Stephanie London

"Iceberg no.3"  oil on canvas  12" x 16"

"Iceberg no.4"  oil on canvas  12" x 16"

"Glacier"  oil on canvas  12" x 16"

"Iceberg no.6"  oil on canvas  12" x 16"

"Shipwrecked no. 2"  oil on canvas  16" x 20"

Ice, water and wind interact in the frozen seas to create a never ending source of abstract sculpted forms, forms that have obsessed many great artists over the centuries. These icebergs, ice sheets and glaciers are a perfect prompt for Stephanie London's gift of using simple shapes and subtle shifts of value and hue to create spare poignant compositions. Her work also includes more domestic still life paintings that echo this minimalist approach; an empty box, a single flower, a vase, etc.,. And she has a few semi-abstract images on her website based on simple bridge forms. But in the iceberg series her penchant for brooding meditational imagery coalesces into her most powerful work. To me they evoke an emotional state that I think is familiar to most, yet difficult to describe; a sense of welcomed loneliness or sorrow that is not a negative but rather a necessary and possibly even exhilarating process. The unavoidable analogy of the iceberg's hidden depths cannot help but come into play here. What we observe seems simple. But of course it isn't. As in all good craftsmanship, simplicity of form is often the most difficult to achieve. And like our understanding of ourselves or others, the basics of what we observe are so immediate, so fundamental as to require little or no analysis. But beyond that we recognize a profound complexity too vast to fully comprehend. That larger hidden aspect of ourselves, as in the allegorical iceberg, sometimes shifts, forever altering the visible, knowable surface, reshaping it once again into something new, evolving, changing, living.

There's more work on her website: stephanielondon.net though only a few more iceberg pieces. I look forward to seeing more.

Her work can be seen in person in New York city and Bridgehampton NY at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts or in Pasadena CA at Tirage Fine Art Gallery.

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.

Greta Waller

"Mandorla", 2012, Oil on canvas, 92 X 60 inches

"Objects from Venice  2011-2012  Oil on canvas  73 X 48 inches

Greta Waller's work is intensely observational. She strives to make each brushstroke matter, for each mark to be just the right hue, placed in just such a manner as if to finish that particular piece of the painting in a manner that still feels fresh and spontaneous. Her latest work is a series of still life paintings, often set up in her closet where an idiosyncratic collection of items from her travels, family heirlooms and flea market finds crowd the shelves. She cites being influenced by ancient Roman art in general and Trajan's column in particular after a recent visit to the eternal city. The closet paintings do indeed bear a strange a affinity with the famed column whose imagery wraps round and round it in a lofty spiral. But here, the imagery wraps round an interior space recording not historic events, but personal and private ones. It is an interesting comparison that might tempt one to ponder at length the similarities and differences between art as political propaganda, and the kind of personal narratives we tell to define ourselves. But the anonymous carvers of the column and Ms. Waller also share a devotion to the honesty of observed detail. This honesty is on full display is an earlier series of beautifully crafted studies of ice blocks of various sizes and various stages of melting, resting on trays both decorative and utilitarian. Wherever her explorations take her next you can be assured that she will tackle it with the same loving attention and deft skill. You can see more of her work at Maloney Fine Art

Brett Eberhardt

"Studio Corner"   2012   Oil on panel  29 x 36.5 inches

"A History of Painting"  2011  Oil on panel    14 x 11.75 inches

"Red Plate (after Lopez)"   2011   Oil on panel   18 x 26 inches

"Studio Baseboard"   2010   Oil on panel   12.5 x 16 inches

"Mapping"   2010   Conte' pencil and acyrlic on paper   27 x 28 inches

Brett Eberhardt deals in realism of a particular brand, a kind of minimalist realism in spare compositions. Much of it looks at a single object resting on a plain rough well used whitewashed shelf. The objects are often mundane, usually something that would naturally be in an artist's studio; an old used jar of linseed oil for example. Other paintings depict a single piece of utilitarian furniture, empty, sitting against a wall. My favorites remove all these items and merely depict the wall itself, layers of cracked paint chipping away and the roughly used hardwood floor running up to meet it. Because Brett Eberhardt isn't interested in the subject matter per se. It's as if he merely makes a quick scan of his surroundings, the artist's studio, and selects something, anything, to be the fulcrum for his creative lever. What he is interested in is how brushwork can mimic texture, and his expressive ability to make it do so brings these spare humble images to life. Look at that white shelf. You can see old dents and scrapes covered over in layers of white house paint which has since been stained by the bottoms of various dripping jars. There's a single old nail hole. And it's all captured in confident undisguised brushwork, not the painstaking detail work that often kills hyper-realism. I'd call this work both modest, beautiful and smart; a winning combination wherever you find it.
There's more to look at here: bretteberhardtpainting.com

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

Scott Conary

"Lamb Chop"  oil on panel  8" x 8"

"Bitten Apple"  oil on panel  6" x 5"

