artsy forager

Tag: Artsy Forager Featured Artist

  • Wear The Artsy: Peri Schwartz + Block Shop

    Wear The Artsy: Peri Schwartz + Block Shop

    The limited palette and tight scope of the work of this month’s Featured Artist, Peri Schwartz is what continues to keep me enthralled with her paintings.  An artist whose work shares these same characteristics is Lily Stockman, whose work I’ve featured twice here on the blog.

    Lily and her sister, Hopie, have teamed up to create Block Shop, a textiles company creating hand block printed, naturally dyed scarves crafted in India by the Chhipa family of master printers ( more about the process here ).  Doesn’t it seem fitting that if you love Peri’s focus on her place of inspiration, creation, and process that you would wear an artist designed, hand crafted and created scarf?  Of course it does!

    art | Studio III by Peri Schwartz

    scarf | Mosaic [ marigold + black ]

    Because they are hand crafted, only a limited number of Block Shop textiles are created at one time.  The entire inventory sold out in less than a week when Block Shop launched back in December!  So Lily & Hopie have restocked and are taking pre-orders for April 1st shipping.  And if you love these as much as I do, you’d better get your order in now before they’re gone!

    See more from Peri Schwartz and Block Shop on their websites, linked here and here.

    Image sources linked above.

     

  • March Featured Artist: Peri Schwartz

    March Featured Artist: Peri Schwartz

    I may have mentioned Mr. Forager has taken up beer making. Lately he has been obsessed with finding out the best methods and practices for brewing the perfect beer. He recently told me about a fellow brewer he found online that worked for over twenty years to perfect one particular brew recipe. Talk about practicing and perfecting your craft! This month’s Featured Artist, Peri Schwartz is equally tenacious in striving to capture every nuanced surface, angle and corner in her own studio.

    Studio IX, color monotype, 30×34.5
    Studio XXX by Peri Schwartz
    Studio XXX, oil on canvas, 38×48

    By narrowing her scope of work and field of vision, Schwartz frees herself to carefully explore her space, the forms inhabited therein, and the light that enters and retreats each day. Although her overall style and palette remains consistent, we can see her exploring how the space and objects are represented.. sometimes they are mere planes of color, other times their shapes are more concrete.

    Studio 12 by Peri Schwartz
    Studio 12, ink and charcoal on mylar, 12.34×27
    Studio 13 by Peri Schwartz
    Studio #13, ink and charcoal on mylar, 13.30x28x25

    In other instances, as in her black and white drawings above, she is carefully studying the effect of light on the familiar surfaces, carefully watching and interpreting the reflective play between light and shadow.

    Bottles and Jars XII by Peri Schwartz
    Bottles and Jars XII, oil on canvas, 30×20

    To see more of Per Schwartz’s work, please visit her website. You can also see an album of Peri’s work on the Artsy Forager Facebook page. Peri will be a busy bee soon with three openings– at Davis & Cline Gallery in April, Garvey/Simon Art Access in May, and Gerald Peters Gallery in July. Whew! Hope you’ll be able to catch one!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Welcome our March Featured Artist!

    March is here! Where in the world did February go? Sneaky little short month catches me off guard every time. But I’m excited to welcome a new month because it means welcoming a new Featured Artist to Artsy Forager! Please help give a warm artsy welcome to New York artist Peri Schwartz!

    Studio XXXII by Peri Schwartz
    Studio XXXII by Peri Schwartz

    Be sure to head on over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page where Peri’s work will be gracing the cover for the month of March! And don’t forget to check out her Facebook album, where you’ll see a combination of her latest work and a few of my personal favorites. Happy month of March!

    Image via the artist’s website.

  • February Featured Artist: Diana Lemieux

    February Featured Artist: Diana Lemieux

    Sometimes I wonder if fine art photographers read art blogs and think “Painting, painting, painting!” ( cue Jan Brady voice ).  But painting doesn’t just happen with oils and acrylics.  An artist paints their composition with whatever medium they choose and this month’s Featured Artist, Diana Lemeiux paints with a camera.

    Lemieux creates and captures scenes from our dreams, mysterious and fleeting.. we see just a glimpse of a moment, not knowing what happened just before or what could arise in the next breath.

    Her limited palettes help foster the emotion she is bringing forth in each image– moody, somber neutrals or bright, warm saturated hues give us a sense of each scene and the story it has to tell.

