artsy forager

Tag: art

  • Artsy Happenings: #Foliophoto on Instagram

    Artsy Happenings: #Foliophoto on Instagram

    Remember when I mentioned the need to stretch some creative muscles?  While not exactly the painting project I had in mind, this Instagram project, initiated by Sandra of Raincoast Creative Salon and Christie of Bedside Design, came along at just the right time!  #Foliophoto is the name of the game and the objective is to take an Instagram each day of October based on a word prompt [ see list below ], then use hashtag #foliophoto to mark your Instagram and follow what everyone else is doing.

    #Foliophoto collage

    The project is about bettering our visual storytelling, improving our photography, and building creative community.  A definite assortment of goals I knew I could benefit from and have some artsy fun at the same time!  Want to join in?  It’s not too late!  Just find the word prompt below corresponding with today’s date [ i.e., for today, Oct. 8th, the word is pattern ].  Then take an Instagram inspired by that word.  Get creative!

    foliophoto-prompt-list

    I hope you’ll play along with us!  I love going through the #foliophoto entries at night and seeing what everyone else has come up with.  So much creativity, you guys!  You’ll be more creative and you’ll be inspired by what other folks are doing.  Come and play! #foliophoto

    Images in collage by Artsy Forager.  Word prompt image via Raincoast Creative Salon.

  • Delicate Grace: Gosia

    Delicate Grace: Gosia

    Once in a while, I come across an artist whose work really captures me and I want to drink in each detail.  While perusing the work of another artist, I came across the website of his studio mate and immediately fell in love with what I saw.  The sculptures of Toronto artist Gosia haunted me with their delicate grace.

    Eva by Gosia Pearl by Gosia The Feeling Washes Over Me by Gosia Luna by Gosia The Penny Bust by Gosia

    The shrouded faces, the graceful features and gentle expressions, all rendered in snowy white.  They remind me of a quieter place, perhaps a place that doesn’t even exist, where time moves slowly and people are unfailingly tender and kind.

    If you’d like to see more of Gosia‘s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in Toronto, she has a show currently up at Latitude 44 Gallery until October 12th and will open a new show at Wall Space Gallery on October 10th!

    All images are via the artist’s website and Facebook page.

  • In Context: Rudolf Stingel at Palazzo Grassi

    In Context: Rudolf Stingel at Palazzo Grassi

    I’ve found that occasionally, where and how I see an artist’s work will influence how I feel about it.  If I see something while relaxing on vacation, I might think more highly of it than I would have if it had just been hanging in my local coffee shop.  A beautifully designed gallery or thoughtfully hung gallery can positively influence the way work is viewed.  Context is everything!  New York based artist Rudolf Stingel‘s installation of work at Palazzo Grassi in Venice turns the context of the gallery on end by blanketing expansive surfaces in an Ottoman-style carpet.

    Rudolf Stingel Rudolf Stingel Rudolf Stingel Stingel5 Rudolf Stingel

    The carpet, a nod to the palazzo’s history ( it used to be a trading spot for rugs from the Middle East ), creates a dramatic backdrop for Stingel’s monochromatic paintings.  The work ranges from small scale portraits of classical sculpture to large minimalist abstracts.  In a white wall gallery, they would still grab attention, but somehow the carpeted space seems to create a more intimate experience with the artwork.  And set against all that pattern– the work still calls out, perhaps the pattern serves to even enhance the work, drawing the viewer in and intensifying details that may have been overlooked.

    It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it?  The way in which the context of work might influence our opinions and feelings toward it.  Have you ever experienced something similar?  Seeing work in one context and feeling a certain way, then completely changing your mind when you see it differently?

    If you’d like to see more of Rudolf Stingel‘s work, please visit his representing gallery, Gagosian.

    All images are via Design Boom.

  • Transitory Nature: Kyle Stewart

    Transitory Nature: Kyle Stewart

    Transitions are always inspiring to me– the changing of seasons, the shift into a new life, the evolution and transformation.  The transitional seasons of our lives always seem to bring about a renewed energy and purpose.  In perusing the work of Toronto artist Kyle Stewart this morning, got me to thinking about how each experience builds upon the next as we move through this life.

    Hooded Girl #2 by Kyle Stewart Form #1 by Kyle Stewart Autumn's Return by Kyle Stewart Form #2 by Kyle Stewart The Conversation #2 by Kyle Stewart

    In Stewart’s work, you see him working out, playing and stretching through each canvas.  Scrolling through his paintings, you get a visual sense of each transition as he moves from tighter, more constrained abstracts into looser, quieter work, trying out narrative details along the way.  How amazingly does the life cycle of art mimic our own?  We too, move in and out of seasons, changing and transitioning, sometimes ever so slightly, sometimes in big, big ways.

