artsy forager

Tag: figurative art

  • Different.. In a Really, Really Good Way: Deborah Scott

    Different.. In a Really, Really Good Way: Deborah Scott

    Please enjoy this oldie by goodie while I spend the next two weeks camping, packing, visiting with the mom-in-law and moving from WA to OR. See you in September!

    I never fail to be blown away by the humility I find in amazingly talented artists.  When Deborah Scott contacted me after I posted in the Seattle Artists group on LinkedIn, I had no idea what I would find when I clicked on her website.  It thrills me beyond belief when an artist contacts me to be featured on Artsy Forager and I go to their website and find artwork that is fresh, unique and unlike anything I’ve seen before.  Goosebumps, ya’ll!!

    This Seattle area born & bred artist began her professional life in a marketing career working for big brands like Betty Crocker and Amazon.com.  She would eventually leave the marketing world behind, pursuing art full force, immersing herself in arts education and copying the work of old masters.

    Balance, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×69

    Her familiarity with image recognition and brand iconography comes through in her narrative figural work, where she employs classical compositions and perspectives juxtaposed against modern branding instantly recognizable to our 21st century eyes.

    Lucky Charms, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60
    Consumption of Innocence, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60
    Stalemate, oil and mixed media on canvas, 36×60

    Like the classical masters she studied, Deborah’s work has layers of meaning, symbols abound– some obvious, others more subversive.  But the result causes us to pause and consider, truly gaze at each work, wondering what the artist is getting at.. Is she poking fun?  Is she making a serious commentary on a topical issue?  A little bit of both?

    The meaning isn’t obvious.  Though realistic in style, Deborah’s work seems abstract in meaning.  A blending of the best of both worlds, if you ask me.

    Check out more of Deborah Scott’s work on her website, here.  Her work is currently on display at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA and The Hive Gallery in Los Angeles.  She hits the East Coast next year, showing at Susan Eley Fine Art in NYC.

  • Pick of the Crop: Meet Miss Maribel

    Pick of the Crop: Meet Miss Maribel

    It’s been such a grey, gloomy week here in North Florida, that I thought we could all do with a little sunshine!  Maribel Angel’s work never fails to make me smile.  Maribel grew up in a Spanish speaking family and their influence definitely comes through in the vitality and liveliness of her work.

    Maribel’s work tells a story, one that comes from within her own imagination and world of dreams.  A place filled with festive color, galloping horses, flying bunnies and fanciful birds.

    As Maribel’s work symbolically explores the effects of layers of time and history, so her treatment of her mediums are often a layering of paper, images, paint, text and symbols.

    It is in these details that Maribel’s graphic design background comes through.   Not only in the use and placement of text, but also in the juxtapositions of color and pattern.  Actually, I’ve always thought she could be a very successful textile designer.  I would totally buy a fabric or wallcovering in the design of “Bohemian Blossom”  ( pictured below ), wouldn’t you?  I’m picturing a this on a full skirt with a crisp white shirt and floppy straw hat!

    So, Maribel Angel.. Painter-Graphic Designer-Future Textile Designer ( if I had my way! ).. let’s see, any other hyphenates to describe this multi-talented artist?  Oh, that’s right–she’s also a sculptor!!

    Maribel takes found objects and gives them new life in her assemblages and I must admit, I find every one of these “Cuckoos Nest” birds absolutely charming.   Seriously, I’ve never met one I didn’t completely fall for.   Maribel was sweet enough to give me a wonderful miniature guy and it is one of my favorite possessions.

    I hope you’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with Maribel’s artwork.  I’m looking forward to sharing more with you soon!  In the meantime, you can check out more on her “Pick of the Crop” page here at Artsy Forager or on her own website. Her work can usually be seen in person at Plum Art & Design in St. Augustine, FL, Southlight Gallery in downtown Jacksonville or if you’re near Sarasota, see her work at Bolivar Art Gallery.

  • Savage Beauty: Madeleine Peck-Wagner

    Savage Beauty: Madeleine Peck-Wagner

    Madeleine Peck-Wagner has a way of taking subjects that could be trite and making them extraordinary.  Her latest series features mythical wolves and horses, but in Madeline’s hands, they are treated in a way that is contemporary and elegant.  The cross-hatching & precision of the lines are reminiscent of architectural drafting, giving the figures depicted a strutctural, landscaped quality.  Conversely, blots and washes of brightly colored paints call to the spiritual significance such animals, both living and decayed possess.

