artsy forager

Tag: mixed media

  • Historical Bent: Frohawk Two Feathers

    Historical Bent: Frohawk Two Feathers

    ‘Tis election season in the US which for many ( including myself ) = the season for cynicism, frustration, and the eventual choosing between what we hope will be the less destructive of two not-so-great choices.  Throughout history many a nation has had a habit of creatively reinterpreting their own backstory to slant history more to their favor.  In his work, Los Angeles artist Frohawk Two Feathers calls out the ridiculousness of such reinvention, echoing the growing dissatisfaction with the political status quo.

    He Dead. Amen! LaDonna, inventor of the hot comb and widow of Andre I of Hispaniola Maitresse of Mambo Erzulie Freda Dahomey, 30×44

    Two Feathers’ ( born Umar Rashid ) works are a fictional retelling of periods in history, his latest series being a fictionalized version of the conquest of Haiti.  The overall style of his work bases itself in traditional colonial portraiture yet the artist tweaks it to tell his own version of the story.

    Let Me Upgrade You. A farewell embrace for Duke Tarik Ibn Rashid and the Duchess Josefina of Margarita and Tortuga. Tarik was called to Frengland to Tirain the artillery corps by Lord Protector Casimir Theroux of the Republic of Frengland. Josefina is running shit for real man, 30×44
    The Spanish Main 1794 (3BB) Blanca, the motherfucking Queen of Spain Jacinta, Queen of the Tairona (Deceased) Carlota, Queen of Santo Domingo (Deceased), 60.5×44.75

    While the works are satirical in nature, I can’t help but think that they aren’t that far off from how our own histories have been subtly reshaped over time in order to gloss over certain ugly facts or to push a powerful group’s agenda.

    Solid. Solid as a Rock Lord protector Casimir Theroux of Pomerania (Poland) and his wife Helen Sidney of London, 30×44

    To see more of Frohawk Two Feathers’ work, please visit the website of his representing gallery, Taylor De Cordoba.  I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to explore LA galleries while we’re in Joshua Tree, since I’ll be heading to Florida for a month in November, but seeing this work in person at Taylor De Cordoba is high on my list.

    All images are via the Taylor De Cordoba website.

  • Taking Elemental Chances: Laura Gurton

    Taking Elemental Chances: Laura Gurton

    While Mr. Forager & I are on the road, making our way to California, we’re rerunning Artsy Forager’s most popular posts.  This post originally published on February 8, 2012.  Enjoy!

    Life, in any form, is unpredictable.  Sometimes we like the result of a chance taken, sometimes we don’t.  Yet each step of faith is a step in the right direction.  New York artist Laura Gurton takes a gamble each time she begins a new work, never knowing how her materials will react with one another.  But it is that tempting of fate which results in these spontaneously speculative paintings.

    From the Unknown Species Series #48, oil and alkyd on linen, 11×14

    The artist takes advantage of the unpredictable reactions of layers of oil paint and alkyd resin to create work that uses the elemental properties of both to mimic cellular forms– our most basic building block of life.

    From the Unknown Species series #49, oil and alkyd on linen, 18×18

    The shapes morph and float as cells or micro-organisms under a microscope, taking on ghostly abstract forms that can seem often friendly or fiendish.

    From the Biomorphic Dream series #13, oil and alkyd on canvas, 30×40

    I find fascinating Gurton’s use of such basic chemistry to produce beautifully composed, intricate abstract work that reminds us of the beginning of life.  Just as each of us are all made of the similar cellular building blocks, yet we are each unique, so are each of these works beautifully singular.  It’s almost as if each one could be a glimpse into the molecular network of an individual.

    From the Unknown Species series #15, oil and alkyd on canvas, 18×24

    To see more of Laura Gurton’s work, please visit her website.

    PS– Welcome to all of our new Artsy Forager subscribers!  I’m so glad you enjoy the blog.  Make yourself at home and be sure to take a peek around, there are lots of goodies to explore!  If you haven’t already, use the tabs on the right to connect with Artsy Forager via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

    Featured image is From the Unknown Species series #50, oil and alkyd on linen, 18×18.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • The Uncommon Familiar: Shaun Kardinal

    The Uncommon Familiar: Shaun Kardinal

    While Mr. Forager & I are on the road, making our way to California, we’re rerunning Artsy Forager’s most popular posts.  This post originally published on April 23, 2012 and got a huge bump thanks to being featured on the Freshly Pressed WordPress feature.  Enjoy!

