If you were paying close attention to Don’t Miss Artsiness a few weeks ago, you may have spotted this artist’s work. The mind-bending work of Joe Wardwell mixes classical American landscape paintings with rock lyrics and the result is just as phenomenal as you think it would be.
Music lyrics become such a huge part of our psyche. These little soundbites pop into our head, often when we least expect it. We can sing along with tens of thousands of other people at a concert, every voice lifted up in harmony. We know the music we love as well as we know our own backyards. Wardwell makes a connection between the American love of the landscape to the permeation of pop culture, creating these mirror-like stenciled scenes that remind us that music, as well as art, is just another kind of exploration.
Happy Independence Day! I hope you don’t mind if I get a little deep on you today. The work of Robert Mars explores the idealization and fascination we as a nation have developed with pop culture, brands, and celebrity and it got me thinking this week.
I had originally written a long rant-y post about american consumerism, but decided this morning that it just didn’t fit the positive and light-hearted vibe I try to keep up around this joint. So I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. 😉 Hope you have an incredibly artsy Independence Day!
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.
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.
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.
Post WWII prosperity ushered in a turning point in the world of advertising and manufactured goods– packaging and design were no longer concerned mainly with function, even the most mundane of objects were created with an appealing aesthetic. This month’s Featured Artist Holly Farrell celebrates the beauty in these old objects, breathing new and fresh life into designs of the past.
With a bright and light modern palette, accentuated with touches of muted color. Pops of graphic, retro pattern along with sleek metals recall the dawn of the industrial age, with those colors and a few carefully placed wood tones keeping the view warm and fun. I can’t decide which of these looks I like best! Which is your fave?
To see more of Holly Farrell’s work, please visit her website. The above painting, Soap, is a 10×24 acrylic and oil on masonite, available through Holly’s studio.
Perhaps this is sacriledgious type talk, but I’ve never been a fan of the Wizard of Oz. I just never really connected with it. But I do love me some Judy Garland. Meet Me in St. Louis? Easter Parade? I’ll take those over flying monkeys any day! When it came time to think about an iconic Garland role to do a color study of for the Feminine Wiles series, A Star is Born‘s Vicki Lester seemed the quintessential choice.
In Lester’s rise to fame and the effects of her success on her marriage, we see a story of drive, devotion, self-sacrifice, and desolation. A sweeping melodrama filled with mountainous highs and the deepest of lows, it made sense for costume designers Jean Louis and Mary Ann Nyberg to dress Garland’s Vicki in moody lavenders, blues, and greys.
Judy Garland as Vicki Lester in A Star is Born, acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
If you’d like to see more in the Feminine Wiles series, check out the archives! Gathering up inspiration for some more to come! Do you have a favorite you’d like to see me tackle? Let me know in the comments below!
All film image sources linked above. Art by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.
I’ve written before about my admiration for artists using modern quilt making as their medium. I love the way these artists are taking an old folk tradition and making it fresh. But there is something altogether different about what Seattle artist Joey Veltkamp is doing with his contemporary art quilts.
The quilts, part of an exhibition titled It’s Not a Protest. It’s a Celebration! showing at ArtsWest Playhouse & Gallery in Seattle through June 7th, are part play, part politic and all truth tinged with humor. Veltkamp is known for his comforting subject matter– imagery of beer and blankets ( two of Mr. F’s favorite things! ) and now taking it a step further by creating his own art quilts and flags.
There is nothing so comforting as being wrapped in a quilt handmade with love– it’s almost like being shrouded in love. Many of Veltkamp’s quilts carry messages of tolerance and acceptance, a gentle way of saying to the world that we are all the same, all long for the same thing– to be bundled up in love.
To see more of Joey Veltkamp‘s work, please visit his website. If you’re in Seattle, be sure to check out his show at ArtsWest!
You know what made for a perfect Sunday afternoon for a young Artsy Forager? A few lazy, rainy hours and Pillow Talk on my parents’ bedroom TV. If I was ever tempted to trade my brunette locks for blonde, Doris Day could make me do it. As an awkward preteen growing up in the 80s, I was always drawn to Day’s down to earth flirtiness. So when I began the Feminine Wiles series, I knew without a doubt that Doris Day would make my list of inspirations.
The first of three movie pairings of the quintessential romantic comedy duo of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Pillow Talk not only launched their iconic partnership, it also drew box office and critical acclaim. In the movie, Day plays Jan Morrow, an independent Manhattan interior decorator who finds herself sharing a party line with Hudson’s composer playboy Brad Allen.
Like many films of the era, Pillow Talk is painted in the pastel frosted palette of the late 1950s. Perhaps owing to Day’s trademark blonde locks, noted designer Jean Louis and the film’s costume designer Bill Thomas often dress Day’s Morrow in buttery yellows and creamy ivories.
