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    • 138 Shares169 Views

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      Flowers Entwine Porcelain Animals and Objects in Lizzie Gill’s Surreal Tablescapes

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      “Pair of Covered Vases” (2024), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 56 x 62 inches. All photos by Jenny Gorman, courtesy of Hesse Flatow, shared with permission

      Flowers Entwine Porcelain Animals and Objects in Lizzie Gill’s Surreal Tablescapes

      March 31, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      “To have something be uncanny, you must first introduce the familiar,” says Lizzie Gill. Likening her compositions to a dining table’s place settings, the artist paints elaborate still lifes that explore the matriarchal lineages and how objects passed down shift in meaning over time.

      The vivid works feature flat backdrops met by boldly striped or floral linens and a menagerie of animals seized by fresh blooms. A marble and dust emulsion, which Gill layers on the acrylic-painted panel with a baker’s piping tool, adds a life-like texture to the petals. She also utilizes an image-transfer process to translate various pieces from her mother’s porcelain collection, further enmeshing her works in domestic traditions.

      “Wedgwood (Nightlines) II” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inches

      The still life, Gill says, is her preferred platform for exploring the tenets of Surrealism and what it means to be a steward. In “Lunar Still Life (Avec L’hippopotame),” for example, long stems coil around an animated porcelain seal and hippo rendered in delicate blue and white. “Still Life With Four Cerulean Vessels” is similarly lively as a miniature fox with a vine wrapped around its torso wanders across the tablescape.

      Decorating the vases are unlikely scenes depicting volcanic eruptions, rocket launches, and even a menacing twister ripping across the terrain. Embellishing antique forms with contemporary imagery, the works juxtapose the calm propriety associated with domestic spaces and world-changing, explosive actions generated by both humans and nature.

      Based in Sharon, Connecticut, Gill is currently researching historic textiles for upcoming works, and those shown here are on view in her solo exhibition Paraphernalia through April 26 at Hesse Flatow. Follow the latest on Instagram.

      “Lunar Still Life (Avec L’hippopotame)” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 40 inches

      Detail of “Wedgwood (Nightlines) II” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inches

      “Still Life With Four Cerulean Vessels” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 48 x 40 inches

      “Tea For Two (Avec Le Caniche)” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 40 x 48 inches

      “Wedgwood (Nightlines) III” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inches

      “Lunar Still Life (Avec le Elephant)” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on canvas, 60 x 80 inches

      “Wedgwood (Nightlines)” (2025), acrylic, image transfer and marble dust emulsion on panel, 30 x 24 inches

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    • 113 Shares159 Views

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      Krzysztof Grzybacz’s ‘Floral Compositions’ Are Tender Portrayals of Togetherness

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      “Yellow, White, Orange, Pink, Blue, Yellow, White” (2025), diptych, oil on canvas, 200 × 320 centimeters. Photos by Bartosz Zalewski. All images courtesy of Krzysztof Grzybacz and Galeria Dawid Radziszewski, Vienna, shared with permission

      Krzysztof Grzybacz’s ‘Floral Compositions’ Are Tender Portrayals of Togetherness

      March 27, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Arranged by size and hue, the blooms in Krzysztof Grzybacz’s large-scale oil paintings appear in comfortable togetherness, each individual’s features amplified by its placement next to those that differ. His Floral Compositions series organizes the flowers against swaths of green fabric, exploring their potent symbolism.

      Grzybacz taps into the age-old tradition of flowers in oil, rendering their petals and stems in vibrant hues that capture their unique outlines and textures. Rooted in still life, his compositions are underpinned by abstraction and the artist’s fascination with layering and perspective.

      “Yellow” (2025), oil on canvas, 200 × 160 centimeters

      The works in Grzybacz’s current solo exhibition at Galeria Dawid Radziszewski also reference the queer community. “Flowers are like people: they pose, search for their own space, and mark out boundaries,” says a statement from the gallery. The artist nods to the role of order and systems, while also emphasizing the importance of celebrating diversity.

      Grouped together in front of textile folds, oblique grids, or distorted human features, the artist invokes the power of alliances through a sense of tenderness, curiosity, and pliability.

      Floral Compositions continues through March 29 in Vienna. Find more on Grzybacz’s website and Instagram.

