Bright and Frantic Tiki Art by Ken Ruzic
Last Call at the Kahuna Room, acrylic on wood
Ken Ruzic creates fantastically bright and frantic tiki art, merging pop-art and cartoon aesthetics Polynesian mythology. The artist’s portfolio is packed with densely detailed figurative imagery made in a range of traditional media.
Cannibal King open line edition, ceramic
I love the amount of color that Ken packs into his works – even in drawings and paintings that are relatively…
Studio Sunday: Ellen Birkenblit
Ellen Birkenblit was born in New Jersey and studied painting at Cooper Union, graduating in 1980. The artist is known for her abstracted paintings that reference the aesthetics of hastily-drawn cartoon panels. Her paintings often include partial or suggested figures and a strong sense of fragmented narrative.
Berkenblit’s studio space is dense – packed with materials on top of and underneath tables, artworks both finished, and…
Fiercely Colorful Artworks by Helen Vokatý
Helen Vokatý works in mixed media and collage, creating artworks that combine a precise, architectural framework with spontaneous abstraction and novel materials. The artist’s works are fiercely colorful, and often feature a combination of geometric planes and painterly mark-making.
I really enjoy the collaged aesthetic that Helen works with in many of her artworks. Whether…
Headlines: Lawsuits, Missing Painting, Street Artists
1) Gagosian Moves to Throw Out Tanabaum Lawsuit
A follow-up to the lawsuit between art collector Steven Tananbaum and the studio of Jeff Koons: on Wednesday night, Gagosian Gallery (Koons’ representative) filed a motion to have Tananbaum’s claim dismissed. Filed with the New York Supreme Court, Gagosian’s motion claims that Tananbaum’s complaint was “overwrought,” and that the collector was essentially, being overly…
Fluid, Painterly Images: Art by Paul Sershon
Don't just stand there, Paulie, oil on canvas
Paul Sershon is a painter who works in media ranging from oil to watercolor, creating fluid, painterly images of landscapes, still-life subjects, and even automobiles. The artist’s approach to painting captures natural lighting and form with a wonderfully delicate touch.
I really enjoy browsing through Paul’s online art portfolio and seeing the way he…
Eye-Catching Lines: Art by Jonathan McCree
Do Be Do Be Do, installation view
Jonathan McCree creates paintings, sculptures, and installation works in a contemporary style, drawing aesthetic inspiration from a wide range of sources. McCree’s artworks are frenetic and bombastic, never shying away from bright color and bold, eye-catching lines.
Untitled, oil stick, acrylic, and spray paint on collaged paper
I find that some of McCree’s works are reminiscent of paintings by …
Cubism and African Tribal: Art by Michael Kilgore
Artist Michael Kilgore takes a spiritual and deeply personal approach to artwork. Influenced by contemporary art history as well as his own life and cultural experiences, the artist’s portfolio combines fashion, cubism and African tribal aesthetics.
KUNTA KINTE, mixed media on textured bristol
Influenced by artists ranging from Rene Magritte to Pablo Picasso to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michael’s artworks are an…
Kaleidoscopic Colour: Art by Peter Barron
Painter and printmaker Peter Barron creates artworks that are equally impactful in black and white, and in kaleidoscopic colour. The artist uses a similarly gestural, painterly approach in his abstractions and in his figure drawings and prints.
Where in our previous feature of Peter’s artworks we looked at his textural, celebratory abstracts, I’m also quite impressed by the artist’s approach to figures. The…
Everyday Moments: Art by Tony Ziegler
Tony Ziegler works in a variety of traditional media, creating artworks that capture everyday moments, including portraits of friends, still-life imagery, and shopfronts. The artist’s style has a carefree, naïve-style edge to it, and seem imbued with a sense of joy in the act of art-making.
In our previous feature of Tony’s slice-of-life paintings, we looked at the artist’s paintings of New York shopfronts.…
Worlds Collide: Art by Ken Herren
Flagon, acrylic infused pumice on canvas
Mixed media artist Ken Herren creates dense, layered works that utilize contrasting color and texture to create a very specific visual narrative. Growing up in a rural environment and later moving to a city, Ken uses his art practice to explore the spaces where those two worlds collide.
Resonance, acrylic infused pumice on canvas
I’m really drawn in by Ken’s use of color in his artworks.…
Studio Sunday: Izumi Kato
Izumi Kato currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. The artist was trained in oil painting, but has since developed a novel approach to painting, often applying pigment directly with his hands. Izumi is known for his artworks depicting humanoid yet bizarrely distorted and alien figures, using an interesting array of sometimes-incongruous colors to create the works.
Izumi’s studio looks very clean in this photo. Astonishingly…
Headlines: Net Neutrality, Basel, Queer Biennale
1) What Does The End of Net Neutrality Mean for Artists?
Earlier this week, net neutrality was repealed in the United States, and in the wake of the FCC’s decision many are wondering how the new internet will affect independent creators. The repeal of net neutrality means that internet service providers will now be legally allowed to slow down service to certain websites, or block certain websites from being access unless users pay…
Practice of Meditation: Art by Carolyn Trotter
Untitled, acrylic and mixed media on stretched canvas
Carolyn Trotter creates her artwork both as a form of meditation, and as a way of encouraging others to explore the practice of meditation. The artist’s works tend to feature floral forms, laid out as patterns or mandalas that draw the viewer’s eye around an entire space rather than focusing on a central figure.
Let Life Happen, acrylic and mixed media on canvas
I rather like…
Floral, Female, and Animal: Art by Allison Vince
Marienbad, watercolor and gauche on bristol
Painter, illustrator, and mixed media artist Allison Vince creates delicate figurative images that emphasize simple forms and negative space. The artist’s style occasionally takes on a vintage look, with a subdued color palette and floral, female, and animal subject matter.
Ring Fingers, cosmetics on canvas
In our previous feature of Allison’s sketchy, ethereal style, we looked at the…
The Human Figure: Art by Michael Lightsey
Michael Lightsey is originally from Ohio and now lives and works in Los Angeles. The artist works in a range of media from photography to painting and drawing. Michael’s current body of work focuses on the human figure, rendering it in many iterations and in varying styles.
Soul Vestige 233, digital giclee print
I’m really impressed by Michael’s most recent pencil portraits. Drawn in black and white, these…