Fabian Jean

"The Idealist's Horse"

"Last Arcadian Horse"  24" x30"  2013

"Lifeboat"  17" x30"  2013

"The Speed of Ideas"  20" x 23 3/4"  2013

"Waitress on Break"

I posted some of Fabian Jean's paintings a little over a year ago and I don't have a whole lot to add to what I said before (here). But I can't resist adding these new pieces. His work is formal, traditional, finely crafted and surprisingly alive. All too often such careful rendering and rigid compositions can result in work that fails to evoke much of anything other than recognition of the effort that went into it. But here the work radiates a quiet glow. They breathe in a way that invites the viewer into a conversation with the piece like meeting a new person who just might also be a new friend. His propensity for stylized elements that I remarked upon in my previous post has largely been abandoned. But his work continues to exhibit the same carefully choreographed theatrical feel, not in a grand or showy sense, but in a way that quietly and exquisitely renders the drama of a single image, a single moment, or a single idea.

His work can be seen in person or online at galleries in Toronto (Mira Goddard Gallery) and Montreal (Galerie de Bellefeuille) and you can see many more of his paintings at his Flickr page.

(My apologies for the long delay between posts. I had settled on posting twice a week before my interruption due to attending an art residency program. I'm not certain at what rate I will continue to post as my circumstance at home are altering slightly but I will make every effort to post new work at least once a week and hopefully twice a week as often as possible)

Nat Meade

"Sneaker"

"Plaid Pantry"

"Tarp" work on paper

"Catch"

"Lamplight"

Nat Meade's paintings work on at least two levels. On one they are simple but symbolically & psychologically loaded scenes (like a minimalist amalgam of René Magritte and Edward Hopper). They draw us in with cryptic references and multiple potential meanings. Any one of them could work as an illustration suitable to multiple essays and articles covering wildly divergent topics and conflicting points of view. The simplicity of the images keeps their interpretation highly flexible without lessening their appeal. On the other level they are arresting studies of design, hue and value, their abstract qualities almost as important as their representational ones. This fact seems to be further emphasized by the artist, as his work has progressed from more tightly rendered older paintings to quicker simpler ones more recently. He often returns to certain motifs (like the man who is too large for the room in which he stands in "Sneaker") to explore different stylistic approaches or sometimes just different combinations of color and/or pattern. Sizes are not given but it appears that many of the newer pieces are probably quite small, which emphasizes the simplicity and sometimes a looser approach. The best, to my mind, seem to find a middle ground where hard edges and loose brushwork can seem both at odds and complimentary at the same time. At any rate the simplicity of the work is deceptive for they are carefully crafted and many will no doubt linger in your mind long after you see them. And you can see more at his website: www.natmeade.com or at Froelick Gallery (which, lucky for me is right here in my own hometown of Portland OR).

R. L. Rische-Baird

"Square Thinker"  oil on panel, 17.5"x 12", 2011

"A Fern Collector"  oil on panel, 17.5"x 12", 2011

"Trance Logic"  acrylic on panel, 17.5"x 12", 2011

"Two Worlds"  acrylic on canvas, 24"x 17.5", 2011

"River"  oil on canvas, 24" x 20"/14.5", 2009

R. L. Rische-Baird (or sometimes Rocky) has this to say about his what motivates him: 

a.) I acknowledge I do not understand and wish to.
b.) I attempt to understand and eventually believe I do.
c.) I realize I do not.
(repeat)

His work often plays with dualities and mysteries, objects or figures take on multiple roles, shadows become solid and reality becomes ephemeral. It is in short, unabashedly mystical, reflecting the artist's self-reflection in the face of nature. A recurring character in his paintings is a hiker/traveler figure who brings to mind the oft quoted JRR Tolkien line "...not all those who wander are lost" although the artist himself describes the figure as "acceptably lost". Both could be true, for it is exactly this kind of duality and seeming contradiction that is being engaged here. Contradictions and paradoxes are not problems that need solutions. They are the very fountain of his motivation as an artist (see above). You can view much more of his work at his website: www.rische-baird.com

