Audacity
by VSW ArtHouse
Have the Audacity to dream even if others think they have the power to dictate your journey. They do not. You carve your own path with help from a reliable circle of people who love and value you. You choose your seat at the table. You pick the table, too. You can do it. You deserve to get there wherever there is as along as it’s rooted in love and not hate.
Have the Audacity to hope even if you come from the wrong side of town anywhere in the world. Some will try to crush you. “You come from an obscure place,” they will say. They may make fun of your name and your appearance. They will try to erase your story. They will dismiss your origin. Pay no attention to any of that nonsense. Work. Achieve. Reach for the stars. Once your starlight is unmissable, they will call you exotic. They will call you inspiring especially because of your humble beginnings. They will shower you with praise. They may ask you to friend them.
Have the Audacity to hope even if you come from the wrong side of town anywhere in the world. Some will try to crush you. “You come from an obscure place,” they will say. They may make fun of your name and your appearance. They will try to erase your story. They will dismiss your origin. Pay no attention to any of that nonsense. Work. Achieve. Reach for the stars. Once your starlight is unmissable, they will call you exotic. They will call you inspiring especially because of your humble beginnings. They will shower you with praise. They may ask you to friend them.
Photo by Nappy
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Photo by Bestbe Models
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Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. Keep in mind that success is not measured only in shiny degrees or ivy leagues and loads of hardware. Don’t look for validation from self-serving characters of no character even if they try to intimidate you from their bully pulpit. Some will throw you off a cliff in a heartbeat if given the chance. They will paint themselves as a poor victim or the savior of humanity but their games are pathetic. Focus. Just follow the light.
Have the Audacity to make your mark. Don’t shy away from challenges. Ask for help. Lend a hand. Believe in magic. But always work hard and take pride in being kind and doing good. Lead the way seeking solutions to pressing problems that affect us all. In the words of Arisa White, make every day a good day finding ways to define your life not based on default settings. Have the Audacity to define you.
Have the Audacity to make your mark. Don’t shy away from challenges. Ask for help. Lend a hand. Believe in magic. But always work hard and take pride in being kind and doing good. Lead the way seeking solutions to pressing problems that affect us all. In the words of Arisa White, make every day a good day finding ways to define your life not based on default settings. Have the Audacity to define you.
Monday Monologue
Nathaniel J Ryan
Monday Monologue is our new series featuring amazing actors and performing artists who inspire us with their dedication to their craft. Nathaniel J. Ryan’s performance is emotional, robust and heartfelt. Get to know this wonderful actor who deserves your attention. Monday Monologue is the right start to a new week. Read more...
Creativity is Contagious
by Rakela
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“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” -Einstein
Would you believe me if I told you that my grandmother was 84 years old and active on all social media outlets from YouTube to Instagram? Grandma was determined to explore sustainably inspired art. Motivated and driven to succeed, she embraced any challenges that came with learning new technology. She used her acquired knowledge to expand her repertoire. Her inspiration was fueled by nature, everyday surroundings and magazines. Grandma enjoyed researching and working regularly to perfect her craft. |
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"Staying active and always learning helps me feel youthful and keeps my mind sharp," she would say. Read more...
New Beginnings
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Who saved the radio? Who killed reality with filters and new series of scams and modern trickery? Where did decency get buried? When do we get a chance to explore again? Why keep looking for an enemy when there’s never enough time to love our loved ones properly? Why not seek more friends and allies as time flies by? What virtual reality will you be peaking in this week to forget your own routine? So many questions within a confined space that got a face lift and still feels old.
We have made it to this point. So many lives lost. Many wounded. Millions hurting. Countless grief-stricken. We are all in need of hope. A new week of a crisp new spring is here. Go for a hike if you don't feel like running. Smile with your eyes to a complete stranger. Stroke the hair of a darling person. Drink a nice cup of joe or tea. Make a mental note to do a good deed just for the heck of it. Spring is here people. Make the most of it! |
Photo credit: Maria Orlova |
#NYLights
April 20, 2020
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My name is Oren Lavi, I am the owner of Soapology.
Ever since my youth, I have always had a love of antiques and vintage items, especially vintage packaging from a century ago. When I opened Soapology in 2007 this was my way of combining vintage beauty with the high level of craftsmanship that often accompanied it both in our shop and in our products. One of my life’s passions is cooking, so for me, I treat making soaps and scrubs in the same manner a chef would his creations at a 5-star restaurant. It is also this respect for ancient techniques that we use ingredients such as Dead Sea salt and mud, neem oil and shea butter in our products; these Old World ingredients that have been tested for generations to have soothing and healing properties. |
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My desire with Soapology has always been to create something unique and unforgettable for our guests. This is why in our store we have made it possible for customers to even create their own unique custom fragrance for their products. Those they use daily and those they save for special occasions. Their whole experience to be uplifting and enriching.
