Ack — I don’t know what the reason is that I’m a silent partner in this wonderful company. This, too, shall pass.
But I have been collecting cool art. That’s easy peasy. Especially if listening to smooth jazz and drinking a bit of coffee and looking at the sunshine that promises more warmth in a month.
So this bright Friday Morning I thought I’d give you a sneak peak of future Gallery contestants:
MarblesOdilon Redon
Iris Scott
Boris Vallejo
I look forward to sharing with you all these wonderful, marvelous, crazy, inspiring artists. I hope you look forward to coming back!!
How could I finish this magnificent year without highlighting Galleries from 2021?
Where did 2021 go, anyway?
There’s not much that gives me more joy than discovering and sharing unique, different, and spectacular artists. Every time I come across something new I can’t wait to share it with you.
I go back and wander through my galleries often — I am always amazed at the individual and different kinds of creativity that wait back there for me — and you — to explore.
So allow me a few minutes of showing off. Here are some of the highlights from the Gallery of 2021.
I am just tickledpink about all the new artists I’ve found for my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog! I’m so glad I decided to extend Sunday night to a couple of evenings during the week, too.
Sometimes the well is dry, meaning I have only about six or seven artists lined up and ready to visit you all. But other times it’s like I’ve hit the jackpot with unique — and I mean unique — ways of expressing art. Every once in a while my “unique” entails strange, uncomfortable, or off-the-wall sorts of creativity.
Other times there’s just enough “awww” factor or “ah ha!” familiarity for you to say, “I didn’t know they created that!”
I try and keep it interesting and amazing. I hope I’m doing that. I know I keep saying “WOW” to myself when I find new artists and their over-the-top talent.
Do me a favor — tell ONE person about my art blog, Sunday Evening Art Gallery. Just one. If you know someone who loves unique and unusual, send them my way. I will do my best to keep them entertained.
Here are a few artists I have in mind for the future:
I thought I’d do a little self promotion this fine evening.
Not just because it’s MY Gallery, but I can’t begin to tell you how many unique, different, extraordinary artists there are in the world! I am blown away by these people’s ideas, whether it’s miniatures, fabric art, ceramics, photography, metal work, or dozens of other mediums.
If you are bored one afternoon or evening and want to get a more detailed look at some of the fantastic artists I’ve come across, stop on by. We’re open 24/7, there’s no admission charge, and you never know what creative world lies just around the corner!
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz
Have been working diligently on my Sunday Evening Art Gallery main site. Here are some of the newer galleries I’ve added….more images, more variety … Can’t wait for you to come on over!
Are you a fan of the “Arts”? What sort of art calls to you?
Encyclopedia Britannia says: Traditional categories within the arts include literature (including poetry, drama, story, and so on), the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.), the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), the decorative arts (enamel work, furniture design, mosaic, etc.), the performing arts (theater, dance, music), music (as composition), and architecture (often including interior design).
I can dig all those categories.
Some of us are very invested in the Arts. We are musicians, painters, sculptors, novelists. We show and sell our interpretations of life and the world to others who want to feel what we feel.
Others of us are merely voyeurs. Nothing wrong with that — our lives are so busy that there’s not often a free moment to just sit and stare at a watercolor or pen and ink drawing. We look, we say, “hey! That’s cool!’, and go on our merry way.
At least we stop.
I think if you love creativity it’s hard to follow only one path. I have a couple of friends in here that do everything from quilting to watercolor painting, from drip art to portraits. It’s such a wide and encompassing world it’s hard to resist playing in it, either by being a voyeur or a participant.
Last night I spent a couple of hours downloading images from an amazing jewelry shop in Japan. Why would I do that? What was I doing there?
As often the case, I don’t know how one thing led to another to another and another and there I was, appreciating the craftsmanship and style of a culture way on the other side of the world from me.
Is it art, though?
I realize my Sunday Galleries are always art from my point of view. You may love Andy Warhol or Claude Monet. You may prefer jewelry artists to barn artists. Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism.
That’s the beauty of Art. It’s something different to everyone.
We all have our tendencies, even if we think we are totally objective. I can see I like structure, texture, and designs that make sense (to me). I like landscapes, jewelry, and sparkly things.
