Seal (Watercolor on Parchment)

 

It's a little strange-looking, right? I mean, it's obviously a seal, so good job there artist. But its eyes...its mouth...it just looks a little sneaky. What's the Shakespeare line: "A seal may smile and smile and be a villain"? This seal is clearly a villain.

Cow (Acrylic on Canvas)

As soon as I saw this one, the cockles of my heart were warmed. Believe it or not, but I really do like this one. There's just something about it that screams "Yeah, I may not know what the hell I'm doing at the moment. But just give it some time baby, give it some time..." I feel like we have a legit future-artist-in-the-making in our midst here. For realz. Artiste: keep at it! :)

Sand Dunes and Ocean (Acrylic on Canvas)

One of the better ones we've installed here at the (V)VAG recently. The boardwalk is slightly awkward but it also somehow manages to be really appealing. I like this one a lot.

Mountain Range and Cabin (Acrylic on Gold Pan)

I don't normally include stuff like this, but as it is indeed legitimate locally-produced amateur art, I'm gonna roll with it. It's nice: none of the usual tell-tale signs of bad art here (other than the kind of kitschy-ness that results when an artist chooses to paint on objects such as saws, fruit crates, panning equipment etc.) At any rate, it's art, it's old, and it's fairly cool. So it stays.

Virus? Meteor? Fish? (Acrylic on Stretched Cheesecloth)

If I'd not already spent $20 on art earlier today I would have bought this one for sure. And as it is, I may go back again later this evening to get it, since I've mentioned in the past that I always regret not following my gut on such matters and I think this one is one of those times.

I like this! And I really don't know why. Other than perhaps for this reason: I feel like this was possibly done by a really good artist being weird and amateurish, or a totally legit amateur/novice/aspiring artist who lucked into producing something really great. As to the reason I think this is great: it feels to me like it has a 50s/60s MCM and/or "Night Gallery" vibe. The choice of colors is awesome. It has heat and discordance and energy. It feels like 50s jazz: weird-assed jangly foreboding jazz of the Ornette Coleman / Miles Davis variety.

I dig it.

"A Retrospective" (various: Pencil, Colored Pencil or Marker on Paper)

A few weeks back I commented (after having installed thirteen works by one artist, and a few days later an additional one that I had missed) that I had never hung so many works of art via one post in the history of the (V)VAG. How soon that record has been broken! As also mentioned at the time of that "thirteen" installation, while I usually review each artwork separately, doing so for this many works by the same person would be boring for me as well as for you. I am continuing that policy in this instance as well. So. Let us begin:

I LOVE THIS!!! Unironically, seriously, enthusiastically: I love it. I dont know if this is the work of a little kid, or perhaps that of an adult who is being whimsical, or maybe even (who knows?) a developmentally-challenged individual. Not sure, doesn't matter, don't care: I love it. Some less than others, obviously, since a body of work cannot be of an entirely similar quality. Here's my rundown: 

Numbers three and nine are IMO the weakest. Numbers ten and thirteen thematically feel out of place but I do like them: the person slightly more than the horse. At first I thought number one was my favorite because it's charming, it's cute, and the octopus only has four legs. BTW this one lends itself to my theories numbered two or three per the identity of the artist, since I don't think a kid would draw a martini glass but eh who knows nowadays? BUT when I got a closer look at the artist's works featuring "Hat Guy with Dog and Walking Stick", I realized that THOSE are my favorites. But: the entirety of the artist's "Western" and "Alaska" categories are good ones.

All of these works were framed, behind glass (albeit inexpensively) and one was even matted. All of them were quite small (as you can probably guess from looking at the price stickers): most were in the 4" x 5" range. My main intent in photographing them was to avoid glare on the glass and my own reflection: I think that given the circumstances (fluorescent ceiling lights) I did a fairly decent job.

I liked these enough that I bought four of them (all of the "Man with Hat, Walking Stick and Dog" ones.) My wife knows that I have spent far more money on far stupider things in the past and will almost certainly do so again in the future.

To the artist: whatever your deal is, definitely keep it up. This is good work on your part. Never get rid of the guy traveling with his dog.

Winter Landscape (Acrylic on Canvasette)

Well today I learned about Canvasette, which is kinda cool...

Anyway. While I'm not a fan of the subject as executed here (it's feeling a little Thomas Kinkade-y to me) we are obviously dealing with some actual talent. Which I'm in definitely in favor of.

As an added bonus, no gnomes in funny hats, no mushrooms and no Birch trees are anywhere to be seen. Like I said: talent!

Ocean and Dunes (Acrylic on Canvas)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

This is the first VVAGF in approximately five months!

Ahhhhh art. ART! This is what I like to see! Running across stuff like this has become much more sporadic of late, like rain in the desert unfortunately. But that's okay: it's scarcity only makes us appreciate it more when it finally shows up, amirite? 

My usual commentary: is it perfect? Far from it. But it is authentic. Real. Organic. There's...something about it. It has an Aura of Solidity: This is Art without any taint of the 21st Century, none of the ungenuine ersatz phoney self-conscious Influencer / Selfie / QR code-contaminated faux-reality we've oh-so-unfortunately embraced as a Culture for lo these past 20 or so years (per Social Media and Smart Phones.) We need more work of this caliber. UNGAWA!!!

No signature. Folks, please sign your work. Even initials would be better than nuthin...

Mushroom House (Acrylic on Canvas)

This kind of thing (demonstrably and objectively derivative, unimaginative, characterless, soulless, prefab, repetitive, cloying, pandering, etc) probably makes up approximately 10% of the artwork seen here.

Would that it were 0%...

Ladybug (Acrylic on Canvas)

It's no masterpiece but there's just something kind of endearing here. I like it!

Leave me alone :/

Northern Lights (Acrylic on Canvas)

As these things go (and boy have we seen a lot of them here at the good ol' VVAG) this one isn't too painfully horribly bad. It's just medium bad. Yes, it is kind of blah in the foreground, and unimaginative in the everywhereground, but I would venture to say that this is probably one of the better renditions of Northern Lights that we currently have on exhibit. Now upon hearing me say such a thing, you may well be saying to yourself (and quite understandably so might I add) "realllllly?" Yes. Really. Have a stroll through our gallery and see for yourself: you will eventually find that I am correct.

Okay job, not-so-great artiste! Keep trying!

Christmas Tree (Acrylic on Canvas)

Not very colorful is it? Black and grey and white with a touch of yellow and orange doesn't feel very Christmasy to me, but to each his or her own. 

Feliz Navidad!

Steve Martin (Pencil on Paper)

I believe this was done by the same artist as today's "Flowers" installation.

Mainly because it was in the same frame, behind the glass but in front of the flowers art. And the signatures are identical.

How brilliant am I to have solved this mystery!

Flowers (Some Kind of Pen on Paper?)

It's not bad per se, it's simply...there...in a nondescript way. 

It exists, I'm just not sure why.

UPDATE: The more I look at this, the more I like it. The artist had a good eye here. The color selection and stylistic fingerprint are original and appealing. Keep it up, pally.

"Not Sure" (Acrylic on Canvas)

This is by the same person who did the herd/mob/wrangle/riot/murder of paintings that were installed on 12/29. I must've just missed it somehow. Anyway, I'm Not Sure what it is or is supposed to be. But there is at least a chance that it is a) upside-down and b) supposed to be a lake, in front of some mountains, with Northern Lights reflecting off of it. Mebbe?

(Postscript: I added a flipped version. Now I'm Pretty Sure I'm right.)