Why hello! May I interest you in a piece of carrot cake? Perhaps you’d prefer a little fry-up from the Egg Man, or are craving a Mr. Softee ice cream cone? 🙂
If you’re a fan of anthropomorphic animals and retro food icons served up with whimsy and nostalgia, award winning artist, illustrator and textile designer Lisa Zador has you covered.
Originally from Philadelphia but currently based in Greenwich Village, Lisa creates “unusual artwork for the discerning eccentric.”
When Madison Safer was a child, she could often be found outdoors exploring the small worlds found under rocks in her back yard.
When her family moved to a small town in New Hampshire, she was delighted by the tall pine trees and ferns growing everywhere. Since it was hard to capture what she saw in photographs, she used watercolors to keep a record of what was around her.
And so it began – painting as a study tool – diagrams and sketches of bugs, mushrooms, flowers and plants. While studying at the Montserrat College of Art, she became interested in the narrative style of illustration. This enabled her to not only replicate natural phenomenon, but to convey the sensations of what it was like to be in the woods on the page.
Since then, she has used illustration as a teaching practice for herself as well as a way of telling hidden stories of what really happens in the forest when humans are not looking.
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When I first saw this painting I thought it was a photograph. After I realized it was a painting, I assumed it was done in oils or acrylics. Wrong again: it’s watercolor!
I’m no artist, but I do know watercolor is a difficult medium – especially when it comes to figurative realism. Who is this artist, and how did he/she achieve such incredible mastery in this challenging genre?
Steve Hanks (1949-2015) was a California native born into a military family in San Diego. His dad was a highly decorated WWII Navy flyer.
Growing up, Steve was more passionate about sports than art. He particularly enjoyed tennis and surfing along the beaches of Southern California. He would retain a spiritual connection with the ocean for the rest of his life.
Surfing had a strong influence on my paintings . . . The ocean made a strong and lasting impression on me. It was good for the soul to be out in the water—surfing, swimming, or simply getting in touch with its mysterious power.
Early on, Steve’s teachers recognized his artistic ability, but he refused to do the required assignments in his high school art class. To prove he was good, he did a one-man art show and sold his first painting to another art teacher.
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Ah, breakfast with Van Gogh. What could be better?
A crunchy bowl of Ben Steele’s Earrios will get you off to a great start. What’s that? You want more? Can’t say I blame you.
Once you’ve seen one Ben Steele painting, you crave another and another . . .
Originally from Washington state, Ben relocated to Utah when he was in his teens. He earned a BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Utah, then moved to Helper, Utah, where he studied under the instruction of David Dorman and Paul Davis at the Helper Art Workshops. He recently converted a vacant bottling and beverage distribution warehouse into an enormous studio that will accommodate large scale work.
Ben’s paintings are a unique mash-up of art history and pop culture, a wide-ranging oeuvre that includes landscape, still life, portraiture, and other things in-between. He calls himself a “pop realist,” an artist with an ever evolving style who’s successfully imbued classic techniques with a contemporary sensibility.
With equal measures of playfulness and nostalgia, Steele taps into America’s collective imagination by incorporating iconic brands such as Crayola, Coca-Cola, and Campbell’s Soup. Referencing the American West, Hollywood legends, and major figures in American history (to include several Presidents), his art resonates across generations with its social, political, and cultural overtones.
Catherine Nolin’s paintings take my breath away. Her gorgeous room portraits, still lifes, and botanical designs are defined by rich, vibrant colors, intricate patterns and luscious textures, each a sensual feast for the eyes steeped in antiquity.
A self-taught artist based in Andover, Massachusetts, Catherine says she’s always thinking about color and became fascinated with the emotional impact of various color combinations at a young age. The youngest of six sisters, she grew up in a family where Italian traditions were fundamental.
When I was 10 years old, a family friend, an artist, recognized my talent and enrolled me in a class at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. After that seminal experience, I continued to draw and in high school I practiced drawing furniture pieces and chairs with fabric patterns. The Italian Renaissance became my favorite art history period and I often incorporated objects and themes from this period into my work. In college, I studied pottery, figure drawing and art history.
Painting became a necessary form of therapy when she had her third son, who is autistic. This “part-time escape” soon evolved into a full time profession.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 