Ahhh, I want to spend the weekend in alllllll of these paintings by American artist Erika Stearly. Also, if we’re talking about things I want, I’d also like all of the lamps and potted plants she has so beautifully painted into these quiet, comfortable, homey spaces. Which brings me to this question? Are these places real? Kinda…
“She’s found inspiration in vintage home remodeling magazines, the IKEA catalog, photos taken in friends’ houses, searching sublet rental ads on Craigslist, and most recently though Instagram.
Using a combination of watercolor and acrylic paint, Stearly quickly sketches in the setting. Despite being loosely rendered, exaggerated and often brightly colored, the collection of domestic items depicted still manage to evoke the sense of a particular place. Stearly’s paintings are often titled by street address.”
Sigh… so dreamy. A few of Erika’s originals are available on Showfields.com, and you can find prints here. Happy weekend.
Oh my word, YES. I’ve been watching the “in progress” images show up on his Instagram feed for months, and finally, New York based painter Will Cotton‘s cowboys ‘n unicorns are ready to ride! His brand new show, titled “The Taming of the Cowboy”, opens this Thursday May 28th at Galerie Templon in Brussels, and runs until July 31, 2020. Here is the statement from the gallery’s press release:
“In a nod to his country’s political schizophrenia in the midst of the electoral campaign, Will Cotton offers a new take on the myth of the cowboy, symbolizing the conquest of the West. His large, ostensibly classical oil paintings portray a surprising encounter between triumphant cowboys and their fantastical steeds: pink unicorns. The figure of the cowboy evokes a strong sense of American masculinity, associated with freedom, manifest destiny and a culture of violence. In contrast, the unicorn — particularly when pink — reminds us of a more contemporary mythology that has in recent years taken possession of the little girls’ section of toy and clothing departments everywhere. Questioning the notion of gender, the exhibition explores the relationship between the sexes along with the hypersexualization of childhood, the notion of queer, and the LGBT movement, whose global mascot has recently become the rainbow unicorn.”
Okay, I didn’t think it was possible, but now I love these oil paintings even more. ♥
Oh my word, I am in love. These oil paintings are the work of Glasgow born, London based artist Kaye Donachie. Dreamy and narrative… I want to know everything about all of these women. Here’s a little snippet from an interview with Kaye that gives a little glimpse into that:
“My paintings primarily refer to literature, biography and archival imagery. I have an interest in the early twentieth century avant-garde women who contributed to art and culture but remain marginalized figures in history. These women have a clear sense of identity, represented through their writing and art, and as muses … Many of the women I refer to are liberated modern thinkers. Their biographies are sparse but that affords a space in which to interpret narratives in my painting and representation.” ~ Kaye Donachie, Excerpts from 2018 Interview with Elephant.art
Today, FRIDAY MAY 22nd at NOON {et} I’ll be hosting a LIVE ART SALE on Showfields.com! I curated a grouping of the 8 fabulous artists above {and ok yes, I curated myself into the lineup!}. Please tune in because A. it’ll be fun, and B. for every person that hops on to watch, Showfields will be donating $1 to the charity of my choice… I chose Doctors Without Borders ♥ Soooo, come on over, invite a friend… or ten! This post gives you a peek at half of the available work, and here’s the description I wrote for this curation:
“While the various pieces are quite different – from ceramic eye masks and quiet landscapes, to self portraits and embroidered bits of nature – for me, the element that connects this collection is the feeling of intimacy. Each piece gives us a peek into the artist herself, creating a cocktail of beauty, humor, and vulnerability … and yes, that’s my favorite kind of cocktail!”
…….
Aaaaand that’s a wrap! That was FUN! A bunch of the work sold during the LIVE event, but you can still pop over to Showfields to see my curation and buy some gorgeous work from some very talented artists.
“Still A Kid Inside”… that’s the title of the first piece above, and exactly how I want to feel when I’m making art! This is the work of Amsterdam based artist and educator Angela Maria Sierra, aka Riso Chan. This strange moment in history felt like the perfect time for me to come across Angela’s work. She beautifully blurs the line between analog and digital mark-making, and for me, the world has never felt more like a mishmash of analog and digital than it does right now… so many of us desperately wanting to connect with people face-to-face, while discovering wonderful new ways to stay together online.
Turtles on roller skates, and spiders with custom sunglasses… I am soooo IN. This is a peek at “Pet Store”, the latest solo show by San Francisco based artist/illustrator Kristina Micotti that is currently exhibited at Recess{until May 30} in San Francisco.
“This new ‘Pet Store’ series is the artist’s way of finally owning all the animals she ever wanted as a child, inspired by those many trips to the pet stores with her mother and the disappointingly inanimate care guides and toy sets she amassed instead. Drawing on imaginative childlike whimsy and nostalgic “90s kid” aesthetics, Micotti has recreated these childhood experiences in the form of a fun, bright pet store containing a variety of animals – again, each with their own miniature accessories – all waiting for their new owners to take them home. She is offering both herself and her audience the chance to realize the unfulfilled childhood dreams of pet ownership that we have all similarly suffered. Her fanciful new ‘Pet Store’ collection allows us all the freedom to “adopt” the pet of our wildest (albeit suburban) fantasies – without a mother’s voice of reason to restrict us.”
