Art Crush: Caryn Scrimgeour

I am super excited to have found my way to the artwork of Caryn Scrimgeour and I wanted to share her work with you all...because it's so awesome. At least to me it is. I found her oeuvre on the site of Cape Town gallery Everard Read and subsequently had a fantastic time clicking through everything on Caryn's page.

The pieces that instantly earned my devotion are the ones that offer an aerial view of a tablescape (that description is majorly simplifying the subject matter though). Scrimgeour paints in a photorealistic style, however, she is seriously skilled at creating a mood, and an atmosphere in each tableau...this isn't a cold, lifeless realism. There's a sense of life in every canvas. Upon viewing, you start to feel like you're spying on whomever was sitting at the table. It would be impossible to not be curious about those people.

There are countless perfectly painted details and nuances to absorb in each piece but the complexity is presented in such a tidy, orderly fashion, that it is visually inviting. Take a look and be sure to read Everard Read's description of Caryn Scrimgeour's work because it's far more articulate than mine!

CARYN SCRIMGEOUR / LOST IN TRANSLATION / oil on canvas / 150 x 150 cm

CARYN SCRIMGEOUR / THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY / OIL ON CANVAS / 150 X 150 cm

CARYN SCRIMGEOUR / DIVERSIONS / OIL ON CANVAS / 150 X 150 cm

CARYN SCRIMGEOUR / THE GO-BETWEEN / oil on canvas / 40 x 130 cm 

CARYN SCRIMGEOUR / SPIN / OIL ON CANVAS / 50 X 500 cm 

Oh my, I just want one for my own so badly. I am certain my computer isn't close to doing these paintings justice, so I hope to get to Cape Town soon so I can bum around Everard Read and view in person (plus the gallery and its garden look amazing).  I'd gladly hang any Caryn Scrimgeour piece in my house, but if I got to pick, The Go-Between and Lost in Translation are probably my favorites. What about you? What are you thinking? Love / like / apathetic / hate?

Good Dog Art by Clair Hartmann

I am a dog person and an art person, but I don't have any dog art on our walls. Well, that's going to change one day soon because I plan to commission the very talented artist Clair Hartmann to paint my three Jack Russell terriers (or at least, I told my husband that this is a gift I'd like to receive). Clair is my #1 pick for dog portraits because she is very skilled from a technical perspective, and more importantly, she is brilliant at depicting the unique personality of each pooch. She paints quite a few JRTs and every depiction of the breed shows an inherent habit, expression, or mannerism that I know and love. After seeing her oeuvre, I'm confident that Ms. Hartmann is capable of fully capturing the spirit of my crazy trio of terriers.

Clair is also my artist of choice because I want to support her and her generous efforts to contribute to dog rescue. As you'll see below Clair donates proceeds from the sales of many of her pieces to various rescue groups. She also recently adopted a Jack/Rat terrier mix and I am forever grateful for those who take in shelter dogs.

My favorite pieces are her portraits that show the dog wearing a funny hat. This is how I want my girls painted...it'll be fun to decide what sort of hat each should don. I want Jazzy to wear a vintage Las Vegas showgirl headpiece. Maybe a jeweled crown and ermine robe on Wendy? Perhaps a geisha wig and a kimono on Miley?

Until I have three of my own to show you, here are a few of Clair's greatest hits...

Red Turban - 19x24" - signed print

Lucinda - 12x16" - oil on wood panel

Sir Hubert - 12x16" - oil on panel

Chiquita Banana - 30x30" - oil on canvas

All That Jazz - 16x24" - oil on fabric panel
ALL PROCEEDS from this sale will go to ADOPT-AN-ANGEL and PENDER COUNTY ANIMAL RESCUE   

Frida Dog - 24x36" - signed print

And here are a few beautiful paintings of canines without hats...

