Blue Jellyfish

It’s not great, but it’s certainly not bad in the way that some of our paintings are bad. What I mean is that this one doesn’t exhibit that kind of…generic sameness of bad that we see so often. This really does have a degree of originality of technique. Not a whole lot, but definitely some. 

Artist dude/dudette: keep at it, my friend :)

Grey Bamboo (Watercolor on Paper)

At least I think this is supposed to be bamboo? The grey leaves and grey bamboo stalks are puzzling. Some hues of yellow, brown and green would’ve done wonders here. As it is, it’s not bad at all. It just could’ve been a lot better.
 

Depressed Turtle (Acrylic on Canvas)

Not sure why this seadude is so glum. Maybe it’s because he was painted in such an unflattering manner. His belly looks like it’s made of rattan, his flippers have green hearts on them, and he’s either flying through the air or he’s in the most air-like water I’ve ever seen. Oh well. “Just keep swimming just keep swimming…”

Lemons (Acrylic on Canvas)

I’m tempted to say this is kind of boring but it’s really not at all: these are really well-done lemons. They’re instantly recognizable yet not photo-realistic. THAT’S what would be boring. These lemons? They have character. They’re obviously painted yet they are perfect in their imperfection. If Van Gogh had painted lemons, I think they would look something like this. Yes, I’m being serious! I don’t even like lemons. But I like, love THESE lemons!

Artist: sign your work next time :)

Birch Pattern? (ink on presswood paneling)

Another strange one. At first I honestly thought it was a birch tree with a knot hole, but now I realize it’s probably a coffee mug on a table as seen from above. Either way, I like it. It’s original.

“Home on the Range” (Acrylic on Wood)

The title was on the back.

Not bad at all. It’s distinctive and original. I think I like it a lot. We need more art like this!

Native American (Sketch Pencil on Parchment)

Thank goodness for Harry G Kallich or whatthehellever this guy’s name is. Can you make out the signature? Kallash? Kallach? Henry A.? I googled every variation I could think of, without any luck. Whoever he is, he managed to salvage my day here today. So much bad art in one day (see previous exhibits) only to fortunately wind up on this rather talented note. Whew!

This piece was of such quality that at first I thought it was a mass-produced print. But after close examination I’m pretty sure it is original art, on paper, that was affixed to some kind of pressboard and then framed. The paper has come detached from the backing down towards the bottom. Maybe the paper portion was printed though? Not sure. Hard to tell without seeing the back of the paper, which in this case is impossible. 

If anyone is able to research this online and let me know that this is a mass-produced print or reproduction I’ll remove it from the (V)VAG, since our gallery solely highlights a) hands-on /handmade works of art by b) novice, amateur and mostly-unknown (or at the very least, only locally-known) artists whose works have c) somehow wound up at Value Village. 

Cuz them’s the rules!

Two For One (Acrylic on two-sided Wooden Block

Someone was feeling creative. Maybe doing this made the artist happy. Me? I look at this and am confronted with the utter futility of effort, the finality of human lives, the banality of existence and the ennui that eventually awaits most of us in our lives.

“There is no ‘there’ here, there or anywhere.”

Giraffes (Acrylic on Canvas)

 You can’t make this stuff up…

Mountain Range (Acrylic on Canvas)

Brown foreground. Blue mountains. Deja Vu.

I got ten paintings today but this is the worst day ever.

Birch Trees (Acrylic on Canvas)

So very boring. But I do like the way the birch trees pop against that bright blue sky. 

Colorless Aurora (Acrylic on Canvas)

How can a painting of the Northern Lights be so lacking in color? I just don’t understand. 

So many paintings with so little color, or so little variation in color. Blue. Purple. Grey. Black. 

Tree and Sun (Acrylic on Canvas)

Boring. Very very boring. But the sky and sun in both are kind of nice. They remind me of something I can’t quite put my finger on.

Blue Penguin (Acrylic on Canvas)

It’s awful, but it’s awful in a slightly-interesting way. I can’t explain it. Don’t get me wrong: I dislike this intensely. But not in the way I usually dislike bad art.

EMBARRASSINGLY ENOUGH: this utterly charming little objet de arte happens to be our 300th exhibit here at the World-Famous (Value) Village Art Gallery. Someone throw some confetti and blow a party whistle or something. “FWEEEEET!!!”

Mountain Range (Acrylic on Canvas)

Grey/Brown foreground (and tree!), blue mountains. The only thing halfway decent here are the lighter mountains in the far distance. 

I feel like there are a lot of color-blind aspiring artists in Fairbanks.