artsy forager

Tag: Artists

  • Abstractions of Atmosphere: Susan Goldsmith

    Abstractions of Atmosphere: Susan Goldsmith

    This year, autumn has been a completely new experience for me.  Having never experienced a full autumn outside of my home in northeast Florida ( short trips north don’t really count ), one of the things I was most looking forward to this year was enjoying a cool and brightly colored Fall.  And Southern Oregon did not disappoint!

    For me, there is just something about this autumnal time of year that makes the natural world more evident and magical.  Things slow down, trees and animals prepare for the long winter ahead.  Blazing sun is replaced with fog and clouds, making the amber colored leaves that much more striking.  California artist Susan Goldsmith captures the essence of the natural beauty of autumn in her mixed media work.  I want to buy one so that I can gaze at it in the middle of summer, dreaming of the return of cool days and warm colors.

    Brandy Creek Falls I, oil, oil pastel and resin on panel, 20.5×20.5 ( via Davis & Cline )

    In her work, Susan uses digital photographic prints as the base layer of her paintings, applying them to the surface then enhancing them with paints and/or pastels, so that the resulting effect is not one of merely an embellished photograph, but rather the impressionistic reinterpretation of the original composition.

    Redbud, oil, oil pastel and resin on panel, 40×20 ( diptych, 20×20 each, via Davis & Cline )

    What the viewer is left with is a lovely sense of atmospheric abstraction, light and mood, that bursting forth of vibrant color against grey skies which is so characteristic of autumn.

    Hachiya Persimmons II, mixed media and resin on panel, 17×17 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )
    No. 153, mixed media and resin on panel, 24×24 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )

    I first caught glimpse of Susan’s work at Davis & Cline in Ashland, OR, but have sense discovered her connection to another favorite gallery resource, Lanoue Fine Art in Boston.  Of course, you can also see her work on her own website.

    Featured image is Brandy Creek I, silver leaf with pigment print, oil, oil pastel and resin on panel, 61.5×21.5 ( overall size ).  Images are via Susan Goldsmith’s representing galleries, as noted.

  • Vintage Pop: Melody Postma

    Vintage Pop: Melody Postma

    Vintage photos and ephemera, bright colors against faded backgrounds, pop culture iconography.. these are a few of my favorite things and they can all be found in the work of Melody Postma.

    Absolute Beginners, mixed media on panel, 36×36 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )

    This Clearwater, FL native and graduate of SCAD shares my own fascination with old photographs, utilizing their documentary/slice-of-life style and pop culture graphics of years gone by to create work that calls to us from the past.  We see our parents and grandparents in these faces, recalling memories of favorite games, candy, the way of life as we like to remember it.

    Languishing in the Calm, mixed media on panel, 36×36 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )

    Looking at these images and icons leads me to wonder.. Will audiences in the future be impacted as emotionally when they look back on today’s culture?  Will we see artists exploring the good ol’ days of the 00’s, the digital revolution, reality shows and social media?  Will the cultural phenomena of today hold as much charm as other decades?

    Might Cause Double Vision, mixed media on panel, 42×42 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )

    Or is it just that we always look back with nostalgia at times that held precious memories or periods that we’ve idealized?  Maybe it’s the 21st century cynic in me, but I’m just not sure we’ll look back on the current era quite as fondly.  Or maybe it’s that most of us didn’t live through the eras we’re most nostalgic about.  And perhaps that what Melody Postma is getting at.

    A Memory Hard to Ignore, mixed media on panel, 36×36 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )
    There’s Treasure Children Always, mixed media on panel, 36×36 ( via Lanoue Fine Art )

    To see more of Melody Postma’s work, please visit her website.  Her work can also be viewed at Lanoue Fine Art in Boston, Hubert Gallery in NYC, Gallery Brown in L.A and Trudy Labell Fine Art in Naples, FL.

    Featured image is An Afternoon With Whitman, mixed media on panel, 36×36.

