In our traveling, some of the things I’ve missed most have been my beautiful functionals. What’s a beautiful functional, you say? It’s an object that serves a purpose, while still being a bit of eye candy. Like my gorgeous carnival blue glass jars that sit in my bathroom, or a pretty little dish at the kitchen sink to corral rings and such. We’re having our pretties shipped from Florida soon and I can’t wait to see them all again! Until then, I’m totally drooling over these beautiful functionals by Emily Reinhardt aka The Object Enthusiast.
Porcelain Ring DishesGray Teardrop Vase with Gold DotsWhite and Gold Mini Faceted VesselSpotted Vessel with Gold Brush StrokesMint and Copper Ball Vase
Emily’s pieces are each handmade and painted, each so pretty and unique. She’s moving in mid-July, so now is the perfect time to snatch up one of these lovelies at 20% off in her Etsy shop! Just use the coupon code SUMMER20 when you check out. I must admit, I am seriously tempted!
Happy Independence Day to all the US Artsies! It’s always been the artist’s job to be the visual voice of each generation. Whether that means celebrating what we love most about our country or being a creative outlet for independent critical thought, each artist sees the world with their own unique vision.
As we celebrate freedom today, let’s each have our own Artsy Independence Day by throwing off the shackles of whatever is holding us back. Have a great one, Artsies! Mr. Forager & I are headed to the Seattle Art Museum today for a little Artsy Independence of our own. More on our visit soon!
While I appreciate masterfully drafted, detailed drawing as much as the next artsy, what really gets my heart pumpin’ is a looser, more child-like style. So the work of Spanish artist Paz Lopez immediately caught my eye when I spotted it on the Anthology Magazine blog!
Venir 2, mixed media on paper, 40×40 cm
These quick, sketchy mixed media pieces have the feeling of those frenetic, emotion filled pieces of artwork we created as we tore through a stack of drawing paper as children. ( Tell me I wasn’t the only child who did that! )
Ladra, mixed media on paper, 40×40 cmCarta, mixed media on paper, 40×40 cm
Yet compositionally, these are so much more than child-like sketches. Lopez’s use of color and texture perfectly balance the lines and text, the elements fitting onto the page just so.
Untitled, mixed media on paper
To see more of Paz Lopez’s work, please visit her website.
Last week I shared with you guys how lost I’d been feeling lately. It seems, that when you reach a certain age ( gulp! ), staying true to yourself, who you are and who you long to be becomes a matter of the utmost importance. You’re no longer that young person trying on personas for size. This series of illustrations by Paris designer Leslie David, done for Please! magazine called out to the feeling that had been haunting me, that denial of my own self.
For this series, David reinterpreted a series of photos from issue 11 of the magazine, painting over the faces of models in colorful, textured splotches.
No matter how you may glam it up, denial of who we are in our core destroys us. It may begin innocently enough, but over time that mask that we’re wearing eventually overcomes us and overtakes us so that we can no longer see who we used to be.
Stay true to who you are, dear Artsies! Whatever your vision, whatever your passion, stay your course. Pursuits true to the soul are never wasted.
Want to see more work from this artist? Check out Leslie David’s website and don’t miss her postcard series! She also has some really lovely prints for sale in her shop.
Please forgive the wonkiness of the site today. Spent most of the morning fixing a bug and will be reinstalling all widgets, etc. this afternoon. Sometimes being a blogger isn’t so artsy. 😉
It is July, ya’ll and you know what that means?? Summer has officially arrived, there’s no doubt now. In the spirit of the relaxed, fun loving feeling of summer, I’d like to introduce our July Featured Artist, New Orleans’ Ally Burguieres!
Fox in the Strawberry Fields, oil on canvas, 20×24
Being a NOLA gal, it will come as no surprise that Ally’s work is full of color, humor, and joie de vivre! From work that puts in a little dash of this and that, like the best Creole cuisine, in bold, vibrant colors reminiscent of the stained glass windows of New Orleans’ cathedrals, to fun and sketchy homages to pop culture.