YES! I want a pink bunny wearing cowboy boots… and you can’t stop me, Mom!
Oh my word. This is the work of Brooklyn based painter Jocelyn Hobbie… did you catch that? Painter. Yes, these are oil paintings. The wallpaper, the fabric, the skin that looks lit from within… I was sure these were digital. They’re not. Mic drop.
Quiet moments, domestic scenes, muted palettes. Sigh. Lovely. These oil paintings are the work of Melbourne based painter Prudence Flint. Who are these people, and what are they thinking about? I couldn’t find her artist statement, but I did find a really great interview she did with the University of Melbourne, so I’ve pulled a few of my favorite bits:
Initially I thought that, if I was going to be a painter, I’d have to paint mountains and landscapes and important things like that. But in my first year at the VCA the penny dropped and I started painting women. It was as if I realised that it was OK to paint the things I was obsessed with. That was huge for me – it was a really exciting time.
Self-doubt is a big part of my work; all of those unpleasant emotions like shame and guilt and feeling like I don’t deserve space. I’ve learned to make friends with it now. Some people reconcile those things in real life but I tend to do it in my work.
My main model is a friend of mine who’s nearly 30. I’ve painted older women, but the minute you put an older woman in a painting, a bit of grey hair or whatever, the painting becomes very specific, which can be distracting. So for now, I’ve gone back to doing younger women.
I’m always asked where the men are in my work, and why I only ever paint women. Do people ask Peter Booth those types of questions? His male figures represent “humanity”. It is curious to me that my figures are not described in that way.
I’ve always struggled with feeling socially confined but with my work it’s a whole other front – I feel much more free and true to myself. Art is a place where I can really feel the expansiveness of life.
He’s back! [insert fan-girl screaming here]. LA based artist Wayne White was on the podcast almost five years ago – episode no.30 to be exact – and I could not be more thrilled to have him back. Wayne is one of my favorite artists of all time for a whole bunch of reasons which, of course, we’ll cover during this episode. The really big reason though? He got me making art again. Not just dabbling, but truly finding my way to do the work I want to do, the way I want to do it. During episode 30, he had two words for me… just two, short but very impactful words that squashed a long held belief I’d allowed an old art school professor to plant in my head decades ago. I’ve told this story before, and it’s actually a huge part of the TED talk I was supposed to have done in Nashville in March {they’re rescheduling so hopefully I’ll still get to tell this story standing on that red dot on a big stage}, but today I got to tell that story to the man himself! Listen right up there under that Cheap Bastard, or subscribe here.
First, one of my favorite films ever / my favorite moment from said film:
Seriously, if you watch Beauty is Embarrassing on a plane you will lose it. I cried so much when Ms. Stoddard showed up in Chattanooga to get her book signed. Such a special moment… that Wayne almost ruined.
Okay, wipe away the tears because “it’s tiiiiiime for PEEWEE’S PLAYHOUSE”:
Soooo, I popped the theme song in here so you could see a bunch of Wayne’s work in action, but side note: I can still sing that entire theme song. Wow. I guess that’s permanently in my brain. Good to know.
Okay, moving along. These word paintings on found thrift shop paintings were my first introduction to Wayne years ago, and I still love them oh so much:
Beautifully painted and ridiculously funny… perfect combo, if you ask me. But, as he said, sometimes he gets bored of the thrift shop paintings, so here’s a look at his latest oil paintings. Clouds. Look at these unbelievable clouds:
Stunning! I loved listening to him talk about how and why he decided to paint clouds for this series. Poetic. Here’s a peek at them in progress on his easel:
The Wayne White Puppet Show! *Bear played by Mimi Pond. Here are links to the first two episodes { Ep. 1 / Ep. 2 }, but keep your eye on his Instagram feed for upcoming puppet shows!
And finally, since we started off talking about Wayne as a kid growing up in Tennessee, please enjoy this:
Seriously, how could I not post that? Hey, he put it up on his Instagram feed, so I figure it’s fair game! Thank you so, so much to Wayne for doing this with me again; thanks to the Thrive Network for supporting the episode; and thank YOU for listening. Let’s have Wayne play us out, shall we …
Work from three different series, all of which are very appropriate right now… medication we all could use, an installation about eating our feelings, followed by a funeral for capitalism. Mic drop. This is just a tiny sampling of work by Kansas City based artist/illustrator Lauren Phillips. Her woodcuts pulled me in, but my goodness, Lauren’s portfolio is full of:
“… a combination of her interests: the female experience, bringing awareness to social inequities, the natural world, joy and pleasures.”
