boyce cummings

ring of stars, 2008, mixed media on found wood, 60x60, red star smash, 2006, mixed media on canvas, 90x72, mice, 2001, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 36x36, propped birds, 2006, mixed media on canvas, 24x15, crow, 2002, acrylic on canvas, 57x48, house with pink sky, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 24x24, house with orange x, 2009, acrylic on canvas, forest fire, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 57x57, hung bird, 2006, mixed media on canvas, 24x36, bridge, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 57x57

Man vs. animal, Machine vs. nature, realism vs. abstraction, old vs. new, finished vs. unfinished, high art vs. low art and losing vs. winning. I use a combination of abstraction, traditional representational painting combined with graffiti and cartoon elements, all pushed through a somewhat surrealist filter. In many cases I feel that this perception that certain things are at odds, can in some ways be the very glue that connects them. I feel that this apparent confusion is what makes the world interesting.

click here for the complete statement and here to see more work.

kazaan viveiros

Pink Lake, 2009, Acrylic on panel, Diptych, 36x48, The Whale, 2009, Acrylic on panel, Diptych, 48x72, Galapagos, 2009, Acrylic, conté crayon on panel, Diptych, 36x48, Pear, 2007, Acrylic on panel, 36x24, Melon and Quince, 2006, 20x16, Duck Reverie, 2007, Acrylic, conté crayon on panel, Diptych, 36x48, Life and Death, 2007, Acrylic, conté crayon, pencil on 2 panels, Diptych, 40x60

My work is an exploration of perceptual relationships within the context of an evolving mental landscape. Each piece presents assembled images stemming from a rich library of personal and cultural references, ranging from literature and myth, to personal experiences or travels and paintings centuries old. The images emerge slowly, appearing, disappearing, shifting and transforming, until the right combination manifests itself. Each work becomes a synthesis of elements forming ambiguous relationships within the picture plane. The process is intuitive. The result is a quality texture, representing the creative process itself, revealing what time does to the surface of things.

i found this artist here, see lots more work here.

sunday church drawing

kirsten stingle

my own dog and pony show, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 12x12x19, containment, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 6x6x22.5, the token, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 20x20x27, domestic bliss, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 29x15x15, raising expectation, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 19x12x4, renewal, porcelain stoneware, found objects, unraveling, porcelain stoneware, found objects, her word, porcelain stoneware, found objects, 15x14x14

i often write about my friend kirsten stingle, but for some reason i've never posted about her work even though i love it! i love the raw emotion and sensitivity in her work, not to mention her interesting compositions, use of found objects and excellent craftsmanship. someday we'll get to that trade, kirsten...

erica harris

targets, 2009, beetheater, 2009, raiddasmocas, 2009, heaven and earth, 2009, man and beast, 2009, bosporous, 2009, metropolis_asia, 2009

fun and imaginative with a hint of wry humor and mystery...collaged paintings by erica harris...

i can't wait to see yellowstone again

i just found out that my encaustic workshop in jackson hole, wyoming is a go (spaces still available and time to sign up), so i'll be near to one of my most favorite places in the world-the magical yellowstone national park! as an artist, there's enough inspiration here to last a lifetime and i hope to be able to visit while i'm there. it's about 1.5 hours from jackson, but maybe i'll hitch a ride and get there between workshop days. here are some images i took while there in 2004--needless to say i was really into texture then...

santi moix

untitled, 2003-2004, oil on linen, 20.5x60, untitled, 2008, crayon and oil on paper, 55x68, the blind man, 2003, oil on linen, 65x82.5, geography of conflict, 2003-2004, oil on linen, 109x125.5, untitled, 2008, crayon and oil on paper, 55x63, untitled, 2008, crayon and oil on paper, 55x68, pontoon bridge, 2001, oil on linen, 91x104, puzzle, 1999, oil on canvas, 65x82

see more here and here.

an anouncement

photograph, the selby

hello friends, as some of you may know, i've accepted a position at peters valley craft center as fiber department head. it's going to be strange to work all summer when i'm used to relaxing, working in my studio and decompressing after a hectic year of teaching!

so because of this new craziness in my life, i've decided to take weekends off from the blog at least for the summer. i'm still going to post sunday church drawings, but because there will be no saturday post, i'm replacing the monday studio tip of the week with another great artist or other source of inspiration. enjoy this last studio tip until fall and if you're feeling like you need a good tip, there are plenty in the blog archives that will keep you going.

there will still be six awesome posts a week this summer, so visit often, it'll be great to hear from you.

i hope you all have a fabulous and creatively productive summer!

monday studio tip of the week

Kraton Kanoman, Cirebon, Indonesia, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57, Adler Hotel with Piano, Sharon Springs, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57, JL Taman, Yogajakarta, Indonesia, 2005, chromogenic dye coupler print, 36 x 43, 48 x 57

see more of wijnanda deroo's amazing photographs here.

this week's tip comes from robert genn's recent letter in which he discusses artistic 'sterility'....

Sterility is where you find yourself running on empty. It's not to be confused with "artistic senility"--another condition where the brain, often in old age, begins to run on memory rather than experiencing each work as a new event. We actually learn sterility during our teen years, as societal demands and peer pressure begin to stifle the audacity of the natural child. The sterile adult has feelings of barrenness and loss that can bring on a state of panic.

Fertility, the opposite of sterility, is learned. Curiosity and experimentation are adopted attitudes, and while they fluctuate and at times appear loony, they're largely voluntary.

Picasso was one who understood the private search for "new" because he felt the weight of the public "old." This view may not sit well with artists who honour traditions and time-worn subjects, but even in these there is room for new excitements and subtle evolutions. While we may recognize that a quick antidote is not always going to work, there are ploys that, taken individually or in combination, can do the job. Here are seven:

Change your media.
Mix your media.
Change your working environment.
Change your tools.
Exercise your body.
Study your favourite artists.
Jump around a lot.

If you are a slow worker, speed up. If you are a speedy one, slow down. Above all, grab something and get started. The learned ability of renewal is as necessary to the creative mind as holding a brush. And as brushes are often replaced, there can always be another love.

click here for my post about robert genn.