What I miss the most of NYC these days - all the cultural mix, tourists, Chinatown, little Italy, the amazing and unique international vibe of the city. Hopefully all this will be back soon. In the meantime we are trying to help the best we can. Here are some pictures of us these days. See you again. #NYlights |
#WhatMatters
Furong Zhang
What is very important to me right now is shedding light on a personal experience of immigration, through imagery and fractured narratives. I often reflect upon shadows of a time that has passed, in relation to changes in the present times.
I grew up during a traumatic period of time in China when the Cultural Revolution was taking place and there were mass migrations of people and thought. To have experienced such times and then to geographically root myself in a separate country with its new systems and ideologies was and still is a mental whirlwind that over the years have laid dormant but ever present in myself.
Painting has become a personal bridge between what I perceive to be two sides of the world, through subtle narratives influenced by both western and eastern spheres and that span both cultures.
I grew up during a traumatic period of time in China when the Cultural Revolution was taking place and there were mass migrations of people and thought. To have experienced such times and then to geographically root myself in a separate country with its new systems and ideologies was and still is a mental whirlwind that over the years have laid dormant but ever present in myself.
Painting has become a personal bridge between what I perceive to be two sides of the world, through subtle narratives influenced by both western and eastern spheres and that span both cultures.
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Through my work, I explore dynamics between exterior systems and inner dialogue, material person and soul, and further interweaved elements that I see as prominent conflicts in the story of the immigrant.
I am drawn to certain images, such as ones rooted in construction, detritus, ritual, subtle violence, and ambivalence as a way to reference the social effects of multiple cultures and changes associated with economic development and industrialization, and as metaphors for my individual experience.
I am drawn to certain images, such as ones rooted in construction, detritus, ritual, subtle violence, and ambivalence as a way to reference the social effects of multiple cultures and changes associated with economic development and industrialization, and as metaphors for my individual experience.
We Matter: Athletes and Activism
Etan Thomas
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Etan Thomas has played 11 years in the NBA. In addition to that, he is a published author, activist, and motivational speaker. He was born in Harlem, NY and raised in Tulsa, OK. He has published four books: a collection of poems titled More Than an Athlete, a motivational book Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge, and a collection of poems and messages by young writers from Voices of the Future. We Matter: Athletes and Activism is his latest book (Edge of Sports). It is a collection of interviews with living legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other famous NBA players, personalities, journalists, as well as family members of unarmed black men shot and killed.
Etan Thomas is the voice of reason. He is the voice of victory over hate. His life journey is a collection of stories on how to rise triumphant over a |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
maelstrom of hostility from all sides. Although he has earned a long list of accomplishments, Etan continues to keep busy. He does not miss an opportunity denouncing hatred while also making sure he encourages young people to never lose focus and go after their dreams with all they've got. It's not easy to find your voice, to find your path but do all the searching without stopping to believe in the power of truth, justice, and equality. It is an honor to live the same timeline as men like Etan Thomas. Get to know Etan Thomas starting with his interview here and do your part for what’s right. It’s always worth it! Read more...
Polar Bear
#WhatMatters
"Originally from Bordeaux, France, I learned very young to be as respectful as possible of our planet and all living beings that populate it. This, thanks to my father, a member of Greenpeace France.
When I started doing street art 10 years ago, there was very quickly this need to express a message of protection of nature. The living on Earth, as we know it, is disappearing, and it's the human species that is responsible for it. I wanted to give "a voice" to these animals. I started with an elephant, a whale and a gorilla, with the catch phrase "Do not make us History!" These three animals seemed to me to represent quite well the harmful action of the human being on his environment.
Today, the speed of destruction keeps increasing. The living collapses. Bees and other pollinating insects, pangolins, emperor penguins, amphibians, reptiles, fish, hedgehogs, tigers, orangutans, polar bears .... you name it.
All are disappearing. Our civilization will follow. There is no planet B.
Because the 100 most polluting companies in the world (70% of greenhouse gas emissions) are not going to stop of their own accord, it is more than time to fight. Nowadays this is #WhatMatters."
When I started doing street art 10 years ago, there was very quickly this need to express a message of protection of nature. The living on Earth, as we know it, is disappearing, and it's the human species that is responsible for it. I wanted to give "a voice" to these animals. I started with an elephant, a whale and a gorilla, with the catch phrase "Do not make us History!" These three animals seemed to me to represent quite well the harmful action of the human being on his environment.
Today, the speed of destruction keeps increasing. The living collapses. Bees and other pollinating insects, pangolins, emperor penguins, amphibians, reptiles, fish, hedgehogs, tigers, orangutans, polar bears .... you name it.
All are disappearing. Our civilization will follow. There is no planet B.
Because the 100 most polluting companies in the world (70% of greenhouse gas emissions) are not going to stop of their own accord, it is more than time to fight. Nowadays this is #WhatMatters."
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Polar Bear is a French street artist whose interventions have been appearing for years on the walls of London, Los Angeles, Portland, Berlin, Budapest and more. His artworks are usually in black and white with many gray shades and a single colorful detail included, which creates an intense visual and symbolic contrast with the rest of the picture.
His training and professional orientation as a gaffer in the movie industry reflects heavily on his street artwork as well, where the position of light and its interaction with shades play an important part as a poetic element. Fascination by the rich legacy of film as an art practice influences his choice of motifs too.
