Art, Art Review, Photography, Media, and Video from D.B. Williams.
Artist: Faune Yerby
Website: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39276271&ref=sc_25
Commentary:
Black and White hand colored photos of New York city architecture and icons collaged on canvas. The images are easily recognizable as being from New York. The monotone nature of the coloring adds to the affect of faded age, vintage glory and unified cohesion.
Artist: Micheal Banks
Website: http://www.mikesarttruck.com/banks.html
Commentary: I discovered Micheal Banks while visiting “the krumpleton” a local dive bar in Chapel Hill, N.C. The walls are covered in numerous works by Banks. The pub master told me that he was personal friends with Micheal Banks and that the pictures were on display for the benefit of Mr. Banks. I being under the impression of a good scotch, enjoying a night out, dutifully walked around the large bar inspecting all of the works.
Micheal Banks works are composed of tar, plywood, and oil. His work is unique in that few artist have found a way to work with tar in such a new and dynamic method. Micheal applies tar to wood and while it is still wet, he carves his subject matter, humans, flowers and animals. Once the initial tar layer has dried, Micheal reworks the paintings with lustrous color applications.
Micheal Banks redefined the possibilities of oil painting.
Artist: Sophie Blackall
Website:
www.sophieblackall.com
www.sophieblackall.blogspot.com
http://missedconnectionsny.blogspot.com/
Commentary:
Sophie Blackall is an illustrator living and working in Brooklyn, New York. She is an accomplished and well known artist and illustrator. I have chosen to highlight her, namely because it is rare for such an accomplished artist to post original paintings for sale on etsy. Her works often include figures as the subject matter engaged in daily routines. Often figures are conversing or interacting in some routine expected way with one another. The subjects are drawn in an expressive yet figurative artistic manner. The figures are characterized in order to highlight aspects that the painter deems as important, such as seemingly excessive flowing hair.
Her color palate is often flat and muted, with tone build through rounded shading. Her works do not use texture and are 2D in pictorial design. This gives each work a look similar to that evoked by the clay animation of Tim Burton in works such as “A Nightmare before Christmas.” This effect is most likely due to Sophie’s illustrator background. It allows for the focus of the viewer to remain on the subjects face and actions rather than for the focus to spread across the viewing plane. Thus each work draws the viewer in without overwhelming their senses in needless detail or aesthetic disharmony.
Artist: Donna Gotlib
Websites:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DGotlib
http://brainzapart.blogspot.com
Commentary:
Donna Gotlib’s work available through her etsy shop is reminiscent of raindrop dissections, cellular biology and musical scores. Her works are vibrant, busy and expounding with motion. Colorful spheres and geometric shapes cut across, emerge from and dissect the canvas. The subjects of her works are the interaction of these shapes. One is reminded of the anatomy of insects presented inches from the eye or the conglomeration of disparate flowers joined together through distant fields. Her works are composed using artist paper, paint pens, acrylic and gouche. Red, yellow and purple are the primary color choices with color delineated by black line outlines, which are often surrounded by white negative space. Her works are abstract, yet approachable, and unintimidating.
Artist: Nick Gentry
Website: http://www.nickgentry.co.uk/
Commentary:
Nick Genry’s work is simply put a modern breakthrough. His painting style is choppy and unsubtle in the works presented thus far. This is not to say however, that they are inglorious. Instead, his style mirrors the dissonance associated with discarded computer memorabilia. Busts and facial portraitures erupt from a facade of discarded VHS tapes and computer floppy discs. These found objects are placed into unique positions throughout the works and the color and form of the works highlights the specific orientation of the included objects. In one piece a VHS tape is subdued behind the eye’s of the portrait. Nick Gentry uses the plastic turn knobs on the VHS tape as the subjects eyeballs. In other works, floppy disc compose the background. They have been made neutral through an application of white paint and the subject has been painted on top of them as if the discs where once the property of the subject or more earily as if the disc contain a historical record of the subject. Yellow/Blue are the primary colors used, augmented by heavy layers of black and white. A sober Picasso meets the computer age.
