This month’s featured artist, Christina Baker, is a painter whose work I’ve followed since we were both living in Florida. Christina now resides in Tennessee, while at the moment you can find me in California.. While we are geographically distant, I’ve enjoyed watching her artistic career flourish from afar. It has been such an amazing journey to watch as Christina grow into her own style as her work has blossomed into sophisticated expressions of her own visual language.
Manhattan Memories, acrylic on canvasRunaway Deer, acrylic on canvas, 40×40
Christina’s work harnesses the power of color and emotion as she translates the feelings of a moment onto canvas. Her palette goes through phases and cycles, just as our psyches do. In many cases, you can truly see the joy she was feeling as warmth and light bounces around the canvases.
Mint Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20White Chocolate, acrylic on canvas, 20×20
Often in her work, there is a sense of fluidity and movement, possibly a byproduct of so much time spent near the ocean in Florida. Shapes float among the light like drops of ocean spray or falling leaves. Whatever the moment, wherever the place, it is a happy one.
Love Letters, acrylic on canvas, 40×30
To see more of Christina Baker’s work, please visit her website. You can see her work in person at her representing galleries, Gregg Irby Fine Art in Atlanta and Imagine Gallery of Fine Art in Franklin, Tennessee. Be sure to follow Artsy Forager all month long for more Christina Baker goodies!
PS– this post was published by mistake last Wednesday, my apologies to Christina and anyone who saw it and then went back to find it gone! Blog operator error. 😉
The first time I saw high-definition tv, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe people are paying more money for this imagery.” The resolution was so ultra-high, it was too crisp, too clear, lacking the depth to be found in blur and shadow. The work of Brooklyn based artist Caroline Zucchero Hurley uses loosely arranged shapes that, like our old analog screens, give us hints at what is there, allowing our minds and eyes the freedom to connect the dots.
Trees of Eden, oil on linen, 48×48
Much of what I love most about Hurley’s work has to do with the sense of balance and control in what may seem at first to be unfettered patterns and brushstrokes.
Dirt Stains, oil on canvas, 60×60Thank You, Virgin America
For all their seeming randomness, there is a deliberate quality to their placement, letting us know that each composition is by no means accidental. Yet, the artist arranges these shapes and colors with a deft hand, revealing just enough to suggest at what might be there.
Brights, oil on canvas, 60×60
To see more of the work of Caroline Zucchero Hurley, please visit her website. In addition to works on canvas, the artist also translates her love of shapes and forms to jewelry and linen throws— be sure to check those out, as well!
Happy 2013, Artsies! I’m excited for a new year and even more than that, I’m thrilled to spend this first month of a new year featuring the work of Tennessee artist, Christina Baker! Look for lots more loveliness coming your way from this talented painter all throughout the month of January. Stay tuned to the blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds ( click the buttons to the right to follow! ) all month long!
Not too long ago, Mr. Forager and I had yet another conversation about what makes one piece of artwork successful over another.. Another piece of the puzzle leading to an extraordinary composition, he has concluded, is depth. Whether real or perceived, depth just makes work more interesting, giving our eyes places to go and hollows to explore. Albany artist Deborah Zlotsky’s work involves shapes moving in and out and around each other, giving our eyes plenty of places to get lost.
Everything Must Go, oil on canvas, 48×60
The artist paints intuitively, shifting shapes and depth with each tweak, a change in color here causing one form to fall back while another comes forward.
Unknown, oil on canvas, 36×36Can the Devil Speak True, oil on canvas, 36×36Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight, oil on canvas, 36×36
With her highly planar compositions, it is almost as if Zlotsky is moulding sculpture in two dimensions. You can almost see her brush as a sculptor’s hand, carving out shapes and forms, delineating her own hollows and bumps.
Wishful Thinking, oil on canvas, 36×36
To see more of Deborah Zlotsky’s work, please visit her website.
If an artist were to translate your life into paint, what would it look like? Would the palette be bright and cheery or grey and solemn? Montreal artist Claire Desjardins’ work has the feeling of a warm and colorful life.
Playlist, acrylic on canvas, 36×48City Lights, acrylic on canvas, 36×36
Many of Desjardins’ pieces are abstract impressions of moments or memories, the colors, forms, and textures telling us their visual stories, yet leaving us to form our own conclusions.
Pomme, acrylic on canvas, 60×40Income Tax, acrylic and latex on canvas, 22×28
In the layers of paint, can feel the scene– the sights, the sounds, the scents. Paintings filled with the fleeting moods of everyday life, when taken altogether, create an extraordinary existence indeed.
How to Bake a Cake, acrylic on canvas, 72×48
To see more of Claire Desjardins’ work, please visit her website and Facebook page.
All images are via the artist’s Facebook page, linked above.
Do you ever wonder what it might be like to be the subject of a painting? Would you be content to let the artist interpret you as you are or would you try to clothe yourself in your own chosen persona? The subjects in the paintings of UK artist Mary Jane Ansell seem to be playing dress-up, yet we are left to wonder, is this who they are or who they wish to be?
Girl in a Cocked Hat II, oil on panel, 19.8x 19.8Girl in a Naval Cap, oil on panel, 10.6×14.1
In these quiet paintings, we are offered a glimpse into a moment, a fleeting feeling, a pause in the life of the subject, the life of the artist and one of our own.
