Now, my husband is kind of new to this whole art world thing but he is a voracious student and always eager to learn something new. His great love is music, so naturally he made the connection between the evolution of art and the evolution of music. Artist Amy Mass, like many artists, listens to music while she paints. What sets Amy’s work apart is that she paints to the music. So each piece is a direct result of the music being played during the painting process.
West Side Story, acrylic on canvas, 36×48
Like the musical scores which inspire them, Amy’s paintings are filled with rhythm and expression. You can almost see the staccato of the notes, the resounding beat of the drum.
Cocktails With Cole Porter, acrylic on canvas, 40×40
Layers of color and texture mimic the overlapping cacophony of sounds inherent in a symphonic composition.
A Single Man, acrylic on canvas, 48×60UnNamed, acrylic on canvas
To see more of Amy Maas’ melodious work, please visit her website. Have some fun and put the inspiration tunes on while you peruse her work!
Featured image is Celtic Woman, acrylic on canvas, 48×36. All images are via the artist’s website.
I am a firm believer in buying art at whatever level you can afford and I’m not talking about the framed art aisle at Target. While there are certain levels of art collecting which some of us may never reach ( I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I’ll never own an original Georgia O’Keeffe, just keepin’ it real ), there is fabulous art available for every budget! Just because your budget is limited, that’s no excuse for blank walls! For this installment of [ Insert Art Here ], we’ll take a look at 3 art options for the same space– all fab, each fitting a particular budget level. Here we go!
Let’s begin with our blank( ish ) canvas–
From www.nestdallasdesign.com, home of Bradley Agather, designed by Beth Dotolo, photo by Kevin Dotolo ( artwork removed, to see the original design, click on this photo )
For the Beginning Collector:
Artwork by Ann Tarantino via 20×200
Prints are the easiest and most budget friendly way to begin an art collection and these days there is no shortage of sources for quality limited editions. These Ann Tarantino prints ( Far and Wide [ left ] and Flying Colors [ right ] ) are archival pigment prints, $200 each ( not including framing ) and are available through 20×200. Pretty sweet, right?
For the Mid-Range Artsy:
Artwork by Michelle Armas
So you’re ready to put your money where your mouth is and begin a serious art collection? Original work by emerging artists is a great place to start. Atlanta artist Michelle Armas has become something of an art & design blog darling and with that comes a certain ( well deserved! ) notoriety which makes her work highly collectible. Her abstract paintings are riotous and painterly, filled with joyous color. The piece above,Eggplantis an acrylic work on canvas, 30×40 inches. It is available through Gregg Irby Fine Art at $1000. An awesome price for a piece of that size and quality! Forego your daily $4 chai-mocha-frappawhatever from Starbucks and you will be able to purchase a piece like this, too. It’s all about priorities, ya’ll. 🙂
For the Serious Artophile:
Artwork by Christina Foard
Christina Foard is a painter’s painter. She paints intuitively and revels in the materials, not afraid to get her hands dirty. There is an emotionality to her work that, along with its glorious physical texture, provides a depth that you don’t always find in abstract compositions. The piece above, Floating Invasion( acrylic on canvas, 40×30 ) provides this space with a certain amount of gravitas, while still giving just the right amount of color and movement. But Foard’s works are pieces you buy because you can’t stop thinking about them.. you have to have them.. If they happen to match your throw pillows, well, that’s just a bonus. ( FYI– Floating Invasion is no longer available, but Foard pieces in a similar size are usually in the $3000 range )
My final word.. as Dan Fear said “Buy art because you like it and because it moves you, and because it enhances your life.” This has been a little exercise that I hope will inspire you to purchase a piece of art that you love this year. Now that’s a new years’ resolution I can get behind!
Many folks are using the advent of the new year to organize and simplify their world. Editing can be one of the most difficult tasks, especially for visually creative types, who find such stimulation in what we take in with our eyes. San Francisco artist Mia Christopher creates interesting, elegant compositions by sticking to simple shapes and a limited palette. In this work, less is most definitely more.
