“Aurora” (Acrylic or Latex on Vinyl?)

This one had the title on the back but I can’t remember what it was. I’m pretty sure it was “Aurora” maybe? This is more of the semi-unintentional, messageless art I’m kind of not a fan of. There was another different painting (same medium, same artist) at VV today that I actually thought was wrapping paper stapled to a canvas. This kind of stuff isn’t BAD, and it’s certainly art (or AN art) but it’s not my bag baby. It’s decorative, it’s pretty, it’s diverting, but it’s like empty calories. Just my two cents.

“_________” (Acrylic on Canvas)

I can’t be expected to name something if I don’t know what it is, can I?

Scratch that: I’ve actually done that very thing a number of times before. In this case though, there’s just not enough “it” here to possess the quality of “is”ness.

It’s a whotzit.

Mountain Scene (Acrylic on Canvas Board)

Hahahahaha…

I’m not being mean: this just strikes me as being really funny. It’s actually not totally awful and is far from being the worst painting here.

It’s got character.

Yellow Bell Pepper on Fire in Golden Chalice (Acrylic on Canvas)

Nice wick, nice flame. Strange-looking candle sitting confidently in an egg-cup-looking candlestick. 

Jack could have rickets and still jump over this candlestick, no problem.

Postscript: looking at this again, I feel as if there’s more to like than originally noted. The candle-holder, while weirdly-designed and somewhat two-dimensional, has some nice shiny touches. And to be sure: the candle is malformed but the changes in light around the wick and flame aren’t bad at all. Plus, this painting feels old.

It’s okay!

Night Sky Tree line (Acrylic on Canvas)

This kind of thing is starting to look reallllly familiar to me. Like overly-familiar. Stars and night sky in person are pretty wonderful. Paintings though of basically darkness and speckles of white? Not so much. It’s just a waste of paint. And the trees! Is there some kind of group consciousness / ancestral memory / DNA code that is passing along the same mediocre way of using acrylic paint to depict trees in the 21st Century? Did cave paintings 40,000 years ago have trees that looked this imprecise? I doubt it. Pfft.

Untitled (Oil on Linen)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

Last one by this same artist. Feels very Van Gogh to me without being phony or cloying or fawningly imitative. Great colors, great light and shadow, great perspective and depth. The mountains! The sky! The trees seen and unseen on the left! Gosh…just GOSH. Nothing here I could possibly criticize. It’s wonderful! I bought this one as well. Twenty bucks!

Untitled (Oil on Linen)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

Another by the same artist. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I love the colors, the shadows: this is real in a way that CGI will never ever be. It’s made of aliveness! And it’s still alive 40+ years after it was painted.

Art of this quality refutes the 21st century. I love it. I bought it.

“Out of Gas” or “Lazy Sunday Morning” (Oil on Linen)

Beautiful! Just beautiful. Why the HELL is this at Value Village? Information about this painting was on the back: Jen and I are doing detective work as we speak. Would you pay $25 for this? Of course you would! Dang!

Our results: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-napa-valley-register-obituary-for-he/105616394/

Sunset Landscape (Acrylic on Canvas)

I like this one too! What the heck is going on today? There’s almost no painting I’m able to legitimately rag on. And there are three more coming! And they are amazing too!

I feel like I’m being reverse-trolled or something.

Park and Trees (Acrylic on Canvas)

The path is pretty weak, but I like what the trees are doing over on the right. I’m a fan of the green here. The trees on the left? Not so great. But taken collectively it’s kind of alright. Keep at it, buddy!

Pink Tree (Acrylic on Canvas)

So they can’t all be great. It’s okay. If the tree was gone I’d like this just fine. Nothing wrong with some earth, some grass and some sky.

Flowers (Watercolor on Paper)

Another nice one. No, not nice: beautiful! What a day this has been: ten paintings and the majority of them are amazing. This one was so small, so unassuming and yet so immediately arresting that I think I’d maybe better look this person up online and make sure this isn’t mass-produced or a print or something. Fingers crossed it’s legit human-being-fingers-and-hand-created organic artisanal art. I likes it.

Meadow/Prairie-ish Landscape (Oil on Canvas)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

Actually not sure if this was oil or acrylic, but it’s great. A painting I could walk into. Beautiful.

Asteroid Landscape (Acrylic on Canvas)

Another by the same artist. Really fun, and there’s some actual talent here. It’s a pleasure to run across goofy yet well-composed and purposeful art such as this. Way to go, unknown artist!!! 

Make a Decision (Acrylic on Canvas)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

I don't know what you’re expecting me to say, but I’m guessing this won’t be it:

I LOVE THIS!!! It’s quirky in a charming yet talented way, as opposed to in an inept and clueless way. Great work, anonymous artist: keep it up :)

Postscript: if anyone can put me in touch with this (assumedly local?) artist, please do. I have so many questions :)

Gotham By Nightlight (Acrylic on Canvas)

I’m really hoping some kid or teenager did this. So I could say “great job young dude/dudette: keep it up!” Because our only other option is that an adult did it. Which would be a little sad, really.

Weird Tree Triptych (Acrylic on Canvas)

At first I thought this was store-bought, but on closer inspection I realized it is FAR too weird to have been mass-produced. Obviously the two on each side are supposed to sit a bit higher up, but this is all I could manage on the fly. 

This thing is big. Someone MADE this. And probably spent a lot of time doing so. Only for it to wind up at Value Village being sold for $7.99! Don’t get me wrong: I don’t dislike, or like, this painting. I’m just in awe that someone spent so much time and effort and talent making something so strange and (arguably) unattractive.

Artist: try doing a nice landscape next time. Or maybe someone’s portrait.

Sometimes (and in my opinion, USUALLY) “normal” is nice.

Random Pattern (Acrylic on Canvas)

The hipster equivalent of Bank Art. It’s pretty and momentarily distracting, but it says and means nothing. Maybe it was an experiment of some kind.

Pink and Blue Unicorns (Acrylic on Canvas)

I suspect there’s a message here, or some kinda symbolism happening, but I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’m not a fan of unicorns, or glitter/confetti, or the colors pink and blue, dig? I kinda like the unicorn on the right though because it looks like it’s up to something.

Primitive Abstract (??? on Canvas)

I’m not sure what this is, what it’s made of, or how it was done. All I know is that someone named Hebert is responsible. Maybe he’ll see this one day and tell us what it’s all about.