Fabian Jean

"Takeover"  2012

"Escape"  2012

"Hold"  oil on linen  34" x 40"  2011

"A New World"  2008

"In the Balance"  2008

Fabian Jean is an artist in Quebec whose work seems very familiar and yet unexpected at the same time. There's no denying his technical skills. I love the scumbled layering of the brushwork and he has a great feel for dramatic color composition. The subject matter has veered away from his earlier figurative and portrait work but even then his images were carefully choreographed arrangements of visual elements. This formal tendency has become more pronounced. Much of it has a kind of decorative feel explicit in his graphic elongated cloud forms (as in the piece "Hold" above) and he's clearly referencing historic sources, especially early Chinese painting. There are other realist painters out there who use animals and still life compositions in similar combination, to create odd and suggestively symbolic motifs. But Fabian Jean's images are sometimes just a twitch more off kilter than the usual fair in this vein. For me that makes all the difference. Throughout his work there is at once both a sense of humor and a peculiar kind of loneliness. After writing these little micro-reviews for four years you'd think I'd be better able to say what I mean but there it is. Sometimes you just have to look and see.
There are a few images at his gallery's website: www.godardgallery.com
but for a larger survey of his work over the last six years go to his Flickr page.

Masakatsu Sashie

"Stove"  2011　oil on canvas　162 ×194cm

" ジャンボリー"   2011　oil on canvas　116.7 ×116.7cm

"Planet"   2010　oil on canvas　162 ×130.3cm

"Bazaar"   2010　oil on canvas　130.3 ×194cm

A lot of contemporary art here in the U.S. is addressing the condition of our post-industrial world and the decay and destruction of our environment. There's an obsession with decrepit buildings and overgrown infrastructure. It's no surprise that artists in Japan would take on some of the same themes. Masakatsu Sashie has an interesting take on it though. In many of his paintings a death-star-like sphere of urbanity floats above a desolated world. In another the urban is represented by a battle ship plying a sea of human refuse. The message is clear: As cities grow, the planet dies. Subtlety is fine thing but sometimes the message is more deserving of a hammer-like delivery, and these arresting images do just that. You can see more at sal-s.com

The artist was also featured on www.artistaday.com where I first came across the work.

Josh Dorman

"The Big Picture"  Ink, acrylic, graphite, collage on panel  33" x 34"  2011

"Tower of Babel"  Ink, acrylic, oil, antique paper on 32 adjoining panels  96" x 48"  2008

"A Cautionary Tale"  Ink, acrylic, collage on panels  36" x 68"  2008

"Night Fishing II"  Ink, acrylic, collage on panel  34" x 36"  2008

"A Mighty Rain"  ink, acrylic, collage on panel  33" x 34"  2011

Josh dorman is an obsessive collector of old paper, especially pre-photography printed materials. He hordes outdated topographic maps and textbooks, technical illustrations and the like. Then, in a combination of collage and painting, he builds images rife with subtle and often random associations that nonetheless come together with compelling completeness.  Because of the nature of his material, his work is rife with images of natural history and technology. The two themes square off against each other in the eternal conflict that defines mankind's unique condition; both creator and creature, master and manipulator of the environment while at the same time as dependent upon it as any other living thing. But there is far too much room in his work to get stuck on general themes like this. Part of the fun (and yes, there is a definitely an element of fun here for all the riffs on human hubris), is to take the time and look through the details. Some of the images here can be viewed larger, but I recommend going to his website where you can view the images really large and spend a little time poring over his meticulous presentation of a fine collection indeed.
www.joshdorman.net
 (better yet, if you happen to be in NYC between now and Oct. 22 swing by Mary Ryan Gallery over in Chelsea to see work in person.)

Tricia Cline

"The Exile and the Manitcore", 2008

 "Fancy Rattus II",  2006

 "The Exile and The Deer" (front and back)  2008  25" x 12" x11"

 "The Exile and the Rabbit" (front and side)  2009  17" x 8" x 8"

 "The Exile and the Manticore II", 2008  13" x 12" x 5"

Tricia Cline's porcelain sculptures explore the relatedness, indeed the oneness, of man and animal. In this sense she shares not only a technical similarity, but a common purpose with the work of sculptor Kate McDowell. In her artist statement she writes, "The language of animals is the language of images. An image is not an idea with a defined meaning, it is itself an animal." We humans tend to put our ideas of things in front of the the thing itself, a mental hierarchy that gets in the way of real perception. But since I have been using this blog to practice writing and thinking about art (and that sometimes leads to interpretation), I'll plunge on heedless of good advice. What strikes me as especially interesting is the echoes of ancient art in her work. Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian and Indian imagery spring to mind. But perhaps this is not so surprising given her aims. Peoples of the ancient world no doubt felt a far more visceral connection to the natural world than our technologically modern selves. Their portrayal of the human and the animal co-mingling and mixing together was used to convey a mythology of deep connection to the world of natural phenomena upon which their lives daily depended. Even her title for this series, "The Children of Lower Exile" has about it a hint of archaeology and mythology.