    Fighting Hessians
    Russian Winter II
    Wolves At The Door
    We Are All Tragedies

    To see more of Madeleine’s work, visit her art blog, Art Isn’t Rocket Science or visit Jen Jones Art Consulting.

  • Cure For The Mean Reds: Sarah Ashley Longshore

    Cure For The Mean Reds: Sarah Ashley Longshore

    Today, I have a case of the mean reds.  If you know what that means, you’re awesome.  If you don’t know what that means, you need to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s asap.  Holly Golightly’s cure for the mean reds is to get in a cab and go to Tiffany’s.  Well, there is nothing even closely resembling a Tiffany’s here in Aberdeen.  It wouldn’t be my happy place anyway.  Anthropologie would be more like it, but there’s nothing like one of those here either.  So today, I’m trying to cure the mean reds by enjoying some artwork featuring Miss Golightly herself, the fabulous Audrey Hepburn.  Yes, I know I’ve already done a feature on Sarah Ashley Longshore’s Audreys. But she’s been busy painting some new ones, so I think they deserve a second look.  And a third and fourth look.  Really, as long as she’s painting them, they’ll be showing up here.

    Now that is all the chatting I feel up to today.  Enjoy Sarah’s Hepburns.  Don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly seized by the urge to put on a little black dress and pearls.

    Mariposa, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 60×72
    Audrey With Peacock, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 48×72
    Audrey Underwater With Goldfish, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 24×24
    Audrey Rojo, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss resin, 24×24

    You can see more of Sarah Ashley Longshore’s work on her website or by visiting the Gallery Orange website, her representation in New Orleans.

  • Imaginings Of Memory: Shannon Richardson

    Imaginings Of Memory: Shannon Richardson

    I am a lover of stories.  Ever since I was a little girl, cuddled in my grandmother’s arms, listening to her read me story after story, I adore being drawn into another world, wondering what will happen next.  Whether in novels, the spoken word, song or artwork, I adore anything ( and anyone!  My hubby George is a wonderful storyteller ) with a tale to tell.

    So when I came across the work of painter Shannon Richardson at the RiverSea Gallery in Astoria, OR, I was drawn in by their narrative quality.  Each painting feels like the viewer is walking into the midst of a story.

    Traveling Companions by Shannon Richardson
    Traveling Companions, oil on canvas, 24×24

    These are illustrations of stories, but not completely fictional ones.  What Richardson paints, is memories of illusions of her own memories.  Not always as they actually occurred, but how they live in her mind, heart and dreams.

    Wedding Belles by Shannon Richardson
    Wedding Belles, oil on canvas, 24×18

    In these visual narratives, Richardson creates a fantastical world that is at once familiar and foreign.  Dream-like visages filled with other worldly characters and landscapes, but the feelings surrounding the imagery are universal– hopefulness and helplessness, elation and despair.

    The Casual Departure by Shannon Richardson
    The Casual Departure, oil on canvas, 18×24

    Each image is a fable to which we can relate, not because of our experience of the fantastical creatures or dreamlike quality, but because we have all been in situations of betrayal, soaring happiness, quiet contentment and such.  We all have our memories of the heart in common.

    Time for Togetherness by Shannon Richardson
    Time for Togetherness, oil on canvas, 36×48

    To see more of Shannon Richardson’s work, please visit her website.  In addition to RiverSea Gallery, you can also see her work in person at The Churchill Gallery in Newburyport, MA and The Joanne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA.

    The featured image is The Companionship of Memories.

    All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.

  • Resplendent Enigmas: Brad Kunkle

    Resplendent Enigmas: Brad Kunkle

    A man gives many question marks, however, a woman is a whole mystery.  ~Diana Stürm

    Artist Brad Kunkle is a creator of feminine mysteries.  Haunting, glistening visual fairy tales which are at once throwbacks to the past and yet thoroughly modern.

    Candela, oil and silver leaf on wood, 33×32

    His work takes inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelite era, as evidenced by the medieval-feel of the compositions, near photographic precision and intricate surface detail.

    The Quickening, oil and gold and silver on linen, 44×22

    But don’t be mistaken, Kunkle’s figures and compositions are not antiquated, but rather fresh and current.  The paintings are like pages of out a Vogue magazine fairy tale– and I mean that in the best possible way.  These aren’t helpless ingenues, but contemporary women caught up in circumstance.

