Tag: art

  • A Touchable Light: Henry Isaacs

    A Touchable Light: Henry Isaacs

    As I may have mentioned, my hubby and I are renting a little apartment on a lake here in Northern Idaho for the next few months.  We’ve taken a few meals down to the water, eating and drinking wine on the dock, waiting for that bewitching hour when the light begins to turn.  New England artist Henry Isaacs’ work captures the magical pink light of dusk and the abstract beauty to be found in every landscape.

    Near Elizabeth, NC, oil on linen, 16×12
    Mountain Spring ( along Rte 92 N ), oil on linen, 40×30

    Isaacs’ work beautifully captures the simplicity of form to be found in our surroundings and how when the light changes color, so too, does the landscape take on a new hue.

    Canon Rock #2, oil on linen, 40×30

    In the brightest warmth of day, yellows dominate, then, as the sun softens the colors slowly fade and the light becomes softer.

    View East from the Terryberry’s, oil on linen, 40×30
    View South from Elizabeth City, NC, oil on linen, 40×30

    To see more of Henry Isaacs’ work, please visit his website.

    Featured image is View East From the Terryberry’s, oil on linen, 40×30.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Karin Miller

    The work of South African artist Karin Miller caught my eye on Pinterest and I was blown away after visiting her website.  Check out the examples of her work I’m featuring over on Escape Into Life today!

    Day Flying Insects of the Order Lepidoptera

    Karin Miller on Escape Into Life

  • Heightened Senses: Elizabeth Terhune

    Heightened Senses: Elizabeth Terhune

    Something interesting happens on our cloudy days here in the Northwest.  The grey softens and disguises the landscape so that details are normally left unseen and undercover are brought to the fore.  The paintings featured from Elizabeth Terhune today remind me of those days when the light is at its softest.

    About the Moon, oil on linen, 22×22

    Sure, we live for sunny days here in the Northwest.  When the sun shines, the landscape is absolutely breathtaking!  But when the clouds roll in, everything, even the sky becomes quiet.  A hike in the woods on a cloudy day offers a study in contrasts, much like Elizabeth Terhune’s abstract paintings.

    In the Realm of Mutability, oil on linen

    Dark tree trunks stand tall, silhouetted against a cloud-filled sky.  Above we see a mass of dark leaves, but the vibrant yellow flowers entwined along our path suddenly pops out at us, happy to have been given a chance to shine.  As in Terhune’s paintings, the complex becomes simple.  Shapes blend into one another but the darkest and brightest of them all demand our attention.

    Giraffe, oil on linen
    Crosshair’s Gaze, oil on linen, 22×23

    To see more of Elizabeth Terhune’s work, please visit her website.  I’m hoping to take a cloudy day hike or bike ride today.  I’ll be thinking about Elizabeth’s work!

    Featured image is In the Realm of Mutability, oil on linen.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Undone Beauty: Cristina Troufa

    Undone Beauty: Cristina Troufa

    Very often, negative space is just as important to our understanding of form as the form itself.  Think about clouds– their beauty is most apparent when surrounded by bright blue sky.  In Portuguese artist Cristina Troufa’s work, the painter uses simple lines and negative space to punctuate her compositions, choosing to highlight the flesh which makes her figures essentially human.

    Pedestal, mixed media

    Her concentration of color and light on the exposed flesh of her subjects speaks to our tendency to judge on appearance, often unable to look past the person we think we see and notice each other for who we really are.

    Pelo Ralo, mixed media

    Her compositions are simple, the backgrounds stark, only a detail left to us here or there.

    Degraus, mixed media

    What do we see when we fill in the blanks?  Who are these women, this boy?  What is this moment we’ve caught them in?  Have we been there before?

    Etapas, mixed media
    Sombras No Sotao, mixed media

    To see more of Cristina Troufa’s work, please visit her website and her page on Meseon.

    Featured image is Salto.  All images are via Cristina Troufa’s page on Meseon.

  • Win Artsy Stuff: Moon Rabbits WINNER!

    Big thanks to everyone who entered the Win Artsy Stuff: Geoff Mitchell book giveaway!  I’m happy to announce the winner of his very own autographed copy of Geoff’s book, Moon Rabbits is Daniel Tjoelker!  Congratulations, Daniel!  Please send me an email ( artsyforager{at}att.net ) with your mailing address so we can get your book on its way.

    Daniel’s favorite piece is Trinket ( pictured below ).  Daniel is an artist is his own right, make sure you check out his blog!

    Trinket, mixed media ( 6 panels ), 24×36
  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Sean Mahan

    Sorry for the reposting, turns out there was a little hiccup with EIL last week and Sean’s work didn’t get posted last Tuesday!  Uh oh.  So you’ll find it on EIL today!

    There are artists whose work just sticks with me.  I still remember when I first saw the work of Sean Mahan, way back during my gallery days in Florida.  We all loved his work, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for the more conservative, corporate-ish gallery I was working in.  So when I happened to see his work featured over on The Art Cake, I was super excited for him.  He has such a unique style and vision, I just had to share his work with the Escape Into Life readers today.  Please take a little jaunt over to EIL to see more!

