Monday, January 8, 2018

A Painterly Eye On The Wall

WHIMSY is to the imagination what an irrepressible giggle is to the soul. Whimsical, or any, interesting art on the wall gives us something to ponder on days when the landscape is a blank canvas of gray or when it's too damp and cold outdoors to feast on Mother Nature's beauty. Recently I visited a local library where I found work by IRENA SHKLOVER displayed. With her permission I've posted segments of those pieces.

Irena is a prolific artist. My photos, and the camera's flash, didn't do her work justice but I like the snap (above) of patterns I captured that, to me, look like floating wildflowers.

Irena's painting of a man holding a balloon (above) as he flies over a mythical city makes my heart soar. Her painting (below) of someone standing in the rain alongside a cat that perhaps is trying to get some benefit from the umbrella ... well, I can easily imagine that person is me walking in the wet wonderland that is so typical of wintry weather in southwest BC.

Below is a different style of painting by an unknown artist. It's not whimsical but the melancholy landscape brings out the whimsy in me. My parents, who since passed away, included art work in their luggage when they traveled by ship from Europe to Canada decades ago. The painter of the piece was their friend, his name inconveniently buried beneath the frame.

That was so very long ago. Perhaps he never knew the power of his work. Artists bravely cast their passions to the wind like fairy dust, not knowing who, if anyone, will be touched by their creations.

The painting (above) on my wall at home is by an artist who signed her work only with one name. Lenore was a White Rock artist who passed away several years ago. She left an indelible impression on me and the community that she memorialized with paints and brushes and her painterly eye ... she examined life thoughtfully and creatively the way artists have done throughout time.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

10 comments:

  1. Your eye for beauty is certainly more eclectic than mine. I wouldn't have chosen many of these paintings but now, trying to see them through your eyes, I am close to understanding. Meanwhile, I do like the melancholy landscape with the building beginning to fall apart, and of course I love Lenore's flowers. Hugs from here, and Happy New Year.

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  2. Hello, the artwork is interesting. I like the one with the cat and the umbrella. The last image with the flowers is pretty too. Enjoy your day. Have a great new week!

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  3. I keep scrolling back to the picture of the man floating with his balloon. The woman with the cat and the umbrella is fascinating too. I really like these paintings - their colours, their ethereal nature, the way I can't decide whether they are friendly or sinister. Beautiful.

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  4. Yes, the man with the balloon is my favorite too. Very Chagall-like. Love it.

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  5. I like the paintings very much except the top one which i find a little sinister. The colours are wonderful and i would enjoy having them in my home.

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  6. Magnificent paintings and wonderful post and photos about them ~ thanks,

    Happy Week to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  7. I thought maybe the blue painting of the girl with the umbrella was for a new version of a certain wonderful child's book featuring a girl with a magic umbrella (which I love as well)... I liked all of the paintings as well and wouldn't mind having just that snippet of the flowers on my wall (I thought they were water lillies maybe).

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  8. I can see why Irena's work caught your eye. In some cases, the color really stands out to me. In others (the man with the balloon) brought to mind Mary Poppins and a smile without even thinking about it. Thanks for sharing these very special works!

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  9. Great art is a blessing to a society characterized by civility and respect for others. It is one of the hallmarks of civilization. If you surround yourself with beauty you will become beautiful - in thought and deed.

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