"Clouds, Oregon"  oil on canvas  28" x 22"

"Forgotten"  oil on canvas  30" x 30"

"Arrowhead"  oil on panel  8" x 8"

Scott Conary is, as he says of himself, "something of a throwback", a traditionalist if you will, interested in the simple art of applying paint to convey the immediacy of an object with deft and confident brushwork. For some artists, working in this tried and true vein, the subject matter itself is almost entirely incidental. But Mr. Conary finds himself drawn to some very specific images again and again, most notably and recently, meat. It's part of a long tradition, kind of. Rembrandt did a painting of a carcass of beef once which later inspired the artist Chaim Soutine to do a series of ten such paintings while the carcass slowly turned blue and rancid in his studio. Plenty of other artists have depicted food, both meat and vegetables freshly procured from the local market. Mr. Conary worked his way through his own apples, pears,  peppers and more before settling down with chops. There is something undeniably immediate about a cut of meat. There is a distinct visual appeal, especially for a painter, in the glistening surface and the bright red hues. But there's also recognition of the fact that we are ourselves are flesh and bone. One may be tempted to read too much into it. He's also painted numerous small works depicting tools; hammers, pliers scissors, etc.,. There's landscapes, and even a few figurative works. The real focus of his work, it seems to me, is the varied and ubiquitous ingredients of every day life.

There's plenty of work to look through on his website: www.conary.org

And thanks to Sean Thomas, the subject of my previous post for bringing Mr. Conary's work to my attention.

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.

Daniel Coves

 Daniel Coves is young Spanish artist, born in 1985. Last year he had a piece included in the BP Portrait award show in London. His compositions are simple and elegant and his use of a single light source, often dim and directly overhead add an atmosphere of melancholy to what are otherwise very formal images. His brushwork as well is economical, realistic without being needlessly fussy, showily bravura, or painstakingly meticulous. Everything here is direct, realistic and formal. They are traditional but with a modern, almost minimalist aesthetic. There's really not much more to say. The work speaks quite elegantly for itself.

He has a website but there is no English translation and very little work on it. Rather, go to his Flickr page to see more.
(note: A lot of the images there are a little dark. I have attempted to brighten them here while retaining the overall color balance)

  
"autorretrato con camisa negra"  (self portait in Black Shirt)  oil on board  90x90cm  2009

 "Eli y naranja quebrado"  oil on linen  180x120cm  2010
























"Eli y blanco de plomo"  oil on canvas  120x100cm  2010

untitled  oil on linen  46x81cm  2010

Composition no. 1  oil on linen  100x50cm  2010

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

Richard Hall

Richard Hall is a straightforward (though I can't say no nonsense) realist painter. His technique and compositional approach are very traditional and very formal. Which may sound fine and dandy but is in fact an approach filled with the greatest of pitfalls. Without exceptional skill and vision, work of this sort generally falls into the vast and endless pool of somewhat boring but pretty good art that litter art markets everywhere. Mr. Hall is more than just pretty good and his some nonsense approach pushes his work into a subtle category of its own. The tension in this first painting stands out as a brilliantly executed piece of visual humor. But (and I'm sorry to have to say this Mr. Hall) I can't even bring myself to use the title. The wit and elegance of the painting is self evident, but the title/puns are a little much for me. But while a title can add something to a piece I don't think it can subtract. The titles have absolutely no hold on the work itself which is quite simply, exquisite and I anxiously await the appearance of new pieces on his blog. richardhallfineart.blogspot.com
Also make sure you check out his website: richardhallfineart.com













"Breakfast Special: Ham'r and Eggs" 22" x 36"























"Chirp off the old Block" 12" x 24"























"Apple Cobbler" 24" x 24"














"Leave it to the Professionals"

I'd like to thank artistaday.com for bringing this artist to my attention.

Rein Pol

Because I come across a lot of artists through networking sites on the internet they tend to be younger, whether established or not. But Rein Pol was born in 1949, lives in the north of the Netherlands and is quietly living off of his success. Below you can see why. His idiosyncratic mix of realism, post-impressionism and occasional bouts of surrealism, is always uniquely his own. But he has also followed in the footsteps of his famous fellow countryman Rembrandt Van Rijn, by painting himself over the course of a lifetime, leaving a remarkable visual autobiography. To see all of those and a tremendous amount of other work, go to his website (www.reinpol.nl). I do not think I have yet worked my way through all of it. But that's the joy of discovering an artist who has had a long distinguished career. And thankfully, he's still at it.






















"Self" 23x19cm 2007






















"Memory" 22x19cm 2001















"A Northern Realist" oil on panel 1992























"Blue Angel - Spring" 80x66cm 1994






















"In Plastic / Sprouts" 23x20cm 2006


















This is a recent and remarkable study for a much larger work in progress entitled "pollegorie" with many varied elements to it. Most of what is posted so far is reproduced very small on his his website. I'm hoping he will consider posting a larger version of it at a later date or, failing that, at least provide more detail shots.