His training and professional orientation as a gaffer in the movie industry reflects heavily on his street artwork as well, where the position of light and its interaction with shades play an important part as a poetic element. Fascination by the rich legacy of film as an art practice influences his choice of motifs too.
SVA...Films like Goebbels' Are Not Art
by Ard Morina
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"Last Friday, on October 4, 2019, SVA, the prestigious New York art institution served as a platform to spread dangerous propaganda and cruel disinformation by showing The Weight of Chains 3. This film directed by Boris Malagurski says that it presents an analysis of crimes against climate change among other things. In fact, it is a Serbian propaganda film disguising ethnic cleansing and war atrocities that Serbs committed against Croats, Bosnians and Albanians after the break up of Yugoslavia.
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Photo credit: Maris |
Should SVA or other educational or cultural institutions accommodate conspiracy theories that the US Capitalist system somehow had evil intentions and NATO bombings were all planned as a way to destroy the great Yugoslav – Serb led project? There is plenty of research on this subject with facts, Hague tribunals based on evidence of crimes and other means of proving who had zero disregard for cultural heritage, innocent lives and the environment. SVA promoting an “alternate” truth which undermines history from twenty years ago is disgraceful at best." Read more...
#WhatMatters
Kat Cho
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"When I first started writing to seek out publication, it was a different time in the publishing industry. It was right before We Need Diverse Books—a grassroots organization discussing the need for diversity within children’s literature—was started. And most main characters in books didn’t look like me. I grew up without much Asian representation in the media and entertainment I consumed and it was ingrained in me (whether purposeful or not) that someone who had my face and my culture could never be the hero of great stories. That was, of course, wrong. Anyone can do great things and be a hero, but as a kid it’s hard to imagine that when everything your shown implies that you should be relegated to the side-lines, a one-off character that ends up dying or having no importance in the narrative.
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Now, children’s publishing has started up the important conversation about including authentic diverse representation for under- or unrepresented communities. There are a lot of studies that show how detrimental it is for kids who can’t see themselves in stories, as well as for kids who only see themselves and don’t understand how other cultures work. Reading promotes empathy and therefore, it’s the best tool to create empathy for other lived experiences you might not understand yourself. As a writer, I am proud to be able to incorporate my Korean heritage in my books, to give a more nuanced view into what it means to me to be Korean and how it is to walk through this world with my face and my culture as integral parts of how I see myself and how others see me. I am so proud of the fact that so many authors of color are fighting through the innate roadblocks build into this industry to have our voices heard. And my hope is that the progress doesn’t stop here. That it keeps growing so that there are so many Korean, Asian, diverse stories out there that kids have a multitude to choose from. That they can see how different our experiences can be even within the community."
Kat Cho used to hide books under the bathroom sink and then sneak in there to read after bedtime. Her parents pretended not to know. This helped when she decided to write a dinosaur time-travel novel at the tender age of nine. Sadly, that book was not published. She currently lives and works in NYC and spends her free time trying to figure out what kind of puppy to adopt. Kat’s YA contemporary fantasy, Wicked Fox (out with Putnam Books for Young Readers/Penguin), is her debut.
For more about Kat Cho, visit her website here.
For more about Kat Cho, visit her website here.
#WhatMatters
Nora Naranjo Morse
"I come from a Southwestern indigenous community where environment influenced the basic structure of our Tewa culture. Our songs and dances were inspired by seasonal changes. Our homes made from natural materials are simple, but remarkably resilient and speak to the Tewa concept that our homes are a reflection of who we are and where we came from. Everything Tewa people hold sacred is molded by the land we walk on.
Given such a strong and deep appreciation of environment created my sense of self and place at a very early age. So, it would just make sense that environment is what matters to me. Our stewardship to the earth will define who we are as human beings for generations to come, no matter where we live or who we are. That is why I work with natural materials building sculptures that speak to the sustainability of Tewa value systems and living methods. I advocate these value systems as a universal truth. I advertise these basic Tewa concepts on highway billboards across the Southwest and beyond. My objective through billboard art is to hijack space otherwise used to sell something and offer an alternative thought asking, what is sacred to you? Is it Family? Environment? Culture?"
Given such a strong and deep appreciation of environment created my sense of self and place at a very early age. So, it would just make sense that environment is what matters to me. Our stewardship to the earth will define who we are as human beings for generations to come, no matter where we live or who we are. That is why I work with natural materials building sculptures that speak to the sustainability of Tewa value systems and living methods. I advocate these value systems as a universal truth. I advertise these basic Tewa concepts on highway billboards across the Southwest and beyond. My objective through billboard art is to hijack space otherwise used to sell something and offer an alternative thought asking, what is sacred to you? Is it Family? Environment? Culture?"