  • Friday Faves: Technologically Speaking

    Friday Faves: Technologically Speaking

    Technology is taking over ya’ll.  Almost every aspect of our lives is touched by technology in one way or another.  The art world is no different.  For today’s round-up, take a look at a few artists embracing the digital revolution:

    Andy Gilmore
    Mark Wilson
    Carole Boyd ( all done in Microsoft Paint! )
    Jason Fort

    Now have some hi-tech fun and check out these artists’ websites!

    1.  Andy Gilmore 

    2.  Mark Wilson 

    3.  Carole Boyd 

    4.  Jason Fort 

    Featured image is by Mark Wilson.  All images are via the artists’ websites.

  • Quilts Are Cool: Amy Vigilante

    Quilts Are Cool: Amy Vigilante

    Maybe you beg to differ with that title.  But I’m here to present to you Gainesville, FL artist Amy Vigilante, who does indeed create artistically meaningful, strikingly graphic quilts.  These aren’t your grandma’s bedspreads.  Vigilante’s quilts are modern interpretations of an old world craft.

    May May, fabrics and thread, 58×53
    May May ( back ), fabrics and thread, 58×53

    Make no mistake, these aren’t quilts to cuddle up in on the sofa.  These are intricate works of textile art.  As is my usual m.o., I find the backs just as wonderful and interesting as the fronts.. ( see the pair above & below ).

    Sushi, fabric, found objects and thread, 54×51
    Sushi ( back ), fabric, found objects and thread, 54×51

    Vigilante’s Garment Series includes works constructed using found female garments such as lingerie and swimsuits.  This series seems to perhaps speak to the common female obsession with fashion, “heirlooms” of our past and domesticity mixed with sexuality.

    More striking for me, however, are her more geometric works.  These have a tremendous sense of composition and movement.

    Zoe, hand-printed fabrics and thread, 91×82
    Yogi, fabrics and thread, 90×83

    Please visit Amy Vigilante’s website to see more of her work.  If you’re in the North Florida area, her work will be on display as part of the A Woman’s World show, opening this Thursday 12/17, presented by C Gallery at Daryl Bunn Studios.  This show is a mix of some spectacularly talented established and emerging artists.  Not to be missed!

    Featured image is Frida ( back ), fabric, found objects and thread, 52×49.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • You’ve Come A Long Way to Bring Home the Bacon, Baby: Kelly Reemtsen

    You’ve Come A Long Way to Bring Home the Bacon, Baby: Kelly Reemtsen

    Growing up, I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn.  Or Doris Day.  Or any of the beautiful, plucky, well-dressed heroines of the 50’s and 60’s.  I longed for the “good ol’ days”.  When women dressed up in hats and gloves to go shopping and flitted around the house in chiffon petticoats.  But then I woke up and realized that I was looking at the past through movie-colored glasses.  That those women, while dressed to the nines on-screen, still had to scrub toilets and change diapers and were still fighting to be recognized as equals.  But have we really come that far?  Artist Kelly Reemsten captures the frustration and seeming futility of all that it means to be female in a post-feminist world.

    Cleaning Is Addictive, oil on panel, 36×36

    Reemsten’s women are dressed in highly feminine candy colored vintage frocks, but often wielding iconically masculine tools such as a chainsaw or axe.  These tools can be seen perhaps as menacing or even empowering.  Or rather, looking at the imagery as a whole, the dresses and tools may be symbols of our efforts as women to “have it all”.

    Inconspicuous, oil on panel, 36×36

    Women still feel pressured, perhaps now more than ever to be all things to all people.  They are expected to not only cook, clean, care for children, etc., but now are also expected to have a successful career.  And look fabulously fashionable while doing it.  What once was strictly male domain is now our stomping ground, as well.

    Unrequited, oil on panel, 36×36

    Are the women pictured trying to maintain their femininity in a male dominated workforce?  Or are they working to show us that gender differences are inherently there and should not be ignored?  We were created equal, yet different.

    The Hopeless Romantic, oil on panel, 36×36
    Throw Back, oil on panel, 36×36

    What say you, Artsies?  While you’re pondering, take a gander on over at Kelly Reemsten’s website to see more of her work.

