CHRISTOPHER GRIFFIN

OTTOWA, ONT | CANADA

Christopher Griffin covers a lot of subject-matter in his paintings, from ships to cave-like art. Simple and colorful, his work is primitive and very cool. Having staged exhibitions throughout Canada, his work can be seen in various galleries in the U.S.

Most of his paintings are straight forward. Geometric shapes form animals and other objects, accented by splashes of color that often almost monochromatic.

Griffin describes his own work on his website as being "inspired by ancient artwork on cave walls, children's art and random markings on concrete sidewalks, roads and buildings.I find the immediacy, confidence and lack of pretense in their character very appealing."

Griffin is the founder of Art on Ice, Canada's only outdoor art exhibition on Ottawa's Rideau Canal during the city’s annual Winterlude celebrations. - (bullfrogpower.com).

WEBSITE: http://christophergriffin.ca/
INQUIRIES: Work ranges in price from $800+. For information about purchasing, contact the artist directly: cgriffin@magma.ca. Links to his exhibitions are on his website.
All images Copyright Christopher Griffin.

TONY SAVOIE

WINTER PARK, FL | USA

Tony Savoie's work is different. Different enough to make you take a second and third look, but not so radical that it torments you trying to find hidden meaning and rules within.

Using various forms of mixed media, Savoie creates work that is an aggressive combination of pop art, advertising, typography, color, and scale. Bright, bold, and interesting, his work refreshing to both look and talk about.

For his most recent series - the Command Series - his focus has turned to dogs and their relationship with their owners. As he describes in his artist statement, "I'm attempting to balance anger and apathy with humor and horror."

In his statement, he also generously describes his process: "The technical process for this series involves reverse oil painting directly onto clear acrylic sheets. I use stencils, spray paint, pencils, masking tape, and traditional oil painting. The next step involves the selection and placement of photos and objects that are designed to expand the physical and conceptual depth of the piece in a quest for new questions and relationships."

WEBSITE: http://www.tonysavoie.com
INQUIRIES: Work ranges in price from $400+. For information about purchasing, contact the artist directly: tonysavoie@hotmail.com.
All images Copyright Tony Savoie.

MELODY POSTMA

Savannah, GA | USA

"Melody Postma holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. She says her work is a multi-layered evolution of vivid color, playful shapes, and rich textured surfaces."

Her subjects vary from pure abstraction to references of textural fragments, nonchalant figures, landscapes, and dreams."
- From description on Bennett Gallery website

Postma's colors, cut-out figures, drawing, and shapes create an interesting combination of work that look to borrow from works by Basquiat and others. Some whimsical, some serious, her mixed-media work is fresh, interesting, and inquisitive.

WEBSITE: melodypostma.com
INQUIRIES: Postma's work can be found at the Matre Gallery at Tula Arts Center in Atlanta and Bennett Gallery in Nashville. Prices start around $800+.
All images Copyright Melody Postma.

AMY RUPPEL

Portland, OR

Amy Ruppel was suggested by GALLER|b visitor Holly of holly's plate (she just happens to also be my significant other). Ruppel's work is gaining quite a bit of noteriety through the blogosphere, and has also shown in galleries concentrated in the Pacific northwest U.S.

Her work has a gentle and inviting tone, and a lot of it is on a small scale, which works well with the subject matter and colors. If you dig a little deeper, you'll find out that Ruppel is a very talented graphic designer. Her background in commercial design can be seen in some of her pieces where sketches creep into the overall painting (I like this style), but her work doesn't give any hints that she's having to force herself from her graphic design background.

She uses an interesting assortment of materials, including paper, oils, wood (panel and box), and a beeswax/resin mixture. Find a nice small space and her work will brighten it, for sure.

WEBSITE: www.amyruppel.com
INQUIRIES: Start with her website. Her original work ranges from $100 to $450 and beyond. Interestingly, she also offers up new work periodically on her site, which she makes for available for sale. The next one is September 13th at 10am (PT).
All images Copyright Amy Ruppel.

SHAG [Josh Agle]

Los Angeles, USA

Over the past six months, it seems there are a mass of websites, articles, and magazines that can't get enough of the work of American contemporary artist Shag.

Shag, whose name is a combination of two letters from Agle's first and last names, is a highly popular and wildly creative artist who's style is often duplicated by others. A cross between lounge-lizard and tiki tacky, Shag's work is decadence at its finest, always integrating scenes of people enjoying life.

Although his original paintings are out of the scope of this site from a cost perspective, signed and numbered serigraphs of Shag's paintings are available for even a couple hundred dollars.

His subject matter, colors, and the comic/fun feel of everything he creates blends to leave behind unforgettable works that are easily recognizable and appreciated. You'll want to fill up a high-ball, put on some Dean Martin and start throwing around retro-hipster lingo.

WEBSITE: www.shag.com
INQUIRIES: Several websites on the Internet, but try Shagmart or Modern Gallery Palm Springs. Signed & numbered serigraphs starting around $200+.
All images Copyright SHAG.

RODNEY WHITE

New York, USA

On Rodney White's web site, he refers often to dreams and aged materials. His work is a colorful combination of both. Make sense? Maybe not in writing, but his work is something different.

Using bright colors, non-traditional surfaces (he creates most of his "canvases" out of wood panels, doors, etc), and a commercial style, White's paintings are a cross between pop-art, folk art, and written word. Each piece is as vibrant in color as it is in the message it delivers.

The aging that White applies to his paintings is a combination of arbitrary rips, tears, rubs, and planned creativity. The effect takes the sharpness off of clean edges without losing any power in his message. The end result is something easy to digest, deep enough to interpret, and complex enough to keep you interested.

As good as his paintings are, Rodney is a really nice guy, and extraordinarily creative. The purchase of one of Rodney's paintings kick started this site, so I hope anyone else interested gets a chance to talk to him as well.

WEBSITE: www.rodney-white.com
INQUIRIES: Start by contacting him through his website. Rodney's work ranges in price from the low hundreds well into the thousands for the moment.
All images Copyright Rodney White.