Alicia Puig
I am the curator & co-founder of the online art gallery PxP Contemporary, Director of Business Operations for Create! Magazine, an arts writer, and a regular guest host of The Create! Podcast. In addition, I'm the co-author of The Complete Smartist Guide, a bestselling business book for emerging artists. I have worked in the arts for over a decade in the US and abroad. My writing has been featured in publications and on blogs including Create! Magazine, All She Makes, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Art She Says, and Artspiel, among others. I have also served as a guest curator for Hastings College, All She Makes, Create! Magazine, Rise Art, SHOWFIELDS, and Visionary Art Collective, and am a founding critic with Altamira. I specialize in content creation, online sales, and digital marketing for the arts and enjoy connecting with artists to help them find ways to advance their careers.
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Texture in paintings adds a richness and dimension to an otherwise flat surface. But “Solvang Gold’ is an eye-catching work for more than the artist’s generous application of paint. First is the dynamism and movement, most notably seen in the way the tree branches are arranged. It seems as if they are caught in a gust of wind, the chill in the air both a signal of the coming nightfall and of the changing of the seasons. The naturalistic representation of light created through the gradients of warm yellows and sienna in the leaves and the patches of sun on the ground set the scene in the late afternoon. Sunlight at this particular time of day activates colors in a distinct way, an effect that the artist has captured with remarkable accuracy. Each hue expressed as its warmer iteration makes the landscape feel inviting, as if its the perfect place to take a long, contemplative walk and bask in a bit of sunshine.
One of the first aspects of this work that I noticed was the uneven shape of the paper and its deckled edges. Whether intentional or not, this quality of rawness adds to the overall visual impact of the painting in the way that it mirrors the textures and linework seen throughout the composition. Beyond the unique substrate on which the work is painted, the artist draws the viewer in with dramatic contrasts between the deep forest green along with the saturated brownish-gray tones, and the muted blue and sand-colored shades at the top of the scene. The sky achieves the smokey effect alluded to in the title with the thin, washy application of paint and the resulting hazy edges of each swatch of color. Negative space doubling as linework in the foreground creates the illusion of depth. Although there is much to appreciate formally, I also enjoyed learning about the anecdotes and thoughts that went into this painting. Rather than the fear of wildfires or disillusionment from the often devastating effects of climate change, I see this piece as a sign of hope, a reminder to appreciate the sublime beauty of our environment, and an uplifting call to protect it for the generations to come.
Although it’s interesting to hear you found it a bit challenging to represent this image without it feeling forced, I don’t think it comes across that way in the final piece at all. For me, the image seems fluid and relaxed. I most enjoy the use of repetition throughout your composition. For example, we see the sun-flecked ripples on the water’s surface oriented diagonally and pointing from the upper right corner to the bottom left, which mimics the dynamic streaks in the pale blue sky. Then there are the undulating curves of the water’s edge as well as the ochre horizon line mirroring a stripe of green in the background. All of these elements working together draw the viewer’s eye around the scene. At the same time, the leaves pictured in the bottom left corner act as an anchor for the piece that points us back to the focal point, the lone egret standing in profile view. Without knowing how much you amplified the colors, I think the result successfully achieves a balance between lively and eye-catching without feeling unrealistic. “Breakfast on Masonboro Island” demonstrates that just because something is quiet and serene doesn’t mean it can’t still make a statement.
From the first time I learned of it to when I finally saw it in person on view at The Art Institute of Chicago (and even to this day) Edward Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks’ remains one of my favorite paintings. Nocturnes have their own unique allure and Natalie Pivoney’s “Derelict Home” is no exception. It captures a similar sense of isolation, disillusionment, and quiet melancholy in a distinctly American setting. An artist’s superpower is their ability to see what the rest of us often overlook, often finding hidden beauty, meaning, or a new perspective of an everyday object or scene. Whereas we might barely notice this nondescript and desolate home, Pivoney asks us to pause and reconsider what’s in front of our eyes. She highlights the dramatic, angular shadows cast by a nearby streetlight and angles the our view of the house in such a way that it feels a bit imposing (matching her description of it as spooky). These considered details add the same emotionally charged narrative element Hopper was known for. We are then left to wonder - What happened here? Who lived here? Where have they gone and why? And therein lies the other great superpower of an artist - to encourage us to imagine, dream, and think beyond the ordinary, even if we may have to face what makes us uncomfortable.
Protectress. Goddess of war and wisdom. These are the characteristics that the name Athena immediately conjures in my mind. Yet in ancient Greek religion, she was also recognized as the Goddess of handicraft, which this painting references through the use of the millennia-old gold leaf technique. With the intense gold-flecked irises and a shimmering background, Remsen's portrait is as much a dynamic exploration of light and texture as it is a demonstration of her talent to naturalistically portray the figure in her works. I can imagine this painting would be both a conversation starter and statement piece for the person who collects it. When you buy art, it should be because you know you'll enjoy it for years to come. The fact that the surface changes according to the lighting and time of day means that you'd experience it differently almost every time that you see it. As such, the painting would continue to captivate, bewitch, and inspire - much like the Goddess Athena herself.
