Butterfly (Watercolor on Paper)

By far the best painting of a (butterfly) that we have ever exhibited here. There have been a bunch, and they have all pretty much sucked. But: I do not want that circumstance to in any way diminish the praise due to this person. No way, hosehead! This is a legit high-art-level painting of a (butterfly) and we are quite fortunate to have it. Seriously.

Well done, artist-type person!

Aurora #9 (Acrylic on Canvas)

They're back!!! BLUE! And PURPLE! Gaaaaaaah!!!!

I actually have no idea what number this would be, I'm just guessing. It feeeeels like number 9 or 10 to me, but it's really probably just number 6 or 7. I don't have the energy or inclination to keep a running count. Whatever the number actually is, it is bound to be neck and neck with the number of paintings we have involving a) mountains or b) birch trees. Oh well.

Poison Dart Frog (Acrylic on Canvas Board)

By far the best painting of a Poison Dart Frog that we have ever exhibited here. Possibly the only painting of a Poison Dart Frog, actually. Which is not to diminish the praise owed to the artist responsible. No way, hoser! This is a legit high-art-level painting of a Poison Dart Frog and we are fortunate to have it. 

Well done, artist-type person!

Christmas Tree Truck (Acrylic on Canvas)

It continues to be a very slow month for art.

Boy those are some small wheels! We should "Believe in Trucks with Demonstrably-Poor Proportions" I guess.

This isn't "across the board" bad. But the uninteresting gray crate-patterned background is dull in a way that many paintings by amateurs consistently are. There's a slogan/saying/homily/credo present as well, which is usually the Kiss of Death as far as I'm concerned.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animal!

Float Plane (apparently Latex House Paint on somethingorother)

Allow me to again state, for the record, that April has been a verrrry sloooow month for art.

Probably (?) not actually latex house paint, but it sure is shiny and weird. And it's having been framed behind glass isn't helping. The propeller-that-looks-like-an-eyeball-in-a-circle isn't so great either. But I suppose it's not easy to convey blurred motion with a can of what may very well have been (?) Sherman Williams.

Sorry, there's just not much that one can say about this. Except that, sigh, I SUPPOSE that despite its flaws, an actual sense of in-flight action is present. The scene portrayed here is reasonably free from being static. So...way to go...I guess, artiste!👍

Puffin (Acrylic on Canvas)

It has been a slow month for art. But that's not to say that I don't like this. From a "real" art standpoint it is plebian, inorganic, derivative and trendy, but it's not bad in an Amateur Art cloying Van Gogh vibe sense. It's kinda fun, actually. 

As I am usually wont to say at times like this: Artist: paint from your heart and gut. Not from wherever this originated.

 

Daffodils Maybe? (Acrylic on Canvas)

This is a solid TWO on my "Artistic Merit One-to-Ten Scale" - it is not great. But it has flowers, which are always nice, and it has bright colors (i.e. no blue or purple). But boy is that gray fence awful. Hmm...waitaminute...ugly gray fence? I am beginning to have a tremendous sense of Deja Vu while looking at these things: I am almost certain that somewhere in this illustrious gallery there is a painting very much like these very ones. Which means just one thing: "Paint Night Suggested Topic for a Herd of Boxwine-Drunk Soccer Moms!" Oh well.

(Addendum) I knew it:

 https://valuevillageartgallery.blogspot.com/2023/11/lilies-acrylic-on-canvas.html?m=1

Glacial Valley (Acrylic on Canvas Board)

Kinda nice. This was a larger canvas board that has been cut into smaller pieces before being painted upon, in order for the artist to save money and get more paintings done per canvas. Which, to me, is the sign of a serious artist, even when that artist might not be so great at the time. The board also looks old, like 1970s old to me. I could be wrong though.

Ski Gnome (Acrylic on Canvas)

Have I told you how much I dislike these freaking gnomes?

The gnomes have got to go.

 

Forest Scene (Acrylic on Canvas)

Not so great whether upside down or rightside up. 