Sculpture while once the step child of my art endeavors has slowly become a normal part of my nightly artist repertoire. I had a desire to carve stone two years ago after seeing some of Robert Mihaly’s classical themed marble sculptures. I have yet to try my hand at a traditional sculpting style, however, through trial and error, I have come to develop a style unique to me. Often colorful, extremely tactile, and medium in scale my sculptural works display a common theme of harmony with their environment. They are born from the origins of French “trash art” where by found object are incorporated into the works or make up a major component of the works. Why buy materials, when Mother Nature, time and a bit of scouring fields can produce any number of useful artistic objects.
The piece above came from a number of joined sources. The central trunk of the sculpture is a green pine timber which was left over construction refuse from a rails to trails greenway. I freehand routed spaces to form a zebra like composition and filled in the holes with acid stained cement. The base of the sculpture is comprised of a carved cement base. The top of the sculpture is hand carved limestone which is pitted with tiny pockets of quartz. I ruined a few carving tools working on this piece. The stone was found while taking a vacation in the mountains of North Carolina in Boone. The supporting rocks on the piece were collected across the U.S. by my wife – Lindsey. I decided to utilize them as stability rocks without her knowledge, and after much pleading, she eventually agreed to let me have them so long as I stayed away from the remainder of her collection. This piece took a while to finish, given its totem pole construction and unplanned design. I am happy with the result – although I am unsure as to how to move it and look forward to the day it rests peacefully unmoved in a garden enclosure.
Artist: Emily Jeffords
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmilyJeffords
Commentary: Emily Jeffords works merge the artistic mediums of photography and painting. Painting mediums include water and oils on artist quality paper. Subject matter often involves ubiquitous springtime flowers and other familiar compositions such as a house or car lining a street. Emily often uses vibrant, bright single toned colors which are balanced through delicate layering. Her photographic works focus on arranged wooden compositions which have texture as well as color. These compositions maintain an incredible tactile sense of depth. Colors for her works are often red/green based with hints of yellow and blue. Black also plays a predominate role especially when compared to the relative lack of white in her works. Her photographs would well suit a small room with the aim of making it more inviting and adding subtle warmth. Her watercolors would suit any room with bright lighting and open spaces.
Artist: Silga
Website: http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5749284
http://www.5erg.com/
Commentary: Colorful often yellow, red and blue in tone forms are present on Silga’s canvases. Miniature in scale, his works often use animals, flowers and cats as the primary subject matter. His works in clay and jewelry mirror his fragmented painting style. Splashes of color which seem random, yet add balance emanate from the works.
Artist: Colors of South – Yuriy Petrov
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/colorsofsouth
Commentar: Colors of South finds a balance between discord and symphony. Acrylic colors disperse in Dionysian passion. Colors are often separate, unmixed, contained within white lines. Thin veils of black further highlight this color seclusion by tracing the outline of the white dividers. Subject matter often includes fruit, cities, flowers, drinks, and plant material. The paintings while seemingly approachaple at first, astonish with details upon closer inspection. For instance ice cubes dance in the glass above, painted in such a way to only give the impression of there appearance. Blue, yellow, red along with the obligatory white/black dominate as the main color schemes. The works, given their vibrancy and size (window size) would well suite a kitchen, or bright living room.
Artist: Lisa Congdon
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lisacongdon
Commentary: Lone animals and tree scenes dominate Lisa’s work. The color schemes are muted, well balanced, yet full of life. Paintings are predominated by blue, red, green, and white. Forms are seperated by color and texture rather than black lines. Most images have a sense of depth created through shadowing and a general rounding of figures. Lisa’s works are painterly in the color application techniques used.
Artist: Sricther
Website: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35636871
Commentary: Doodles layered into a strikingly complex composition surmise the style which Srichter’s work conveys. Most works are smaller scale in nature 11 inches by 14inches, perhaps due to the complexity and time demands of the painting style. All works are completed on a white ground with positive space filled out in black doodles often through the use of oil pastel or marker. These doodles appear to dive into and emerge from each other. White spaces are then subsequently filled into to complete a patchwork of color. Red, yellow, orange. blue and green dominate the color palate, each radiating its warmth against the surrounding colors. The images are complex in nature reminiscent of style composition from both M.C. Escher and Pollock.
