art

Madison Safer: into the woods

~ jama ~ 3 Comments

When Madison Safer was a child, she could often be found outdoors exploring the small worlds found under rocks in her back yard. 

When her family moved to a small town in New Hampshire, she was delighted by the tall pine trees and ferns growing everywhere.  Since it was hard to capture what she saw in photographs, she used watercolors to keep a record of what was around her.

New Hampshire based artist Madison Safer.

And so it began – painting as a study tool – diagrams and sketches of bugs, mushrooms, flowers and plants. While studying at the Montserrat College of Art, she became interested in the narrative style of illustration. This enabled her to not only replicate natural phenomenon, but to convey the sensations of what it was like to be in the woods on the page.

Since then, she has used illustration as a teaching practice for herself as well as a way of telling hidden stories of what really happens in the forest when humans are not looking.

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Emma Jayne Designs: color, whimsy, fun

~ jama ~ 5 Comments

Cheerio! Just what we need: a pop of color to brighten the week and bring a smile to your face. 🙂

Emma Jayne Allsup’s art is definitely happy-making stuff, so sit back and enjoy her eye candy!

Illustrator and Surface Pattern Designer Emma Jayne Allsup

Based in Cheshire, England, Emma Jayne is a freelance illustrator and surface pattern designer who’s been passionate about art since childhood. She’s from a creative family: her father and grandfather loved DIY, and her mother loved fashion and interiors. She spent every Thursday and most weekends sewing and knitting with her grandmother. She knitted her first jumper at age 8.

Emma Jayne likes incorporating elements within her work of nature, animals, people, and everyday objects, both as stand-alone drawings and in patterns. Her style is fun, whimsical, colorful and painterly, and she usually works traditionally with gouache, watercolor and ink, developing and finishing her designs on the computer. She likes to create textures, as well as paint animals and other shapes as silhouettes. She enjoys experimenting with different media and new techniques.

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 22 Comments

1. It’s Octo-boo-ber! Come join this friendly autumnal gathering courtesy of children’s book author-illustrator Naoko Stoop. You may know her as the creator of the Red Knit Cap Girl picture books — see her up there with her woodland friends?

Originally from Japan, Naoko now lives and works in Brooklyn. Her favorite mediums are pastel, pencil, watercolor, gouache and acrylic, though during the pandemic she started to draw more and more digitally. She paints on used paper grocery bags and leftover plywood from a speaker factory in her neighborhood. She has loved art since childhood and is entirely self taught.

Inspired by everyday life, her mottos are “Stay authentic. Stay at your finest.” I enjoy following her on FB; her pictures are true to her description of being “cozy and comfy art therapy,” and I like the gentle innocence and sweet animals. Her intention is to “bring out the five-year-old in people” through her artwork.

For more, visit Naoko’s Website, X (Twitter), Instagram and Facebook Page. To purchase prints, please email her directly via her website.

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David Bromley: of birds and butterflies, pirates and playthings

~ jama ~ 7 Comments
Australian painter and sculptor David Bromley.

David Bromley, whose unique style is instantly recognizable, is one of Australia’s most prolific and innovative artists. There’s no mistaking his bold black outlines, daring colors, and striking textures and layers, all executed on a large scale with graphic intention.

I first ran across his paintings of children, which harken back to vintage picture books and magazines. The world of toys, teddies, rabbits, sailboats, paper hats, rocking horses, scooters, and red mary janes is pretty much where I live, and I appreciated the nostalgic fix without the sentimentality. 

You can see why I had to learn more about this self taught artist, who was actually born in Sheffield, England (1960), but grew up in Australia after his family immigrated there when he was three.

In addition to his children’s series, he’s most well known for his butterflies & birds and female nude portraits. Bromley is also an accomplished sculptor, working in bronze and resin. Many of these pieces also explore the childhood themes of innocence lost and found (whimsical elephants, kids playing leapfrog).

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David Schab: a study in color and contrasts

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

My pulse quickens whenever I see a David Schab painting. I’m enamored of the strong interplay between light and shadow, the patterns, the passion and, of course, his rich, gorgeous colors, which are at the heart of his work.

Though Schab also paints landscapes and portraits, his still lifes are my favorite. I’m fascinated by the selection and arrangement of objects, each of which has a story of its own. Unlike reading a linear narrative, where a plot unfolds gradually and characters are revealed in turn, when you look at a picture you see everything all at once. As your eyes travel from object to object, you consider juxtapositions, make connections, or even begin to create your own story, moment by moment. 

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