Thursday, January 15, 2009

Weeks ago Martha Miller, a wonderfully creative figurative artist from Maine, honored me with a web award (thank you, Martha!) I believe it was called something like the "Brilliant Premio" award. The award is a version of blog "tagging," which is a way to recognize and promote deserving fellow bloggers. I'm not strictly following the rules of "tagging" other artists by requesting that they acknowledge or pass this award on to others, unless they wish to do so. But there are so many fine artists with blogs, and I would like to bring your attention to some I think are outstanding.


1. Simon Jones...Simon is a U.K. artist who has apparently started blogging fairly recently, but has been painting a long while. He does imaginative and moody landscapes and figures in oil. In his commercial business he creates intricate and beautifully painted architectural watercolors.

2. Shannon Reynolds is a Canadian painter who explores a range of subjects on her blog, all beautifully painted. She often works in thematic series.

3. Lane Bennion is a very fine Utah-based painter who has recently been doing fantastic, painterly explorations of mall interiors, carnivals at night, etc. He explores America's everyday suburban culture with great skill and a sharp eye.

4. Rob Ijbema loves wheels and speed. This Welsh painter's "Car a Day" blog is filled with race cars, painted in an impressionist/expressionist style that conveys motion and excitement as well as anything I've seen. Another of his blogs, "Painting Le Tour," does the same thing for bicycle racing.

5. Brian Kliewer is another Maine artist who paints sensitively rendered realist landscapes and interiors. Right now he's a little more than halfway through his "100 Paintings in 100 Days" project of small-scale oils.

6. Ambera Wellman is a very young (are you even CLOSE to 30 yet, Ambera?) and tremendously gifted painter who is studying art in Halifax and already doing very accomplished work.

7. Tracey Helgeson lives in New York state and paints abstracted, dream-like, saturated-color landscapes that are haunting. Recently I'm noticing interesting and slightly quirky figurative pieces.

8. Pierre Raby. Yet another talented Canadian painter (must be something in the water up there.) A fine technical painter and draftsman, Pierre goes beyond with figures that feel emotionally charged, as well as still lifes and landscapes that convey deep spirit.


There are many more...I'll feature some soon.

6 comments:

Shannon Reynolds said...

Don,
What a pleasure to be recognized by an obviously talented artist from across the continent.
Thank you!

Pierre Raby said...

Deep thanks Don for this generous recognition! You know,these unique and beautiful works about nature surrounding you keeps me grounded, thanks for sharing this passion with us.Cheers from North.
-Pierre

Don Gray said...

Shannon, it's MY pleasure. Thanks for your note.

Don Gray said...

Best to you, Pierre--thanks for your beautiful work.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much, Don. Much appreciated. I meant to post this comment when I got your email. The sad news about Wyeth preoccupied me. I had to paint my tributes to him. Then I cried. What a legacy he's left us, though.

Brian

Don Gray said...

You're most welcome, Brian. So glad you did those paintings. Yes, the legacy is incredible--amazing how many lives Wyeth touched.