Graphic Art

Here's a few things that make interesting art:  Big, graphic statements.  Variations on a theme.  Seemingly mundane objects raised to the level of art.  The Midyette Family does all these things very well with their paintings of coffee cups they collected from New York City.  Image via Apartment Therapy.

Fab!  I want them.  The paintings are simple, graphic and colorful.  Since the theme is repeated, it appears as one large piece of art. Perfect display and accent lighting.  Great job!

Simple, but not easy

I have a very exciting week lined up here at Creative Influences.  This week is all about art!  I am obsessed with art.  The process of creation is a fascinating one, and I am always intrigued by what people feel compelled to create.  Why do we do it?  Because we have to.  Today I'd like to feature the work of Sue Gillette.  In particular, her Moderno series.

Modern, minimal painting is probably my favorite genre, if indeed it's possible to choose a favorite.  Sue does it very well.  This type of painting requires a steady hand.  It requires skill, restraint and a kind of grace in communicating with the canvas.  It can't be forced.  It may be simple, but it's not easy.  As a lover of simplicity, minimal paintings are my favorite to hang in my apartment.

My own work is an attempt to reconcile reductionist tendencies.  The inherent difficulty with reductionism is  there is always room for a work to be further reduced.  It can be a frustrating process since I am a perfectionist, one line out of place and the painting is ruined. To see my recent minimal attempt, click here.  To see what happens, when I mess up one of these paintings, click here.  If I don't get a minimal painting right, I end up layering paint on the canvas.  This type of painting is a lot more fun to execute as it's not so exacting, but it's hard to know when to stop.

Exciting Announcement

I'm excited to announce that my art is being shown as part of Summit County's Room With a View program.  The RWAV program offers local artists an opportunity to display their artwork while encouraging citizens and community leaders to support the arts.  For my artist's statement and bio, click here.  To see the work that is being displayed, click here.  Thank you to the kind folks at the Summit County Executive's Office for this opportunity.

Square Peg, Your Curator, Vol. V

Welcome to my online gallery.  I'm Square Peg, Your Curator, and I've got a very exciting show lined up today.  You are already familiar with my love of street art.  I love the idea of a public, open gallery, where everyone is invited to express and view creativity.  I have fantasies of an entire city being a gallery.  Today I am featuring art which is influenced by this visionary art scene.  All of the art featured is fresh, graphic and edgy, just like art should be.  Art should stretch your comfort zone, it should encourage you to look at things in a different way and to consider things you might miss.  And it can be pretty while doing so, as these works prove.  Hope you enjoy!

Stencils have become increasingly intricate, this is a skill I'd like to master.  I dig 'em.  I want this work by Rex and Poppy.

Another beautiful use of stencil.  Love it combined with the clean lines.  I adore simple, minimal works.  As you know simple is not easy.  This painting took some skill and a steady hand.  When the street is your gallery, you must set aside fear, paint quickly and learn to paint with a steady hand.  Painting by Tayac.

Update:  I received a kind email from Tayac.  I love hearing from the artists I support!  The link to his website is here.  It's fairly new, but looks like he's involved in some interesting work.

The public nature of street art allows some of these talented artists to gain worldwide recognition.  The very exciting movement in art toys (also called urban vinyl, which I've written about a lot on this blog), brings these works to life.  kaNO kid is one of those artists who has become very recognizable and has toys produced of his work.  I'm gonna let you in on a secret.  All artists want this kind of fame, but they might not admit it.  We want our art to be seen by the whole world.

I dig the work of Erin Crawford.  Sensual, otherworldly and psychedelic.  Is it just me, or do these groovy paintings remind you of Barbarella?  Love her use of color as well.  Her Etsy shop is here.  She has a really cool web site too, which is here.  I'd like to commission her to do a painting of Goldie Hawn wearing go-go boots.

I like art that is beautiful, and a little creepy too.  This type of art is inexplicably compelling.  It repels and attracts at the same time.  This artist is successfully communicating a deepness of thought.  The woman in the painting is preoccupied by her dissatisfaction, yearning and melancholy.  I think women can identify with this work, because these are feelings that are all too familiar.  Constant yearning is the state of contemporary woman.  The artist has communicated these feelings in a gentle and romantic way.  This is a painting I would proudly hang in my home.  Painting by Melanie Shewchuck.

