Elsa Muñoz

"Controlled Burn 1"  oil on panel  24" x 50"  2012

"Controlled Burn 2"  oil on panel  24" x 55"  2012

"Night Shore 1"  oil on panel  60" x40"  2012

"Burning Branch"  oil on panel  24" x 36"  2010

"At The Table"  oil on panel  20" x 25.5"  2011

The dark plays a prominent role in the finely crafted work of the young Chicago artist Elsa Muñoz. Not that all her paintings are night scenes or of dimly lit rooms, but there is almost always as much hidden as there is revealed. This is sometimes the case literally, as in her nearly horizonless night shore paintings, and sometimes figuratively, as in her still life of a burning branch upon a table in which no clues or details are offered to elucidate the inherent mystery. In "At The Table" both aspects are on display as the daylight coming through the nearby window illuminates just a small fragment of the seated figure leaving both her physical features and her emotional context in doubt. In her "Controlled Burn" paintings the fire, which we usually associate with light, is instead a source of smoke and haze, concealing rather than revealing the forest. It is this constant tension between the revealed and the hidden, between description and suggestion, that lends her work an emotionally powerful sense of drama.
You can see more online at her website: elsamunoz.com
and at Zygman Voss Gallery in Chicago.

Bill Frederick

"Two Lane Highway"  ink and watercolor  30" x 55.5"

"Beach and Vapor Trail"  watercolor  19.5" x 31"

"Migrating bird"  ink on paper  25" x 40"

"W.T.'s Gas for Less"  ink on paper  25" x 40"

"Sinking Ship"  ink on paper  13.25" x 25"

Photo realism is usually not my cup of tea as the saying goes. I prefer the artifice in art to be apparent, not disguised. But that is a big part of what makes Bill Frederick's work so astounding. While it may not be obvious from these digital images, the originals disguise nothing of the medium. Up close they are almost gestural with rich washes and broad confident brush work. The details only serve to snap the image together and create the illusion of photographic realism at a distance. Beyond that he has a terrific eye for composition, lighting and drama. While many of his scenes are of the most mundane moments, views from a car window, a random glance down a city sidewalk, etc., he is nonetheless able to capture something of those fleeting moments that strike us in some peculiar but meaningful way, but which we all too quickly flush out of our short term memory. The sinking ship above is an obvious exception. This is certainly not the kind of ordinary scene one might see just any old day. It is a moment of innately heightened drama. But the fact that his other scenes, objectively so ordinary, wield the same kind of cinematic impact speaks volumes about the power of his painting.
You can see more at his website: williamlewisfrederick.com
and there's more online or in person at Zg Gallery in Chicago.

Sharon Moody

Hold it, Joker!, oil on panel, 16X20 in.

Zit! Throom! Krrakkk!, oil on panel, 16X16 in.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, oil on canvas, 16 X 27 in.

Racquets and Shuttlecocks, oil on panel, 10 X 29 in.

This Is A Game, oil on panel, 5 X 5 in.

I know a lot of people really really love hyper realist painting. To be honest I actually don't more often than I do. Much of it seems to have little point except as a painstaking and tedious exercise (why not just take a photo?). But Sharon Moody makes excellent use of the trompe l'oeil tradition (french for "deceive the eye"). Her themes are games and the entertainments of childhood. Which is fitting, because the optical illusions created by this sort of work is in itself, an amusement, a diversion meant to dazzle the eye and delight the mind. There is no deep and ponderous meaning lying in wait for the unwary, nor pretentious airs. But that doesn't mean it has no significance. She simply delights in her ability to create images that seem as if they could fall right off the canvas. Her delight is nicely echoed by the subject matter, and we as viewers can share in that delight, readily and gratefully. Compared to all the inscrutable highbrow art out there that alienates so many from even imagining that they can enjoy art, delight is a perfectly fine purpose in a painting, and Sharon Moody delivers it with both wit and style.You can see much more on her website: sharonmoody.com

seen on artistaday.com

Christopher Stevens

Theatre of the Whole World [2004]  oil on panel  45 x 68 cm

Washed Up [2009]  oil on canvas  137 x 183 cm

Whistling in the Dark [2008]  oil on canvas  137 x 183 cm

Slow March of the Tides [2001]  oil on panel  38 x 57 cm

Leviathan [2006]  pencil on paper  25 x 35 cm

Christopher Stevens is  a hyper-realist artist who has long been fascinated by the transformation that takes place in the mind when one scrutinizes the very small. What seems at first an insignificant detail becomes an entire landscape. What seemed minuscule becomes vast. He's peered at and explored pieces of cloth and carpet and tiny portions of photographs printed in magazines. But his greatest fascination has been the transformation of paint itself. The idea of paint as a medium which can be used to represent anything else on a two dimensional surface is toyed with here in a fascinating way. He depicts in two dimensions, the three dimensions of paint on the palette. In this way the paint becomes a world of its' own, full of unique landscapes and creatures and mysterious forms that rise up from the surface as if from a new sea. It is a fascinating and happy marriage of high artistic concept with meticulous and compelling execution.
You can see more of his work at the website of his gallery: www.mummeryschnelle.com

I'd like to thank visualinventory.blogspot.com for making me aware of this artist.

