Ahhh, I would love to spend a weekend inside that lovely head. This is the work of San Francisco based artist and illustrator Lindsay Stripling. I wrote about her three years ago and, I’m happy to report, the magic is still alive and well over there! Lindsay says, “I like to keep things surreal, edgy, and fun and explore themes of folk, nature, community and psychology.” Yep. Nailed it. Happy Friday.

Oh my word, YES. This light installation, titled “Neighborhood”, is the work of New York based artist and art director Sergey Kim. As you can probably tell by the bicycles and canals, this piece is part of the Amsterdam Light Festival, which is happening right now until January 19, 2020. Here’s a description of this absolutely gorgeous, glowing clothesline:

This is “All the Clothes of a Woman (Hans-Peter Feldmann)” , and it is the washy watercolor work of German artist Manfred Naescher. Yes, he repaints previously created artworks – from Jeff Koons to Leonora Carrington – and I love them all. Here is Manfred’s artist statement:

“There is a paradox at the core of my drawing practice: What I do is both image-making and the avoidance of image-making. I hesitate adding to the continuous flow of visual material that we are subjected to daily, hourly, near-permanently. The creation of images, in my practice, is little more than an intentional side effect of my interest in the reflection on existing imagery: What is the image? Where does it come from? Why do we make it? How does it change in time? My work starts and ends with source material (usually from art history, that is, from the history of imagemaking or its margins): The source imagery remains clearly visible in the drawings, often placed at the center of the composition, isolated from its context, with an outline — a simple handdrawn line — providing clarity and sharp contours against the background of an indistinct cloud, inside of which digital image production is increasing at accelerating pace.”

… and here is the 1973 inspiration for these seventy paintings, titled “All the Clothes of a Woman” – a photographic series by German artist Hans-Peter Feldmann:

Gasp! These breathtaking portraits are the work of Netherlands based artist Katinka Lampe. I’ve written about her gorgeous paintings before… in 2010. Um, how did I let almost an entire decade go by before writing a second post? Trust me, I will not let that happen again! Here is the description of her work from Katinka’s site:

“Katinka Lampe paints portraits. Or at least, you can clearly recognise the representation of a person. Yet, this is not the main motive of the painting. The portrait merely serves as reason to make the painting. The portrait is the imagery concept. Her paintings greatly appeal to the beholders. Conscientiously and with a great sense for beauty she portrays her models, who are generally quite young. The resulting portrait is not an exact copy of reality, but instead a visual impression of it. By including things like a wig or a balaclava or putting a lot of make-up on the model’s mouth she adds an unusual or artificial character to her portraits. Lampe’s work is both vulnerable and distant at the same time.”

Beautiful.

This powerful 2017 series, titled #EuropaEuropa, is the brilliant work of Australian artist Penny Byrne. Vintage ceramic refugees, wearing brand new lifejackets, floating on plates and in gravy boats. Her entire portfolio is filled with political statements made with repurposed ceramic figures… as I’m sure you’ll be able to gather from her artist statement:

Penny Byrne is an artist who utilises a variety of mediums to create sculptural works that, at times, elicit visceral responses from viewers. She is concerned with the state of the world and our place in it. Her works ask us to consider where we stand and how we feel, never preaching, but rather gently guiding us to a deeper understanding of our times. She is not afraid to tackle the big issues head on, often with wry humor and wit, and always with a deeply considered and intelligent compassion.

I’m concerned with the state of the world too. Bravo, Penny. Bravo. Happy Monday.

Gasp! Burned, quilted, and embroidered photographs sewn together with layers of paper creating bandages and veils that transform images into fragile maps. This is the lovely and very thoughtful mixed media textile work of an American artist in Paris, Michele Landel. I saw the eyeless piece above, titled “Who’s Afraid”, and was instantly scared/in love. And then I read her statement about it:

“Who’s Afraid is meant to capture the tension between men’s anxiety of being unreasonably accused of inappropriate behavior and women’s fear of sexual harassment and assault. It is referencing the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the inherent tension between actors and audience that is part of a theater performance and in this play the volatile and complicated relationship between men and women. Furthermore, it also relates to my previous series For There She Was [first three images above] that explored women speaking out and Virginia Woolf’s literature.”

Scared/in love. Happy Friday.

Oh my word. So, beautiful! Born in the Philippines, Marigold Santos now calls both Calgary and Montreal home. I couldn’t decide if I should write about her dreamy acrylic paintings, or her haunting ink on paper works… luckily for me, Marigold often hangs them together, so I will too! This description is from her 2018 show, titled “in this drought, flood my hollow heart”, at Galerie D’Este in Montreal:

“Recent works of Marigold Santos continue to examine the ongoing theme of empowered selfhoods through embracing fragmentation and multiplicity of personal identity, informed by lived experience and impressed upon our landscapes, real or imagined.

In this exhibition, the emotional landscape is personified by drafting together memories and traversed physical landscapes to create a collage of meaning and experience. 

Geological forms, objects, and foliage become the characters within these surreal landscapes. Through anthropomorphisation, they embody the projection of emotionality and function as surrogates for the absent body. Layered and collaged imagery creates an expression of specific moments; interior and exterior vignettes that, through a reflection of space and surroundings, invite contemplation and awareness.

Evoking hours of transitioning light, quiet and stillness provide the setting for meditations that comfortably hover in the gradient. As enduring time pushes mountain, carves rock, and highlights the slow yet persistent growth of arid plant life, the absent figure records memories that are edited together to create new narratives. Love lost, love gained, isolation, solitude, melancholy, depression, vulnerability and courage.” 

{via Pennylane Shen – on the podcast a few weeks ago}

Whoa. This is the work {ie., zillions of silk petals transformed into gigantic lichens}, by Connecticut based artist Molly Gambardella. The orange piece above, titled “Elegant Sunburst”, was just shown at Scope Miami Beach with GALLERyLABs over the weekend… and it SOLD. No surprise, it’s a huge burst of joy for your wall! In fact, that’s exactly why Molly does what she does:

“I create things to battle shame with the intention of spreading joy in order to better face the challenges, darkness and the injustices of the world around us.”

Nailed it.

Hm, I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of writing about the work of American painter Jeremy Miranda… NOPE! I’ve written about him several times, and as long as he doesn’t stop, neither will I. Here are Jeremy’s words about his work:

“In my recent work I am interested in creating complex environments that are a hybridization of both interior and exterior spaces. I am influenced by memory, history, domesticity, architecture, landscape and how, when co-mingled, can generate new spacial relationships. I draw from a cache of collected photographs, sketches, plein air studies and memory, and employ an unplanned, intuitive painting process in an attempt to channel an ambiguous spacial narrative.”

{Some of his paintings can be found via Dianna Witte Gallery in Toronto}

“Maybe She’s Born With It”, “Should Have Put A Ring On It”, and “I Woke Up Like This”… Okay, clearly I’m gonna need more coffee on this Monday morning in order to deal with the fabulousness of these oil paintings. OIL. PAINTINGS. Not only are they exquisitely painted, for some fantastic reason that I couldn’t find, there are jewels stuck all over these large-scale faces. This is the work of LA based painter Nora Ann-Francis Martin-Hall, and oh my word, I love them all so, so much.