All posts in Fine Art

August 31, 2021

Peter Jarvis: Realism, Art and Process

Artist’s Statement: My inspiration lies in the topographical drawings and watercolours of the 18th and 19th centuries. My work is objective and realistic and true to the Italian term, veduta esatta meaning “exact view.” My passion for and belief in the sketchbook as a means of understanding subject matter is central to the success of my watercolours. The very nature of the sketchbook in its portability and mobility on location means it is innately suitable in this pursuit and as a precursor to more finished work: it is immediate and intimate and requires the minimum of materials. The activity of drawing on location plays an integral part in my understanding and appreciation of the notion of place: placing oneself as the central reference point during location drawing. This knowledge and experience also enables me to work from photographs alone when it is…

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August 3, 2021

Kimberly Brooks — Paintings from History

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement:I work in series, diving into subjects from many different angles of observation, history, and memory. I strive for a result that descends from the clouds in my mind like lightning to the earth, to light a night sky or occasionally set a tree on fire. I painted for years in my head before I ever held a brush. So I have therefore been painting all my life. And as a way of speaking, it suits me. The first time I showed my work so many years ago, I felt so exposed, I blushed. I paint both abstract and realistically, always hovering in between, in search of something new. *** Kimberly Brooks is an American artist and author of The New Oil Painting (Chronicle Books). She is known for her portraits and landscapes in…

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June 1, 2021

Rebecca Hosking — Multitalented Creative

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art, Writing

Photo above: Elephant Camp, Chang Mai, Thailand Editor’s Note: This month’s featured artist is also a very talented musician and poet. Check out Rebecca Hosking’s diverse creative endeavors below. Not All Witches Belong to a Coven Not all witches belong to a coven. Put aside the stereotypes. Expand your mind and think outside of the box. Mother nature lives inside all of us. She is the mother of the earth. Her medicine lives in the plants that feed off the dirt. Get your feet wet, dabble, and expand your mind. Not all witches wear black clothing or dance naked in the garden just before dawn. This woman lives alone. She lives among her dreams, works hard like a graceful wave carrying life to the shore. She warms her skin with the sun and finds energy…

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May 3, 2021

Forensic Foraging Photography by William Crawford

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: The trite, trivial and mundane are often dismissed by today’s technology driven photographers. Images shot can unlock the beauty and intrinsic value hidden in most everyday things. Thus, an old fractured glass window found on a wrecked desert shack might better be presented as a compelling image. Such a transformational presentation can be achieved by applying basic photographic techniques: framing, lighting, coloration, saturation, contrast, etc. This precise application of seminal tenets can often transform the mundane into something pleasing. This process forms the essence of Forensic Foraging. Photographers today possess a plethora of powerful technical tools. High resolution sensors, potent post processing software, and cameras with such jacked up processors that they could, in a pinch, support the governmental operations of a small city. Many camera images today all but surpass the human capacities…

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April 1, 2021

Ann Privateer — Photography from Near and Far

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist Statement: I took these photographs because they caught my eye. The vivid colors and my closeup technique make me stop and take a second look: blood orange, surprise clover–searching for a four leaf, shoes that sparkle, a fetal pistachio nut, and a pink pansy. From pin-hole cameras in elementary school to my very own Brownie camera for Christmas, I have been fascinated with taking photographs practically my entire life. So many cameras later, I now most often shoot with my Sony phone. Some of these photographs were taken in Paris, France and one in my kitchen after cracking open a pistachio nut which, to me, resembled a fetus. *** Ann Privateer is a poet, artist, and photographer. She grew up in the Midwest and now resides in California. Some of her recent work has…

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March 1, 2021

Alex Nodopaka – “Computer Aided Design” Art

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: I am a multifaceted artist who practiced traditional painting, drawing, photography & sculpture until the advent of the PC. Subsequently, my art evolved into pure computer graphics. I have quite a bit of experience from graphics through watercolors and oils and etching and sculptures in many mediums such as ceramics, bronzes, wood and assemblages. All my artistic life and beyond has been totally dedicated to art to the point of fixation, if not light obsession. I work serially. That is, periodically, I come up with a certain manner and style in my artwork, then conclude that series after 50 or so examples/variations in each category in that fashion, then I move on. Operating in such fashion created a problem with artwork storage and that is when I decided to strictly create CAD art….

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February 1, 2021

“Shush Please,” Poetry and Art by Tamizh Ponni

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art, Writing

Shush please On a cold winter night I lay in the comfort of soft blankets and cushy pillows The non-stop titter-tatter against all tangibles mercilessly broke my hard-earned slumber Sliding and slithering over and over Crystalline droplets raced on the glassy tracks without much caution or trepidation. The uncoiled skeins of climatic emotions were desperate to bring glee into doldrums. I woke up, sat up and stayed up leaning towards the window pane, listening to their tantrums All night in silence, eyes closed, ears open It was a performance that clamoured for attention from lonely souls and midnight owls. I wish it came with a volume control The loud clatter and yellow lights, were acting like partners in crime brutally stirring up memories of good times Days that could not be reclaimed Nights and people…

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January 5, 2021

“Love Apple” — The Cartoons of Prachi Valechha

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: I’m Prachi Valechha and I’m a freelance cartoonist and 2D animator from India. I enjoy milkshakes, kiddie goggles, dancing in the shower and I’m the creator of the fictional town called PeachTown. I’m one of those people who think in visuals, not words and the need to be able to communicate and express better is what got me into art. Not to forget playing with color and controlling movement. I’m inspired by wild architecture, road and motel signs, Toshio Saeki, Ai Yazawa, Vince Collins, Sally Cruikshank, 90s Cartoon Network, Aeon Flux, shows like American Horror Story: the confusing, shocking, wild kind of things. Cartoons and media have taught me more than school has ever done and I believe that’s it’s an amazing medium to bring a change – while making it look fun….

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December 1, 2020

Hume Baugh — Paintings of Life and Love

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement:I started painting in 2017. I had been given a set of oil paints but hadn’t used them until I was at my sister’s cottage that summer and I painted three pictures. I immediately connected with the experience. I took art in high school but hadn’t touched a paintbrush since. I paint mostly to please myself, to set myself challenges. I don’t think I have a lot of finesse but I think I have the ability to capture energy, things happening, and I love colour, lots of it. I like to see what happens with the paint on the canvas, where the painting wants to go as opposed to what I’m trying to insist on. Painting has been a very happy discovery for me. *** Hume Baugh has published work in Queen’s Quarterly, The New Quarterly, and won This Magazine’s…

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November 1, 2020

“Accidental Magic,” An Art Exhibition by Brian White

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Artist’s Statement: My work is about embracing the unexpected mistake. It forces me to react in ways that change patterns. I like to think of it as accidental magic. Every so often it appears and feels like a reward for being patient or paying attention. Like you’re inside a mesmerizing piece of music heard for the first time and there is no doubt this is exactly what is supposed to be happening. *** About Brian White: I grew up in Southeastern Virginia, graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art, and live in Livingston, Montana. I enjoy floating the river, printmaking and sign painting. To see more work, visit my website. This is his first feature on The Fictional Café.

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