artsy forager

Tag: Paintings

  • Clouded. Laura Guese.

    Clouded. Laura Guese.

    After nearly a year of coastal living and four years in the Northwest, I feel like I’ve become a connoisseur of clouds.  Recently Mr. F and I sat high atop a local rock formation, watching for whales as they migrate South to Mexico.  In just the space of a few hours, the skies changed dramatically– the clouds would roll in, then out, in, then out.  As I was looking through the paintings of Denver artist Laura Guese, it got me thinking about how that ever changing sky mimicked every day life.

    Laura Guese | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart #clouds Laura Guese | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart #clouds Laura Guese | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart #clouds Laura Guese | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart #clouds Laura Guese | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart #clouds

     

    Some days, we wake up and all is clear– we feel filled with purpose and positivity.  We see clear the path we are on and know exactly where we are headed.  But on other days, our vision seems clouded.  Whether by work or worries, we can’t see clearly the road ahead.  We get bogged down, slowed down, we’re stuck, afraid to move forward because we have lost sight of our destination.  But if we’ll only press on, keep hiking up, we can move above the clouds.  Suddenly we glimpse a spot of blue sky!  And we’re back on track.

    You can see the paintings of Laura Guese in her solo show at Mike Wright Gallery in Denver through February 28th.  Or drop by her website to see more of Laura’s work.

    All images are via Mike Wright Gallery.

  • Naked. Daniel Catalano.

    Naked. Daniel Catalano.

    There is more to nakedness than the simple truth of being without clothing.  It requires trust and vulnerability, traits not always easy to come by.  This season of my life, dealing with my mom’s illness, has without a doubt at times left me raw, while also virtually piling on layers in the way of self preservation and protection.

    Situations like these tend to bring out our worst or our best.  We’ve been dealing with both sides of the coin.  The best people leaving us feeling protected and safe in our vulnerable state, the worst piling on judgement and hurtfulness when we are at our most bare.

    Daniel Catalano | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart #contemporaryart Daniel Catalano | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart #contemporaryart

    My poor mom has been left without her own shroud physically and in just about every other way.  Stripped of her health and her independence, she has had to lay herself open, to lose the security of her ordered world, to ask for help in ways she never dreamed of.

    Daniel Catalano | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart #contemporaryart

    I’ve had friends thank me for being so open about what we’ve been going through as they go through similar circumstances, yet keep to themselves.  And that would usually be my own way.. to keep everything private, bottled up.  But to be naked is to also let others know that they have your trust, that they are needed, that you know that you can’t do it alone.

    Daniel Catalano | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart #contemporaryart Daniel Catalano | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #figurativeart #contemporaryart

    Since her diagnosis, there have been a lot of tears.  But there has also been meaningful conversation and deep laughter with those who’ve allowed us the freedom to be vulnerable and the security of knowing we are safe in our nakedness.

    Featured paintings are by Daniel Catalano.  Please visit his website to see more of his work.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Wild. Allison Gildersleeve.

    Wild. Allison Gildersleeve.

    As a somewhat fledgling painter exploring the nature of environments myself, I’m always intrigued by how other artists interpret the scenes we experience.  In her paintings, New York artist Allison Gildersleeve paints the simultaneous experiences of small, hemmed-in parcels of wilderness.

    Allison Gildersleeve | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Allison Gildersleeve | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Allison Gildersleeve | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Allison Gildersleeve | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Allison Gildersleeve | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart

    When I paint these woods, I want it to feel as if all the stories that took place there are unfolding simultaneously.

    The artist takes reference from the same scene as experienced multiple times over the seasons, layering each impression over the next.  The resulting cacophony is like a beautiful mapping of the emotional weight of each place.  For every person who walked through, every child who played tag, there is a bit of themselves and their memory left behind long after they’ve trod that ground.

    To see more of Allison Gildersleeve‘s work, please visit her website.  if you happen to be in New Hampshire, you can catch her solo show at Cynthia-Reeves Gallery in Walpole until January 20th.