Protect The Sacred- 2018
Colorado Springs, Colorado (near traditional Ute tribal lands) |
Protect The Sacred - 2017
Jospeh City, Arizona |
Always Becoming- 2006
National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Mall- Washington D.C. (Five ephemeral sculpture made of organic materials) |
Nora Naranjo Morse is a sculptor, writer, and producer of video films that look at the continuing social changes within Pueblo Indian culture. An artist best known for her work with clay, she makes pottery and figurines, as well as installation exhibits and large-scale public art. Beyond Santa Fe, her work can be seen at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. She is the recipient of an honorary degree from Skidmore College and a 2014 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Artist Fellowship. In 2017 Naranjo Morse was awarded a Spirit Aligned Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship. She is the author of the poetry collection Mud Woman: Poems from the Clay. 1992 and the children’s book, The First Clay Gathering. 1998.
For more info, visit noranaranjomorse.squarespace.com
For more info, visit noranaranjomorse.squarespace.com
#WhatMatters
Noel W Anderson
From the shadow of an ass-whoopin’, Rodney King whimpered, “Can’t we all just get along?” To him I answer: “We could, if, folks’d just ak rite.” It is within this temporal dialogue, between a brutalized King, and a critical thinker (myself), I locate what, both matters to me, and, re/generates my diverse creative agency. As I answered King’s call to peace, the voices of those disproportionately dehumanized by an increasingly suped-up, militarized police-force, endlessly beckon my attention; from a past, present, and future, we call. As an African-American male, I am included in the calling. Said another way, as a member of the disproportionately dehumanized, I believe it my duty to address the material realities of our discrimination. I seek to achieve this by redressing the in/accuracy of image and conceptual-based circumscriptions contouring the possibilities of black male subjectivities. Brother Malcolm interminably calls: “Make it plain… Make it plain… Make it plain…” Because representations of black males are so excessively distorted – through photography, television, film, literature (this but names a few warping technologies) – I redress these in/accuracies through weaving. Weaving photographic images of black males allows me to connect contemporary modes of representation – TV and film – to their pictorial ancestors – representational tapestries. Historically, binary coding, used to develop televisual and filmic images, has roots in French weaver, Joseph Marie Jacquard’s, method of tapestry fabrication: Jacquard tapestry. My work materializes this genealogy, while challenging faith in images. Physicalizing the textile’s surface – sanding, picking, brushing, dyeing, and collaging – frays the image’s validity and meaning. A once immobile meaning, is mobilized. Exceeding the material, weaving is metaphorical, as it speaks of touch and sensitivity; terms sutured to “women’s work”. The care in undoin’ the threaded-image disputes the stereotypical narrative of black masculine aggression; offering a counter-narrative, and opening up boundless possibilities for black male subjectivity.
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Noel W Anderson has an MFA from Indiana University in Printmaking, and an MFA from Yale University in Sculpture. In 2018, he was awarded the NYFA artist fellowship grant and the prestigious Jerome Prize. His solo exhibition, Blak Origin Moment, which debuted at the Contemporary Arts Center in 2017, will open at the Hunter Museum of American Art in October 2019. For more, go to: nwastudios.com
#What Matters
JJ Galloway
"When I’m not in my studio painting, I’m working at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. In that job, I study and talk a lot about other artists work. And I’ve learned how important it is to be authentic to yourself in your art. There’s an artist and a collector for everybody but you will never find each other until you are true to the art.
I paint food because it makes me feel good. I’m fascinated with the beautiful foods that come from our Earth and equally fascinated by what the creative mind of a chef does with that food. Making paints of food and playing with that concept feels so completely full circle and natural to me.
People ask me all the time if I like to cook. The answer is NO! I can cook, but I’m not very good at it. My husband is the chef in our house.
I paint food because it makes me feel good. I’m fascinated with the beautiful foods that come from our Earth and equally fascinated by what the creative mind of a chef does with that food. Making paints of food and playing with that concept feels so completely full circle and natural to me.
People ask me all the time if I like to cook. The answer is NO! I can cook, but I’m not very good at it. My husband is the chef in our house.
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At the start of 2018 I gave myself permission to paint what only what I wanted to paint and not worry about whether or not anyone else liked it…and my business took off.”
JJ Galloway, an Annapolis, Maryland based artist, has been touring art shows throughout the country including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Miami.
JJ’s food themed art ranges from whimsical, like a pigeon with a ramen nest on his head, to figurative, like a chef at work in a kitchen, to traditional food still life paintings. “I make paintings of food. People have such interesting connections to food. Memories, sensations, emotions…all the senses are tapped in paintings of food.”
Her original watercolor and oil paintings can be found in public and private collections around the world and prints of her images are licensed to companies including Bed, Bath and Beyond, One Kings Lane, and a large European paper and calendar producer. Don't miss the chance to enjoy JJ Galloway's art at the Affordable Art Fair in March 2019 or her solo show at The ArtExpo New York in April 2019.
With Strings (#WhatMatters)
Jeff Morris
"The more I build my own interactive musical worlds, the more I can see how the world we share is a constructed thing. I see that we can learn the most by exploring its “seams,” the points where the mundane breaks down and we can glimpse the true surprising nature of the thing, what’s behind the veil. It’s worth pursuing any search for knowledge until we find those seams, those telling anomalies, and we see what we can learn from them. I see that if we don’t question and probe the constructed worlds in which we live, then they shape us instead; we’re not the ones in control (even as they put controls in our hands). Just like how word processors lead us to write differently and electronic communications shape how we see ourselves and connect with each other, I’ve seen how different tools for making music make certain thoughts natural and suppress others.