But I try and balance that with truly unique art I’ve never seen before. Discovering artists such as Bisa Butler (quilting) or Ron Ben-Israel (cakes) or Tina Lane (glasswork) or Chris Maynard (feather art) has been the most rewarding and fun times of my life. I mean — who knew they were even out there?
Sometimes an idea pops into my head (scary thought!); other times I see a sample on Facebook or a reference online someplace or even while reading. Some pan out, others are just one special thing among a hundred blah things. And, OMG, just now, while Googling “What is Art?” in images I just found about six or seven new, wonderful, creative artists! See? You can do it, too!
Stick with me. This ride will open your eyes to the creative world around you.
A beautiful summer’s day outside. I should be out there, walking, or at least fetching the dog, walking down the paths, daydreaming of new story lines or what color to color my hair.
Instead, I’m inside, sitting in front of my computer. Final editing, I say. Looking for dinosaur remote cars for my grandson, I say. Ordering the six disc Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies, I say.
This is insane.
I’m going outside in five minutes. I just wanted to share that I have found so many amazing, beautiful, unusual artists for upcoming Sunday Evening Art Galleries that I’m about to burst.
Humankind can be sooooooo creative. Amazing to the point where they put me to shame.
Happy, it’s okay shame, so to speak.
Here are a couple of pictures of upcoming blogs: Take a look and be amazed, too.
kalamkari
Jeff Bell
cars
Ellen Jewett
There are more, more, more. I hope I don’t overcrowd your Reader. But I want to get the majesty and quirkiness and beauty of the Arts out there where it is loved and appreciated — in your hands.
Continue your creative quest. Keep trying. Don’t be afraid to be the same; don’t be afraid to be different.
And share your creativity with those around you. With me. With the world.
Could it only have been December of 2014 that I introduced the world of Crowns to my friends and followers? One stone on one crown on one head could pay for your house. Two stones would allow you to fly around the world. Let’s go play in the imagination and see what royalty would bring us!
Royal Crown of India
Queen Mary’s Coronation Crown
Minor Imperial Crown of Russia
Crown of Iran
Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire
Queen Crown of Bavaria
Crown of King Martin I of Sicily and Aragon
Crown of Hallie Selassie
Tiara of Pope Pius IX
Crown of Empress Kunigunde
Kiani Crown of Persia
A lot more Imperial Crowns can be found over at the Gallery. Come on over and try a few on!
Wenqin Chen studied at the Art & Design School of Fuzhou University 1995-1999.
Since 2000’s, Chen has used Chinese calligraphy, sculpture and installation to explore the relationship between life, art and their diversity.
The being of life, the wonder of the human experience, and tensions in our living environment are intrinsic to and evident in his work.
As a source of inspiration and research, Chen studied extensively the human body, various scientific journals and statements, real life examples, and countless images.Working in mostly stainless steel, Chen’s sculpting is a process of comprehending and elaborating on the vastness of life.
“Everything has life, life is everywhere,” is the truth he consistently explores in his work.He has successfully combined his art and pursuit of academia with ancient Chinese culture and contemporary western art.
Gordon Pembridge was born in Kenya, and as a young boy was lucky enough to experience the wilds of Africa.
Along with many an adventure in the bush, Pembridge developed a passion for natural history.He completed his education at boarding school in Wanganui, New Zealand, then attended art school, taking various courses in design.Pembridge now works for himself and is involved in graphic design, 3-D design, fine art, illustration, photography, digital imaging, and wood turning.Having moved to New Zealand, Pembridge has grown to love the New Zealand bush for its unique flora and fauna.He started wood turning in 2004, developing a series of thin turned pieces with a pierced fern as a signature piece.In these pieces Pembridge explores the boundaries of wood turning on the lathe and then hand carving of intricate designs into the timber.More of Gordon Pembridge‘s masterful art can be found at www.gordonpembridge.com.
Sally England is a fiber artist living and working in Ojai, California.
During her time in graduate school in 2011 she was inspired to further her work in soft sculpture and explore a new form of macramé (knot-based textile construction) for who we are today.
Her ensuing large-scale modern macramé work using thick cotton rope became a catalyst for the recent revival of the craft, inspiring many to learn or relearn the art of knotting.
According to England, “My art is an exploration of texture, dimension, and scale, in which I use traditional hand techniques such as knotting, basketry, twining, and weaving, to create expressive and fluid forms.”