    Do you have any idea how bummed I was to miss out on Shaun Kardinal’s show, Connotations, while we were in Seattle?  So very very bummed.  But time was not my friend on this trip.  Two half-days and only one full day just isn’t enough to fit in time with friends, every gallery show I wanted to see and one on one time with the hubby.  But I know I’ll be back and I have a feeling Shaun’s work is going to continue gaining ground while I’m gone.

    Connotation No. 18, hand-embroidered paper collage, 9.75×6.5

    Kardinal increases the complexity of his collages with this new series.  Beginning with a foundation of vintage ephemera, he embroiders each piece with a geometrically intricate design carefully placed to compliment the retro imagery.

    Connotation No. 25, hand-embroidered paper collage, 9×6

    Kardinal’s work feels like sophisticated folk art and I mean that in the best possible way!  It is approachable, yet thoughtful.  Highly designed using common materials.  Love.

    Connotation No. 24, hand-embroidered paper collage, 11.75×11.75
    Connotation No. 19, hand-embroidered paper collage, 9.25×8.25

    To see more of Shaun Kardinal’s work, please visit his website.  If you’re in Seattle, do what I couldn’t– go see his Connotations show at Joe Bar Cafe.

    Featured image is Connotation No. 2, hand-embroidered paper collage, 11×11.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Gavin Lavelle

    While I adore abstract expressionist work full of large, sweeping strokes, I do occasionally want to gaze upon work that you really need to consume.  Work so full of rich layers and details that makes you want to study it, taking in every symbol and nuance.  So of course, when  Irish artist Gavin Lavelle emailed me his work, it felt so rich, so Bosch-like, I couldn’t wait to share it.  Lavelle is featured in my Artist Watch over on Escape Into Life today, so head on over there and gaze awhile.  You’ll be mesmerized!

    Eden 85 by Gavin Lavelle

    Gavin Lavelle on Escape Into Life

  • Friday Finds: Word Up!

    Friday Finds: Word Up!

    Happy Friday, Artsies!  Please forgive my 1980s one-hit-wonder reference.  I can’t help it.  My mind just automatically defaults to songs from my teen years.  It seems like the written word is experiencing an artsy renaissance of late.  Not since the days of illuminated manuscripts have words and art become so intertwined.  Here are a few of the wordy works I’m loving this week!

    Why Can’t You Just be Nice by Trey Speegle
    Everything in its Place by David McLeod
    FS2679 by Cecil Touchon
    Thought & Pleasure by Squeak Carnwath
    Sounds Like Some Hippy Shit by Dwayne Butcher

    Trey Speegle | David McLeod | Cecil Touchon | Squeak Carnwath | Dwayne Butcher

    Have a great weekend, Artsies!  Remember to use your words. 😉

    All images are via the artists’ websites, linked above.

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Larissa Haily Aguado

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Larissa Haily Aguado

    I do love a fabulous collage.  And these creations from Argentinian artist Larissa Haily Aguado immediately caught my eye when I spotted them over on The Jealous Curator.  The artist seamlessly blends disparate found images to create the spectacularly simple but striking work.  Check out more of her work over on my Artist Watch at Escape Into Life today!

    Pinky Esmeralda by Larissa Haily Aguado

    Larissa Haily Aguado on Escape Into Life

  • Urban Existentialism: Nicola Lopez

    Urban Existentialism: Nicola Lopez

    It often feels like there is no place left in the world untouched by technology.  Even in some of the most rural areas, you’ll still find yourself within technology’s reach.  The work of Brooklyn artist Nicola Lopez explores the idea of how the saturation of technology is shaping the way we experience the world.

    Water, etching, carborundrum collograph and collage, 41×41

    Beyond the brilliant depictions themselves, Lopez utilizes the creative process to mirror the transformation the landscape goes through as it is built upon.  From her website– “I use the language of printmaking to address the processes of automation and mass production that have brought today’s world into existence. The specific media of intaglio, woodblock and drawing that I choose to work with, however, are still closely linked to the artist’s hand and allow the work to be about my own attempt as an individual to come up with a system of navigating this overwhelming landscape instead of simply consuming one of the pre-fabricated, mass-produced and -marketed versions, of which there are so many.”