That’s why I prefer to program my own software for performances and to make a different scenario for each composition. I try to make each one probe the boundaries of its own native situation, exploring whatever “seams” it can expose. This could mean site-specific performances or music from real-world data. In my live sampling performances, my instruments can’t make any sounds of their own; they only steal sounds from my musical partners onstage, live in the moment. This way, listeners can hear the digitally copied sounds, they can remember that they witnessed the original moment and that a copy is somehow missing something, and then they can watch as that lifeless copy gains a new life as I transform it into something new that influences the other performers in turn. They also hear the glitches and noise from the recording process itself—things we’re conditioned to ignore—turned into expressive elements. These performances play the “liveness” of the performance itself as an expressive medium."
That’s why I prefer to program my own software for performances and to make a different scenario for each composition. I try to make each one probe the boundaries of its own native situation, exploring whatever “seams” it can expose. This could mean site-specific performances or music from real-world data. In my live sampling performances, my instruments can’t make any sounds of their own; they only steal sounds from my musical partners onstage, live in the moment. This way, listeners can hear the digitally copied sounds, they can remember that they witnessed the original moment and that a copy is somehow missing something, and then they can watch as that lifeless copy gains a new life as I transform it into something new that influences the other performers in turn. They also hear the glitches and noise from the recording process itself—things we’re conditioned to ignore—turned into expressive elements. These performances play the “liveness” of the performance itself as an expressive medium."
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Jeff Morris creates experiences that pop audiences’ minds out of the ordinary to notice new things about the sounds, technology, and culture around them. His performances, installations, lectures, and writings appear in international venues known for cutting-edge arts and for asking deep questions in the arts. He has won awards for making art emerge from unusual situations: music tailored to architecture and cityscapes, performance art for the radio, and serious concert music for toy piano, slide whistle, robot, Sudoku puzzles, and paranormal electronic voice phenomena.
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His work has appeared in the Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), Triennale Museum (Milan), D-22 (Beijing’s avant-garde music scene), the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum (Austin), the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s “Open House Chicago,” and the Boston Microtonal Society.
Morris’s writings exploring the aesthetic questions raised by his music have appeared at the International Symposium on Electronic Art, International Computer Music Conference, Generative Art International Conference, and Computer Art Congress, as well as in publications by Leonardo Music Journal, Springer, and IGI Global.
Morris’s writings exploring the aesthetic questions raised by his music have appeared at the International Symposium on Electronic Art, International Computer Music Conference, Generative Art International Conference, and Computer Art Congress, as well as in publications by Leonardo Music Journal, Springer, and IGI Global.
Escape into ART
Lynette Redner
"Hi, I am Lynette Redner and I live in the heart of rural Wisconsin. I grew up on a farm, became a nurse, traveled the country as a travel nurse for 5 years. Settled into Arizona for over 20 yrs and then returned to Wisconsin 7 years ago, to assist ailing parents (who have now passed).
Just this past July I called my boss after an art workshop by Joe Paquet, and informed her that I would not be returning to work. Now I am finally a full time artist after years of trying to run my "train" down both tracks of art creation and medical work. So, now every day I am living my own truth. Truth, integrity and encouraging others are pivotal to creating my art and living my life.
Just this past July I called my boss after an art workshop by Joe Paquet, and informed her that I would not be returning to work. Now I am finally a full time artist after years of trying to run my "train" down both tracks of art creation and medical work. So, now every day I am living my own truth. Truth, integrity and encouraging others are pivotal to creating my art and living my life.
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When viewers gaze at my work, I desire that they be able to escape into the painting and relieve some of the pressures of daily life. As a child, I was often sick and I used a painting in my parents home to "escape into", as I endured the illness. I want others to feel a sense of joy, contentment and renewal when they look at my work.
Throughout my nursing career I have used my art with patients as well as staff to relieve the pressures of the moment. Art is a mood changer and has so much power. I choose this power to help heal the heart and find something positive to hang on to. Many people have told me they have found humor and happiness in my paintings. These feelings just find their own way in. I pour my heart into every painting. I can not NOT create art. It has called me and I am following!"
For more about Lynette Redner's art, visit her website here.
Throughout my nursing career I have used my art with patients as well as staff to relieve the pressures of the moment. Art is a mood changer and has so much power. I choose this power to help heal the heart and find something positive to hang on to. Many people have told me they have found humor and happiness in my paintings. These feelings just find their own way in. I pour my heart into every painting. I can not NOT create art. It has called me and I am following!"
For more about Lynette Redner's art, visit her website here.
Painting Life, From Life
Philine van der Vegte
"Every fresh canvas is a challenge. Especially in portraiture. Someone is sitting for you for several days - the resulting painting has to be good to be worthwhile. This is what makes painting exhilarating to me.
