Tag: new art

Reality in Layers

Art, Layered Mixed Media, Masters Gallery, Uncategorized

“Reality is subjective.”

Each of us sees the world through our own unique colored lenses of experience, emotion and perception.  What is real, what is illusion is one of the central premises of Ingrid’s work.  Looking through the transparent layers of her art is like looking through the mystery of our own senses, going deeper to the core of what makes us human.  Out past experiences make us who we are, layer upon layer, building and coloring our world.

lady-on-horse-50x41-lg

Ingrid’s most recent layered work, “Destiny Leading the Way,” reveals her most exploratory work to date.  All surfaces are transparent, the face, sides and even the back.  The viewer can literally see into the work from all angles.  The subject is only the starting place.  We see the Renaissance lady sitting atop a magnificent horse, but there is far more as we move about the work.  Layers of fabric, butterflies, clock parts, foils and paint reveal a complex world of discovery.  We see the whole AND the parts simultaneously, the small and the large together.

lady-on-horse-50x41-angle-lg

“This is the closest I’ve come yet to a work that floats, ghost-like, like an apparition visiting us from the past.  I want the viewer to see the workings of my work, see the elements inside, the parts that make her who she is and consequently look at our own parts, to discover who we are.”

“Destiny Leading the Way” is the first in this experimental series, which Ingrid plans to do as an exhibition in the near future.  “This new technique is extremely difficult and time consuming to create, both technically and creatively.  Each piece requires considering the view, from not only the front, but from all angles.  I love challenging myself.”

I think we can agree, Ingrid has once again outdone herself.

“Destiny Leading the Way” is on display at the new Master’s Gallery in the Cherry Creek area of Denver.

Contemplations – A New Work by Ingrid Dee Magidson

Abstract, galerie zuger vail

Contemplations of Miro is one of Ingrid’s most recent abstract works.  There is wonderful movement in the painting as the amorphous figures seem to float and dance on the canvas.  Using paint and resin, the shapes appear to jump from the canvas.  The shapes evoke a feeling of strange sea creatures or perhaps as viewed under a microscope.  The bright colors are evocative and there is a welcoming, whimsical sense to the painting.

"Contemplations of Miro" 48 x 48 inches
“Contemplations of Miro” 48 x 48 inches

As in all of Ingrid’s work, layers are integral to her creations, Contemplations of Miro is no exception.  The large shapes are the first thing the viewer sees, but as we continue on one starts to see tightly written poetry flowing throughout the painting.  There is a sense of reading the poem without actually reading it, more like absorbing the essence or the raw emotion of the poem.  As we look deeper, we see faint rings of paint.  These fine lines lead our eyes around the composition subconsciously.  Again another layer for the mind to discover.  It is a kind of three dimensional dance on a two dimensional surface.  And the longer one looks, the more one sees.  It is a work that one wants to pull up a chair in front of, get comfortable and just…look.  Contemplations is an apt title for the work.

This work and other beautiful abstracts are now showing at Galerie Zuger in Vail Colorado.

The Permanence of Art in an Impermanent World

Abstract, Art, galerie zuger vail, Uncategorized

Virtual Reality has some kinks to be worked out, while Twitter, Facebook, Digital Art and Flash Mobs are here now.  They quickly pique our interest, but are gone as quickly, replaced by the next post, video or event.  Our world has become a fast moving assault of images, opinions and ideas.  We react quickly, often with extreme passion, only to move on to the next event or visual crisis within minutes or even seconds.

emergence-38x32
“Emergence,” Acrylic, resin and objects on canvas by Ingrid Dee Magidson

 

This is completely new and alien to the human condition.  Is this good for us?  Time will have to decide.  But what it does do, is help us appreciate the few permanent things in our life.  We take vacations at a tropical beach precisely because it is difficult to be reached by phone or Internet.  We want time to not only decompress, but allow our minds to rest from the barrage of images.

Art Can be That Permanence We so Desperately Seek

When you collect a beloved work of art and hang it on your wall (or visit a work at a museum), there is a relationship that occurs.  It is deeply personal.  You don’t need to explain it unless you want to.  You can simply be with your experience.  It is rare and extraordinarily human.

