Loooooove! I discovered the work of Georgia based artist Angela Burson while selecting work for Create Magazine. It was the broken arm that grabbed me immediately… followed closely by that cat’s little squished face! Now, are you asking: ‘Where are their heads?’

“I paint images of often headless people, their personal objects and interior spaces which reveal complex psychological and social relationships with one another. Without the head, the viewer sees the clothed body not as a portrait, but as a collection of objects and patterns.”

Mission accomplished. Also, I think Wes Anderson needs to hang a few of these beauties in his next film, yes? Yes. You can follow Angela on Instagram at @angelaburson.

More art you can eat!? Nope. This gummie-ish chandelier is actually resin, but ooooh, I can almost taste those fruity butterflies! This is the latest work of New York based artist Braxton Congrove – an installation, titled “Celestial Cherry”, shown in March at Peep in Philadelphia. Here’s a lovely description by the show’s curator:

“The exhibition’s focal piece, an intricate multicolored, multilayered chandelier radiates within Peep’s space. Made of cast resin, gradating colors, and occasionally flecks of glitter, the glass-like material casts a translucent glow from its singular light source. Emulating ornate Renaissance interiors, the chandelier’s chains drip with a series of cherry, butterfly, strawberry, banana, and star-shaped charms. A celebration of the beauty in the cheap consumerism of acrylic nail charms, jelly shoes, and Haribo gummies, Celestial Cherry pulls from nostalgia and the heavens, swaddling its viewer in a blanket of escapism.” ~ Julia Greenway, Curator

Yum! Follow Braxton on Instagram at @braxtoncongrove

Sigh… I wish you could go for hikes inside paintings. This is the work of Hudson NY based artist Gabe Brown. Her work {both on panel and paper} creates worlds that are colorful, mythical, and just plain magical… speaking of magic:

“Art is like magic, an illusion created by the force of humanity. Our choices in life can be amazing portals for adventure.”

Brown’s paintings create a secret recipe for an inner landscape of the human condition, narrative vignettes that are both alluring and mysterious. Nature and those elements existing in its microcosm become metaphors for a strange and at times super reality, a parallel universe that questions the natural scheme of life itself. Using a visual vocabulary derived from a world that often goes unnoticed, Brown begins to reinvent reality.

See? Don’t you want to go for a walk in there now!? Gabe’s work is available through Kenise Barnes Fine Art, CT.

Oooooh, these sculptures by American artist Christine Aaron take my breath away. Broken glass and chunks of wood coming together in a beautiful, and pretty dangerous, way. For example, the first piece above it titled “No Safety Ne(s)t”. Gorgeous, yes… safe, nope! Here’s a snippet from Christine’s artist statement:

“My work investigates memory, time and the fragility of human connection. Found wood, shattered mirror and hand dyed paper become vehicles for content. The history of these materials, and the traces of process that remain in the completed work speak to the way in which humans hold the physical, mental and emotional marks of personal experience.”

Beautiful… and suddenly those shattered mirrors feel like so much more. Follow her on Instagram at @christineaaronart

I will never get tired of writing about Japanese artist Naomi Okubo. All of her paintings {acrylic on canvas} are self-portraits, and in some cases, “plural self-portraits”. This originated from being bullied when she was younger … she “had felt a fear what others thought about [her], and as a result, was confused about how to relate to others.” Over the past several years, she has continued to explore this idea of acceptance – or lack there of – and the paintings above are the latest result. Here’s an excerpt from a recent video interview with Naomi:

“I want to create the effects of camouflage. This person is melting into the background, which is how I think about fashion, especially in Japan. I was told that I shouldn’t be so outstanding.

So, if I just paint only this one person, she would stand out because she’s wearing such a bright dress. But, if I paint other very bright patterns, she will to melt into the background. It’s the social conflict between standing out / melting in.”

So true for so many of us, yes? Watch the full video, created by ALL*ARTS, and follow Naomi on Instagram at @naomi_okubo.

“Bubble Bath in the Tunnel of Love”. Well, that title could not be more perfect for yet another absolutely breathtaking glass piece by Philadelphia based artist Amber Cowan. This emerald-hued beauty was featured in the show “Objects: USA 2020” at R & Co Gallery in NYC, curated by Glenn Adamson. Here are Amber’s words about this specific piece:

“My piece is an homage to the innocence of falling in love represented in part by the imagery of the old fashioned tunnel of love carnival ride. The swan cars emerge from the tunnel full of hope bubbles and will quickly and blindly fall over the edge of the jadeite waterfall.  A female figure rests at the base of the mountain bathing in the bubbles and luxuriating in the lushness of the meadow.

This piece is created out of flame-worked and pressed jadeite glass.”

“Objects: USA 2020” included 308 artists ‘inventing new approaches to art-making by way of craft media’, and has toured 22 museums across the US, and 11 cities in Europe!

