Funny-looking but lovable figures, beautiful patterns and colors, acrobatic cats and dogs, and gravity-defying, Justin Richel-like compositions… If you’re at all into contemporary folk art, Mia Christopher‘s work is pretty much a home run.
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Personally I have a big soft spot for primitive, self-taught art even when the artist isn’t actually self-taught (as is the case with Christopher who studied at four different art schools). This new generation of contemporary folk artists has taken major stylistic cues from early American folk artists who were almost always truly self-taught (see painting below by unidentified artist c. 1840). Even when it’s merely an adopted style, primitive art exudes an innocence and humbleness that makes it a fun and accessible genre of contemporary art.
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Just wanted to share the work of Art Hound reader and self-taught artist, Lisa Chow. Isn’t her stuff lovely? It’s whimsical and romantic without being saccharin. I’m a big fan of the antique-y paper.
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I confess I have a crush on a really cool and talented Art Hound reader, Estibaliz Hernandez de Miguel. Estibaliz draws, writes and takes photos, sometimes combining all three. She is self-taught and lives in Bilbao, Spain.
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I admit I have a thing for self-taught artists like Estibaliz, including art school grads who draw/paint/create like self-taught artists (Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsche and Margaret Kilgallen are two good examples). Self-taught artists possess a freedom with their work that art-school grads rarely do. It’s like a person dancing wildly in an anonymous crowd who suddenly realizes all eyes are on him. When artists are free to create what’s in their mind’s eye, without pandering to the taste of others, they produce work that is, at the very least, genuine and relatable. .I
January 28th, 2010 · 1 Comment
I was happy to receive an email from a reader, Karen Kang, and discover her awesome collage work. Kang did not go to art school or intend to be a working artist. In fact, she worked as a social worker until her creative impulses got the best of her! Karen’s mixed-media pieces include bits of paper, string, felt, ribbon, ink and paint. I love the work on wood below, Urban Landscape.
The pieces below are currently available for $80, $75 and $75 through Karen’s website, and additional work is for sale on etsy.