“Not confining my work to a set outcome, I let the material evolve organically as it will.”
“Through a process of working from muscle memory in a meditative state, I see patterns of time travel and architecture, tapping into ancient skills and archetypal symbols while dwelling in the intimacy of fibers and skin.”
Snow Snow Snow! Wonderful to look at, fun to ski or toboggan in, yet hell to drive through. Alas, you in the southern part of the country/continent/Earth ball — yours will come. Right now for me it makes for a wonderful meditation background.
I have some great Sunday Evening Art Galleries coming up. If you have favorite artists and styles, be sure to let me know. But here’s a peek at a few up-and-comers:
Matthias Jung
Alexandra Spyratos
Masks
I have been behind in adding galleries to my actual gallery, Sunday Evening Art Gallery. Here are a few recent additions:
The goal of Tresor Mukonkole’s artistic vision is to illustrate certain complexities, including his artistic point of view, of the world.Mukonkole comes from the Congo, an unstable country on all fronts, underground rich in minerals, yet full of numerous conflicts between different political and economic factors.From the soil of the Congo, his homeland, his work as an artist is about the analysis of the presence of man on earth, and his impact on everything, especially the environment and the future of nature.Mukonkole says he produces a narrative from his paintings with butterflies in order to express himself on the beauty and the fragility embodied by nature and the earth.His artistic work aims to illustrate his perspective as an artist on the threats to our environment by presenting a glimmer of positivity to replace the darkness.Despite the complexities of his world and his artistic calling, his butterfly paintings are bright and full of life and hope.
Sharon Weiser, who grew up in Wisconsin, began painting as a child and went on to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts and K-12 teaching certificate from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.
After living for twenty years in Phoenix, Arizona, Weiser returned to the Midwest where she currently teaches painting and drawing at her studio.Clearly, the time Weiser spent in Arizona left its mark artistically as she continues to create her joyfully close-up cactus compositions.Painting in either oils or acrylics, Weiser works primarily from her own photos – cropping, replacing, re-positioning or enlarging forms to expertly compose her dynamic light-filled canvases.It is bold colors, a remarkable attention to detail and a singular sense of design that makes her paintings stand apart.Her artwork also continues to evolve as her curiosity compels her to keep experimenting with different color palettes, subjects and ideas.Her choice of southern colors reflects the beauty of her surroundings, adding depth and almost a fluorescence to desert life.More of Sharon Weiser‘s beautiful paintings can be found athttp://www.sharonweiser.com/.
Pegi Smith paints in acrylics on canvas from her home studio in the mountains near Ashland, Oregon.
Smith’s art immerses the viewer into her very compelling dream world.
From these dreams, Smith paints abstracts using rich colors to evoke and uplift the viewer.
Smith is a self-taught artist, therefore she uses her paints in an innovative manner exclusive to herself.
Her use of color, which changes with each collection, makes her work perfect for nearly any interior decor scheme.
She aims to summarize her own life perspectives in her paintings and hopes that her work will cause the viewer to immerse and then emerge with the intent of the design.
That young minds and old should be focused on more important things like finance and politics and how to earn a living.
Well, art is a miracle of the mind, heart, and soul, too.
I’ve been finding a lot of new and unique artists to share in futureSunday Evening Art Gallery blogs. And with each piece of art comes an overwhelming sense of self. Of accomplishment. Of caring and sharing.
Here are a few of the artist I’ve already featured. Take a look at the thought, the fine detail, the foresight these people had in just creating something:
Here is a sampling of some of the artists to come:
Pegi Smith
Matt Molloy
Vanessa Davis
Just think for a moment all the work that went into each creation. All the thought, emotion, and precise movements it took to get their art just right..
Art is all around you.
If ever in doubt, just open your eyes. Hereare a few views of art made by a more “cosmic” artist … be sure to take in this sort of art when you can …
Anne Vallayer-Coster has been called the second-greatest French still-life painter of the 18th century after Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
Vallayer-Coster was born into an artistic family; her mother painted miniatures and her father was a master goldsmith.
Her father’s elevated status and aristocratic patronage may have helped the young Vallayer-Coster overcome some of the restraints that hindered many women artists.
She achieved fame and recognition very early in her career, being admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1770, at the age of twenty-six.
