Category Archives: Fine Art

Justin Wheatley

Justin Wheatley was born and raised in Clinton, Utah. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Utah State University with an emphasis in drawing and painting, and a Masters of Arts from National University. Art and architecture seem to be a reoccurring theme in his work and life.  His work has long explored the idea of home as a safe place.  He is represented by galleries across the west and are present in museums and universities. On the Krakens he says this about his work: 

“During college I studied abroad in Germany and a considerable amount of our coursework was based around drawing and painting architecture. I quickly became fascinated at the amount of thought and work that goes into constructing the buildings we work and dwell in and their relatively short lifespan. Buildings come and go. Cities come and go. From there I began thinking of the relationship that architecture has with its surroundings, and it’s pretty clear that nature always has the upper hand.”

“I have long considered the houses I paint to be representations of people. In that sense, many of my paintings could be a critique on social media as well as suburbia. The paintings are relatively simple, but they address complicated issues. I hope that even though there is a dark side to some of my work, it can be viewed in a humorous way.”

The artist can be followed on his website, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Justin Wheatley.

Jordan Buschur

Jordan Buschur is an artist, educator and curator currently residing in Lincoln, Nebraska. She received an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College, the City University of New York.  The artist comes from a long line of collectors, and her paintings reflect this proclivity towards amassing objects.  On Create Magazine she  says this about her work:

“My paintings implant ordinary objects with psychological meanings, implying a human presence through depictions of accumulated collections. These collections, ranging from books to junk drawers to packed boxes, focus on the oscillation between private meaning and public presentation.” 

“Painting the array of collected objects in a drawer is an act of meditation on my relationship with the owner, as I dwell on the mundane details of their accumulated junk. Yet the paintings stop short of functioning as a portrait of an individual through their amassed objects. Instead, the collections point towards the material weight of modern life, the anxiety of consumption, and the anonymity of personal effects.”

More of her work can be viewed here on her website.

Images:  Courtesy of Jordan Buschur.

Raoul Dufy (1877 – 1953)

Appreciated his work more when we saw the original paintings at Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice, France.  Raoul Dufy was a French Fauvist painter and designer whose paintings portrayed leisure activities and urban landscapes.  He created airy washes of light and shade, into which he would draw bold calligraphic brushstrokes. He painted views of the Mediterranean city of Nice, as well as scenes of horse races and regattas. His color palette was influence by Claude Monet and Henri Matisse.  The artist developed a colorful, decorative style that became fashionable for designs of ceramics and textiles.   He was also a draftsman, printmaker, book illustrator, scenic designer, a designer of furniture, and a planner of public spaces.  Following are quotes from the artist:

“Blue is the only color which maintains its own character in all its tones it will always stay blue; whereas yellow is blackened in its shades, and fades away when lightened; red when darkened becomes brown, and diluted with white is no longer red, but another color – pink.”

“My eyes were made to erase all that is ugly.”

“What I wish to show when I paint is the way I see things with my eyes and in my heart.”

Images:  Courtesy of various sources.

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