Tag: Paintings

  • The Artsy Nature: Yellowstone & Amy Donaldson

    The Artsy Nature: Yellowstone & Amy Donaldson

    Judging from the blog’s title & if you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ve probably guessed that Mr. F and I are the outdoorsy types.  We both thrive on time spent among the quiet beauty of the outdoors, whether surrounded by snow-capped mountains or digging our toes into the black sand of Northwest beaches.  I’m finding artistic inspiration in nature for my own series of work, so why not find it in the work of other artists, too?  Often when I see an artist’s work, my mind connects it to the memory of a place I’ve been or a detail observed or sometimes, an outdoor scene will call the artist’s work to mind.  It’s the whole chicken vs. egg thing, but this time, with art and nature.

    So with this post, I’m launching a new series, The Artsy Nature, in which I pair a photograph from our traverses in the great outdoors with a piece of artwork.

    TAN_Donaldson collage

    photo | spring at The Black Sand Basin, Yellowstone National Park by Artsy Forager

    art | Purpose by Amy Donalson

    One of my absolute favorite features in the wondrous beauty that is Yellowstone were the geysers and hot springs.  Algae and micro bacteria create gorgeously saturated coloration in the most heavenly palette.

    Nature is the most spectacular of canvases, isn’t it?  Look for more The Artsy Nature posts coming your way!

    Photo by Artsy Forager, art image credit linked above.

  • June Featured Artist: Deb Haugen

    June Featured Artist: Deb Haugen

    There are certain artists whose work just instantly resonates with me.  Perhaps it’s their style or subject matter, but in the case of this month’s Featured Artist, Deb Haugen, it’s both.  When I first saw her work waaay back in 2011, I immediately responded to the free flowing naturalness to her work.

    Deb Haugen | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #contemporaryart Deb Haugen | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #contemporaryart Deb Haugen | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #contemporaryart Deb Haugen | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #contemporaryart Deb Haugen | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #contemporaryart

     

    Since then, Deb’s work has evolved beautifully, in some cases incorporating graphic drawing as in her ink pieces featured above.  These intuitive drawings have a delicious tension between the concrete illustrative quality of intricate patterns and the bright, watery world surrounding them.

    I’m not the only one who is drawn to these organic beauties– Neiman Marcus and Crate & Barrel have both carried Deb’s prints ( currently available through Neiman Marcus, new large print to come for C&B! ).  But you can also purchase Deb’s work directly through her own website shop!  Gorgeous work at super affordable prices, you can’t go wrong!

    To see more of Deb Haugen‘s work, please visit her website and be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to keep up with what she’s up to!  You’ll be seeing more of Deb’s work around the blog & Artsy Forager social media all June long!

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Easy Like Sunday Morning: Anna Topuriya

    Easy Like Sunday Morning: Anna Topuriya

    I am so ready for a bit of R&R this weekend, aren’t you?  This traveling lifestyle that Mr. F and I enjoy has its perks but the desire to see as much of each area as possible while we are here mean that weekends are rarely spent doing much relaxing.  These paintings on paper by Anna Topuriya have a lovely sense of ease and leisure to them.

    Anna Topiyura | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Anna Topiyura | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Anna Topiyura | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings topuriya_blackdressmistake_lowres
    Anna Topiyura | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

     

    The pale palette creates a peaceful atmosphere and the pops of cerulean blue are tiny little seas of calm.  The tropical motifs definitely help foster that sense of a visual vacation, as well as the artist’s compositional style similar to Japanese painting, celebrating the beauty in simplicity.

    To see more of Anna Topuriya‘s work, please visit her website.  Now excuse me, I think I need to find myself a hammock and a pina colada.

    All images via the artist’s website.