In 1780 she was named Painter to Queen Marie Antoinette. She continued painting a broad range of subjects and themes including animals, trompe-l’oeil bas reliefs, miniatures, and full-sized portraits, which mirrored the opulence of French aristocracy before the Revolution.
In addition to still life, she painted portraits and genre paintings, but because of the restrictions placed on women at the time her success at figure painting was limited.
Vallayer-Coster’s life was determinedly private, dignified and hard-working. She survived the bloodshed of the French Revolution, but the fall of the French monarchy, who were her primary patrons, caused her reputation to decline.
Due to her close association with Marie Antoinette, her career suffered during the French Revolution. She continued exhibiting at the Salon, however, until the year before her death.
Anne Vallayer-Coster‘s marvelous paintings can be found at museums and galleries and on the Internet.
Even on backpacking trips, where the weight of everything has to be considered, Carl is unable to resist bringing heavy stones back home.
Stones are arranged in balance with minimal alteration to a point of resolve, then fixed permanently by invisibly drilling and anchoring with steel.
Peverall sees stone as a profoundly alluring medium, and his search for the right rocks is tireless.What Perevall hopes to do is connect the material with some sort of visual poetry. He is drawn by the opportunity to give ancient, silent stones, wrought over millions of years, a special chance to ground viewers in their near immortal beauty and soulful presence.
A lovely, crazy, wild, serene, inquisitive, jovial, restful, whirlwind, boring, or otherwise refreshing weekend.
I thought I would take a Monday evening to show off some of the beautifully intricate and unusual and amazing art I’ve come across since I started my Sunday Evening Art Gallery blog.
I cannot tell you how much each one of these artists have taken my breath away with their talent, their determination, and their creativity. Hope you appreciate the galleries, and if you are interested, come on over to the main Sunday Evening blog and see a lot more of their magic. Follow if you wish — just peek in now and then if you don’t. But no matter where you go, keep an eye out for the unusual, the beautiful, the world of art.
Around the world, I’ve searched for youI traveled on when hope was gone To keep a rendezvousI know somewhere, sometime, somehow You’d look at meAnd I would see the smile you’re smiling nowIt might have been in County Down Or in New York In gay Paree or even London TownNo more will I go all around the worldFor I have found my world in you….
~ Around the World, lyrics by William Fuller, Oladapo Torimiro, Brett Young ~
Precariously resting atop a pedestal, these wave-like glass vessels by Scottish artist Graham Muir seem to defy gravity as if frozen in a moment before crashing into the ocean.
Using techniques perfected over the last decade, Muir achieves delicate shapes that seem almost chiseled or fractured, but are in fact accomplished when working while the glass is still hot.
According to Muir, “I find glass to be a material that does not respond well to being dominated by the artist.”
“For me the concept of the work is just the starting point for a conversation between the artist’s idea and the material.”
“The artist flags up the idea, the medium responds and the discussion begins.”
“However the material must not dominate proceedings either and hot glass, as most who work in it know, can be very persuasive in having its own way.”
Georgia Totto O’Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was a 20th century American painter and pioneer of American modernism best known for her canvases depicting flowers, skyscrapers, animal skulls and southeastern landscapes.
Considered the “mother of American modernism,” O’Keeffe moved to New Mexico after her husband’s death and was inspired by the landscape to create numerous well-known paintings.
She remained independent from shifting art trends and stayed true to her own vision, which was based on finding the essential, abstract forms in nature.
With exceptionally keen powers of observation and great finesse with a paintbrush, O’Keeffee recorded subtle nuances of color, shape, and light that enlivened her paintings and attracted a wide audience.
Her primary subjects were landscapes, flowers, and bones, explored in series over several years and even decades.
The images were drawn from her life experience and related either generally or specifically to places where she lived.
Georgia O’Keeffe died on March 6, 1986 at the age of 98.
I have so many wonderful artists to share with you, I decided to bring you to the Gallery on a Monday Evening…Enjoy…
Chris Maynard has worked with feathers since he was twelve. His unique feather shadowboxes are recognized by art collectors, bird lovers, and a wide and interesting variety of people from around the world.
He only has time to turn a small portion of his ideas, which fill many notebooks, into his shadow box feather designs. His favorite tools are the tiny eye surgery scissors, forceps, and magnifying glasses passed down through his family.
