Riverbank Scene (Watercolor on Parchment)

This one is pretty nice I think.

It’s been my experience as the curator of the (Value) Village Art Gallery that, generally speaking, artists using watercolor as their medium generally seem to know what the hell they’re doing. I mean, going by memory, I don’t think we’ve ever had a demonstrably awful painting here that was done in watercolor.

I hope I didn’t just jinx us 😬

Anyway, this is a nice little watercolor painting. It’s a shame that the artist didn’t sign it.

Bluebird (Acrylic on Canvas)

This is...either pretty good or kinda good. It probably looks like what the artist wanted it to look like. It's not my cup of tea though. This feels very Easter-y, Spring-y. And I'm a Summer or Autumn. Still. A lot of time and effort probably went into this, so I won't make too much fun. It's okay!

Snowman (Acrylic on Canvas)

Nope. Just...nope.

Nope!
 

No Description (Acrylic on Canvas)

This is understated to the point of being invisible, nonexistent. It's a cypher, an enigma. There's a pattern, but it's...really kinda not very there.

I honestly can't tell if this is sorta good, or sort of a copout. You tell me..

Flowers (Acrylic on Canvas)

This looks mass-produced but it is legit, real human and probably amateur artist-created art.

It feels kinda, slightly, somewhat 1970s-ish. I like it, but I don't "like it" like it.

It's okay. Better than many of the canvases up in here, for sure.

Marbleized (Acrylic on Canvas)

Still not a fan of this kind of thing. We could do with less of them. A machine could make this. Pfft.

Artist: paint something, anything, that is real.

Real is better than not real.

 

Landscape (Oil on Canvas)

 (Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

Really nice. Super glad to have this in our gallery. A bit Van Gogh-y. And I mean that as a positive. We could use a lot more landscapes with this degree of heart and talent. Way to go, artiste!

Koy? (Acrylic on Canvas)

It's very rough (to the point of implied incompetence) but there's something about this that is just a little bit likable.

Mushroom and Frog (Acrylic on Canvas)

I really wanted to like this. Because I’m a fan of mushrooms, specifically Amanita Muscaria mushrooms. Not a big fan of frogs per se, but mushrooms are kinda great.

Anyway, as I started to say: I wanted to like this. But I don’t. Don’t get me wrong: it’s almost okay, for what it is. And it is, without a doubt, better than 30% of the paintings exhibited in this gallery. Maybe even better than 31% But…I don’t really like it that much. It feels “low effort.” The stems are wonky. There’s almost no depth. The frog’s arms and hands seem like an afterthought. Probably this was done by an extreme novice, so I won’t gripe too much. And I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this was a Paint Night painting. If so, it’s one of the sliiiiightly better ones. 

Still, it’s just not very good. And it feels plebeian. Paintings of mushrooms and frogs are on the same level as…I dunno…gnomes. And pumpkins.

Collage? (Mixed Media on Canvas Board)

Really not the kind of thing I’m into. I’ve seen examples of this kind of thing that I like a lot more than this. This one feels dull. Just…dull. I can’t explain it. But while it appears to be proficient from a technical/technique standpoint, it’s just not that arresting.

Sorry 😬

Seashore and Lighthouse (Watercolor on Parchment?

This too was matted and framed and behind glass. I went to the trouble of removing it so I could get a non-glare-y photo. I’m glad I did. This is a little bit mundane but it shows a reasonably high degree of “knowing what the fuck one is doing” when it comes to using a paintbrush.

I like it!