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    Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes

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    All images © A House of Wonders, shared with permission

    Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes

    December 6, 2024

    ArtCraft

    Jackie Andres

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    Within the confines of a small, ovoid frames, Caroline Dewison, of A House of Wonders, crafts miniature scenes laden with remarkable detail. Building upon previous mystical vistas inspired by the woodlands surrounding her studio in Warrington, England, the artist’s most recent ventures forge a deeper path toward the otherworldly.

    Hovering above minuscule streams and valleys, UFOs contrast sharply against Dewison’s hand-painted nature scenes. The artist has been fascinated by the possibility of beings on other planets since childhood and continues to explore this speculation.

    “In my lifetime, it’s gone from there being just us to scientists finding hundreds and thousands of exoplanets, many with the possibility of life,” she explains. “I would like to think that we’re not alone.” Within each diorama, the flying saucers are cleverly affixed to jut outward from two-dimensional backgrounds, furthering a sense of depth.

    Along with revisiting her lifelong interest in the extraterrestrial, the artist has also rekindled her relationship with automata. She relishes problem-solving and the logistical aspects of constructing kinetic pieces, sharing, “I love working out how to create a moving piece of art and really enjoy engineering the mechanism to add life to my work.” As a result, the tiny UFOs make a dynamic appearance as well, rotating and drifting above foreign crop circles and thickets of pine.

    While Dewison still mainly works with laser-cut plywood, Jesmonite, acrylic paint, clay, and a 3D-printing pen, she is also working on constructing new designs for frames.

    A busy year is ahead of the artist. Dewison’s work is currently on view as part of Small Works | Big Impact at Momentum Gallery in Asheville, and later this month, her dioramas will be featured in the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Melbourne with Beinart Gallery. Find Dewison’s miniatures for sale in her shop, A House of Wonders, and keep an eye on Instagram for new work, upcoming shows, and more.

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      in Art

      In a Resounding ‘Renaissance,’ Conrad Jon Godly’s Acrylic Paintings Scale Alpine Peaks

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      “RENAISSANCE # 21” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 39 3/8 x 47 1/4 inches. All images courtesy of JD Malat Gallery, shared with permission

      In a Resounding ‘Renaissance,’ Conrad Jon Godly’s Acrylic Paintings Scale Alpine Peaks

      November 27, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Through the deft manipulation of thick acrylic paint on canvas, Conrad Jon Godly summons snow-capped peaks, tumbling mountain springs, and shifting weather.

      At JD Malat Gallery, the Swiss artist (previously) presents his largest body of work to date, RENAISSANCE, which follows a four-year hiatus. Godly is open about the mental health struggles that prevented him from painting, and in addition to his return to the gallery setting, the title refers to his experience of a “rebirth” as he overcame personal strife.

      “RENAISSANCE # 03” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches

      Godly is known for his dramatic impasto depictions of mountain landscapes, which were historically created using oil paint. In this new series, he has transitioned to acrylic, which dries much faster and lends itself to opacity. He conveys the striking beauty of the Swiss Alps through fundamental compositional elements like texture, form, and tonal shifts.

      Viewed up close, Godly’s paintings melt into near-abstraction as our attention is drawn to the qualities of the paint and the interaction of light and shadow. Farther away, the meticulously formed edges and gestural brush strokes reveal the crisp outlines of snow, rock, waterfalls, and storms.

      RENAISSANCE will inhabit both floors of the gallery in London and run from December 12 to January 18. In the meantime, see more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      “RENAISSANCE # 06” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 34” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 59 x 51 1/8 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 25” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 47 1/4 x 39 3/8 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 43” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 70 7/8 x 90 1/2 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 29” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 59 x 51 1/8 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 07” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 28” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 47 1/4 x 39 3/8 inches

      “RENAISSANCE # 05” (2024), acrylic on canvas, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 inches

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    • 150 Shares125 Views

      in Art

      Masks and Make-Believe: Children Traverse ‘Paper Stories’ in José Luis Ceña’s Paintings

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      “Little Red Riding Hood” (2024), oil on linen, 71 x 71 inches. All images courtesy of José Luis Ceña, shared with permission

      Masks and Make-Believe: Children Traverse ‘Paper Stories’ in José Luis Ceña’s Paintings

      November 26, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      Elaborate, imaginary worlds open up around the youthful characters in José Luis Ceña’s oil paintings. Brushy, splattered, and sometimes fuzzy around the edges, his protagonists don homemade costumes and traipse through forts made from sheets and boxes.

