To me, the best stories are those that are carefully layered and woven together with a touch of mystery. Artist Sarah Awad’s work intertwines seemingly disparate elements to create wonderfully complex and cryptic visual narratives.
Power of Aphrodisia, oil on canvas, 67×60
In some of Awad’s work, we seem to be looking into a classical museum, filled with artifacts and precious antiquities. These pieces have a eerieness to them that give us a sense of happening upon an unfolding story.
Tender Recurrence ( On Visitation ), oil on canvas,72×60The Visit, oil on canvas, 24×20Gemutlichkeit, oil on canvas, 72×54
In each piece, we wonder what just happened here or what is about to happen? There is an anticipatory feeling and a slight unease to each work.
Untitled ( Temple ), oil on canvas, 24×20
To see more of Sarah Awad’s work, please visit her website. If you happen to be in the Seattle area, you can see Sarah’s work in person at James Harris Gallery.
For some Artsies, the holidays can be a bit of decorative overload. I’m talkin’ about those clean line, simple shape loving Modernists who crave the sleek and spare. For this week’s Artsy Holiday installment, here are a few ideas for the Artsy Modernist on your list!
Kaleidoscope Trays by Clara zon Zweigbergk for Hay
Maybe I’m a closet Modernist because I am loving all these bold colors and geometrics! See more Artsy Modernist ideas on the Artsy Forager Pinterest boards!
For the past few weeks, I’ve been visiting at my brother’s home in Florida, rooming with an extremely energetic seven year old, my niece Kendall. My dad gave Kendall the nickname of Firecracker— a nod not only to her fiery red hair but also to the tiny bundle of explosive energy that she is. The frenetic energy in the work of Australian artist Todd Hunter is definitely Firecracker level.
Who’s That Riding, oil on canvasHiding Today, oil on canvas
Hunter’s work is filled with the types of gestural strokes, saturated color, and wild movement that makes my heart skip a beat.
Pretty Strangers 4, oil on paper
This is work that grabs you, draws you in, and leaves you breathless. While the visual intensity of each work may be what captures our gaze initially, the moments of quiet within the composition end up being what keeps us coming back for more.
Barrenjoy Lighthouse, oil on canvasBronte to Bondi, oil on canvas
To see more of Todd Hunter’s work, please visit his website. Which types of work are you most drawn to? Peaceful and quiet or full of crazy good energy?
When this Southern girl was first transplanted to the Northwest, it came as a bit of a shock to me that certain parts of the Northwest were not that much different from the South. I’d naively assumed that all of the PacNW would be open minded, artsy, liberal places like Seattle and Portland. Philadelphia artist Kim Alsbrooks perhaps had a similar experience while living in the South, translating her perplexity at the social structures and prejudices still prevailing in the region into her My White Trash Family series.
Lincoln, graphite and oil on found aluminum can
From the artist’s website: “The White Trash Series was developed while living in the South out of frustration with some of the prevailing ideologies, in particular, class distinction. This ideology seems to be based on a combination of myth, biased history and a bizarre sentimentality about old wars and social structures. With the juxtaposition of the portraits from museums, once painted on ivory, now on flattened trash like beer cans and fast food containers, the artist sets out to even the playing field, challenging the perception of the social elite in today’s society.”
Girl with Hand on Her Shoulder, graphite and oil on found aluminum canEleanor Parke Custis Lewis, graphite and oil on found aluminum can
Of course, the issue of class hierarchies is not limited to the Southern United States. It is an issue still widespread throughout the world. In her juxtaposition of these portraits of high societies’ past against the discards of the lower class, Alsbrooks speaks to the irony of the continuation of such antiquated beliefs.
Ameriga Vespucci, graphite and oil on found aluminum can
To see more of Kim Alsbrooks’ work, please visit her website. Her work will be featured as part of the Parlor Gallery Group Show at SCOPE Art Fair in Miami December 4th-9th!
Collages with a vintage bent? Yes, please! Featuring the work of California artist Eugenia Loli in my Artist Watch on Escape into Life today. Check it out here!