Lady Dane - oil on canvas panel

Jack Russell Terrier Sleeping in Morning Sunbeam

Desire - 36x36" - signed print

Looking Back - oil painting

Boston on Blue - 14x11" - oil on canvas
25% of the sale goes to Boston Terrier Rescue of North Carolina

Isn't her work amazing? If you're not dog-obsessed like I am, keep in mind that she paints other subjects as well. You can keep up with Clair Hartmann's latest work via her Etsy shop and her blog. And if you're not in the market for an original piece or a print, then you can buy Faithful, an art calendar comprised of Clair's dog paintings, for about $25. And you can buy one of her books...I plan to get:

Yesterday's Painting

The Downtown Dog Project: 100 Dogs in 100 Days

All proceeds are donated to Adopt-an-Angel

Artist Crush: Jeremy Miranda

For some time now, I've been stalking the work of Jeremy Miranda. I follow his blog and regularly visit his Etsy shop - always fighting off the urge to buy and hoard everything he produces. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I'm hoping that at least one will be mine at some point in the near future! The problem is that I want one of his larger pieces and they have larger price tags, so I'll just have to be patient.

Simply put, Jeremy Miranda is incredibly gifted. He has a knack for putting his technical dexterity and his seemingly limitless imagination together to create artwork that is engaging, thought-provoking, and beautiful. I am completely captivated by his style and the subject matter he depicts...it's so fresh and unique.  And JM is masterful with color. The palette in each piece articulates a very specific mood and feeling.

I'd describe Miranda's work as mesmerizing in that he creates these dreamy, enchanting scenes. His paintings often show a world that combines realistic and surrealistic elements...and those are some of my favorite pieces because he takes the familiar and alters it so that you see it from an entirely different perspective.

Anyhow, I could keep going with the art babble, but I won't. You need to get on to the good stuff...behold a few selections from Jeremy Miranda's impressive oeuvre:

Night Harvest - included in upcoming group show "Narrative Fragments"  at Quidley & Company in Boston

Library by the Sea, archival print of original painting, available via Etsy

Searching, acrylic on wood panel, sold via Sebastian Foster

Two Chairs, acrylic on paper

we'll have you down sometime, acrylic on canvas

guest house, acrylic on canvas

micro climate, acrylic on panel, 2009

 This is one example from his series of icebergs. In terms of the simple, straightforward subject matter, they are so different from the other work shown in this lineup. I would LOVE to collect these!

Iceberg at Dusk, acrylic on canvas, available via Sebastian Foster

Ladder, acrylic on wood panel, 2012 - sold via Sebastian Foster

Containers, acrylic on wood panel, available through Sebastian Foster

Shipwreck in the Surf, available through Quidley & Co.

Well, what do you think? Any favorite pieces? If you're completely obsessed like I am, you really must check out more of his work on JeremyMiranda.com, his Etsy site (where you can buy affordable prints), and at representing galleries Sebastian Foster and Quidley & Company. Next time I'm in Austin, I'm hoping to pop into Sebastian Foster to see some of the paintings in person.

The Talented Ms. Bekman (and Ms. Snow)

Sorry for the delayed post today...this week has been full of work and I've been sick, so my progress is slooow and blogging got moved to the backburner. Hopefully the fog in my head will lift and I'll get to feeling as vibrant as the painting below sometime soon.

Riffing on Louis – Point of Tranquility, 2010 by Jessica Snow

The piece is part of the Multiple Plot Points show on view at the Jen Bekman Gallery. Jen Bekman is the woman behind 20x200, a site dedicated to making art accessible with prices for prints starting at just $20.  The above is an acrylic painting available for purchase at the gallery and the below are prints available for purchase at 20x200.

In One Ear, Out the Other by Jessica Snow

Louis the Third by Jessica Snow

Cascade by Jessica Snow

Besides the price, the nice thing about ordering a print is that you can choose the size, options range from 8x10" to 30x40." If framed correctly, they can display as beautifully as an original...the orange piece shown in Eddie Ross' design below is a great example.

via Apartment Therapy

Even if you aren't in love with the artwork shown on this post, be sure to check out the gallery and 20x200. They both offer a broad range of styles and on 20x200, the selection changes every week. The site is very well designed and which makes it easy and fun to stroll through. Play around with the different categories and the color browser. It sorts the pieces by hue which is super helpful if you're hunting for a artwork that must work within a particular color scheme.