It has been a while since I’ve featured an abstract painter. Maybe it’s because I see so much abstract painting that is good, but not exceptional. Completely nonobjective abstract work looks like it’s easy, but in actuality it is very, very difficult to do well. ( I know, I tried in college and the results were, well, not so good. Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to try again ). That being said, Susan Morosky’s work is definitely of the exceptional kind.
Big Grass Creek, acrylic on canvas, 46×68
Susan’s brushstrokes, while seemingly frenetic, are essential to her sense of composition. They lead the eye in, out, up, down and around. There is a sense of movement, yet the work feels peaceful, not chaotic.
Canyon River, acrylic on canvas, 36×36
Her work is an abstract inspiration of the properties of water, fields and their boundaries. It is from this beginning that the finished pieces find their organic rhythms.
Creekside Spring, acrylic on canvas, 36×36Night River, acrylic on canvas, 36×36
Layers of paint, some left piled onto the canvas, other layers extracted from it, create an undulating surface as vibrant and lively as a rushing river.
To see more of Susan Morosky’s work, please visit her website. If you’re in the New Orleans area, you can see her work in living color at the fabulous Gallery Orange.
Featured image is Belle Island Shore by Susan Morosky. All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.
PS– I often listen to music while writing artist features and usually try to choose a musical artist that inspires me in the same way that the art does. Susan Morosky’s feature was written to Tiger Lily by Natalie Merchant. Thought it would be fun for you to know my “soundtrack” for artists. Is it fun? Do you care? 😉
After three months in the cultural dead-zone that is Aberdeen, WA, it feels good to be living in a town with an active arts community. Grants Pass, OR isn’t exactly Portland or Seattle, but it is a welcome change. Last weekend, I was delighted to tour the current show at the Grants Pass Museum of Art , Vibrant Earth, featuring the glass sculptures and tapestries of California artist Deanna Marsh.
Gone Rogue, kiln-formed glass and steel, 36×36
It is really no surprise for artists to be inspired by the Western landscape in all it’s dynamic diversity. Deanna Marsh’s fused glass and metal sculptures capture the essence of the rushing rivers and steep mountain slopes. Recalling the wild spirit that still resides throughout so much of this landscape.
Golden Geodesy, brazilian geode, kiln-formed glass, copper and steel, 48x18x3
Deanna’s work is beautifully wrought and large in size, making her ideal for corporate & healthcare placement ( *hint, hint, to all my art consultant & designer readers!! ).
Accommodating Land by Deanna Marsh, kiln-formed glass and steel, 64×30
So if you happen to be anywhere near Grants Pass, Oregon, A) Let’s have coffee! and B) visit the Grants Pass Museum of Art before September 30th to see the work of this talented artist in person. If you can’t see it in person, please make sure you visit the artist’s website to view more of her work.
Featured image is Choose Your Path by Deanna Marsh. All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.
Jacksonville artist Christina Foard has been developing a series of paintings, “Dresses”, which explore the connection between what we wear, our personality, our past, present and future. Here, Christina talks candidly about this series and what she sees as the psychology behind our fashion choices.
AF: Hi Christina! Thank you so much for taking the time for this little interview. You know how much I love your work. I am completely enamored with your dress series and am so excited you have been creating some new pieces! How did this series begin and how has it evolved?
C: I’ve been working on dresses since 2008. It began with self-portraits where I am wearing gowns painted with mapped areas or terrain I’ve covered. Mapped gowns was a personification and extension of aerial landscapes that I had begun a year prior. (Ballerina Dance, The Written Legacy, Fluid Gown ( below ), The Courtesan, A Life-changing Conversation, A Single Mom’s Playground, Picnic of Adulthood are some of these.) Since it was more about the journey, decisions and influences, I eventually removed the figure altogether. I began to place myself in and amongst other women, each of us represented symbolically as a dress. In these, I paint the way someone feels to me. It’s more about vitality and energy than their physical presence…a little like painting a pattern of the music they emanate and comparing those rhythmic differences in a series. ( “Pajama Party” ( below ), “Three Sisters”, “Five Friends” ). For example, a 90 year old woman with a saucy, adventuresome personality might end up with the most flamboyant and lively dress, which looks more suitable for a 20 year old.