      “I believe that addressing the topic of children more deeply in my paintings came about as a result of having my two children,” the artist tells Colossal. “Living with children makes you realize issues you thought were forgotten.”

      “Pig Mask” (2024), oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

      Ceña focuses on play to illuminate the contrast between the innocence of youth and what he describes as “the decay of the world we are leaving behind.”

      In his most recent series, Paper Stories, kids wear masks and traverse a make-believe, cardboard world. Made of quotidian materials, the scenes transform into fantastical realms filled with animals, dinosaurs, and exciting mysteries.

      The psychology of costumes and concealment take on a metaphorical role in Ceña’s paintings, reflecting how people conform to the actualities of adulthood and society. “We wear (these masks) every day, trying to project an image of ourselves that, in most cases, doesn’t align with the reality we live,” the artist says. “This is especially evident in our use of social media.”

      Vibrant landscapes are often devoid of depth, as if cut from paper and layered to form a stage-like set. These flattened scenes “suggest that these worlds are destined to dissolve, to fold in on themselves,” Ceña says, adding that “solitude is a silent protagonist.”

      The work shown here was recently on view with Galerie LeRoyer, and you can explore more of Ceña’s work on Instagram.

      “Cardboardzoic” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

      “Oasis” (2024), Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

      “The Bird” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

      “Treasure Box” (2024), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

      “The Bird II” (2024), oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches

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    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Art

      Metaphysical Landscapes by Eliot Greenwald Illuminate the Mutuality of All Life

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      “Letter to the Center of the Lake” (2024), oil stick and acrylic on canvas over panel, diptych, 72 x 94 x 2 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and HARPER’S, shared with permission

      Metaphysical Landscapes by Eliot Greenwald Illuminate the Mutuality of All Life

      November 8, 2024

      Art

      Kate Mothes

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      For Eliot Greenwald, humankind and the landscapes we occupy are essentially one in the same. Cycles of life, death, and rebirth may diverge from being to being, but the artist considers all existence to be fundamentally interconnected and substantially the same.

      At HARPER’S in Chelsea, Greenwald’s solo exhibition Library continues to explore the artist’s fascination with landscape and the metaphysical, inviting us to explore a surreal realm of otherworldly botanicals, double moons, and enigmatic pathways.

      “Ask the Arrow” (2024), oil stick and acrylic on canvas over panel, diptych, 72 x 94 x 2 inches

      In oil stick and acrylic, Greenwald often repeats motifs of trees and mountains through variations in light and hue, nodding to the cyclical nature of the seasons and how the time of day or year influences how we perceive the world around us.

      The artist also incorporates vehicles that wind their way through the scenes and illuminate their surroundings. “These miniature automobiles stand in for the human vessel itself—a subtle reminder that even the most engineered facets of the Anthropocene are just one piece in the grander puzzle of existence,” says a gallery statement.

      In addition to Greenwald’s organically-shaped canvas pieces, Library also includes sculptural elements, like “Library of Paper Towels,” a tiny, freestanding room filled with books covered in colorful paper.

      Made of reclaimed wood salvaged from an 18th-century barn in western Massachusetts, where the artist lives, the repository contains hundreds of hand-bound books made from paper towel. Employing a material made expressly to be used and thrown away, the artist reckons with the way knowledge is gained, shared, preserved, and valued.

