Soft, quiet, elegant… and a little bit sad? These dreamy pieces are the work of Netherlands based artist Tamara Jungnickel. I can’t find the ‘why’ behind these lovely faces, but I’m pretty sure they’re feeling all the feels. Behind that foggy pink, I think these ladies have some very deep thoughts, and a lot to say.

*A few of these pieces are available via Tekenkabinet {scroll to the bottom of page 1 on that site to find Tamara’s work.}

Mixed media collage AND rainbow-hued pool floaties? I’m in! This is the work of Brooklyn based artist Derrick Adams. Don’t you wanna float on a gold-toothed unicorn in that cool, blue, negative space?! Me too. Here is something Derrick wrote in an Instagram post earlier this year that sums up this ongoing series beautifully:

“In 2015 there weren’t any images online, or in art, of black figures on floaties – a state of relaxation and reflection. To me it represents the most contemporary form of American leisure, as well as a depiction of lived experience and ones aspiration. That’s when I decided to begin painting them. Because, frankly, I just wanted to see it in the world. Now it’s becoming common place in subject matter. GOOD. Mission accomplished.”

Yes! Paint what you want to see. ps. The first piece in this post is a self portrait… which makes me love it more than I already did!

I couldn’t decide… should I write about #tarplife, a series filled with blue tarps painted into the photographic interiors of design books, or a bunch of campers who’ve found their way into the pages of outdoorsy magazines from a body of work titled “Encamped” … okay fine, I’ll show BOTH!  This is the work of Seattle based artist JoEllen Wang, and this is part of her artist statement:

“… At the heart of my process, where all my inspiration comes from, is everyday life in an urban environment. I paint images of familiar objects and subjects which for me simultaneously trigger nostalgia and complicated feelings about reality. I like to take my subject out of context, or see it out of scale, as an exercise in questioning the value I associate with it.

I paint diminutive campers in generic settings. The subject matter is homelessness, but the paintings are small and cute, and easily consumed, like candy. I paint campers and tent cities into picturesque landscapes. It’s celebrating the great outdoors, but also seeing the misplaced displaced-the people easily ignored at home…”

Like candy, indeed. Happy Friday.

These acrylic paintings are the work of Vancouver based, Métis artist Jean Paul Langlois. He has so much great work on his site, from huge outdoor murals {I watched this one being painted!}, to a series about ape soldiers arriving in the Old West… but, I just had to share these paintings from his ongoing series titled “Fake Indians”. Here are his words:

“This ongoing series is inspired by film and television that used white actors to play roles as Indians. Not just extras or background but well known character actors. Often those depicted were inaccurate, racist stereotypes. The more I began to look for it, I realized how pervasive this casting was. I could find a Fake Indian in almost every TV series or movie I watched. Western serials, spaghetti westerns, sitcoms, Disney films, everywhere. Big name actors and actresses too, from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to Don Adams and Burt Reynolds. 

As a person of Métis ancestry, I find the idea of Fake Indians interesting. I carry a card in my wallet identifying myself as an aboriginal person but have virtually no connection to the culture or history of my people. I feel as disconnected from that reality as William Shatner in White Comanche… I’m a Fake Indian too.”

Interesting, insightful, AND beautifully painted… Love.

Bowling pins! This is the funny, kitschy, and beautifully painted work of Toronto based artist Bernice Lum. Her current solo show, titled “A Spoon Full of Sugar”, is filled to the brim with altered bowling pins and is showing at Galerie Youn in Montreal until July 18, 2020. Here is Bernice’s statement, which sheds a little light on all of this fabulous nostalgia:

“Bernice Lum has been telling stories through her work by revealing a little bit of her story through a sense of humour, play and wit.  

Born in 1963, bowling and Wednesday evening drives to Dairy Queen were a weekly event for the family. Even her older brother was born while her father was playing in the finals of a bowling tournament which became the inspiration to her new series … a diary of stories within every pin, and a body of work that pays homage to her late brother and father.” 

So beautiful. And, as Galerie Youn so perfectly says, “A spoonful of sugar may not be the cure for COVID-19, but will help bring a smile, ‘In a most delightful way.'” Ah, yes, we could all use a little sugar.

Oh. My. Word. This is the absolutely stunning work of American photographer Tawny Chatmon. Yes, photographs. Well, that’s where these Klimt-inspired beauties begin. Here is part of her statement that explains why, and how, she does what she does:

“The primary theme that drives my art practice today is celebrating the beauty of black childhood. I am currently devoted to creating portraits that are inspired by artworks spanning various art periods in Western Art with the intent of bringing to the forefront faces that were often under-celebrated in this style of work. 

My camera remains my primary tool of communication, while my constant exploration of diverse ways of expression moves me to add several different layers using a variety of mediums. After a portrait session is complete, I typically digitally manipulate my subjects and unite them with other components to achieve a work that is a new expression. Often lending to them the eyes of someone their elder and more wise and almost always exaggerating their hair and features in a celebratory way. Thereafter, I may superimpose antique patterns and textures, collage vintage botanical and wildlife illustrations, or add hand-drawn digital illustration. If I feel I am not yet complete, after each portrait is refined and printed, I may combine paint and gold leaf adding ornamental elements inspired by 19th-century artworks. By experimenting with various art practices, I allow myself to follow no set of rules while creating instinctually and fluidly. Each layer serves its very own meaningful purpose.”

Beautiful on so many levels.

Ahhh, the dreamy work of Toronto based painter Janna Watson. I have loved Janna’s work for years, and every time one her new paintings scrolls by on Instagram, I gasp! That said, seeing her work online just doesn’t do it justice… her WIP images help though! So. Big. If you happen to be in Toronto you can see her work in person right this very moment. Her latest solo show, titled ‘Falling Forward’, is currently hanging at Bau-Xi in Toronto from June 4th till June 20th, 2020. Janna’s work is always very personal but mysterious at the same time, hence her description of this show:

“This body of work represents the movement of energy from the mush of the unconscious, and translating this into some kind of human reality.”

