Paint My Words

Artist: Able Parris

Website: http://ableparris.com/

I have been following Able’s work for the last two years.  Able Parris was one of the first “web 2.0″ creators of content that I found. Thus, his work and process has been an inspiration for the work that I produce.  If you are in need of a company logo, a website graphic redesign, a collage with artistic appeal or a view into social cultural-ism than Able Parris should be on your list of people to contact. Simply put, anything that you receive or buy from him should be treasured lovingly as a family heirloom. His work will stand the test of time. Subject matter for his collages include surreal realists works similar to those painted by Neo Rauch, Animals in odd planned interactions, themes of life and death, and historical remembrances to name a few.  His color palettes vary widely from blue, red, yellow, green, white and black, however always remain well balanced.  Able enjoys the act of drawing and frequently sketches in moleskin journals similar to those created by Hugh McLeod from gaping void.  Video flashthroughs of his sketches can be found on youtube and Able’s website.  Able is a master of Typography and has created a wide variety of corporate level work inclusive of collage and typography design aspects. Simply put, he is prolific.  For me, Able’s work is comparable to a modern “digital” version of Magritte. Creating is Able’s passion. His work causes one to question the realities that our eyes perceive daily.

I found the below poem from Arthur O’Shaughnessy on Able’s website. For those familiar with Roald Dahl, you may remember this from “Charlie and the Chocolate factory”.  Regardless, the poem is appropriate as a description of Able Parris, a mover and shaker.

We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.

Artist: D.B. Williams

Everyone needs a table to rest their work upon while enjoying a lazy day in the sun. These Flintstone style tables now adorn my porch. Over the Christmas holidays I scavenged about 10 feet of fallen cedar timber which a neighbor had lovingly left on the curb for the trash man to pick up. Such a waste I thought.  Five of those ten feet have been converted for use as drink rests, homework holders, or foot rests.  Each piece has a cherry wood top finished with tung oil for protection. The bases are free-hand routed ceder stumps with cement inlays.  The wood left showing has had a veneer of colored oil applied to further highlight the inlaying affect.   These took a few weekends to complete with the odd hour here or there. I have enjoyed the project, and will keep an eye out for more wood.

Artist: Igor Koutsenko

Website: http://igorkoutsenkoart.com/

Commentary:

Igor Koutsenko’s work is simply amazing. Igor is a prolific, awe inspiring creator of the modern age. He works in the mediums of linocuts, woodcuts, paintings, and drawings. His works range from colorful effervescent in the style of Matisse, to monotone prints colored in themes which mirror the subject matter of the work. Frequent images include picturesque European landscapes and scenery, human figures often with a musical or literature based religious theme, and still life compositions. I love his work. It will stand the test of time simply based on his hands virtuosity.

Artist: D.B. Williams

This painting was constructed on a 4 by 4 foot sheet of particle board. It is rare that I leave a piece as complete without adding a bit more detail or complexity. This piece stands on its own weight. The colors and negative space are well balanced. I’m not sure yet where this lovely lady will end up, but I do know that she will find a good home.

In this piece I have mounted woven plywood strips onto a 4 by 4 foot piece of particle board. The work is thus, quite heavy given that in some places three layers of wood and paint have been built up.  The colors chosen are secondary and primary in design. These are accented with vertical and horizontal lines surrounded by spherical shapes.  Additionally, off hues by blending white have been created to add an additional layer of complexity.

Artist: Robert Mihaly

Website: http://www.robertmihaly.com/

Commentary: There is a castle located in Rouge Mont, N.C. designed of stone, copper and wood. It is fabricated as a summer residence and artist study for Robert Mihaly. The fame of this oddly situated castle is how I came to discover Robert Mihaly as an artist. He works primarily in stone, however I have seen some of his wooden and medal sculptures which hold their weight when compared to some of his more traditional works. His stone sculptures are monumental, decorative in the Italian form. They are quite simply stunning. His paintings are less, formal in presentation and subject matter verging on modern realism with a pop twist. They are bright, intricately detailed works which comment on society at large. His work and website are worth checking out especially if you are located in the Durham, N.C. area.

Artist: D.B. Williams

On the right a sunflower print can be seen. It measures 18 inches by 12 inches.  I cut this print from linoleum.  4 layers of paint have been applied to produce a flower image which fills up the canvas.  I created 17 of these prints over the weekend mostly the same color. These have been signed and those still available can be found in my etsy shop.

Below is a 4 foot by 2 foot painting on wooden panel.  Spent grains from home brewing, a birch panel, enamel and oil paint have all been mixed to create another one of my treescape series.

