The Matisse post yesterday got me in the mood for color. AND it’s the first day of summer, perfect for sharing work that is bright, colorful and full of whimsical goodness. George & I took a day trip to Olympia, WA this past Saturday to scope it out a bit. In Childhood’s End Gallery, we both fell in love with the imagery of Lisa Telling Kattenbraker.
U-Turn
Lisa works in batik, an ancient process of wax-resist dyeing. Her work juxtaposes traditional Batik patterning with simple, stylized childlike imagery.
Language Convergence
Most of her figures are faceless, so that the viewer can apply their own experience and emotions to the scene, which reminds me of another favorite artist, Yvonne Lozano.
Dress Rehearsal
These just make you smile, don’t they? Wouldn’t you love to see this gal every day? Doesn’t every good goat need a yellow rain slicker and wellies?
Lorelei the Pacific Northwest Goat from the New Moon Goat Rescue and Sanctuary
I would love to begin a tradition of collecting one piece of artwork from each of our travel assignments. Thinking a Lisa Kattenbaker might just be The One for this summer.
Find out more about Lisa and her work, including originals and ( very affordable! ) limited editions on her website, here.
Do you have a certain outfit you wear when you need a pick-me-up? Or maybe there is a particular piece of music that always gets your blood pumpin’ and instantly uplifts your mood? The work of Henri Matisse does the same for me.
Sorrows of the King
From his beginnings as a Fauvist, Matisse was never afraid of exploring expression through color.
Open Window
And like his friend and rival, Pablo Picasso, Matisse loved painting figures and still lifes, but it is the way he paints interiors that get me. Maybe it is my love of interior design or the fact that I too, went through a “let’s paint pictures of fun & pretty rooms” phase. Whatever the cause, Matisse gets the joy of painting rooms full of life and color and I dig it in a big way.
Dance(I) by Matisse, 1909
It is that brilliance of color and exuberance of design that draws me to his work. As the artist himself said, “With color, one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft”.
Les Codomas for Jazz, 1944
If that be the case, I am under the spell of Matisse’s color and hope to never be awakened.
Check out more of Matisse’s work at the MOMA website.
Last night, as my hubby was catching up on my blog posts ( he reads them all, even if he has to sit and catch up on a week’s worth at a time, such a good hubby! ), over his shoulder I re-read my In Search Of post from last week and man, what a whiney little whiner! To save you all from more self-pity-filled posts from me, sweet George took me on a day trip to Astoria, OR on Saturday, in the hopes of helping me feel a bit more connected to the 3-dimensional art world. You know, the one that doesn’t live inside my laptop.
Astoria, Oregon
Despite the gray day, my spirits were sunny. Astoria’s main claim to fame is the movie, The Goonies, which was filmed here way back in 1985 ( yes, we made a children of the 80’s pilgrimage to The Goonies House ). But movie history isn’t the only draw to Astoria. Its downtown area is super charming, filled with a mix of restaurants, coffee houses, shops and YES, some very interesting and diverse galleries.
Our first stop was Lightbox Photographic, a wonderful little gallery dedicated to the photographic arts. Their current show, Plastic Fantastic II, features images created using plastic toy cameras. Absolutely beautiful, emotion-filled images. Be sure to check out their website to see images created their member photographers.
Inside Lightbox Photographic
Astoria was definitely starting out with a bang! We continued our walking tour of downtown, stopping for coffee and treats along the way. Right across from the Astoria Coffeehouse, was Lunar Boy Gallery, whose quirky-look caught my eye. And LunarBoy definitely brought the quirk. June 7th was Astoria’s Official Goonies Day, so Lunar Boy was exhibiting a special show of Goonies-related work. Fun!
This Is Our Time Now! Goonies Show at Lunar BoyLandscapes by Nicholas Knapton at Lunar Boy
After lots of cool art & laughs at Lunar Boy, we perused a few bookstores & other shops ( it can’t be ALL about me ) before finding RiverSea Gallery. This contemporary gallery features a wide variety of work by artists from the Northwest and beyond. I was thrilled to find that their current show, The Fabled Landscape, featured the work of Marla Baggetta.
Artist, Marla Baggetta
Since my days of specifying art for the corporate & healthcare industries, I’ve been a fan of Baggetta, her landscapes bring that perfect combination of happy color and peace, perfect especially for healthcare. Her work is even more lush and gorgeous in it’s original state than her reproductions even begin to show. I was in awe.
Artist, Marla BaggettaArtist, Marla Baggetta
Though seeing Baggetta’s original work was a highlight for me, RiverSea had many other artists whose work caught my eye. Like…
Maple wood sculpture by Michael HampelEncaustics by Paula BlackwellFigurative work by Shannon RichardsonWonderful urban landscapes by Brin Levinson
George had his favorites, too– like the work of abstract mixed-media artist, Charles Schweigert ( told you he was loving abstracts now! ) and kooky sculptures by Pamela Mummy.