Recently, in “Polka Dot Party” ( below ) and a few others, my focus area shifted from observing others to a discussion of how I choose to present myself to the world around me each day. Again, choices, decisions and influences.
Liquid Gown, oil on canvas, 60×48
The Pajama Party, oil on canvas, 36×60
AF: Tell me about what you see as the psychology around fashion and the garments we choose to clothe ourselves in.
C: When we are shopping for clothes, we pass up most items available. We reject all the items which don’t fit our perception of ourselves or our perception of our bodies. These rejections are as telling as what we eventually choose to buy. We essentially have to contend with the roles we play in our relationships as well as physical issues that dictate attire: seasons, terrain and climate. Specifically for women whose options vary greatly, our choices can openly display themes of femininity: sexuality, power, accessibility, creativity, compassion, social status, affluence, self-respect. Because our attire speaks so loudly about who we are and who we aren’t, we also deal with influence and who we hope to engage with on a given day. How accessible do I want to make myself today? How much do I want to reveal? How much do I want to conceal? Do I want to lead or do I want to be one of the masses? Do I want to bring attention to myself? These aren’t conscious questions we ask ourselves necessarily; yet they sit below the surface.
Behavior and language is affected by dress. From my personal experience I’ve noticed that I’m more expressive and creative when I wear a long scarf; more formal, precise, and attentive wearing a suit jacket; more nurturing and tactile in a long flowing dress. I notice my energy, tone, and carriage alters depending on the femininity of my fabrics, the structural formality of a garment, the heel height of my shoes, the accessories I’ve chosen. My language and sentence structures change, my accessibility to others is affected. The emotional, physical, and psychological components are intertwined. This, I find fascinating.
Orange Scarf, oil on canvas, 29×42
AF: I’ve noticed a few of your latest works in this series are named after women. Are these “portraits” of specific women?
C:Yes, they are. It is part of a social “inspiration” project that I began in 2009 and will be complete in the next several months. It is comprised of 6 individual paintings around 40″ and one larger 10′ painting. It is entitled Accidental Mentors Project and I’ll be sure to let you know all about it when fully complete.
Cindy: Structural Integrity
AF: I can’t wait to see the completed series! Do you have a favorite article of clothing? What makes it special and what does it say about you, as a woman, as an artist or as a mother?
C:I found this question challenging, if you can believe it. I decided on one long skirt I’ve had for about 6 years. It has a conservative pattern on a somewhat sheer fabric, yet a Latin-inspired construction. Every time I wear it, it makes me feel like dancing and I couldn’t feel more feminine or more perfectly my age in it. Because of how it makes me feel, I’ve also had some great memories attached to it. That adds a sentimental component.
Decisions, mixed media on canvas, 36×60
AF: Finally, just for fun.. What are you wearing? 😉
C:Pink racer-back NIKE T-shirt, navy blue Adidas cropped workout pants and my favorite socks – my running shoes yet to be put on. Plus, a little locket with my kids’ tiny toddler faces inside. The combination seems perfect at this quiet, early morning moment before the sun has arrived.
A huge thank you to Christina for sharing her work and insights. To see more of this talented artist’s work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Christina in her downtown Jacksonville studio. All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.
The paintings of Wm. Coleman Mills have an undeniable texture– they make you want to touch them. And they are full of gorgeous, saturated color, which makes you want to wear them. So after hearing the pleas of fans of his artwork, the artist set about the task of recreating his artwork into textile designs, namely scarves.
Sunset At Grand Lagoon scarfSunset At Grand Lagoon by Wm. Coleman Mills, encaustic on canvas, 144×48
Those who know me well know that I have a weakness for scarves. It’s one of the reasons I was excited to move to the Pacific Northwest– scarf weather year-round!! So when I heard that one of my favorite painters was debuting a line of scarves based on details of his work, I got just a little OK, a LOT excited. These lovely textiles beautifully capture the essence of a coastal Southern summer, but are versatile enough to wear any season of the year.
Wind Swirling On Gulf Water scarf from WMCM Studio
The scarves are made by photographing each inspiration painting and converting the photo into a digital CAD file. It is then cropped and digitally screen printed onto a lightweight cotton voile and hand-finished in the artist’s hometown and current residence of Fairhope, Alabama. Each scarf is 24×72 inches and made-to-order. They can be backed with either silk or cotton and are signed and numbered by the artist.
