Kevin Sloan

The term magic realism is easily the most apt moniker for the paintings of Kevin Sloan. They draw on the comfortable and familiar imagery of nineteenth century landscape and wildlife paintings while introducing a surrealist narrative. But they're not quite surrealism. They do not have the jarring effect that surrealist paintings often strive for to mimic the unbridled dream imagery of the subconscious. Nor are they allegories or strictly speaking, symbolic of anything in particular. They use the language of symbolism to evoke in the viewer a personal response. The artist does not seem to be interested in informing the viewer of some new insight. These are meant to entertain and engage in a more relaxed manner. The viewer is invited to speculate about the images, and is welcome to draw whatever conclusions they want. Those seeking strict meaning should probably abandon that notion. Just enjoy and let your mind wander.

There's plenty to wander through at kevinsloan.com











"The Worriers" 24" x 48"












"The Rare Flower" 30" x 60"























"Finding Time" 48" x 36"























"Abundance: Oranges" 30" x 24"























"Birds of America: Greater Flamingo" 48" x 36"

Thanks to artistaday.com for introducing me this artist.

Nicolás Uribe - 2

It's a week for revisits. I originally posted some of his work last December.
Nicolás Uribe is one of those painters that seems capable of painting just about anything in any style. He's taken quite a variety of approaches over the last decade or so. But there's an unrelenting love of realistic modeling that he just won't let go of. Thankfully. He's not afraid to bend reality though, and lately he's taken to doing a kind of multi-portraiture, exploring one figure several times on the same canvas to give us a sense of the living, changing, moving person being captured by the often stiff and formal media of paint. For all his deft and seemingly effortless brushwork, I think this recent quote from his blog is quite revealing, and an encouraging sentiment for the rest of us painters:
"there are times when a painting just paints itself and the end result is aboslutely wonderful, and you are shocked at how simple painting can be. And then there are other times, which are more recurring than one would hope for, where the act of painting becomes chaotic and unforgiving. I honestly think these are the paintings that truly make you feel like you're a painter."
Check out his website ( www.uribearts.com ) or follow his blog for the latest work in progress and thoughts on art.






















"Medusa Medley" oil on canvas 200x150cm 2010
















"Trophy" 2009























"Voodoo Child" oil on canvas 200x150cm 2010
















"Voodoo Child" - detail

Anna Conway

By all accounts there is an element to these paintings that simply cannot be conveyed through the internet; namely, her method. I could wish for some detail shots to give us at least some idea of what is reported to be an astonishing degree of meticulous rendering. However even without the impact of that to affect us these are still compelling images of cryptic narrative realism. Those of you who actually read this blog (anyone? anyone?) might realize at this point that "Cryptic Narrative Realism" is not a bad moniker for a huge chunk of the work represented here.

I found out the following tidbits by reading some of her press. I read the press because the images intrigued me. I repeat these tidbits here not because they provide any insight into the work but because I think they make them even more intriguing.
1. In "A Pound of Cure" those are 4 tiny figures lying on their stomachs around the pool with their arms extended into the water.
2. In "Alejandro" that huge object is some kind of giant balloon or float like thing that has gone amok.
3. The title "Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time" refers to a day outside the Catholic holy seasons.
There's more, but alas not that much more, at: www.guildgreyshkul.com
















"Enfield, MA" 2006 Oil on panel 46" x 68"













"A Pound of Cure" 2005 Oil on panel 36" x 60"
















"Alejandro" 2005 Oil on panel 40" x 65"

















"Twenty fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time" 2007 Oil on panel 46" x 68"

Margaret Bowland 2

The last time I posted her work (December 2008) I had little to say other than "Wow", and I guess that hasn't really changed. These are paintings that speak quite well for themselves. Sometimes a visual can say quite clearly and elegantly things that words can only stumble around. But this blog has become a way for me to practice writing and thinking about art as much as it is a place to share all the wonderful stuff I keep coming across. So with that in mind, I'd like to say that Margaret Bowland is a painter of and about beauty. Beauty is an old pre-modern artistic preoccupation but she approaches it with a very contemporary awareness. Our notions of beauty have changed. We no longer think in terms of ideals or absolutes, despite the fact that we strive for and desire them. She is aware that real beauty, in art as in life, is derived from something inside rather than from the mere surface of things (or people), and so she depicts the tension between these two; Inner beauty vs. outer beauty, how the two can seem so at odds. Interestingly, her technique, the surface of her work if you well, is as beautiful as the content is challenging.
see more of her work at her website: www.margaretbowland.com























White Crows #1 (2007) oil paint on linen 66 x 56 inches






















Murakami Wedding #2 (2009) oil paint on linen 78 x 66 inches























Anna (2005) oil paint on linen 55 x 44 inches























Beloved (2006) oil paint on linen 72 x 60 inches























Flower Girl #2 (2009) oil paint on linen 48 x 48 inches