Okay, you know how they say ‘love can be scary’… yeah, that’s how I feel about the wonderfully weird work of Pennsylvania based artist Rebecca Reeves. Here is part of her artist statement:

“In her current body of work, Reeves considers herself, the “Collector, Protector and the Keeper” of numerous family heirlooms.  Similar to the meticulously detailed Victorian human hair wreaths which represented the family tree; She obsessively cocoons the miniatures in thread in order to contain and preserve. Nearly, suffocating them in the process.” 

Suffocating cocoons. Terrifyingly poetic. She has a show opening in Seattle on Thursday September 12th (5pm) at Ghost Gallery. How perfect is that? 

{Rebecca’s most recent work, and works in progress, can be found on Instagram.}

“Sometimes the king is a woman” … YES. That’s the title of the first painting in this post, and I could not love it more. This is the most recent work of American painter Amy Sherald and if you’re in New York, I know what you’re doing tonight! Amy’s latest show opens TONIGHT, September 10th / 6pm, at Hauser & Wirth. I  have loved Amy’s work for years, and have written about her several times {including having her on the podcast, and oh yes, when she painted the official portrait of Michelle Obama}, and she just keeps getting more amazing. Case in point, here’s why she does what she does:

“I look at America’s heart — people, landscapes, and cityscapes — and I see it as an opportunity to add to an American art narrative… I paint because I am looking for versions of  myself in art history and in the world.”—Amy Sherald

The show runs until October 26th, 2019. GO!

{Bio photo by Melanie Dunea}

Gah! What happens next!? I feel like these paintings, in this order, could be a really good Netflix show. This is the work of American artist Mark Tennant, and I can only assume that he works from random found photographs … but boy oh boy, do these disjointed, yet harmonious, images paint a captivating story of Americana. White picket fence and, well, what might be going on behind that white picket fence! {Can you tell that I’m already planning on binge watching this non-existent show?}

Self-portraiture is almost always a vulnerable endeavor, and that is definitely the case when it comes to the most recent work of Vancouver based painter Sára Molčan. Sára has taken late-night selfies off of the phone, and onto the canvas. Here’s why:

“[She] captures the universal desire to be liked through her large-scale paintings. Using herself as a vessel, Molčan’s work speaks to the careful curation of our own displays of emotions, our imperfect existence, and the ambivalence towards romantic partners in an effort to seem like you don’t care … Drawing inspiration from user interfaces, sexting, and identity play, her larger-than-life selfies demand to be removed from context and placed back in the digital world.”

Her paintings are beautiful, vulnerable, and very candid … and I just chose the tame ones! ps. Don’t drink and text. Happy weekend.

Damn, I’m a week late on this one. All of these gorgeous oil paintings were part of a show at Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne, titled “Comfort Kills“, by Australian artist Chelsea Gustafsson. Afghans, succulents, pool noodles, and oh so many fabulous chairs!  The show just came down at the end of August, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy these beautifully painted, very cozy, works right now! Here is a small part of the essay from the catalogue that gets into the why behind all of those chairs:

“… For Gustafsson, the chair possesses a warm familiarity, a playfulness and vibrancy that makes them a powerful motif, implicit in the domestic experience. Be it Dad’s favourite armchair, the kitchen stool guests gravitate toward or the plastic chair offered at a friendly backyard BBQ, they each recall social interactions, economic circumstances, daily rhythms, and self expression … they also call to mind frivolous time wasting.” ~ excerpt from essay, written by Phe Luxford.