Mankind has Created Art for Thousands of Years

cave-painting
Chauvet Cave Painting

Human beings have created art far longer than recorded history.  We have some beautiful examples preserved in caves in France and Spain dating back as far as 40,000 years.  It is likely it goes back even further, just that the art hasn’t survived.  We know why in the deepest essence of our beings.  Art is the language of conceptualization.  A single look and we take in a whole world of ideas that crosses the boundaries of time and space.  Twenty-first Century man, with all his electronic gadgets, can absolutely connect with his non-technical or “primitive” counterpart 40,000 years ago.  All he has to do is look.

We are Hungry for Something to Linger Over

primitive-60x50
“Primitive” Acrylic and Resin on Canvas by Ingrid Dee Magidson

Modern society in its weird and anti-human way discourages this experience.  We are expected to move on from image to image like hyperactive children, while deep in our psyche we crave the peaceful interaction of a single object to linger over.  The solution is to find a work of art you love, pull up a chair and contemplate infinity in its depth.  Think of it as a vacation for the spirit.

Ingrid Dee Magidson’s Exhibition in Vail, Colorado opened December 29, 2016.

Ingrid Magidson Exhibition – Vail Opening March 27 and 28

exhibition, galerie zuger vail

Galerie Zuger in Vail, Colorado will be hosting the work of Ingrid Dee Magidson with two opening receptions on Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28th.  The artist will be in attendance from 3 to 7 pm on both evenings.

Ingrid will be showing her most experimental work to date.  That is saying a lot from an artist who continues to challenge herself with both materials and their use.  Consider the work below titled, “My Canvas.”  In this relatively small work Ingrid has created a visual reflection of sculptural objects beyond the bounds of the frame.  Inside the work (not easily seen here) are elements of the girl’s life in a kind of visual diary.  The overall effect is hauntingly beautiful.

My-Canvas-22x14anglelg
My Canvas, 22 x 14 inches

Below are a few of the other works in the exhibition:

Galerie Zuger Vail is in the Solaris Building in the heart of Vail, Colorado.  To visit their website, please go to: Galerie Zuger Vail
The Exhibition opens with 2 receptions: Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28th, both at 3-7 pm with the artist in attendance.

Ingrid’s Recently Completed Commission

Art, Aspen, Commission, David Floria Gallery Aspen, Forre Gallery, galerie zuger vail, Greenwood Village, Hermitage Museum Russia, Ingrid Dee Magidson, Layered Mixed Media, New Work, Transparent Canvas
Ingrid with her recently completed commission
Ingrid with her recently completed commission

Ingrid recently completed a commission for a Colorado client.  You can see from the photo how large it is, nearly 7 feet tall.  It was a challenging piece that was started in March and finished in mid August.  We asked her a few questions about working on this piece and commissions in general.

Was the size of this piece a challenge?

I love working on large pieces, it allows me the space to express my visual ideas.  But it is also physically very demanding.  Just the shear size of the panels and weight can be hard on my body.  [The final piece was well over 100 pounds requiring two persons to move it.]  I’m very proud of this piece.  It brought out some new ideas and challenged old ones.”

Working on a commission
Working on a commission

Are there more commissions in the works?

Oh yes, I’m working on one now I’m very excited about.  And there is another in the idea stage.

Working on the commission
Working on a commission

How long does a commission take to complete?

That’s not easy to answer.  It depends how busy I am, if I’m working towards a show.  And it depends on how large the piece is.  But all things being normal (which they never are) I usually tell the client to allow 4 to 6 months.  If I can do them quicker, I always do.

Do you put more effort into a commission?

I pour my heart into every piece I create.

working on the commission
Working on a commission

Would you advise collectors to buy a completed piece or wait for a commission?

It depends on the collector, but I usually advise that they buy the piece they fall in love with when they see it.  If that piece is already sold, let’s talk.  I can’t do the same piece twice, but I can create something similar.  Some collectors are wary of commissions, that they may not be as good as the works the artist creates for himself.  If they are uncomfortable, I suggest they wait for new work.  But it might help to remember that many of the greatest works of art were commissions: the Mona Lisa, for example.  And many great renaissance painters only painted works for patrons on commission.  Some collectors are worried that they won’t like a commission piece when it’s done and they’ll be stuck with it.  That’s never happened with any of my collectors, but I understand their concern.  Each person has to judge their own comfort level about doing a commission.  Either way, it always works out.