Heroic Collage

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Some works by Rex Ray do have round, dot elements in them and that qualifies him to be seen here, but the real reason I'm posting about him is the inspiration I felt after reading this article about him in the 8/08 ArtWorks Magazine.
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Sometimes we feel like we're having a bit of a rough day, which affects our art-making. Hearing him tell of the experiences he's faced made me realize how cushy and spoiled we can get; letting the smallest things throw us off track. As with any good artist, it's hard to pick just 1 or 2 images to represent their work and whet your appetite to see more.

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So you'll want to visit his Website and there's quite a fascinating bounty of pics and info at Squidoo.

There's a YouTube interview Here, and you can watch him working on one of his larger pieces Here.

Top image from Squidoo, bottom image from Jeff Doe Design.
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Scolloped Color

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There's impasto painting and then there are these luscious creations by Wil Jansen which stun the senses. You'll find that she takes her work seriously and I'm sure there's forethought, but in general the feeling they convey is joyous abandon.

She's represented by and the top image is from the MDZ Art Gallery. The lower image is from her Website, which you'll want to visit to see all the variations of her beautiful oeuvre. Too bad there's not any information on her thought process. It's always nice to have a Wall Text or Artist Statement to explain the concept, but in the end, all art has to stand on it's own and I think this is pretty outstanding work.

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Photographing Lines

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There's quite an interesting story behind these beautiful works by Thomas Ruff in his soon-to-close show, "zycles" at Galerie Rudiger Schottle. Clicking on English in the left column and then More Information, on your right will give you information about the work. Then click on Images, top/right of that article takes you to the images.



If his name rings a bell, the images that come to mind are of the type I wouldn't want to post on this blog; so I'm glad to see he's since turned his interests elsewhere. And once again he's pushing the boundaries of photography and finding new territory in which to exercise his artistic abilities.


This image is one of many installation shots and individual images from his zycles+ cassini Exhibition at Mai 36 Gallerie, about this same time last year.

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Additional images here.

Top image from Galerie Rudiger Schottle.

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Mixed Medium, Words

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I've been remiss in giving equal time to artists who focus entirely on words and text. My initial searches on the Internet were to find artists who wrote or used calligraphy in their paintings but eventually expanded my searches to include genres about text and language, etc. So I've got quite a few folders full of these other artists and their fascinating oeuvres.

Archie Scott Gobber likes to play around with words and does a great job of presenting them to us in a fresh new way. When you visit his Website, be sure to check out Links and News. One Gallery has installation pics from his Show and you'll find more interesting artists at the venues where he's exhibited.
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Persian Mark-Making

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There are other, more colorful and bolder paintings by Belgian-born artist Farzin Nikzad, but this one in particular appealed to me for it's blurred calligraphic elements. I found his oeuvre interesting, but hard to categorize.

You can survey his work by visiting the Mah Art Gallery. Click on Collections for the most images.

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You'll find 5 completely different images at the Pacific Arts Center and a short piece about his work.

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Image is from the Mah Art Gallery.

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Gesticular

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That was the first word that came to mind upon seeing the work of Tony Magar. There's more to his work than just broad strokes, though. Take the time to look and you begin to really appreciate the complexity of the layers in these Ab Ex pieces, which draw you in past the surface bravado.

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The top image is from, and he's represented by the Mike Weiss Gallery. You'll see quite a difference between the works from his 2005 Exhibit with those of the 08 Show.

He's also represented by the New Gallery with an image page Here and Here.

The bottom image is from Chula Speaks Blog - a fascinating read.

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An additional 6 interesting images can be found Here.

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Paper Scroll Pointillism

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Inventive and playful are the words that come to mind when describing these works by Hadieh Shafie, but her oeuvre goes deeper than that. Unfortunately, as is the custom these days, she offers no Statement and you'll have to search for the answers, yourself.

She's not just about paper scrolls though, so you'll want to visit her Website.
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Check out her page at Saatchi for a quicker visual overview of her work.
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