Strange Figurations

I created this surrealistic photomontage in reference to the political turmoil we are experiencing in the USA, during the epic worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic. The clown is carrying the heavy burden of a declining Civilization. The figure is standing on rising waters holding a broom. He is using war to sweep up the mess, but it creates an even bigger mess. Our crumbling 2020 Archival pigmented print 14” x 11”

Democracy is reminiscent of the fall of the Roman Empire. The tone of 2020 is one of great sadness as the world succumbs to disease, war, and the Climate Crisis.

James Wille Faust jameswillefaust.com

Watch Me Blonde Starlet I Pink You’re cute Flashe on canvas 36” x 48”

In my paintings, I am trying to figure out how to represent a community without exploitation, how to represent a person without claiming ownership, and trying to find how formal elements can be used to highlight my own desires of exploring a subject matter. Through an anthropological lens, I’m interested in observing how people see and categorize desire. My work examines the distinctions between desire and identification. Questions about sexual pleasure, consumerism, sex and labor and their relationship to the history of painting are integral to my research. The pornographic gaze and the naked woman have long occupied artist’s studios and these women were usually tied to sex work. I use art history references because of the relationship to the traditions of painting the human figure and particularly the human form as prostitute. I’m looking for a different sense of ownership and re-claiming in these works through the investigation of a subject, place, agency and position. And what we as a culture attribute to the subject matter. My handling of paint connects to the tension of the subjects and artifice of material construction, having highly rendered objects in juxtaposition to raw outline drawings. Exposing these unfinished pieces exposes a history of time, as well as a current time of reinvention and reclaiming of bodies.

Sara Rieber Srieber.portfoliobox.net

I wanna be your dog.

James F. Cleary, B.F.A. jfcbfa.com

Hound Dog Man Photomontage 22” x 11”

Euphoria Ceramic, concrete, steel, acrylic, twine, wire, tassel, rhinestones, netting 12” x 8” x 18”

My sculptural forms are androgynous and ambiguous in order to emphasize a sense of disembodyment. Layering unconventional body parts together and creating absurd formations, I challenge how the body interacts and interconnects with its surroundings while gently touching on a surrealist nerve. The fragmented anatomical configurations allude to elements of deconstructuralism and ultimately exert a disconnect from the self.

Coco Johnson cocostudios.me instagram.com/cocojohnson80

Thought Incubator Air dry and polymer clay, resin, and acrylic paint 10” x 9”

“Thought Incubator” is meant to be a vessel for ideas and is the first utilitarian piece I have done. The organic structure develops the perception of a living space for an unattended thought to grow. The eye adds more visual life, and conceptually serves as a sentry to keep the budding idea safe.

Kim Valles Vallesart.net

Translating Theotokos (Medical Trials of the Saints) Oils/mixed media on canvas 48” x 36”

MANDEM is a conglomerate, three-bodied artist identity. Our art is an exercise in categorical violations, simulation, and narrative. The “Medical Trials of the Saints” series takes religious/mythical memes from art history and re-imagines them in a posthuman context. These images are simultaneously reverently beautiful and horrific, reflecting the complexity of our relationships with our environments, our faiths, and ourselves.

MANDEM MANDEMart.com

Specimen One: Sanctuarium Oil on board 18” x 24”

Suspended in formaldehyde somewhere between growth and decay, the objects, animals, and people in my jars are representative of how turbulent moments need careful attention. The jars dominate most of the picture plane mimicking how these moments control a disproportionate amount of headspace. The backgrounds remain vague to show how the self-reflection process is internal, perpetuating the idea of being trapped in one’s infinite thought-loop, therefore cut-off from the present moment and removed from the original, uninhibited experience.

Erin Ruffino erinruffino.weebly.com Instagram: @erinruffino

I question the absurdity of every day, merging psychological biases and societal ethic structures to reveal the inner processes of the subconscious. Imagery discussing selfdeprecation, loathing, anxiety, fear and paranoia question the moral and sociopathic assumptions of society. Humanistic qualities and diminutive scale create the pseudo-mental environment for the figures and places them in a dejected and vulnerable world alone, removed from others. Through irrational, ambiguous and abject imagery we are forced into unfamiliar territory within ourselves and the perceived idea of comfort and acceptability. Emotionally weighted and abysmal images reach a point at which logical and emotional certainties waiver and familiar realities warp into a deplorable hopelessness. This exploration is how we perceive reality through the veil of self and what the mind decidedly tells us is tolerable in a righteous society.