    Featured image is Slip, oil on panel, 72×48.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Friday Faves: Cause Celeb

    Friday Faves: Cause Celeb

    There is no doubt that the US as a country, heck, the earth as a planet even, seems to have an obsession with celebrity.  There is something about the famous ( and infamous ) that fascinates us.  Artists are no strangers to celebrating celebrity.  Many masters honed their skills and made their livings rendering work of the rich and famous.  So today, Artsy Forager is featuring celebrity-driven work.  Watch out for the paparazzi!

    La Dada Gaga, (Marcel Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q. + Lady Gaga) by Troy Gua, resin-coated Lightjet Metallic Print Mounted on 6mm Sintra, 36 x 36
    Bob Dylan by Jon Langford, digital print and mixed media on panel, 10×14 via Augen Gallery
    Bill Murray, celebrity portrait photoshopped onto portrait by George Dawes by Steve Payne via Artist A Day
    Madonna by John Duckworth, acrylic on panel, liquid glass topcoat, 24×24

    To see more of these artists’ work, please visit their websites.  Have an epic weekend, Artsies!

    1.  Troy Gua

    2.  Jon Langford

    3.  Steve Payne 

    4.  John Duckworth

    Featured image is Audrey in Moonlight Peacock ( study ) by Sarah Ashley Longshore.  All images are via the artists’ websites unless otherwise noted.

  • Into The Woods: Christian Burchard

    Into The Woods: Christian Burchard

    To go along with yesterday’s post featuring Haley Farthing, today’s post presents partner in Out of the Woods show currently up at Davis & Cline in Ashland, sculptor Christian Burchard.  The work of these two artists compliment each other so well and this show was so beautifully and thoughtfully arranged, to showcase the artists both together and individually, that I thought they both were deserving of their own time in the spotlight on Artsy Forager.

    The Gate Keeper, bleached madrone burl, 16x11x4

    Burchard works almost exclusively with the wood of Pacific madrone trees.  George and I had never seen these trees until hiking here in the Northwest this spring.  Their orangey-red bark peels away in paper thin curls to reveal satiny smooth ivory colored wood underneath.  We’d never seen anything like it.   Burchard uses the burls that grow within the roots of the trees for his sculptures ( by the way, he utilizes the rejects from wood that has already been harvested for the veneer market ).

    Stepping Stones, bleached madrone burl, 24x20x4

    Like Haley Farthing, Burchard also uses a simple, neutral color palette in order to draw the viewers attention to the patterns and textures in the surface.  He is letting the beauty of the madrone wood shine through, every knot, ring and crack is visible and the shapes carved to bring those characteristics to full advantage.

    Dervish, bleached madrone burl, 19x19x8
    Circle #1, bleached madrone burl, 8x8x3

    This sculptor has so much more to see than the few pieces I’ve showcased here– be sure to check out his website.  You’ll be amazed at the loveliness to be found there.

    Featured image is Rocks & Trees #2, madrone burl, flat & hollow forms, 15x17x7.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Inherent Abstractions of the Natural World: Haley Farthing

    Inherent Abstractions of the Natural World: Haley Farthing

    The moment I walked through the doors of Davis & Cline in Ashland, I fell hard for the work of Haley Farthing.  Immediately, they drew me in, I had to take a closer look.  What exactly was I seeing?  Her palette is so subtle, the shapes so fluid, these are works that are best examined at close range.

    Pulse, pastel and ink on wood, 48×24

    For Haley, “abstraction and ambiguity of a subject is much more powerful when it is a part of it’s inherent nature”.  She takes organic subjects, such as driftwood, plants, etc and magnifies the view, creating a perspective that highlights their intrinsic abstraction.

    Constant, pastel on wood, 24×12

    Her limited, neutral palette allows the texture and pattern of these natural materials to be showcased and celebrated.  Mere leaves appear to be angel’s wings or folds of rich satin flowing from the bodies of ancient Greeks.  She constructs her work in such a way that these organic forms take on classical compositions.  While allowing the grain of the wood surface to show through reminds us that these are earthly manifestations, their beauty inherent in their creation.

