Be still my collage-loving heart! This is the gorgeous {and beautifully cut!} work of New York based, South Asian artist Maya Varadaraj. In all of her work, Maya “engages South Asian material culture to redefine feminine narratives and representations.” I came across her work because some of these collages are currently included in a group show, curated by Nico Wheadon, at Sapar Contemporary in New York. Here is the gallery’s description of “Home Body”:

In ‘Home Body’, Elia Alba, Baseera Khan, Sola Olulode and Maya Varadaraj offer visions of personhood that transcend the labels, limits, and roles prescribed on Earth. Here, the body is not merely a vessel for participation in the material world. Instead, it is what poet Rupi Kaur describes as a colony of miracles—a home, or interior world, to return to and find refuge in. As we approach a year of learning to live with social distance and self quarantine, a reimagining of the body as sanctuary has never felt more timely or essential.

Ah, so well said. Happy Monday.

PAINT CHIPS. Two artists eating chips while talking about paintings? Yep! My two passions coming together! And who better to have along for the very first episode of this new experiment than my good friend – who’s always up for pretty much anything – Philly based artist / illustrator / educator Martha Rich. Martha sent me some chips from Pennsylvania, UTZ Honey BBQ to be exact, we both picked a painter we wanted to talk about, and then we hit RECORD. It was weird, but fun… and isn’t that the whole point? You can listen right up there under that artsy paint chip, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify.

First up, Martha’s pick… Surrealist Leonor Fini {1907 – 1996}:

See? This is why I suggested popping over to here to see what we were talking about. Cats and ladies on shelves, a wrinkly beautiful portrait, and a scene that inspired quite a few questions from both of us. Speaking of a lot of questions, here’s my pick. American painter Amy Bennett:

Whaaaaat?! Yep! Look at the worlds Amy creates before she even starts painting. Crazy amazing. Clearly, I have to get her on the podcast to hear all the ins and outs of these possible crime scenes. Okay, most of them aren’t crime scenes… but I’ll still take the case!

Finally, a peek at Martha’s in-progress cut-outs, my clay cigarettes, and the super cute UTZ girl to wrap things up:

Awww, isn’t she cute?! So, there we have it. The very first PAINT CHIPS episode is “in the bag”. Get it? Yeah you do. Here’s to many, many, many more bags of chips {maybe some dip next time}, and a bunch of conversations about fabulous artists! Thanks so much to Martha for always saying yes to my weird suggestions, thanks to my hilarious husband Greg for not only coming up with this idea but also editing every single episode of ART FOR YOUR EAR {it’s so much work but he does it happily every week!}, and as always, thanks to YOU for listening! There will be a brand new episode next week. ~ Danielle

Other links:

1. Martha Rich on Instagram
2. Leonor Fini, Artist
3. Amy Bennett, Artist
4. Georganne Deen, Artist
5.  Mike & Tom Eat Snacks, Podcast
6. Henri Rousseau, “The Sleeping Gypsy” 1897
7. Matisse’s Cut Outs via SFMoMA
8. Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC {where Martha teaches}
9. UTZ Snacks!

Ahhh, sipping coffee in the studio while admiring these colorful, patterned blankets draped on hooks. Or not. They’re wood… flat, hard, unable to flow! And if you want to get really specific, here’s the materials list: Dye, UV absorbent lacquer, on plywood with nylon cord and wire {no cloth!}. Oh my word, this is the fabulous work of Chicago based artist and educator Dan Gunn. Some of his work is included in “The Shallow Act of Seeing” currently showing – until May 16th – at John Michael Kohler Arts Center {Sheboygan, WI}. “Pushing against the very qualities that define their medium, artists Dan Gunn, Bayne Peterson, and Rachel Beach defy the physical rigidity of wood and confound expectations of its use.”  They sure do! Happy Friday.

Okay, it’s a three-way tie between the scrambled pink phone, the giant yellow fan, and the nose light. So. Good. This is the weird and wonderful ceramic work of Haitian born, Miami based artist Woody De Othello. Here’s a description of his work via Jessica Silverman Gallery:

During his childhood, Othello saw these household objects as intimate presences, used to alter physical states and offer temporary comfort. Moreover, born and raised in Miami to a family of Haitian descent, the artist was enamored by the power of ceramic pots used to contain and overcome negative energy and bad spirits.