    Afela’s Nature by Brad Kunkle, oil and gold and silver on linen, 16×14
    The Arrangement, oil and silver leaf on linen, 34×18

    These are the modern daughters of Eve, tempted and tempting, the subject of desire and blame.  Filled with sensual strength tinged with sadness.  Kunkle tells the story of their past by placing them in classical compositions and poses, but the elegant background treatments and inherent edginess keep them firmly on current ground.

    The Source, oil and gold and silver on linen, 26×18

    To see more of Brad Kunkle’s work, please visit his website.  If you’re in the New York area, his work is represented by Arcadia Gallery, where he will exhibit a solo show in Spring 2012.

    Featured image is “Girl With Serpent and Pearls”, oil and gold and silver on linen, 25×30.

    All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.

  • Playing Dress Up: Robin Williams

    Playing Dress Up: Robin Williams

    I find myself continually drawn to artists who realistically paint the human figure, but reimagine it in unique ways.  ( see:  Deborah Scott, Susan Hall, Jeff Whipple & so many more I’ve yet to share with you ).  So it goes without saying that the work of New York based painter Robin Williams ( no, not THAT Robin Williams ) got me really excited.

    Party Hat by Robin Williams

    You know I love work that’s just a little bit cheeky.  Williams paints scenes from childhood imaginations & experiences and portraits of figures dressed up in a stunning array of absurd costumes.  Her wide-eyed, willowy figures have a Norman Rockwell-ish timelessness to them.  But Williams invests in her gawky, pre-pubescent figures a darkness and absurdity missing from Rockwell’s happy-go-lucky world.

    Ornamented Boy by Robin Williams

    Her portrait figures pose stiffly in outlandish costumes and headresses, seemingly unsure of how they found themselves in such a situation.  Perhaps speaking to how we begin as wide-eyed children, but as we grow into adults, we find ourselves wearing the most ridiculous costumes in order to appear to fit into someone else’s conception of who we are.

    Flower Cap by Robin Wiliams

    Other figures find themselves in the midst of a preposterous scene, almost like a dream of a childhood memory.. the way we remember places and events from childhood in a more fantastical, exaggerated way.

    Swoon At The Water Pump by Robin Williams
    Tired Prince by Robin Williams

    The portraits, for me, especially convey that feeling of what it was like to be a kid full of energy and vitality only to be forced to sit still, whether in school, church, etc.  That feeling of a corralled hurricane, just waiting to break free of the constraints being forced upon us.  On second thought, you don’t have to be a child to feel that way, do you?

    Collar On Boy by Robin Williams

    Please visit Robin Williams’ website to see more of her work online.

    The featured image is titled Yellow Hat.  All images courtesy of the artist’s website.

  • Friday Faves: Sugar & Spice

    Friday Faves: Sugar & Spice

    Maybe it’s the little girl inside me.  Maybe it’s a way to relive the days when my imagination was unshackled and my days were carefree.  Who knows.  Whatever the reason, I am always drawn to whimsical, fanciful imagery of girls.  The kind fairy tales are made of.  These Friday Faves are everything nice.

    Boundlessness in Bloom by Duy Huynh
    Migration by Shannon Richardson
    Migration by Shannon Richardson
    4 Keeps by Wyanne Thompson
    Wildflowers by Rene Lynch

    Stay tuned for features soon on each of these artists!  In the meantime, be sure to check out their websites!

    1.  Duy Huynh ( featured image is also by Duy Huynh )

    2.  Shannon Richardson

    3.  Wyanne Thompson

    4.  Rene Lynch 

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend, filled with fantastical fun!

  • Emancipation of Me, by Mimi ( Williams )

    Emancipation of Me, by Mimi ( Williams )

    A bad night’s sleep does not sit well with me.  Ask George.  And last night, I did not sleep well.  Tossing and turning, waking up every hour to toss and turn some more.  A restless night = crabby blogger this morning.  But do you know what will turn my frown upside down?  Wonderfully fun and happy artwork.  While crabbing around this morning, after bearing too many Facebook statuses, links, etc re: um, odorous exports from bodily orifices, accidentally smearing blackberry jam on every article of clothing I’m wearing and falling up the stairs, one image kept coming to mind.  This one, by Olympia, WA artist Mimi Williams…

    What A Dandy Day by Mimi Williams

    Was it my mind being cyncial & sarcastic?  Maybe.  Or was my subconcious trying to remind me that no matter how the day is going, that my life is, indeed, dandy?  Or maybe it was the universe reminding me of Mimi Williams’ work and nudging me forward to feature her on the blog.  I’m thinking it was a combo of those last two.

