Large-scale acrylic paintings. PAINTINGS. Okay, there is no way I possess this kind of patience, but thankfully Austin based painter Sarah C. Ferguson does. Here is part of her beautiful artist statement that explains her love of both color and geometric perfection:

“… Color exploration is pure freedom for me. To follow any particular system would create barriers within my process, and I would lose interest. I remain utterly in awe of the power of color, and I admire those who pursue its study formally.

Geometric shapes are equally influential in my work, but they serve as a psychological opposite. While my exploration of color invites freedom, geometry invites control. The two components balance one another perfectly, harmonizing my creative process. I have a methodic ritual that I follow each and every time. While my process is regimented and seemingly straightforward, the end result of each painting is always a bit different than expected.

In a poetic sense, my artistic process is reflective of life’s pattern, an invitation to both the sublime and the applied.”

Poetic, indeed. As you can see from the first image above {aka proof that these are actually paintings}, Sarah has a show, titled “Cynosures”, at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin Texas until September 29th, 2019.

Ahhh, Manet’s flowers and Gauguin’s Polynesia … but with a twist. These “book” oil paintings on canvas are the beautiful work of UK based painter Lara Davies. Here is her artist statement:

“Lara’s work explores the notion of painting as a method of re-portrayal, where layers of removal from the source subject transform it into something with a different, often playful new life as a painting. The environment of the studio is a constant in Lara’s work, and her paintings come from the objects that inhabit the studio alongside her.

Recently Lara has been making paintings of reproductions of other artists’ work from the books that live in her studio. As painters, inevitably we learn from and are influenced by the canon of work which has come before our own, and by making paintings of these paintings, Lara is unapologetically acknowledging these influences.”

Love.

*Install image above is from Art Athina over the weekend. Edinburgh’s Arusha Gallery was showing Lara’s work along side the work of Eleanor McCullough.

“Sometimes the king is a woman” … YES. That’s the title of the first painting in this post, and I could not love it more. This is the most recent work of American painter Amy Sherald and if you’re in New York, I know what you’re doing tonight! Amy’s latest show opens TONIGHT, September 10th / 6pm, at Hauser & Wirth. I  have loved Amy’s work for years, and have written about her several times {including having her on the podcast, and oh yes, when she painted the official portrait of Michelle Obama}, and she just keeps getting more amazing. Case in point, here’s why she does what she does:

“I look at America’s heart — people, landscapes, and cityscapes — and I see it as an opportunity to add to an American art narrative… I paint because I am looking for versions of  myself in art history and in the world.”—Amy Sherald

The show runs until October 26th, 2019. GO!

{Bio photo by Melanie Dunea}

Gah! What happens next!? I feel like these paintings, in this order, could be a really good Netflix show. This is the work of American artist Mark Tennant, and I can only assume that he works from random found photographs … but boy oh boy, do these disjointed, yet harmonious, images paint a captivating story of Americana. White picket fence and, well, what might be going on behind that white picket fence! {Can you tell that I’m already planning on binge watching this non-existent show?}

Self-portraiture is almost always a vulnerable endeavor, and that is definitely the case when it comes to the most recent work of Vancouver based painter Sára Molčan. Sára has taken late-night selfies off of the phone, and onto the canvas. Here’s why:

“[She] captures the universal desire to be liked through her large-scale paintings. Using herself as a vessel, Molčan’s work speaks to the careful curation of our own displays of emotions, our imperfect existence, and the ambivalence towards romantic partners in an effort to seem like you don’t care … Drawing inspiration from user interfaces, sexting, and identity play, her larger-than-life selfies demand to be removed from context and placed back in the digital world.”

Her paintings are beautiful, vulnerable, and very candid … and I just chose the tame ones! ps. Don’t drink and text. Happy weekend.