Ugly Friends, oil on canvas, 36×48Sock Monkey on Notebook Paper, oil on canvasGrumpy Cat, oil on canvas
Ally is a young artist whose work celebrates life and the things she loves best. Gay-ron-TEEED to make you smile!
Vegan Smorgasboard, oil on canvas, 20×24
Want to see more of Ally Burguieres’ work? Take a gander at her website and if you find yourself in New Orleans, don’t miss the chance to stop by her gallery on Royal Street! And of course, head over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see Ally’s July cover and more of my faves in her album!
The weatherman is saying it is going to the H-O-T in Seattle this weekend– like high 80s, low 90s hot. That’s like Florida hot! With the coming onslaught of warmth and sunshine, I couldn’t resist sharing the work of Charleston artist Teil Duncan.
Beach Talk, gouache and acrylic on panel, 30×24Lean In, gouache and acrylic on panel, 18×81
Duncan’s work perfectly captures the bustle to be found at the beach on a summer’s day. Scenes of bikini clad gals gabbing on the sand and striped umbrellas tilted jauntily signal a good time being had by all.
Coastal Color, gouache and acrylic on panel, 36×63Memorial Day Way, gouache and acrylic on panel, 36×36
Just as we squint our eyes upon waking from an oceanside nap, Duncan’s abstract style mixes well with the relaxed vision a day at the beach ( or pool as below! ) can bring.
Pool Corner, gouache and acrylic on panel, 28×22
I’m sure many in Seattle ( and beyond! ) will be hitting the beach this weekend. I think Mr. F and I will be seeking out cooler temps in higher elevations.. 😉 Want to see more work from Teil Duncan? Check out her website and shop on BigCartel. This beauties are not just lovely but affordable, too!
You guys know I love crazy, messy, expressionist paintings. I mean who doesn’t respond piles of texture and frenetic brushstrokes? But then sometimes I surprise myself and fall head over heels for work that is full of clean,simple, straight-lined shapes. Australian artist Esther Stewart masterfully intersects simple forms, a warm palette, and interesting compositions to create softly beautiful geometric paintings.
Backwards Barbie, 60×90 cm
Stewart’s use of intersecting lines lend a landscape-ish air to her compositions, while the palette keeps the overall feel of each work dreamy and supple. It’s almost as if we are gazing at vistas made of ice cream..
Made of Stone, 60×90 cmJust the Way I Am, 60×90 cm
The way Stewart seems to break down her compositions into such elemental shapes inspires me to see the world in a much more simple manner. Every space is made up of the same repeating shapes, we just have to figure out how those forms fit together. There’s a bit of a life lesson in there, to be sure. All of our lives are made up of essentially the same components– it’s how we fit those pieces together that make our existence our own.
Nickels and Dimes, 60×90 cm
Esther Stewart has more amazing work on her website, be sure to check it out. Thank you to The Design Files for the introduction to this artist– so many talented Aussies!
First off, thank you so much for all of your words of encouragement on my “comeback” post yesterday! I don’t know what the future will bring, but I truly appreciate the kind and encouraging words from each of you. You guys are the wind beneath my wings.. sorry, cheesy Bette Middler moment.. we now continue with our regularly scheduled artsiness!
Our faces have forty-three muscles, making it possible for our faces to express an amazing wide range of emotion. Sometimes, we know another person so well that we can tell what they’re thinking just be the expression of their countenance. Capturing such emotion as expressed in human faces is one of the strong suits of the work of Dutch artist Patricia Derks.
Diver, oil, 100×100 cm
Derks does extensive research before each painting, yet her work has an amazingly fresh and unstudied air about it. But what amazes me most is the way in which we get such a clear sense of emotion and attitude from each face in such deft and limited strokes.
Summer Girl, oil, 120×120 cmYellow Cap Girl, oil, 100×100 cm
In the set of the jaw, the cut of the eyes, we are given a glimpse into the figure’s personality. We all like to think we can hide our emotions, but it only takes careful observance to read each expression.