Even in the set design, she is often surrounded by lemony hues. Maybe a nod to the innocence of this unattainable “golden girl” or the hidden warmth buried beneath the icy ( at least to Hudson’s Allen ) exterior.
Doris Day as Jan Morrow in Pillow Talk, acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
Day’s natural sunniness and the joie de vivre of this classic romantic comedy made a creamy yellow color study a natural choice for this piece. Although Pillow Talk doesn’t necessarily hold up well in terms of gender equity, its brightness outshines its dated conventions.
Want to see more in my Feminine Wiles series? Check the archives! I’m beginning to brainstorm how to display and where to show these pieces. Think I have some fun ideas! If you’re a boutique or gallery owner or know someone who might be interested in partnering, give me a shout!
Film image sources linked above, painting by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.
OK, Artsies, please don’t judge me, remember I was a young, impressionable girl growing up in the South.. but I was obsessed with Gone With the Wind as a youngster. Don’t recall how old I was when I first saw the movie, but I’ve already confessed my early love for glamour and gorgeous design. Then as a pre-teen, I read the novel, my first “adult” book, and the full-blown obsession began. The movie always drew me back in and as an adult, I grew more critical and analytical of the characters and design. The fifth painting in my Feminine Wiles series, is a color study of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, prominently featuring her signature color.
The character’s costumes, designed by Walter Plunkett feature a heavy dose of emerald and jade hues. The green is an obvious nod to Scarlett’s Irish heritage and her notable green eyes. But perhaps the color was used to make a few more subtle clues into Scarlett’s personality..
Earthy yet regal, in green, we see Scarlett as the renown beauty and notorious flirt, but also the pillar of strength and a cut-throat businesswoman. She uses whatever and whoever may be at her disposal to get what she needs. A character that’s often difficult to love.
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind by Lesley Frenz
acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
Did you have any movies or characters you were obsessed with when young? I still can’t resist watching a bit of GWTW whenever I catch it on. Want to see more of the work in my Feminine Wiles series? Check out the archives here. This is the last piece I currently have finished.. guess someone needs to do some painting this weekend!
Film image sources listed above, paintings by Lesley Frenz aka Artsy Forager.
Another week, another painting in my Feminine Wiles series to share with you! Feminine Wiles is a series of small abstract color studies based on iconic female film characters. My introduction to many of these films and characters came through my mom, with whom I share a love of sappy love stories, witty characters, and gorgeous design. One of her favorite character turns ( and mine!! ) is Barbara Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
I’ve always loved the palette of this film– filled with warm earthy browns and oranges, highlighted with delicate pinks and passionate reds– but when thinking about this project, I was struck by the reoccurring use of lavender hues on and around Fanny. Of course, this could have something to do with how the cool hues so beautifully compliment Streisand’s creamy complexion! But I like to think that costume designer Irene Sharaff and the production team were delicately clueing the audience in to the fact that the character of this young girl from Henry Street was destined for greatness.
Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl by Lesley Frenz
acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
Purples hues are often associated with royalty, riches and power. So it isn’t surprising that Fanny would often assume a lavender glow. She was a star, but unlike Jo Stockton, one of her own making. She was confident in her talent and passionate in her pursuit of fame and stardom, even at personal loss.
In the end, despite setbacks and heartache, Fanny perseveres and shows that the strong will always survive. I’ve always thought there were great lessons to be learnt from Funny Girl— of tenacity, talent, love, humility and perseverance. Oh and let’s not forget that unbelievably beautiful voice!
To see more from the Feminine Wiles series, check out the archives here. Next week, a polarizing character and one of the most iconic! Hint: drapery.
Film image sources linked above, art images by Lesley Frenz.
I admit, I’m a big fan of the candy color confections of the film variety that came out of the 1950s and 60s. The costumes! The dancing! I love it all. One of my favorites of these sweet treats is Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.
For the third painting in my Feminine Wilesseries, I wanted to capture the glamour and struggle of Jo’s transformation in Funny Face. Intellectual and bookish Jo finds herself thrown into the world of modeling and couture fashion, finding herself struggling with reconciling her newfound feminine allure and her high minded beliefs. I love that the character doesn’t allow her physical transformation to change her ideals.
In the scenes in which she wears this blue satin cape, the character is distressed over what she sees as insurmountable differences of mind between herself and the man she’s falling for, photographer Dick Avery played by Astaire. The color is such an intense, moody blue, with hints of grey and lavender, I’ve always felt like it captured the conflict inside her character beautifully.
Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton, Funny Face, The Blue Cape by Lesley Frenz
acrylic on canvas panel, 6×6
What do you think of this one, Artsies? I wish my camera could do these little paintings justice. Any sources/tips for photographing paintings using a point & shoot digital camera? Would love a DSLR but don’t see it in the budget any time soon! If you have tips to share, please let me know in the comments!
You can find more of the Feminine Wiles series here. I’ll have a new one for you next week, one of my favorite all time characters!
Film images linked above. Paintings by Lesley Frenz.
