Being a bit of a vagabond makes me appreciate more than ever the idea of a home to call one’s own. Not owning a house of my own at the moment, I am drawn to artists’ work of dwellings. Take a peek at these homey pieces!
To see more of these artists’ work, please visit their websites below. Happy weekend, Artsies!
2. Sandra Pratt
3. Ofra Lapid
4. Amy Casey
Featured image is Bardo Call ( It was Perfect ) by Richard Sedivy. All images are via artist’s website or representing galleries.
Art and textiles have enjoyed a long and happy partnership. Every art student has known the joy of capturing supple folds of fabric in charcoal. As we explored during artsyF A S H I O NWeek, many artists have been captivated by the beauty of intricately crafted garments. In her work, Massachusetts photographer Carin Ingalsbe celebrates the remarkable colors, textures and patterns of clothing and costume.
Carin’s latest series focuses concentration on fashion normally admired from afar– ballet costumes.
Inherently, these opulent pieces are designed to be beautiful while in movement. But in her closely cropped still lifes, Carin captures their quiet beauty and we are treated to a look at the intricacies of each individual garment.
If you are anything like me, you’re now dreaming of floating across the stage in one of these numbers. To see more of Carin Ingalsbe’s stunning photographs, please visit her website. Make sure you read the history of each garment– fascinating stuff!
You can also check out Carin’s work in person at Lanoue Fine Art in Boston.
Featured image is The Royal Swedish Ballet, Metallic Skirt c. 1790-1830. All images are via the artist’s website.
You will never catch me watching a gory horror movie, so I’m not usually drawn to truly gruesome imagery. But I do love a good spooky mystery, so just in time for Halloween, today’s round-up features some of my favorite frightful art!
To see more of these artists awesomely creepy work, please visit their websites listed below. Happy Halloween!
2. Kim Kamens
3. Dirk Westphal ( the print shown is available via ArtWeLove, but make sure to check out Dirk’s website, too! )
Featured image is “Flock” by Kim Kamens, thread, nails & wood, 72×48. All images are courtesy of the artist’s websites, unless otherwise noted.
Pottery is one of my favorite sculptural mediums. Now, I’ve never personally done anything beyond elementary school-level pottery, but I have a deep appreciation for beautiful earthen forms. Sculptor Diana Kersey’s vessels are a wonderful modern homage to folk-art pottery from around the world.
Her basic forms are classical in shape, but her use of organic surface forms, such as the fish on the piece above, add a modern, whimsical quality to her work.
And her use of repetition recalls ancient Greek pottery, but the texture and high-relief reminds us that this work is completely contemporary. Her rich, warm glazes create really stunning silhouettes.
Please check out Diana’s website for more images of her work. If you’re in San Antonio, you can see her work on the Millrace & Mullberry Bridges!
Featured image is Bird Jar ( detail ). All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.
There’s something you should know about me, Artsies. I grew up completely immersed in the styles of past eras. My dad loves “classic Chevy’s“, that’s 1955, ’56 & ’57 Chevrolets, for those not in the know, and a lot of our family time revolved around my parents’ involvement in a local classic car club. The adults I grew up around reveled in the cars, clothes and music of the past. So I kind of automatically have love for anything with a retro-ish vibe. Enter Anna Magruder’s artwork.
This Portland artist looks back at the people and images of the past, re-imagining their lives and stories. These re-imaginings have a dreamlike quality to them, like old photos you’ve found in the family photo box, yet know one knows who they are or the stories behind them.
Her muted color palette further reinforces the vintage feel of her work, so that they read almost like the faded Kodachrome images of the past.
To see more of Anna Magruder’s work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Observer ( Mediator ), oil on canvas, 16×16.
As promised, here’s our 2nd Christina Baker feature of the day. The fabulous Mrs. Baker has four (!) pieces of artwork featured in the Nashville Southern Living Showcase Home. So I thought it would be fun to give you a peek at her work in this beautifully designed space.
I have a confession to make, Artsies. I have been remiss. Since the beginning of Artsy Forager, I’ve had Christina Baker listed as a Pick of the Crop artist, and save for a few mentions in Friday Faves and The Artsy Home, I have yet to feature her! Shame, shame, shame!! So to make it up to the lovely and always supportive, Christina, today you’re getting a two-fer!! One now and watch for a special The Artsy Home feature later.
This self-taught artist’s work is ever-evolving and intuitive. One of my favorite games to play with Christina’s abstract work is “What Do You See?”. In every piece, there is something that is familiar, yet fresh. In one instance, I may think I see a representation of one thing, but then I go back, take a second look and see something completely different.
Her use of color and light creates soft, yet powerful imagery, the kind of work that translates easily between contemporary and more traditional aesthetics.
I hope you loved Christina’s work as much as I obviously do. To see more, please visit her website! In Nashville, her work can be seen at York & Friends and at the Southern Living Showcase Home until November 6th ( more on that later!! ). For Atlanta folks, check her out at Gregg Irby Fine Art.
All images via the artist’s website.
Birds have a long history of symbolism in art. Their meanings through the years have been as varied as their colors. Oregon artist Laurel Bustamante has taken the symbolism a step further, creating imaginary birds that represent what it may feel like to be a bird.
But these are not expressionistic paintings in that typically wild, emotive kind of way. Instead, they are thoughtful studies of mystery and coquettishness of small birds.
These diminutive paintings have an old world, ancient quality to them, but feel modern in their isolated composition.
You can find more of Laurel Bustamante’s work on her ArtSlant profile ( I was unable to locate a website for her ), or on the websites of a number of galleries in which her work is featured: Augen Gallery, Davis & Cline, Lora Schlesinger and REM Gallery just to name a few. Flit like a little bird and visit them all!
Featured image is Nightwatch #1, gouache and acrylic on clayboard, 5×7, via REM Gallery.
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this Friday Faves round up is dedicated to the color pink. Pink is the color of femininity, yes, but it is also becoming a symbol of positivity and the power to overcome. This month and always, Artsy Forager encourages you to Think Pink– breast cancer is a threat to us all, but what an encouragement it is to see so many women ( and men ) winning their battle! I hope you’ll consider making a donation or linking to The Pink Fund on your blog of Facebook page, look for the link at the bottom of the post.
To see more of today’s featured artists’ work, please visit their websites:
3. Lisa Ernst
Don’t forget to check out The Pink Fund, a non-profit whose mission is to provide short-term financial aid to women and men who are in active treatment for and recovery from breast cancer. Getting well shouldn’t mean financial ruin.
Georges Braque said, “There is only one valuable thing in art. The thing you can’t explain”. The best of abstract art is, in my opinion, work that is so ambiguous that trying to explain it is kind of pointless. There are so many “things” it could be, could represent, that trying to nail it down just seems futile. The work of Seattle artist John Dempcy strikes me as just that sort of work.
His caleidoscopic-like imagery brings to mind microscopic organisms..
.. or sea life..
.. or the wonders of the universe..
.. or whatever you would like to see.
If you’re intrigued by John Demcy’s work, as I am, please visit his website. I first saw his work at Augen Gallery in Portland, but you’ll find a list of galleries all over the US in which his work is featured. There’s bound to be one in your path!
Featured image is Deepwater, acrylic on panel, 48×36. All images are via the artist’s website.