Alyssa Monks

"Risk" 2011, 10.5" x16", oil on panel

"Fixation" 2010, 48x72, oil on linen

"Cryptology" 2010, 48x72, oil on canvas

"Fragment" 53x36, oil on linen, 2008

"Mosaic" 50x38, oil on linen, 2008

Alyssa Monks is a realist painter obsessed with the human figure and face. Realists often tend to rely on specific effects in their work, some might even say gimmicks. The use of water is a popular one. The distortions of light that it creates lends itself well to the wow factor, so that figures swimming in pools especially seem in endless supply. But here the water, or in many cases a wet or fogged shower screen or other device, is used for more than mere showmanship. Water itself is loaded with psychological potential from the outright risk and fear of drowning to the symbolic power of rebirth and renewal. Nudity carries with it elements of vulnerability and sensuality that are often heightened by immersion in water or in the act of bathing. By ratcheting up the vulnerability,  the artist avoids the pitfalls of mere eroticism, while her fluid use of paint heightens the suggestion of tactile experience. The paintings are large and this kind of grand presentation of what are essentially very personal images must have a slightly jarring but highly effective impact. All in all, these are an extraordinary series of paintings.
There is a whole lot more to look at on her website: alyssamonks.com

(I'd like to thank Matt Calcavecchia at bluecanvas.com for introducing me to her work)

Elizabeth Patterson & Gregory Thielker (2)

I posted Gregory Thielker's work last year (Oct. 15, 2009). At the time I made the point that if you do something really, really well and no one else is doing it, then you've got gold. Well, I was wrong about no one else doing it. Elizabeth Patterson is pursuing precisely the same kind of imagery, specifically a photo-realist take on how rain transforms our view through the windshields of our cars. It has an immediate appeal. For one, we Americans experience landscape through the filtering effect of our car windows far more often than we do directly. Mostly we are unconscious of the fact that we are observing landscape in this way, since we are (hopefully) concentrating on driving the damn car. The interference of weather is an experience we've all shared and, eventually, that transformation of our ubiquitous viewpoint enters our conscious awareness. At that point, it is not surprising that an artist or two somewhere decides "I'm going to paint that".

Having a unique approach or subject matter is highly valued in the art world but nigh impossible to actually achieve. There are hundreds, probably thousands of artists, busily painting realistic pears who don't even seem to care. So I guess there's room enough for these two. And anyway, the results may look similar but the techniques are completely different. Mr. Thielker paints in oil. Ms. Patterson uses colored pencil, graphite and solvent. If you don't think that makes a world of difference you need to look at art online less and in real life more.

Check out their websites:
www.eapatterson.com
www.gregorythielker.com











Patterson "Sunset Highway, 3pm" color pencil and solvent 25" x 40"














Patterson "Wilshire Boulevard, 5pm" Color pencil, graphite and solvent 18"x26"
















Patterson "Sepulveda Boulevard, 5pm" Color Pencil, Graphite, Solvent 20"x 30"


















Thielker "In Between" oil on panel 11"x14" 2008


















Thielker "Until Now" oil on linen 36"x48" 2010


















Thielker "Coming To a Complete Stop" oil on canvas 36"x48" 2008


















Thielker "Transference" oil on linen 36"x48" 2010

I came across the work of Elizabeth Patterson via visualinventory.blogspot.com

Jason de Graaf

My feelings about photo realism have wavered over the years, but in the end it's like most things, some of it is really good and a lot of it is not. These fall into the former category. Probably the most important thing when looking at hyper realist paintings is to ask, is the realism all that matters here? If it is, then it's usually pretty uninteresting. Why not just take a photo, or look at one? But de Graaf has made a study of light, reflectivity and smooth shiny surfaces, bringing his informed vision to an almost pop-art aesthetic. Which is why I especially enjoy the art history references in some of his work. This is fun stuff and the realism defintely packs a bit of the "Wow!" factor. Definitely click on these images for a larger view!
Check out his blog jasondegraaf.blogspot.com
Or look through his work at these gallery sites:
www.jacanagallery.com
www.plusonegallery.com
www.debellefeuille.com















"Seven Chambers" 36" x24" acrylic on canvas
















"Reflections of Modern Art" 36" x 24" acrylic on canvas















"Ocean View" 39" x 26" acrylic on canvas
















"Obscura" 36" x 24" acrylic on canvas

I like how this small piece gives you a sense of the detail relative to the size of the canvas...
















"Another Marble" 10" x 8" acrylic on canvas

Pamela Michelle Johnson

Thanksgiving is past but I didn't post anything since, so here's some more food for you. Only this food isn't quite the celebration of bounty and good health. It has a lot more to do with modified corn starch, hydrogenated oils, various chemical additives and of course, America's obsession with image and consumption.
Don't feel bad if these paintings make you hungry. The underlying message is equally clear and that conflict is, in a sense, the point.
pamelamichellejohnson.com





















"Cool Ranch" 20x20" 2009























"PB&J II" 44x58" 2009























"Waffles" 42x72" 2007


And for scale... what could be yummier than a six foot tall stack of pancakes drowning in syrup?