Follow Amber on Instagram @amber.cowan {Photos of images above by Constance Mensh}

You can tell just by looking at that photo that this is gonna be FUN! Today’s guest on ART FOR YOUR EAR is Nova Scotia based painter Celine Gabrielle. She is hilarious, talented, and pretty much an unstoppable force. Celine’s story is filled with twists and turns and pivots and then a few more turns. Oh, and for those of you who keep emailing me to ask for the episodes to be longer, well, have I got a treat for you… Celine and I ended up talking for TWO HOURS. Yep, get your coffee and art supplies, and we’ll meet you in the studio! Listen right up there under Celine and her rings, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

First up, a little peek at a few of my fave paintings from Celine’s portfolio:

Ooooh, ahhhh! So rich, so ruffly, so colorful! Okay, so now that you’ve got the gist, here are a bunch of the pieces we talked about specifically. First is, well, the first piece she did in her now known style, for a show titled “Under the Influence”:

… and yes, that’s the artist Celine chose as her ‘influence’! Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka {1898-1980}. Gorgeous.

Next, the yellow dress!

I love this dress, and I love the story that goes with it even more. I can’t wait to see what Celine does with ‘Scotian’ series!

Of course, I had to include the tinsel jacket painting, and a closeup for good measure:

Can you believe she only started painting in 2018? In. Sane.

Next up is the near death experience mural:

Yeah, tippy toes on a ladder is NEVER a good idea… trust me.

I had to include these screengrabs too! This super funny and sweet video is what Celine posted to her Instagram feed after she talked on the phone to Ashley Longshore, who had called to buy her work:

Ha! I love that Celine puts it all out there for everyone to see, feel, everything! Here’s the video if you wanna watch it.

And finally, the inside scoop on a few very important things. No.1, the pastel monster from high school; No.2, possibly the best school photo I’ve ever seen; No.3, Celine’s supportive, beautiful family:

Awww! Love, love, love! {and yes, I WILL be putting Celine’s school photo on Instagram, because how can I not!?}. Thank you so much to Celine for sharing all of her stories, and for hanging out with me for so long; thanks to Storyblocks for supporting the episode; and big thanks to YOU for listening! There will be more ART FOR YEAR EAR in two weeks.

Other links:

1. Celine on Instagram
2. Celine’s Online Shop
3. Canterbury High School, Ottawa
4. FAME!
5. NSCAD, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design
6. The Other Art Fair
7. CJ Hendry on ART FOR YOUR EAR
8. Ashley Longshore on ART FOR YOUR EAR
9. GoPro video of Danielle’s mural 
10. Storyblocks

This is the absolutely fantastic work of London based artist Lakwena Maciver. This show, titled “Homeplace”, was installed at Hastings Contemporary in the Spring of 2020. Here are Lakwena’s words about these paintings:

“I’m an artist and a mother, and I’m looking at where those two roles cross over. My art is concerned with mythologies; things we hold to be true, and I want to tell the truth to my kids. I know that they go out into the big wide world and I can’t control what happens out there. They’ll hear things and be influenced by things that I have no control over. But I can ensure that in my home I am sending them clear messages about who they are, their value, their worth, what to do in times of need, where to go to for help, what to set their hearts on, what is important. So that’s what these paintings are about. They contain words of affirmation, words that will encourage, warn and inspire. 

My intention is to create a safe space. As these paintings and images of them travel, literally and virtually, my hope is that they might act as sparks to encourage others to define spaces of safety, and also as signs to point people to places of safety.”

So beautiful, in both execution and message.

Oh. My. Word. This is just the tip of the absolutely breathtaking iceberg that is the work of New York based artist and educator Beverly Semmes. She’s a sculptor who incorporates painting, film, photography and performance so, yes, her portfolio is immense. That said, I clearly have a thing for her series of large-scale dresses that flow across the floor, filling entire rooms! She became known for these works in the 1990’s, but if you keep an eye out you can still find recent additions to the series {ie., the piece at the top, titled “Bow (Blue Curtain)”, is from 2016.} This is how Beverly describes these installations:

Imposing and majestic, the dresses cascade down walls, conjuring wearers of power and size.

So powerful. Just imagine seeing that pink piece {complete with wearer!}, titled “Petunia, 2002”, in person? Majestic, indeed.

*Images found via Susan Inglett Gallery & Shoshana Wayne Gallery.

“The Great American Fact”, referencing an 1892 book by educator Anna Julia Cooper, was the title of Baltimore based artist Amy Sherald’s show at Hauser+Wirth, LA (March-June/2021). All five of these large-scale pieces are stunning, but “As American As Apple Pie” {with the woman wearing the Barbie t-shirt} might be my favorite! Here’s an excerpt from the gallery’s description of the exhibition:

“[Amy Sherald’s] paintings celebrate the Black body at leisure, thereby revealing her subjects’ whole humanity. Sherald’s work thus foregrounds the idea that Black life and identity are not solely tethered to grappling publicly with social issues, and that resistance lies equally in a full interior life and an expansive vision of selfhood in the world.”

Not only do the images reflect “whole humanity”, Amy purposely hangs the work a little lower than usual, purposely creating a direct relationship between the viewer and the subject. Sigh. I wish I was eye-to-eye with these beauties right now.

*Photography by Joseph Hyde, Installation shots by Fredrik Nilsen Studio, bio photo by Shaniqua Jarvis for Interview Magazine