Namikaze by Charles SchweigertA Lot on His Mind by Pamela Mummy
Our little day trip to Astoria was just what the art doctor ordered. I was able to peruse some lovely, unique galleries and found some really interesting artists to share with you. We even spotted a couple of empty storefronts that would make great galleries.. you know, just in case.
Thanks to our next door neighbor, who creates “sculptures” out of found objects and has a rotating display in his front & side yard, I’ve been thinking a lot about sculpture lately. Which has led me to discover an egregious error here at Artsy Forager and that is the incredible, unforgiveable lack of sculptural work on this blog! I am here to rectify the situation, beginning with one of my favorite contemporary masters, Constantin Brancusi.
Sleeping MuseBird in Space
In his work, Brancusi breaks down the forms of his subject into simple, geomtric shapes, so that the end result is less a representation of the actual subject, but rather the essence of the feeling that subject’s form evokes.
Mademoiselle Pogany, 1912The Newborn, 1920
The elegance of Brancusi’s lines and the restfulness and peace his forms suggest, even when depicting a screaming baby ( see The Newborn, above ), help to quiet my spirit. What about you? Any artists whose work “quiets your spirit”? Or maybe you’re not in to Brancusi ( and that’s OK ).. Whose sculptures do you love?
Happy Monday, Artsies! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. This week’s Masterworks Monday artist is one of my all-time faves, American Realist painter Edward Hopper. A feeling of melancholy tends to pervade most of Hopper’s work, but maybe that is why they appeal to me. His scenes seem so very real, not just in their sense of time and of place, but in the capturing of a moment. Early mornings in small towns DO feel desolate, being an attendant at a gas station on a far off country road WOULD be lonely.
Despite the lone figures or desolate landscapes, Hopper’s images are filled with light and in that, create a sense of hope within the isolation. Early morning means it is a new day.. light coming in a window means that there is an escape from the darkness. Whether this is what Hopper intended or not, it is what I personally take from his work.
A little girl with brown pigtails makes a trip with her family to Colombia and there, befriends two chickens. And so begins the story of “What Happened to the Chickens?”, the latest exhibition of Yvonne Lozano’s work at The Art Center in Jacksonville.
Yvonne Lozano’s work is autobiographical, each painting telling the story of a particular childhood memory or even just the memory of the feeling of being a kid. Upon first glance at her style, you may think “A child could have done that”, which is exactly the point! Her simple, faceless figures look initially like a child’s creation, but look a little more closely and you will see a layering of glazes and accomplished drawing skills.
Yvonne has created a storyboard format for these works, some finished paintings, some watercolor sketches, so that it seems that you are “reading” a book in progress. The small sketches reiterate the childlike quality to the work and the “story” itself reads like a wonderful children’s book! ( I personally think it is only a matter of time until we see Yvonne as a children’s literature author & illustrator! ).
“What Happened to the Chickens?” is a story after all, so I don’t want to give too much away. If you’re in Jacksonville, please make some time to visit The Art Center gallery downtown to see & “read” this charmingly familiar childhood story.
The Art Center Cooperative gallery space is located at 31 W. Adams Street in downtown Jacksonville, FL. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-3pm.
To see more of Yvonne’s work, visit her website, YCLArt and be sure to “fan” her Facebook page!
Today is my birthday, ya’ll. I will be happily spending the day with the one who birthed me, touring the Downtown Jacksonville studio of Christina Foard and researching downtown galleries for an article I’m writing for EU Magazine ( my first published print article! ). In the spirit of Steve Martin’s SNL “Christmas Wish” sketch, I’m indulging in my own Birthday Wish list.
These are works of art that, “If I could have but one birthday wish this birthday”… to own any one of these would be my birthday wish. These are the pieces I covet, the pieces that I know I would love forever and ever and give them a kind and loving home.
The title alone makes me smile. I love how the palette is both warm and cool AND neutral all at the same time. And I have a thing for circles. I’ve seen this in person and it is stunning.
I fell in love with this the first time I saw it on Christina’s Facebook page. It reminds me of the devotion and complete commitment it takes to make a life with someone, to be a united front through thick and thin, to be sure of each other no matter what may lie ahead. Maybe I’m just a starry-eyed newlywed.
I could go on and on adding more and more to this list– believe me, there are MANY more! But I was raised to not be greedy, so I’m limiting myself to these five. Even if I don’t have the real thing, they will always be here for me to gaze upon lovingly. Happy birthday to me!
Can you believe it’s already Friday again? Where did the week go?!
There is no real theme for this week’s Friday Faves.. other than these are a few of my favorite things right now. All art related, all colorful, all inspiring to me for different reasons.
This may possibly be my favorite quote ever. And something I struggle with daily. ( Yes, “loose” should be “lose” and the artist acknowledged it, but somehow that imperfection makes it even better ).
