Shane Devries

There's a lot of this retro kitschy toy art and, while it can get a little old at times, a lot of it is really good (Eric Joyner is a prime example). Shane Devries is from Australia and joins the kitschy bandwagon. His may not be the most original voice in the sub-genre (yet!) but that's no surprise as he's only 25 years old (maybe 26 by now, it's hard to be sure). But he sure can paint. He has perfect instincts for color, and apparently does not like fruit because it's sticky, tastes bad and always leaves a mess.
I can't wait to see how his work grows over the coming years.
Check out his website which is actually a blog, www.shanedevries.com. Many of the paintings are not given definite titles and sizes are not indicated.

Click on the images below to get a better look.






















"Headscape"
















"From Somewhere Else"






















Biplane (?)






















"Clumsy Invasion"

Kevin E. Taylor

The monumental Hare presumably under reconstruction is alone worthy of note. But there's plenty of other interesting pieces as well, all orbiting around themes of totemic animism, possibly jaded by our disconnection with the natural world. At least that's what I'm picking up. Truth is I have no idea what the dude is laying down in some of his pieces. There's no artist's statement (which is fine with me, really). There's also no titles or media or size indications, although one shot does suggest that at least some of his work is fairly large. He also does sound and video work.
Check out his website: www.kevinearltaylor.com

Thomas Doyle

These are amazing little narrative vignettes. I'm posting a lot of images because you need to see multiple views of each piece and it was hard to pick just 4. The range of ideas goes way beyond what I've shown here. Go to his website, www.thomasdoyle.net


"Courier" 12.5x14" 2007





















































"Escape/Scatter" 16x13.5" 2006




















































"The Reprisal" 10x12" 2006














































"If/Then" 8.5x6.5" 2006

Flavia Maria Pitts

Here's a Romanian artist who has posted all of 11 pieces on a blogspot site (flavia-pitis.blogspot.com). They seem simple enough. Soft portraits of children with a touch of magic realism going on. I suspect she's simply trying to approach issues of childhood and memory, so why are they kind of spooky? Are childhood and memory naturally spooky subjects? Possibly. Whatever else is going on here, I like it.
Click on these images. She posted fairly large files!






















"Talent Abuse"























"Attempt 1"




















"The Beginning"























"The Other Side"

Manfred Hennessy

He has an enormous body of work on his Flickr site, blending realism and folk-art in a way that reminds my American eye a little of Thomas Hart Benton. While he does figurative work as well, it is many of his landscapes that absolutely captivate me. You have to click on these images to view them as large as possible. Let your eye wander about as if you were actually there on foot. His obsession is clearly not just with the English countryside but with all the lore and mythology that accompany it.















"Coastal Town" size unknown
















"Coastal Town" detail


















"Summer Fair" 48x40"














"The Shed Under the Tor" 7x13"


And there's some extraordinary sketches in his journals posted as well.
















"Barnoldswick, Yorkshire" 10x8"

Don Simon

He calls his work Unnaturalism. I like that. Basically he's juxtaposing wildlife with modern industrial human environments in a way that seems surreal until we realize that wildlife is constantly juxtaposed with modern industrial human environments in a way that is just depressing. That being said, these selections are not an overall representation of his work. I just think these undersea city scenes are too cool, though the crocs and tires may get closer to his overall point.
www.donsimonart.com/






















"After 3" 20x20" colored pencil






















"After 2" 20x20" colored pencil






















"After 1" 20x20" colored pencil












"the River 2" 24x13" colored pencil

Amanda Blake (2)

Since I last posted her work (June 15) she put these two new pieces on her blog among others. I especially like the long narrative titles. She spends much of her time creating smaller studies of her cast of characters but it's these larger works (only 14 inches square!) in which she places her characters into stories that I think are her most satisfying pieces. All that work on the character studies pays off though. Look at the subtle expressions on the very small faces of our protagonists in the detail of the first image. Perfect.
You can see more of her work at wwww.flickr.com/photos/amandablakeart/
























"When The Sea Turned Purple They Knew They had Gone Too Far" 14x14" oil on panel

















"When the sea.." detail























"the Butterflies Gathered Around to Protect Them From the Night" 14x14" oil on panel

Blu (and David Ellis)

Old abandoned buildings come alive! Got a 6 or 7 minutes to spare? It would be really well spent watching one of these videos. Watch one and you'll want to see the other. Then you'll want to see more at http://blublu.org/

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Gregory Thielker

I think most artists eventually struggle with being narrowly defined by a subject matter or one particular approach to image making, but if you find something that you can do really, really (I mean really) well and no one else is doing it, well sheesh... Just keep doing it. What's especially fascinating is that this simple idea does not get boring. He manages to find an amazing amount of variety in his subject simply by changing from from urban to rural settings and varying the degree of precipitation.
www.gregorythielker.com























"Above and Below" 24x24" 2008


















"Low Road" 36x48" 2006


















"Coming to a Complete Stop" 36x48" 2008

















"McGrath Highway" 36x48" 2006

Dan Witz

More night scenes. I would love to curate an enormous show of night scenes.

Dan Witz also does this pretty interesting graffiti street work where he paints mysterious figures trapped behind wire mesh windows on old doors but you'll have to go to his website for those (www.danwitz.com). there's also some amazing figurative work. But It's his night scenes that really grabbed me. I especially like these first two where the lit subject matter floats in the void of darkness. And his series of hotel lamps, while simple, is also remarkably evocative. Night scenes are especially effective at conveying a sense of isolation and he pulls that off beautifully with these finely crafted paintings. (interestingly his figurative work is dominated by crowd scenes - another kind of isolation? )

















"Elevator Door" 32x46" 2006















"R&N grocery" 42x62" 2005

















"Kenmare & Elizabeth" 44x68" 2005















"Sherburne Hotel Lamp"

Dana Clancy

In her artist statement she observes that her work is both about observing and being observed. Setting the imagery in gallery spaces heightens this idea. But what really strikes me is how she captures the fragmented and frankly disorienting experience of being inside such large scale modern architectural environments. It's a great subject matter and she does it full justice. I hope she does many more.
www.danaclancy.com






















"Carry It With You" 52x48" 2007























"Spin" 58x58" 2008













"Written Material" 24x46" 2006

Phil Hale

Those of you familiar with the world of Fantastic Art (often science fiction, fantasy and horror related art) may be familiar with this man already. But he's turned his efforts more to the fine art market without losing any of the essential elements that made him such a successful illustrator. I say bravo! Consider this curious bit of success. In addition to illustrating Stephen King books and role-playing games he's done a portrait of Tony Blair that hangs in parliament.
I did not see titles or sizes for any of these paintings on the website that represents his work
www.allenspiegelfinearts.com

Alex Roulette

I love narrative art. Realism per se is not something I care much about one way or the other although I do admire the technical facility it takes to pull it off. Good photo references help too. But capturing the essence of a narrative world, carving out a mythos of characters and events that resonate with the viewer, that, I love. Alex Roulette does that by freeze framing small events in the lives of young men. He captures the malaise, the boredom, restlessness and recklessness of the young american male. I was one. I remember. Not that I always want to. Thanks Alex.
See more at his website: www.alexroulette.com
Check out his blog or his flickr site for the latest.

You really must click on these images to view them larger!














"Monumental Road" 32x50 oil 2009























"Headlights" 28x37" oil 2008






















"The Deal" 19x18" oil 2007


And he's got to be pretty happy about getting into New American Paintings. (Mid-atlantic 2009 edition) Congratulations.