The work of multi-talented artist, art-director, illustrator, etc. etc., Wayne White spoke directly to my cheeky-art-lovin’ little heart when I first saw it on The Jealous Curator. Witty, thought-provoking messages painted over vintage reproductions? Brilliant. See some of my faves over on Escape Into Life today!
There are some artists whose careers I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. Florida artist Megan Cosby definitely falls into that category. I’ve always loved her figurative work, but when I saw her beginning to move in a more abstract direction, I knew she was really getting into a beautiful groove.
This new series of abstracts, inspired by flowers, is soft, sophisticated and sensual. In these mixed media paintings, I see abstract representations of the emotion of flowers. The happiness they bring, their lingering scent and fleeting beauty.
Flowers, with their delicately temporal nature, are associated with both life and death. An early sign of spring’s renewal, as well as a token of abashed apology.
To see more of Megan’s work, please visit her website.
John Donne wrote “No man is an island“. And of course, no woman is either. We come into the world needing other human beings to survive and very often, we go out the same way. All throughout our lives, we are seeking, finding, nurturing relationships. Madison, WI artist Amanda Blake’s work explores these connections, both the ones we choose and the ones into which we are born.
When we are very young, our parents and siblings supply most of our relational needs, along with the ocassional imaginary friend. As we mature, we begin to seek more and more outside our tiny familial sphere to find friendship among others, some very much like us, others very different. Eventually, most of us begin looking about for a partner, someone to share our lives with.
For some like me, this journey takes longer than we anticipate. But it is during this time that all of those other relationships are nurtured the most. We spend our time bonding with friends over adventures and over shared memories with siblings.
Eventually, we may perhaps find the other half of our pair. Once we do, we’ll take everything that we learned while cultivating those other relationships to care for this one. And the cycle begins again.
To see more of Amanda Blake’s work, please visit her website.
Artist found via The Jealous Curator. All images are via the artist’s website.
I used to deliberately fight against liking the work of Frida Kahlo. You see, in my college painting studio there was an older Bolivian woman who was auditing the course and she LOVED Kahlo and seemed to fancy herself as the next Frida. Which wouldn’t have been a big deal except that she was mega annoying about it. She bugged the bejeezus out of everyone in the studio. So she tainted Frida for me. It wasn’t until years later that I rediscovered her work and came to develop my own artist crush on Frida. Today would have been her 105th birthday. So in honor of Frida Kahlo de Rivera, here are a few artists who also found her inspirational!
Emma Gale | Judy Kaufmann | Tara Jacoby | Fabian Ciraolo | Clair Hartmann
Happy birthday, Frida!
All images are via the artist’s websites, linked above. Be sure to check out each artist’s website for more examples of their work!
I have an inherent weakness for artwork that combines nature inspired imagery in a completely abstracted way. ( See the work of Susan Morosky, Deb Haugen, Brenda Hope Zappitell and countless others! ) The work of Austin artist Meredith Pardue captured me with saturated color and expressive yet achingly familiar shapes.
In the same way that nature lovers commune with the outdoors, Pardue converses with her canvases. Her paintings are intuitively expressive, filled with bright color dotting expanses of negative space not unlike the way rocks are scattered in lakes and rivers.
Her Bloom series reminds me so much of the peppering of wildflowers all over the mountainsides during our Northwest summers.
To see more of Meredith Pardue’s work, please visit her website. Be sure to check out some of her other series of work– amazing stuff!
Featured image is Bloom XXV, ink, oil and oil crayon on canvas, 88×60. All images are via the artist’s website.
I am a firm believer is finding the beauty in life’s simple pleasures. And don’t you find life more inspiring when you are able to delight in the things around you? I love the way Boston artist Marian Dioguardi‘s paintings celebrate ordinary treasures.
I am a nester. I like to be surrounded by lovely things, things that carry meaning for me, objects that are not only functional but inspire me– whether through their color, design or the memories they hold. Our current lifestyle means that we travel relatively light. Most of my favorite things are in storage in Florida. But there are pieces we travel with that make each place feel like home– my turquoise tea kettle, used every day to boil water for coffee, a framed photo from our wedding day, a small painting I did for George of Mt. Rainier.