    If you’d like to see more of Kyle Stewart‘s work ( and I highly recommend you do!  Every piece is stunning! ), please visit his website and follow along on his artistic journey through his Tumblr, Facebook & Instagram feeds.

    Images via the artist’s website.

  • Finding Home: Amy Wilson Flaville

    Finding Home: Amy Wilson Flaville

    I feel like I’ve been writing a lot this week about our traveling lifestyle.  Maybe it’s been on my subconscious lately.  We’ve been talking about our future home a lot recently, what that might look like, where it might be.  These collages by San Francisco artist Amy Wilson Flaville    reminded me that none of us are guaranteed a dry and comfy bed each night.

    Fixie by Amy Wilson Flaville

    Upon first glance, I fell for Flaville’s use of color and pattern in these shopping cart collages.  As I looked a little more at her work this morning, I saw more.  I saw those colorful patterns as happy memories, the kind we store up in our hearts and carry with us everywhere we go.

    Wagon Train by Amy Wilson Flaville

    We carry our homes within us, which enables us to fly. — John Cage

    Cabana by Amy Wilson Flaville Pasture by Amy Wilson Flaville

    Whatever our situation, whether we find ourselves living in the lap of luxury or pushing all our earthly belongings in a shopping cart, it is what is inside that sustains us.  The people who love us, who we have loved, we carry that with us and no four walls can contain it.

    Caravan by Amy Wilson Flaville

    If you’d like to see more of Amy Wilson Flaville‘s work, please visit her website.

    All images via the artist’s website.  Artist found via The Jealous Curator for Emily Henderson.

  • Win Artsy Stuff: Fall Ya’ll Contest Winner!

    Win Artsy Stuff: Fall Ya’ll Contest Winner!

    What better way to kick off the Fall than to give away a beautiful autumn-inspired original painting?  Artist Deann Hebert generously offered up the chance for Artsy Forager readers to win this gorgeous 30×30 canvas and folks, WE HAVE A WINNER!

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    Each entry was assigned a number corresponding to when they commented on the contest post ( 1 for the first entry, 2 for the second, etc ) and according to the Random Number Generator, the winner is..

    Fall Yall_random winner

     

    Claire Alderman, this is your number!  You are the winner of Caramel Crisp by Deann Hebert!  And just look at some of the lovely fall-ish images she pinned to her board!

    Fall Yall winner collage

    Claire,  I’ll be shooting you an email so we can get your new painting on its way to you!

    Thanks to all the participating Artsies!  You guys sure got me into the Fall spirit.  Now excuse me while I go make some cider..

    Art image via Deann Hebert, Fall images via Pinterest here.

  • Pocket-Sized Memories: Jefferson Hayman

    Pocket-Sized Memories: Jefferson Hayman

    There were days when, to commemorate an engagement or a special occasion, one might have a tiny portrait painted for a loved one.  Or perhaps even now you wear a locket around your neck, or carry a special stone in your pocket.  There’s something enchanting about the preciousness of miniature treasures, isn’t there?  Tappan, NY artist Jefferson Hayman forges his own liliputian remembrances in his small framed photographs.

    Metropolis by Jefferson Hayman Good Fortune Locket by Jefferson Hayman Secret Little City by Jefferson Hayman Daymoon by Jefferson Hayman Martini by Jefferson Hayman

    The handcrafted silver gelatin and platinum prints are a delightful surprise when tucked inside antique boxes or frames of the artist’s making.  Larger than life places like Manhattan and the moon seem forever caught in a moment inside each little box, there to charm us all over again each time they are revealed.

    To see more of Jefferson Hayman‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy Spot: Simon Mace Gallery

    Artsy Spot: Simon Mace Gallery

    Although we’re living this vagabond-ish life, Mr. Forager & I are always thinking about places to put down roots.  One of the wants on our list is an artsy community– one that supports and encourages music, theatre, and of course, the visual arts.  The small town of Port Townsend ranks high for us because it ticks off each of those and then some.  And with the opening of Simon Mace Gallery, PT is heading in the right direction for this Artsy.

    AS_Simon Mace1 AS_SimonMace1

    A traditional white-wall gallery, Simon Mace offers up a variety of emerging and established artists from the Northwest and beyond.  While the gallery sports that ubiquitous clean look, the feeling inside is warm and cozy.  The beautifully worn wood floors and friendly staff help, but I think it stems most from the roster of artists the gallery has gathered.