Maynard combines his strong backgrounds in biology and ecology into not only his art, but also a tabletop book and engaging and informative talks on the beauty, function, and meaning of feathers. He is a member of Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation.
Feathers mark nature’s pinnacle of achievement: the intersection of function and beauty. They make flight possible; insulate against water, sun and wind; and their colors and patterns help them hide and attract mates.
To Chris Maynard, each feather is a small bit of perfection. When birds shed or discard their feathers every year, he recycles them in his art.
The feathers Maynard uses are from private aviaries and zoos. Most feathers used are from birds not native to North America—even the crow feathers. The exception to using feathers from North America are those from turkeys and grouse. All feathers used in Maynard’s artwork are legal to have and sell.
Daniele Barresi is an award winning carving designer originating from Italy who now resides in Sydney, Australia.
He is world renown for his extraordinary artistic carving abilities involving a range of mediums including but not limited to fruits, vegetables, cheeses and soaps.
From a young age having spent most of his life living in a small beautiful town in Italy, it was natural for Daniele to explore his local town and surroundings that gave him inspiration in which fueled his imagination to create art in the form of carving.
As he grew so did his skills and techniques in which he uses to create the extraordinary designs you see today.
The artist currently does commissions for special events and also teaches carving classes in Sydney showing students how to carve designs into various mediums as well as how to use assorted carving tools like knives, pens, peel zesters, melon ballers and more.
Each piece he carves is more intricate and delicate than the previous one.
This is one of those posts where the title could go either way:
Don’t give up on your dreams
or
Be careful what you dream for
Those of you who have followed me through the years know I’m a 65 year-old granny of three, an Internet Data Specialist (fancy title for data entry), lover of chocolate and spaghetti, and a writer.
Writer is always last on my day job resume. Until now.
Yesterday my job title was changed to reflect the writing I’ve been doing for my company blog and other media.
I am now a Digital Writer.
I’m not telling you this to get your congratulations — I’m telling you this so that once you get to your greener-on-the-other-side-of-the-fence place you are prepared for what’s there.
All my life I’ve been a writer. I do not have a college degree — perhaps the one regret I have in life. But no matter. I’ve been a secretary most of my life, moving to a coordinator 15 years ago which included proofreading. Right up my alley.
I’ve worked my way up the proverbial ladder, although the rungs are narrow and so far apart I need another ladder just to move up one. We had a company blog that just sat there, some nebulous person posting every three months or so.
Because I am a blabbermouth on this blog, it was a natural to start blabbering for the company. The form has changed, but I now blog for the company two times a week.
After yesterday’s meeting, I found out I’m going to be doing a lot more writing than blogs and an occasional Facebook post.
And I’m nervous.
It’s one thing to toot your horn when no one is listening; it’s something else to put your money where your mouth is. Now all of a sudden I’m going to have to perform. Diversify. Research. Take a few online courses.
Am I up to it? After all, I can retire in 9 months.
I am going to give it the best I can give. I’m going to work my a$$ off to keep up, twist around, speak up. I am going to do the thing I’ve always wanted to do and do it the best I’ve ever done. I’m going to make this position a POSITION.
The purpose of today’s sermon is to reaffirm to you not to give up your dreams. And make your dreams reasonable. I mean, you can dream you are the first artist to walk the moon, but, you know…
But if you dream to have a better job, lose weight, get out and see the world one city at a time, don’t give up. Work towards it. Finagle your way around it.
I wouldn’t have had this opportunity if I hadn’t bugged my boss to take over the blog. It went to once a month to twice a week, and I fear more often in the future.
I might have been a 65-year-old pain in the a$$, but I did listen to Kenny Rogers:
You got to know when to hold ’em,
Know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table.
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealing’s done.
Just opened another gallery over at Sunday Evening Art Gallery, and running through all the different galleries, I decided to show off a few of the images you didn’t see here. It is my hope that you wander over to http://www.sundayeveningartgallery.com and take a look at the wonderfully creative artists I’ve come across.. These people blow my mind. I hope that if you’re not following me over there, you’ll think about it. I have a ton of artists waiting for Sundays here, then exploding in their glory over at the SEAG. Come and stay a while!
Ellie Davies has have been working in UK forests for the past eight years, making work which explores the complex interrelationship between the landscape and the individual.
