Henri Rousseau's jungle paintings, an inspiration to young artists

A few years ago, I left the education field to open a shop.  Although I'm not in the classroom every day, I'm still passionate about arts education.  I try to do my part as a parent/arts educator by going into my daughters' classrooms several times a year and teaching lessons on drawing and painting. 

This week, I'll be teaching in my daughter's first grade class a lesson on landscape painting using the art of Henri Rousseau.  Rousseau is best known for his lush jungle paintings, and kids love his art for the bright colors and exotic creatures.

Tropical Forest with Monkeys, 1910, National Gallery of Art

French artist Henri Rousseau didn't actually pursue a career in art until his forties.  Rousseau was a self-taught artist and was mocked by art critics for his child-like painting.  At a Paris exhibition in 1905, he was showing one of his jungle paintings near an emerging artist's painting.  That painter was Henri Matisse, and from that exhibition and on, Matisse and other young French painters were called Les Fauves (wild beasts in French) by critics for their impulsive brushstrokes and use of bold colors .  Art historians believe that the term Les Fauves was derived from the nearby Rousseau painting showing wild animals in a jungle.   

Rousseau liked painting jungle scenes, but it is believed that he never ventured into a jungle.  His paintings were comprised of plants found in local botanical gardens and of creatures at the zoo.  He also looked through books for pictures of exotic animals. 

At my daughter's school, there's a great little courtyard with native plants.  I'm planning on having the kids draw observational sketches of the foliage to incorporate in their forest paintings.  Rousseau also used a lot of his own imagination in his paintings, such as fern-like trees, so I'm excited to see the children create new plants and creatures in their works. 

Virgin Forest at Sunset, 1907.

UPDATE: Some of the student work from the class lesson.

Affordable Art Finds, Week Five

I think it's hilarious that sometimes it takes surfing the internet to discover a great local find. Kelly Neidig is a fellow Portlander, and she paints beautiful abstract landscapes.  The original 5" x 5" painting below, Skagit, $50,  can be found in her online shop here. 

Yesterday, I wrote about Olivia Jeffries' mixed media works on reclaimed paper.  She sells her daily sketches online, including this one titled Epilogue,  $45.

Marcie Paper's paintings are reflective of everyday experiences and feelings.  The following works are from her "paintings for the recession"  section of her website.  Most of the forty works (priced in the $50 - $70 range) are sold out, but these three originals are still available. 

Repurposing old book pages and forgotten letters into art

As I continue to seek ways to create art in more sustainable ways, I'm frequently stumbling upon artists who are already practicing "green" art.  UK-based Olivia Jeffries is one such artist.

Olivia takes paper that has already been printed, scribbled, and written on, and adds her own artistic elements to them.  She'll use old letters, packaging materials, book pages, and even children's drawings.

More of her mixed media works can be found on her website and Etsy shop.  Olivia is currently running a sale on some of her framed art from now through Jan. 31!

Ooh la la! Painterly photographs from France

Check out these lovely mixed media works from graphic designer Fabienne.  Paint splatters and strokes are superimposed on photographs for added texture and color effects.  The one of the poppy is so striking!  To see more beautiful art from Paris, visit Fabienne's website, Labokoff, here.

Two new works: "By the pond" and "Raining hope"

I never really considered myself a landscape painter until about two minutes ago.  As I looked through my Etsy shop, I noticed for the first time how much of my art is comprised of landscapes.  Then I glanced up on the walls at some of my finished works- more landscapes! What an epiphany!

Here are two works I completed this week that just so happpen to depict more landscapes.

Both art pieces are mixed media works on birch panels.  By the pond is primarily oils and Raining hope, watercolor.
To be totally honest, I'm not sure what I think about Raining hope yet.  I'm actually not a huge fan of surreal art, yet there's something so mesmerizing about it.  Dali's works, for example, are so disturbing to me, yet I can't help but stare.

Raining hope is about desperation and hope.  There are so many people I know that are going through significant struggles, hardships, and heartaches right now.  I see their lives as the dry, barren land.

The raindrops falling from the sky are seeds of hope showering down onto the broken land.  Three sunflowers appear as visions of a promise and hopeful future. 

Kinda deep, I know.  Initially, I was just going to store it away, but then a friend of mind saw it and really liked it.  So, now it's in the shop!

Touring twenty-four artist studios in one book

Ah, you gotta love technology sometimes.  I had this post ready to go this morning and then it magically disappeared into the abyss we call cyber space.

So, here's my second attempt to mention this great new book I picked up yesterday.  It's titled Inside the Painter's Studio, and it's an insider's look into the studios and work routines of twenty-four New York artists.

My work space is in the basement of our home about an arm's length away from the washing machine, so needless to say, there was much coveting going on as I pored over the pages of this book.  Let's just say I broke the Commandment "do not covet thy neighbor's art studio" multiple times. 

Joe Fig, the author of the book and a New York artist himself, poses questions in the artist interviews that are relevant and actually interesting to other artists.  A few of the questions, for example,  pertain to the different tools, materials, and equipment used by the featured artists.  I love sharing great products with other folks, so I really enjoyed reading and seeing what other artists were using in their works. 

Looking through the photographs, I also loved seeing the work tables and palettes of the artists.  Some of these tables had layers of paint from decades of use.  I'm not sure if I could handle my own work table caked in paint, but there is something so inspiring about it.

Reading Inside the Painter's Studio, I realized how much I would appreciate a book like this if I was an art student today.   At the end of each interview, the featured artists give advice to young artists starting out.  Artist Gregory Amenoff says it so well,

Form collectives. Rent spaces.  Have shows.  Don't wait around for the dealers and the curators to come to you.  Create opportunity that brings them to you.  Stay away from art fairs.  Hang out at museums and look at old art.

Whether you're an aspiring artist, an accomplished artist, or an avid fan of art, Inside the Painter's Studio is a great addition to any art book collection.

Yes, that is the view from her studio.  Sigh.

Art that gives a hoot

Ok, I'll admit that the owl thing is overdone nowadays, but whoo can resist these cute little fellas?

Aliette, la foret 3, 8.3" x 8.3" print.

Stephanie Birch, Owl family, clay and oak.  Ma and Pa Owl stand at 1" tall, the baby at .25"

Portland artist Hadley Hutton always has great owls in her art, my favorite being an owl with a rainbow in the background.  Alas, some other fortunate soul snagged it before I could. 

Here's another lovely piece from Hadley. 

Hadley Hutton, Two Barn Owls, 8.5" x 11" print.

Susie Ghahremani, Wintery Owl Tree, 8.75" x 4.74" print, set of two.

Recycling cardboard for art's sake

It's hard enough to render the human form in clay, imagine sculpting a figure out of cardboard!  Here are some amazing works from three environmentally conscious artists that work primarily in cardboard. 

Artist: Alex Uribe, www.theartofcardboard.com

Artist: Mark Langan, www.langanart.com

Artist: Chris Gilmour, www.chrisgilmour.com