artsy forager

Tag: Christopher Stott

  • Friday Faves: Bookworms

    Friday Faves: Bookworms

    I have a long, ongoing love affair.  With books.  I blame my grandparents, who were avid readers and every night spent with them was ended curled up in my grandmother’s lap listening to her read.  Growing up, books were a favorite escape, summers were often spent with my nose buried in story after story.  I came very close to pursuing a degree in literature rather than art history ( I was obviously never destined to be rich! ).  But one of the best things about studying art history was all the stories.  The best of both worlds.  Here are some artists who seem as obsessed with books as I am!

    It's Story Time IV by Christopher Stott
    Come With Me by Na Zhao ( via ArtLink )
    Blonde But Not Forgotten by Harland Miller
    Unicorn by Gala Bent
    Books by Holly Farrell

    Be sure to check out these artist’s websites below.  So I just finished a Frida Kahlo biography.  Any artsy reads you would recommend?

    Christopher Stott 

    Na Zhao on Artlink 

    Harland Miller 

    Gala Bent 

    Holly Farrell 

    Featured image is Off To School II by Christopher Stott, oil on canvas, 40×20.  All images are via the artist’s websites unless otherwise noted.

  • Portrait of Things Already Come: Christopher Stott

    Portrait of Things Already Come: Christopher Stott

    We are a world that loves stuff.  One look at the tv show Hoarders will confirm that, as human beings, we develop emotional and psychological attachments to objects.  Certain things may represent for us the physical manifestation of the memory of a time, a place, a relationship.  Canadian artist Christopher Stott celebrates this connection by elevating every day objects to the subject of portraiture.

    Good Times, oil on canvas, 30×30

    Stott takes simple objects, isolating them against a neutral, traditionally lit backdrop, he treats them his subjects tenderly, as another portrait artist might portray the innocence of a child or quiet strength of a grandmother.

    GE Vintage Electric Fan, oil on canvas, 22×28

    Compositions containing multiple objects take on an interesting dynamic– they seem to communicate, to regard and relate to each other in an almost human-like way.

    Candlestick Phone and Electric Fan, oil on canvas, 24×24
    Remington, Overwhelmed, oil on canvas, 36×24

    By choosing subjects with an already inherent history, the artist celebrates the lives of these every day objects– the people they have served, the differences they may have made to a human life, the treasured memories that may be associated with their torn pages and chipped paint.

    Baggage, oil on canvas, 30×30

    To see more of Christopher Stott’s work, please visit his website.  Maybe these portraits will inspire you to look at your “stuff” a bit differently!

    Featured image is Quartet, oil on canvas, 48×24.  All images are via the artist’s website.