I dig an urban montage.  Fab.  ByHandClothing. 

Painting by Robert Comire. I find this work extremely compelling.  The industrial laundry, now a ghost in a post-industrial age.  Floating on an island.  Post-industrial themes are often present in my photographic work.  In fact this piece speaks to me, as it reminds me of one of my photos (click here if interested).  I think I need to turn some of my photos into paintings.  My next series of paintings will be heavily influenced by street and urban art.  I have so many ideas I need like a million dollars to buy canvas, paint and brushes.  And oh yeah, time.  There's never enough time.  

If you liked this series, be sure to check out my my series on Chick Art.

Square Peg, Your Curator, Vol. IV

Today I'd like to show the fascinating artwork of Amy Shawley.

 

My favorite piece is entitled "Guardian of the Watchtower."  Amy explains that the photo in this multi-media work is of an abandoned sugar factory in Brooklyn, the angel from a  drawing. Unfortunately, the building was later demolished.  I feel a kinship with Amy.

Amy's work evokes a myriad of feelings in me, just like art should.  These feelings are similar to those I experience when I explore my city with my camera. The abandoned buildings represent the impermanence of all things, and so much more.  I fall in love with their beauty and romanticized past.  So many issues come up for me.  Sadness.  Not only for the loss of an interesting structure, but also for the ending of a chapter in the city's life.  Fear.  For the unknown as we redefine the way we live.  Excitement.  About the promise for a better, smarter (and perhaps more sustainable) future.  Lastly, questions of how we define beauty and ugliness.  Both are just illusions.  All of this I try to communicate with my camera. Amy's work reminds me of a photo montage I recently completed based on the theme of abandonment.  If interested in seeing my piece, click here.

Amy's work has a yearning, romantic wistful quality to it.  Here are more of her multi-media pieces.  If you've been reading my curated series, you know that I am attracted to faceless images. 

I enjoy reading artists' blogs.  I am  fascinated when they show pictures from their sketchbook and of their process.  Amy generously gives us a peak into her creative soul.  As artists we try to explain that which is unexplainable.  However, put simply, we create because we must.  The act of creation becomes the most important thing and the journey is more important than the destination.  Amy's Etsy shop is here, her website is here.

Pink Bedroom!

Sometimes this blog takes on a life of its own.  I have a schedule of posts and then they get interrupted by something too fab not to mention.  Such is the case today.  I have a lot of art I'd like to show you this week, but I could not wait to show you this divine bedroom!  Sometimes I think I should've devoted a blog entirely to pink.

Aaah.  I could live in a home done entirely in pink.  I think bubble gum pink is my all time favorite.  I think I love it even more than hot pink and I love me some hot pink.  I also adore monochrome.  Notice the variety of textures.  And that chandelier is too fabulous.  It's no surprise that this room is by my favorite designer, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz.  This is the bedroom in his retreat in the Rockaways.  To see more of the home, see the article in New York Home Design.  Stay tuned, art coming up as promised.

Hats!

Please bear with me as I obsess about the Royal wedding for just a moment more....For me the wedding was all about hats!  I could not get enough of the hats, and I learned a new word - fascinators.  A quick look at the blogosphere reveals that I am not alone in this - ahem - fascination.  I do hope a trend starts in the U.S.

I thought Princess Beatrice and Eugenie looked fabulous!  You have to have regal presence (and posture) to carry off those hats.  'Course these gals are so gorgeous they could wear anything!  If you are looking for couture or avant garde hats in the U.S.  Look no further! 

Thanks to Casapinka I discovered a wonderful hat designer, Arturo Rios (Etsy shop here, website here). Better snatch these up while they last. My favorite hat of all time is the one Aretha Franklin wore to President Obama's inauguration, see previous post here.  In Cleveland and need a hat for a special occasion?  No problem, Sweet Lorain's got you covered with a large variety reasonably priced.

Image by Peggy.

Royal Wedding

I'd like to interrupt our regularly scheduled posts for a quick word about the Royal wedding.  I'm not usually into hype, but I found myself fascinated by the Royal wedding this week.  I remember watching the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles from the Delta Zeta house (in the same chair I was in when John Lennon was killed).  My sorority sisters and I were in awe of the genuine innocence of Diana.  We all cried.  We hoped to meet a prince.  I never did, but I've kissed many frogs.

