Art Theme: Portraits of Women

March 21, 2014 in Art Theme

Since one of the main things I do is paint portraits, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite portrait paintings of women this week.

Okay, so the first one is not your traditional portrait. You can't see the face of the woman, but you sure can feel it. Clare Elsaesser is one of my favorite artists, with her palette and mood always being on point. Print available here.

I love the work of fashion illustrator Samantha Hahn. She is a true master of watercolor and her subject matter is often women. Check out her book Well Read Women for her interpretation of famous female book characters in her signature brilliant and colorful style.

I love the expression on this woman's face by Bret Pendlebury. There is just something about the direction of her eyes and that bob that speaks to me. Bret created the painting in acrylic, ink, colored pencil and watercolor on paper. You can purchase a print of it here.

Vintage Woman Portrait by Bret Pendlebury

One of my very favorite artists is Maira Kalman. Her work comes to life with her palette, sense of humor and imperfect brush strokes and lines that become...just perfect. If you haven't seen her blog for the New York Times, do yourself a favor and spend some time with it.

Alex Katz captures the upper middle class of the 60's, 70's and beyond like no other. These cool people are often caught hanging out in oversized sunglasses and gorgeous acidic colors. The way he simplifies shape and form never ceases to amaze me. Isn't this portrait of his wife and often-subject Ada just sublime?

If you have an artist that you'd love to share, please leave the name(s) in the comments below.

Don't forget to check out my Portraits board on Pinterest!

Jeremiah Maddock at Anno Domini

March 10, 2014 in Artists & Art Shows

Jeremiah Maddock is one of my favorite artists that has shown multiple times at Anno Domini. I have to say I love finding artists who don't have websites. Contrary to the modern popular belief that you have to put yourself out there, I find it to be so pure (or lucky?!). If you want to find out more about him, check out Anno Domini's site or this interview on Beautiful Decay. Jeremiah Maddock's show We's Gonna be Fine was spectacular. His intricate line work and details are amazing. Surreal and symbolic, you can fall into his work and find more information the longer you look. The images I have included here are just an example of his work. He also focuses on figures, but my phone was too full to take more photos:) Here are a few images from the show.

American Arts Incubator International Art Progam

March 03, 2014 in Sketchbook, Ramblings

Yesterday, I applied to be an artist in the American Arts Incubator program. It is a partnership between ZERO1 and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). This incredible opportunity chooses artists to travel to Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines or Papua New Guinea to collaborate on an art project with locals. The community-driven project address a local issue culminating in a digital or mural art project. The selected artists will work with underserved youth in the communities through workshops and projects. I hope to be a part of this life-changing program. I have been dreaming of participating in an international community art project and this would be the perfect opportunity to fulfill it.

The project asks artists to state a preference or tie to Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines or Papua New Guinea. My tie to Papua New Guinea is through my grandfather. He lived there for six months after he met my grandmother in Australia. He wrote her letters, courting her from PNG. I would love to the opportunity to travel to the place he loved so much and work with people to creatively educate the community.

Rey Giese, sign painter show at Kaleid Gallery

February 27, 2014 in Artists & Art Shows

I was relieved I was able to make it in to Kaleid Gallery before the closing of the Rey Giese show. If you don't know, Giese was a sign painter from San Jose. We don't have too many claims-to-fame here beyond computer chips so it was a real pleasure to pop in and see the walls covered in vintage signs painted by Giese. If you have the time, the show is open until tomorrow, February 28th noon-7pm.

Rey Giese installation. You can see the incredible variety here.

Rey Giese was incredibly prolific. Born in San Jose in Sept. 25, 1919, Giese passed away just last year. He worked his way through a career in sign painting and it seemed if you were walking downtown in the 1930s, you would easily spot one of his signs. There is just something about dedicating your life to mastering a craft that I find so honorable. The focus and steady hand needed for sign painting is something to be admired as well. You really should go see this legend's work before the show ends.

The show also features some local artists and their super interpretations of Giese's work.

Read the write-ups in the images below for more information on how he got started. You can also read this article to find out more about Rey Giese.

How nice would it be to only have to use the Yellow Pages and your signature as advertisement?