One of the most fun things about traveling the way we do is being able to try on different types of places. It’s always interesting to me how each place has its own personality, reflected in the town’s homes and buildings. The look of Seattle and Joshua Tree couldn’t be more different! Interior obsessive that I am, I couldn’t help but share these lovely paintings by artist Chelsea James.
Studio b, oil on canvas, 36×36Utility Sink, oil on panel, 36×36
I first spotted James’ work on the New American Paintings blog a while back and was immediately drawn to her style of painting. Her use of angles and perspective really draws you into the space of each painting, reminding me greatly of another favorite interior artist, Peri Schwartz.
Sink, oil on panel, 12×12
And of course, I always love any artist who sees the beauty in the ordinary. Thanks to Chelsea James, I will never again take for granted the loveliness to be found in a sink!
Sylvia, oil on panel, 12×12Piso 7, oil on panel, 12×12
If you’d like to see more of Chelsea James’ work, please click on over to her website. Don’t you want to do a Risky Business style slide across that floor in Piso 7? Just me?
Last week, an interior designer friend from Florida was visiting Seattle, so we seized the opportunity to catch up over lunch. I racked my brain trying to come up with a lunch spot I thought would be inspiring to her design senses and then it hit me– the cafe at the Chihuly Garden & Glass museum! I’d been meaning to visit the museum since arriving in Seattle, but it just hadn’t happened yet, so here was the perfect excuse.
The museum centers around the work of renown Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly is a bit of a polarizing figure in Seattle– his work, having saturated the Seattle glass market for quite sometime, he’s like the Starbucks of art in Seattle. He’s everywhere, as are copy cats and artists who’ve worked for him so it can be understandably tiresome to see yet more Chihuly. But with that said, the museum is a feast for the eyes and definitely worth a visit!
From an art lover’s standpoint, the mere spectacle of color and texture is unforgettable. The museum is relatively small, only about 1/2 dozen “rooms”, Chihuly’s work really shines in the atriums and outdoor garden spaces. The design of each space is done thoughtfully and with much regard to the characteristics of the works themselves, how the light behaves in and around them, color, etc.
Though the price of admission seemed a bit steep at $19 for an adult ticket, the museum staff was friendly & helpful, which goes a long way in my book! Overall, the Chihuly Garden & Glass is the perfect cultural diversion amongst the touristy offerings at Seattle Center. Oh and lunch at the Collections Cafe was delicious! For more information on visiting the Chihuly Garden & Glass, please visit their website.
If you’d like to see more photos from my visit, check out the Artsy Instagram feed!
Sometimes, as I’m looking through my artists queue and planning which artists to feature, I have to go back and search the Artsy archives because I come across an artist whose work is so fantastic, so just up my alley, that I’m shocked I let this artist’s work sit in queue for so long. I can’t believe I waited so long to share these gorgeous abstract paintings by artist Deborah Dancy.
As the World Turns, oil on canvas, 60×48Dancing in the Dark, oil on canvas, 60×60
Dancy spins a web of layered painterly texture, light, shadow and intricately concocted yet wonderfully spontaneous cages of line. My eye gets caught up in each tangled maze of paint, getting utterly lost and never wanting to come back.
The Object of My Affection, oil on canvas, 46×46Stormy Weather, oil on canvas, 30×30
And have I mentioned the palette? Warm rusty desert tones contrast with pale cotton candy pastels, keeping things fresh and light.
Gates of Paradise, oil on canvas, 60×48
Want to see more of Deborah Dancy’s work? Of course you do. Check out her website.
Have you ever had a moment so special, so perfect that you want to freeze yourself there, so that you can go back and revisit it again and again? London based artist Dan McDermott‘s paintings ( yes, paintings! ) freeze in time moments from our collective past, preserving not just the actuality of that occasion but the feeling of being in that moment.
Beauty Queens, oil on canvas, 130×100 cmGood Times I, oil on canvas, 80×60 cm
Working from an extensive archive of vintage imagery, McDermott captures what seems like frozen film frames in paint. It’s like watching those old home movies on projector ( showing my age! ). Everything is a bit distorted, but we recognize the familiar.
Yellow Dress II, oil on canvas, 80×50 cmRoller Skates, oil on canvas, 80×50 cm
The corralling of these “frozen” moments doesn’t just happen in the frenetic, blurry application of paint. It is found in the palettes, as well, we can sense the warmth of the sun, along with the faded cloth of memory.
Cocktail, oil on linen, 127×67 cm
What moment would you like to freeze in time? I can think of several! Want to see more of Dan McDermott’s work? Please visit his website.
Our minds are funny things. Especially when we are young and the world is filled with magic and everything seems so much bigger, both physically and metaphorically. We see things in ways as children that we gradually lose as we grow into adulthood. UK photographer Lottie Davies artistically arranges photographic scenes that mimic the strangeness of being a child in a grown-up world.
Most of our childhoods weren’t always idyllic and the eerie atmosphere of Davies’ work reflects that. There seems to be a lurking sinisterness in each scene, as if there is something more going on than meets the eye.
How many times have we thought back to a childhood memory, only to realize we’d been recalling it through rosé colored glasses? Or maybe we sugar coated our world as children, only to realize as adults what life was really like when we were kids.