    All images are via the artist’s website and the Cynthia-Reeves Gallery website.  Artist found via Christina Foard.

  • Consumptions. Kira Nam Greene.

    Consumptions. Kira Nam Greene.

    Food and sex.  Let’s face it, our American culture is pretty much obsessed with two things.  Yet we often want to deny how much each matters to us.  We are somehow above such base desires.  In her work, Asian American artist Kira Nam Greene explores the dichotomy in a fascination of the objectification of women by portraying them as highly styled, delectable food.

    Kira Nam Greene | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Kira Nam Greene | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Kira Nam Greene | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Kira Nam Greene | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Kira Nam Greene | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart

    A self confessed food lover, cuisine has often been the focus of Greene’s work, as she combines Eastern motifs and symbols with ubiquitously American foods like Skippy Peanut Butter and a stack of pancakes.  In thinking of the food as shorthand for the female body, I began to notice the treatment of the food in composition– elevated on a pedestal, as an award, the object of leering attentions.

    Kind of makes you rethink that phrase, “you are what you eat”, doesn’t it?

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Jenny Brown on Instagram.  If you aren’t already following Jenny, you need to be!

  • Learning Process. Benjamin Adelmann.

    Learning Process. Benjamin Adelmann.

    Many artists work in series format.  For some, the subject of the series is determined by the subject of the work– oceanscape, abstract, pop culture, etc.  But for Los Angeles artist Benjamin Adelmann, a series of work is often dictated by the process through which the artist arrives at his final destination.

    Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart Benjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryartBenjamin Adelmann | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart

    Whether through beginning in a completely abstract composition or with a previously composed work manipulated through editing software and repainted as manipulation, Adelmann’s work feels more about what happens on the journey than what is waiting upon arrival.  It’s a lesson I’m striving to embrace myself these days– that act of getting lost in the process and learning my way through it.  That relinquishing of what I have in mind for a final outcome and just following where the path may lead.

    To see more of Benjamin Adelmann’s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Evidence of Life. Erin Raedeke.

    Evidence of Life. Erin Raedeke.

    I stil vividly remember spending days with my mom, sister-in-law, and grandfather going through my grandmother’s things after she was gone.  How very adamantly he wanted her things to go on in this life, even when she did not.  I’m not as attached to material things as I once was, yet when a person has lived with and used and touched objects I do believe they become sort of intertwined with that person’s spirit for a time.

    Raedeke_the party is over

    We each have different ways of interacting with the things around us– from the way we set the table to the way we hang ( or don’t hang ) up our towels.  My grandmother’s clothes, while jammed into every available closet space, where meticulously well cared for and carried her scent long after she no longer wore them.

    Raedeke_refuse Raedeke_outcast Raedeke_empty gift bag

    After a loved one is gone, we want to cling to every precious memory and momento.  Even the most insignificant little object can carry with it great meaning.  But as time goes by, the memories don’t fade, yet our need to grasp those objects close often does.  It’s as if our loved ones spirit hangs about as a comfort to us for a while and, when we are ready, it gently lets us go.

    Raedeke_are you afraid of the ax

     

    These still life paintings by Erin Raedeke brought to life for me this concept of a memorial and spiritual attachment to things and the unique way we interact with not just the things we use each day, but how we use material things to remember the people we love.

    To see more of Erin Raedeke’s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Dynamic Quiet. Leslie Kenneth Price.

    Dynamic Quiet. Leslie Kenneth Price.

    As I type this post, I feel keenly aware of the quiet around me.  The hum of the refrigerator and the occasional noise from the street above are the only sounds meeting my ears.  How often do we allow this type of quiet in our days?  The elimination of modern noise is one thing that we love about hiking and backpacking.  While living in Seattle, it was especially noticeable when we got out of the cacophony of the city and up into the tranquility of the  mountains.  In his work, Northern California artist Leslie Kenneth Price takes his inspiration from the natural world and serves up work that draws us into the teeming life happening in the quiet that surrounds our noise.