Brian Weaver brianpweaver.com

Panda Brian Ceramic 12” x 7” x 8”

Among all artistic media, I believe that sculpture touches the heart and soul of the artist and viewer alike. Each piece I produce represents a mood and emotion, from comforting to cathartic. Look carefully at these pieces to see the meaning within.”

Rob Sigafoos vinewoodsforge.com

Plumbing Problems 24” x 17” x 15” Forged steel plumbing pipe

John Vlachos 59“ x 78.7” Oil and collage on masonite panels

Protocosmo means “The First Time” in Greek. The ancient Egyptians knew about “The First Time” when all things came to be simultaneous.

Protocosmo is a great struggle of Cosmic proportions, pitting technology and humanity on a parallel course of adaptation towards an unknown future. More than just firing up our imaginations, it has infiltrated our very psyche and, consequently our very souls.

Protocosmo is a symbol of all Modern thinking and of our race to penetrate the unknown; to fathom a new philosophy and new politics.

Protocosmo tries to placate fate in search of immortality. It is the artist attempting to discover him/herself.

John Vlachos Instagram: @Johnvlachos4

Cella’s Whisper 31.5” x 70.9” Permanent paint markers, corrugated cardboard

Every time I see an artwork that is armed with words to impress the viewer’s brain, I feel utterly disappointed, for I feel that such a work would reduce the innate power of art, and dull the sensitivity of man. For us of today where so much information is flooding us, what we need is imagination to feel and think with the mind, something that is unfathomable by reason. I believe that lack of imagination threatens peace and creates a world where hatred prevails. My works are a means to rediscover and awaken the memory of DNA, dormant since ancient times and to regain the power of imagination. Art does not require explanations: It is to feel and imagine with your ‘mind brain’, instead of your ‘logical brain’. It opens up the eye of your ‘mind brain’ – I believe that this is the power of art.

Yuko Mizobuchi brain-brunn.com/mizoyuuu_e.html

The Trendsetter Hand-Embroidered fiber art 14” x 18”

This piece is a collage of illustrations, hand-embroidered with delicate, single strand floss on fabric. It is unique to my usual work because it is 100% embroidery. As I created this “Strange Figuration,” she just seemed perfectly suited to stand in her own boldness. Typically my artwork begins with a digital collage which I print on fabric and then embellish with hand-embroidered illustrations that skew the image into a new narrative.

Robin McCarthy robinmccarthyartwork.com

Santo Manos, born out of a dream, is the main character within an epic story that includes an ensemble of fantastical characters and surreal landscapes. This strange figure floats around in a world full of decay and darkness, yet full of coy instruments that reveal childlike wishes. There is a mystery behind the sentiment of every eyeball in Santo Manos. Wisdom flows from the many hands he has grown throughout the ages. The creation of Santo Manos inspired the idea for a series of paintings that will depict other mystic characters who dwell within this story. This series will consist of 6 paintings which will be complete and ready to show in 2021.

Jasser Membreno Instagram: @jassermembreno

Santo Manos 32” x 80” Acrylic, color pencils, markers

Suzanne 48” x 24” Acrylic on hardboard Ginger 48” x 24” Acrylic on hardboard

Ginger and Suzanne are part of a series of whimsical figures that are meant to celebrate the elusive, free spirited female of the burlesque type. They call for a bygone era, one where happiness is found in curves.

Aaron Wooten aaronrwooten.com Instagram: @artofaaronrwooten

Visceral Charcoal and pastel on polyester 43” x 43”

This is a drawing of a gut pile from a pronghorn antelope I harvested in the fall of 2019. The animal fed my family and me through the continuing lock down during COVID 19. It is the first piece in a new body of work exploring the ethics of big game hunting and eating animals in general. There is no intention to be didactic in any way with the work. Rather, my aim is to be visually poetic, maintaining my interest in elevating the vulgar or ephemeral to draw attention to conflicts in the human condition.

Shelby Shadwell shelbyshadwell.com

This was started in October of last year, pre Covid, during a period of time when it wasn’t very fashionable to stay at home with extended family! Birds of a Feather 24” x 18” Acrylic on canvas

Gerd Dagne gerddagne.com

Let’s Play Photography, Metal print 8” x 12”

Born and raised in the housing projects of the Dolls are surrogates, given to little girls to South Bronx, I did not see my environment reflected role play their future. They come embedded with in the children’s toys and storybooks of the time. sunny attitudes, but with age and neglect they tell a The scenarios displayed did not reflect my home, my different story. It’s this vulnerability that I use to create surroundings, or my experience. Now I create my own moments with psychological tension: trauma either has narratives. I take old, discarded dolls and set up scenes or is about to happen. evoking the fears, anxieties, and nightmares that are part of childhood experience. Barbara Ringer BarbaraRinger.com Instagram: Bronxgal33