Painting in the open air is something else again. Every time I’m out there with my easel, I ask myself: what is the essence and the spirit of this landscape? What fascinates me about what I see and how do I capture the beauty of this view in my painting? For me that’s what it is all about: showing the beauty of the Dutch landscape.
I paint fast, and I like to keep the freshness of the first look into my paintings. I love the immediacy of the perfect brushstroke that represents exactly what I want it to do. Tone and form are key.
I want to be very close to my subjects, and prefer to paint from life. The starting point for my paintings is always in the real world. Painting from observation is important to me and I will choose to do so whenever possible. Whatever the practical drawbacks, I feel it is better to capture the essence of a person, a landscape or an object in this way. I am committed to finding the truth through the observation of reality.
Painting in the open air is something else again. Every time I’m out there with my easel, I ask myself: what is the essence and the spirit of this landscape? What fascinates me about what I see and how do I capture the beauty of this view in my painting? For me that’s what it is all about: showing the beauty of the Dutch landscape.
I paint fast, and I like to keep the freshness of the first look into my paintings. I love the immediacy of the perfect brushstroke that represents exactly what I want it to do. Tone and form are key.
I want to be very close to my subjects, and prefer to paint from life. The starting point for my paintings is always in the real world. Painting from observation is important to me and I will choose to do so whenever possible. Whatever the practical drawbacks, I feel it is better to capture the essence of a person, a landscape or an object in this way. I am committed to finding the truth through the observation of reality.
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When starting a painting, I look for the things that have lasted. The area I live in has a rich and long cultural history. I paint people, landscapes, animals. I try to show them the way they are now, framing them in their rapidly changing surroundings. I keep trying to capture the character of a person or a landscape through light and dark. How do you paint the "human-ness" of the sitter, their vulnerability, their strength?
The art I want to make will grab people, because it is close to real life. It carries soul and intent. My mission as an artist is to bring real life to life."
Philine van der Vegte is a Dutch figurative painter. For more about her work, visit the artist's website here.
The art I want to make will grab people, because it is close to real life. It carries soul and intent. My mission as an artist is to bring real life to life."
Philine van der Vegte is a Dutch figurative painter. For more about her work, visit the artist's website here.
#WhatMatters
Sheyi N. Alabi
When creating a body of work, #WhatMatters is being in the right state of mind, in the right environment and listening to the right music. As an artist, most of my pieces are about my life’s journey.
"I basically paint African stories. I exhibit a nation and her future by painting children of African narratives. Children are believed to be the leaders of tomorrow. I come from a part of Africa where it is believed that children are the light of every household. African mothers would rather enjoy their houses being turned upside down than having a home with no children. Children are the source of joy and they bring life into every home. All I see and experience is showcased in my work. This is what matters."
"I basically paint African stories. I exhibit a nation and her future by painting children of African narratives. Children are believed to be the leaders of tomorrow. I come from a part of Africa where it is believed that children are the light of every household. African mothers would rather enjoy their houses being turned upside down than having a home with no children. Children are the source of joy and they bring life into every home. All I see and experience is showcased in my work. This is what matters."
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Sheyi Alabi's artwork is inspired by the lost narratives of the old, their innocence, their child-like aura fused with African heritage, culture, and tradition. His skill is evident in his ability to effortlessly portray Africa and her children, all-powerful and visibly present. His genre is Hyper-realism. Every single one of his pieces is painstakingly detailed and time-consuming but the end result is so worth the effort. With Africanism central to his oeuvre, Sheyi Alabi succeeds in portraying both young and old. Above all, he captures and highlights the beauty of Africanism.
For more follow @Sheyi_pencilz
For more follow @Sheyi_pencilz
#WhatMatters
Capucine Safir
"When I create a piece, what matters is my instinct. I rarely know where I’m going. I‘m driven by the feelings at the moment M. Direct carving and abstraction allow that. To determine whether a piece is finished or not, what matters is if I understand it and if I’m able to stand up for it.
#WhatMatters to me is that people think beyond good, bad; like or dislike. My sculptures contain deep emotions and I want them to be transmitted. Art must challenge people!"
#WhatMatters to me is that people think beyond good, bad; like or dislike. My sculptures contain deep emotions and I want them to be transmitted. Art must challenge people!"
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Capucine Safir is a Miami-based French Artist, born in Paris. After many years working in the movie industry, Capucine graduated in interior design in Sydney, Australia where she lived for a few years. In 2011, back in her country, she started carving her first block of limestone and it instantly triggered a deep emotion. Capucine soon found her own style through soft rounded shapes. "Soothing", "pure" and "atypical" are, some of the adjectives, which best define her work.
For more information on Capucine Safir, visit here.
Invisible Room & Colors
Kyoko Takei
"Invisible space between objects or conversations and the flow of time are my interests in my architecture projects and art works. Even though the medium has been changing, I have kept these themes throughout creative process.
Designing houses was my childhood dream. I always drew a floor plan after getting back from somebody’s house. That was much more fun for me than drawing dolls or flowers like other girls. It was a 2-D rendering of B&W pencil lines on paper, however, I could imagine the rooms and colors all over the drawing. I also played around making my own tiny house using the Japanese folding mattress.