    Leslie Kenneth Price | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Leslie Kenneth Price | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Leslie Kenneth Price | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Leslie Kenneth Price | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Leslie Kenneth Price | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart

    I happened upon the Price’s work when visiting Sewell Gallery back in April and loved it, keeping it in the back of my mind ever since.  A peek at his website recently found me falling deeply in love with this new series of paintings, Verano.  His use of color, movement, and texture alone are enough to draw me in, but in listening to the artist talk of the influence of nature on his work truly resonated with my own experience and spirit.

    I found myself nodding along and thinking, yes,that’s exactly how I feel! over and over again.  A true artistic soulmate.

    To see more of the work of Leslie Kenneth Price, please visit his website.

    All images & video are via the artist’s website.

  • Facing Forward. Alejandra Atares.

    Facing Forward. Alejandra Atares.

    I’m back, dear Artsies!  Ready to hit the ground running in this new year.  I’m not sure what 2015 will bring but what I do know is that I can no longer hang in limbo.  It’s time to put my face forward and get back to it.  As I reflected upon the prospect of beginning again, I was drawn to paintings by Barcelona artist Alejandra Atares.

    Alejandra Atares | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Alejandra Atares | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Alejandra Atares | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Alejandra Atares | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart Alejandra Atares | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #fineart

    Moving ahead after lingering in the unknown can be scary and intimidating.  There is a fear of beginning something exciting only to have to abandon it mid-stream. But as I like to tell Mr. Forager, the ultimate dreamer/planner..

    Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

    He just loves it when I quote John Lennon to him!  In the end, we never know what tomorrow will bring, even when all of our loved ones are whole and well.  So we must embrace life as it is in this very moment while looking forward with hope and anticipation.

    Artist found via I Need A Guide.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • December Featured Artist. Anna Kincaide.

    December Featured Artist. Anna Kincaide.

    If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you may recognize the work of our December Featured Artist.  Not only have I featured the work of Anna Kincaide on the blog several times, but she’s also one of the artists I selected for my Artsy Forager print collection for Mantle Art.

    Anna Kincaide | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Anna Kincaide | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Anna Kincaide | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Anna Kincaide | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Anna Kincaide | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart

     

    I have always had a fascination with the glamorous era of Cary Grant and his contemporaries, where Anna draws much of the inspiration for her fashion forward paintings. The way she isolates her figures against color-blocked or patterned backgrounds kind of make them feel like they have been lifted from the silver screen or fashion magazine and found themselves in the midst of a painting.  Which, if you think about it, is not such a bad place to be!

    To see more of Anna Kincaide‘s work, please visit her website.  Her prints in my Mantle Art collection are perfect for gift giving, too– you can even choose a custom frame right on their site!  Easy peasy.  Follow along on Artsy Forager social media to see more of Anna’s work all December long!

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • November Featured Artist. Marsha Boston.

    November Featured Artist. Marsha Boston.

    November might just be my favorite month.. shhh, don’t tell October!  So it’s only fitting to give you one of my favorite artists as the Featured Artist for the month of November!  California artist Marsha Boston is a painter after my own heart, exploring the wonders of plant life and how we might live in harmony with our botanical neighbors.

    Marsha Boston | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Marsha Boston | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Marsha Boston | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Marsha Boston | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart Marsha Boston | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #contemporaryart

     

    A while back, Mr. F and I listened to a fascinating BBC story on the concept of “rewilding“.  Listening to these experts talk about the positive changes that occur when once developed land is allowed to return to its wild state definitely led to some interesting conversation and thoughts about how we impact our environment now and how we might in the future.  Mr. F observed what an incredible amount of hubris it takes on the part of man to think he can do better than nature. Marsha’s work is often focused on how we define our relationship to nature.  Are we here to serve or be served?

    To see more of Marsha Boston‘s work, please visit her website.  Her beautiful paintings will grace the Artsy Forager Facebook cover and I’ll be sharing more of Marsha’s work on other Artsy Forager social media all month long.  Make sure you’re following along!

    All images are via the artist’s website.