Using a hand-building technique called “slab construction,” Othello builds his ceramic sculptures up about six inches at a time. “The clay takes over; it has a mind of its own,” he explains. “It is a conversation and there is always space for me to react.” Othello pushes the forms up to a point where they are near collapse, working the unfired clay to a point of precariousness, giving each piece a psychological weight, a sense of movement and individual emotion. The glazes are then layered with many pieces being fired multiple times to achieve the depth of color and texture that Othello desires.

‘The clay takes over’ … love, love, love!

*Bio photo via Cultured Mag by Aubrey Mayer

Beautifully made work that also makes you laugh? LOVE! This is the gorgeous/cheeky work Barcelona based artist Gerard Mas. After scrolling through his portfolio, it appears that Gerard sculpts in any medium he can get his very talented hands on … from wood and alabaster, to clay and in this case, resin.

Gerard Mas is a Spanish artist (Sant Feliu de Guixols, 1976) who approaches his sculptures with an exceptional sense of humor. The statues resemble busts from the 15th century Florentine period, but in the very contemporary vision of Mas. With his sculptures he creates a dialogue between tradition and modernity. Mas is particularly interested in the visual image and less in its historical meaning, perhaps as a paradigm of our current society in which image increasingly replaces content.

Although his work shows a great aesthetic affinity with the traditional – which is also evident in the use of his favorite materials: marble, alabaster, wood and resin – changing the invisible code of ethics is an important key in the artist’s process. The sculptures of the ‘Dama’ series are a good example of absurd and grotesque combinations.

The women’s faces are sweet and charming, soft and delicate, often with a pearly white skin that implies innocence, but at the same time, for example, a cheeky, inflated gum ball breaks through the illusion and idealistic perfection of her beauty, as in the ‘Dama del Chicle’ busts , and a surprising shock effect is created. ~ via Absolute Art Gallery, Belgium

The sunburn is my fave… or the bubblegum… ooh, or the nose-picker. Tough call.

Ahhh, I will never ever get tired of seeing portraits painted by UK based artist Sarah Ball. These are few of her recent paintings from 2020, and just like every other post I’ve written about her {2013 and 2015}, I’m smitten. Such quiet softness, both in technique and mood. Here is a description of her work via Stephen Friedman Gallery:

Beautiful. Follow Sarah on Instagram, and find her available work at Stephen Friedman Gallery, London.

Annnnnnd, exhale. Maybe it’s because my backyard is covered in snow at the moment, but I can almost smell these these candy-colored grasses as they sway gently in the warm summer air. Ahhhh, maybe one more deep cleansing breath for good measure. These are a few of the most recent paintings {acrylic on canvas} by Canadian artist Jennifer L. Mohr and, as you can probably tell, I love all of them! The scale, the palettes, the quiet landscape that begs us to slow down:

“I was grown from the prairie and everything in my creative practice leads back to those roots.  As a child, growing up on a grain farm in the vast grasslands of Saskatchewan, I spent much of my time wandering outside alone, quiet, observant, and introspective.  Those formative moments fueled in me a deep identity-connection with the landscape and everything within it.  During those years, I also formed a proud identity as an artist, influenced by the somewhat unconventional cultural experiences provided to me by my family, which allowed me to feel unique in our conservative rural community.  The concept of place-identity first began to influence my artwork as early as my fledgling oil painting practice at the age of 8.

In my current creative pursuits, I continue to be drawn to the subject of the prairie and my relationship to that landscape.  My feelings of belonging and oneness with the prairie environment are reflected back to me in the artistic process.  In my artwork, I translate my observations of the landscape into inventive color, reactive mark-making, and expressive energy in an attempt to portray the magic of reciprocity between my identity, the landscape, and my art.” 

Sigh. Happy Monday.

ps. Follow Jen on Instagram to see all of her gorgeous #WIPs and inspiration photos, and you can buy her originals here, and her prints here.