Fishermen and Ocean (Acrylic on Canvas)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

Really nice work here. Well done, artiste. We're fortunate to have your work amongst our ranks. Keep painting my friend...

Basketball Bugs (Acrylic on Canvas)

I know a kid probably did this so I won't be too mean. It actually looks like a reasonably-proper Bugs Bunny. The proportions are correct. The face is decent. But...the lack of soul, originality, thoughtfulness, imagination is hateful unto me. This is what the 21st Century has reduced us to: Art as a meal of Circus Peanuts, Moon Pies and Jolt Cola instead of a genuine Dionysian Bacchanal of senses and emotion. Feh!

Children, Flowers (Acrylic on Rough Wood)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

This allllmost made it into the illustrious ranks of the "Value Village Art Gallery Favorite" category. And it still might, a few days from now once I've had some time to think about it. Regardless, this is pretty great, considering the Minimalist / Outsider Art feel of it. The flowers are great, the fence (of unpainted wood!) is great, and the anonymous children are great. Did I mention the flowers? They and the greenery around them kick a truly remarkable amount of ass! Artiste of unknown age: I salute you.

"Gonna Ask My Wife" (Acrylic on Canvas)

Her answer? "Either Larkspur or Delphinium." 

Not bad. Nice, bright, non-boring colors. The proportions are good. The butterfly is mundane but still the cumulative impression this viewer gets here is that of guarded okayness. It's not bad, for what it is.

Nurse (Pencil on Paper)

(Value Village Art Gallery Favorite)

My wife suggested that this was a sketch done of a person for their Nursing School Graduation Day. Really nice work here. I was very surprised to find this at VV amongst all the detritus, folderal, flapdoodle and codswallop. A bit of someone's heart and soul went into the making of this I think :/

Heart (Acrylic on Canvas)

It's no masterpiece but for what it is, it is better than approx 20% of the stuff here. For all its (on the surface) vacuous banality, there is...something about it that Isn't Totally Repugnant. The colors grab me, for one thing: the red black white and light blue really POP here in a very appealing way. The haphazardness of it all feels less contrived that is usually the case with this type of thing. And while this is minimal for sure, what's there is nicely done. Artist: try something less plebian next time. Maybe paint FROM the heart instead of, well, you get the joke.

ADDENDUM: eight days have passed from the time of my review unto now, and I've only just noticed the almost-but-not-quite-transparent hackneyed trite faux-profundity-type slogan in this thing (gag retch choke). I hereby rescind any prior kind words uttered in defense of this abomination. "Hate Yourself" are better words to live by, in most cases :/

"Can't Snuff the Rooster" (Acrylic on Canvas)

"No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die..."

I'm just kidding: this was untitled. But it's a nice-looking rooster for sure. I like the colors. This feels...old school to me. I know it's not, but there's something about it that feels old and competent. A semi Kitchen-Kitschy, semi-70s vibe to it IMO. Nice job, artiste!

(PS- I have no idea why this text is so tiny but I can't get it to go back to normal. Pardon me.)

"Hippos a l’Orange" (Acrylic on Canvas)

For what it is...I think...I like it (?)

If this is original work, as opposed to a stolen/lifted/borrowed style and/or subject, then yes, I like it. It feels primitive and modern at the same time. Vaguely inflated/cartoony/graffiti-y in a Keith (ugh) Haring way, but we won't hold that against it.

Yep, I like it!

"Silenty Night" (Acrylic on Canvas)

This has GOT to be yet another Paint Night suggested subject. Or a steal of some else's original idea. Because I seriously doubt that an artist as ehhhh amateur as this came up with an idea like this all on their own. This kind of thing, the mixing of genres/ideas/themes was fun 20+ years ago but now it's just tiresome. The painting itself isn't Awful awful. It's not even awful. It's the kind of basic, average, novice work we see a lot of up in here.

Artist: don't give up. But do better.

"Girl it, get." (Acrylic on Canvas)

Three words: Waste. Of. Paint.