artsy forager

Tag: figurative art

  • Slow Build: Mel McCuddin at Art Spirit Gallery

    Slow Build: Mel McCuddin at Art Spirit Gallery

    I can only imagine the courage it takes for an artist to create in front of a group of people.  Heck, even one other person would terrify me.  But at The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene, ID ( our hometown for just another 6 weeks ), their new featured artist for the month gives a demo on the Saturday following their opening.  It is a fantastic way to gain a real “behind the art” glimpse into the creative process!  I can’t believe it took me this long to attend one, but I’m so glad I did.  The work of Spokane artist Mel McCuddin is striking online, luminous up close, but to see it in progress was truly inspiring.

    Matchmaker, oil on canvas, 52×48
    Reveries, oil on canvas, 48×44

    Each canvas begins as an exercise in Abstract Expressionism– it is all about the paint, texture and color.  Slowly, as formations evolve in clouds, a figure emerges on the surface.

    The Old Dog, oil on canvas, 36×40
    Black Dirt Farmer, oil on canvas, 48×48

    McCuddin thoughtfully builds his layers, alternating patches of light and dark.  Deliberate smudging of large swaths of canvas give way to areas of delicate and careful application.

    The Late Bus, oil on canvas, 52×48

    His finished works are often left with an eerie glow, giving them a slightly alien quality yet they are approachable and likable.  His subjects stare back at us with curious wisdom.  You can see a slideshow of images of Mel McCuddin in action here ( Artsy Forager now has a YouTube channel! ).  His solo show can be seen at The Art Spirit Gallery in Coeur d’Alene until August 4, 2012.  I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area!

    Featured image is Three in a Tub, oil on canvas, 48×52.  All images are via The Art Spirit Gallery website.

  • Life in Pairs: Amanda Blake

    Life in Pairs: Amanda Blake

    John Donne wrote “No man is an island“.  And of course, no woman is either.  We come into the world needing other human beings to survive and very often, we go out the same way.  All throughout our lives, we are seeking, finding, nurturing relationships.  Madison, WI artist Amanda Blake’s work explores these connections, both the ones we choose and the ones into which we are born.

    When we are very young, our parents and siblings supply most of our relational needs, along with the ocassional imaginary friend.  As we mature, we begin to seek more and more outside our tiny familial sphere to find friendship among others, some very much like us, others very different.  Eventually, most of us begin looking about for a partner, someone to share our lives with.

    For some like me, this journey takes longer than we anticipate.  But it is during this time that all of those other relationships are nurtured the most.  We spend our time bonding with friends over adventures and over shared memories with siblings.

    Eventually, we may perhaps find the other half of our pair.  Once we do, we’ll take everything that we learned while cultivating those other relationships to care for this one.  And the cycle begins again.

    To see more of Amanda Blake’s work, please visit her website.

    Artist found via The Jealous Curator.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Friday Finds: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Frida Kahlo

    Friday Finds: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Frida Kahlo

    I used to deliberately fight against liking the work of Frida Kahlo.  You see, in my college painting studio there was an older Bolivian woman who was auditing the course and she LOVED Kahlo and seemed to fancy herself as the next Frida.  Which wouldn’t have been a big deal except that she was mega annoying about it.  She bugged the bejeezus out of everyone in the studio.  So she tainted Frida for me.  It wasn’t until years later that I rediscovered her work and came to develop my own artist crush on Frida.  Today would have been her 105th birthday.  So in honor of Frida Kahlo de Rivera, here are a few artists who also found her inspirational!

    Viva La Vida by Emma Gale
    Frida Kahlo by Judy Kaufmann
    Frida by Tara Jacoby
    Daft Punk Frida by Fabian Ciraolo
    Frida Dog by Clair Hartmann

    Emma Gale | Judy Kaufmann | Tara Jacoby | Fabian Ciraolo | Clair Hartmann  

    Happy birthday, Frida!

    All images are via the artist’s websites, linked above.  Be sure to check out each artist’s website for more examples of their work!

  • Searching for Self: Anibal Vallejo

    Searching for Self: Anibal Vallejo

    I’ve always heard that it isn’t until we hit our 40s that we really come to know and understand ourselves fully.  While I’ve just entered my fourth decade, I can say, I wholeheartedly believe this is true.  The work of Colombian artist Anibal Vallejo reminds me of the searching for self that we do in our younger years.

    Untitled, acrylic, graphite and hand embroidery on canvas, 150×120 cm

    We might try on different styles of self– whether that be in trying out varied careers, trying on different types of relationships or merely figuring out just who we are and where we fit.

    Untitled, acrylic, graphite and hand embroidery on canvas, 120×150 cm

    Often we may feel like we’ve found the right fit at the time, but eventually, the “suit” loses its novelty and we look back, seeing how very far we were from who we really are.  We may look on that younger self as putting on the most ridiculous of costumes on our road to discovering ourselves.

    Untitled, graphite, acrylic and hand embroidery on MDF, 60cm

    In some cases ( but by no means all! ), with age and maturity comes a better understanding of who we are and a confidence in being exactly the person we were meant to be.

    Untitled, acrylic, graphite and hand embroidery on canvas, 120×150 cm
    Untitled, graphite, acrylic and hand embroidery on canvas, 120x150cm

    Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones.  You were born knowing exactly who you are and what you were meant to be.  But most of us spend our lifetimes figuring it out.  I feel like I’m getting closer each day.  How about you?

    To see more of Anibal Vallejo’s work, please visit his website.