Davies notes UK forests have been shaped by human processes over thousands of years and include ancient woodlands, timber forestry, wildlife reserves and protected Areas of Outstanding Natural.
As such, forests are potent symbols in folklore, fairy tale and myth, places of enchantment and magic as well as of danger and mystery.
Against this backdrop, Davies’ work explores the ways in which identity is formed by the landscapes we live and grow up in.
The forest becomes a studio, forming a backdrop to contextualize the work, so that each piece draws on its location, a golden tree introduced into a thicket shimmers in the darkness, painted paths snake through the undergrowth, and strands of wool are woven between trees mirroring colors and formal elements within the space.
Well, I guess today was the last day I can wear my heavy-duty sweater as an outer garment. With temps hanging around 25 to 30 degrees, even my hot flashes won’t hold up against the chill and wind.
And speaking of chill, and cold, and snow, and sleet (were we really talking about all that?) I have been searching for a new name for my sometimes-Thursday evening art gallery. I am finding so many fantastic artists that I just can’t help sharing them more than once a week.
I hope you don’t mind.
So thinking of the depths of winter that is soon to arrive, I thought of soft music, crackling fires, and rooms full of art. Cinnamon and apple and spice potpourri and mulled wine or shots of Rumchata. So with thoughts of snuggling and armchair tours around the gallery, I’ve decided.
Art Around the Fireplace
Or should it be…
Thursday Art Gallery Around the Fire
Or maybe…
Sunday Evening Art Gallery on Thursdays In Front of the Fire
You see why I have trouble with subject lines for emails at work…
You all are a delight. I hope you enjoy the unique art as much as I do. And if you ever want to see more of these artists, THE gallery is open 24/7.
Here is a preview of what’s in store this winter in the Gallery….
Friday the 13th. Spooky for some, lucky for others.
My black (and white) cat and I are taking the opportunity this day to promote my other blog, SUNDAY EVENING ART GALLERY.
I have added a lot of additional images to each artist’s base. When I first introduce the artists here on Sunday nights, it’s often hard to pick just 5 or 6 of their masterpieces.
That’s what the Gallery is for.
So when you are in need of that “wow…how do they DO that?” moment, pop on over to the other side. Better yet, sign up to follow the blog. It doesn’t fill your mailbox full of fluff junk mail; just notices when I open a new gallery. Which is at least once a week.
Come on — take a chance. It’s a fun world to explore.
Kevin is a multi faceted artist, having mastered many mediums, from oil painting (his primary medium) to sculpture in bronze, pastel and watercolor.
He has also worked in many styles along his journey as an artist, from classical to total abstraction to the place he has now arrived.
Utilizing and integrating all the various techniques and ideas he has collected and invented along the way, Kevin brings something fresh and unique to the art world.
Latchezar Boyadjiev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and educated the the Academy of Arts in Sofia and the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where he studied with Professor Stanislav Libensky, one of the most prominent glass artists of our time.
Boyadjiev came to the United States in 1986, where he taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts.
Boyadjiev begins his sculptures by creating clay sculptures with perfect smooth surfaces and details
Next follows a series of positive and negative molds, a time-consuming and detail-oriented process that leads to the final plaster positive that will determine the outcome of the sculpture.
These new glass sculptures are cast into yet another mold, and later annealed, partially ground and polished.
Boyadjiev creates amazing glass sculptures that are sensual and fluid, a true joy to behold.
Each pot is built in the coil method, one layer at a time. It is then embellished or carved and set to dry for a month before it is fired.
The firing process involves bringing the kiln up very slowly to a temperature of around 1300 degrees and then it is turned off and watched until it hits 990 degrees. After the firing, the piece is lifted out with Kevlar gloves and placed in sawdust to “smoke” the pot in the old Pueblo style tradition.
Lucy uses no glazes in her process –the sheen comes from burnishing (polishing) the piece with a small quartz stone until it is smooth and silky to the touch.
Lucy pulls from her many years as a massage therapist and touching people to listen to what the clay wants to be and how it wishes to be transformed into shape in the physical universe.
Lucy Clark explains her talent best. “To me, life is a work of art, always in progress and only finished when we take our last breath. It is through this belief that art informs all that I am and all that I do. Even within the daily routines that consume so much of our time, art is alive and only waits for our notice.”
