Los Danzantes de Chalma, Fernando Leal, an example of work from the Mexican Muralist Movement, 1922
With strong artistic similarities to Alice Neel in figurative portraiture, Aliza Nisenbaum’s large scale angled figures lead the eye across the composition, and her sharp colors stay fresh, not overworked. Like Neel, Nisenbaum paints small areas of contrasting colors of yellow and purple, pink and green, next to each other to show the variety of skin tones in light and shadow.
“You have to pay close attention to the subtle nuance of every little character in their face, and colour is something that is very contingent. Everyone perceives it differently and it’s a myth that even within a particular race there’s a seamless colour. To me, that’s like a metaphor of how nuanced identity is. We’re very multifaceted in terms of our identities.” – Aliza Nisenbaum
Aliza Nisenbaum’s Portrait of an NHS Worker was painted from a zoom screen in 2020
Aliza Nisenbaum Team Time Storytelling, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Emergency Department, Covid Pandemic, 2020 Oil on canvas 95 x 150 inches
[image_with_animation image_url=”11061″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Ruthie V, Doorzien, after Carlos San Millan. 36×24″ oil on linen Last Saturday, while the steamroller printmaking party was happening on the street, inside the studio we had a show of works inspired by doorzien, a Dutch word that when applied to the genre of painting, means to see through from …
Creative Challenge: Think of a person. They can be someone from any time in history – someone you know, someone famous, or a character in a story. Then, based on their personality, design a hat for them. Go all out on this! They don’t actually need to wear it. Materials for this creative challenge are …
[image_with_animation image_url=”9625″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] STARTS TODAY. Each day for the month of June I’ll post a creative challenge. Set your own goal for what you’d like to do. Follow the work on Facebook. Creativity is it’s own reward, but participants also enter to win League gift certificates. Does that help with motivation? PRIZES AWARDED WEEKLY: …
“Winter solitude- in a world of one color the sound of the wind.” ― Bashō Matsuo From yesterday’s post: As a child, I collected the little cards with Japanese prints that came in ochazuke (breakfast rice soup sprinkles). The compositions were asymmetrical (diagonals!), the illustrations imaginative, and the colors shifted elegantly from the blunt American palette – the …
Aliza Nisenbaum’s Labor Portraits
Los Danzantes de Chalma, Fernando Leal, an example of work from the Mexican Muralist Movement, 1922
With strong artistic similarities to Alice Neel in figurative portraiture, Aliza Nisenbaum’s large scale angled figures lead the eye across the composition, and her sharp colors stay fresh, not overworked. Like Neel, Nisenbaum paints small areas of contrasting colors of yellow and purple, pink and green, next to each other to show the variety of skin tones in light and shadow.
Aliza Nisenbaum’s Portrait of an NHS Worker was painted from a zoom screen in 2020
Aliza Nisenbaum Team Time Storytelling, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Emergency Department, Covid Pandemic, 2020 Oil on canvas 95 x 150 inches
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[image_with_animation image_url=”11061″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Ruthie V, Doorzien, after Carlos San Millan. 36×24″ oil on linen Last Saturday, while the steamroller printmaking party was happening on the street, inside the studio we had a show of works inspired by doorzien, a Dutch word that when applied to the genre of painting, means to see through from …
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Creative Challenge: Think of a person. They can be someone from any time in history – someone you know, someone famous, or a character in a story. Then, based on their personality, design a hat for them. Go all out on this! They don’t actually need to wear it. Materials for this creative challenge are …
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[image_with_animation image_url=”9625″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] STARTS TODAY. Each day for the month of June I’ll post a creative challenge. Set your own goal for what you’d like to do. Follow the work on Facebook. Creativity is it’s own reward, but participants also enter to win League gift certificates. Does that help with motivation? PRIZES AWARDED WEEKLY: …
The Sound of the Wind
“Winter solitude- in a world of one color the sound of the wind.” ― Bashō Matsuo From yesterday’s post: As a child, I collected the little cards with Japanese prints that came in ochazuke (breakfast rice soup sprinkles). The compositions were asymmetrical (diagonals!), the illustrations imaginative, and the colors shifted elegantly from the blunt American palette – the …