Reflection
You Should Own Art, Edition 25
Well, here we are at the 25th edition of You Should Own Art and at roughly its two-year anniversary. Clearly, a bit of reflection is in order. I began this because I truly believed that our lives are improved by the presence of art. And that that fact was occluded by the confusing rituals and practices of the art world itself. It’s not at all clear where to find art you like, and when you do, the process of buying it seems designed to make you feel bad. By introducing people to art and artists that were accessible in every way, my hope was that it would be easier to take those first, and maybe second steps towards building a relationship with art.
I believe that the purpose still holds, and that You Should Own Art has been reasonably successful on those terms. The audience has grown, if not explosively, at least steadily. I hear somewhat regularly from artists and readers that contact has been made, relationships have been formed, and art has been purchased. So, that’s good. And yet, it feels that this is a time to consider some changes, some new dimensions to the enterprise that we might explore. To this end, I could use your input. Please take a minute or two to fill out this here very short survey. I’m interested in your thoughts on potential new features and directions. Any and all feedback is welcome.
I’m not one to let a potential theme slip away, so this month’s collection of work is knitted together by the idea of reflection. I’ve chosen works that invite consideration. There are forms to pick out, narrative fragments to gather, intent to be pondered. I hope you enjoy.
Peruse past Y.S.O.A. Editions here | Follow the Y.S.O.A. Instagram here | Someday, I’ll figure out what to do with the website
Vacant Chair #3
Jackson Joyce
Acrylic on paper, 14 x 10 inches
USD$700
I love this little work. Evidently it was meant to be study for a larger painting. But, as often happens, the study becomes the work itself. The colors and the interplay of the chair and its shadow are what draws me in.
You can buy this work here
Jackson’s Instagram (great stuff)
Jackson’s website
Deconstrucción
Ana Seggiaro
Embroidery on printed cloth
Frame size: 12.5 H x 10.5 W in., Image size: 11.8 H x 9.8 W in.
USD$750
Over the years, I’ve become a fan of embroidery in art. On one hand, it adds some dimensionality that rides the line between painting and drawing, and sculpture. And on the other, its tricky to pull off well.
This is one work in a series called Durero. I recommend looking at the other works in the series.
You can buy this work here.
Ana’s Instagram
Ana’s website
Musings and Moments #2
Kathryn Cowen
Acrylic on board, 25cm H x 20cm W x 4cm D
Framed in Tasmanian oak
AU$550
I find this to be completely transportive. I can feel the evening breeze and I think the thoughts that float in with it.
You can buy this work here.
Kathryn’s Instagram
Kathryn’s website
Fencescape Dream No. 4
Francisco Donoso
Colored pencil and spray paint, 16 x 12 inches
USD$500
Oh, you could get lost in here. I think this will reveal more over time.
You can buy this work here.
Francisco’s Instagram
Francisco’s website
Permutations
Nancy Caton
Pencil & Pen on Paper, 7 x 5 inches
$100
Last year I took a deep dive into what I think of as geometric art. I’m intrigued by the inventiveness of work formed within what appear to be fairly rigorous constraints. I really love how for and dimension are both suggested and confounded here.
You can buy this work here.
Nancy’s Instagram
Towel
Fabien Dendiével
Photography print, 16 x 20 inches
USD$259.00
This feels like a film still, like a fragment of a story. There’s also a story in the color. It’s pretty great.
You can buy this work here.
Fabien’s Instagram (wow)
Fabien’s website
Golden Dusk (/1)
Alissa Kim Tjen
Print on Fine Art Paper, 12 x 15 inches
CAD 95
I like paintings that are gestural, where the artist uses big brush strokes to build the image. I have also sat in the middle of lake in a kayak on many evenings just like this.
You can buy this work here.
Alissa’s Instagram
Alissa’s website
The Trumpets Bellowed
Amy Wright
Acrylic, watercolour, charcoal and prismacolour pencil on paper
76cm x 56cm
AU$720
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of a commonplace book; a living compendium of thoughts, notes and ephemera from a life. This feels like a portrait of the last surviving page of an ancient commonplace book.
You can buy this work here.
Amy’s Instagram
Amy’s website
Some Strings Attached 037
Steven Vasquez Lopez
Ink on paper, 12 × 9 in | 30.5 × 22.9 cm
US$550
Initially, I thought this was another bot of embroidery, but nope. This is drawn. It’s like a disrupted Sol LeWitt drawing.
You can buy this work here.
Steven’s Instagram (really great)
Steven’s website
Ok! That’s that for this edition. Again, I’d be very grateful of you’d give me some feedback via this very shot survey.
Thank you so much for subscribing. As always, please take some time to learn more about the artists and their work. Take care!