      “Blue, yellow, orange, white, pink” (2025), oil on canvas, 100 × 80 centimeters

      “Orange, blue, pink, yellow, white, maroon, purple” (2025), oil on canvas, 200 × 160 centimeters

      “White, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Purple” (2025), oil on canvas, 200 × 160 centimeters

      “Blue, White, Yellow, Orange, Pink” (2025), oil on canvas, 100 × 80 centimeters

      “White, maroon, orange, yellow, blue” (2025), oil on canvas, 70 × 60 centimeters

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    • 150 Shares129 Views

      in Art

      Tropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnold’s Vibrant Block Prints

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      “Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of Paradise III.” All images courtesy of Lili Arnold, shared with permission

      Tropical Flowers and Prickly Cacti Leap from Lili Arnold’s Vibrant Block Prints

      March 26, 2025

      ArtIllustrationNature

      Kate Mothes

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      Every year, Lili Arnold’s mother would block-print holiday cards to send to family and friends. When she was old enough to wield a carving tool, Arnold began to make her own, too. But it wasn’t until college, when she took an Intro to Printmaking class, that she became enthralled with the practice’s myriad methods.

      Block printing specifically captured Arnold’s attention because of its relatively simple components and technique—no giant presses required. The block can expand in scale, incorporate different colors, or be layered with numerous pressings.

      “Strelitzia Reginae, a.k.a. Bird of Paradise”

      “I think what I love most about the process is seeing my first print after so many hours of sketching, planning, carving, and troubleshooting,” Arnold tells Colossal. “There’s a lot of thought and time invested in the steps before the actual print becomes real, so when I see that first reveal, it’s both terrifying and thrilling.”

      Arnold’s compositions often revolve around natural subjects, especially botanicals like cacti and tropical flowers. She is fascinated by the environment’s infinite interaction of colors, textures, patterns, and symmetry.

      “There’s such vast diversity of plant life out there, each ecosystem encapsulating unique details and wonders,” she says. “We as artists and botanical patrons have the pleasure of translating and expressing our appreciation of this beauty through our artwork, writing, gardening, exploring, and beyond.”

      Follow updates on Arnold’s Instagram, and browse prints available for purchase in her shop.

      “Zantedeschia Albomaculata, a.k.a. Spotted Calla Lily III”

      “Palm Study III”

      “Emergence of Spring”

      “Opuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly Pear”

      Blocks ready for printing

      Pulling “Opuntia Ficus-Indica, a.k.a. Prickly Pear”

      Block for “Banksia Prolata”

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    • 188 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Lauded Dutch Golden Age Painter Rachel Ruysch Gets Her First Major Survey in the U.S.

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      “Flowers in a Glass Vase” (1704), oil on canvas, 33 × 26 3/8 inches. Image courtesy of Detroit Institute of Arts. All images shared with permission

      Lauded Dutch Golden Age Painter Rachel Ruysch Gets Her First Major Survey in the U.S.

      March 11, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Many of us are familiar with titans of the Dutch Golden Age like Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, and more. Yet fewer of us have probably heard of Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), renowned during her lifetime for her original style but under-acknowledged through the centuries in the canon of Western art history.

      Co-organized by the Toledo Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, the first major U.S. exhibition of the artist’s work, Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art, introduces audiences to the breadth of her remarkable paintings.

      “Posy of Flowers, with a Beetle, on a Stone Ledge” (1741), oil on canvas, 7 7/8 × 9 5/8 inches. Image courtesy of Kunstmuseum Basel

      During her seven-decade career, Ruysch was the first woman admitted to the Confrerie Pictura, The Hague painters’ society, and she was appointed court painter in Düsseldorf to Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine. She rose to become one of the highest-paid artists of her day. In a foreword for the exhibition catalog, the directors explain that “Ruysch achieved fame across Europe in her lifetime, but her oeuvre was little studied by art historians in subsequent centuries. She has never been the subject of a major exhibition—until now.”

      Art historians consider Ruysch to be among the most talented still life artists of the era, and by the time she died at 86, she had produced hundreds of paintings. Nature into Art includes more than 90 international loans, including 48 of her most significant works.

      The artist was born in The Hague, The Netherlands, to parents with backgrounds in science and design. Her father was a professor of botany and anatomy, and her mother was the daughter of an architect. The artist began painting when she was around 15, copying flower and insect specimens from her father’s collection.

      As her artistic faculty grew, Ruysch taught her father and her sister Anna how to paint. She merged modern scientific observation with an incredible aptitude for capturing light, composition, and form, and she typically dated her paintings when she signed them, giving art historians a clear record of stylistic shifts and subject matter over time.

      “Flowers and Fruit in a Forest” (1714), oil on canvas, 38 × 48 1/2 inches. Image courtesy of Städtische Kunstsammlungen & Museen Augsburg

      Ruysch’s success during her lifetime is attributed to both her unmistakable talent and the 17th-century Dutch fondness for flowers and gardening. Still life paintings of floral arrangements and tables heaping with food highlighted the beauty of nature and the gifts of plenty. The vanitas genre also sprung from the style, interpreting memento mori, Latin for “remember you must die,” into subtle, well-versed visual cues.

