nellie king solomon paintings

i am falling into the delicious, foreboding abyss of these dynamic large scale (up to 8′ x 8′!) works by california artist nellie king solomon. it’s an extraordinary swirling, sweeping style which to me is not unlike the beginnings of a tornado. the way the blacks kick out on the surfaces is dramatic but grounding too. nellie, who uses a combination of materials including acrylic, soda ash, coffee, house paint, ink and dye, says she paints things she knows are there but cannot be seen.

see more brilliance at brian gross fine art as well as nellie’s website.

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laura ferrara graphite drawings: miniview

too much noise isn’t good for the soul. sometimes i try to go to my zen place when i am driving by myself, because it’s practically the only time i am by myself. it doesn’t always work, and i certainly can’t go to that deep place of contemplation in my car when the guy behind me is honking and pushing me along. no, those moments, which we should incorporate into our daily routines, are better actualized in other scenarios, like looking at these pensive illustrations from laura ferrara, aka etsy seller emersonbookcase. laura’s graphite sketches, with their soft lines and dreamy, fluid energy, are simultaneously delicate and strong. the non-linear subject matter and unusual combinations of real world objects in her triple series collection contrast so nicely against the washy graph sheets, and there’s just enough amounts of light and shadow on the paper to encourage you to slow it down, stare it down, and allow your mind to come up to the surface for a while. i needed to know more about the author of these visual chronicles, so…

q: where do you live and where do you create your drawings? i am picturing, well, ralph waldo emerson’s study?
a: i live in lovely silver spring, maryland, a suburb of dc. my drawing/painting space is in my bedroom and takes up the whole west wall. it is not nearly as contemplative as emerson’s study or thoreau’s cabin for that matter, but i do spend some of the best moments of my day there.

q: what inspires you to draw and paint?
a: i am inspired by the odd overheard phrase of a conversation i am not a part of, the way an old man walks in the heat, or the glimpse, out of the corner of my eye, while putting away the groceries, of a moth desperately trying to become a part of the porch light. the little things, you know, the exquisite moments when i feel completely awake and notice everything, taking nothing for granted.

q: where did the idea of the triple series come from?
a: the idea of the triple series came one day while sitting at work. i was thinking about the world and its place in the universe. how really impossible it seems that we exist at all, given the hostile conditions off the planet. if you think about it, i mean really think, we are so vulnerable and fragile floating around in space. we really need each other, not just other humans, but the whole unbelievable variety evolution has so generously given us. the trees, the insects, the animals. we all need to be here in order to continue to thrive. so i wanted to illustrate the amazing diversity of living things and our mutual dependence, in a very simple way. the composition of three images seemed the most direct.

see laura’s full collection and contact her at her etsy shop.

thank you laura!

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michelle moode mixed media art

my thoughts today are light, sprinkled and not particularly struggling to be organized (case in point: that last post was supposed to go live yesterday, but somehow i clicked private and it never went), so these mixed media works by california artist michelle moode are a perfect fit. michelle says her work is non-linear and that the repetitive processes she uses — like piece or scrap undoing and redoing, tea staining and stitching — help to create a record of her personal thoughts. very nicely put if i say so myself.

softly colored, abstract and free-formed in the mind — what’s not to like?

say hi to michelle on her blog and purchase her work right here.

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lisaur collage art

looking through the postcard section in resale shops is one of me and my husband’s favorite pastimes. we peep at the penmanship and wonder what state of mind the senders were in when they sent their correspondence, as well as the receivers. that is part of the reason why i am drawn to this small scale mixed media art from etsy seller lisaur, made from recycled postcards and collaged on the written sides.

the rich color combinations only serve as a compliment to the mysterious torn stories told on their papers.

see lisa’s full collection here.

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michelle armas paintings: let’s chat!

the world connects us in mysterious ways. you know how last week i interviewed suzanne shade of the beholder? it was so funny because in her answers she mentions the work of graphic designer michelle armas, who is one of the artists her gallery represents. the funny thing is i had contacted michelle and asked her for an interview before my interview with suzanne was complete. call it six degrees of separation or odd coincidence, but without further ado may i present these engrossing oil on canvas works. when i look at them i think that i could be anyplace at any moment, moving closer and closer to the canvas. there are sweeping curves and jagged peaks and wispy lines and cool splotches of color that are harmonious and flowing and make me wish i was in a gigantic room using my peripheral vision to see all of them at the same time, my eyes greedily scanning the corners and walls so as not to miss one bit of it all. let’s have a chat with michelle and find out more!

