The Art Out There

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tonia Ackermann

"atelierszene", Painting, acrylic on canvas, 2009, 135 x 75 x 4 cm

"bartelsstraße", Painting, acrylic on canvas, 2008, 150 x 100 cm

"hinterhof", Painting, acrylic on canvas, 2005, 75 x 75 cm

"unterm dach", Painting, acrylic on canvas, 2005, 125 x 150 cm

"hausflur", Painting, acrylic on canvas, 2005, 150 x 175 cm

Tonia Ackermann takes a scene and fractures it into separate panels, each individually rendered. The pieces vary to greater or lesser degrees of color, perspective and even time, creating fascinating studies of the nature of observation. I think we've all seen something similar done with photography, most famously (though certainly not originally) by David Hockney. But approaching this in paint adds an element of depth, of heightened randomness. Like the abstract colored squares in Chuck Close's monumental portraits, one has the sense that each is created in reference to the whole but without reference to its neighbors, suggestive of the appearance of order from random processes. Breaking up the scene into smaller parts also naturally lends itself to a kind of fish eye perspective and some of the work, especially the 2009 piece "atelierszene", at the top, reminds me a bit of Gideon Bok's interiors. It's engaging work and the potential for further exploration is almost infinite. You can see more examples of her work here: http://www.artdoxa.com/Tonia. (She does not appear to have any other website and you must join this site if you want to contact the artist).

Monday, February 21, 2011

Kelly Louise Judd

"Forest Sleep" Oil on panel 16" x 20"

"Lead Us, Lantern" 18" x 24" Oil on panel 2010

"Out Comes The Night" 12" x 24" Oil on Panel

"Perched" Oil on panel 16" x 20"

"Weeping Woods" Ink and watercolor on paper 2010

Kelly Lousie Judd's work is part of a larger scene in the art/illustration world, that I do not yet know a name for. It exists alongside the pop-surrealist movement. But it is not pop. It parallels steam-punk's interest in 19th century aesthetics but without the industrial focus. It has it's roots in the work of the late Edward Gorey and culls it's influences from the like of Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. Ms. Judd's work stands out for it's haunting moods and arresting visual concepts. She describes a world of ghosts and spirits, of dreams and tragedy and transformation. You can see more of her work at her website (www.swanbones.com) and on Flickr, or follow her blog.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Erik Sandgren

Erik Sandgren teaches in Washington state and his work primarily concerns the the land, the sea and the people of the Pacific Northwest (although not exclusively). His father was a professor of painting and his life has been filled from an early age with a vast array of influences. Although he cites none of these my own poorly educated eye sees traces of Winslow Homer filtered through the likes of Charles Burchfield and Marsden Hartley. His pieces are as much about the ephemeral personal experience as they are about the place to which that experience is tied. He works both Plein Air and in the studio capturing fleeting moments of light and atmosphere in the first case and then filtering the moment through the lens of memory and meaning in the second.
The titles, sizes and media of his work are unlisted on his website (www.eriksandgren.com) which also shows only a small portion of his output. More work can be seen at karinclarkegallery.com

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day

Artists have a tendency to look at the darker side of things, so romantic imagery appropriate to the holiday is not exactly abundant. But I did a quick troll through the blog and here's some random pieces that jumped out at me, ranging from the darkly cynical to the genuinely sweet.

Happy Valentine's day.
(click on the artists' names for links back to my original post of their work, where you'll find links to their websites).

Kate Bauman