      Motifs like skulls, insects, rotting fruit, or wilting flowers were symbolic reminders of the futility of pleasure, power, or wealth after death. For example, in Ruysch’s “Posy of Flowers, with a Beetle, on a Stone Ledge,” beetles and flies crawl over a spray of peonies and wildflowers that will soon wilt, and water droplets signify purity and the fleetingness of life.

      Nature into Art runs from April 12 to July 17 in Toledo, traveling on to Boston afterward, where it opens on August 23.

      “Flowers” (1715), oil on canvas, 29 2/3 × 23 3/4 inches. Photo by Photo: Nicole Wilhelms, courtesy of Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen—Alte Pinakothek Munich

      Illustration from ‘Observations of a Surinam Toad,’ graphite on paper, 8 x 11 in. Image © The Royal Society, London

      Anna Ruysch (Dutch, active from 1685, died after 1741), “A Still Life of Flowers on a Marble Table Ledge” (1685), oil on canvas, 13 × 11 3/4 inches. Photo by Erin Croxton, courtesy of a private collection and Birmingham Museum of Art

      “Flower Still Life” (about 1716-20), oil on canvas, 29 3/4 × 23 7/8 inches. Image courtesy of Toledo Museum of Art

      Rachel Ruysch and Michiel van Musscher (Dutch, 1645–1705), “Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750)” (1692), oil on canvas, 30 × 25 inches. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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    • 125 Shares169 Views

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      Vasilisa Romanenko’s Lush Portraits Wrap Common Birds in Decadent Patterns

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      “American Crow” (2025),
      acrylic on canvas, 8 x 8 inches. All images courtesy of Vasilisa Romanenko and Arch Enemy Arts, shared with permission

      Vasilisa Romanenko’s Lush Portraits Wrap Common Birds in Decadent Patterns

      March 11, 2025

      ArtNature

      Grace Ebert

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      Beauty and nature’s resilience are at the core of Vasilisa Romanenko’s work. The Connecticut-based artist paints faithful depictions of common yet dignified birds amid clusters of fruits and flowers, exploring the power of opulence in times of upheaval.

      A stately crow poses amid rust-colored roses, a great blue heron poses amid clusters of tangerines and lilies, and a small warbler perches amid pink poppies. Referencing the defiantly decorative works of English textile designer William Morris (1834–1896), Romanenko embraces the entrancing nature of decadent patterns.

      “Great Blue Heron” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 22 x 28 inches

      “I want my work to feel like an escape from everyday life, like taking a moment to be still and appreciate nature,” she says about her solo exhibition, BIRDS & BLOOMS, at Arch Enemy Arts. Enveloped by flora at full bloom, the winged subjects exude a sense of calm and strength as they perch and prepare for their next flight.

      BIRDS & BLOOMS is on view through March 30 in Philadelphia. Find more from Romanenko on her website and Instagram.

      “Northern Mockingbird” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 11 x 14 inches

      “Black-capped Chickadee” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7 inches

      “Orange-crowned Warbler” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 5 x 7 inches

      “Dark-eyed Juncos” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches

      “Palm Warbler” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10 inches

      “Brewer’s Blackbird” (2025), acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches

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    • 150 Shares159 Views

      in Art

      From Porcelain Buttercream to Bruises, Jessica Stoller Examines the Gendered Body

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      Detail of “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and P·P·O·W, shared with permission

      From Porcelain Buttercream to Bruises, Jessica Stoller Examines the Gendered Body

      March 5, 2025

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      The early 1780s produced a medical training tool that today seems unusually macabre and unsettling: the Anatomical Venus. A waxen model with real human hair and strings of pearls around her neck, the reclined figure appeared incredibly realistic, although pulling back the plate on its abdomen or chest revealed a series of internal organs and systems.

      As Ian Shank writes, modern viewers see the Anatomical Venus as discordant given the tension between the figure’s idealized beauty—and its inherent sensuality—and its function as an educational model.

      “Untitled (crown)” (2021), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 24 x 16 x 2 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      Jessica Stoller takes this dissonance as a starting point in “Seeing Red,” a floor-based sculpture of more than 150 individual ceramic objects. Atop the square tableaux are oversized white orbs that overshadow the mottled pink base. Fragmented body parts, seashells, leaves, a bent coat hanger, snakes, pottery shards, and more spread throughout.

      Reflecting on the continued push to strip protections for bodily autonomy in the U.S., “Seeing Red” separates the female form into distinctive parts and places them at the lowest position possible. As the oppressive pearls loom over the rest of the components, the unnerving work directly challenges who has a right to self-determination and control over their body.