q: where do you live, and where do you create your art?
a: i live in a house in atlanta, and my studio is the whole top floor, the master bedroom, but who needs a huge bedroom? i have lots of natural light, that is great for painting, and just a few steps from the kitchen, very important. my intern coco (below) is frequently working with me too.

q: what is your background, and did you study art formally?
a: i have a masters of graphic design in branding. i moved to new york after i graduated and worked in branding and i really didn’t like it. i was way stressed out, so to feel better i started painting, and it kinda grew from there.

q: do you have a favorite medium to use?
a: i love oils so much, so fluid, i even love the smell, it is like there is some serious science going on when i smell that oil. but, i am experimenting with acrylics now too, they dry so much faster, and since i layer so much, i can make a whole painting in a few days, it changes how the end product looks. very cool.

q: do you think your painting style influences your graphic design work, or vice versa?
a: i am so much a graphic designer, i start with a concept or a story first, then explore basic shapes that communicate the idea, however abstract. then when i have a clear voice, i let go and just create. that is how i design too. i can’t just say, oh i want to do some flowers. it will end up looking crappy.

q: what is the price range of your collection?
a: very inexpensive actually. canvases around $400-$600, with prints from $20-$30. but i do have another project that i will reveal soon, that involves textiles.

q: what is your inspiration for these works? do you have a message you want to send through these pieces?
a: my first series was inspired by science. i am a huge science person, i love the idea of cells upon cells working together to create a body, and bodies together, very special to me. also i love history, i read historical books all the time, so i was researching early biologists and their reactions to the discovery of bacteria and single celled animals. how wonderful, i thought, to learn about these things that are all around, and how that would trigger your imagination. i don’t send messages really, i like to just create a fantastical environment, a place to let your brain just go and dream.

q: can we go to see your collection in person anywhere? are you currently exhibiting in any shows or is there anything else meaningful you would like to include here?
a: i am participating in a show at the tinlark gallery in september with some very talented artists via little paper planes. i keep selling paintings, that is good, but that makes it hard to have a permanent exhibition anywhere when i don’t have a very large body of work.

say hi to michelle on her blog, view her graphic design portfolio here and see more work from her in her etsy shop and (of course!) the beholder.

thanks michelle!

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robert berguson illustrations

when i look at these scribbly color pencil graphic illustrations from louisiana artist robert berguson, i am taken away to an odd place where alien life forms are solving complex math problems. either that, or they are sending me a calligraphic invitation to some fabulous martian party. my eyes want to follow the lines to conclude something from all the loose perfection, to complete an equation or rsvp, but nothing computes. either way, it’s more than fine by me.

see more at the cole pratt gallery.

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carmel killin textile design: miniview

i enjoy the work of sydney artist carmel killin, aka etsy seller feedthedog. there is something hopeful and inviting in the appealing limited edition and one-off screenprinted cushion covers and wall hangings she creates. i like her textures and earthy colors and simple art styles, and i like the natural fabric she uses. ever curious to know a little bit more about the brains behind the operation, i asked two quick questions…

q: how did you get into designing?
a: the truth of it is, i’ve been “seeing” and visually “re-imagining” the world around me since the dawn of time, or at least since the age of 12 when my parents (who have no taste whatsoever, god bless ‘em) moved the family to a hideous new brick house in a freshly created suburb with no trees. the unbelievable ugliness of my interior and exterior surroundings at such an impressionable age had me begging my parents for years to follow my fabulously detailed design suggestions. to no avail. at the same time i was writing short stories and had a spurt of published fiction in my 20s. at university i dabbled in photography and film making, which led to many years working in the film industry. i’ve had no formal training as a designer, i have just always been attracted to the visual world and the desire to interpret what i see, give a common object a new visual story. as a devotee of DIY philosophy, i love doing short courses. knitting, sewing, screen prining, felting, welding, dyeing… done it. with a few non-design-related degrees under my belt i fell into tertiary teaching, but after learning the basics of computer design applications started teaching graphic design to university students. i still teach design, though these days it’s all studio-based and hand-crafted projects. which of course i adore.

