Contemporary PNG

I spent a few summers in a tiny village in the Solomon Islands, which is at the tip of a long archipelago that also includes Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.  Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomons are very different but because they are so close, also have a lot of similarities.  While in the Solomons, we often heard news from PNG and listened to their latest music.  I don't know much about contemporary art from that part of the world so was really excited to learn about Daniel Waswas (thanks to Julie).  He comes from Papua New Guinea, studied in New Zealand and now runs a gallery back in Port Moresby to promote other contemporary indigenous artists from PNG and the pacific.  Pretty darn awesome.   

Jelleh

I just ate lunch and I dont even like doughnuts... but right now I really want one.  Emily Eveleth and her huge, gooey, realistic paintings get me every time.

She has a good interview about her work over here.  And she does some darn nice drawings too.

Tom Berenz

Flood paintings by Tom Berenz.

Margaux's Matryoshkas

Margaux Meganck makes beautiful Matryoshka bird sets.  I fell in love with these the first time I saw them and I'd love to hold some in my hands and slowly open them one by one to see the next little bird inside.  It looks like she painted these so lovingly that they are probably guaranteed to be full of tiny details to discover and examine.  She's also a pretty darn great illustrator and an all around wonderful person.  You can see more of her birds and latest illustrations on her blog here.   

Au Naturel

The Au Naturel show opened tonight at the CCC Art Gallery just a few blocks from my lovely little apartment.  This is an annual international juried competition of 2-D work showing "the nude in the 21st century" and the whole town has become a part of it.  Most galleries and restaurants around Astoria will also have figurative shows during March while Au Naturel is up. Thats just one more little reason to love this place. Here are some images from the show.

This year's winner by Annie Heisey

painting by my friend, Reed Clarke

Victoria Selbach

Nevin Berger

And here's a painting I made years ago that was in the very first Au Naturel show.  I painted this little lady one spring day in Paris. 

Simon Kaan

Simon Kaan is a Chinese, Maori (Ngai Tahu), and European artist whose lineage all comes together in his amazing prints and paintings.  He lives and works in New Zealand and uses Maori forms and subjects in his art. They also have a sepia or black & white tone to them, and are full of balance and space that remind me of Chinese landscapes.  He uses multiple horizon lines to create depths of sky or ocean and this space is often connected and pinned down by a flying moth or the tip of a canoe.  I think they're pretty darn beautiful and their minimal lines still give us so much to look at.  

Happy Birthday Oregon!

And of course, happy valentines day.

Le Lit by Toulouse-Lautrec

Myth or Mammal

From top to bottom: Intertwined by Wangechi Mutu, Picasso being silly, Quigauk For Hyacinth and May Wit'l Elk by Rick Bartow

Wayne White's Word Paintings

I've been seeing Wayne White's paintings around the internet lately and they always make me smile and remind me that sometimes we can all be a little ridiculous.  Apparently, he was also a set designer for Pee-Wee's Playhouse and an art director for music videos, and won a bunch of awards for both. In his art, he adds huge and often hilarious text into landscape paintings.  The one-liners always make me stop and think of real situations and people connected to each phrase. This world is full of individuals and characters with their own styles and egos. And Im sure that when I laugh at others, they laugh right back at me.

 

Prints

Some prints and paintings by Masami Teraoka showing how east meets west and past meets present.

And a couple of prints by my current favorite, Yuji Hiratsuka.  Ive been lucky enough to spend some good quality time with that second one in person.  I just cant get enough of it.

The Great American Super Bowl Art Bet II

Today, Im taking a post directly from Flavorwire.com

Remember last year’s Super Bowl bet between the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art that was inspired by a dare by art writer Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes? Well, the tradition continues! This year the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art have agreed to a Super Bowl wager of equally daring proportions. What’s on the line? The Milwaukee Art Museum has to cough up Gustave Caillebotte’s Boating on the Yerres if Green Bay loses, while the Carnegie Museum of Art has wagered Pierre Renoir’s Bathers with a Crab on behalf of the Steelers. Click through to get a gander at the works in question and let us know in the comments: If this was battle between the two canvases, which one do you think would win?

The first is Boating on the Yerres, by Gustave Caillebotte from the Milwaukee Art Museum on behalf of the Green Bay Pakers

The second is Bathers with a Crab by Pierre Renoir from The Carnegie Museum of Art on behalf of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here's the original article
http://flavorwire.com/146649/the-great-american-super-bowl-art-bet-round-2#more-146649

Manscapes

Ive been thinking about painting lately and been looking at art by Chris Ballantyne. They leave me wanting some deep nature and paying more attention to the little patches of grass in front of my apartment. Ive been appreciating simple things lately so the look of these paintings really fits. He's got a whole lot to look at here: www.chrisballantyne.com

Disquieted

On Friday I got to help chaperone Miss Wyss' Tillamook High School junior and senior art class visit to the Portland Art Museum. The show, Disquieted, was art from contemporary artists discussing our current vulnerabilities, social issues, and misconceptions. Here are a few images. From top to bottom they are: Still from video installation Possessed by Shirin Neshat. Detail from a painting by Takashi Murakami. Baby Pink Painting with Three Girls by Su-en Wong. Crouching boy in Mirror by Ron Mueck.