artsy forager

Tag: still life

  • Making Seen the Unseen: Bannon Fu

    Making Seen the Unseen: Bannon Fu

    The wind is howling outside. That’s the thing about desert storms. Not much in terms of rain, but holy cow the wind is enough to peel the paint off your house. Truly, I think that’s what happens to many of the little houses here in Joshua Tree! So as I was deciding on my artist for today, I came across the work of Chinese American artist Bannon Fu. Meant to be.

    Fu_Skirts Dancing in the Wind
    Skirts Dancing in the Wind
    Two Ruffled Skirts in Wind by Bannon Fu
    Two Ruffled Skirts in the Wind

    Bannon Fu, deaf from the age of one year, chooses to paint the wind. So how do you paint what is not seen, but only experienced? By painting the effect of that force on the objects it touches.

    Clothes Dancing in the Wind #8 by Bannon Fu
    Clothes Dancing in the Wind #8
    Dancing Clothes in Wind #9 by Bannon Fu
    Dancing Clothes in Wind #9

    For Fu, the beauty of the swelling and swaying of fabric in a breeze is a profound and moving sight. Wind carries with it energy, whether with the destructive force of a hurricane or the soft whisper of an summer breeze. We know its presence not because we see it, but because we feel its energy.

    Sunlight on Clothes by Bannon Fu
    Sunlight on Clothes

    The artist is helping us to see what is unseen, we see what the motion of the fabric and know the force behind it. Mysterious yet obvious.

    To see more of Bannon Fu’s work, please visit his Bannon Fu website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Eternal Spring: Temre Stanchfield

    Eternal Spring: Temre Stanchfield

    It’s March. This time last year, we were in Northern Idaho and I’m pretty sure we were still wearing heavy sweaters and boots. But spring has officially sprung here in the desert! Although the emerging season definitely looks different here. The paintings of Temre Stanchfield remind me that somewhere there is a spring filled with soft petals, not cactus blooms.

    Starlight by Temre Stanchfield
    Starlight, oil on canvas, 36×36
    Truffle by Temre Stanchfield
    Truffle, oil on canvas, 30×36

    The artist’s floral groupings have a delicate strength, much like the plants themselves. Only slightly reminiscent of traditional floral still lifes, these bouquets seem much more fresh and alive.

    Chortle by Temre Stanchfield
    Chortle, oil on canvas, 24×24
    Twinkle by Temre Stanchfield
    Twinkle, oil on canvas, 36×36

    As seeds float away from petals, we are reminded that the blooms we cherish so much are just one part of the life cycle of the plant. That the more quiet, dormant periods of a life are essential to the blossoming.

    Merry Dew by Temre Stanchfield
    Merry Dew, oil on canvas, 36×36

    To see more of Temre Stanchfield’s work, please visit her Temre Stanchfield website.

    All images are via the artist’s Temre Stanchfield website.

  • Intimate Weavings: Michelle Forsyth

    Intimate Weavings: Michelle Forsyth

    Sometimes there is nothing more inviting than curling up in one of Mr. Forager’s shirts.  He has his favorites and most of the time, the others hang in the closet, just calling out for me to put them on!  They’re so roomy and comfy and wearing them physically connects us.  Pullman, Washington artist Michelle Forsyth has created an entire series centered around the plaid patterns her own husband’s shirts, lovingly titled Letters for Kevin.

    Kevin's Shirt: Seven Diamonds by Michelle Forsyth
    Kevin’s Shirt: Seven Diamonds, gouache on paper, 10×10

    The series consists of paintings of the initial plaid patterns, the weaving of the actual material in her Pullman studio, and often the eventual painting of the finished textile crumpled against a stark background.  I’ve often made mention of the importance and influence of the materials we clothe ourselves in.  And, as evidenced in Forsyth’s series, the tale being woven by our choices isn’t one just for our own ears, but a story we are telling to others, as well.

    Kevin's Shirt: Vintage by Michelle Forsyth
    Kevin’s Shirt: Vintage, gouache on paper, 10×10
    Michelle Forsyth Studio
    Studio in Pullman, WA
    Kevin's Shirt Vintage ( woven ) by Michelle Forsyth
    Kevin’s Shirt: Vintage ( woven ), wool, alpaca and cotton, 18x 40

    These plaid patterns, with their beginnings in Scottish highlands, were also once the domain of preppy yuppies in the 80s and grunge fashion in the 90s.  So with such a diverse background, what can we infer from these plaids?  Perhaps, due to the grid-like repeating pattern that the person who wears them is stable and the rock for all who know him.  Or maybe the intersecting lines tell us he enjoys connecting with others and for others.  The artist, in the variety of patterns, may be telling us how many very different sides she sees to the person with whom she has chosen to spend her life.

    Small Plaids by Michelle Forsyth
    Small Plaids, all watercolor on paper, 5×5 each

    All of my inferences may be true or they may just be what I’m construing on my own.  But this series is obviously a labor of love.  Take it from another wife of a plaid-wearing husband.  To see more of Michelle Forsyth’s work, please visit her website.

