Eric Joyner’s Fantastical Robots and Donuts

May 21, 2024May 19, 2024 ~ jama ~ 3 Comments

Hungry for a donut? This friendly blue robot is ready to take your order. Thanks to San Francisco artist Eric Joyner, they’re all baked to perfection fresh on the premises.

Pre-Joyner, I was pretty ho hum about robots. They seemed cold, mechanical, and well . . . robotic. Nothing warm and fuzzy there.

But the more I looked at Eric’s playfully surreal, uber imaginative, sometimes bizarre paintings, the more fascinated I became with his pop/sci-fi/nostalgic world showing robots and donuts interacting in all kinds of fascinating scenarios.

So why robots and donuts, and how did they become his signature motif?

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alison dickson blues

April 30, 2024April 27, 2024 ~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Time once again to bask in the blues, this time courtesy of Edinburgh-based artist Alison Dickson.

Originally from Northern Ireland, Alison paints landscapes and still lifes with a primary palette of blues and greens.

All of her paintings are inspired by the natural world; landscapes and seascapes under weather-laden skies are a common theme.

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twice as mice: Stuart Dunkel’s classical whimsy

April 23, 2024April 20, 2024 ~ jama ~ 7 Comments

“My life has been dedicated to the pursuit of beauty. It is an exciting, never ending challenge with prismatic possibilities.” ~ Stuart Dunkel

Mouse in the house! Actually many mousies, thanks to Boston artist Stuart Dunkel. Recently, I was minding my own business browsing the internet when I heard a distinctive “squeak” and could sense the animated twitching of tiny whiskers.

Oho!! There he was, my new little friend, raising a single raspberry in glorious triumph:

I have been obsessed with him ever since.

Who is he, and how did he become Dunkel’s muse?

Art is actually Stuart Dunkel’s second career. Born in New Jersey (1952), he’s also a classically trained oboist (Juilliard School of Music) who’s performed with top orchestras in Boston, New York, and Hong Kong. After retiring from his three-decade musical career in 2002 at age 42, he transitioned to fine art.

Up until then, he’d been painting in his spare time and had started a small company to produce reeds for the oboe. Just as he had with music, he took a disciplined approach to his craft, receiving formal training (The Boston Museum School, The Academy of Realist Art, Seattle, WA, and private study with other realist painters).

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fabienne delacroix: we’ll always have paris

April 9, 2024April 6, 2024 ~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Bonjour, Mes Amis!

Hop on the Montmartre Saint Sulpice omnibus — we’re traveling back in time to Fabienne Delacroix’s enchanting world!

*Fabienne Delacroix in her Paris studio.*

Upon first seeing Delacroix’s dreamy, romantic paintings, I was immediately captivated by their elegant beauty and distinctive charm. Who would not love lingering at a Parisian outdoor café, taking a midday promenade in the Jardins des Tuileries, or enjoying cancan at the Moulin Rouge?

Displaying a mastery of light and color reminiscent of the French Impressionists, Delacroix’s depictions of iconic city landmarks are set during France’s golden age, La Belle Époque. Dating from the late 19th century to the outbreak of WWI in 1914, this “beautiful era” was characterized by peace, optimism, economic prosperity, political stability and colonial expansion, in addition to technological, scientific, and cultural innovations.

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Lisa Zador: curiouser and curiouser

March 19, 2024March 17, 2024 ~ jama ~ 7 Comments

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.