I am daily amazed by the talent I find in my foraging each day. But occasionally, I see one painting by an artist, think “oh that’s nice!”, then go to their website to be completely blown away. The work of Spanish-born New York based artist Pepa Prieto astounded me with her visual movement, texture and lively sense of composition. I can’t get enough!
There is so much going on, so many corners and nooks to explore in each piece, each one is like a virtual fun house and I want to get lost in them all! The artist paints these pieces intuitively, evoking a particular memory or moment in time, “a detailed snapshot of my inner dialogue”. What a beautiful conversation she is having.
To see more of Pepa Prieto‘s work, and you know you want to, please visit her website. Happy weekend, Artsies! What are you up to? We’ll be checking out Eureka’s local ArtWalk on Saturday, excited to share my finds with you next week!
Like many women of my generation, I somehow missed An Affair to Remember until Meg Ryan brought it to my attention. It was beautiful, witty, romantic and sappy, just like a great chick flick is supposed to be. And Deborah Kerr’s Terry McKay was completely captivating and one of the first iconic female characters I thought of when beginning the Feminine Wiles series.
With her warm auburn locks and creamy complexion, the film’s wardrobe designer Charles Le Maire wisely capitalized on her natural palette by using autumnal peaches and oranges in her costumes peppered throughout the movie.
Deborah Kerr as Terry McKay in An Affair to Remember, acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
The character is smart and sassy, beautiful but down to earth and practical. Characteristics perfectly portrayed with a warm, simmering palette.
I have no idea how many of these I’ll do, but am thinking of broadening soon into more contemporary film characters– maybe even by decade? Um, hello, Molly Ringwald anyone? To see more paintings in the Feminine Wiles series, check the archives here.
Film image linked above, art by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.
Mr. F and I have known each other a long time. We were friends from way back before we became Mr. & Mrs. Long enough and well enough to know each other’s exes. We often speculate on what our lives had we stayed with our former loves ( and thankful each day things turned out the way they did!! ). In her Men I Have Known series, New York artist Juliet Martin crafts woven textile sculptures, each representing a different lover.
In these colorful, playful phalluses ( I didn’t immediately see the phallic quality to some, but then I can be pretty naive like that.. ), the artist, according to her website, is satirizing the idea of man as conqueror and possessor of sexual power. Instead, she’s creating her own “trophies”, bedpost notches, if you will. At first glance, the viewer would have no idea the meaning behind these pieces but the mystery is half the fun, yes? 😉
Interior designers have a special place in my heart. Perhaps because I call so many of them friends and because I spent a few years studying to be one. That plan derailed ( a story for another day! ), but I’m still so appreciative of the work that designers do, especially when it comes to incorporating original artwork into the spaces they design. And Seattle’s Brian Paquette of Brian Paquette Interiors, of course, is showing the world how to using original artwork infuses a space with personality and turns the fabulousness up to 11.
The work Paquette chooses add yet another layer of texture to his already gorgeously layered designs. The spaces are elegant, yet warm and friendly, much in thanks to the contemporary art he uses that is anything but stuffy. Named one of The Next Big Names in Design by Lonny Magazine, the future’s looking bright in rainy Seattle for Brian Paquette Interiors.
To see more of the Brian Paquette’s portfolio, please visit the Brian Paquette Interiors website.
We are more than the color of our skin. Who we are inside and what we do are so much more, yet we’re often instantly judged on this one small detail. In his current series, Puerto Rican born artist Edgar Sanchez Cumbas explores in paint and mixed media the idea of discrimination based on skin color.
We often begin our lives being teased for what makes us different– maybe our skin is pale thanks to a Celtic heritage or perhaps we’re on the other end of the flesh color spectrum and feel excluded due to a complexion much darker than our contemporaries. Instead of embracing the beauty in our diversity, in our longing to belong we ostracize. We lose the ability to see not just see beyond color but to see all color as equal and equally beautiful.
Sanchez Cumbas explores these ideas through his sculptural paintings, the artist builds up thick layers of color and texture, which are then obscured by a large swath of color. Only small hints at the layers beneath remain visible.
The forecast for last Saturday in Eureka was cloudy and rainy, so Mr. F and I planned to spend a leisurely day drinking coffee and catching up on work in a downtown coffee shop. And we did, for a few hours.. until we noticed that the rain didn’t seem to be coming and the sun was shining! So we decided ditched work to spend the afternoon doing a little more exploring around Old Town Eureka. We tasted grains at the local brew shop, browsed a dusty antique shop and a fun little vintage clothing boutique. As we were about to grab a burger & hit up Mr. F’s favorite Eureka watering hole, I spotted an open sign at Sewell Gallery and was so pleased at what we found inside.