  • Finding My Own Artsy: Feminine Wiles, Painting Ten

    Finding My Own Artsy: Feminine Wiles, Painting Ten

    It’s been a while since I shared a new Feminine Wiles piece with you!  I’ve been so distracted by the gorgeous weather, hikes with Mr. F, and my new series on paper, that I let the FW pieces slip a bit.  But then Sunday came and along with it a warm and sunny afternoon, so I spent some time painting out on our little deck.  When I was ruminating on starting this series,   iconic feminine film icons were popping into my noggin’ and Rita Hayworth‘s Gilda was among the first to come to mind.

    Feminine Wiles, Painting Ten: Rita Hayworth as Gilda #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart

    found here

    In the 1946 black & white film noir, Rita Hayworth plays title character Gilda, the passionate and beautiful songstress wife of an illegal casino owner.  The film plays out a dark love triangle between Gilda, casino owner husband Mundson, and Gilda’s former love, and indebted confidante to Mundson, Johnny Farrell.

    The 40s film is teeming with tension– crime, secrets, anger, revenge.  It’s not wonder costume designer Jean Louis outfitted the femme fatale character is slinky black, reminiscent of Sargent’s Madame X.

    Feminine Wiles, Painting Ten: Rita Hayworth as Gilda #art #artists #paintings #abstractart #contemporaryart

    Rita Hayworth as Gilda Mundson Farrell in Gilda, acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6

    My darkest FW piece yet, it also has a slightly looser feel– something that I thought fit the characterization of Gilda so well– full of turmoil and contradiction.

    To see more from the Feminine Wiles series, check out the series portfolio page.  Up next?  I’m thinking a little Monroe. 😉

    Film image source linked above, painting by Lesley Frenz.

  • Gestural Forces: Zachary Keeting

    Gestural Forces: Zachary Keeting

    For many an abstract painter, there is a tense push and pull between artist and material.  What makes their heart race is the predictable inquietude of the way the paint will respond and react.  The work of artist Zachary Keeting is filled, layer upon layer, with painted gestures carefully considered yet surrendered to the forces of material.

    Zachary Keeting | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Zachary Keeting | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Zachary Keeting | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Zachary Keeting | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart Zachary Keeting | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #abstractart

     

    Keeting’s planes of paint are built up like high rises jammed into a cityscape, one on top of the other, but retaining such distinction that the resulting paintings have almost a collage-like feel. Paint is pushed, poured, pulled, manipulated this way and that so that a beautiful chaos ensues.

    To see more of Zachary Keeting‘s work, please visit his website and make sure to check out his documentary art project, Gorky’s Granddaughter.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Associated Memory: Lindsay Stripling

    Associated Memory: Lindsay Stripling

    In a lot of ways, our lives themselves are made up only of memories.  Whether our own memories or the remembrances people have of us, those recollections make up the way we others see us and the way we perceive ourselves.  In her gouache paintings, San Francisco artist Lindsay Stripling emphasizes memory and perceived realities.
    Lindsay Stripling | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Lindsay Stripling | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Lindsay Stripling | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Lindsay Stripling | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings Lindsay Stripling | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings

    Taking inspiration from vintage photographs, Stripling’s portraits represent an entrance into another world, perhaps a reality or memory different from our own.  It’s funny how, you can never have visited a place, yet have a feeling of it merely from associations like film, photographs or stories.  How often have we found ourselves in a spot, knowing consciously we’d never been there before, yet having an unshakeable feeling of familiarity?

    Memories of our loved ones can be much the same, over time, our associations may change, changing our perceptions and skewing our memories.  Our memories are sifted through a giant sieve, so that only the strongest impressions survive.

    To see more of Lindsay Stripling‘s work, please visit her website.  Lindsay has several pieces currently for sale on the Buy Some Damn Art website– make sure to check them out!

    All images via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Buy Some Damn Art.

  • Have an Artsy Memorial Day!

    Have an Artsy Memorial Day!

    Happy Memorial Day to all the US Artsies!  Thank you to all who have served so that we may enjoy each day in freedom.  Be back in full Artsy mode tomorrow!

    Farrell_vacation-portrait

    artwork by Holly Farrell, May Featured Artist

    Image found here.