    AS_SimonMace2

    There is definitely a personality and point of view behind the gallery artists– work full of spirit, story, and humor– and it makes for a homey, non-intimidating gallery experience.  The show up during our visit, Carnival, featured the work of painter Alison O’Donoghue and sculptor Sara Swink ( both pictured below ), and painter Frank Renlie.  O’Donoghue’s work draws you in, your eyes bouncing with excitement as you try to take in every little thing happening in each canvas.  Swink’s cheeky sculptures and Renlie’s joyful paintings give enjoyable little pauses amongst the controlled chaos of O’Donoghue’s work.

    AS_SimonMace_Donahue AS_SimonMace_Swink

    Alas, the show has come down now, as the gallery preps for its next opening this Thursday, Wax On, Wax Off, showcasing the work of Port Townsend painter Jeane Meyers and Portland sculptor Lisa Kaser.  Wax On, Wax Off promises to deliver yet another mix of artwork filled with charisma and charm.  While the bulk of the gallery space is exhibition focused, a piece of each represented artist’s work is always up in the small back-room space and the staff will more than happily help you peruse more work in the racks.

    AS_SimonMace4

     

    We may be heading back up PT way next weekend and if we do, I’ll check in again at Simon Mace to see the new show.  You can bet it will now be on my must-do list ( along with thai food at Banana Leaf! ) for each visit to our favorite seaport town.  Hope it will be on your Port Townsend list now, too!

    If you’d like to learn more about Simon Mace Gallery and its artists, please visit their website and follow them on Facebook.

  • October Featured Artist: Jennifer JL Jones

    October Featured Artist: Jennifer JL Jones

    Happy October!  No more of that foolin’ around, Indian summer stuff.  We are now well into Fall and I couldn’t be more thrilled.  I’m equally excited to share with you the work of our October Featured Artist, Jennifer JL Jones!  One of the things I love most about Fall is the cozy atmosphere that permeates each day and night and exploring Jennifer’s work, with its warm, ethereal light is the perfect way to kick off the season!

    She Hath Wings by Jennifer JL Jones Mala by Jennifer JL Jones Okika by Jennifer JL Jones

    Le Petit Jardin 11 by Jennifer JL Jones

    Le Petit Jardin 2 by Jennifer JL Jones

     Here in the Northwest, we can go for days, even weeks without seeing the sun, but the light still manages to pierce the veil, even through falling leaves and raindrops.  It is this same aura of light breaking through and of fluttering movement that draws me again and again to Jennifer’s work.  In her most recent series, Sojourn, the work increasingly free and joy filled.. the atmosphere is ablaze.

    If you’d like to see more of Jennifer JL Jones’ work, please visit her website and Facebook page.  A trip over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page will also give you a glimpse into an album of some of my own favorites of the artist’s work.  Florida Artsies can see Jennifer’s work, along with three other talented artists in Synergy, opening October 18th at Stellers Gallery in Ponte Vedra Beach.  Don’t miss it!  Not in Florida?  Check out her website for a list of representing galleries around the country.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • We are Surrounded: Meghan Howland

    We are Surrounded: Meghan Howland

    I’ve written before about the impervious nature of technology in our lives.  You’re probably tired of reading about it, especially as I’m contributing to it by writing a blog.. umm.. dang.  But it’s such an intriguing subject to me and such a careful balancing act we play with it, that I can’t help but see the references in artists’ work from time to time.  In these paintings by Portland, Maine artist Meghan Howland, I see the artist conveying many of the conflicting emotions we encounter in this technology we interact with daily.

    Wake Up by Meghan Howland Folly by Meghan Howland Premature by Meghan Howland Meghan Howland Estatica by Meghan Howland

    Pale figures, starkly lit glow eerily as they are surrounded by beauty– birds, flowers– some soft, some seeming savage.  Do you see the connection?  Maybe I’m reaching.  What springs to mind for me is the way we use social media to show the best of ourselves, to unintentionally inspire envy in others when all we show is the most fabulous version of our lives.  When we don’t mention our struggles, the piles of laundry, the failures, alongside the beautiful moments, we create an unreal, imaginary life.  We gain followers who voyeuristically join our journey, yet heap praise on what isn’t our real selves, but a persona of our own making.

    I admit, I find myself censoring and editing what I share.  Mainly because, at my core, I’m a deeply private person, a bit uncomfortable with so much sharing.  But also because so much of the time, life is just what it is.  Day by day, it is beautiful in and of itself, but not necessarily Instagram photo worthy.  But why not?  Are we so scared of tarnishing our “brand” that we don’t allow ourselves to be authentic anymore?  I hope not.  What do you think, Artsies?  Do you censor what you put out there for the world to see?  Or are you all in, dirty dishes and all?

    If you’d like to see more of Meghan Howland‘s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in New York ( lucky! I love New York in the Fall! ), her work can be seen in person at TNC Gallery.

    All images are via the artist’s website.