Some of my favorite artwork is the work that defies categorization and tells an interesting story. While studying art history in college, I always loved the stories and superstitions related to a piece of work almost as much as the visual pleasure they gave. Needless to say, the art history geek in me adores the figurative work of Claire B. Cotts in all their allegorical, mysterious glory.
Turkish Mother and Child, acrylic, 36×48
Claire’s work is reminiscent of historical portraiture and metaphorical painting so pervasive throughout much of art history. The warm, rich palette enhances the timeless quality of her work.
The Year Spent Waiting, acrylic, 36×48
The paintings are like a glorious mix between historical and folk art but with a modern touch.
Flood, acrylic, 36×48Woman With Quinces, acrylic, 36×82
Make sure you visit Claire B. Cotts’ website to see more of her work, including some equally amazing abstracts! Gotta love a versatile artist!
Featured image is Quinceanera, acrylic, 24×36. All images are via the artist’s website.
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday with family and friends! This was our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. Frenz, as well as our first Christmas living far from family. George and I enjoyed such a lovely quiet Christmas just for two. Though it was just us here in Coeur d’Alene, there was still the same running around, decorating, cooking and planning that goes with this time of year. As I was looking through my inspiration folders, the minute I saw the work of Vincent Giarrano, I knew these would be perfect for the day after Christmas..
Oasis, oil on panel, 20×16 ( via Gallery Henoch )
Isn’t this how we all feel after all the merriment and overeating? Wouldn’t we all just like to curl up and nap all day long? Perhaps some of you will!
City Girl, oil on panel, 24×18 ( via Gallery Henoch )
The textures and colors Giarrano uses convey such a sense of peace and coziness. I just want to curl up here, too!
Midday, oil on panel, 18×14 ( via The Grenning Gallery )Sleeping In, oil on panel, 12×9 ( via The Grenning Gallery )
Here’s to wishing you lots and lots of post-holiday rest and relaxation! To see more of Vincent Giarrono’s work, please visit his website.
Featured image is Unmade Bed, oil, 20×16. Images are via the artist’s representing galleries, Gallery Henoch and the Grenning Gallery.
We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.
Lucretius
Tree Angel by Nicholas Wilton, oil and mixed media on panel, 36×40 ( via Selby Fleetwood Gallery )Sentinel by Steven DaLuz, oil and mixed media on panel, 36×36The Source by Brad Kunkle, oil, gold and silver on linen, 18×26Se Escapo by Maribel Angel, mixed media and acrylic
At this time of year, angels are everywhere. Both in ornamentation and figuratively. Hope you’ll be an angel to someone this holiday!
Be sure to be an artsy angel and check out these artists’ websites:
Can’t believe I almost forgot to let you all know about my post today over at Escape Into Life! Better late than never, I suppose.. Be sure to click on over there and check out today’s feature on artist Mia Brownell. I think you’ll find her work as intriguing as I did!
Still Life with Villin Headpiece, oil on canvas, 56×42
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a bird-mouse..? The work of today’s artist captures the whimsy and fantasy that defines this time of year. French artist Corine Perier creates hybrid creatures that, despite the works’ surrealist quality seem completely real, not to mention irresistibly charming.
Le Trophee de la Chance, oil on wood panel, 46x38cm
Though whimsical in feel, these contemporary portraits remind us of the very real problem of species extinction on our ever changing planet.
Le Petit Prince, oil on wood panel, 27x22cm
Her amalgamated creatures stare out at us with wide, vulnerable eyes. They appear kind and wise, resembling characters from fantastical lands like Narnia and Middle Earth, here to guide witless humans on their journey.
Renaissance, oil on wood panel
But in the eyes of some, there is an additional element.. perhaps fear, perhaps resignation to their fate at the hands of the very humans they wish to help?
Boule de Neige, oil on wood panel, 65x54cmCamouflage, oil on wood panel, 27x22cm
To see more of Corine Perier’s gentle enchanters, please visit her website. A big thank you to Myra Wexler aka YO MOMMA for introducing me to Corine’s work. Be sure to check out Myra’s blog, too. It’s full of awesome sauce.
I LOVE this time of year. It’s a few weeks out of our lives that we take the time to beautify our surroundings, making sure everything sparkles with a holiday glow. We all become artists, creating vignettes of tinsel and holly, making our homes magical for our loved ones, our children, ourselves. A wonderful trend that I’m seeing is holiday decorating that is inspired by what we love to surround ourselves with every day. ( Oh, there’s still room for those homemade childhood ornaments! )
I thought it would be fun to pair some beautifully decorated Christmas trees with a work of art. I’m no stranger to art-inspired tree decorating, take a look at these trees I decorated for the gallery where I was working a few years ago. Just goes to show, any piece of art can inspire your holiday decor. So let’s deck our Artsy halls!
the art:
Frozen Blueberries by Christina Baker, acrylic on canvas, 30×30
the tree:
via SimplifiedBee.blogspot.com via StylebyEmilyHenderson.com
the art:
Sentinel by Steven DaLuz, oil and mixed media on panel, 36×36
the tree:
via House and Home
the art:
Growth by Haley Farthing, pastel and ink on wood, 48×24
the tree:
via Pinterest via Purlbee.com
Hope you’re inspired to think about your art collection when decorating for the holidays. If it’s too late for this year, there’s always 2012.. it will be here before we know it!
