There are certain artists who create worlds so beautiful, I find myself wishing I could live inside one of their paintings, even if just for a little while. Today’s Escape Into Life artist, Brad Kunkle is such an artist. He creates stunning images of visual fairy tales.
Brad Kunkle on Escape Into Life
Be sure to check out my feature on Brad’s work on Escape Into Life ( linked above ) and to read more of my thoughts on his work, check out his Artsy Forager feature here.
New Orleans is one of those places that is unlike any other. It is unique in it’s history, traditions and way of life. Artists of all kinds, writers, musicians, painters, are attracted to its vibrancy and joie de vivre. In this most European of American cities, the arts are not just a weekend hobby of the 1%. Creativity is an ingrained part of daily life. Each day is touched by artists in some way. And today, as the town celebrates the most New Orleansish day of Mardi Gras, I thought we’d explore NOLA through the eyes of its artists.
As I was thinking about what makes New Orleans such an extraordinary place, six characteristics kept coming to mind..
SUSTENANCE
No doubt New Orleans is famous for its cuisine.. a bit French, a bit Southern.. totally deliciously unique. Jambalaya, po’ boys, beignets, shrimp creole.. I would be perfectly happy to eat my way through the city! Artist Carlos Lopez celebrates the simplicity and purity of New Orleans cuisine in his still lifes of oysters found in the city’s gulf waters.
SWINGIN’
New Orleans Jazz is the soundtrack for the Delta. The horns, the banjo, the bass.. you can’t help but tap your feet. NOLA artists George Schmidt and Frank Kelley, jr., capture the energy that flows from the melodious sounds of Dixieland jazz. Though currently living in Florida, artist Yvonne Lozano’s Delta roots still show through.
STRUCTURE
The city’s architecture reflects the diversity of its history and inhabitants.. from grand antebellum mansions to the European-influenced ironwork of the French Quarter to humble shotgun houses, each illustrates a facet of the city’s rich culture and history. And, of course, each has been a source of inspiration for artists such as Grant Schexnider, whose Shotgun Series celebrates the spiritual wealth found in these humble abodes.
STYLE
New Orleanians have a style all their own. Unfailingly friendly and hospitable, but direct and unafraid to tell it like it is. But always with charm and high style. The stylishly cheeky work of NOLA artist Sarah Ashley Longshore fits the city like beads on Mardi Gras.
SPIRIT
Joyful. Exuberant. Even in the face of darkness and destruction, every day in New Orleans is a celebration of life. Ally Burguieres’ work shines brightly with the fire of the people of New Orleans.
STRENGTH
The final and most enduring characteristic of New Orleans is the strength of its community and culture. Poverty, disease, disaster, destruction. The city has seen it all, yet through each trial, comes out on the other end that much stronger. Cory Willingham’s work explores the inner strength found when a community is called upon to rebuild.
New Orleans isn’t just party central at Mardi Gras. It is a community filled with artists who are serious about preserving the city’s history and not just persevering, but thriving into the city’s future. It is a city that loves its artists and they return that devotion a hundredfold. We’ll continue the NOLA love tomorrow, when Artsy Forager features a NOLA gallery bringing a fresh and contemporary, yet uniquely New Orleans style to the French Quarter!
All images are via the artist’s websites linked above, unless otherwise indicated. Images by Carlos Lopez and Sarah Ashley Longshore are via Gallery Orange.
I’ve always been interested in the interplay between color and pattern, how each effects the other and the visual impact both can have, even in small doses. Australian artist Kirra Jamison’s works are a beautiful, modern mastery of both.
Her warm and pure palette allow her compositions to pop against neutral backgrounds. Saturated, cut-out like shapes call to mind the collages of Henri Matisse, though Jamison’s compositions tend to be a bit more complex and detailed. But anyone whose work reminds me of Matisse is an automatic fave!
Some of her pieces, such as Willow Weep ( above ) are a delightfully dizzying kaleidoscope of color and detail. I am drawn in by the playful patterns of color, then enchanted by the surprises that await.
Patterned backgrounds in works like Belong To Me ( above ) appear, upon first glance to be a symmetrical repeat, but each element is revealed to be unique. It is amazing how our eyes fool us into thinking that all are the same.. there is something poetic in that, isn’t there?
To see more of Kirra Jamison’s work, please visit her website. Thank you to Tamara Lynn Photography for introducing Artsy Forager to this artist!
Featured image is Cut Out V, vinyl on paper, 57×38 cm. All images are via the artist’s website.
There are certain artists whose work resonates with me, to whom I return again and again for inspiration. Vancouver, BC artist M.A. Tateishi is definitely an artist whose work fits into that category! I’m so happy to feature her over at Escape Into Life today. Please click on over and take a look at this extraordinary artist’s work!
