Can you believe it’s almost December already? Â Why does it seem that entire years go by in the time it takes me to make toast?
Speaking of things that mystify my brain, Matt Haber has succeeded in doing just that, in all the best ways. Â His narrative fantasies and clean design sensibilities combine to make my synapses fire faster than they were ever meant to. Â Go ahead, give his paintings a try for yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends, family, and readers!
If you’re not able to spend the day with your own family, might I suggest you spend some time with The Snootson Family Showcase, an ongoing series of narrative works created by Jophen Stein. Â In fact, this could be the start of a great new tradition, spend some time every holiday with the work of a favourite artist! It’s an even better idea than candied yams!
Yury Darashkevich paints finely rendered women against void backgrounds, and for my money he’s at his best when creating his large-scale close-ups; the empty backgrounds become foregrounds as drips of paint bleed over the edges of hairdos and shoulders, while the women stare back at you with looks that suggest you had better take them seriously. Â Before you head over to his site though, I should warn you that some of his work is NSFW.
I love the raw physicality of Daniel Liam Gill’s figure studies. Â With organic brushwork and a limited palette he manages to convey a real sense of weight, density, and tension in his bodies. Â Fantastic!
There is a wonderful simplicity to Suzanna Schlemm’s work that allows for the pure joy of colour and form to come through, regardless of subject matter.
I’m going to let Tiina Heiska’s paintings speak for themselves, because they are amazing, and no words I can come up with at this moment will do them justice. (ok, I realize that hasn’t stopped me from trying before, but there’s a first time for everything.)
I realize that Pamela Michelle Johnson’s paintings are a commentary on the mass consumerism of our culture, and I agree whole-heartedly with the notion that it would do us good to become more mindful of what we put into our bodies, but I have to admit (sheepishly at that) that I was getting pretty hungy while going through her portfolio. Â That’ll teach me to look at art on an empty stomach.
Some painters seem more magician than artist. I might put Carolyn Anderson in this category for her ability to turn a series of raw brush strokes into a complex portrait full of light and substance. If I could move paint that well I would be a happy man.
David Graeme Baker’s domestic scenes appear quiet, but are filled with the telling details of rich and full lives. These details give the paintings life, and are what make me a big fan of his work.