My seven year old niece Kendall was recently given a pedometer at school as a physical fitness promotion. Pretty soon, she was obsessing over how far she walked every day. I have a feeling she would love Austin artist Laurie Frick’sWalking series, a group of collaged works based on daily walking patterns.
Walking, Week 51, handmade paper and found cut paper on alumalite panels, 72×48
The artist uses fitbit, mytracks, and a cat cam to record her every day walking patterns, which she then translates in collage form onto alumalite panels.
Walking, Week 44, handmade paper and found cut paper on Alumalite panels, 35×35Walking, Week 42, cut found and handmade paper on alumalite, 72×72
Isn’t it interesting how little we notice patterns in our own behavior until it is placed before us in a visual way? Frick has created several other projects focusing on self-tracking, each confronting us with the visual reality of the activities we engage in.
Walking, Week 52, handmade paper and found cut paper on alumalite, 35×35
To see more of Laurie Frick’s work, please visit her website.
The work of this month’s Featured Artist, Marsha Glaziere is filled with luscious layers, texture, pops of bold color, and a skilled hand at good old fashioned drawing. No matter the subject she undertakes, her style and way of working is unmistakably hers.
Nalley Valley ViaductPortals
Her work straddles the line between representational and abstract, almost as if she begins in realistic mode and then her abstract altar-ego takes over. The resulting work then becomes more about the energy of her subject rather than perfecting every small detail.
No Speed Limit
Marsha’s latest series, Coffee Spots, features her interpretations of the eclectic coffee houses in and around the Puget Sound. It’s no secret that Northwesterners ( especially those in or near Seattle ) take their coffee very seriously. Marsha decided to begin painting her favorite local spots in celebration of the coffee culture that began in the PacNorthWest and has since spread across the country and around the world.
Cafe Ladro Espresso Bar & BakeryOlympia Coffee Roasting Company
The Coffee Spots series has been made into a 2013 calendar and fabulous “table COFFEE book”, both of which would make wonderful holiday gifts for the artsy coffee lover in your life! Both the calendar and book are available for purchase on the artist’s website. While you’re there, don’t miss all the other incredible artwork on Marsha’s site, some of which you can also see in her album on the Artsy Forager Facebook page!
If you’re anything like me, you are in a state of disbelief that December is here. But the good news is that a new month means a new Featured Artist! We’ll be closing out 2012 with December Featured Artist Marsha Glaziere— look for more work from Marsha all over the blog, Facebook & Twitter feeds as the month goes on!
Calle Guerro by Marsha Glaziere, mixed media on canvas, 48×36
The holidays are upon us! And I love them. I can’t help it. Much to Mr. Forager’s chagrin, I totally get into the music, the decorating, the cooking, and of course, the gift giving! It seems every blogger does a gift guide, so why shouldn’t I get in on the action? So each Friday until Christmas, the regular Friday Design Finds posts will be replaced with a selection of gifts for the artsy folks on your list!
We begin with gifts for the Artsy Naturalist– there’s no reason why buying for nature lovers should be limited to hiking boots and camping supplies!
There is nothing better than a good yarn. And by yarn, I mean story, although the fiber kind can be pretty satisfying, too. One of the things that I love about Mr. Forager is his propensity for spinning tales. Los Angeles based artist Karou Manour weaves visual stories throughout her work, whether figurative, abstract, sculpture, or landscape, her work catches us in the midst of a mystery.
Yoshinobu 1949, collage, acrylic and ganbi tissue on wood panel, 16×16
Each piece has such an clandestine atmosphere, making us wonder where we have found ourselves, what we are seeing, and how it came to be.
From Portland #117, collage, acrylic on wood panel, 10×10Uzu Uzu #104, acrylic and thread on gourd, 5x5x5Rocket Apron, thread, acrylic, ink pen on paper, 23.5×35
It feels as if we are caught in the midst of an ancient story, one filled with myth and mysticism.
Iro #529, collage, acrylic and 22k metal leaf on canvas, 30×30
To see more of Karou Mansour’s work, please visit her website.
Artist found via Florida Mining Gallery, where I saw a few of Karou’s pieces in person– they are stunning!
