artsy forager

Tag: mixed media

  • Out of the Mystic: Spencer Herr

    Out of the Mystic: Spencer Herr

    When we were in San Francisco, the famous San Fran fog had taken the day off in exchange for record setting heat.  But that didn’t stop us from experiencing it thanks to artist Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Bridge.  There was something mysterious and magical about walking through the fog, then emerging into the bright sunlight.  In his work, self-taught artist Spencer Herr embraces the power of the emerging figure.

    Roman Trip
    Roman Trip

    Herr’s figures, starkly enshrouded within their backgrounds seem to be just breaking through the surface.  Or perhaps the opposite is happening.  Are they being enveloped by their surroundings?

    Herr_Tally Mark_acrylic on birch panel_48x36
    Tally Mark, acrylic on birch panel, 48×36
    Herr_Slow Draw_acrylic on birch panel_36x48
    Slow Draw, acrylic on birch panel, 36×48
    Herr_Beloved_acrylic on birch panel_48x36
    Beloved, acrylic on birch panel, 48×36

    Keeping the compositions simple allows the viewer to compose his own story.  Like stills from a movie whose story we do not know, we are left to ponder who these figures might be and from what place they are emerging.

    Herr_Trip_acrylic on birch panel
    Trip, acrylic on birch panel

    To see more of Spencer Herr’s work, please visit his website.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Life in Balance: Ben Fiess

    Life in Balance: Ben Fiess

    Mr. Forager & I both marvel at the way architects here in the Northwest deal with the terrain.  Houses and other structures are built to hug the earth or conform to it, often leaving us wondering what a feat of design and engineering it took to solve that problem!  The ceramic compositions of Philadelphia artist Ben Fiess  remind me of those precariously perched buildings.. seemingly random or off-kilter, yet as a whole making perfect sense.

    BC: DD: DB:: YW, porcelain, stoneware, fabric, tape, wood, 23x10x7 cm
    BC: DD: DB:: YW, porcelain, stoneware, fabric, tape, wood, 23x10x7 cm
    BL:: DD:: DO:: FS, porcelain, fabric, 23x10x7 cm
    BL:: DD:: DO:: FS, porcelain, fabric, 23x10x7 cm

    Fiess, whose more practical design I featured in last week’s Design Foraging, puts together these compositions with great care and concern for the elements of texture, materials and space.  Indeed, each piece seems like a perfectly balanced still life in three dimensions.

    GP: FS: SD:: PB, porcelain, stoneware, lizella, felt, rubberband, 23x13x7 cm
    GP: FS: SD:: PB, porcelain, stoneware, lizella, felt, rubberband, 23x13x7 cm

    In addition to line, form, and texture, color plays a key part in Fiess’s compositions.  He works within a tight palette, each cool tone balanced by the natural warmth of wood and textile elements.

    IW: WP: DD:: LB, porcelain, izella, wood, felt, tape
    IW: WP: DD:: LB, porcelain, izella, wood, felt, tape
    IC: SB: PS:: GD, porcelain, stoneware, felt, tape
    IC: SB: PS:: GD, porcelain, stoneware, felt, tape

    Want to see more of Ben Fiess’s work?  Be sure to check out his website here.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

     

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Nicolas Kuligowski

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Nicolas Kuligowski

    It feels like things are sort of finally getting back to normal.. almost.  After being gone for what seemed like an eternity, I’m back on Escape Into Life today sharing the work of Nicolas Kuligowski in my Artist Watch.  Head on over to EIL to see more!

    Untitled by Nicolas Kuligowski
    Untitled by Nicolas Kuligowski

    Nicolas Kuligowski on Escape Into Life

    Image via the artist’s website.

  • Happy Trees: Liz Tran

    Happy Trees: Liz Tran

    Seattle, Seattle, Seattle ( Marcia Brady voice ).. we arrived on Saturday and are completely in love with the city but overwhelmed by apartment hunting.  So this week, I’m re-running posts featuring some favorite Seattle artists.  Sorry for the repeats, hope to be back to normal artsy blogging next week!

    Yes, I just quoted Bob Ross.  But the whimsical trees of Seattle artist Liz Tran are miles beyond Ross’s prosaic “happy trees”.  Tran’s trees practically shout with joy.

    Encircle, mixed media on panel, 36×36

    With her use of bright colors and whimsical patterns, these trunks and limbs capture the fun spirit of yarn-bombing in paint!