Artist: My Mom

Website: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=701399196

My mother Janet Williams made this extra large quilt for me. It is hand sewn, stuffed with warmth, composed of some of my old triathlon race t-shirts and spare fabric.  It is large enough to cover an entire king bed. It is well constructed, full of sentimental value, and a labor of love. I’ll always treasure this work. The cats love it unfortunately – fleece and fluff help with that.

Artist: Michael Johansson

Website: http://www.michaeljohansson.com/

White framed by off white and black negative space.  Cushion and wooden frames. Metal and smooth.  Linear, vertical and horizontal. Abstract, functional and categorized. Cement and wood, with pipes. Random yet with pattern. Planned and unplanned. I love it.

Artist: Pretty Random Objects

Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettyrandomobjects

I am  focusing on an etsy artist today namely because her work is modern, functional, and elegant. You should check out the etsy shop available through the link above.  This is collectible one of a kind stoneware created for specific purposes. Each piece is unique, charming and entirely handmade – thus it retains its value.  It is rare that I find a potter who creates functional work that I admire – as I am often drawn to the abstracted, however in this case Pretty Random Object’s work is captivating. In the example to the left a figurative animal vessel is shown.  The vessel is described as a bear however, the viewer could easily determine this to be representative of any number of animals.  Bottom line, the etsy store is worth checking out for the warm homely feelings that the images and creations produce in the viewer. These works would fit any lifestyle, and any person. They are vessels waiting to be filled with life.

Artist: Richard Salcido

Website: http://richardsalcido.com

Commentary: Richard Salcido’s creations are captivating, haunting and fleeting.  Human female forms emerge from densely laid patterns and loose threads.  The female forms are clad, seductive in nature, eyes staring directly at the viewer.  Heavy impasto techniques applied with and over the forms add to the ethereal affect of the painting.  Richard’s subjects evoke a feelings of personal revolution.  His figures possess a religious mythological base, often evoking qualities reminiscent of the Virgin Mary or mother Teresa in somewhat desolate or unnerved states.

Artist: D.B. Williams

Over the Christmas holidays I pilfered  a bundle of wire from my parents house. The remainder of the unused wire was discretely returned.  The used portion become fused with spent grains from home brewing and a gallon of left over paint from my wife’s parents.  The resultant creation of this odd marriage of materials is a 1 foot square man pretzel.  He (if you look close enough?) will be mounted on the bricks of my house overlooking the back porch.

Artist: B.J. Stevenson

Website: http://www.bjstevenson.com/public.shtml

Commentary: I discovered B.J. Stevenson’s work while searching out stone sculptors who worked in the Feather Rock medium.  There are not many who work in Feather Rock due to its coarse and potentially flawed nature. The rock is often filled with pockets of air which could prove to be a hindrance to an artist working to create a specific shape.  Many stone sculptors thus choose to work in either limestone, marble, alabaster or some other traditional rock medium.  The benefits of feather rock however should be considered before outweighing it as a potential medium.  Its weight to volume is easily half that of denser rocks. It can be carved without dulling tools and once a rough shape has been formed it can further be enhanced through sanding with an orbital or palm sander.

B.J. Stevenson forms large boulders of feather rock into delicate and inticrate seashell like designs. They are abstract in nature however they have rhythmic elements which unite the sculptures.  The viewer’s eye is thus forced around the object being drawn into the view of alternating negative and positive forms.  His works are left unpainted and are not polished, thus there is an earthy quality that the feather rock sculptures convey.

Artist: D.B. Williams

A rubber cut stamping of either the great white whale from Moby Dick or a teacup.  I prefer the idea of a whale.  This print was created in a Limited Edition of four. One of the stamping was accidentally stamped upside down.  Water color paint was rolled onto a rubber cut stamp.  Each color represents a subsequent pressing after cutting out the block.  The print is 18 inches by 12 inches in size on white heavyweight watercolor paper.

This work measures 12 inches by 18 inches. A tree scene is painted atop an acid stained steel plate.  This is #5 in a series of acid stained works.

Artist: D.B. Williams

This figure is carved from found cedar wood located in Durham, N.C. I loaded the tree trunk into my car two months ago after spotting it lying on the curb two miles from my home in a suburban neighborhood. In Ashville, I saw some cedar sculptures which changed my impression of carved wood as a medium. The artist hollowed out a 10 foot tall tree and created a double helix by further reducing the woods outer layer.  Taking off with the idea of negative space, I created this 3.5 foot form.  The sculpture is mirrored on both sides by organic shapes which frame the main form – a bust. The figure is mounted atop acid stained cement.