Woman in the Window makes a powerful visual impact despite its small 12 x 12-inch scale. The loosely-rendered painting is a figure study with an evident emphasis on capturing how light reflects across the woman's face. Ambient rays illuminate her distinct features - the curve along her rounded jawline and nose, the highlight on her bottom lip, her lowered eyelids atop full, thick lashes. While the face necessitates a certain level of detail to capture a true likeness, the bottom half of the painting acts as its counterbalance. Each brush stroke is just as intentional, but lighter and freer. We see more direct evidence of the artist's hand deftly dabbing and swiping across the surface. In contrast to the purple-gray hues that effortlessly blend into chocolate tones on her forehand and cheek, the artist opted for a mauve pink and warm taupe dappled along her chest to serve as highlights, which adds to the painting's overall impressionistic effect. One of the strongest aspects of this work is likely its most subtle. The subject's top identically matches the background color over her left shoulder. Her right lapel and sleeve are drafted in finer detail, slightly more visible in a cooler range of sky blues, from falling under her shadow. This delicate interplay between the background and foreground places the exploration of figure and skin in the center spotlight, giving the painting its allure and character.
Of course, glad you enjoyed it. And that's another interesting thing to learn about this piece!
A soft yellow-beige glow and hints of poppy pink radiate warmth in Judith Skillman's Sandpipers. In contrast to this atmospheric light are the gray shades of the water, with the combination of the paint texture and negative space serving to create a sense of movement in the scene. While the choppy waves draw the eye around the composition, the true focus of the painting is the grouping of sandpipers in the lower right quadrant. Neatly arranged in two pairs they all appear still with their bills dug into the sand in search of their next meal. Perhaps this is so because of the timing of the receding wave, or is the water above them about to disturb their punctilious probing in a matter of seconds? Either way, this immediately calls to mind the way they scuttle off at double-speed when necessary.
As the viewer, I enjoyed learning that the first version of the painting had more than the four birds now pictured. This behind-the-scenes tidbit gives us a new insight into the work and its evolution as well as an insider glimpse into the artist's process that we would not have known otherwise. It's also interesting to imagine where were the birds that have since disappeared...
This painting is like a memory, hazy at the edges but preserving the most important details in one's mind.
I have always found owls enchanting and Cotnoir's "Wisdom in Flight" is no exception. The hooting bird's form swoops powerfully toward the viewer with both wings outstretched. If encountering this scene in nature, one would very likely immediately tense in fear, but in this painting, the captured moment comes across as majestic - a sublime reminder of the power and grace of these nocturnal birds of prey. Various abstract patterns decorate the owl's wings, body, and tail feathers. Painted in tones of umber and russet, they stand out from the patterns in the background of the composition. Behind the owl, one finds a multitude of wave-like forms in sky blue that mimic the movement of wind or intermittent, wispy clouds on an otherwise clear day. These are accompanied by sections with repeating eyes, a nod to the owl's symbolic links to wisdom, observant listening, intuition, and supernatural powers. Below the owl are graphic patterns in muted shades of purple, green, and garnet, adding further visual interest to the composition as a whole.
Appreciate the compliment, love your work!
Emma Carr’s abstract painting “I am Confident” is striking for its contrasts. The figure of a woman comes to life through the juxtaposition of intense, dark linework over loose swathes of pastel pink and muted grays across the canvas. Although the woman’s form is central in the image, it feels balanced in the composition with the nuanced use of negative space. Even without eyes or a mouth to convey emotion, one feels a tension between the confidence expressed in the painting’s title and what the posture of her body signifies. Her upright neck and squared shoulders indeed act as evidence of self-assuredness and self-awareness. Even if her gaze wouldn’t directly confront the viewer, she looks ahead and not downwards passively. Yet, she also folds inward slightly at the waist, covering part of her chest with both arms bent at the elbows and lifting one hand up to lightly graze her ear, from which we might infer she still feels the need to protect herself to a certain degree. All people, but women especially, vacillate between what they choose to hide versus reveal to the world based on the culmination of their lived experiences. In this way, Carr’s painting could be said to represent a wide array of women and I would imagine that many women could see themselves in this emblematic work of quiet strength.
Isolation has without a doubt taken on a new meaning since 2020. Upon first glance, this painting evokes an uncanny feeling of loneliness in presenting the viewer with a solitary dwelling perched high atop the uppermost branches of an otherwise barren and deserted island. Is someone meant to spend a rather extreme period of quarantine here? But as you linger on the composition, despite questioning how one would even reach such remote quarters, you begin to visualize basking in the warm sunlight that shines on the verdant trees and glitters on the surface of the tranquil waters below. In the absence of waves, you imagine hearing only the faintest sounds of the sea lapping at the island’s rocky shores or a subtle breeze whistling through the lush greenery. As the surrealist narrative in the painting unfolds, it becomes evident that this isn’t meant to be a place where one would feel trapped from the outside world. It is quite the opposite, in fact. In titling the work “In the Comfort of my Island”, Llanes underscores the notion of this enchanting scene being one of serenity. That the island and trees are fully enveloped by soft hues of blue adds to the sense of calm. Both her choice of subject and the deftly detailed manner in which she executes it allow her to successfully achieve her aim of creating a peaceful, dreamlike image.