The Art Portfolio of Abstract Painter James Lutzko
"BC-1601" Sliding Doors, oil on canvas with high-gloss epoxy topcoat
James Lutzko is an abstract painter who uses washes of bright pigment, blending them across the surface of a canvas to create planes of colour and texture that are then treated with epoxy.
Ethereal, acrylic on canvas with high-gloss epoxy topcoat
In his recent practice, James has been developing a technique of adding character to his paintings by encouraging the…
Psychological and Macabre: The Painting Portfolio of Mary Hayes
Smoking Man, oil on wood panel
Mary Hayes is a Canadian artist who uses oil and watercolour media to explore psychological and macabre concepts. The artist’s works often draw inspiration from Baroque and romantic painting styles, nodding towards figurative tropes from specific paintings and artistic eras.
The artist’s painting tend to lean into a macabre aesthetic, and as we saw in our previous feature of…
Inside the Art Studio of Simone Leigh
Our Studio Sunday feature this week is Simone Leigh. Leigh is a multimedia artist and sculptor originally from Chicago who now lives and works primarily in New York. The artist’s practice deals with themes of ethnic and personal identity, combining elements of feminism with a focus on African art and performance.
The artist is pictured here at Stratton Sculpture Studios, a Philadelphia foundry where she was producing works in…
The Painting Portfolio of Art Carillo
Mexican American I, acrylic on canvas paper
Art Carrillo is a Los Angeles-based artist who works primarily in acrylic paints. Most recently, art has been creating unexpected still-life paintings of common household objects and detritus of modern life -- in particular, signifiers and objects from the artist’s own Chicano background and community.
HECHO EN MEXICO, acrylic on canvas
I really enjoy the way that Art renders these…
New Relevance: Art by Julie Cockburn
The Conundrum, hand embroidery on found photograph
Julie Cockburn is a London-based artist whose current body of work explores antique photographs and abstract interventions. The artist often layers colourful geometric compositions over black and white portraits and other found art pieces to bring new relevance to obsolete artefacts.
Honeymoon Period 7, hand embroidery on found photograph
The aesthetics of Cockburn’s recent works…
A Still-Life Painting Portfolio by Robert W. H. McCoy
The Back Room, oil on linen canvas
Robert W. H. McCoy began studying art as a child in San Antonio, Texas, building up a skill for photo-realistic, illustrative painting while incorporating inspirations from a variety of American and Mexican artists. The artist’s current portfolio encompasses still-life painting with incredible detail and Western as well as South American influences.
I really appreciate…
Hagenclay: The Sculpture Portfolio of Erika Pazmandi Hagen
Untitled, ceramic with cold finish and patina
Erika Pazmandi Hagen is a ceramic artist who works under the studio name Hagenclay. In her sculptures, Erika blends human, often feminine figures with abstracted detail and an appreciation for novel texture.
I quite enjoy the artist’s recent sculptural pieces, made using clay with a cold finish and patina. The resulting works have a coppery, metallic sheen, dappled with moments…
The Painting Portfolio of Laura Spring
Laura Spring is an abstract painter who works primarily in acrylic, occasionally incorporating mixed media to build up texture and colour. The artist’s works are firmly situated in a contemporary moment, and explore extremes of pigment-minimal, textural painting as well as saturated monochromatic works.
Moving Through the Winter II, oil
I really enjoy the way the artist groups her paintings by hue and…
Natural Spaces and Cultivation: The Art of Bill Basquin
Death Valley Love Letter (still), 16mm film/digital video silent
Bill Basquin is an artist currently based in San Francisco, California. In his artistic practice, Bill works in film and video, as well as multimedia installation, producing thoughtful works that explore the collision between natural spaces and cultivation through an abstracted lens.
Someone Who Is Not You, mixed media
I enjoy the overall atmosphere that Bill’s works…
Unexpected Aesthetic: The Art of Michael David Kozlowski
Still Think About You, bleached raw canvas (unwashed)
Michael David Kozlowski works in a painterly style using nontraditional painted materials such as bleach and plaster. The artist’s works have an unexpected aesthetic that is at times ghostly, and at times laden with heavy texture and suggested figure.
I find Michael’s bleach paintings to be a fascinating reimagining of the traditional paint-on-canvas mode of…
Inside the Art Studio of Tschabalala Self
Tschabalala Self is an American artist who uses a variety of materials -- including re-worked sections of previous paintings -- to create her works. Self is known for stylized depictions of black female figures, combining a sense of symbolism with slice-of-life realism.
Self’s studio pictured above looks pleasantly chaotic. Everywhere you look in this photo, there are multiple details and hints at the sort of work that’s…
Stained Glass and Mosaic Art by Karen Spears
Starfish Bowl, concrete sculpture, painted and finished with stained glass
Karen Spears is a painter, sculptor, and glass artist The artist combines the aesthetics of stained glass and mosaic art techniques, often blending these techniques with painting or sculpture to create fascinatingly textured and coloured objects.
Monarch & Sunflowers, stained glass with copper wire hanger
Karen’s stained glass mosaic hangings are a…
Aesthetic Possibilities: The Art of Linda Cohen
Linda Cohen is an artist of many talents, working in a wide variety of media and taking advantage of the unique aesthetic possibilities of each. Throughout her practice, Linda explore texture, colour, figurative work, and abstraction, through a lens of joyful experimentation.
Recently, Linda has created a series of gnomes -- sculpted from repurposed clothing and other found materials, these figures have a welcoming…
The Art of Graphic Designer and Sculptor Nancy Fouts
Bird on record player, taxidermy kingfisher, record player, vinyl record
Nancy Fouts was a graphic designer and sculptor known for her surreal and subversive images and sculptures. Based in London for the majority of her career, Fouts was a key figure in the London art scene as co-founder of Fouts and Fowler gallery.
Tarred Baby, resin-dipped fabric baby doll, black acrylic paint
The artist’s works draw on Fouts' background as a…
Fantastic Favourites: Ronnie Spiewak, Douglas Moulden, Jim Holbrook
Let’s take a look at some of our favourite works from three different artists. Though these three artists work in very different media and styles, they share in their well-defined sense of aesthetics and contemporary approach to their subject matter.
Ronnie Spiewak
Ronnie is a Maryland-based artist who works primarily in the medium of collage. Using an exacto knife and various colourful two-dimensional materials, the artist…