The First Five

Nov 10, 2007

Nov 7, 2007

Prismacolor colorless blender and the 005 Pigma Micron. (Somebody went to Michael's today!) I made this as a gift for someone's little girl. Thought it was cute. I'm obsessed with those neo-classical era miniature portraits, I'm channeling Jane Austen these days.

Oct 30, 2007

Mary Cassatt - Surprise! She's awesome.

I was perusing a bookstore a few months ago and ran across a book of prints by Mary Cassatt. I was stunned by these images. Apparently after studying here in Philadelphia at PAFA, she went to Europe and was exposed to an exhibition of Japanese prints, which prompted these works. I think they are beautiful and, dare I say, a little edgy!

As a young female artist, I always had a soft spot for her work, mainly because there weren't a lot of famous women painters to look up to, at least not that I was exposed to. The fact that I didn't know these existed until just this year really bothered me, they are amazing! I think you get a much better sense of her skill at composition in these prints. I am exploring the use of pattern in composition so I have been staring at these pretty frequently. There are several more, and many are even better, but I had a hard time finding great images for this post.

In my non-specific, ill-informed mind, the name "Mary Cassatt" always evoked a kind of school-marmish, aww isn't that sweet but a little pukey notion. Now I when I hear her name, I'll think of her more as my nineteenth century skanky-haired, bracelet-wearing, madonna-ish pop-icon painter.

Happily, art history is being re-written to include more women that we never heard about. Which I think is great, because damn-it, young girls need heros too.

UPDATE: see new images. Or, go visit the site: http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/cassatt/cassatt-main1.html

Something New

I liked this drawing and format because it looked like the girl is looking in the mirror on her way out the door. Matt thinks it looks exactly like me.

Oct 21, 2007

and the winner is......... ME!! with "Head Cheerleader"

OK, so maybe I'm just a self-proclaimed winner. For anyone who is interested, you can see photos of our 2nd annual pumpkin carving contest here:

http://junglist.org/images/gallery/v/2007/pumpkins/

We're an impressive bunch, I know.

Oct 19, 2007

Alex Katz - Freaking AWESOME American Painter

I love Alex Katz's paintings. They always seem so fresh, like they were just painted. Even when elements within them look dated (like clothing) the vibrant colors make them feel current and crisp. I am also fascinated by how absolutely American they feel. Thoughts?

I apologize for my lack of personal painting posts, I have been busy with other things. I have learned to accept the ebb and flow of my work style. Thanks for checking in!

Also, there is a movie about Mr. Katz and his process. I haven't seen it yet - but I hope to check it out soon.