Upcycling is close to my heart. As with many, my obsession with the reuse of discarded objects resulted from the collecting of “art supplies”. Consider the previous quotes as air quotes from my bemused husband. Collecting fueled my love for upcycling AND assemblage. Today’s Artist of the Day, Freya Jobbinshas such a smart sense of irony & humor. This work is a delightful comment on consumerism and the untouchable nature of the creative object. (continues below)
““I am interested in generating a range of responses to existing cultural objects, which have been placed out of context. The irony of my plastic works is that I take a material that was created to be touched, and I make it untouchable as an artwork.” ” — Freya Jobbins
The written word is my window to art. The written word was my media before the visual or performing ever took hold. Today’s Artist of the Day, Kathleen Probstcaught my attention with the simple pillcrow, a proofreader’s mark (¶). I had never been presented with work that made me think of the mark in any other way. Until now. This is thoughtful, considered work. (continues below)
“The symbol for a new paragraph is called an ‘alinea’. It is a french word. One definition of the word alinea is a new train of thought. This design concept is not about holding back, it is about finding just the right amount. Alinea searches for answers on my quest for simplicity. The gestural lines of Alinea are becoming more organic as I learn to work with them, each making a bold step forward.”
My own work has been a study in process & a lot of silhouettes these days. It is no wonder that I have completely fallen for the work of today’s Artist of the Day, Meghan Stratman. She has found a way to gives us little glimpse of the lives of folks like us…and not. Dark & sweet & funny & sad; idealized & unearthly people & creatures & those that lie between. I want to own this work. (continues below)
“I am drawn to stories and lore in all forms… Recurring subjects in my art include ghosts, girls, monsters, and animals, and themes of friendship and loneliness. I like to include bright colors and a sense of humor in my art and enjoy combining elements to humorous effect, such as badgers sporting fezzes or weasels wearing rocket packs. I am also drawn to urban decay, abandoned places, and ghost stories: people and places that are lost and forgotten. My art world is populated with secretive, isolated girls and silly creatures that may or may not be wearing space helmets. I create my work with cut, layered paper, which allows for a sense of texture and dimensionality.”
The season of mass consumption is upon us. I will not waste my time trying to dissuade you of the want to give gifts to loved ones. I just want to ask you to consider value. Does the item you are bestowing add to the recipient’s lives? Does it help them grow? Does it better equip them to dispel hate or anger? Does it convey how you value the one who will receive it? Mixed media artist Frédérique Morrel, today’s Artist of the Day.,has addressed the question of value beautifully, and I offer it to you as yet another perspective. (continues below)
“…these neglected tapestries, seen and re-seen along these journeys, suddenly appeared to me as the idealized transference of my own visionary. These tapestries appeared to be the most accurate material to illustrate my work about modern vanities, loss of the paradise and rebirth in a better world. These tapestries are the most obvious and literally impicturing vocabulary to depict loss of some values, consequently to the injection of hyper consuming in occidental societies. These tapestries are telling the stories of these key and essential casualties:
loss of sale value : these tapestries are expensive (material & time consuming), but worth peanuts.
loss of aesthetic value : these tapestries are considered ugly and out of date, but have their own hidden beauty, particularly for those who are them.
loss of emotional value : these tapestries are telling love and family happiness stories, but are abandoned and thrown into mud.
“I revitalize them, offering a redemption, beneath animal appearance and covered with this popular language.” –Frédérique Morrel
ArtAndArtDeadlines.com began as a way to keep track of shows worth entering for artists, friends and peers– beginners, emerging & established. And over the years, I have found that established artists still make many the same mistakes I see from beginners, over and over again. As a gallerist, juror & critic, I am regularly asked why I choose one artist’s work over another. There is never just one reason, but there are a handful of regular mistakes that influence my decisions NOT to choose work. The obvious first issue: the art must be good, or at least promising–that should be the most important fact. But to tell the truth, there’s a gallery or a show out there for most art– the sumptuous & the sour. But, because the world is full of banana peels, we’ve newly updated one of our artist resources…
You know that game you play at the airport when you’re bored where you try to tell the story of a complete strangers life as they walk by you on their way to baggage claim or ticketing? Today’s Artist of the Day , Stacey Page, has found a way to tell the story of random, discard portraits of the people someone loves. (continues below)
(left to right)Bee &Richardby textile artistStacey Page
As an artist, I am inexplicably drawn to boxes and bins of photos at thrift stores and antique shops. I always wonder how they got there, who they were, what they meant to the world. But textile artist Stacey Page already KNOWS. She has discovered their inner demons, secret fantasies, heights & depths –in embroidery floss. I couldn’t be happier to share her work with you.
I live rurally, by choice, and find the environment I live in almost overwhelmingly inspirational. Today’s Artists of the Dayhas found a way to put my inspiration to work for him AS art.Enjoy the gorgeous, ephemeral work of Richard Shilling. So many of his works are powered by the sun, just like today’s Power It Forward Call.(continues below)
“Through his ongoing relationship with nature he explores themes to do with time, ecology and the constant flux of the seasons and expresses these ideas through his unique land art images. Every sculpture is photographed in natural light, using normal camera equipment and without any Photoshop… Each photo accurately depicts how each sculpture appeared, at its most vibrant moment, before the elements reclaim the materials back to nature.” –from richardshilling.co.uk
The Smoky Mountains are celebrated for the vivid colors of fall, but those of us in the know appreciate the desaturated hues of winter. We rarely get the opportunity to celebrate artists that live so close, so we are excited to share the work of Asheville-based artist Laura Sellers, our current Artist of the Day, with you. (continues below)
“The summer series of crates were my first attempt at abstract painting on a 3-dimensional form using the desaturation scale. The entire palette was created from the combination of two complementary colors (yellow-green and purple) that when combined form a neutral grey. The colors matched the rainy summer days of the mountains perfectly, and the abstract lines mimic the horizontal landscape lines.” –Laura Sellers
Some days are heavier than others. In contrast, we’d like to share the work of Motohiko Odani, our current Artist of the Day, with you– fiberglass reinforced plastic & urethane paint. (continues below)
“Odani’s works on the themes of physical sensations and psychological states, such as pain and fear, awaken latent thoughts and emotions in their viewers.” — Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
I spend a lot of time on the road, and the work of Grant Haffner, our current Artist of the Day, serves as a great reminder to stop, take a breath and SEE. I am a huge fan of color field work, and this intersection of color field with a dash of Fauvism and huge dollop of the living landscape is stunning–nectareous, even, to this weary traveler. (continues below)