Water's Edge scarf from WMCM Studio
This is your chance to own a beautiful piece of wearable artwork! More info on the scarves is available on the WMCM website and pre-orders are being taken now! I can’t wait to see what other textiles he comes up with next.. I’m thinking throw pillows, bedding, window treatments, etc!
PS– Be sure to take a gander at Coleman’s artwork while you’re on his website.. not to be missed!
Kicking off artsyF A S H I O NWeek here at Artsy Forager! Fashion and art have long been intertwined. For centuries, artists have, perhaps at times unwittingly, been the recorders of the history of fashion and style. It is in thanks to artwork that we can track what was worn by whom hundreds of years ago. Paintings weren’t just art, but were the fashion magazines and blogs of their day. For instance, thanks to Vermeer, we see a glimpse of the difference in the daily costume of the classes in a Mistress and Maid.
Mistress and Maid by Johannes Vermeer, c. 1666-1667
Today’s artists seem to have a bit more freedom to interpret instead of record. Fashion is such an integral part of our modern culture, it is no surprise that it still holds a fascination for contemporary artists. For some artists, the fashions themselves are worthy focal points. Denver artist Roxanne Rossi elevates a simple dress’s silhouette into an artistic statement, a sculptural fashion plate, clean but heavy in texture, it seems like it could come to life at any moment.
Afternoon Delight by Roxanne Rossi, acrylic, 36×60
Sometimes the fashion media becomes a literal component to a piece of fashion-influenced art, such as in the collage work of Melbourne, Florida artist Derek Gores. His imagery has the composition of a Vogue magazine spread and the collaged photos, magazine, labels, etc give each piece a painterly depth.
All Summer Long by Derek Gores, mixed media collage
Painter Kelly Reemtsen uses the constraints of mid-century era mindsets about fashion and juxtaposes them with garden tools and hardware, producing visual statements about the expectations placed on women, by themselves and the world at large.
Throwback by Kelly Reemtsen, oil on panel, 36×36
Celebrating the female form, both physically and spiritually, Leigh Pennebaker’s wire sculptures reveal designs that are sensuous and soft, despite their industrial materials.
Madeline by Leigh Pennebaker, wire sculpture
Like many fashion-forward artists, Megan Cosby began with an interest in fashion design, but decided she was more interested in the people themselves and what their style said about their personality, who they are, where they’ve been and where they are going.
Better by Megan Cosby, mixed media on canvas, 14×12
And then there’s the smart and cheeky work of Sarah Ashley Longshore, at once playing homage and poking fun to our culture’s obsession with fashion. I’ve featured her Audrey Hepburn paintings several times on the blog, but she also has this fabulous series focused on fashion and pop culture.
Trophy Wife Junk Drawer by Sarah Ashley Longshore, acrylic and high gloss reisn on canvas, 48×72
More fashiony-artsy goodness to come this week! Stay tuned.
Featured image is Major Poontang by Sarah Ashley Longshore.
Please enjoy this oldie by goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!
There is nothing I love better than a day spent walking in the woods or paddling down a slow moving river. Nature’s beauty has a way of inspiring me to want to paint, write, cook, just create. In celebration of Earth Day, this Friday’s Forager Faves round up includes a few artists who obviously feel the same way. These are works insprired by the wonder of the earth in which we live. Enjoy and get outside!
Please enjoy this oldie by goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!
It is a huge misnomer that only the rich can afford to be art collectors or even to purchase original work. When most of us think of an “art collector”, we tend to think of the stereotype of the wealthy patron, attending auctions at Christie’s, buying artwork for more than many of us make in a year, heck, in a lifetime. Or maybe you’ve gone into a higher end gallery and seen a price and thought to yourself, “Self, no way you’ll ever be able to afford that.”
Well, I’m here to tell you, the times they are a changin’. It has never been easier or more affordable to purchase original artwork and/or high quality limited editions. No, I’m not talking about the kind of “original art” you buy at the fleamarket or from a sale in a hotel ballroom. I’m referring to original, gallery worthy fine art. The kind you can be proud to hang on your wall.
Here are some suggestions for finding the artwork of your dreams and getting your collection started:
Online galleries/exhibition websites– These are popping up all over the place and many of them represent some very talented artists and you can usually find wonderful work in every price point.