My model has just 3 simple walls. Such minimal room creation from my childhood has influenced my most recent art works ‘Architecture Project’ and embroidery 'Book Project'. If we have 6 plates, it would be fine. Half of 6 will work just as well. Even 2 or 1 would be ok. However, a lot of people do not even have 1.
On the other hand, my paintings and resin covered sculpture art works are all about color reaction and interaction. That’s when I try to concentrate on straight forward artistic expressions."
Designing houses was my childhood dream. I always drew a floor plan after getting back from somebody’s house. That was much more fun for me than drawing dolls or flowers like other girls. It was a 2-D rendering of B&W pencil lines on paper, however, I could imagine the rooms and colors all over the drawing. I also played around making my own tiny house using the Japanese folding mattress.
My model has just 3 simple walls. Such minimal room creation from my childhood has influenced my most recent art works ‘Architecture Project’ and embroidery 'Book Project'. If we have 6 plates, it would be fine. Half of 6 will work just as well. Even 2 or 1 would be ok. However, a lot of people do not even have 1.
On the other hand, my paintings and resin covered sculpture art works are all about color reaction and interaction. That’s when I try to concentrate on straight forward artistic expressions."
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#WhatMatters
Marcella Stranieri
"Hello! My name is Marcella and I am the artist behind @marcella.draws. I have dark brown hair and am very proud of my left handedness. I am an avid reader, currently reading "Madame Bovary", I am also an avid museum goer, I consider the National Gallery of Art in DC to be my home away from home. When I go there, nothing in the world is bad. I start every day with a piping hot shot of espresso, and from there I can conquer the world.
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When I was in school, I truly believed that the only things that mattered were art, and the feelings behind them. I had such visceral reactions to art, I felt the weight of the importance of Titian, the raw emotion of Rothko, the significance and enduring beauty of Giotto, that smaller details like graduating with a job and having a financial plan just seemed to melt away. That didn't end up working out for me, so while I looked for a sustainable life, I took all that I loved from high art: the looks in the eyes, minute motives of a background character, the beauty, the alms to the past, and I looked for them in real life and in myself. It wasn't until much later that I started drawing those observations and posting them online.
My drawings are everything I observe and feel both within myself and strangers on the street. I owe this to the art that has shaped my perspective throughout my life. Art and human creation are still what's most important to me, now I just see it everywhere instead of only on a page or in a museum."
My drawings are everything I observe and feel both within myself and strangers on the street. I owe this to the art that has shaped my perspective throughout my life. Art and human creation are still what's most important to me, now I just see it everywhere instead of only on a page or in a museum."
Turning in Time
Kinga Augustyn
"As a concert violinist and recording artist, I try to communicate something significant with every concert I perform and with every album I record. I search for meaning and depth. Lately, it’s not just on a subconscious level. I think, analyze, and then make decisions regarding program choices and interpretation.
The most important aspect of music making is communication. Music is for all people. Its purpose is to touch hearts and communicate feelings, experiences, knowledge, and more. We have to remind ourselves of that although it is actually so obvious.
The most important aspect of music making is communication. Music is for all people. Its purpose is to touch hearts and communicate feelings, experiences, knowledge, and more. We have to remind ourselves of that although it is actually so obvious.
Among my most recent activities is the Naxos release of an album featuring music for violin and orchestra by Romuald Twardowski. He is a Polish composer, living and working in Poland. Mr. Twardowski studied with Nadia Boulanger. His musical journey was influenced by various cultures and composers. I first got acquainted with his repertoire about three years ago. I immediately liked what I heard. A year ago, I initiated the recording of his violin works. I collaborated on it with Torun Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Mariusz Smolij. Romuald Twardowski’s music is full of beautiful tunes showing serious compositional skills. Every piece, of the four works I recorded, is different in terms of the musical language, harmony, character, and structure, among others. Each is unique. I especially love his Violin Concerto as it has depth. Spanish Fantasy, Niggunim and Capriccio in Blue are lighter. All are audience-pleasers.
Unfortunately, Mr. Twardowski’s music is not that well known outside of Poland. I would like to help change that. I think that his compositions are quite wonderful. They are definitely worth listening. Helping to popularize Romuald Twardowski’s violin works is my purpose (or at least one of my goals) with this album. It is what matters to me with this project. Recently, I received a message from Mr. Twardowski saying he loves the album. His message matters to me, too. It made me happy. "
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Unfortunately, Mr. Twardowski’s music is not that well known outside of Poland. I would like to help change that. I think that his compositions are quite wonderful. They are definitely worth listening. Helping to popularize Romuald Twardowski’s violin works is my purpose (or at least one of my goals) with this album. It is what matters to me with this project. Recently, I received a message from Mr. Twardowski saying he loves the album. His message matters to me, too. It made me happy. "
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#WhatMatters
Jan Clizer
"My paintings and music are personal expressions of appreciation for cultures I was not born to, but oddly feel very much at home in. Created in response to the overwhelmingly strong influences of my own Scottish/Cornish/Irish and German ties, they are my way of honoring not only my own, but a large world population sector's visceral connection to the culture, landscape and history of Scotland and Cornwall, in addition to inspiring rural spots in the US.