Artist: Tali
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/tushtush?section_id=5745516
Commentary: Tali is an artist whom I found while scouring etsy. He sells a large number of smaller prints along with works in oil color and acrylic. Many use black/white grounding juxtaposed against light vibrant color schemes. Human figures dominate the subject matter. Yellow, Red and Blue reside as the primary color scheme.
Artist: Lucy V
Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lucyvnz
Commentary
The above dress is my second purchase from Lucy V etsy shop. When the first dress that I purchased (for my wife) arrived a few months back, it was laced with an aromatic perfume and wrapped in fine tissue paper. Customer service and going the extra mile are key selling points for Lucy V. On a whim, and simply because I admire Lucy’s style of dress making as does my wife, I decided to purchase another one of her dresses. Coincidentally, I realized that she, like many Etsy sellers is an artist whom I admire.
Her primary medium is cloth with a leaning towards vintage fabrics, bright and/or muted colors, silk and lace. She weaves these disparate components into one of kind wardrobe compositions. Articles created primarily include, dresses, aprons, and handbags. Each article is handmade and well balanced in that it functions as a work of art as well as a functional article of clothing. Simply put, I love her work; I’ll come back to her store for years to come as long as she is still producing. Oh, I forgot to mention one of the best points; that her prices are comparable to mass produced clothing from a traditional brick and mortar store.
Artist: Chris Roberts
Website: www.Deadclownart.com
Commentary:
Chris Roberts is a younger, angrier Andy Warhol; that is in terms of the byproduct of his mind and the product of his hand. His paintings are dominated by compacted space filled with either lone figures or distorted facial visages. His figures are separated from the background solely through the use of colored lines which creates a haunting affect. The figures meld and merge with the background, thus creating a highly unified composition. The majority of images are produced in yellow, red, blue and green hues with minimal use of black or white for balancing. Works include photography collages, mixed media, acrylic, spray paint and ink predominantly. These paintings are not of a style which one would necessarily want to place in a refined living room, however they do have a place within the home of an art lover. Perhaps, a cozy warm breakfast nook or hidden reading retreat would be the best location for showcasing them. Chris Roberts paintings demand attention and should thus be placed in a location where the viewer can stumble and reflect upon them without their presence distracting from other objects of interest in the surrounding room.
Chris Roberts images are simple, nostalgic in nature and compelling in subject matter. The subject matter is readily approachable by masses of people due to the use of easily recognizable forms. For instance, his works include images of Mao, Michael Jackson and Napoleon Dynamite. Chris Roberts is an artist worth watching in the coming years. As a semi abstract figurative artist he has a bright future.
Artist: Rodgy Roundy
Website: http://www.rodgerroundy.com
Commentary:
I found Rodgy Roundy through an RSS subscription to Artistaday.com. Artistaday is a well designed user interactive forum/blogging site which has the aim of highlighting one artist a day. The good folks there have been doing this for years, and have built up an extensive collection of searchable artist. The format is such that an artist is highlighted using his/her bio alongside a picture of their work. Artistday.com focuses on sculpture artist, photography artist and painters. In short, every medium is accepted so long as the end result of the artistic process is a tangible object or image.
I am primarily interested in the painters and sculptors presented on the site. Rodgy Roundy in particular arrested my scrolling hand as my RSS feeds rolled down the page. His work has been to date a gleeful fusion of “Where’s Waldo and M.C. Escher”. The focus of many of Rodgy Roundy’s work remains the interaction between many seemingly identical characters. These figures interact with one another in such activities as swimming through a sea of letters, horse back riding, archery, building strange structural monoliths. The figures are often female, often of a generic hair color (blonde, brown or red) and often wearing catholic school girl outfits. Color is not the primary focus of the works. In later works color was an accent to the composition. In present day it has been eliminated entirely from the palette. Earlier works from ten years previous are less complex in subject material and composition compared to those being produced today. The viewer can readily see the progressive style that Rodge Roundy has cultivated over the years.