Featured image is via SimplifiedBee. All art images are via the artists’ websites.
I have a weakness for objects with a past. Everyday pieces from days gone by hold the untold stories of a person, a family , a home. Toronto artist Holly Farrell’s paintings of vintage objects explore this sense of nostalgia for days gone by, while also having a strong, strikingly melancholy visual impact.
Bowl ( stripe ), acrylic and oil on masonite, 14×18
The self-taught artist isolates her subjects, often with a muted, neutral background, taking a bit out of their normal context, emphasizing their design and calling our attention to their forsaken state.
Couch, acrylic and oil on masonite, 28×18
These are works that are wryly reverent. Remember that hideous sofa in Grandma’s living room? It is now immortalized on canvas, forlornly longing for the days when grandchildren used to bounce and play on it’s floral-covered cushions.
Colorful Fire King mugs, which once warmed young hands and tummies with hot cocoa are now another kind of “mug shot”… snapshot compositions feel like they could be the sales photos for an eBay or Craigslist ad. Going once, going twice.. sold.
Fire King Mugs, acrylic and oil on board, 12 @ 7×8 each
Ken and Barbie dolls, once beloved playtime companions now seem vacant and distant.
Scuba Ken & Barbie, acrylic and oil on board
Though there can be a definite sadness surrounding some of Holly Farrell’s work, it is tempered with charm and joy. Just as our memories should be. To see more of Holly’s work, please visit her website. On her website, not only will you find more deliciously intriguing work, but also a list of galleries in the US and Canada where you can see them live and in person.
Christopher Marlowe wrote about “the face that launched a thousand ships“. Faces, full of expression and personality are often the most difficult subject for an artist to render. I know, I went through three semesters of figure drawing purposefully not showing the model’s face, because as adept as I was at the figure, I just couldn’t get the hang of drawing faces. Perhaps that’s why I am so drawn to the work of artists whose faces are so beautifully rendered and expressive. Today’s round-up includes a few of my current faves:
Buck by Aaron Smith, oil on panel, 28×24Tart by Greg Hart, charcoal, gouache, gesso, collage and acrylic on paper, 22×30Marley Shelton by Keinyo White, oil on canvas, 48×48Matutinal by Nick Lepard, oil on canvas, 54×66
Get in some face time with these extraordinary artists by visiting their websites, linked below.
There seems to be a pervasive thought in the art world that in order for work to be “serious”, it must be dark, introspective, moody. And while I do enjoy some deep cynicism and social commentary as much as the next art lover, there is some work that I love simply for its joyfulness and frivolity. Enter New Orleans artist Ally Burguieres.
Elephant With Blue Banklet, oil and acrylic on canvas, 24×18
Ally’s work is filled with the characteristic joie de vivre of the famous city she calls home. Full of festive color, riotous movement and fanciful motifs, these are paintings that dance and sing.
Bamboo Pond, acrylic on canvas, 60×48
Each work is brimming with energy, like little canvas hummingbirds. Your eye flits from one delight to another. What can I say, they make me smile. And while I love work that makes me think deep thoughts, sometimes, I just want to grin with joy. Any designers or art consultants reading, her work would be fantastic in healthcare settings ( pediatrics, especially! ), restaurants or homes with a whimsical flair. *hint hint*
Fishbowl, oil and acrylic on canvas, 24×18Cats in a Boat, acrylic on canvas 24×18
Did Ally’s work make you smile, too? If it did, mosey on over to her website and have a grand ol’ time. If you’re in NOLA, be sure to stop by her gallery at 736 Royal Street. She’ll also be showing at C’est La Vie, a new French bistro on Magazine Street all through December. AND you’ll be able to see her work in a National Geographic IMAX feature, “Hidden Worlds” coming to an IMAX theater near you in 2012!
Oh and Ally is also having a print sale for the holidays! Her paper prints are BUY TWO GET ONE FREE for the holiday season. You could knock out three gifts, lickety-split!
The world today is so noisy. Between traffic and the techonologies we just can’t live without, we are constantly inundated with white noise. But there are still certain feelings of complete and utter peace that come upon us in the simplest of moments. It is these moments, in which we are free from the world, that artist Eric Zener captures in his paintings.
Cocoon, oil on canvas, 54×66
That feeling of floating ( literally ) and muffled splashes heard underwater.. like being suspended in time. Or doing the Deadman’s Float. One of my favorite ways to relax in the water, even while other folks are splashing around me. It feels like being in a bubble.
How to Disappear Completely, oil on canvas, 48×38
How about that suspended in time sensation during a high leap into the water? There is only you and the sky.. and the person holding your hand, if you’re lucky.
LOVE, oil on canvas, 14×11
Zener’s collection of work also captures the most precious of respites– slumber. Oh sleep! How sweet it is to rest and dream and awake renewed.
Somewhere Else, oil on canvas, 48×38Carriage, oil on canvas, 66×54
Hmmm.. think it might be time for a little nap. Not sure why I’m so sleepy all of a sudden! 😉 While I catch some z’s, why don’t you take a look at Eric Zener’s website? Lots of beautiful work to be found.
Featured image is Not Here, oil on canvas, 56×46. All images are via the artist’s website.