Blue Lips, oil, 120×120 cm
Want to see more of Patricia Derks’ work? Check out her website.
Hello again, my friends! If you noticed an increased Artsy presence on social media last week, you may have guessed what I’m about to tell you– the whole job thing didn’t work out as I’d hoped it would. I wish I could say I was surprised, but.. no. Have you ever been in a situation where, you know in your gut that something isn’t quite the right fit for you, despite how good it looks on paper? But then you ignore your gut and forge ahead anyway only to be sucker punched every day for not listening to that quietly persistent inner voice?
I was finding myself quite miserable, not just because of the extremely long hours and bus commute ( there were afternoons when I was on the bus well over an hour trying to get home following a ten hour day ), but because my personality just didn’t gel with where I was. I don’t want to get into details.. maybe one day over a few glasses of wine. 😉 Since leaving, I’ve been in a bit of a fog. It’s been like I’ve lost the confidence to trust myself and my decisions. Mr. F has been loving me through it, but I’ve hardly been much fun these days. So today is the day I WAKE UP! Get back to the business of being Artsy! As I’m going through this mental and emotional awakening, I thought these beautiful pillow paintings of UK artist Alex Hanna were perfectly apropos.
Sweet Dreams, oil on canvas, 75×60 cmSweet Dreams 4, oil on canvas, 30×40 cm
One thing that has been contributing to my fog has been the loss of my sense of purpose. For over two years, in addition to be Mrs. Forager and keeping our vagabond household together and all that means, writing this blog has been my purpose. It has been my baby and putting it on hold messed with my psyche so much more than I ever thought possible. It isn’t just a place where I share amazing artwork, it’s where I work things out through my experience of the work I share. For me, that’s a huge part of living an artsy life– using whatever creative outlet we have to better our lives and the world at large.
Pink Pillow 1, oil on canvas, 15.7×17.7Sweet Dreams 4, oil on canvas, 30×40 cm
I’m not sure what the future holds for this Artsy.. perhaps a full time job I adore working for someone else, or perhaps it’s time to parlay the past two years and all my other experience into creating my own dream job, or maybe a combination of both. Who knows.. but I’m up, I’ve come out of my slumber and am ready to take on whatever the future has to offer. Bring it!
Sweet Dreams 9, oil on canvas, 29.5×23.6
To see more of the work of Alex Hanna, please visit his website. You can also find his work, including originals and prints, for sale at Saatchi Online.
Holy cow, where did May go?! I know we still have several hours before June begins, but we’ll be out hiking tomorrow, so thought I’d give you a little artsy Saturday treat. For Mr. Forager & I, May was a whirlwind of traveling to Seattle, frantically searching for an apartment, moving in, buying furniture, job searching for moi and just generally getting settled into our new life here. What’s been keeping me sane this past month? Spying new work from artists I love around the interwebs. This month’s Featured ArtistDeann Hebert has been on a roll lately, spicing things up with bolder color and looser compositions. And I’m lovin’ it all!
Get Your Color On I, mixed media on canvas, 36×36
You might remember Deann’s work from the City Mouse | Country Mouse show in the found gallery recently.. D was the Country Mouse. Being a country gal, Deann paints the rusticity and warmth she is surrounded by each day. Yet these aren’t your grandma’s chicken paintings. This artist is giving country the modern treatment. She’s totally Faith Hill-ing it.
Seagrove, mixed media on canvas, 30×30Rustic Restored, mixed media on canvas, 36×48
The latest work coming out of Deann’s studio is just a bit bolder, a bit more free. She’s getting comfortable and coming into her own as an artist and it is truly a joy to watch!
Get Your Color On 2, mixed media on canvas, 36×36
Want to see more of Deann Hebert’s work? Check out her website and Facebook page! And don’t forget to stop by the Artsy Forager page while you’re on Facebook to see some of my personal faves from Ms D.