    Kitchen Confidential by Mimi Williams

    Whatever the case, it gives me great pleasure to present Mimi’s wonderful linoleum prints to you.  Seriously, these make me smile, so it is doing much for my mood just to peruse her website.  Unlike a painting, which can evolve over time, a linoleum print must know what it will be from the beginning.  The artist must decide the composition, the positive and negative spaces and such beforehand, because once you start carving into the linoleum, there’s no going back.

    Flying Free by Mimi Williams

    So it is no wonder that I am marvelling at how free and fluid these pieces seem to be.  They flow with narrative detail, unlike most linoleum block prints I’ve seen, that are more, well, block-y.

    Cup of Joe to Go by Mimi Williams

    There is something about the nature of her visual storytelling that seems both nostalgic and modern.  Kind of in the way that Mid-Century design fits in so smoothly with contemporary design.  Perhaps it is the way the design and colors remind me of groovy 1950s barkcloth.

    Anything is Possible With the Right Partner by Mimi Williams

    The compositions suggest the capturing of a moment in time, almost photo journalistic in style.  Almost like they could be screen-shots from an old movie or those wonderful old photographs found in your grandmother’s closet.  Back before laptops and internet and smart phones, a slower, simpler time.  A time when riding in the back of a truck was okay.  Feeling the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, an open road before you.

    Wishing I’d Brought a Hat by Mimi Williams

    If you’d like to see more of Mimi Williams’ work ( and I heartily suggest you do! ), check out her website.  Now that I’m smiling, maybe I’ll indulge in some more happiness inducing activities.

  • Art For Guys

    Art For Guys

    Today I was stuck on what or who to feature on the blog.  Nothing was jumping out at me.  Desperate,  I asked my husband.  His first ( joke ) repsonse was “Thomas Kinkade”.  Hardee har har.  His next suggestion was “Guy Art”.  I was like art featuring guys?  Art by guys?  No, art guys like.  Oh!  I asked if the blog was becoming too girly.. he said no, but I have my doubts.  There’s been a plethora of pink around here lately.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But my taste in art isn’t always so feminine.  I like a bit of edge and irony, too.  So in honor of my hubby, whose own appreciation for art is growing every day, here are some examples of art that any guy would be happy to hang in his swingin’ bachelor pad.

    Martyr by Alwin Jackson

    Alwin Jackson is a painter.  He doesn’t put up a front of pretentious, artsy bullsh**.  Maybe that comes from having been in the corporate advertising world for twenty years.  His images are clean and bold and I think most guys would appreciate their no-nonsense attitude.  This girl certainly does.

    Untitled ( History Painting ) 2011 by Tony Rodrigues

    Tony Rodrigues’ work takes an introspective look back at icons from childhood and pop culture.  What grown man doesn’t have memories of playing “cowboys and indians” when he was young?  His sentimental take on figures and themes take us back to the “good ol’ days”, but leave us wondering, how good were they, really?

    Beats in Paint by Robert Leedy

    It is a truth universally acknowledged that most guys wish they were musicians.    ( My hubby will attest to this fact, though I think he’s a better guitar player than he gives himself credit for ).  How many rockstars started out by picking up an instrument as a way to meet girls?  I bet Robert Leedy’s Beats in Paint make you want to wail on a drumset like you’re Keith Moon.

    Building Faces- Crown Fountain Juxaposition, Chicago, IL by Doug Eng

    Boys love to build stuff.  It’s why Erector Sets and Legos have been around for so long.  Many men have contributed to the architecture of great cities like New York and Chicago.  Doug Eng captures a glimpse of humanity among the concrete and steel, reminding us that these buildings are built for, built by and filled with, people.

    Freedom by Steve Williams

    Teddy Roosevelt was a man’s man president.  A boxer, a soldier, a hunter and outdoorsman, embodying his ideology to “Speak softly and carry a big stick”.  Artist Steve Williams pays his due to this former president in his Currency series.

    Stoic by Brian McGuffey

    For those guys who want to show off their bagged game, but not actually, you know, kill a beautiful wild creature just for the bragging rights, Brian McGuffey’s Stoic is just the thing.  I don’t know, this deer looks seriously ticked off for having been decapitated. I wouldn’t cross him if I were you.  Just nod gently and let him be.

    Remember that thing about guys wanting to be rockstars?  Is there a rockstar cooler than the gravelly-voiced Tom Waits?  Seriously.  John Duckworth renders his steely glaze perfectly.  And yes, there’s some pink in there.  Duckworth and Waits aren’t afraid to rock the pink.

    Tom Waits by John Duckworth ( #2 of triptych )