Anima Animus, oil on panel, 48×60The Loved One, oil on panel, 99×99 cm
They are quiet, contemplative portrayals, yet within each is a sense of anticipation. The stillness and peace that comes just before we discover something amazing. Perhaps it might be within ourselves that we find the revelation.
Girl Reflected, oil on board, 42×30 cm
To see more of Mary Jane Ansell’s work, please visit her website.
While Mr. Forager and I had originally made plans to trek to Big Bear over the weekend, a thick blanket of snow and us sans the CA law required snow chains, along with a sick-with-a-cold Mr. Forager led to a change in plans. So following our Saturday ritual of breakfast in Joshua Tree ( at Crossroads Cafe— their “piggy pancakes” are my favorite indulgent breakfast ) and stocking up on victuals at the little JT Farmers’ Market, we drove through the wind farms to Palm Springs.
We wandered around the shops and a few galleries in downtown PS ( note: Stark + Kent Gallery— best contemporary selection in PS, including a few artists featured here on Artsy Forager! ). After doing the requisite touristy photo-op under Anish Kapoor’sMarilyn statue, currently installed in downtown Palm Springs, we decided to make our way over to the Palm Springs Art Museum. Now I normally have pretty low expectations for small town art museums, knowing they don’t usually have the financial support of big city institutions, so we were pleasantly surprised by what we found there.
Jim Isermann installation
Palm Springs being a hot bed of modern architecture and design, it was no surprise that one of the current special exhibitions featured the design-art hybrid work of Fernando and Humberto Campana in the exhibition, Antibodies. Their functional yet incredibly artistic designs take inspired living to an entirely different level.
Antibodies, Fernando and Humberto Campana ( photo by David A. Lee )
But it was the museum’s contemporary collection that delighted us most. As we walked up the stairs past the giant yellow Isermann installation ( see above pic ), so the magic began. Marina Abramovic’sThe Kitchen V, Carrying the Milk, held us spellbound, as we watched the artist as she stood, she the very subject of the Vermeer-esque vignette, holding a bowl of milk, at times struggling to hold her pose.
The Kitchen V, Carrying the Milk by Marina Abramovic
Moving away from the Abramovic video installation, our eyes were caught by what from a side angle looked to be an interesting light sculpture installation, but then I stood in front of it and that’s when something bewitching and delightful happened.. see the video!
Exploded View ( Birds ) by Jim Campbell
Here are a few more of our favorite highlights from the contemporary collection–
Casualty in the Art Realm by Robert ArnesonExploded Crystal Chandelier Headache by Ed RuschaRainbow Picket by Judy ChicagoMr. Forager, contemplating Corona 2003 by Anish Kapoor
Corona 2003 by Anish Kapoor ( above ) with its beautifully disorienting reflective surface and its acoustic properties ( when standing in front of it, as Mr. F is above, someone a few yards behind can hear what is being said into it ), we found it much more interesting than his giant Marilyn Monroe sculpture getting so much attention outside. I’m glad we took the time to escape the masses huddled around her upended skirt to experience something much more satisfying.
Unless otherwise identified, all images are by Artsy Forager. Other image sources are linked above.
You know how sometimes you aren’t immediately blown away by an artist’s work, but then you sit and look at it for a while and realize it’s freakin’ amazing? Yeah, that’s what happened to me with the artist I’m featuring in my Artist Watch on Escape Into Life today, Amanda Stone Talley. Consider my mind completely blown away. See more of Amanda’s work here and decide for yourself!
Mr. Forager has just completed a course on Women’s Studies, in preparation to pursue a Master’s Degree, so we’ve had some interesting discussions around the dinner table of late. There’s been talk of women’s rights, gender equality, etc. It seems as women, we still struggle against the fairy tales we grow up with versus the reality of living as a contemporary female. In her New Realm series, Louisiana artist Amy Guidry weaves a new kind of story, as surreal as any myth yet grounded in modern strength.
Release, acrylic on canvas, 36×48
The heroine of Guidry’s tale embraces her situation. Instead of being helpless and afraid, she is empowered to embrace the opportunity for transformation. Knit throughout the series are symbols of growth and change, such as the butterfly and snail, as well as signs of freedom such as a bird in flight.
Awakening, acrylic on canvas, 48×24Renewal, acrylic on canvas, 48×24
This heroine is not wallowing in her plight or withering away in a cage. She is in control of her own story, her own destiny.
Was It a Dream, acrylic on canvas, 40×30
To see more of Amy Guidry’s work, please visit her website. Be sure to check out the video for the New Realm series here!
So much of our communication these days is in a non-face-to-face fashion. We text, email, Facebook, and Twitter each other, but the subtleties of expression and eye contact is lost, making these a poor substitute for a live chat over coffee. Perhaps too, that may be why we find ourselves drawn to work like that of Polish artist Anna Bocek. We long to see another face gazing back at us.
Summer Wind II, painting, 100×100 cm
Bocek chooses to isolate her subjects against a usually colorful, vibrant background, yet it is the person we focus on. She captures each figure in the midst of movement, their motions as fluid as a dancer’s.
Jetty, painting, 100×100 cmEl Circo III, painting, 100×100 cmSwimming Pool, painting, 100×130 cm
The flesh of her figures is painted with a vibrancy and warmth, making them come alive as if the canvas was taking in breath.
Cafe Rose Series, painting, 100×110 cm
If you enjoyed Anna Bocek’s work, be sure to visit her website to see more!