Last night I was caught up.  What will Kate wear?  How will she wear her hair?  What amazing pagentry, how on Earth do you plan such an event?  It's not often I want to sit in front of the TV.  Since I have no TV, I watched it on the Internet.  Back when Diana and Charles were married, I never could have imagined the miracle of the Internet.  I heard a statistic last night - please forgive me that it is not accurate but only an approximation - you'll get the idea.  Some 81 million viewers tuned in to see Diana and Charles married.  Today between TV and Internet, about 3 billion tuned in.  Astonishing.

Why are so many people interested in this?  In a word, it's love.  We need more of it.  I find myself excited about the prospect of progressive Royals.  Kate will gracefully wield power I can only imagine.  I do, however, know how I would use that power.  I'd ask the world's people to once and for all lay down their arms.  William and Kate, I wish you much love and happiness.  I look forward to watching you change the world.

Portrait of an Artist

Dear readers, as you know, I've been obsessing quite a bit about decor lately.  I've decided to switch the focus over the next week or so to art.  I am happiest when I am painting, and I am working on a new series of paintings.  One of my writing professors once told budding writers to study the work of authors they enjoy.  I thought this was good advice, so I am going to study the work of painters that I enjoy.  I hope you will enjoy this journey.  

I'd like to start by featuring a great artist, and a dear friend of mine, Haley Litzinger.  Haley is a creative person, who lives her life as art.  She is an intellectual who deeply ponders questions of God and human choice.  She says it better than I ever could: "Humans' essential nature is good; holding or comparing oneself to the polarity of good and bad will cause an inoperative disconnection with this essential nature."  See more of Haley's Artist's Statement and Bio at RWAV.  I feel a kinship to Haley.  Indeed, elements of her work remind me of my own.  She also loves to explore detritus, urban decay and her work questions human intervention by often taking on apocalyptic tones.  In my own work, I like to question the notion of what we consider beautiful and ugly and render both of these constructs as illusion.

I had the pleasure of visiting Haley at her studio recently.  I adore artists' studios and plan to do a full post on studios in the near future.  When she first rented the studio she told me she planned to paint the ceilings, floors and walls white.  I wholeheartedly agreed!  I love all white boxes, and they are especially great for creating.  She also wanted a chill space where friends could hang out.  I see Haley as a love child of hippies, sweet and innocent, yet sophisticated too.  Nothing too conventional for her would do.  I could see her with Bohemian, Moroccan and Hindu influences and colors.  Lots of textiles, but also touches of nature.  I suggested to her that we collect driftwood to make a chandelier.

I scoured the Internet for inspiration.  This is her  favorite of all the many pictures I collected for her.  I apologize for not remembering its source.  Please contact me if you know the designer of this fab room.  Here are some pictures from Haley's studio.  It was totally fun visiting her there.

The studio.  Makes me want to create!  I love the industrial shelving.  It has great windows and great light.  I could live here!

Haley at work.  She works with resin, creating multi-layered collages with depth.

Here's the chill corner.  She got the sofa and chairs from Craigslist.  Unfortunately, the day I was there the pillow covers were in the wash, but I think you get the idea of how cute they are.  Haley raised the seating area by placing it on palettes.  Too fab!  I love the little crate used as a coffee table and the lanterns.  Just the right amount of earthiness.

Here's a close up on the rug, it's a very deep shag.  She got the rug on sale at World Market.

Another thing Haley and I have in common is that she also has two young nephews she adores.  Here is some of their art hanging on the wall.  I think it's too cool.  The wind chime adds a nice organic touch.  Here are some photos of Haley's work:

Photos don't really do these complex pieces justice.  They have a multi-layered depth to them, I tried to capture it by photographing them from the side.  When looking at her pieces, you are literally drawn into another world.  It was fun to watch her work.  Here is a work in progress:

 

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of Haley's studio.  If you are a local artist and would like to be featured on this blog, please send me an email.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, dear readers!  I love Easter, it signifies rebirth.  After the long, difficult winter I know we all need a rebirth.  Spring is a time of creativity.  Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read my blog.  I can't tell you how much it means to me.  Stay tuned, exciting things planned for this week.  xxoo