Ink on paper, 2011, 11×12
Stacks of simple shapes call to mind fantastical characters, books, organic forms or whatever might come to mind.
Ink on paper, 2011, 10.5×14.5
The beauty in these works is in the color combinations, the fluid visual texture of the ink, the whimsically natural feel of the forms.
Ink on paper, 2011, 11.5×16Ink on paper, 2011, 11×14
To revel more in this gorgeous simplicity, please visit Mia Christopher’s website.
Featured image is Mia Christopher, ink on paper, 11×9.25. All images are via the artist’s website.
If you are an artist, you know the joy and delight your materials bring. The smell of fresh paint, the glow of molten glass, the feel of earthen clay. Seattle artist Margie Livingston is one artist who obviously enchanted with her unique properties of her chosen medium– paint.
198 Angles, Mostly Yellow, acrylic, 33.5×29
Her paintings are not only explorations into the characteristics of the paint– color, texture, sheen, etc., but also studies in shape, form, line and space.
263 Angles, Neutral Over Red, acrylic, 33×24.5
She’s also taken this investigation of medium a step further– creating actual sculptures from paint, genius!
Paint Strip Tied In a Knot With the Ends Tucked In, acrylic, 4x13x10 ( via Greg Kucera Gallery )Study for Spiral Block #3, acrylic, 6" cube
To see more of Margie Livingston’s adventures in paint, check out her website. If you’re in Seattle, you can see her work in person at Greg Kucera Gallery.
Featured image is 414 Angles, Mostly Red and Yellow, acrylic, 32×24. All images are via the artist’s website, unless otherwise stated.
In our modern and sleek world, we find fascination in old things and places. These are objects with a story, subway walls wallpapered with layer upon layer upon layer of poster ads or the stratum of paints on a bedroom wall, showing us the history of its owners. These are the ideas New Jersey artist Jill Ricci strives to convey in her work, those hidden discoveries.
Upper Playground, mixed media on canvas, 36×48
By combining elements of advertising ephemera, fabric, wallcoverings and abstraction, Ricci’s work manages to feel at once ancient and modern.
Ovation, mixed media on canvas, 24×24
With contemporary graphics layered under the patina of paint, these pieces almost feel like we are peeling back the scales from the antiquated to find that what is hidden beneath is not obsolete, but avant-garde.
Release, mixed media on canvas, 36×48
The artist’s layering collected materials mirrors society’s ever abiding search for the next big thing. We are constantly looking for the latest gadget, fashion or whatchmacallit that will give us joy. But perhaps, joy doesn’t come from the newest thing, but looking back with fondness and learning from what has come before.
Roam, mixed media on canvas, 36×48Jack’s Garden, mixed media on canvas, 48×36
To see more of Jill Ricci’s work, please visit her website. Her work can currently be seen in shows at Jules Place in Boston, MA and at Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park, NJ. Check these artsy spots out if you’re nearby!
Featured image is Cherish, mixed media on canvas, 48×30. All images are via the artist’s website.
I am busy spreading holiday cheer today ( OK, actually running around like crazy trying to get stuff done ), which is kind of fitting for the work of today’s featured artist. Sarah Spitler’s abstracts come from the artist’s concern with chaos manifested. And because of aforementioned chaos of my own today, I’m going to let Sarah’s work speak for itself.
Inveterate Detritus ( Something Forgotten Known Only to Ourselves ), ink, acrylic, enamel and spray paint on Mylar and canvas, 36×36Iniquities Not Consigned to Oblivion, ink, acrylic and enamel on Mylar, 16×16Vorticital Obsolescence, ink, acrylic and enamel on Mylar, 16×16Geopolitical Tumescence, ink, acrylic, gold leaf and enamel on Mylar, 10×10
Be sure to check out more of Sarah Spitler’s work on her website and don’t miss reading her artist statement— deep stuff there, definitely read it and then go back and look at her work again.
Featured title image is Monomythical Geopolitika, ink, acrylic, spray paint and graphite on Mylar, 28×22. All images are via the artist’s website.
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