That stunning work is titled “Rest In Peace”. It is a life-sized, Baroque-inspired gown… made of PAPER. I know. It’s too much to wrap your head around, which exactly why I knew I had to have it’s creator on the podcast. Haitian born, New York based artist Fabiola Jean-Louis answered alllllll of my questions on today’s episode. So. Many. Questions. In between explaining the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind her exquisite work, I also found out that she graduated from the same high school as Basquiat, was almost a doctor, and is a mother of five. Yep. You can listen right up there under “Rest in Peace”, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify {and, you know, feel free to leave a lovely review while you’re there!}

First, since I don’t have images from her pre-med days, I’ll go as far back as her Polaroids… which by the way are MAGIC:

Self. Taught. Polaroids {and Photoshop} were how she got her instant gratification, but somewhere along the way her photographs got, well, much less instant! Here are just some of the pieces from “Rewriting History”. Brace yourself, because the level of detail is insane:

Gasp! Paper dresses, dollhouses, props and  yes, those lovely paper shoes! The final composition above is “Marie Antoinette is Dead”, the piece Fabiola talked about regarding the first pair of paper shoes she ever made… see them poking out from under that gorgeous blue paper dress? So much work for the tiniest little glimpse {that’s why I’ve included them on their own as well… they need their moment in the spotlight!}

Alright, and here are the paper gowns from “Rewriting History” when they’re displayed on their own:

I mean, come on. STUN. NING.

Ooh, and some of her latest work… the altar/shrine!

Look at that detail! When her father said “the magic is in the details”, Fabiola was obviously really listening.

And finally, a photo of this artist / rewriter of history / mother of five… plus, a quick “day in the life” video she posted not too long ago:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Fabiola Jean-Louis (@fabiolajeanlouis)

Sigh. So beautiful. All of it. Also, I want to squeeze her ridiculously cute baby! Thank you so much to Fabiola for taking time out of her busy life to be on the podcast, and thank YOU for listening. Stay tuned on info about the podcast network I’m joining {with Andy J. Pizza}, and for details about joining my new club: “The NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH ART Society”… it’s gonna be good! ~ Danielle xo

Other links:

1. Fabiola on Instagram
2. High School of Fashion Industries
3. Isabella Gardner Museum, Boston
4. “Black Art : In the Absence of Light” {we talked about this new documentary after we stopped recording, but we both love it and think you should go watch it! It’s on HBOMax}

Quiet, soft and a little bit sad, no?. This is the ethereal work of Wisconsin based painter Kevin Foote. I saw that lovely fawn about to have a nap {48″ x 32″ mixed media on canvas} scroll by in my feed, and that was that… I was down the rabbit hole. Those palettes, the emotion in all of his subjects, and – of course – that crow. Love. Happy Friday.

Kevin is represented by Arcadia Contemporary, NYC, and they have a virtual show OPENING TOMORROW! You can also follow him on Instagram: @bitter_buff_alo

I don’t know which noise to make first!? *Sigh* because of how beautiful and magical Bali is, or *Gasp!* over this insane installation! This is the jaw-dropping work of Jakarta based artist Agnes Hansella aka @macrame_id. Giant macrame made with thick rope, twisted and tied to reveal the “Sunset”, “Mountain” and “Ocean”. Each large-scale piece was on the corresponding side of the building, beautifully reflecting the area surrounding Locca Beach House Bali. Here are Agnes’ words about the project:

“The project involves 8 people including me, to knot a 16mm manila rope to the roof construction.
We finished 3 enormous pieces during 12 days of work. With the height from bottom to top measures 766cm, this enormous piece is fun and challenging for me to work with. With macrame, sometimes we can’t plan the whole thing in one go. The ropes have their own nature and we are the ones to follow. The design keeps evolving every time a knot was made. {Thankfully, I made it in time to finish all three just before the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia.} This project is commissioned by Flowerbloom Studio.”

See? Sigh and Gasp are both required. Oh great, and now I want to go back to Bali. Someday.

{via Colossal}