‘Mush of the unconscious’. Nailed it.

Oh my goodness, this episode. So, this weekend was supposed to be the last episode of the season featuring my interview with artist and writer Mimi Pond, but given the events of the past week I recorded one extra episode. Mimi will be up next weekend, but today I’m talking to LA based artist Calida Rawles. Honestly when I first saw her work, I thought ‘Wow, these photographs are stunning’. Turns out, they’re paintings. Beautiful, powerful, almost poetic, hyperreal, figurative acrylic paintings. I found her a few weeks ago in Amy Sherald’s Instagram feed, because crazy small world… they went to art school together! Anyway, we’re going to get into all of that, and a whole lot more. Listen right up there under “Radiating My Sovereignty”, or subscribe right here.

Okay, but wait! Before we go too far, go back up and look at that first painting. Do you see the two stars at the tip of her finger? Yes, the first hidden gem of many! Alright, now we can keep going. Here are the images I posted when I wrote about Calida earlier this week:

I mean, seriously. I just can’t believe how beautiful these are. Abstraction and realism living in perfect harmony.

Next, this is “In the Light (For Stephon Clark)” 2018, 48″ x 72″:

This is such a powerful piece, and even more so after hearing Calida tell the story behind it. I included the closest closeup I could find… do you see the galaxies? Beautiful, heartbreaking, and so powerful. I am so glad Calida shared all of the hidden bits of beauty to look for in her paintings. I was already emotionally invested, but those secrets took things to a whole new level.

Next, here are paintings that began her love affair with water. Vulnerable? Um, yes:

“Chrysalis”, “Converge”, “Blow It Out”, and “Holding It In – Pressure”. Wow. Brave, and so beautiful.

Next, more water. Here are the paintings Calida did for her longtime friend, and author, Ta-Nahisi Coates‘ first fiction novel, “The Water Dancer”:

Oh and look at that… there’s Oprah reading it. Yes, Ta-Nehisi’s book was Oprah’s 2019 pick for her book club… and there are Calida’s paintings on the front and back of it. Ah-mazing.

And finally, I had to include photos of her working, especially now that I can picture her up on that scaffolding listening to audio books for twelve hours at a time:

Gasp! Stunning… the paintings and Calida herself.

Saying ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough. This conversation meant so much to me, especially right now. I pray that June 2020 will go down in history as an epic moment of change. I told Calida at the end of the episode that I almost cried a couple of times, and to be totally honest, I did cry after we said goodbye. I felt so inspired by her work/process, enlightened by her insights, and embarrassed by how much more I still have to learn. But I will. There will be more ART FOR YOUR EAR next weekend.

Other links:

1. Bio image above from W Magazine / Photograph by Max Farago; Styled by Rebecca Ramsey
2. Calida on Instagram
3. Various Small Fires, LA {Gallery}
4. Amy Sherald, Artist / Amy on AFYE, Episode No.127
5. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Writer / The Water Dancer {Book}

 

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A post shared by (@artyouhungry) on Apr 6, 2020 at 6:41am PDT

Gasp! This is the absolutely gorgeous work of Florida based, Trinbagonian artist Nneka Jones… an artist who “paints without paint”. Yep, this is all embroidery thread. Insane. Also insane? Nneka just graduated from the University of Tampa’s Art + Design Department about two weeks ago. What!? That’s right, you’re looking at several of the pieces from her final show. Not only are they striking and beautifully executed, her work also focuses on a huge subject… the sexual abuse and sex trafficking of women and girls. Here are Nneka’s words refers to the series the first two images above are from:

“This hand embroidered series highlights women and girls of different ages. This series gives power back to these victims, emphasizing the importance of women and girls having control over their bodies. The side profile and focal point of the eye for each target, reassures the viewer that each figure is demanding respect.

This contrasts with my previous series where the target symbolism is stamped on / around the front facing images of young girls. [bottom two images in this post]

With a traffic light being such one of the most important sources of control and authority, I thought I would use this as inspiration for the color symbolism in this series. The red border on each circular canvases puts these victims at the same level of significance regardless of their age and is a call of action to STOP sexual abuse and sex trafficking of women and girls.”

So powerful. Seriously, I cannot wait to see what’s ahead for this talented young woman. Contact Nneka via email to purchase her work… you might want to hurry:  artyouhungry@gmail.com

This is the beautifully painted, powerful, breathtaking work {acrylic on canvas} of LA based artist Calida Garcia Rawles. I’m going to hand this over to her, because this description from her ‘about’ page says it poetically and perfectly:

“Merging sharp photo-realism with poetic abstraction, Calida Rawles paints African-American women and men submerged in glistening water; bodies are swarmed by a flurry of bubbles, ripples, and refracted light. For Rawles, water is a spiritually healing element for all people – yet she recognizes its historical connotations to racial exclusion and cultural fears. She uses the complicated duality of water as a platform to address identity politics while reimagining her subjects beyond cultural tropes. At times, her work alludes to current events, even making topographical maps of cities where acts of racially targeted violence have occurred. In other moments, her works are purely celebratory of the resilience, strength, and beauty of African American culture.”

Beautiful. But wait, there’s more… as stunning at Calida’s paintings are, I just had to share a few images from her Instagram feed. Some of her paintings are so big that she works by sitting on scaffolding… but look how small her brushes can be:

The pay off for using such teeny tiny brushes on those great big canvases? Yet another solo show at VSF {Various Small Fires} in LA, not to mention a fantastic interview in W Magazine. So, so, so inspiring.