      The grotesque and disturbing play an important role throughout Stoller’s practice as she frequently incorporates human anatomy with porcelain and ceramic traditions. “Untitled (close up #3),” for example, features delicate pink and purple blossoms that frame what appears to be a series of large, purple bruises.

      Similarly, “Untitled (sugar still life)” comprises a sweet spread that stretches across an elaborate display. Tucked in the seemingly saccharine work, though, are unsavory elements like a skeletal hand reaching from piped ribbons and medical devices stabbed into various confections.

      “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches

      Rebelling against patriarchal priorities, Stoller continually confronts romanticized notions of the body through surreal, even monstrous compositions. Instead, her works are bold and unabashed as they examine the feminine figure, rooting out stereotypes and historical injustices while emphasizing the potency of the unseemly.

      Many of the works shown here are on view in New York for Stoller’s solo show Split, which continues through April 5 at P·P·O·W. Find more from the artist on Instagram.

      Detail of “Seeing Red” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 9 x 92 1/4 x 92 1/4 inches

      “Skin to Scale” (2023), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 22 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches

      “Untitled (close up #3)” (2020), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, wood, 19 x 15 x 2 inches

      “Silphium” (2024), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, 19 x 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches

      “Yellow Wallpaper” (2025), porcelain, glaze, china paint, wood, 23 x 17 1/2 x 3 inches

      “Untitled (sugar still life)” (2018), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, enamel, and wood, 60 x 36 x 22 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

      Detail of “Untitled (sugar still life)” (2018), porcelain, glaze, china paint, lustre, enamel, and wood, 60 x 36 x 22 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography

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    • 125 Shares199 Views

      in Art

      Felines Evoke ‘A Floating World’ in Tùng Nâm’s Whimsical Illustrations

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      All images © Tùng Nâm, shared with permission

      Felines Evoke ‘A Floating World’ in Tùng Nâm’s Whimsical Illustrations

      February 19, 2025

      ArtIllustration

      Kate Mothes

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      Accompanied by delicate insects and social betta fish, the cats in Tùng Nâm’s illustrations (previously) alternate between curiosity, serenity, friskiness, and determination. The artist portrays a diversity of feline natures, merging their likenesses with flowers, waves, foliage, and clouds.

      Nâm’s characters are playfully anthropomorphized, donning patterned kimonos and hair ornaments. The series emerged organically from practice sketches of flowers in the ukiyo-e style.

      “I felt like it was missing something, so I tried to add a cat as the protagonist,” Nâm tells Colossal. “Somehow it still doesn’t feel right, so I think of adding a companion—fishes, butterfly, dragonfly—like they were encountering each other in a specific moment.” Fittingly, he called the series An encounter.

      An accompanying collection, A Floating World, takes further inspiration from the genre, directly referencing the Japanese word ukiyo. The term describes a hedonistic lifestyle in Edo—now called Tokyo—in the 1600s, spawning a style of art that captured the mood and interests of the period. Famed artists like Hokusai or Hiroshige focused on woodblock printing and painting to represent scenes from history, folk tales, kabuki actors, flora and fauna, landscapes, and more.

      For Nâm, ukiyo-e provides the starting point for exploring a range of subject matter. He’s currently exploring ideas for further illustrations that incorporate different animals and visual cultures.

      Find more on the artist’s Behance and Instagram.

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    • 88 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      Matt Roussel’s Textured Woodcuts Metamorphose into Paintings

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      All images courtesy of Matt Roussel, shared with permission

      Matt Roussel’s Textured Woodcuts Metamorphose into Paintings

      February 18, 2025

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      From elaborate portraits to overflowing florals to playful animals, the woodcuts of Matt Roussel (previously) tell a wide range of enigmatic stories. For his large-scale works, Roussel begins by carving wooden panels, but rather than using the blocks to make prints, he applies acrylic paint to the surfaces to create bold, textured paintings. Portraits of women wearing unique garments are complemented by goldfish that metamorphose into birds and giant scarab beetles cloaked in giant flowers.

      Roussel’s work will be on view in several forthcoming art3f fairs throughout Europe, with Strasbourg, Nantes, and Lyon coming up in late February and March. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “Three Flowers Scarab,” acrylic on carved wood

      Detail of “Three Flowers Scarab”

      “Métamorphose,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 60 centimeters

      “Fleur de Zhou,” acrylic on carved wood

      “Poisson pipe,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

      “La grande fleur,” acrylic on carved wood, 120 x 80 centimeters

      “Golden dance,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

      “3 cimes,” acrylic on carved wood, 120 x 80 centimeters

      Detail of “3 cimes”

      “La falaise,” acrylic on carved wood, 60 x 80 centimeters

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