Etsy— Possibly the largest online art & handmade marketplace, complete with a powerful search engine, you’ll find a wide range of artwork available. Many artists are using Etsy to reach a wider audience and as a way to sell their work independantly. ( Note that many of the artists with shops on the “exhibition sites” will have their links on those sites connecting back to their Etsy shops. )
Into the Mystic, photgraphic print, 8″x8″ $30
20×200— this New York City based website works with artists to offer limited editions of original work. Starting at just $20 for the smallest size, 20×200 offers affordable, quality work for newbie collectors.
Well-Being I, limited edition on archival paper, 8″x10″, edition of $200, $20
Papernstitch— I must admit, I’m a little biased toward this one, as it is run by my friend ( and fabulous artist in her own right ), Brittni Wood. Started as a blog, Papernstitch is a growing online exhibition site, curated monthly by Brittni and features handpicked, talented artists, designers and craftspeople. The Papernstitch blog is still going full force and features daily posts from Brittni and a handful of other talented contributors. Papernstitch is definitely worth a look when you are searching for something special.
Open Space by Rachel Austin, original mixed media on canvas, 8″ x 8″, $85
Artwelove— Founded in 2008, ArtWeLove “offers exclusive, museum-quality art editions by today’s inspiring artists”. A big difference with this site is it focuses on offerings from artists whose work is found in top galleries, museums and exhibitions throughout the world. The work is curated and commissioned directly from the artist to ArtWeLove exclusively– you won’t see these prints anywhere else. The site has a “learning engine” similar to Amazon.com, which tracks your artwork preferences over time and makes recommendations for you.
Petal, Pixel and Stain by Nina Tichava, limited edition on archival paper, starting at $50
PoppyTalk Handmade–Founded in 2008 by a Canadian husband and wife team, PoppyTalk Handmade is a monthly curated and “themed” marketplace showcasing artwork, handmade and vintage goods from around the world. Sort of an online street fair/festival, PoppyTalk provides an online marketplace to emerging and indie artists and craftspeople.
Pillow Land, sewn print by Clare Elsaesser of Tastes Orangey, 4.75″ x 4.75″, $20
Stay tuned over the next few days for more suggestions on ways to buy original art on any budget!
Please enjoy this oldie by goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!
There are people and by people, I mean artists, whose life and art are so intertwined that almost everything in their life looks like their artwork. Maribel Angel is one of those people and I mean that in the best possible sense. The minute I drove up to her home & studio in St. Augustine, Florida, I knew I was in for a treat.
Maribel’s home & studio, which she shares with her husband, Cash, dog Miss Hannah and three cats, is on a quiet street removed from the bustle of tourists in downtown St. Augustine. Entering through a green gate with a little bell, I am greeted with a hug from the artist and meow from possibly the friendliest cat ever, Lulu.
Trimmed in bright colors reminiscent of her paintings, the house, studio and workshop are like sweet little dollhouses. Maribel and Cash purchased the property, which faces a lovely canal where Lulu loves to beg for attention from joggers, as a fixer upper and have done most of the work themselves over the years. It is apparent that this is a place created with love.
Let’s go into the studio.
Sunlight streams through the windows, filling the diminutive studio with light and warmth.
Every artist’s studio needs a comfy chair. A place where an artist can curl up with a cup of coffee and read or dream about where inspiration will take them next. Finished artwork or works in progress are all around the studio– like these sweet little horse paintings ( below ), which were big sellers during the MOCA Studio Tour a few weeks ago.
The studio floors are reclaimed hardwood, which came from a local horse barn. Maribel theorizes that perhaps the floors are subconsciously leading her to paint horses! Whatever the cause, these equestrian inspired pieces are hard to resist. However, I am even more in love with a new series Maribel is working on– inspired by the Anthropologie catalog!
I told Maribel how much I loved these and when she told me her inspiration source, I was downright gleeful! There is just something about Anthropologie that we artsy girls love. Ask anyone who has ever been in one with me. I get this joyous, glazed over look in my eye, which I’m sure is very similar to the look I had upon leaving Maribel’s.
On the opposite side of the room, are the quintessential elements of any artist’s studio– easel, work table and of course, stacks of works in progress. See the horses? I think the floors are working their magic.