    All images are via the artist’s website.  Artist found via Two Coats of Paint.

     

  • Finding the Pearl: Carlos Lopez

    Finding the Pearl: Carlos Lopez

    You know the old wives’ tale: oysters are an aphrodisiac.  How many single guys have taken a gal out for beer & oysters hoping to make a lil magic happen?  If it’s sensual magic you’re hunting, look no further than the work of New Orleans artist Carlos Lopez.  His elegant, nearly surreal still lifes of oysters will make your mouth water and pulse quicken before you ever bite into the real thing.

    Gluttony by Carlos Lopez
    Gluttony, oil on canvas, 10×10
    Champagne with Gigi by Carlos Lopez
    Champagne with Gigi, oil on canvas, 20×20

    For a New Orleans native, oysters, so abundant in the area seem a natural still life subject, yet there is nothing prosaic about Lopez’s treatment of the common bivalve.  These works carry the sensuality of Georgia O’Keeffe, the smooth surrealism of Dali, yet glow with the light and crispness of classical still lifes.

    Passionate Affair by Carlos Lopez
    Passionate Affair, oil on canvas, 50×40

    These mollusks seem to take on a life of their own, the work is so full of emotional charge, we can feel the sadness, the joy, the hope or shame the oyster seems to be feeling.  Or perhaps we are seeing our own reflection in the pearly surface of its shell.

    Make a Wish by Carlos Lopez
    Make a Wish, oil on canvas, 16×16
    Heavenly by Carlos Lopez
    Heavenly, oil on canvas, 20×20

    To see more of Carlos Lopez’s work, please visit the website of his representing gallery, Gallery Orange in New Orleans.

    All images via Gallery Orange.

     

  • Consumptive Histories: Norah See

    Consumptive Histories: Norah See

    You can take the Art History major out of college, but you can’t take the Art History major out of the girl.  Yep, I still completely geek out on anything art historical, especially when it’s done in a dynamic way.  Enter Norah See, a New Orleans artist whose Reboot series elegantly repositions famous works of art as tiny trinkets, giving us a lesson in our history of consumption.

    The Loss of Man, oil on canvas, 18×24

    In her take on Rene Magritte’s Son of Man, Magritte’s infamous face obscuring green apple is replaced with the Apple computer logo, showing us a link between the advance of technology and the loss of human interaction, as well as a loss of our connection to our own selves outside of our technologically driven lives.

    Portrait of Madame Y, oil on canvas, 18×24

    Her Portrait of Madame Y reworks John Singer Sargent’s famous portrait into a modernized version of what a 19th century trophy wife might look like– fake tan, breast implants and all.

    The Cliff, oil, ink, gold leaf and enamel on canvas, 18×24
    Green Wall, oil on canvas, 18×24

    To see more of Nora See’s work, please visit her website.  If you’re in New Orleans, her Reboot series can be seen at her representing NOLA gallery, Gallery Orange.

    All images are via Nora See’s website.

  • Silent Visages: Courtney J. Garrett

    Silent Visages: Courtney J. Garrett

    There is something in the eyes of an animal that connects with us.  Their faces full of trust, loyalty and hopefulness can bring us peace in the midst of so many storms.  In her Equine & Herd series, Atlanta artist Courtney J. Garrett captures the tranquility of domestic animals, showing us the gentle spirit behind the bucolic.

    The Little Foxes Turned and the Fields Stopped Bleeding No. 14, mixed media oil on birch wood with resin, 48×48
    The Awakening, mixed media oil on birch wood with resin, 48×48

    What is it about the presence of another species that seems to make life more bearable?  While we were living in Northern Idaho, a simple walk up to our mailbox, passing by the horse corral was enough to lift my spirits, as the horses trotted over to investigate.  Or even spotting a small bird flitting around city streets will instantly calm me.

    The Little Foxes Turned and the Fields Stopped Bleeding No. 12, mixed media oil on birch wood with resin, 36×36

    Perhaps we are envious of the simplicity of an animal’s life?  How they are provided for, whether by their human guardians or by the natural world surrounding them.  They’ve no need to fret over the presidential election, car payments, or forgetting to call on Mother’s Day.  They are happy merely to exist.

    Free, mixed media oil on birch wood with resin, 60×60
    Reconciliation No. 5, mixed media oil on birch wood with resin, 24×24

    To see more of Courtney J. Garret’s work, please visit her website.

    Artist found via Exhibit by Abersons, her representing gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    All images are via the artist’s website.

  • The Glory of Everyday Things: Marian Dioguardi

    The Glory of Everyday Things: Marian Dioguardi

    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.

    Sitting Pretty in Turquoise, oil on cradled panel, 36×24

    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.

    My Little Cupcake, oil on cradled panel, 24×36

    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.

    Inner Glow- Citrine, oil on cradled panel, 30×30

    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.

