R.E. Brown

The Stumping Zoo Begins to Execute

details:




The collages of R.E. Brown are dizzyingly dense with images. He creates shrine-like compositions devoted to a menagerie of animal icons and ghostly goddesses, the surfaces of which team with life. Layers of transparent, randomly chosen, found images make these works mysterious and haunting. However, the graphic compositional devices work well to hold theses swirling specters well in place. There is a dark undertone to this work; ghouls and devils intermingle with pin-up girls and creepy cupids. They are unbelievably intriguing to look at and without detail shots wouldn’t come across half as well as I’m sure they do in person. Luckily, his website is rich with detail views. The work is divided into several separate series, each of which is well covered on the site.
www.thesnivelinggoat.com

Ian O’Phelan

"Andrew" ink, colored pencils, markers, 8"x10", 2007


"Anonymous" ink, colored pencils, 8"x10", 2007

Ian O’Phelan’s drawings are clean and straight forward. His figures are wonderfully modeled with a liberal but controlled use of hatching. His line work is decisive and direct. The style of his drawing has an economy that give it a hip, urban, designer feel. His portrait series is great; he does an exceptional job of capturing the character and spirit of his subjects beyond only their features. His website features many of his various projects and themes.
www.ianophelan.com

Jax Chachitz

Untitled, Oil on canvas, 2006


Untitled, Oil on canvas, 2006

The abstract paintings of Jax Chachitz are dynamic compositions made up of bold colors and energetic brushstrokes. These non-objective works are full of vitality; the surfaces of which are powerful expressions of aggressive physicality. The play between light and dark are striking and effective. Her website was very recently launched. So, look forward to updates to come.
www.atelierjax.com/

Ben Frost

Dawn of the Dead, 1.2m x 1.2m, acrylic & enamel on board, 2007



Bring me the head of Colonel Sanders (snow white helter skelter), 1.2m x 1.2m, acrylic and enamel on board

The work of Ben Frost is full of humor, sharp wit and pointed pop references. He uses found images piled on top of each other to make biting parodies in glorious technicolor goodness. This Australian pop artist holds a mirror up to the constant visual bombardment of the ever louder media machines and turns out brash, jeering paintings with drips, broad energetic strokes, and high gloss pattern. His website is jam-packed with many great artworks to pore over.
www.benfrostisdead.com

Megan Baker

Megan Baker’s series of photographs entitled “Decampment” take an eerie look at abandoned buildings, mostly houses. The exterior shots are more like heartbreaking portraits of these forgotten structures, with their sad empty windows and weather beaten facades. They sit silently and alone amongst the shadowy tree lines and inky dark skies awaiting there wall’s inevitable collapse. The interior shots offer a closer look at the desolate state of these former homes in high contrast color. Her website also includes many of Megan’s great concert photographs.
mbakerphotography.com/

Eve S. Mosher

"figment" (detail)
2005
nylon thread, felted wool, copper wire, beeswax, plexiglass
approx. 24" x 24" x 18"

"ambition"

2003
cotton, fiber optics, light source
dimensions variable

Eve S. Mosher's work is a delightfully tactile experience. Her sculptures and installations are built from wonderful, often unexpected combinations of materials. The works range from lyrical compositions of climbing, hanging, gravity defying objects to quietly somber, simply arranged forms. Playful orbs of brightly colored wool seem to bob and weave among tendrils of thread and wire. Sewn fabric forms creep mischievously up and along walls and ceilings. Mud, plaster, latex, seeds and pollen are layered into fascinating arrangements that run the gamut from playful to ominous and captivating to repellent. To see a thoroughly enjoyable selection of the artist's exquisitely invented objects, go to http://www.mud/and/sticks.com/. While you're there, be sure to spend some time in the drawing section. Eve's inspired approach to 2-d arrives at exciting destinations and the drawings are a satisfying complement to the rest of the work.

Rob Nadeau

“Charlie Don't Surf” acrylic and spraypaint on canvas 72 x 60 inches, 2006

Rob Nadeau makes big bold painterly abstracts. They are playful and joyous, full of bright colors, polka dots, texture, and converging stripes, while still being engaging formal explorations of structure and composition. They have an intuitive and spontaneous freshness about them. His website also includes many of his smaller works on paper and floor pieces.
www.robnadeau.

Toni Tiller

Toni Tiller’s photographic self-portraits explore the role of women in society, sexual identities, and personal empowerment. They are sometimes humorous, at times sexy and beautiful, often uncomfortably frank, but always thought provoking and exciting. Her website also offers an intriguing autobiographic essay and an archived blog that are a both great reads.