  • Lives at Still: Tollef Runquist

    Lives at Still: Tollef Runquist

    When I was painting in college, I worked on a series of paintings of interiors.  I absolutely loved doing them, but abandoned them as in my silly young mind, I thought, “Who wants to see a painting of a room?”  In those days before Instagram, I didn’t realize that interior life paintings are a way of capturing the beauty in an ordinary, fleeting moment, something done so well in the work of Tollef Runquist.

    Tollef Runquist | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #stilllife Tollef Runquist | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #stilllife Tollef Runquist | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #stilllife Tollef Runquist | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #stilllife Tollef Runquist | artsy forager #art #artists #paintings #stilllife

    I love these little glimpses he depicts in abandoned corners and tabletops.  I can almost feel the presence of the person who just left the laptop to answer a call, who arose from the chair to greet a visitor at the door.  His use of pattern and light truly brings these spaces to life, leaving us to guess as to the warmth of the light, whether the breeze blows cool through the sheers.  Days tick by so quickly, filled with work and the monotony of living, yet even in those ordinary hours, we can still find plenty to celebrate.

    To see more of Tollef Runquist’s work, please visit his website.  I’ve been trying to make it a ( near ) daily habit of capturing the beauty of an ordinary moment in my Instagram feed.  How are you celebrating your daily beauties?

    Top & bottom images via Dowling Walsh Gallery, middle three images via Ober Gallery.

  • Artsy Lately: Margie Livingston

    Artsy Lately: Margie Livingston

    As artists, we are pretty obsessed with our materials and mediums.  Photographers baby their cameras and lenses, sculptors take precious care of their tools.  And painters, well, we love paint– the way it smells, the way it looks, the way it behaves.  Seattle artist Margie Livingston, whom we last heard from in October 2012 during her run as Featured Artist, has been continuing her own wild love affair with the properties of paint.

    Margie Livingston | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #paintings Margie Livingston | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #paintings Margie Livingston | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #paintings Margie Livingston | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #paintings Margie Livingston | artsy forager #art #artists #sculpture #paintings

     

    Stretching, pulling, carving, slicing, dicing, Livingston pushes paint to its ever expanding limits.  This latest group of work seems to have an elegant electricity about it, in the juxtapositions of graphic black & white against super charged neon purples and pinks.  Then she spins that on its head with her gloriously shroud-like draped paint sculptures.

    Poured, Sliced, and Drapeda show of Margie Livingston’s latest work, opens at Greg Kucera Gallery in Seattle today, with the opening reception taking place during First Thursday on June 5th.  If you’re in Seattle, don’t miss her Artist Talk this Saturday, at 11:30am, see the Greg Kucera site for details!  Aaaah, some days I really miss Seattle.

    And of course, be sure to check out Margie Livingston’s website for more of her work.

    Top, second & fifth image via the artist’s website.  Other images via the Greg Kucera website.

  • Pattern Recognition: Duane Cregger

    Pattern Recognition: Duane Cregger

    Our lives don’t exist in a glossy, one dimensional universe.  We are surrounded each day by a myriad of patterns and textures.  From the paint on our walls, to the weave of our garments, even the skin covering our bodies, texture fills our vision every day.  In his work, Virginia artist Duane Cregger heaps layer upon layer of painted texture and pattern to create canvases that are a feast for the eyes.

    Duane Cregger | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #paintings Duane Cregger | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #paintings Duane Cregger | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #paintings Duane Cregger | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #paintings Duane Cregger | artsy forager #art #artists #abstractart #paintings

     

    But not only is life full of physical texture and pattern, but it’s there mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, too.  We fill our heads and hearts up each day with the sights, sounds, and thoughts surrounding us, so that they become one with who we are.  On any given day, our spirit might be quenched by the sounds of nature and the warmth of light, or worn down by the incessancy of a ringing phone and arguing children.  Each “texture” piles, one on top of the other, some peeking through more than others, to create a pattern of self that is unique to each one of us.

    To see more of Duane Cregger‘s work, please visit his website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via House of Turquoise.