I try to capture and ’lift up,’ if you will, some of the good bits of the ‘real’ landscape and culture ― dramatic leaden skies, misty shorelines, wide grins, soul-wrenching music, salty cod and chip, vivid blooms, centuries-old customs, dank mossy churchyards, ancient buildings, weathered boats, cream teas!
It is my emphatic belief that providing education and fostering interest in the preservation and growth of our various cultures is vitally important to the healthy existence of mankind and the planet, wherever we may find ourselves."
I try to capture and ’lift up,’ if you will, some of the good bits of the ‘real’ landscape and culture ― dramatic leaden skies, misty shorelines, wide grins, soul-wrenching music, salty cod and chip, vivid blooms, centuries-old customs, dank mossy churchyards, ancient buildings, weathered boats, cream teas!
It is my emphatic belief that providing education and fostering interest in the preservation and growth of our various cultures is vitally important to the healthy existence of mankind and the planet, wherever we may find ourselves."
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Jan Clizer's professional painting career stretches over two and a half decades and far from the Pacific Northwest, across the Atlantic Ocean. Her latest focus has been a large commissioned series of representational landscape work celebrating the beautiful, rugged Okanogan Country of her native Washington State, made possible by Scottish musical connections! A lifelong passion for Scottish and Celtic cultures strongly influences this versatile painter’s subject matter. She paints, exhibits and plays fiddle in both Scotland and Northern Idaho, as time and painting responsibilities permit. Her paintings are collected and commissioned on both sides of the Atlantic, while selected images are available as quality reproductions. For more info, visit Jan's website.
#WhatMatters
Peter Burr
"What matters is being able to parse an idea from an object. As an artist, I like to play in that messy in-between where something is both. in 2018 there have been so many examples of conflict erupting because of the tension between the idea of something/someone and the presence of it. It feels important, as an image-maker, to embrace that tension and weave together experiences that challenge us to experience both simultaneously."
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Dirtscraper by Peter Burr
This Friday, December 14th, Peter Burr will be taking over his favorite cinema in New York: The Redstone at the Museum of the Moving Image. He will be presenting Dirtscraper on loop from 9 pm to midnight as part of the museum's SIGNAL TO NOISE evening program. In addition to the installation, Peter will be performing a live AV set with Laura Ortman, and Martha Colburn will be showing off a triple-projector film performance. The event is free and includes an open bar, so RSVP here to make sure you get in.
Dirtscraper is one of Peter Burr's newest work and it is one of 2019 Sundance Festival Selections. We share Peter's excitement about this well-deserved achievement. Bravo Peter! Dirtscraper will be featured at the Sundance New Frontier exhibition for the duration of the festival. If you find yourself in the festival zone in January know that Peter plans to be there with the work and he always likes to see and greet friendly faces.
Dirtscraper is one of Peter Burr's newest work and it is one of 2019 Sundance Festival Selections. We share Peter's excitement about this well-deserved achievement. Bravo Peter! Dirtscraper will be featured at the Sundance New Frontier exhibition for the duration of the festival. If you find yourself in the festival zone in January know that Peter plans to be there with the work and he always likes to see and greet friendly faces.
The Public Personal Identity
Jared Hendler
"We live in an incredible time. The democratization of media has enabled anyone to broadcast and connect directly with likeminded individuals and communities that are most meaningful to them. My work documents the effects that technology and social media culture have on our society. I am fascinated by our need and obsession with creating our own identities; banal, creative or just plain ludicrous. From individuals simply seeking connection - to others with wider ambitions who make a living by growing audiences that eclipse those associated with traditional celebrity. While some are driven by pure narcissism, the underlying human need to connect with others on some intimate level is the most interesting as it requires us to publicly expose a part of ourselves not often seen. The public creation of personal identity, combined with the emergence of a ‘new’ celebrity for a new era is what I bring to life in my work. In homage of traditional portraiture as a representation of our times, my work is a reflection of who we are now."
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My portraiture celebrates the online personalities who are impacting our society and shaping our culture.
Drawing & painting throughout childhood, I emigrated to the United States receiving my BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Following my education, I moved to New York and worked within the advertising industry on digital and social media campaigns for large, multi-national brands. I witnessed the seismic effects of technology and the unprecedented power and opportunity it gave individuals to reach large audiences directly. Many communities who were previously unrecognized or misrepresented now had a voice. Working with online influencers lead me to portray the online personalities shaping our culture.
More information is on my website or via my Instagram
Drawing & painting throughout childhood, I emigrated to the United States receiving my BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Following my education, I moved to New York and worked within the advertising industry on digital and social media campaigns for large, multi-national brands. I witnessed the seismic effects of technology and the unprecedented power and opportunity it gave individuals to reach large audiences directly. Many communities who were previously unrecognized or misrepresented now had a voice. Working with online influencers lead me to portray the online personalities shaping our culture.
More information is on my website or via my Instagram