Eric Shaw

Eric Shaw’s Drawings and Paintings are uniquely strange, full of distorted and contorted figures. They seem ruled by a detailed personal mythology and mysticism comprised of dancing figures, magical runes, flowing waves energy and ritual sacrifice. They are enigmatic curiosities that are a joy to wander through and wonder about. There is plenty of work on his site to contemplate, decipher, and get lost in for hours.
Eric Shaw's Webpage

Scott Andresen

Furrow, 2006, Quilt, 48" x 30"

I never really considered quilting in terms of art before but, Scott Andresen’s quilts really opened my eyes. The patchwork designs in many of these pieces would easily rival any abstract painting, with extraordinary color and composition. Many of the quilts feature map motifs or aerial views of urban landscapes such as strip mall parking lots and urban sprawl. In some of the pieces he playfully introduces traditional quilting designs to the map topography. These are interesting, well-made works of art in a refreshing and unexpected medium.
www.scott-andresen.com

Brendan Monroe

“Stranded" 20 x 26 inches, acrylic and collage on paper

“Disguising as Rounded Mounds" 10 x 15 inches, acrylic and collage on paper

Brendan Monroe’s paintings are what seem to be imaginations of another world. His handling of paint is beautiful with splashes of collaged color and whirling wisps of line used to illustrate a wonderful earthy world. A universe occupied by tiny figures swept up in storms of color, lost souls swimming in cyclones of motion and clod covered giants lumbering about. A warm atmospheric fog envelopes much of this fantastic realm which is a welcoming escape while still fraught with peril and tumultuous forces of nature. His website also features many whimsical wood sculptures, of these strange inhabitants.
www.brendanmonroe.com/

J.D. Hastings

"Scraps Woven Then Pinned" 52" x 30", Acrylic on Canvas with Safety Pins 2005

J.D. Hastings constructs his pieces out of pre-existing paintings. The canvases are torn and ripped apart and reassembled using safety pins or glue. These new creations now jump out of the constraints of traditional paintings and become sculptural. The grids and strips of tiny painted squares demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of color theory. On his website the Berkley based artist expresses a strong curiosity to exhaust the many possibilities of this technique.
www.jdhastings.com

Steven Hampton

“Detail #7” 18” x 24” Oil and spray paint on canvas, 2007


“Last Action Painting” 84” x 72” Oil and spray paint on canvas, 2007

Steven Hampton’s paintings are bright and spontaneous, while made with specific conceptual intentions in mind. They are effectively eye-catching and thought provoking at once. His Details series is meant to mimic detail shots that are predominate with most promotional art materials. Depictions of explosions and painterly mark making comprise his Greatest Hits series. The statements accompanying each series on his website are extremely well written and insightful.
www.stevehampton.com

Tom Bennett

“Sonja" Oil on Canvas 24” x 30”

New York artist, Tom Bennett’s figurative paintings and monotype prints are dark and intense. He thoroughly understands the weight and volume of his subjects and his distortions of them describe motion and emotion so evocatively. The viscous nature of the paint and ink are apparent and taken great advantage of. His website is laid out in a very straight forward way and contains several interesting articles about the artist and his work.
www.tombennettart.com

Gary Paller

18"x24" - acrylic on canvas - 2007

Gary Paller’s recent paintings and monotypes are made up of areas of color butting up against each other, enveloping the composition in a crush of pure color. Those colors are bright, rich, balanced and deeply satisfying. These are some really enjoyable hard edge abstract paintings. His website includes an extensive backlog, its really interesting to see the progression of his work from year to year.
www.garypaller.com

Thinkmule

Artist and designer, Jeremy Pruitt (aka Thinkmule), makes amazing illustrations featuring whimsical and fantastically odd figures and creatures. His drawings often consist of highly detailed line work on top richly textured and mottled backgrounds resulting in an absolute feast for the eye. He regularly includes text and collage elements to great effect. His website also includes his many design works. I highly recommend spending some time there.
www.thinkmule.com

Stephanie Gerolimatos

oil on torn canvas with twine 27 x 44 inches

encaustic, graphite, dry pigment on mat board-faced panel 3.5 x 5 inches

Stephanie Gerolimatos makes wonderful paintings rich with color and texture. She creates surfaces that just seem alive. They have a distinct acknowledgment of their objectness; the surfaces are often cut into or scraped, some have nails pounded into them or objects embedded in the paint. Her website has lots of work on it, and is easy to navigate, with clickable thumbnails.
www.stephg.org

first post

Alright, this is my new art blog. I have a blog on myspace but I really only used it to post my own work. I never really made any 'real' entries there, and I sort of stopped using it all together, since I have a website set up for showing my work off.
Daniel Allyn Lee - paintings and collages
(I would like to eventually get my own domain and make a grown up website but I'm satisfied with the freewebs site for now.)
I wanted to start a blog mainly to share art that I admire and art sites that I enjoy. I'll also probably post opinions and articles and other things, but I think my main focus will be artists and galleries. I'm an artist and I love art. I spend most of my time online looking for and talking about art, so starting a blog about art makes sense for me. If people actually read it, I'd be surprised and glad that I could pass along some art love. I also hope people would send me links to artist web sites, in fact that would make my day. O.k. so here we go...