Whenever we reach a new place, it begins to feel like home once I hang the pictures, place the tea kettle on the stove. Their presence is comforting, reassuring.. they are constants in a life that is ever changing.
One day, we’ll dig our feet in and put down roots. And all my every day treasures will come home with me, filling a new home with the love and beauty and memories they carry. There will also be new treasures, ones that George & I will find together through our travels and one day, they’ll remind us of what an amazing life it has been.
To see more of Marian Dioguardi’s work, please visit her website. What about you? Do you have any cherished every day treasures?
Featured image is Sitting Pretty in Turquoise, oil on cradled panel, 36×24. All images are via the artist’s website.
As with many right-brained folks, math is not my strong suit. But one thing I loved about taking geometry was the analysis of shape and how each is formed using different angles. It seems that many creatives are finding geometrics inspiring these days. Check out my artsy geometric finds for this week!
Filzfelt via Apartment Therapy | Marco Cibola | No Milk Today | Lindsey Lang | Lisa Call
Happy weekend, Artsies! Will you be doing some artsy geometric foraging of your own this weekend? 😉
PS– You may have noticed that I’ve switched up the Friday’s title from Friday Faves to Friday Finds. I’ll be using the Friday round-up to not only explore what’s trending in the art world, but to also share my inspiring finds throughout the world of design!
Featured image is Hare by Marco Cibola ( detail ). All images are via the artists’/designers’ websites, linked above.
It’s no secret that street art has exploded in popularity recently, gaining momentum and long deserved recognition. We’re living in a world in which people are constantly looking for sources of inspiration and stimulation, which street art often provides in the most surprising places. Vermont artist Galen Cheney’s work melds together the painterliness of Abstract Expressionism with elements of street tags to create work that invites us into a conversation about how strivers and outsiders express their creative voice.
Just as the AE’s are often remembered for their intensity and rebelliousness ( think of AE poster boy Jackson Pollock ), so are street artists of yesterday and today. Though street art is being increasingly recognized and accepted, it’s beginnings as graffiti were often considered ugly vandalism, more likely to be white-washed or painted over rather than celebrated.
Cheney’s inclusion of graffiti-like elements against an expressionist background speaks to the evolution of both movements. Just as Abstract Expressionism was a polarizing movement ( and still is, to a degree ), so is contemporary street art. And just as AE artists gained more and more notoriety, so too, are street artists. What once was seen as rebellious and highly individualistic eventually became lauded as a major movement and an important part of the art historical canon.
Is this where “street art” is headed? What will be the new means of outsider expression?
To see more of Galen Cheney’s work, please visit her website.
Featured image is Catalyst, graphite, acrylic and oil on rag paper, 38×50. All images are via the artist’s website.
I don’t always read Artist Statements but sometimes one just describes the artist’s work and vision so perfectly that I don’t feel like there is any way my words can improve upon it. Such is the case of New York artist Stanford Kay. His artist statement was so completely lovely, I’d like to let him speak for his own work.
“At first, there is paint and desire. Paint is applied, removed, and applied again. It makes suggestions. It is edited without mercy. The image and the need to signify arrive later. Books as images within these paintings offer formal modernist possibilities while also serving as an embodiment of content.”
To see more of Stanford Kay’s work, please visit his website. Doesn’t his work make you want to cozy up in a library and read all day?
Featured image is What I Know About Her ( detail ). All images are via the artist’s website.
When I was a little girl, I spent many nights at my grandparent’s house. Before bed, my brother & I would curl up with my Mimi while she read to us from a book of fairytales. The fanciful and fantastic stories fed and fueled my imagination. Seattle artist Brian McGuffey’s work reminds me of the imaginary worlds I would dream of when I drifted off to sleep, my grandmother’s voice still in my ears.
A world in which a horse’s head could talk, princesses danced all night in a secret castle and magic beans lead to adventure and riches.
McGuffey’s use of muted palettes and layered textures give his work a wonderful, dreamlike atmosphere. And of course, where else but in our dreams do deer wear dresses and mountain goats sport top hats?
To see more of Brian McGuffey’s work, please visit his website. Hope your week is filled with fairytales of the best kind!
Featured image is Pleased To Meet You. All images are via the artist’s website.