June 1, 2022

Aislinn Feldberg — “Dream World”

Aislinn Feldberg — “Dream World”

Artist Statement: I enjoy experimenting and creating art with a dark, bizarre flair in order to create a dreamy scene or landscape. My work demonstrates conflicting natures of human nature or of materials (flowing delicacy or brutal strokes). I attempt to include sarcastic or whimsical humor in my art whenever I can. I draw inspiration from my surroundings and artists that I admire, such as Gaugin, Max Ernst, Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Vincent van Gogh and Yayoi Kusama. *** Aislinn Feldberg is a writer and visual artist from Queens, New York. She is currently a Junior with a major in Studio Arts at Bard College. Her work interweaves with prior dreams and gothic influences. You can find her on Wrongdoing Mag or her website: www.oddityplayground.com.

Continue reading →

April 1, 2022

Eva Shaw — Whimsy Meets Reality in Art

Eva Shaw — Whimsy Meets Reality in Art

Artist’s Statement: In my art, I attempt to share how the world conveys its impressions on me, whether in whimsy or reality.  I love to study the complexities of nature, the swirls and hearts and mysterious shapes and then transfer them into how the brush meets the canvas.  Sometimes that’s silly; other times it takes a few “edits,” as I can tweaking the objects and designs.  There are even times when I return to a painting a month or more later knowing that a detail or a entire image needs to be changed.   I enjoy painting as I do when writing books.  It consumes me. *** Eva Shaw began painting a decade ago, after a year-long battle with breast cancer.  She credits her late husband Joe’s comment that got her started.  He said, “The shed…

Continue reading →

February 28, 2022

“Painting for Personal Joy,” by Hume Baugh

“Painting for Personal Joy,” by Hume Baugh

Artist’s Statement: I’ve been painting for five years. I am mostly self-taught. When I started painting, I decided right away that I was going to paint for my own joy, not to please other people. I wasn’t going to worry about whether the paintings were thought to be good or bad but was going to celebrate whenever someone found something in them. I have worked in other artistic contexts and there is always pressure to do well, to excel. But what this resolution regarding painting did for me was free me to simply play. Like when I was a child and I had paints. Sheer playing. This has been my method of operation since. I learn all the time, I am always experimenting, facing challenges, correcting mistakes, following unexpected paths – that is part of…

Continue reading →

December 31, 2021

“Painting with Morris,” Visual Art by Morris Wiener

“Painting with Morris,” Visual Art by Morris Wiener

Artist’s Statement: My seventh grade teacher, Miss Steinberg, told us that since we would be graduating into high school the following year, we should all have some idea of what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives. She informed us that the following day, each one of us would be asked to come up to the front of the classroom and briefly explain what we wanted to become and why. Well, I don’t believe that anyone was too pleased with that . . . I certainly wasn’t. Not because I didn’t know “what,” but rather, I didn’t know “how.” How am I going to explain to a group of pretty tough guys and girls (most of them played baseball, badminton or basketball) that I wanted to be an artist? Somehow, I got…

Continue reading →

September 23, 2021

“Souls of Their Feet,” A Short Story by John E. Caulton

“Souls of Their Feet,” A Short Story by John E.  Caulton

So as not to be overheard, I stoop a little and whisper into the youth’s ear, “What’s with the mucky feet again, eh? It’s all right depicting the hoi polloi in such a way, I suppose, but the Virgin? I mean, c’mon!” The youth, not feeling the need to lower his own voice, is not very forthcoming. Half smiling, half sneering, he curtly replies, “With respect sir, my master already explained it to you, on your last visit, if you remember.” Indeed, he had, and rather bluntly too. In fact, I almost wish I hadn’t asked at all, but I simply needed to know about the feet business. We all did. I change tack. “Has he forgiven me, yet?” I ask the youth. He answers, “For asking too many questions, maybe. But for the figurine,…