{Found via Create Magazine’s Instagram}

ps. This is an older painting of Chelsea’s – not included in this show- but I just love it so much I had to include it:

An art show AND an art challenge all rolled into one? Yep! California based artist Clare Szydlowski Odom stepped up to that challenge by creating 50 artworks in 50 days. I’ve written about Clare’s 2D silkscreens before, but these lovely, beautifully composed houses bring a whole new dimension to her work {see what I did there?}. Not only is there actual folded dimension, but she’s also constantly on the look out for even more than that:

“For the past three years I have been photographing the shadows in my suburban neighborhood in Burlingame where my husband and I rent an in-law unit. This Spring, we adopted a baby boy and on our walks I have continued this practice. The forms of these shadows are visually intriguing, but more interesting to me is the simultaneous sense of presence and absence they project, appearing at once substantial and insubstantial. I am also drawn to the way they mark the passage of time shifting across lawns, sidewalks and on the sides of houses. These shadows have become ghosts of my desires to own a home, to be able to freeze the precious moments of my son’s babyhood and to make the passing of time feel more substantial, something I can hold on to. Collecting these shadows has become a practice in understanding these desires, but also appreciating where I am in the present moment.”

Collecting shadows… sigh… beautiful. Clare’s shadow-covered houses are currently floating on the wall at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica,CA as part of their annual 50/50 Show. The show, featuring 50 pieces by over 60 artists*, runs until September 22, 2019. *Art math… that’s over 3000 pieces!

Crisp geometrics and organic subject matter living harmoniously in the work {acrylic on canvas} of German-born, US based artist Joerg Dressler. Sigh. Those canvas shapes, his palette choices, beautifully balanced compositions… I could not love these more. Now, while I oooh and aaaah over all of that, you can read an excerpt from his artist statement which gets to the root of what he does:

“While remaining uniquely his own visual communication, the vocabulary for his work is drawn from a cross-section of art history: Romanticism, Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, graphic design and photography. ‘Joerg evokes sublime depictions of our confrontation with nature, especially the contrary effects of nature on the human psyche,’ writes Christopher Busa in Provincetown Arts. ‘He places tranquility side by side with violence, light clashing with the dark, fragility beside boldness—surprising forces seemingly summoned on a whim, with involuntary energy.’ Recurring themes in Joerg’s work include the passage of time, impermanence, frailty, and perception.”

Yes! Romanticism and pop art… of course that’s the love affair behind these paintings!

{Found via Artists Only}

September means one very important thing to me… sweater weather {oh, how I’ve missed you}. Yes, I am very Canadian, as is artist Michelle MacKinnon and, from what I can tell, we also share an affinity for all things knitted. These detailed, elegant, purposely partly finished drawings {pencil on paper} are part of her ongoing series, titled “not quite perfect”:

“not quite perfect” stems from MacKinnon’s time in Newfoundland. During that time, she purchased and was given many handmade knit items: sweaters, socks, hats, mittens, scarves, etc. These pieces, with their handmade imperfections, have a heart-warming sense of charm within them. The subsequent drawings … were done in attempt to spend intimate time connecting with the pieces and recreating herself within them.”

Lovely. Happy Monday.

Sigh, well that’s very nice to hear. This is the gorgeous textile work of Tokyo born, Berlin based artist Aiko Tezuka. Now, I don’t see one drop of paint on any of these gorgeous pieces, but according to her CV, Aiko has her BFA, Masters and PhD in painting. How, when, why did she start working with fiber? I don’t know! I do know why painting surfaces wasn’t enough for her though:

“Since the very beginning of my artistic career, I have been interested in the surface of objects. For a painting student, to think about how to make a good composition or a beautiful surface is an expected task, but it was not mine. My essential interest has been what makes up the surface of the object; through which processes was the surface produced; how could I peel off the surface; what things could I see behind the surface; And how could I embody these things behind the surface into my work. Although we are completely surrounded by surfaces, we cannot physically enter things in even one millimeter under the surface. Every time we peel a surface, a new surface will appear immediately, like an infinite loop. That means, behind the surface is unreachable and always invisible. Then my next question appears, how to perceive these infinite surfaces, or how to loosen the surfaces that seem to be firmly interwoven? … I am still asking myself what to unravel and what to reweave in our time.” ~ 2017

Beautiful.

Photos by Andreas Weiss and Ole Akhoej

Whimsical lamps and colorful geometric shapes floating just off the wall… I was happy with that, and then one of them started lighting up and playing music too!? Seriously, I would love to spend the day inside the mind of Oklahoma based artist, animator, and musician Andy Arkley… I bet it’s really fun in there. Happy Thursday.