I want to spend the day outside, playing with watercolors, not caring whether or not the sketches are any good. ( I stink at watercolors! )
I love everything about this image. The jewelled rainbow color palette, the abstract expressionist paint splashes, the idea of the paint falling like rain, the black & white vintage girl… love, love, love.
I fell hard for this little guy the first time I saw him. So dapper, so sophisticated!
Wishing you a weekend full of warmth, spring color and artsyness! Be inspired.
Beauty was abounding in Jacksonville last night and I’m not just talking about the perfect weather. My sister-in-law and I attended the monthly Downtown Art Walk and were treated to not just the usual visual stimulation but mental and emotional engagement, as well. Now, I had a list about a mile long of the spots I wanted to hit, but we arrived late and spent quite a bit of time at each one, so.. yeah, we only made it to a few.
But we began the night with a bang at The VAULT Gallery, Willliams-Cornelius’ space in a former bank vault ( yes, you read that right! ) on Forsyth Street. Greeted by the Mr. Williams & Ms. Cornelius themselves, and intern Adam, we set off to see what artist Jeff Whipple had in store for us. Whipple has been working on this “Spasm” series for more than thirty years. What began as a painterly device to fill negative pace, the three-barred icon has grown from an element in the background to become the object of an entire series of work.
The three bars that comprise a “spasm” serve to symbolize life, lifetime or a lifestyle. The artwork is open to interpretation, based on the viewer’s own experience– how you see it may not be the way I see it and that’s OK. All of our lives are different and it is in this difference that we each find meaning in the spasms. This is work that truly that makes you stop and think– what does this mean? To the artist? To me?
In conjunction with the showing of Jeff Whipple’s work, Williams-Cornelius also presented a performance piece by self-proclaimed “deformance artist”, Liz Gibson. Gibson was born with a birth defect causing her to have only seven fingers– five on one hand and only two on the other. The performance last night was a character of Gibson’s own creation “Ben Wa Betty”. Betty appears as part archetypal Asian lady, but in a hip and provocative way. Gibson tells stories of how at times she felt lucky or unlucky to have been born with a deformity, all while pouring wax over her deformed hand, proving how you can take something that seems unlucky and make something beautiful out of it.
The overaching theme is one of contentment– be happy with who you are and how you were made. At times you may feel unlucky, but there will always be a reminder of just how lucky we all are.
Our next stop was Southlight Gallery, where there is always a display of exceptional art by some of the most well-known artists in Jacksonville, right along side with talented emerging artists. The featured artist last night was wood sculptor, Grant Ward.
I’m a sucker for any burl or wood sculpture and have been a fan of Ward’s pieces for a long time. There is something about an artist that looks at a log or a tree stump, sees the potential for creating something unique AND possesses the craftsmanship to create something polished and beautiful out of such rough raw materials.
I have always especially loved Ward’s pieces that combine burl wood with spun metal. These pieces take on, for me an other worldly space-like quality. It is as if the wood is a planetary surface and the metal pieces are alien pods making their home there.
After leaving Southlight, we made our way toward the river to the Suntrust Tower, new home of Town Editions, Thomas Hager’s new line of accessibly affordable limited editions– making this artist’s beautiful work available to even a young collector.
These hand-crafted, signed and numbered editions are created using vintage photographic processes, which give the simple subject matter an elegance and sophistication lacking in much of today’s photographic prints. Also on view are some of Hager’s paintings ( He paints, too! I know! ).
Filled with texture and a pastel & neutral palette, these pieces are reminiscent of sand or rock. They have an organic feeling to them that such completely non-representational work rarely possesses. I’m looking forward to seeing Tom’s paintings evolve just as his photography continues to do so.
I wish I could tell you more about all the places we visited and amazing art we saw, but alas, that was the end of our night. I can tell you that I will be back downtown soon to visit the exhibits and studios I missed. I’m not sure how anyone could see it all in ArtWalk’s four hours.. but what an awesome problem to have!
May’s Downtown ArtWalk will be May 4, 2011. More information available here. Hope to see you there!
Sorry for the late post today– we’ve had some big things happening, so I’ve been a bit preoccupied. More on that later! For this week’s Masters Monday, we’re going a little more modern– enter Pablo Picasso and cubism. Cubism is an early 20th century art movement that was begun by Picasso and Georges Braques in which objects were depicted from a multitude of viewpoints in a seemingly random fashion.
Breakfast by Juan Gris
For me, cubism was a quite a breakthrough while taking figure drawing classes in college. Once figure drawing started clicking for me, ( it was horribly frustrating at first, but my professor at UNF, Paul Ladnier, told me that one day it would just “click” and it would be smooth sailing– I didn’t believe him until it actually happened that way! ) it was then that Paul suggested I try a little cubism. That’s when things REALLY started to get more fun and interesting! I loved exaggerating the planes and forms.
Girl With a Mandolin ( Fanny Tellier ) by Pablo Picasso
I realize Cubism isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it was the introduction into a different way of seeing, a new perspective on how we look at the things we see.