Seung Hoon Park, an artist from Seoul, S. Korea, is creating the most unusual images with the use of a camera and threading the film to mimic the look of woven textiles.
Part collage, part photography, part tapestry, these fragmented interpretations of iconic buildings and landmarks are truly something to ponder over.
Each image begins with 8mm or 16mm camera film strips which he lays down in rows to create a larger surface that effectively acts as a single piece of film.
Park then exposes two images in a large format 8×10″ camera using sets of vertical and horizontal strips which are woven together to create a final print.
The final image is a blend of mediums: both photograph as well as woven textile; by threading the film together, Park creates beautifully captivating scenes with textured distortions.
Inspired by the men on bicycles toting impossible mounds of objects he witnessed in Shanghai, French photographer Alain Delorme defies physics with his “Totems” series.
Delorme creates colorful, stylized works that play with our notion of photography as an objective medium.
His series “Totems” surprises with its bright comic book colors and shapes, and ‘can you believe it?’ effect.
The viewer is emerged into a world of exaggerated accumulation, of both everyday objects and towering buildings, an accumulation that has rendered society a slave to the objects it has itself created.
Alain has captured the physical, city translation of the economic growth Shanghai is presently undergoing, in the skyscrapers shooting up in the background, while not forgetting to qualify its success with the walls separating a large part of the population from it.
Spring…Summer…Autumn…all are perfect times to walk around the art gallery. Don’t fret — the art is protected from the elements. The weather is perfect, the sun is starting to set — a perfect time to explore a new and unique artist.
Since this is our premiere, let us showcase something…unassuming.
My research folders for my Sunday Evening Art Gallery are bursting at the seams with new creative artists! I am so psyched at the amazing talents I’ve found that I’m almost tempted to open a second evening’s showing — Thursday Evening Wine and Art Gallery or Thursday Tea and Art or Thursday Evening Art Walk something like that. (Suggestions are welcome!)
Here is a peek of coming attractions:
Tell your family — tell your friends — every Sunday evening, and perhaps every Thursday evening, you will find magical art and artists here at Humoring the Goddess, then in excess at the Sunday Evening Art Gallery.
Every now and then karma comes back and makes me feel great.
Karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Sometimes we hope karma comes back and kicks butt to the meanies of the world. Other times we hope that because we’ve been good or loving that we can win the lottery.
Sometimes something I’ve blogged circles around and shines sunshine back in my face. Last December my Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog showcased Collin van der Sluijs , a muralist painter from the Netherlands. A few months later there was a comment from the website Life in Maastrichtwho asked if they could use info from my blog to showcase Collin, as he was from Maastricht too. Their website has been part of the Netherlands social media communities since June 2015, covering news and stories about one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. Of course I said yes.
They later stated, “…contacted Collin and he’s happy to participate, thank you for your post, otherwise I wouldn’t have found him.”
So imagine. I got to learn about a town named Maastricht in a country half way around the world, and helped their website find and highlight a homeboy. To me, that’s karma.
Australian photographer Steve Axford ventures into forested areas near his home in New South Wales to photograph the unusual forms of fungi, slime molds, and lichens he finds growing there.
The permutations in color, shape, and size found in each specimen are a testament to the radical diversity of living creatures found in just a small area.
A handful of the images seen here, namely the “hairy” fungi called Cookeina Tricholoma, were photographed last year on a trip to Xishuangbanna, China and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
His amazing photography catches images of fungi most have never seen.
Steve lives and works in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales in Australia where he often travels to remote locations to document the living world around him.
The delicacy and uniqueness of the fungi is beyond imagination.
It’s his work tracking down some of the world’s strangest and brilliantly diverse mushrooms and other fungi that has resulted in an audience of followers who wait to see what he’s captured next.
David Kracov studied at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and began his career in animation with the Brad Pitt feature, Cool World.
During his time as an illustrator, David began to experiment with different types of clay, and started sculpting the characters from those films he animated.
Kracov’s magical touch with a vibrant color palette turned into unique steel wall sculptures.
Each in a limited edition of only 55 works that begin with hundreds of small sketches that are then hand-cut from a single sheet of steel and then finished with detailed painting in a high-grade, water-based, acrylic polymer paint.
The meticulous steel work along with his scrutinizing attention to detail allow these sculptures to take on a life of their own.
I feel that lately I’ve run out of words.
Iris Scott
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