Scott Listfield

"Lost Highway"

"Runway"

"Alien Crossing"

"New Moon"

"Parking Ticket"

One of the things I love about Scott Listfield is that in every email announcement he includes the phrase "that guy who paints astronauts" in the subject line. The message is clear. Don't worry about the name. All you have to do is remember what he does. And once you see these, you will remember. I don't mind at all if an artist's is essentially a shtick, as long as they're totally committed to it and can pull it off with style. Scott Listfield does so by working in a flat, almost paint by numbers kind of realism that serves his pop-culture purposes beautifully. There is no doubt that humor is at the forefront of his agenda but there's more to it than that. He's equally concerned with consumer culture, references to pop-art and how both of these these play into and against the utopian and dystopian dreams of science-fiction. The dark side of his humor suggests that the more pessimistic tales of imaginative fictions better reflect the reality we live in than escapist fantasies like Star Wars that both he and the rest of us clearly love. His paintings declare that the future is now, and frankly it's a bit depressing. But Mr. Listfield examines this fact with wry wit, and I for one am grateful for it.

I posted his work once before back in September 2010 and still stand by what I wrote then as well.

You can see more at his website (astronautdinosaur.com)
or see his newest on his Tumblr blog.

Katie Metz

"Grounded Stories 22"  acrylic on canvas  48" x 34"

"Grounded Stories 28"  acrylic on canvas  33" x 24"

"Grounded Stories 38"  acrylic on canvas  24" x 33"

"Grounded Stories 39"  acrylic on canvas  28" x 27"

"Grounded Stories 40"  acrylic on canvas  43" x 21"

Katie Metz is a Seattle based artist who captures the look and feel of her home city with a style and technique that is both ordered and chaotic, like the city itself. The gray and rain are here too, and the glimmering reflection of headlights on damp pavement. But it's that knack for combining hard rigid lines and a grid-like structure with loose expressionistic brushwork and frenetic scratching hatch marks that really suffuses the work with an urban feel. I posted some work by her once before back in July of 2011. Since then her work has become less abstract, more firmly rooted in the specific and the observable but the vibrant energy that made that earlier work successful still remains.
These new pieces will be included in a show that opens February 3rd at Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art in Seattle. You can seem more of her work online at katiemetzstudio.com

Aron Wiesenfeld 3

"The Garden"  36" x 30"  2012

"Greenhouse"  33" x 30"  2012

  

"The Grove"  36" x32"  2012

"The Settlers"  25" x 20"  2012

"Delayed"  31" x40"  2012

Here's another favorite artist of mine that's well worth revisiting. Aron Wiesenfeld's work has always reminded me a little of Chris Van Allsburgh, but the psychological territory of his narratives skews somewhat older and a good deal darker. The whole idea of narrative art is to tell a story. Not the whole story of course. That's beyond the scope of a single static image. But as any connoisseur of film or fiction can tell you, it is often what you are not shown, and the things untold that evoke in us the most profound reactions. Aron Wiesenfeld's paintings are the merest glimpse into elaborate stories that the mind can't help but explore, to fill out and expand upon. His characters are young, most frequently girls, on the cusp of adulthood, and his themes are the themes of youth and coming of age; vulnerability and powerlessness, fear and insecurity, but also, and most importantly, wonder. What more could you want from a story?

If you like these images, do yourself a favor and take the time to look at more. I posted his work twice before in December 2009 and June 2011. And you can see much more at his recently updated website: www.aronwiesenfeld.com

David Blackwood

"March Wesleyville, From Bennetts High Island" 1976

"Fire Down in Labrador"  32" x 20"  1983

"The 'Friend' Bound for Labrador"  20" x 32"  2007

"Hauling Job / Sturges house"

"Visitation on Bragg"  20" x 16"  1997

While I usually post current work by younger newer artists, I am occasionally made aware of my profound ignorance of older successful living artists. David Blackwood is a case in point. His piece "Hauling Job/Sturges House" was featured on the cover of E. Annie Proulx's famous novel "The Shipping News" back in 1993. But I just wasn't paying attention. Well now I am. His narrative prints capture the history, myths, legends and life of the seafaring people of Newfoundland. It's beautiful and haunting.

You can find out more about the artist at his website: www.davidblackwood.com
But if you want to see more work you'll have to troll through the many galleries that carry it. Among them are:
www.gallery78.com
abbozzogallery.com
www.mayberryfineart.com
emmabutler.com
www.winchestergalleriesltd.com

Thank you Mr. McDevitt for the heads up.

John Brosio - 4

"Bride in Headlights"

"The Last Hot Dog"  oil on canvas  24" x30"  2013

"BFF" 27" x 36"  oil on canvas  2012

"Breaking News"  oil on canvas  18" x 24"  2013

"Dinoaurs Eating CEO"  oil on canvas  55" x 60"  2013

It's often hard for me to get back to posting after the holidays. Habits are like flywheels. It doesn't take much effort to keep them going but once they grind to a halt it's a real bitch to get them started up again. Which why I'm thankful that Mr. John Brosio is out there making new paintings for me to get excited about... AGAIN. This is my fourth post of his work (Nov. 2008, Mar. 2010, May 2011). And I really don't have much to add to anything I might have said before. All visual art ought to speak for itself. It's visual after all, and any art that requires explication for appreciation is missing the point if you ask me. John Brosio's work speaks directly to my love of dark narratives with a pitch perfect blending of painterly realism and surrealist fantasy, sci-fi and horror. Throw in a dash of humor and you're off to the races. After all, I would probably fall in love any painting titled "Dinosaurs eating CEO" no matter what it looked like. It helps that it looks looks as good as its title.
you can see more at www.johnbrosio.com
or get the latest at his Facebook page.