Damn, I’m a week late on this one. All of these gorgeous oil paintings were part of a show at Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne, titled “Comfort Kills“, by Australian artist Chelsea Gustafsson. Afghans, succulents, pool noodles, and oh so many fabulous chairs!  The show just came down at the end of August, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy these beautifully painted, very cozy, works right now! Here is a small part of the essay from the catalogue that gets into the why behind all of those chairs:

“… For Gustafsson, the chair possesses a warm familiarity, a playfulness and vibrancy that makes them a powerful motif, implicit in the domestic experience. Be it Dad’s favourite armchair, the kitchen stool guests gravitate toward or the plastic chair offered at a friendly backyard BBQ, they each recall social interactions, economic circumstances, daily rhythms, and self expression … they also call to mind frivolous time wasting.” ~ excerpt from essay, written by Phe Luxford.

{Found via Create Magazine’s Instagram}

ps. This is an older painting of Chelsea’s – not included in this show- but I just love it so much I had to include it:

Crisp geometrics and organic subject matter living harmoniously in the work {acrylic on canvas} of German-born, US based artist Joerg Dressler. Sigh. Those canvas shapes, his palette choices, beautifully balanced compositions… I could not love these more. Now, while I oooh and aaaah over all of that, you can read an excerpt from his artist statement which gets to the root of what he does:

“While remaining uniquely his own visual communication, the vocabulary for his work is drawn from a cross-section of art history: Romanticism, Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, graphic design and photography. ‘Joerg evokes sublime depictions of our confrontation with nature, especially the contrary effects of nature on the human psyche,’ writes Christopher Busa in Provincetown Arts. ‘He places tranquility side by side with violence, light clashing with the dark, fragility beside boldness—surprising forces seemingly summoned on a whim, with involuntary energy.’ Recurring themes in Joerg’s work include the passage of time, impermanence, frailty, and perception.”

Yes! Romanticism and pop art… of course that’s the love affair behind these paintings!

{Found via Artists Only}

Sigh. Perhaps it’s the overwhelming 24 hour news cycle we currently live in, but today I’m finding great comfort in the simplicity of good old milk & cookies, a big bowl of breakfast cereal, and a dinosaur who really loves ice cream. These beautifully executed oil paintings are the work of American artist Robert C. Jackson, a former electrical engineer. Yep. Happy Friday.

*All pieces shown above are 40″x30″, oil on linen

Oh, so much fantasticness. I’m referring to the entire portfolio of Rotterdam based artist Joris Kuipers. After much debate {with myself} I ended up deciding to feature this installation, titled “Suspended relief 004”, that he displayed at Object Rotterdam in 2018. Breathtaking, no?

“Kuipers’ work consists room-filling installations, wall reliefs, sculptures and works on paper. Characteristic of his work is the layered structure of two-dimensional elements … Crystallization and fanning out, concentration and flow, presence and absence, are his current thinking and working framework.”

Exactly! “… installations, wall reliefs, sculptures and works on paper”. Please go look at his recent wall reliefs because they are GORGEOUS!

Ah yes, I am intrigued… and let’s be honest … a little bit scared. This is the work of American painter Carrie Pearce. Where do these beautiful yet unsettling narratives come from? I’ll let Carrie take it from here:

I Make Shit Up, Is That Too Harsh? – An artist statement by Carrie Pearce

The underpinning of my work is the story. I guess you could say I am a “Story Painter of Half-truths”. I aim to create an image that has never been seen through Imaginary Realism. I enjoy digging stories out of my brain and creating a new world on the plane of two-dimensional panel.

Everything has a story, Every person, animal and object came from somewhere and carries it’s history like a ghost. Perhaps, this is why I am drawn to the haunting, turn of the century photos for my subjects. Where did you come from? What became of you? What do you want to be when you grow up? They rarely answer…

My enjoyment in the creation of art lies in the making of…“making shit up”. (BTW I am tired of being PC) So, You will see people, wildlife, and still-life paintings aimed to entertain you and convey events real or imagined through images, improvisation and embellishment.

Not too harsh at all. Keep making that shit up, Carrie!