Sewell Gallery exclusively features the work of Humboldt County artists and showcases some of the best the region has to offer in a large and inviting space. The current show, up for just a few more days, features the work of textile artist April Sproule . She creates these amazingly intricate contemporary quilt designs– I was especially drawn to the graphic quality found in her monochromatic work.
In addition to the featured exhibition, Mr. F and I found a wide range of mediums and styles to peruse. We both loved these ceramic pieces by Shannon Sullivan— gorgeously crafted and temptingly priced!
ceramics by Shannon Sullivan
Of course, you know I can’t resist abstract paintings and these two were calling to me across the sunlit gallery..
It was just the perfect day to wander through a gallery! We’ll definitely be putting Sewell on our list of places to stop in occasionally.
It’s looking pretty likely that Mr. F and I could be in Eureka at least through the summer and I’m more excited about that prospect than ever. With the largest concentration of artists per capita in all of California, Humboldt County has so much to offer and discover!
If you ever happen to be in Eureka, make sure to put in a stop at Sewell Gallery! Coming up Saturday is my first Eureka Arts Alive event. Stay tuned for more on that next week!
April showers bring.. a new Featured Artist! Yay! I’ve been having a serious photography moment lately so I’m excited to feature one of my favorite photographic finds of the last year, LA artist Alexandra Bellissimo all throughout the month of April.
Alexandra’s work has an incredibly elegant, graphic simplicity. Nude figures photographed, just a touch of digital manipulation, then natural elements are collaged into the composition by hand. Human, animal and flora meet, becoming one to create a new, fantastical reality. The more I look at her work, the more I fall in love with it. A story is told with minimal language, and I long to hear more.
Alexandra Bellissimo‘s work will be featured on Artsy Forager all throughout the month of April, but if you can’t wait to see more, head over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see her cover photo, as well as an album of my favorite Bellissimo finds. Be sure to visit the artist’s website, too!
PS– A new project collaboration will launch soon featuring work by Alexandra Bellissimo’s work along with three other fabulous artists! Stay tuned for more details!
There is such power in water, to calm, to cleanse, to inspire. At the end of a stressful day, a long soak in a warm bubble bath can make me a new person. These amazing oil paintings by Swedish artist Linnea Strid capture those ordinary moments in which water meets body and unleashes its blessing.
We plunge ourselves into its cool depths to escape the oppressive heat of summer, we gently pour its warmth over newborn skin. We sit and stare into its glassy surface or watch waves lap at our feet and our spirits become refreshed and renewed. It within our bodies, keeping us nourished and well.
As first world citizens, we are so beyond lucky. We throw away more food than the majority of the world’s population ever sees. And yet we still continually fuel our desire for more and more. The work of photographer Danielle Mourning struck me in its quiet melancholy and its lavishness of pattern and lifestyle.
In her photographs, we usually find women surrounded by life or luxury, but often looking out, perhaps longing for freedom from the trappings of an abundant life. Since Mr. Forager and I have been traveling, it has definitely been a slow letting go of material things. We can only travel with so much, even less now that we’re fitting everything into the back of our car, leaving little room for impulsive hoarding. This life forces us to seriously evaluate every purchase and for me, anything new has to either replace an existing item or be super-functional or too beautiful to live without. But I’ve also learned that less can be more. There is a freedom to be found in a minimal life. And we are still blessed beyond measure.
OK, Artsies, please don’t judge me, remember I was a young, impressionable girl growing up in the South.. but I was obsessed with Gone With the Wind as a youngster. Don’t recall how old I was when I first saw the movie, but I’ve already confessed my early love for glamour and gorgeous design. Then as a pre-teen, I read the novel, my first “adult” book, and the full-blown obsession began. The movie always drew me back in and as an adult, I grew more critical and analytical of the characters and design. The fifth painting in my Feminine Wiles series, is a color study of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, prominently featuring her signature color.
The character’s costumes, designed by Walter Plunkett feature a heavy dose of emerald and jade hues. The green is an obvious nod to Scarlett’s Irish heritage and her notable green eyes. But perhaps the color was used to make a few more subtle clues into Scarlett’s personality..
Earthy yet regal, in green, we see Scarlett as the renown beauty and notorious flirt, but also the pillar of strength and a cut-throat businesswoman. She uses whatever and whoever may be at her disposal to get what she needs. A character that’s often difficult to love.
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind by Lesley Frenz
acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
Did you have any movies or characters you were obsessed with when young? I still can’t resist watching a bit of GWTW whenever I catch it on. Want to see more of the work in my Feminine Wiles series? Check out the archives here. This is the last piece I currently have finished.. guess someone needs to do some painting this weekend!
Film image sources listed above, paintings by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.