Ever wonder how Maribel creates those wonderful, collaged layers in her work? First, she makes a color copy of the inspiration source, whether it be a textile pattern, page from a book or other ephemera, then soaks the copy in a medium solution which allows her to peel the transparent image from the paper. The transparency allows for background paint and other elements to show through and using this instead of the paper itself will be more permanent and chemically stable.
I can’t wait to try this out on my own.. I already have a few ideas! If only I was as prolific as Maribel.. there is artwork and inspiration everywhere you turn in her studio.
Don’t you love the rustic window paned doors? Maribel has definitely created a space that warms the heart and nurtures the soul. I was there for less than an hour and came home incredibly inspired and ready to create! I hope our visit to Maribel’s studio has done the same for you.
Please note that unfortunately, Christina is no longer in this studio. She is actively created from her home studio– but I loved this insight into her creative world.
Christina Foard is above the clouds– literally and figuratively. Her new studio space sits high above downtown Jacksonville in the AT&T building. How could she not be over the moon? This is her view, ya’ll!
Despite the breathtaking view or perhaps, in part, because of it, Christina admits her new studio was a bit overwhelming when she first moved in. An empty office space, originally intended for row upon row of cubicles, proved challenging to figure out how to best utilize as an art studio. But a huge advantage to so much space? Christina has room to breath and room to create.
Ditto goes for her three kids, who are often at the studio with her, sometimes for hours on end. There is plenty of room for them to run around, even skateboard(!) throughout the studio and Christina has set up a “living room” so that she and the kids have a place to relax while she’s in the studio.
There is also room for Christina, the artist, to “play”. When stuck for direction or just needing to get some creative juices flowing, she can plop herself down on the floor and play with paint and paper or stand over it and do some “Pollock-style” action painting. If that won’t get your painting mojo working, nothing will.
Christina’s work is autobiographical– each piece is about a particular time, place, person or memory and is often used as a kind of catharsis, a way of working through a particular memory and replacing what may have been a negative with a positive. Though a lot of her work is technically representational ( centered around recognizable objects ), it is also highly symbolic. Circles and ribbons have begun popping up in Christina’s work lately, often symbolizing the intrusion of a chaos of thought on a peaceful mind.
Just as her life is constantly changing and evolving, so too, is Christina’s work. For this artist, it is more about the process of creating than a finished “marketable” product. ( Though people do respond to her work and it sells quite well ). The paintings she creates aren’t necessarily “precious”, she will often go back and not just tweak but completely rework a piece so that it hardly resembles its former self.
The pieces pictured below, for instance, are works in progress.. they may not exist as you see them a week from now.
This new space is allowing Christina to grow as an artist like never before. She is filled with ideas and there are stacks of new canvases just waiting for paint.
The new studio is also giving her a chance to venture into collage and sculpture. She has wiped her slate clean of exhibitions and shows until early next year, to give herself time to rejuevenate, reinvigorate and explore where her art will take her. I can’t wait to see where the journey leads!
It’s been such a grey, gloomy week here in North Florida, that I thought we could all do with a little sunshine! Maribel Angel’s work never fails to make me smile. Maribel grew up in a Spanish speaking family and their influence definitely comes through in the vitality and liveliness of her work.
Maribel’s work tells a story, one that comes from within her own imagination and world of dreams. A place filled with festive color, galloping horses, flying bunnies and fanciful birds.
As Maribel’s work symbolically explores the effects of layers of time and history, so her treatment of her mediums are often a layering of paper, images, paint, text and symbols.
It is in these details that Maribel’s graphic design background comes through. Not only in the use and placement of text, but also in the juxtapositions of color and pattern. Actually, I’ve always thought she could be a very successful textile designer. I would totally buy a fabric or wallcovering in the design of “Bohemian Blossom” ( pictured below ), wouldn’t you? I’m picturing a this on a full skirt with a crisp white shirt and floppy straw hat!
So, Maribel Angel.. Painter-Graphic Designer-Future Textile Designer ( if I had my way! ).. let’s see, any other hyphenates to describe this multi-talented artist? Oh, that’s right–she’s also a sculptor!!
Maribel takes found objects and gives them new life in her assemblages and I must admit, I find every one of these “Cuckoos Nest” birds absolutely charming. Seriously, I’ve never met one I didn’t completely fall for. Maribel was sweet enough to give me a wonderful miniature guy and it is one of my favorite possessions.