    Simplicity Itself, oil on cradled panel, 4 panels at 5×5 each

    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.

  • Botanic Modern: Jennifer Bain

    Botanic Modern: Jennifer Bain

    One of the things I love about my husband is how excited he gets about wildflowers.  He is the manliest of men, but when spring arrives, he begins the hunt for perfumed beauties.  Our camera card gets filled with glorious specimens to remember and identify.  We joyfully observe butterflies and bees making their rounds, testing each bud.  Artist Jennifer Bain shares our fascination with the beauty that awaits just outside our windows.

    Regeneration, mixed media on panel, 24×24

    Like yesterday’s artist, Charlene Liu, Bain takes the traditional floral still life and reinvents it.  Each work may contain a few realistic portrayals of birds or flowers, but it is the juxtaposition of more contemporary, silhouetted elements and textile-like patterns that give these pieces post-modern punch.

    Uphill Climb, mixed media on panel, 12×12

    The simple linear shapes give the work a fleeting, unfinished quality which creates a beautifully dynamic tension between those and the more detailed elements.

    Seekers, mixed media on panel, 36×48

    Butterflies and birds flit across each piece, seeming to be drunk on loveliness.  Like the butterflies, I too, would love to dance among these beauties.

    Pretty Bird, mixed media on panel, 36×48
    Swallowtail, mixed media on panel, 18×24

    To see more of Jennifer Bain’s work, please visit her website.  Oh and Jennifer is another artist represented by Skidmore Contemporary.  I told you they had great taste!

    PS– Didn’t realize when scheduling these posts that I featured two floral artists within two days.  I’m interested to hear your takes on both!

    Featured image is Seekers, mixed media on panel, 48×36.  All images are via the Skidmore Contemporary website.

  • Abandoned Memories: Erin Payne

    Abandoned Memories: Erin Payne

    I can sort of relate to Linus van Pelt, of Peanuts fame.  I have a favorite blanket, too.  It was never a security blanket of the type that is carried around and a meltdown ensues when it is forgotten, lost or laundered.  But rather, I have a blanket ( quilt, actually ) given to me by my grandmother that is a repository of memories and is one of my prized possessions.  I imagine Los Angeles artist Erin Payne understands emotional connections to a cherished textile.

    Ice Pile, oil on canvas, 72×72

    In her Piles series, Payne sets up still lifes constructed of heaps of blankets, sheets, tablecloths and other household fabrics set against landscaped dioramic backgrounds, forever memorializing these stacks on canvas.  Just as I find comfort in the warmth of my grandmother’s quilt, both physically and emotionally, so do many once ordinary items become cherished vessels of remembrance.

    Spire, oil on canvas, 30×30

    But what happens when the person most connected to those memories is gone?  The beloved item may be forgotten, thrown out or given away, becoming a hollow receptacle, now ready to be imprinted upon by a new owner.

    Aspens With Wet Pile, oil on wood panel, 36×36

    Will their new keeper appreciate the past life of an object that may be a bit worn?  Will they even give thought to whose history this article has been a part of?

    Dune, oil on canvas, 24×24
    See You Later, oil on canvas, 24×24

    I hope my grandmother’s blanket will be with me, reminding me of sniffles comforted and snuggles under a reading lamp.  But even if it somehow finds its way out of my grasp, I hope the love that it carries radiates from its worn threads.  To see more of Erin Payne’s work, please visit her website.

    Featured image is Pile 4, acrylic on canvas, 24×24.  All images are via the artist’s website.

  • Divine Delights: Olga Antonova

    Divine Delights: Olga Antonova

    I’m a firm believer that anything you eat will taste better served on pretty china or a lovingly decorated table.  The work of Russian born artist Olga Antonova celebrates these every day objects, elevating them using her technical prowess tinged with a hint of charm and whimsy.

    Stacked Cups With Yellow Top, oil on canvas, 22×24 ( via Selby Fleetwood Gallery )

    The delicate porcelain vessels are stacked, one on top of each other, creating dainty monuments of indulgence.  Tea or coffee sipped from colorful china induces us to have a seat, slow down, have a leisurely chat.  Antonova’s work does the same, creating a calm sense of elegant consumption.

    Red and Blue Teacups, oil on canvas, 16×16 ( via Gallery Henoch )

    Her depictions of the smooth, shiny surfaces and colorful patterns make me want to fall down a rabbit hole and crash a tea party hosted by a bunny with a crazy chapeau.

    Composition With Dragon Pot, oil on canvas, 20×20 ( via Gallery Henoch )
    Composition With Pink Cup, oil on canvas, 28×26 ( via Gallery Henoch )

    To see more of Olga Antonova’s work, please visit her website or the websites of her representing galleries or check them out in person, if you can at — Gallery Henoch in New York, Selby Fleetwood Gallery in Santa Fe, Beth Urdang Gallery in Boston, Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples and Rice Polak Gallery in Provincetown, MA.

    Featured image is Composition With Cups, oil on canvas, 30×15.