Kate MacDowell

Kate McDowell's exquisite porcelain sculptures explore our complex relationship with the natural world. Unlike many artists who deal with environmental concerns her approach is not the typical one of mere criticism and commentary on our ruthless and self defeating degredation of the natural world. She takes a more introspective and complex psychological approach, trying to get at what it means to be a part of nature, while at the same time feeling apart from it. She looks at our deep rooted need to connect to it in some fundamental way, to be a part it, while acknowledging that the need is ironic since we cannot be separate. Nature is in us, and we exist in it, in such a basic and fundamental way that our feelings of need and our actions of opposition represent a kind of psychosis. Out of this comes her images of both horror and humor.
All the work on her website is wonderful and full of surprises. See more at www.katemacdowell.com






















"Sparrow" 7"x6 ½"x2", hand built porcelain, cone 6 glaze 2008

















"Migrant" 16"x20"x6 ½" assembled hand built porcelain 2009















"Migrant" detail























"Canary" 22"x22"x5" hand built porcelain, wooden wall pedestal, compact fluorescent lights, wiring 2008

And here's a smaller, later version of the same idea with a cutaway view of those canaries.






















"Canary 3" 13 ½"x12 ½"x6" hand built porcelain, cone 6 glaze 2009

Andrey Mamaev

Andrey Mamaev's realism is very much in the Russian academic tradition and unapologetically romantic. We have all seen so many bad examples of this kind of art that it is sometimes difficult to recognize when it is done well. I don't have much more to say on the subject except to emphasize that you really need to click on these images and view them larger to appreciate the almost calligraphic fluidity of his technique. The size is not indicated on these pieces but most of his work is surprisingly small.
More of his work, and lots and lots of great details, can be seen on his Flickr page.

















"The Crossing" oil on cardboard















"The Crossing" detail























"Wish Tree" oil on cardboard
















"Wish Tree" detail























"Spring Breeze" oil on cardboard

Pete Ferguson

Pete Ferguson is primarily an illustrator and very good at his job. But fortunately for us he occasionally feels the old artistic itch to make images for his own satisfaction. He brings to the endeavor the same playfulness and solid technical skills that he shows in his commercial work but he also unleashes a bit of dark surrealism to go with the wit. The results are an absolute delight. Most of them seem to have been done in 2005 or earlier but I certainly hope he makes more of these.
Check out his website www.uberpete.jitterjames.com


















"Gods of the Tri-State Area" 2008



















"Detached Retina" 2005

















"Heartland" 2005























"The Road to Happyland" 2005

Jennifer Walton

I've always loved maps and have long wondered why so few painters mine this rich material. Especially now that we all have easy access to satellite imagery. Well, Jennifer Walton, has beaten me to the punch and frankly I'm grateful. The first piece here is part of a new series.
In previous bodies of work she explored the environment and frequently the human presence within it. Sometimes they are simply depictions of the powerful forces at work in nature: fire, water, ice, etc., (and I can never resist a good fire painting). But mostly her concern was with how our activity within the natural world can enrich us. Only occasionally do we see glimpses of the obverse, of how human activity marks the environment, as in "Graffiti Rock, Petiwawa" (below). But with these satellite imagery paintings, it is hard for her to avoid taking on a less personal and more political stance. We are shown the landscape as an abstract canvas and the most compelling aspect of it is not so much the beauty and breadth of the natural world but rather how rather heavily the human hand has scrawled across it.
Visit her website to see more: www.jenniferwalton.com
And please click on these images to view them larger!























"Copper Cliff Tailings Ponds, Sudbury, View from Google Earth" 72" x 72" oil on canvas 2009









"Graffiti Rock, Petiwawa" 20"x60" oil on canvas 2007















"Swim 4" 12"x18" oil on canvas 1999























"Smoke and fire 1" 12"x12" oil on canvas 1996























"Smoke and fire 3" 12"x12" oil on canvas 1996
























"Water 2" 10"x10" oil on canvas 2002


Thanks to Eric Cator at Paintblog for bringing this artist to my attention.