contemporary art

Gertie Young’s Magical Realism

~ jama ~ 10 Comments
“Tea with Nana” by Gertie Young

When I first saw UK artist Gertie Young’s “Tea with Nana,” I thought: beautiful, enchanting, lyrical, joyful.

Sometimes you stumble upon a painting and you just know. Here is something different, distinctive. You can’t stop looking at it, you feel connected to it, and somehow it feels like coming home.

Gertie Young in her South London studio.

Born in Nottingham, England, Young (b. 1950) has been painting since childhood. She invented comics, pretend photos, imaginary maps and dream paintings. At the age of 18, she moved to South London to study at Hornsey School of Art. She fell in love with the city and has lived there ever since, continuing to paint while working at various jobs until her retirement in 2016, when she began to paint full time.

Her art is a unique visual language based on a mixture of observation, emotional memory and imagination. She’s inspired by holiday travel, household objects, walking and gardening.

Continue reading →

karen fields: of color, canines, and coastlines

~ jama ~ 4 Comments

Ruff ruff! The sun’s out and the water’s fine. Let’s dip into some of Karen Fields’s happy-making paintings.

Based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Karen’s been interested in art since childhood. When she was little, she’d watch her dad at his drafting table in his attic studio. When he wasn’t looking, she’d use his shape templates to create drawings of her own.

Continue reading →

roberto bernardi: sweets for the sweet

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

What’s your pleasure? Go ahead. Reach right in and grab your favorite. Is it a fruity barber pole candy stick? Or maybe a whirlypop? There are lots of gummies, rainbow bites, jelly beans and jawbreakers too.

Italian hyperrealist Roberto Bernardi’s oil on canvas still life sweet treats are vivid, colorful, intricately detailed and technically meticulous, giving new meaning to the term ‘eye candy.’

Hyperrealist painter and sculptor Roberto Bernardi.

Bernardi was born in Todi, a province of Perugia, Italy in 1974. He still lives and works there today. He began painting with oils by the age of 13, having been trained in the methods and techniques of the great Italian masters. After graduating from high school in 1993, he moved to Rome, where he worked as a restorer in the church of San Francesco a Ripa.

The following year, he shifted his focus to creating his own paintings, first doing landscapes and portraits before concentrating on contemporary still lifes, favoring a realism closely associated with hyperrealism.

He had his first solo exhibition in 1994, where he gained the recognition of both the public and local critics. He has since had over 15 solo exhibitions worldwide between New York, London, Paris, Detroit and Singapore. His works have also been included in 25 exhibitions in international museums and over 100 group shows in many worldwide art galleries.

Continue reading →

melanie parke: beauty and light

~ jama ~ 8 Comments

Welcome, do come in!

A pretty teapot, a vase of wildflowers, a bowl of fruit on the table. Melanie Parke elevates common still life elements into scenes of breathtaking beauty by infusing her pictures with exhilirating light.

Melanie in Rome.

Melanie’s interiors feel refreshingly alive thanks to her winsome layered compositions, gorgeous colors, and interesting perspectives.

We sense someone may have just left the room, or is expecting a visitor or two at any moment. Once our eyes have drunk their fill of sheer loveliness, we gaze beyond, through open doors or windows – out to the garden, woods, or beach, where we can continue dreaming.

Continue reading →

Eva Armisén: The Artist Who Paints Happiness

~ jama ~ 14 Comments

I was so happy when I chanced upon this adorable painting recently. A dark-haired girl eating alphabet soup!

Yeah, I kinda felt it was me, since she’s wearing a green dress (my favorite color) and has a blissful expression on her face. Those perky letters (don’t you love the ones dancing in her spoon) would be endlessly nourishing (esp. the letters C-A-K-E). 🙂

Spanish artist Eva Armisén.

Internationally renowned Spanish artist Eva Armisén, who lives and works in Barcelona, painted this delectable piece. She describes her art as, “Sincere. Simple. Emotional.”

Her work, with its whimsical, child-like style, is immediately recognizable: charming portraits of families, friends, and pets doing everyday things together. And of course there’s that ubiquitous young female, often with a flower in her hair, carrying beautiful bouquets, walking, resting, having fun. As the artist’s storyteller, she seems quite content to be on her own.

Continue reading →