    To see more of Diana Lemieux’s work, please visit her website and Facebook page.  Diana’s work will be in the starring role on the Artsy Forager Facebook page all this month and be sure to check out the FB album full of my favorite Diana Lemieux photographs!

  • Kickin’ Off the Weekend & a New Month With a New Featured Artist!

    Kickin’ Off the Weekend & a New Month With a New Featured Artist!

    Happy weekend and happy February, Artsies!  Mr. F and I are excited because  1) it’s the weekend.. duh, 2) we are heading to San Diego tonight to spend the weekend with dear friends, always a good time! and 3) a new month means we are that much closer to leaving the desert and heading back toward our beloved Northwest!  But before I leave you to start packing for our weekend away, please allow me to introduce you to February’s Featured Artist, Diana Lemieux!

    Balancing Act by Diana Lemieux
    Balancing Act

    Head on over to the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see more of Diana’s breathtaking photography!  Then come on back to this spot on Monday for more!  You’ll be seeing lots of Diana this month here on the blog, as well as the Artsy Forager Facebook & Twitter feeds.  Looking forward to a February full of photography!

  • January Featured Artist Christina Baker

    January Featured Artist Christina Baker

    This month’s featured artist, Christina Baker, is a painter whose work I’ve followed since we were both living in Florida.  Christina now resides in Tennessee, while at the moment you can find me in California..  While we are geographically distant, I’ve enjoyed watching her artistic career flourish from afar.  It has been such an amazing journey to watch as Christina grow into her own style as her work has blossomed into sophisticated expressions of her own visual language.

    Manhattan Memories by Christina Baker
    Manhattan Memories, acrylic on canvas
    Runaway Deer by Christina Baker
    Runaway Deer, acrylic on canvas, 40×40

    Christina’s work harnesses the power of color and emotion as she translates the feelings of a moment onto canvas.  Her palette goes through phases and cycles, just as our psyches do.  In many cases, you can truly see the joy she was feeling as warmth and light bounces around the canvases.

    Mint Chocolate by Christina Baker
    Mint Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20
    White Chocolate by Christina Baker
    White Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20

    Often in her work, there is a sense of fluidity and movement, possibly a byproduct of so much time spent near the ocean in Florida.  Shapes float among the light like drops of ocean spray or falling leaves.  Whatever the moment, wherever the place, it is a happy one.

    Love Letters by Christina Baker
    Love Letters, acrylic on canvas, 40×30

    To see more of Christina Baker’s work, please visit her website.  You can see her work in person at her representing galleries, Gregg Irby Fine Art in Atlanta and Imagine Gallery of Fine Art in Franklin, Tennessee.  Be sure to follow Artsy Forager all month long for more Christina Baker goodies!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

    PS– this post was published by mistake last Wednesday, my apologies to Christina and anyone who saw it and then went back to find it gone!  Blog operator error. 😉

  • Happy New Year! And Happy New Featured Artist!!

    Happy New Year! And Happy New Featured Artist!!

    Happy 2013, Artsies!  I’m excited for a new year and even more than that, I’m thrilled to spend this first month of a new year featuring the work of Tennessee artist, Christina Baker!  Look for lots more loveliness coming your way from this talented painter all throughout the month of January.  Stay tuned to the blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds ( click the buttons to the right to follow! ) all month long!

    Lemon Shake by Christina Baker
  • December Featured Artist: Marsha Glaziere

    December Featured Artist: Marsha Glaziere

    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 Viaduct by Marsha Glaziere
    Nalley Valley Viaduct
    Portals

    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 & Bakery
    Olympia 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!

     

  • Announcing December’s Featured Artist!

    Announcing December’s Featured Artist!

    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
  • There’s a New Facebook Featured Artist! It Must be November Already!

    There’s a New Facebook Featured Artist! It Must be November Already!

    While it certainly doesn’t feel like it here in Joshua Tree, Fall is in full swing and November is upon us!  A new month means a new Featured Artist is up over on the Artsy Forager Facebook page.  I’m thrilled to feature this month’s artist, Seattle artist Susan Melrath.

    Dog Park by Susan Melrath

    Stay tuned throughout the month of November for more from Susan Melrath!  Make sure you check out the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see her beautiful cover image. ( And be sure to check back often, as we’ll be rotating several of Susan’s images as our Facebook cover- fun! )