Artist: Sylvia Grantins
Website: http://sylviagrantins.blogspot.com/
Commentary:
Sylvia’s Grantins paintings contain the “terroir” of her home. Sylvia’s paintings evoke the rich textures of Ontario erupting with springtime joy. Her works are bright, produced in a flurry of seemingly spontaneous yet purposeful action. Her images evoke the mood of a sparsely populated meandering land of lonesome nestled hilltops, fields of pulsating flours, and trees blown through the wind.
Her art is primarily produced on mounted canvas. Dimensions vary between 4 inches square to larger museum sized panels. Prices for her work are extremely reasonable given that they are one of a kind works. The tonal value of the color of Sylvia’s work is high, in that when compared to a peacock feather her works would hold their own weight. This does not mean, however that they are gaudy or ill conceived. Instead, Sylvia manages to find a rich harmonious balance through the combination of brilliant liquid hues. Often forms are created in a waving manner, through white infused paint, creating lava like texture. Once this layer has dried, subsequent layers of paint are applied to create forms such as poppy flowers or tree branches. This process is repeated until the image is complete. I am particularly fond of her smaller works when combined into a series of related frames. These images 4 inches square when mounted as Sylvia does on wooden supports create a quilt like appearance which would warm any room painted in a muted earth tone.
Artist: Andrea Le Beau
Website: http://www.andrealebeau.com/
Commentary:
From Andrea Le Beau’s work, one can perceive that she is an artist who continually experiments with her technique. Without inhibition she attacks the object of her focus with an artistic passion. Her body of work includes traditional mounted linen with flowers as the main subject matter, clothing, works on found objects and encaustic creations. When compared alongside one another, these works all convey the sense of originating from the same hand. Primary similarities include an earth toned base coat with sparing applications of complimentary color applied. Andrea Le Beau’s creations are simplistic in design, thus the images created are not overwhelming to the viewer. They could be positioned in any space without fear of overburdening the room which they inhabit. I have chosen to profile her work, namely because there is a vibrant painterly quality to her encaustic work. For those of you unfamiliar with the term encaustic, it is an artistic application form whereby hot beeswax infused with color or left unadulterated is applied to canvas. This technique has the ability to create window like semi translucent glazes or in the case of Andrea le Beau the entire composition of a work. In the image above, yellow golden organic shapes emerge and dissipate from the ethereal canvas. The monotone color palette adds rather than distracts from the complexity of the piece by further highlighting the color gradients.
Artist: Karl Greaves
Website: www.Karlgreaves.com
Commentary:
Think Jackson Pollock distilled into a purified essence. Karl Greaves work can be categorized as refined entropy. Quickly shaped semi organic forms emerge and dissipate into the canvas. Separation between the “subject” and background is minimal however remains apparent in most work. Delineation between forms is created by differences in color applications. Human like forms often with a ghostly and disjointed appearance pervade Karl Greaves work. The shadowing on these figures is reminiscent of that used by Salvador Dali on his surrealist renditions of human subjects. The colors are vibrant; however remain harmonious throughout each piece. Clashes of yellow, red, green and blue dominate with a preference for black over white. The entire canvases are filled with color, thus making it harder to discern the “subject” from the image as a whole. Forms and figures thus appear to spring from the canvas rather than being distanced from it. The colors in most works appear to be layered and compounded to develop or enhance chosen areas of the works. This technique is labor intensive in that Karl must work with a random unknowing right mind and an informed left mind, with the ultimate goal of finding a balance between chaos and form.
Artist: Jenny Watts
Website: http://www.friendsinmay.com
Commentary:
Jenny Watts is an artist that I have chosen to profile, namely because I admire her work – specifically her use of color. Her work is reminiscent of early Marc Chagall, at least so much in the choice of color palette. Her works are smaller in scale and synergize well when displayed in series. Color schemes and style thus transfer well when comparing images side by side. The color palette chosen primarily involves blue/green juxtaposed against hollow white/black figures or yellow/red juxtaposed against hollow white/black figures. The backgrounds of most works have distorted rhythmic appearances which convey a weathered and antique appearance.