    Invisible Weight 3 by Sean Mahan

    Sean Mahan on Escape Into Life

    PS– I know I usually post twice on Tuesdays, but since things have been sooo hectic lately, this will be my only post today.  Hope to have blog life back to normal next week!

  • Cosmic Primality: Rana Rochat

    Cosmic Primality: Rana Rochat

    Last weekend, while we were visiting Whitefish, MT with friends from Florida, we spotted the biggest, most orange moon I’ve ever seen.  Its glowing intensity loomed over the distant mountains, seeming close enough to touch.  Rana Rochat’s encaustic work reminds me of the seemingly random beauty and chaos that surrounds and surprises us.

    Untitled A108, encaustic on panel, 54×48

    The universe is constantly moving, people rushing about, planets migrating, everything in constant flux and evolution.  It seems that the world is never still, it is always changing creating tension between the chaos of life and the natural order of the universe.

    Untitled L750, encaustic on panel, 54×48

    In her work, Rochat explores this dynamic balance between regularity and impulsiveness.  Each work using similar marks and complementary palettes, yet surprising in their fluid movement and arrangement.

    Untitled ( 96 ), encaustic on panel, 60×35

    Shapes float across the canvas and lines seem to trace movement of forms unseen.  Her work feels like a visual record of migratory journeys and chaotic progression.

    Untitled ( 98 ), encaustic on panel, 42×42
    Untitled ( L790 ), encaustic on panel, 48×70

    To see more of Rana Rochat’s work, please visit her website.  Her work can be seen in several galleries across the US and Canada ( see the Contact page on her website for a full list ).

    Artist found via David Lusk Gallery.

    Featured image is Untitled ( 87 ), encaustic on panel, 48×42.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Win Artsy Stuff! Geoff Mitchell Book Giveaway

    *This giveaway ended at 5pm PST on Friday, June 15, 2012.  Thanks to all who entered!

    I like free stuff and I bet you do, too!  Especially when it’s artsy stuff and what other kind would we be giving away on Artsy Forager?  This month’s Facebook Featured Artist, Geoff Mitchell, has recently published Moon Rabbits: Pictures and Tales a book project which pairs twenty of Mitchell’s works with short stories inspired by his imagery.

    Win this book!

    Geoff has been generous enough to offer Artsy Forager readers a chance to win a copy of Moon Rabbits!  To enter, simply comment on this post with your favorite Geoff Mitchell work ( find more of his work on his website here ) and you can get an extra entry by writing your own narrative in your comment below about the story you see unfolding in Geoff’s work.

    Good luck!  The contest will end this Friday, June 15, 2012 at 5pm PST.  A winner will be drawn at random and announced on Monday, June 18th!

  • June Facebook Featured Artist: Geoff Mitchell

    June Facebook Featured Artist: Geoff Mitchell

    I first discovered the work of LA based artist Geoff Mitchell when he opened a solo show at Steve Williams’ Florida Mining Gallery last year.  Steve has impeccable taste in art, so of course, I was immediately intrigued and blown away by Geoff’s work.  In case you missed it, you can read my initial feature on Geoff’s work here.  Since that first feature, Geoff has been busy creating new work and collaborating on a book project– more about his book later today!

    The Emperor’s Night Garden, mixed media on panel, 97×105

    While the images with which Geoff works are representational in nature, his method of composition is free and intuitive.  Images are chosen for their sheer beauty, interest or what they may bring to the composition texturally.  Chosen found imagery doesn’t necessarily relate to the other images around it, or at least not intentionally.

    Crossing the Needles, mixed media on panel, 97×105

    Geoff works from the principal of the sensation of pareidolia, a “psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus, often an image or sound, being perceived as significant”.  His works are telling stories, but not of the artist’s making, but of the viewers.  He provides the stimuli, we fill in the story with our own memories and meaning.

    Stage 3, mixed media on panel, 20×20
    Ivory Lolly, mixed media on panel, 20×20

    To see more of Geoff Mitchell’s work, please check out his ( newly designed! ) website and his cover image & album on the Artsy Forager Facebook page.  If you happen to be near Biloxi, MS, don’t miss his solo exhibition, Chaos at the Confessional at the Ohr-O’Keeffe Museum, opening June 12, on display until November 24, 2012.

    Featured image is a detail of The Emperor’s Night Garden.  All images are via the artist.

  • Friday Faves:  Canvas, Paper, Scissors

    Friday Faves: Canvas, Paper, Scissors

    I distinctly remember our section on collage in my Drawing 101 class.  It was kind of painful for me.  I wanted to create interesting beautiful work, but had a hard time getting past memories of third grade art class and Elmer’s glue.  So it isn’t any wonder that some of my favorite work is of the cut and paste variety.. These artists have found the secret to what I was longing to do!

    Ben Giles
    Giorgio Russo
    Nono Bandera
    Mario Wagner

    Be sure to come back on Monday to see more from another fabulous collage artist, this month’s Facebook Featured Artist Geoff Mitchell!

    Ben Giles | Giorgio Russo | Nono Bandera | Mario Wagner

    All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.