Francesco Clemente - Models as Muses

via Harper's Bazaar

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Florine Stettheimer

Ms. Settheimer (1871-1944), an early Modernist artist and poet, was born in Rochester, N.Y., to a wealthy German - Jewish family. Her paintings' witty, eccentric and dreamy take on life befuddled critics, who found her work difficult to categorize. 

The career of Florine Stettheimer, painter, poet and designer, disproves the myth of the artist as a lonely and misunderstood genius, struggling to product works that transcend his (and less frequently, her) own historical time and place," writes the Jewish Women's Archive. "Stettheimer's paintings are lively, diary like accounts of her life, but also acute examinations of upper-class ways in New York between the wars. Her decorative, figurative style, often characterized as feminine, offers an alternative to prevailing modes of contemporary modernist painting."

Stehttheimer's paintings are deeply personal - her main subject matter was her family and friends and the greater dreamy world of pleasure they inhabited. In her dazzling and eccentric paintings, with their bold and openly feminine sensibility, Stettheimer created a unique synthesis of things she studied and loved - one catches glimpses of medieval portraiture, Persian miniatures, Brughel, early Renaissance paining, Velasquez, children's art, theatre design, Matisse, Surrealism, Symbolism, folk art, fashion illustration, decorative art and interior design. She combined high / low elements in vivid constructions that depict scenes in a non-sequential, dream-like way - she played with perspective and her people and objects often float languidly through a complex universe of multiple narratives that have allegorical quality. Her use of color was extraordinary, very American, and a complete break with the naturalistic earth tones of European painting. She favored deep reds, blacks, vivid pinks, vibrant blues and deep yellows, often in contract to strong whites or soft pastels. Her portraits of family and friends in sitting rooms, salons and summer houses; at picnics, luncheons and soirees - emphasized and immortalized their individual talents and interests. 

Ms. Stettheimer struggled to receive recognition and eventually chose to show her work only privately. With her sisters, she hosted a Manhattan salon from 1915-1935 for fellow creative types such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Virgil Thompson and Marcel Duchamp.

A poem written by Florin Stettheimer about her artwork & inspiration

For a long time
I gave myself
To the arrested moment
To the unfulfilled moment
To the moment of quiet expectation
I painted the trance moment
The promise moment
The moment in the balance
In mellow golden tones . . .
Then I saw
Time
Noise
Color
Outside me
Around me
Knocking me
Jarring me
Hurting me
Rousing me
Smiling
Singing
Forcing me in joy to paint them . . .

Reviews from Art News, FlavorWire, Venetian Red and The Wall Street Journal

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Erin Fitzhugh Gregory

This summer I took a drawing class at the Cincinnati Art Academy. During the eight week course we focused on learning the fundamentals of drawing - shaping, perspective, glass, skeletal, self portraits, etc. There were some sessions I did better in than others, but all in all, I really loved the class. We were a tiny group, three at most, but for the majority of the time, it was just me; you can't beat a private lesson! I decided to take the class on the whim, since I seemed to have more free time over the summer and (let's be real) I don't do much on Friday evenings anyway. The class was more than I could have hoped for and I can confidently say I improved a significant amount throughout the two-month course.
If you want to see one of my pieces from the class, visit my Instagram here. I wasn't able to finish it totally, but I was very pleased with the drawing!

I've always been interested in painting, but felt it was important to start at the very beginning and learn how to draw. I have to continue practicing,  which is always easier said than done; I just have to make the time for it. In addition to working on my drawing, I'd love to be able to take some painting classes in the near future as well! 

Here are some beautiful, impressionist original pieces from a southern artist, Erin Fitzhugh Gregory. You can buy Erin's pieces by reaching out to her via her website or visiting one of her galleries, all located in the southeast. She also has a couple of prints available for order on One Kings Lane. 

Visit her website here.

Have a wonderful [long] weekend and I encourage all of you to try your hand at a creative hobby some time soon :)

(via)

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Lulie Wallace

Lulie Wallace, a whimsical artist based in Charleston, is my inspiration for the day. Her beautiful paintings focus on blooming florals, expansive landscapes, bold and brilliant colors, and delightful interiors. I could find a place for at least one painting in every category for my dream home, but I particularly love her table setting pieces. What a darling addition to a breakfast room? In addition to her original pieces, prints, wallpaper, stationery, totes, pillows and more are available for purchase on her website. 

 P.S. - Lulie's Instagram account is tons of fun too :)

Enjoy some of the paintings from Lulie that stood out to me...and here is a brief statement from the artist:

"I really do think my paintings very much reflect who I am and what I'm attracted to in my everyday life. I am attracted to joyful, thoughtful people. I love bright, vibrant colors and often find inspiration in everyday items like a vintage Kilim rug, an unusual print on a blouse, or an envelope liner that contains a letter from a friend. I have a strong appreciation for the strange and quirky and I love a good exclamation mark (or two)!! I just get excited. I feel incredibly thankful to work in a job that I love and am passionate about. My hope is that my paintings simply bring a piece of joy to the homes they inhabit."

(via Lulie Wallace)

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