Animal forms and figures are the primary focal point of Jenny’s work. The figures appear whimsical yet resolute, as if they are aware that one is watching their movements. They are drawn in a stencil/pop fashion in that most are white/off white with roundness achieved through the use of black lines outlining the counters. The relative lack of color separates the figures from the background, thus giving the images a sense of depth.
Personally, I would like to see larger scale paintings produced, with the characters interacting together. This concept would produce a painting with potentially less visual impact at first due to the inclusion of more white from the figures; however it would be fun for the viewer to untangle the actions of the characters on display. A painting of this style would require the viewer to actively engage in the painting. Being said, the works as they stand now hold value and are unique and noteworthy on their own merit. Jenny is a young artist with a bright future.
Artist: Jessica Doyle
Website: http://jessicadoyle.com/
Commentary
I set up a Google reader account about a year and a half ago. For some of you, this is late in the game. For others, I am ahead of the curve. I discovered Jessica Doyle while using Google image search to find artists work I liked. I signed up for her RSS feed available at her blog and have been receiving regular blog updates for the last year. A paramount goal for any blogger is to provide regular updates with desirable content. Jessica Doyle has always provide regular and juicy content. Her personality shines through the written word on her blog. Jessica Doyle is an artist who sells prints, original paintings, cards, and functional objects through etsy and other online venues. She is also heavily active in the online blogging world and has a number of side projects which she willingly details on her website. These include her vintage article blog, her home remodeling projects and personal details regarding her life. I admire her forthcoming personal disclosures. For an artist, selling art work can be as much about the impression of oneself as an artist that prospective buyers see as it is about the actual artwork itself. When a buyer purchases art, they are not only purchasing the art itself, they are purchasing a persona, an image, and perhaps a perceived artistic legacy.
Jessica Doyle has done well to create a web persona as an artist. Those who purchase her work can rest assured that her artistic images will endure, and hence the value of her work will increase as it ages. Jessica draws/paints primarily figurative and representational forms. The images are normally composed of muted color and the compositions are well balanced. Most images convey a sense of negative and positive space created by the intertwining of whimsical forms. Trees, flowers and animals are prominent in her work.
Artist: Hugh Macleod
Website: www.gapingvoid.com
Commentary Hugh would describe himself as a cartoonist. I would describe him as a marketer. The two terms are not entirely distinct, in that one can be a cartoonist as well as a marketer. He is unique in that many artists lack the desire or knowledge to promote their own work. While artist often cultivate their own style and thus progress artistically, they often fail in the realm of progressive marketing. Hugh Macleod has succeeded, and is continuing to succeed at both. From his extensive blog, one can gather that he spent years in New York drawing small cartoons on the back of business cards. Those were Hugh’s “seven years” – the theoretical learning curve whereby one learns and becomes competent in any desired skill. Those seven years were the backbone for Hugh overcoming what Seth Godin another great marketer and author of business related books would describe as “The Dip”.
Hugh’s cartoons are simplistic in design, often black and white, full of seemingly random forms, often containing figurative shapes which are used along with words to create an insightful joke. Additionally, Hugh Macleod has authored a book titled “Ignore Everbody” which is a motivational conglomeration of some of his prized cartoons along with reprocessed and synthesized thoughts from his frequent business/marketing related blogging. Hugh Macleod is now working on his second book “Evil Plans”. Furthermore, Hugh has experimented with some larger canvases as well as journal pages as an artistic medium.
He is the first artist that I am profiling, namely because his website and purpose have been an inspirational force behind my own planned blogging pursuits as an artist. I am fond of some of his larger scale works as they evoke a sense of loneliness and emptiness within the viewer. His smaller work on the back of business cards however will most likely be the vehicle of his notoriety. There are few if any artist working in the same medium with such an available and prodigious body of work. See for yourself by clicking her which will take you to a google image search for GapingVoid Hugh’s “brand”.