To see more go to her website: triciacline.com

and thanks to www.artistaday.com

Henk Pander

Henk Pander grew up in Nazi occupied Holland, and some of the trauma of that time haunts his artistic vision to this day. Classically trained in Europe, he eventually found himself in Portland, Oregon in the 1960s and has been there ever since. The impact of war, catastrophe and horror are never far from his work although he does take the time to produce more calming still lives and portraiture. But even the still lives are often weighted with the themes of memory and loss. His palette occasionally borders on the lurid, giving some of the work a nightmarish dreamlike quality. His subject matter too strays into the realm of dream and surrealism as with his skeletal arrangements which he has revisited many times over the decades. What all of his painting have in common is that they are narratives of personal history. His depictions of war and of historical locations are not mere observations but portrayals of personal impact. When he paints scenes from real life the final painting is less about what he saw, than about what he remembers seeing and feeling. The difference can be subtle (or obvious) but it is key to understanding his work.

Most of his paintings, even his wonderful watercolors, are quite large and the impact in person can be  tremendous. He currently has a show of work hanging at Laura Russo Gallery in Portland, Oregon. If you're in the area I really recommend taking a look. He also shows at Davidson Gallery in Seattle, Washington.


"Fingers"  80" x 142"  oil on linen  2006

 "Shadows"  81" x 142"  oil on linen  2002-03

"Song of the Wild"  81" x 142"  oil on linen  2001

 "The Viaduct, Haarlem, 1944"  81" x 105"  1989-2004

This gives you an idea of scale -

Erick Swenson

Erick Swenson uses polyurethane resin, polystyrene, MDF (medium density fiberboard), and acrylics to create hyper-realistic sculptures of strangely fantastical creatures. In the two cases below the creatures are dead. The first piece here is particularly fascinating in how the realism serves the fantasy. The deer is clearly decaying, revealing different layers of anatomy. At the core of course is the skeleton, but the skeleton is covered in a scrimshaw of ancient mariner charts. A map. But a map to what? There is no way of knowing of course. Most of it remains hidden in what was once the armature of a supposedly living creature. There is the suggestion that within all life is there is a secret of meaning and direction, but the revelation of that purpose lies in the slow process of death, decay and transformation. Wonderful and mythical stuff.
See more at his gallery's website: www.jamescohan.com
















"Ne Plus Ultra" 2010 17" X 72" X 54"






















"Ne Plus Ultra" detail
















"Ne Plus Ultra" detail


















Untitled, 2007 Polyurethane resin, acrylic paint, MDF, polystyrene 30" X 181" X 280"


















untitled, detail

















untitled, detail

Thanks to the artist Michael McDevitt for bringing this artist to my attention.

The Broad Street Studio

For something slightly different I'm featuring three artists here. They present themselves as a united front of realist painters interested not so much in realism for it's own sake, but as a way of describing the often offbeat perceptions of each artist.

Joshua Suda plays with portraits and especially eyes peering through the surfaces of torn paper and matte frames and even other portraits addressing realism quite directly as an illusory tool of the artist.

Brian Martin explores evening and night scenes sometimes to directly convey the dramatic and unusual lighting such times display and sometimes to convey the inherent sense mystery that imbues all of our interactions with the dark.

Jason John is interested in psychological portraiture, adding props and peculiar settings to convey something about the people he is painting or maybe something about the artists himself. All art, they say, is about the self.

Their website (www.thebroadstreetstudio.com) also features some great interviews with other artists and art porfessionals, two of whom (Alex Kanevsky and Lori Field) have featured on this blog.
Also check out their facebook page.


Joshua Suda

























































Brian Martin






























Jason John