    Winter Drop, mixed media on panel, 48×48
    August Bloom, mixed media on panel, 36×24

    These transporting works take me back to the feeling of being a kid, lying on my back in the grass and looking up into a canopy of trees with sunlight bursting through.  There is no other feeling more peaceful and happy.

    Summer Stripes, mixed media on panel, 36×36

    In a lesser hand, these candied conifers could turn a bit too sweet, but Liz gives them just the right modernity to keep up the fresh and contemporary feel.  To see more of Liz Tran’s creations, please visit her website.

    Featured image is Traveling Two, mixed media on panel, 36×24.  All images are courtesy of the artist’s website.

  • Guest Forager: Erin of artsocial

    Guest Forager: Erin of artsocial

    While Mr. Forager & I wind our way up the Pacific Coast Highway to Seattle, I’ve asked a few of my fellow art bloggers to step in and share some of their own artsy finds.  

    You’re already familiar with Erin of artsocial as my partner in artsy pinning for the Art Association contest we hold every month.  But did you also know she has her own fabulous art blog?  It’s like a party every day.  With art!  Without further ado, take it away, Erin!

    Abstract is IN this season in a big awesome way. Everywhere I turn, I’m seeing amazing paintings, rugs, pants – you name it – all decorated with incredible abstract designs… and I love it.

    Mini Interior 9
    Mini Interior 9, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4

    A newfound favorite of mine is abstract artist, Pamela Staker.  Her intense color combinations, bold patterns, and expressive brushstrokes infuse her work with an undeniable and irresistible energy.

    Mini Interior 10
    Mini Interior 10, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4

    Starting with simple shapes and vibrant colors, Pamela builds up her playful abstractions with mixed media and unconventional materials like duct tape, rope, and vinyl wall covering. Isn’t contemporary art the best?

    Mini Interior 11
    Mini Interior 11, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4

    Her work beautifully expresses a balance between energetic spontaneity and carefully structured compositions. Which one is your favorite?

    Mini Interior 12
    Mini Interior 12, mixed media collage on paper, 6×4

    This is only a small sampling of Pamela’s amazing work. Her shop is FULL of incredible pieces.

    P.S. there’s a whole section of abstract cats! Not to sound too much like a cat lady, but it’s pretty awesome. You can also find larger works on Cureeo.

    See more from Pamela Staker on Etsy and her website.

     

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Megan Dorien

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Megan Dorien

    Ordinary things explored with interesting color and texture.. I love the simplicity of the work of artist Megan Dorien, being featured in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today.  Head on over and check it out!

    Fire Hydrant by Megan Dorien

    Megan Dorien on Escape Into Life

    Image via the artist’s website.

  • Floral Flow: Alicia Tormey

    Floral Flow: Alicia Tormey

    I always remember my first visit to Seattle in the springtime.  The cherry trees were blooming in the neighborhood where Mr. Forager was living ( this was before I became Mrs. F ) and then it rained, as it is always wont to do in Seattle.  After the rain, the blossoms weren’t quite as fluffy and perfect as they’d been, but we were left with a magical blanket of pink petals dotting the sidewalks.  The wind would eventually sweep each petal into its breeze and carry it away to some unknown place.  As I look at the floral encaustics of Seattle artist Alicia Tormey, I’m reminded of the delicate strength it takes to withstand the storms.

    Floral Study IV by Alicia Tormey
    Floral Study IV, encaustic with mixed media, 10×10

    Tormey’s flowers have a wonderful, swirly diaphanous quality as translucent strands float from and around them.  In some, we see look to be veins coming through, as if these are the angels of flowers loved and pressed between book pages as a remembrance.

    Fly Away by Alicia Tormey
    Fly Away, encaustic, shellac and ink on panel, 36×36
    Floral Form V by Alicia Tormey
    Floral Form V, encaustic, shellac and ink on panel, 24×24

    Each flower almost takes on the personality of a dancer’s movements.. wild yet graceful.. controlled chaos, passionate yet maintaining an elegant line, always.

    Floral Study III by Alicia Tormey
    Floral Study III, encaustic with mixed media, 10×10

    To see more of Alicia Tormey’s work, please visit her website.

    Images via Gilman Contemporary and Chase Young Gallery.

  • April Featured Artist: Hooper Turner

    April Featured Artist: Hooper Turner

    Happy April, Artsies!  I’m excited to welcome in the month of April for many reasons, A | we finally leave the desert this month!, B | I get to celebrate one of my favorite days of the year, the day Mr. Forager was born ( never mind that my own b-day is in there, too, ugh ) and C | the celebration of a fabulous new Featured Artist!  You may remember New York artist Hooper Turner from my post featuring work from his Catalog and Fashion series n which he meticulously depicts the imagery found in luxury catalogs and fashion magazines.