      Library continues through December 7 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

      Installation view of ‘Library’

      “Detail of Library of Paper Towels” (2024), wood, hardware, hat light, extension cord, and artist books, 110 x 50 x 50 inches

      “Blanket Drapes with its Fringe” (2024), oil stick and acrylic on canvas over panel, 78 x 47 x 2 inches

      Detail of “Blanket Drapes with its Fringe”

      “Not A Franz West” (2024), oil stick and acrylic on canvas over panel, 95 x 47 x 2 inches

      “Wind Doesn’t Suck, It Blows” (2024), oil stick and acrylic on canvas over panel, diptych, 72 x 94 x 2 inches

      Detail of “Wind Doesn’t Suck, It Blows”

      Installation view of ‘Library’

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    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Art

      A Sprawling Garden Opening Next Spring Embodies Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’

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      Photos by Almin Tabak. All images courtesy of Starry Night Retreat, shared with permission

      A Sprawling Garden Opening Next Spring Embodies Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’

      November 4, 2024

      ArtDesignNature

      Kate Mothes

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      Two decades ago, Halim Zukic purchased a 173-acre plot of land in a verdant valley near his hometown of Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He conceived of a retreat, where his love of nature and landscape design could open to the public. But it wasn’t until 2018 that the businessman and art enthusiast began replicating details of one of the world’s most recognizable paintings on an enormous scale.

      While working on the property one day, Zukic observed some tractor tracks that reminded him the swirls and waves of Vincent van Gogh’s seminal work from 1889, “The Starry Night.” With plenty of motivation but less of a clear plan, he and an amateur team intuitively followed the contours of the land and made numerous adjustments over time to achieve visual and spatial harmony.

      The elaborate design for Starry Night Retreat, which employs lavender and a variety of other herbs as its medium, is characterized primarily by the absence of straight lines. The estate encompasses a 25-acre park within its overall footprint, which includes meeting places like a natural amphitheater.

      The project “honors Vincent van Gogh and those who bravely pursue their passions despite the sacrifices required,” says hospitality manager Merjem Zukić. “Mr. Zukic views the retreat as a unique space where nature and art blend, enabling visitors to reconnect with essential elements of their being and engage their senses.”

      Starry Night Retreat is slated to open to the public next May. Find more on its website.

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    • 125 Shares189 Views

      in Art

      Mysterious Orbs Illuminate Deserted Landscapes in Andrew McIntosh’s New Paintings

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      Detail of “Brighid” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters. All images courtesy of Andrew McIntosh, shared with permission

      Mysterious Orbs Illuminate Deserted Landscapes in Andrew McIntosh’s New Paintings

      September 25, 2024

      Art

      Grace Ebert

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      Nested in rusted caravans or hovering above vast landscapes, small glowing orbs reminiscent of the sun, stars, and otherworldly technologies populate Andrew McIntosh’s latest body of work.

      On view with James Freeman Gallery for the British Art Fair, The Calling conjures McIntosh’s interest in mystery and magic. The London-based Scottish artist often evokes the lush, dramatic landscapes of Romantic paintings, which he recasts with a supernatural bent.

      “Étaín” (2024), oil on canvas, 170 x 130 centimeters

      Pieces like “Étaín” and “Brighid” recall McIntosh’s earlier works that tuck entrancing portals into travel trailers, a symbol of the adventurous spirit. These newer paintings similarly position wide ocean views inside the mobile homes, contrasting the immense scale of the sea with the tiny confines of the caravan.

      The Calling also steps back to take a broad look at natural wonders. Expansive landforms like the St. Kilda archipelago in Scotland and Mount Everest are veiled in a hazy wash of oranges and pinks, and the illuminated orbs float along their edges.

      These works explore “how the wilderness worldwide, such as the mountain faces of Everest and K2, has the power to act as host for the inexplicable and the mysterious,” McIntosh shares, adding that they “speak to (a) need to engage with something greater, something beyond our physical substance.”

      The Calling is on view from September 26 to 29. Find more from McIntosh on his website and Instagram.

      “Plate II: Suilven” (2024), oil on canvas, 110 x 130 centimeters

      “St Kilda Lights” (2024), oil on board, 42 x 23 centimeters

      “Brighid” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters

      “Everest Lights” (2024), oil on linen, 35 x 40 centimeters

      “St Kilda Caves” (2024), oil on linen,53 x 33 centimeters

      “Meant to climb” (2024), oil on linen, 50 x 30 centimeters

      “Odyssey” (2024), oil on canvas, 100 x 130 centimeters

      “K2 Lights” (2024), oil on linen, 35 x 40 centimeters

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