    Untitled, pastel and ink on wood, 9×12
    Growth, pastel and ink on wood, 48×24

    Please take the time to check out more of Haley Farthing’s work on her website.  Her Out of the Woods show can be seen at Davis & Cline until November 26th.  It is a beautiful, inspiring show– I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in Southern Oregon.

    Featured image is Nestle, pastel and ink on wood, 60×24.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • The Magical Maggie Taylor

    The Magical Maggie Taylor

    The art world is a strange, small place.  How else do you explain that I saw an artist’s work on the website of a Boston gallery, which I stumbled upon through searching for another artist, only to discover that the artist I found has connections to my former neck of the woods in Florida?  Call it fate, call it kismet, call it Al, if you like, but it means that I must feature the work of Gainesville artist Maggie Taylor on Artsy Forager.

    Ever After, pigmented digital print, 15×15

    Her technique of scanning and layering images in Photoshop ( read more on her technique here ), give these haunting works the visual texture and depth of paintings.

    Hornet's Nest, pigmented digital print, 15×15

    The works are dreamlike, in that way where nothing in dreams seems completely logical, yet feels very real.  The rich, luminous colors add to the intense emotionality and daguerreotype quality.  It’s like looking through a stereoscope into another world.

    Garden, pigmented digital print, 8×8
    No Right Answer, pigmented digital print, 15×15

    Maggie Taylor’s work is available for viewing on her website and Facebook page.  She has upcoming shows at the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis and the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.  Her work can also be seen at Lanoue Fine Art in Boston, as well as other galleries throughout the US and a few in Europe and Asia.

    Featured image is The Rehearsal, pigmented digital print, 15×15.  All images are via the Lanoue Fine Art website.

  • Artsy Spot: Florida Mining

    Artsy Spot: Florida Mining

    Ninety-nine percent of the time I completely love my life in the Pacific Northwest.  But occasionally, there is that nagging little 1% that longs to be back in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, just so that I can be in the thick of the exciting artistic resurgence happening there.  Though the arts in Jax were hit hard by the recession, artists and art supporters are determined to make Jacksonville a cultural destination.  Among them, artist Steve Williams is bringing home forward-thinking, atypical art with his new gallery, Florida Mining.

    CPHACE by Laird, inaugural exhibition at Florida Mining

    Williams is no stranger to playing gallerist.  He’s been at the heart of several successful galleries in Jacksonville over the years.  As an artist, he thrives on being involved with other artists and their creative processes.  And, being the generous soul that he is, wants to help them succeed and in the process, is bringing his unique vision for the arts to his hometown.

    Florida Mining

    Florida Mining’s mission?  To present emerging to mid career artists who are thought provoking and fresh with a mix of medium and perspective.  And they were off to a slammin’ start with their first show featuring a new series of work by Northeast Florida photographer Laird, a series infared photographs which begin with organic surroundings and are composited and mirrored so that the resulting image becomes almost hauntingly alien, yet familiar.

    CPHACE series by Laird

    Florida Mining’s sleek, contemporary space, designed by the brilliant team at Designmind, Larry Wilson and Rebecca Davisson ( both artists in their own right ) is the perfect showcase for making avant-garde work accessible to North Florida.

    Florida Mining

    Up next for Florida Mining is a new show, Tonya Lee: All Smiles, a new series from the Jacksonville-native, current Philadelphian featuring paintings and wallpaper ( yes, you read that right! ), embracing Lee’s fascination with alternative materials.

    Tonya Lee: All Smiles

    Tonya Lee: All Smiles opens at Florida Mining this coming Friday, 11/11/11.  If you are anywhere nearby, you will not want to miss it!  Big things are in store for this new venture.  Go and experience it for yourself.

    If you’re not in Florida, be sure to check out Florida Mining on their website, Facebook and Twitter.  Always interesting and cheeky fun to be had.