What do you think of Lottie Davies’ work? I love that we seem to find ourselves in the midst of a story with each one. Want to see more from this artist? Please visit her Lottie Davies.
In my not so distant past, I worked as a Project Manager/Art Consultant for a gallery & art consulting firm. What does that mean exactly? It means I looked for artwork for clients. A LOT. Matching up the right art to fit the client’s space, budget, design, and taste was what I did and something I plan to start doing again ( keep your eye on this page! ). When I see a blank wall, instinct takes over and I immediately start thinking of what artist’s work would be perfect in that space!
When I saw the empty wall above this bed, the wheels immediately started turning.. Clean, modern bedframe, fabulous funky black Bertoia chair, graphic striped rug and bright green coverlet. So we want something with some texture and color but not too much.. enter this pair of abstract paintings by Casey Matthews!
Casey’s work feels fresh and young, but still sophisticated enough to add a grown up vibe to what could otherwise feel like a “starter” room. And I love putting a pair or series of work where a single large piece is the more expected choice. What do you think? What artwork might you place in this space?
I find myself continually fascinated by the work of artists who very literally paint outside the lines. Artists like Margie Livingston and Laura Moriarty use paint as a medium for sculpture, who see beyond paint applied to canvas to what else these aqueous pigments can be. German artist Katharina Grosse paints across spatial planes, creating psychedelic landscapes which push and ignore our perceptions of boundaries.
Untitled ( 2013 ) by Katharina Grosse, Nasher Sculpture CenterPigmentos Para Plantos y Globos, acrylic on balloons, soil, wall, floor
Our realities are really all about perceptions– each person’s reality is different depending on their perceptions. When we were in Friday Harbor last weekend, we received wildly different answers to the question “What is it like to live on the island?” Because of their own unique experiences, each person we asked had a completely different answer. Their perceptions had shaped their reality.
Untitled, 2008, New Orleans, acrylic on wall and floor
Grosse’s work takes the process of “painting” off the canvas and onto any surface, often ignoring spatial boundaries. Her installations cause us to change how we perceive reality through her eyes and perhaps changes our perceptions permanently.
One Floor Up More Highly, 2010, styrofoam, acrylic on wall, floor, soil and reinforced plasticPicture Park, 2007, acrylic on wall, ceiling, soil, latex balloons and canvases
If you’d like to see more of Katharina Grosse’s work, please visit her website. Have you seen any interesting installations lately? Perhaps ones that pushed boundaries?
Sometimes I have a love /hate relationship with certain blogs. While I love the pretty pictures and aspirational lifestyle, I hate how unrealistic it can seem. None of our lives are perfect and I don’t think that anyone is trying to say they are, but who wants to show the boring stuff? The embarrassing stuff? Admit your vices? These hyperrealistic, somewhat goofy paintings by Korean artist Kang Kang Hoon reinforce that when we are in our truth, not denying how silly or mundane we really are, there is magic to be found.
So in that spirit, I’ll let you in on a few of my own little secrets I might prefer to keep under that rug over there..
I bastardize my coffee. I embarrass Mr. Forager every time I order coffee at any Seattle coffeehouse and ask for “lots of room for cream”. He’s just lucky I don’t order what I really want, a Salted Caramel Mocha Frappacino.
I always wear at least a little makeup when we’re hiking. I know, totally against the outdoorsy girl code. But I look half dead without at least a little flavored Chapstick ( Cherry ) and a bit of mascara. A girl needs to look her best, even in the woods!
I frequently fall asleep during movies. These days, when we snuggle in to watch a movie, it has to be either really good and interesting or I guarantee I will doze off about mid-way. If there are a lot of dark scenes and mumbled dialogue, I don’t stand a chance.
I don’t paint much, but not for the reasons you might think. It’s not because I’m too busy ( see reality tv addiction above ), don’t have the time, space or resources. It’s that I get terrified of disappointing myself. Since no one else really sees what I work on, I’m the only one judging and I am my own harshest critic. It’s something I need to work on. After I finish this season of MasterChef.
I’ve told you my secrets. Now you tell me yours! Let’s really revel in our collective goofiness. Want to see more of these fabulous paintings by Kang Kang Hoon? Check out his website.
After yesterday’s afternoon post, it seems my obsession with blues continues, but this time, I’m gushing over the blue skies of photographer Vittorio Ciccarelli’sInvisible series.
We’ve had no shortage of cloudless, blue sky days lately and I’m always struck, as it seems Ciccarelli is, by the juxtaposition of architecture against an azure expanse. The skies in Ciccarelli’s work almost seem unreal, unbelievably translucent.
The bright aqua skies leave our eyes to feast upon the simply beauty in the ordinary urban sights we take for granted. Suddenly, we notice the gentle curve of the street lamp, never realizing before its beauty.
If you’d like to see more of Vittorio Ciccarelli’s work, please visit his Behance page.
Maybe it’s finally living in a place surrounded by water after living in the desert last year, but I have been finding such inspiration in the various hues of blue to be found in the waters around Seattle! So many gorgeous shades from the deepest, darkest blue to green aquas, I just want to plunge right in and see what mysteries await!
It’s only natural that this blue obsession is trickling over into the artwork I’m foraging on my Pinterest boards.. here’s a little deep blue sea inspiration to get your own seas churning!