    Artist found via Escape Into Life.

    Featured image is Untitled, graphite, acrylic and hand embroidery on canvas, 120×150 cm.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Aaron Reichert

    Tracy Geilbert at Gallery Orange in New Orleans has a fantastic eye for art.  It isn’t any wonder that many of my faves have come from her gallery or made their way into it!  Today on Escape Into Life, I’m featuring an incredible young figurative artist, Aaron Reichert, whose work can be seen in person at Gallery Orange.  I think you’ll love his graphic portraits!

    Wasted and Wounded, Portrait of Tom Waits, acrylic on canvas, 60×48

    Aaron Reichert on Escape Into Life

  • In Living Color: Kimberly Brooks

    In Living Color: Kimberly Brooks

    There have been many times in the past year in which my hubby and I have had to pinch ourselves at the wonder of the moments we’ve experienced.  Living a life of travel has its downsides but we recognize how incredibly fortunate we are.  Each memory is one we may not have otherwise enjoyed had we chosen to stay put.  In her series Technicolor Summer, Los Angeles artist Kimberly Brooks captures such quiet moments in which life and all that surrounds us is being soaked up to the fullest.

    Technicolor Summer, oil on linen, 36×44
    Canon Drive, oil on linen

    Her paintings are tinged with a hint of melancholy, as the scenes follow her family through summer vacations all the while bracing for the death of the artist’s father.  We too, find ourselves in the midst of amazing beauty, yet still wishing for something more.. thinking about how much a close friend or family member would enjoy the moment, how much we wish they were there with us.

    Mulholland Drive, oil on linen

    So we take lots of photographs to share, hoping that our loved ones can live these moments with us across the miles.  But we often wonder, if given the chance, would they have made the same choice?  We’ve met people who live within a few hours drive of incredible places yet they have never ventured out to experience them.

    Yosemite River, oil on linen, 30×30

    Are you living life to the fullest?  What moments are you truly enjoying and experiencing these days?  It’s so easy to get stuck in the drudgery of our day to day.  Get out and live in full color, enjoy every minute as if it were your last.

    Artist found via Taylor De Cordoba Gallery.

    Featured image is Technicolor Summer ( detail ), oil on linen, 36×44.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Of Cabbages & Kings: Brian McGuffey

    Of Cabbages & Kings: Brian McGuffey

    When I was a little girl, I spent many nights at my grandparent’s house.  Before bed, my brother & I would curl up with my Mimi while she read to us from a book of fairytales.  The fanciful and fantastic stories fed and fueled my imagination.  Seattle artist Brian McGuffey’s work reminds me of the imaginary worlds I would dream of when I drifted off to sleep, my grandmother’s voice still in my ears.

    Pleased to Meet You

    A world in which a horse’s head could talk, princesses danced all night in a secret castle and magic beans lead to adventure and riches.

    Swing Mood
    More Sugar in My Bowl

    McGuffey’s use of muted palettes and layered textures give his work a wonderful, dreamlike atmosphere.  And of course, where else but in our dreams do deer wear dresses and mountain goats sport top hats?

    Goat Magic
    Day Dreamer

    To see more of Brian McGuffey’s work, please visit his website.  Hope your week is filled with fairytales of the best kind!

    Featured image is Pleased To Meet You.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Karin Miller

    The work of South African artist Karin Miller caught my eye on Pinterest and I was blown away after visiting her website.  Check out the examples of her work I’m featuring over on Escape Into Life today!

    Day Flying Insects of the Order Lepidoptera

    Karin Miller on Escape Into Life

  • Undone Beauty: Cristina Troufa

    Undone Beauty: Cristina Troufa

    Very often, negative space is just as important to our understanding of form as the form itself.  Think about clouds– their beauty is most apparent when surrounded by bright blue sky.  In Portuguese artist Cristina Troufa’s work, the painter uses simple lines and negative space to punctuate her compositions, choosing to highlight the flesh which makes her figures essentially human.

    Pedestal, mixed media

    Her concentration of color and light on the exposed flesh of her subjects speaks to our tendency to judge on appearance, often unable to look past the person we think we see and notice each other for who we really are.

    Pelo Ralo, mixed media

    Her compositions are simple, the backgrounds stark, only a detail left to us here or there.

    Degraus, mixed media

    What do we see when we fill in the blanks?  Who are these women, this boy?  What is this moment we’ve caught them in?  Have we been there before?

    Etapas, mixed media
    Sombras No Sotao, mixed media

    To see more of Cristina Troufa’s work, please visit her website and her page on Meseon.

    Featured image is Salto.  All images are via Cristina Troufa’s page on Meseon.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Sean Mahan

    Sorry for the reposting, turns out there was a little hiccup with EIL last week and Sean’s work didn’t get posted last Tuesday!  Uh oh.  So you’ll find it on EIL today!

    There are artists whose work just sticks with me.  I still remember when I first saw the work of Sean Mahan, way back during my gallery days in Florida.  We all loved his work, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for the more conservative, corporate-ish gallery I was working in.  So when I happened to see his work featured over on The Art Cake, I was super excited for him.  He has such a unique style and vision, I just had to share his work with the Escape Into Life readers today.  Please take a little jaunt over to EIL to see more!

    Invisible Weight 3 by Sean Mahan

    Sean Mahan on Escape Into Life

    PS– I know I usually post twice on Tuesdays, but since things have been sooo hectic lately, this will be my only post today.  Hope to have blog life back to normal next week!