    Excerpt from the Flood I, lithograph on paper and mylar, 30×44
    Half-Life 7, woodcut and photolithography on mylar collage, 36×48

    “As with the evolution of the human-built landscape, there are moments in the construction of my world where the building proceeds according to plans that have already been laid and there are moments when the building precedes its own planning, expanding unpredictably and organically towards an order of a very different sort. Our world is full of the tension between just this order and disorder.. “

    Boneyard, woodcut, photolithograph, silkscreen on mylar collage, 22×22.5

    To see more of Nicola Lopez’s work, please visit her website.  If you happen to be in Florida, be sure to stop by J.Johnson Gallery in Jacksonville Beach to see Lopez’s show, Multiplicity, which can be seen at J.Johnson until November 2nd.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Alien Nation: Fidencio Martinez

    Alien Nation: Fidencio Martinez

    Living the way we do, Mr. Forager and I are no strangers to feeling like outsiders in a new place.  We try to make a new town home every three months.    I can only imagine how difficult it must be to move to a completely new country, where perhaps you don’t even speak the language or where you noticeably stand out due to the color of your skin.  The work of Mexican-born Memphis artist Fidencio Martinez deals with such feelings of social alienation, assimilation and isolation.

    Clandestino, acrylic paint and newspaper, 12×12

    Although Martinez’s figures tend to be Latino or indigenous, we’ve all likely experienced some level of isolation.  Yet do we really have any idea what it might be like to be live in a place fraught with danger, one you flee in order to be able to live your life free of fear?

    A Coup Beneath Meek Flores, mixed media, 12×12
    Nos Caimos Como Balas, mixed media, 12×12

    What if, when all you wanted was to be able to live a quiet, happy life in your new world, you were constantly met with hate and prejudice?  Would you be able to accept such treatment with a sanguine attitude?

    La Cosecha de Su Vida, mixed media, 24×36

    Can you relate to Martinez’s work?  When do you feel like an outsider?  You can see more of Fidencio’s work on his website and be sure to check out his Etsy shop for his available work for sale!

    Artist found via Clair Hartmann.  Featured image is Teal Fields in Skin Seas, mixed media, 12×12.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Fresh Translucence: Maria Olivares Alfaro

    Fresh Translucence: Maria Olivares Alfaro

    It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of artwork filled with thick, saturated color.  But there are times when I happen upon an artist whose work feels like a breath of fresh air.  When I saw Mexican born Maria Olivares Alfaro’s work, it felt refreshingly light and simple.

    Velos

    I hate to use the word simple to describe her work, because  I feel like it has such a negative connotation.  But they seem like beautiful little doodles.

    Cuaderno
    Von Dibujo

    Alfaro’s work has a young, naive quality but they are too elegant to feel immature.  There is a thoughtfulness and sense of restraint behind each composition.

    Cuaderno

    To see more of Maria Olivares Alfaro’s beautiful work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Friday Finds: Anthropomorphically Artsy

    Friday Finds: Anthropomorphically Artsy

    These last four months of living on a lake in Northern Idaho has had its advantages, wildlife spotting being chief among them.  A favorite post-dinner activity of Mr. Forager & I is to take a long walk in the hopes of spotting a few deer, osprey, rabbits and lately, turkeys(!).  While Mr. F loves to fantasize about how awesome it would be to be a bird of prey, I tend to humanize the animals we see.  I like to think they are more like us than we realize.  Today, I’m featuring a few artists who seem to also love blending the line between humanity and the animal.

    To Fall for Flattery by Nate Frizell
    Beyond the Menagerie by Kareena Zerefos
    Renard by Charlotte Caron
    Sabrina Hornung

    Nate Frizzel | Kareena Zerefos | Charlotte Caron | Sabrina Hornung 

    I would love to commission Charlotte Caron to create a portrait of Mr. Forager as a grizzly bear– it would be his ultimate dream come true!  What animal do you see yourself as?

    Charlotte Caron found via The Jealous Curator, Sabrina Hornung found via Lost at E Minor.  All images are from the artist’s websites, linked above.