Continue reading →

August 31, 2021

Peter Jarvis: Realism, Art and Process

Peter Jarvis: Realism, Art and Process

Artist’s Statement: My inspiration lies in the topographical drawings and watercolours of the 18th and 19th centuries. My work is objective and realistic and true to the Italian term, veduta esatta meaning “exact view.”  My passion for and belief in the sketchbook as a means of understanding subject matter is central to the success of my watercolours. The very nature of the sketchbook in its portability and mobility on location means it is innately suitable in this pursuit and as a precursor to more finished work: it is immediate and intimate and requires the minimum of materials. The activity of drawing on location plays an integral part in my understanding and appreciation of the notion of place: placing oneself as the central reference point during location drawing. This knowledge and experience also enables me to work from photographs alone when it is…

Continue reading →

June 1, 2021

Rebecca Hosking — Multitalented Creative

Rebecca Hosking — Multitalented Creative

Photo above: Elephant Camp, Chang Mai, Thailand Editor’s Note: This month’s featured artist is also a very talented musician and poet. Check out Rebecca Hosking’s diverse creative endeavors below. Not All Witches Belong to a Coven Not all witches belong to a coven. Put aside the stereotypes. Expand your mind and think outside of the box. Mother nature lives inside all of us. She is the mother of the earth. Her medicine lives in the plants that feed off the dirt. Get your feet wet, dabble, and expand your mind. Not all witches wear black clothing or dance naked in the garden just before dawn. This woman lives alone. She lives among her dreams, works hard like a graceful wave carrying life to the shore. She warms her skin with the sun and finds energy…

Continue reading →

April 1, 2021

Ann Privateer — Photography from Near and Far

Ann Privateer — Photography from Near and Far

Artist Statement: I took these photographs because they caught my eye. The vivid colors and my closeup technique make me stop and take a second look: blood orange, surprise clover–searching for a four leaf, shoes that sparkle, a fetal pistachio nut, and a pink pansy. From pin-hole cameras in elementary school to my very own Brownie camera for Christmas, I have been fascinated with taking photographs practically my entire life. So many cameras later, I now most often shoot with my Sony phone. Some of these photographs were taken in Paris, France and one in my kitchen after cracking open a pistachio nut which, to me, resembled a fetus. *** Ann Privateer is a poet, artist, and photographer. She grew up in the Midwest and now resides in California. Some of her recent work has…

Continue reading →

February 1, 2021

“Shush Please,” Poetry and Art by Tamizh Ponni

“Shush Please,”  Poetry and Art by Tamizh Ponni

Shush please        On a cold winter night  I lay in the comfort of soft blankets and cushy pillows  The non-stop titter-tatter against all tangibles  mercilessly broke my hard-earned slumber  Sliding and slithering over and over   Crystalline droplets raced on the glassy tracks  without much caution or trepidation.  The uncoiled skeins of climatic emotions  were desperate to bring glee into doldrums.  I woke up, sat up and stayed up  leaning towards the window pane, listening to their tantrums  All night in silence, eyes closed, ears open  It was a performance that clamoured for attention  from lonely souls and midnight owls.  I wish it came with a volume control  The loud clatter and yellow lights, were acting like partners in crime  brutally stirring up memories of good times  Days that could not be reclaimed  Nights and people…

Continue reading →

December 1, 2020

Hume Baugh — Paintings of Life and Love

Hume Baugh — Paintings of Life and Love

Artist’s Statement:I started painting in 2017. I had been given a set of oil paints but hadn’t used them until I was at my sister’s cottage that summer and I painted three pictures. I immediately connected with the experience. I took art in high school but hadn’t touched a paintbrush since.  I paint mostly to please myself, to set myself challenges. I don’t think I have a lot of finesse but I think I have the ability to capture energy, things happening, and I love colour, lots of it. I like to see what happens with the paint on the canvas, where the painting wants to go as opposed to what I’m trying to insist on. Painting has been a very happy discovery for me.  *** Hume Baugh has published work in Queen’s Quarterly, The New Quarterly, and won This Magazine’s…

Continue reading →