This was not unusual Oil on wood 12” x 12”

I see art not as an end to itself but as a method of creating awareness of the marvelous. Surrealist art reveals invisible secrets and exposes hidden surprises. Surrealism is based on a fascination with the strange and imaginary. Through Surrealism, I paint the hidden treasures in my mind and bathe everyday reality in a magic light. The animal kingdom remains an enigmatic aspect of my life and plays an important role in the symbolisms of my unconscious. As a Surrealist, I recognize the illusory nature of rational thought and rebel against it. I hold the mysterious workings of the subconscious in high regard and create images that exist behind the veil of existence.

Joe Stavec joestavec.com Stavecparkstudio@earthlink.net

Symbiosis Graphite on bristol 14” x 11”

My art work is a reflection of my quest to recognize the truth behind the veil of civility. I seek to unmask what is presented outwardly, and reveal humanity in direct conflict with its own cultural constructs. Through my work, I choose to examine a world where people, me included, are flawed. Everyone at some point possesses a degree of benevolence; however, benevolence is not an issue that requires attention. It is malevolence that that requires examination. Once it is recognized we are left with a choice, to further the behavior or try to understand the consequences of the action or conduct and change it, but first it must be recognized. Philosophically this is what binds my work together.

Timothy French wowxwow.com/artist-profile/tim-french-ap

Stacey K. Gregory skgregoryart.com

This is for all those women who have posed, danced, acted, and twirled under “the male gaze”. We know you are more than the sum of your parts.

Senescence Of A Star Watercolor and graphite 27” x 36”

A representation of timeless beauty captured through the handheld mirror as an extension of ourselves, and the progression of reality to the cracked mirror- A disruption in the illusion that reveals the present.

Rachel Arielle Kleinman facebook.com/R.K.StudioArt klei3837@gmail.com

Sea is for Complex Ballpoint pen, pastel, colored ink and pencil on paper 5” x 7”

These two works emerge from a mining of the possibilities of simple line. They document a minute, squiggling accumulation taking form from within, shaped by a collaboration of the forces of matter, ego, unconscious energies, and meaningful randomness. My interest in the thought of Carl Jung and my art practice existed side by side for a time, but recently have come

Three Wee Kings Ballpoint pen, graphite on paper 8” x 10”

together in a dynamic way. I always strive that my work be guided by certain criteria: that it be living, lyrical, beautiful, oracular, and gripping.

Kevin McCaffrey kevinmccaffrey29.com

Arte Natura The Art of Nature and the Environment

Pigweed 2019 7” x 9” Carbon, graphite, glue, oil on canvas

This painting is part of a suite of works (Pollen/ Algae series) based on biological subjects that cause physical interactions with humans. These reactions can vary from allergic responses to floral aromatics. This image is created from a combination of memory and researched archival-science material. It is rendered in a muted monochromatic form in order to synthesize and detach the image from the real-world experience of visualizing life in full color and full light. The Pigweed plant is subject to diverse classifications from being a nuisance that triggers allergies to a delicacy as an edible plant to a potentially toxic substance to certain animals and livestock. At times it is considered a weed to be aggressively pulled from gardens yet lovingly cultivated in other parts of the world for culinary consumption. It is referred to with a variety of names including Amaranthus, Waterhemp and Goosefoot.

Ed Tomney edtomney.com

Canyon 10.5” x 8.5” Ink and salt on paper

My work examines the objects and creatures that cause subtle but palpable psychological discomforts. The almost inexplicable disquiet we feel when we are surprised by a cicada husk or the sense of emptiness that accompanies a bleak landscape inspires my work. I use a variety of print and textile processes to explore theses themes. Embroidery, suminagashi, direct printing, sumi-e and chine colle all play important roles in my creative process. Within my Canyon narrative, I’m drawing upon the unsettling beauty of bleak landscapes. I spent my childhood and college years in Colorado, where big sky, dry land, and cold rock dominate the horizon. In canyon country, civilization seems to disappear and the atmosphere can completely change in just a few miles. It is hauntingly beautiful and disorienting, and something I long to capture.

Susie Jean Baker susiejeanbaker.com

Imperiled Domicile 15” x 10” Egg Tempera

This painting emerged from a controversy in the news a few years ago. The town of New London,CT was using imminent domain to tear down a block of early 20th century homes. One little pink house was the last one and the owner was standing her ground. This story really impressed me as a home owner. Unfortunately, I don’t think it worked out in the end for the owner, but I got a painting out of it!

Suzan Fox SuzanFox.com