    #129 by Hooper Turner
    #129, oil on catalog page, 12 3/4×9 7/8
    #85 by Hooper Turner
    #85, oil on catalog page, 10 5/8×14 3/4

    In his latest body of work, Typeforms, Turner continues his fascination with fashion and found imagery, this time extending his reach into the commodified art world.  In choosing to paint letters and numbers directly onto found art auction catalog pages, the artist is perhaps speaking to the struggle of contemporary artists to find their own voice in among the masses.

    #130 by Hooper Turner
    #130, oil on catalog page, 12×19 1/4
    #166 by Hooper Turner
    #166, oil on catalog page, 10 5/8×8 1/4

    Although I’ve chosen to focus on his auction catalog pages, Turner also gives found imagery of celebrities and models the same treatment.  Perhaps in doing so, he is reflecting upon the artist as celebrity and what that elevated status means for the art marketplace.

    #99 by Hooper Turner
    #99, oil on catalog page, 11 3/4×8 3/8

    Bold and striking, whatever their message, these pieces are saying it loudly and proudly.  To see more of Hooper Turner’s work, please visit his website and be sure to stop by the Artsy Forager Facebook page to see his cover image and an album of a few of my favorite Turner pieces ( in addition to these, of course! ).

  • Artsy on Escape Into Life: Stasia Burrington

    Artsy on Escape Into Life: Stasia Burrington

    Nothing says spring like girls with flowery tattooes!  When I spotted this piece by Seattle artist Stasia Burrington on Artsyo, I was smitten with her work, her use of cut paper florals and girls is at once sweet and strong.  Love it!  I’m featuring Stasia’s work in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today, see it here!

    Clementine, charcoal, ink and fabric collage on Stonehenge paper, 11×14

    Stasia Burrington on Escape Into Life

    Artist found via Artsyo, image also via Artsyo.

  • Artsy Lately: Geoff Mitchell + A New Feature!

    Artsy Lately: Geoff Mitchell + A New Feature!

    One fact presents itself to me every day:  there is an overwhelming amount of amazing art to be discovered in this world!  And sometimes, I get so caught up in finding new artists for you that I neglect to share extraordinary new work by artists who have already been “foraged” by moi.  Never fear, because those days are over!  This is the first in a new monthly series, Artsy Lately, in which I will bring you new work by an artist previously featured on the blog.  But wait, that’s not all!  If you’re on Pinterest, you’ll also find a new Artsy Forager board titled Artsy Lately, where yours truly as well as the wonderful artists themselves will be pinning new work!  Exciting stuff, ya’ll!

    Now let’s get down to the business at hand.  I’ve been in love with the work of LA artist Geoff Mitchell since the first time I saw it and immediately featured him on the site.  Then I was able to see his work in person during my visit to Florida Mining back in November.  So when I saw Geoff post a new crop of work, not only did I respond with an elated gasp, I just knew I just had to share it with you.

    Sunspots by Geoff Mitchell
    Sunspots, mixed media on panel, 20×20

    As with all of Mitchell’s work, these are images put together with more thought toward the imagery and compositions themselves rather than the associations we may make– the artist leaves that completely up to us.  He hands us the puzzle, yet there is no rightor wrong completion or conclusion.  We see what we see.

    Magic Lantern by Geoff Mitchell
    Magic Lantern, mixed media on panel, 20×20
    Music Box by Geoff Mitchell
    Music Box, mixed media on panel, 20×20
    Thin Ice by Geoff Mitchell
    Thin ice, mixed media on panel, 20×20

    Mitchell’s work always has such a wonderful sense of mystery.. like pages torn from a book, we are only given a few chosen details, graphically executed from which to mold our own story.

    Rose Cara Cara by Geoff Mitchell
    Rose Cara Cara, mixed media on panel, 20×20

    To see more of Geoff Mitchell’s work, please visit his website.  I’m hoping before Mr. F & I leave Southern California that I’ll be able to get over to LA and give you a glimpse inside Geoff’s studio.  I think there are stories awaiting there.

    Be sure to also check out the new Artsy Lately board on Pinterest.  We already have 16 artists who’ve joined in and started pinning their latest work!  Are you an artist whose work has been featured on Artsy Forager?  Send me an email at artsyforager(at)att(dot)com and I’ll send you an invitation to pin!