I used to hate Valentine’s Day. Back when I was single, my friends and I often enjoyed Anti-Valentine celebrations. But now that I’m an old married lady ( it’s been an entire year of marital bliss! ), I revel in it. So today in honor of the upcoming V-Day, dear Artsies, I’m sharing my obnoxious lovey-doveyness with you! Here are some of my mushy-love-stuff faves..
May your weekend be filled with love! If you’re not on the receiving end, try giving some away!
Featured image is by Sarah Ashley Longshore. All images are via the artist’s websites.
We have come so far from what we once were. Humanity’s beginnings were so simple, but it seems we have become incredibly distanced from so many of the practices and traditions that were once essential. Perhaps that is why native inhabitants of foreign lands hold such fascination. San Francisco artist Lisa Congdon’s series Boreas explores the people, traditions and landscapes of Nordic countries, but she embraces them in a way that is modern yet still celebrates the ancient.
Her portraits are solemnly and reverently rendered in graphite and traditional patterns are mimicked in ultra-bright pops of color and graphic punch.
..
These feel as if they are a part of a time-capsule, created now, to be opened in one hundred years.. capturing people caught between two worlds, one ancient, one moving faster and faster away from all that they have known.
To see more of Lisa Congdon’s work, please visit her website. If you’re near Portland, OR, you can catch her in a joint show at Land Gallery with Trish Grantham until March 3, 2012.
Featured image is Fjall, paper and vintage ephemera in shadowbox, 11x14x2.5. All images are via the artist’s website.
When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter? Or read a book made of paper instead of on your Kindle? Wrote a check? As we shift closer and closer to becoming a paperless society, it seems that by foregoing that physical connection with common materials, we are losing some little part of the soul of our humanity. Albuquerque, New Mexico artist, Valerie Roybal takes the forgotten ephemera of the past and resurrects it, giving it a new life through her work.
Just as much of the joy of a handwritten card comes from the process– the choosing of just the right design, taking the time to sit down and write, the physical sensation of putting pen to paper, walking it to the mailbox– so is Roybal’s work process-driven. From her artist statement, “Order, association, and reverence emerges from the sorting, arranging, and placement of each accumulated piece into a whole.”
In her “In the Library” series, the artist uses that process of sorting and arranging to create compositions reminiscent of stacked book spines. There is a kind of random orderliness to these not unlike a library of treasured collections.
Through her work, Roybal also explores natural physiological processes such as cell mutations. The resulting compositions possess the seeming precision of scientific illustrations, but with the bursts of life and color that remind us of the wonder of the organic world.
To see more of Valerie Roybal’s work, please visit her website. Thanks to Hillary at Stellers Gallery Ponte Vedra for introducing Artsy Forager to this artist!
Featured image is Transmission, mixed media. All images are via the artist’s website.
Artists and designers have been inspiring each other for centuries. Whether we realize it or not, much of the clothes we wear, jewelry we sport and objects we use are a result of the symbiosis between art and design. And I for one, love to celebrate such connections! For this first feature in the new Artsy Fodder series, let’s have some fun with artfully inspired jewelry designs. These pieces may not have directly influenced each other, but there is an unmistakable resemblance.
Art…
Bejewelled…
Art…
Bejewelled…
Art…
Bejewelled…
Art…
Bejewelled…
Art…
Bejewelled…
Do find yourself buying pretty baubles that remind you of your favorite artwork? Take a look inside your own closet or jewelry box and I’ll bet you’ll see some similarities!
‘Tis a new year and with that comes all sorts of lists documenting the good, the bad and the ugly from the past 12 months. While there’s certainly no bad or ugly here at Artsy Forager, I thought it would be a kick to award our featured art some high schoolish superlatives. Put your mittens on your kittens and away we go!
BEST DRESSED: Kelly Reemsten
CUTEST COUPLE: Maggie Taylor
BEST HAIR: Robin Williams
MOST THOUGHTFUL: Susan Hall
LIFE OF THE PARTY: Sarah Ashley Longshore
MOST ATHLETIC: Eric Zener
BIGGEST FLIRT: Deborah Scott
BEST SMILE: Ann Marshall
MOST LIKELY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD: Steve Williams
Were you awarded a superlative in high school? Let me guess, Most Creative? 🙂 Have a great weekend, Artsies!
Featured image is Books by Holly Farrell, acrylic and oil on masonite. All images are via the artist’s websites, unless otherwise stated.
Hey ya’ll! It’s Tuesday, so don’t forget to mosey on over to Escape Into Life to check out my post featuring the work of Hilary Williams. You might remember Hilary from my Artsy Forager post on her work here.
Hilary Williams on Escape Into Life
While you’re at EIL, spend a little time exploring the site– it is a fantastic source for inspiration in all forms!