A human form can be seen arched forward either in the process of standing up or of sitting down.  The man is composed of bound steel filled with paint encrusted coffee grounds.  He sits atop a welded hubcap base.  He is roughly 3.5 feet tall.

Artist: Gustav Klimt

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt

Commentary: I did not study art history until my college and high school years were completed. Thus, as with most “famous” artist I only learned about Gustav after seeing the works of ‘lesser” artist in galleries and museums.  Gustav work for me surpasses many contemporary and historical artists.  He was one of the first modern artist that I studied and years later, he still remains high on my list of favorites despite the fact that I have viewed thousands of works. His work is unified through a style that is distinctly his. Gustav’s subject matter normally involves human male and female figures entwined in a close embrace or landscape scenes. His work bridges the gap between impressionism and pointillism. Squares and circles of colors unify and adhere to one another forming a patchwork of brilliant color. His works are large, stunning and captivating. They would bejewel any location with their presence. I would hypothetically of course, loose a pinky finger or more to own one.

Artist: Norman Rockwell

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell

Commentary: Norman Rockwell’s work began in the 1920’s and continued through the 1970’s. I am a child of the eighties. His work was so prolific, so consumed by American culture and so approachable that children from later generations such as myself have grown up with his images and have come to see them as part of the American cultural landscape.  His images of boy scouts engaged in manly activities are still in use today by numerous publications. His images of Rosy the Riveter are an icon of the WWII generation of American workers.  Norman Rockwell was an artist, an illustrator, and a husband. He married three times during his life and suffered from mental instability during the later stages. Through all of this, he continued to work as a full time painter.  His works reflected the stylized ideals of American life, despite the fact that his life was anything but stable or ideal. His technique especially regarding the presentation of the human form was masterful. His chosen subject matter unfortunately in most works was unappealing from an artistic sense in that he chose to portray illustrated staged scenes of idealized life rather than reality or hyper reality. Similar to Nazi wartime sponsored propaganda; Rockwell’s work straddled the line between art and artistic propaganda.  Regardless, Normal Rockwell was a masterful painter whose work has endured the test of time to date.  He has made his mark on the American art scene. His work spoke to a generation of people searching for the American Dream. Only time will tell if his work will speak so elegantly to those who view it in the future, or if it will simply be seen as a stalwart of false hope from our nations past.

Artist: Charmaine Olivia

Website: www.charbage.deviantart.com

Commentry : Charmaine Olivia portrays people and animals as her primary subject matter. Her colors are warm and soft, evocotave of water colors or light pastels.  This is a unique effect in that the works are primarily created using oil paints.  Her works are medium to small in scale, often being painted on 10 by 12 inch blocks of canvas. Her figures are realistic portrayals, slightly seductive with an emphasis on celebrating youth.  Whimsical feathers, birds or unique patterns adorn some of her works. These detailed regions of the paintings highlight the fact that Charmaine Olivia has a well honed painter’s hand. Every brushstroke is placed with a purpose. Her works are planned, however they retain a painterly quality which other realistic artist sometimes loose as the works approach photorealism.  Charmaine’s works are happy celebrations portraying the beauty in life.

Artist: Neo Rauch

Website: http://wapedia.mobi/en/Neo_Rauch

Commentary:Neo Rauch for me is in imposing figure in the art world. He walks the fine line between old and new. He is irrefutably German in subject matter. His paintings appear to alway shave a political agenda.  His characters originate from desolate tortured scenes.  Soldiers from WWI and WWII allied and axis dominate his works.  Maidens can be seen engaged in various forms of work. Paint tubes grotesquely large occupy many of the works spilling their colored fluid across the canvas. His color choices are often muted, and dulled browns accented with glints of green, blue, red and yellow. His works are entirely realistic stylized and figurative with an emphasis on narrative painting.  Particular attention is paid to motion in the works as well as shadowing and location of light sources.

Neo Rauch is a modern master.  if I could afford his works they would hang in every room of my house.

I have created a few of the paintings over the last half a year. I discovered the creation process while experimenting with metal and concrete acid stain. Apparently, metallic salts react with more than simply the lime in concrete. I like these paintings. They are simple, approachable, reproducible within reason and unique. They have my usual improptu style, yet they maintain a bit of dignified elegance. The copper hues don’t hurt!  More of these paintings will come. You can find the ones that I have available for sale through my etsy shop.