q: what inspires you?
a: i think my love of story telling informs a lot of my visual work, though not in any obvious way. i’m also really captivated by the wonderful skewed shapes and lines of children’s drawings and their rough, scribbly colouring-in technique. i love odd creatures, plain creatures and silhouetted shapes. old national geographic magazines from the 60s and 70s have fabulous animals with wonderful personalities. a blank piece of highly textured fabric excites me with all the possibilities and challenges it presents. i love shapes and lines in the landscape, shapes and lines in common, plain objects. details, like stitching, shading, trims, buttons, are delicious to me. so too, unexpected combinations of pattern and texture, objects and things. oddness, whimsy, humour are very attractive to me.

well, after reading her answers doesn’t it all makes sense now!? two thumbs up!

if you’re a local, you can frequently find carmel at the paddington market in sydney. if not, see and purchase the available collection at carmel’s etsy shop, and be sure to check out her humorous, well-written blog too!

thank you carmel!

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jolina anthony art and collage

do you need an art fix today? i do, so please enjoy the mixed media collages and paintings from german artist jolina anthony.

hmmm, perhaps i spoke too soon about the bright colors in my prior post, because i am loving those wintry white pieces. i am feeling these heavily textured works; the drips, the rings and their loose, free from worry intention. they’re calm, cool and collected, but with depth; they reveal little bits of time and seem to orate secret stories that float around in our heads when we are (i am?) daydreaming.

find more of jolina’s work right here.

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susan shippey borski paintings

now begins the yearly automatic ritual for me to seek out bright happy colors as we near the depths of winter. please enjoy these contemporary mixed media paintings by bay area artist susan shippey borski. suz strives to capture the ideas of rampant movement and plenty of possibility, and frequently finds inspiration in nature. these expressive works are made with a variety of materials, such as oil, watercolors, golf leaf and acrylic.

i love these loose, abstract compositions that are filled with flashes of light, and the spirited feeling that emanates through them. i feel hydrated and refreshed now after looking at them.

find suz’s extremely reasonably priced paintings (nothing more than $250 right now!) over on here.

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gordon halloran ice paintings

there is magnificence, tragedy and drama in ice, and canadian creative gordon halloran feels so akin to it that he has created his series paintings below zero using it as a medium. gord believes that his heritage gives him a unique insight into and relationship with this extreme natural material. he sees the beauty in it, which tempers its relentless extremes. gordon found his affinity to ice as a child. he would eagerly create hockey rinks in his backyard only to be disappointed when people would begin to skate on them and ruin the glistening smooth surface. years later as an adult, he visualized entire rinks awash with planes color, and a zamboni as an etching tool. that’s when he began creating his abstract public art installations, and a larger sense of purpose for arenas and parks all over canada.

since gord is asked to do installations around the country (and was also invited to represent his country in the 2006 cultural olympiad at turin), he devised a way to use modular aluminum refrigeration plates in assorted combinations to crate, maintain and move the large works, ensuring their integrity. the installations and paintings alike are an enormous, impressive undertaking, and he uses quite a variety of techniques to create them: airbrushing, pebbling, carving, and creating smaller mosaic pieces in freezers that are later added to the final designs.

gord has also created a series of permanent ice paintings which have been carefully captured in a digital format and reproduced in giclee form. these pieces can be as large as 3′ x 6′ and are developed using a special process that showcases the layering of colors in the ice pieces.

i love the grand scale of these works and how inclusive they are to the general public. and i love the vivid colors he chooses to cut through the intense wintry medium too. his dedication is to be applauded for working in conditions that are not necessarily ideal for creating art.

i am so excited to see the 95 foot long wall of ice (his largest installation to date) that gord will be showcasing here in my city - for the first time anywhere in the us! millenium park will play host to all of it when the museum of modern ice comes roaring in on february 1st, where the installation will remain until it melts february 29th.

look here for more info on this fantastic exhibition, and don’t worry - i plan to write an addendum with actual photos from the park to show you even more after it opens!

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mira alibek art

look at the interesting details in this mixed media artwork by russian born, new york based artist mira alibek. abstract patterns, images and symbols, created with markers and silkscreens, all converge into richly layered artworks, built around the ideas of deterioration and reconstruction, convergence and separation.

graphically compelling.

see more images on mira’s website and find select works available at her etsy shop.

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crazy for tord boontje

beautiful, beautiful things from dutch-born, french-based industrial design wonder tord boontje: the die cut, hand loomed little field of flowers rug for nani marquina, and the vinyl wall decal (actually seven individual panels).

$4000 and $7000, respectively. but oh so fabulous.

purchase the rug at design within reach, and the wallcovering at velocity.

via betterlivingthroughdesign

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