Favorite Whimsical Artists: January 2011

Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster

NC Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster is from the North Carolina Piedmont Triad area and has been creating whimsical paintings for 30 years. His line of "Whimsical Animals" has been featured in the Community Arts Cafe and the GoTriad NC artists section and is available for sale in art galleries, art boutiques, and shops around the NC Triad region, and from the Mountains of North Carolina all the way to the Coast. Matted ready-to-frame art reproductions of the original whimsical oil paintings are sold in various sizes, art note card sets, art greeting cards, art posters, and even stickers. Plaster's animal menagerie includes "Mystic Tiger," "Cosmic Cow," "Neon Duck," "Psychic Gibbon," "Shaggy Sheep," alley cat "Miami Lewie," house cat "Cry Baby," "Pelican Peeking," "Crab in Space," an alligator in "Crooked Smile," and "Running Rooster." His latest works include "A Series of Four Beetles," "A Collection of Flies," and "Daytona Five." Plaster also co-founded and leads an area NC artists organization, the Cosmic Cow Society, which promotes artists in the Triad region of North Carolina.

Website: Check out Whimsical Artist Scott Plaster's Website.

Whimsical Artist Clara Nilles

After a career in finance, whimsical artist Clara Nilles quit the corporate world to pursue her lifelong dream of being an artist. Now she lives by the slogan of "Passion...Creativity...Dream."

Primarily self taught, Nilles has been drawing and painting since she can remember. Her long-standing medium of choice has been acrylic and pastels, because of their extensive layering capabilities and intense vivid colors. Most of her paintings employ many layers in brilliant pure color. She believes color is the universal language that brings a positive energy to people and communicates strong emotions and mood. She also thinks that animals bring out the goodness and feelings of being with the earth. It’s a combination that has timeless appeal for children and adults alike.

In her whimsical paintings, Nilles strives to capture the engaging look or the lively spirit of the animal ... something that we often overlook. She wants people to feel positive, charmed, and connected, when viewing her works.

Website: Learn more about Clara Nilles.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Questions about Whimsical Art

Q: What is whimsical art?
A: Whimsical art is artwork created in a style that is unique, out-of-the-ordinary, or fanciful. Whimsical artwork might be characterized by its color, design, line, or subject matter. Whimsical paintings are usually bright and colorful, and their subject matter is sometimes humerous.

Q: What makes someone a whimsical artist?

A: Many artists identify with being called "whimsical" because of their philosophy. They want to create images that are playful, cheerful, and carefree. Whimsical artists often want to make the viewer smile or laugh, or look at the world around them in a different way. What is a whimsical artist? You decide!

Whimsical Artist's Manifesto

Want to read more about whimsical art and whimsical artists? Read a whimsical artist's musings in the "Whimsical Artists Manifesto":

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Whimsical Artist Thaneeya McArdle

Whimsical artist Thaneeya McArdle is an internationally collected artist who has been creating art for as long as she can remember. The passion for her art shines through in all her work, from the abstract to the photo-realistic, but especially in her whimsical art. Her philosophy is embodied in her image below. ART ShOuLd B E :

Whimsical painting by Whimsical Artist Thaneeya Mcardle Whimsical Artists: Art by Thaneeya Mcardle

In addition to her personal art site below, she also has a great whimsical venture at Art is Fun.

Website: Learn more about Whimsical Artist Thaneeya McArdle.

Whimsical Artist Pristine Cartera-Turkus

Whimsical artist Pristine Turkus calls herself a "a modern Folk Artist." She loves scribbling, painting scenes that catch her eye and ideas/memories that move her. Her paintings of folk art angels, mermaids, seascapes, flora and fauna, and musical instruments are colorful, fun, and captivating. Turkus is a self-taught artist living in Huntington Beach, California and also an Interior Designer.

She began using her artwork as accessories for her client's houses, stores and offices. When she started posting her work online a few years ago, she gained an audience of admirers and buyers around the country and even world. Her artwork is done in mixed media (oil, acrylic and ink) and she likes using joyful, whimsical colors. She says, "the most common comment I hear regarding my work is that my artwork just makes people smile."

Turkus is often solicited for commissions and has sold her art all over the world.

Website: Learn more about and buy art from Whimsical Artist Pristine Turkus.

Whimsical Artist Juli Cady Ryan

My name is Juli Cady Ryan and I am a self-taught artist who LOVES TO PAINT! The more colorful and the more whimsical, the better. I want my paintings to bring joy to the heart of the viewer. I want the viewer to think like a child again, letting their imagination take over... We all need a little escape now and then! "I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities." --Dr. Seuss

Whimsical artist Juli Cady Ray's whimsical art work inspires us to view the world in a unique, whimsical way!

Website: Learn more about Whimsical Artist July Cady Ray.

Whimsical Artist Lindy Gruger Hanson

Whimsical Artist Lindy Gruger Hanson is a peace loving, nature loving, joyful hearted, full-time painter living in the high desert of central Arizona. She loves looking at the tall pine and aspen from her home studio while she paints! She uses stylized images of rivers, trees, birds and symbolic shapes in her vividly colored, acrylic paintings. Lindy hopes her art can lift your spirit! Her aim is to create paintings and prints with the belief that art can inspire people, make a house a home, and bring joy and positive energy into the world!

Hanson's art career spans over 20 years, including exhibitions in Washington, Oregon, and New York. She's also been painting full-time since 2008 and has won awards and has been featured in numerous publications and websites. Her home and studio is in Prescott, Arizona.

Gruger's technique involves building up layers of paint over an undercoat of textural pattern. More color, marks and images are applied, building up layers and giving the painting a feeling of depth, texture and age as the patterns begin to fade into the background. What a whimsical result!

Website: Learn more about Whimsical Artist Lindy Gruger Hanson at Her Website.

Whimsical Artist Bob Stuart

Bob was inspired to carve Woodland Spirits as he recalled his summer vacation trips to Florida during the 1950’s. Road side souvenir stores displayed locally made cypress knee lamps and featured hand carved faces in cypress knees. So with the encouragement of his bride (Sharon) to get involved in a hobby, now that he was retired, he carved his first Woodland Spirit face in a small cypress knee with a 110 Buck Knife. That first attempt was in November, 2005 and travels with Bob as he displays his art in various Art & Craft shows. While a self taught carver, his Garden Art has won several awards and featured in the November, 2009 Appalachian Artisan Magazine. What about the finished artwork is whimsical? Do you smile or even laugh when you first experience these cute little guys? Bob captures their warm personality in time and wood. Meeting Bob in person, it's clear his own carefree whimsical nature comes across in his art carving. Bob is a whimsical artist through and through. Read more about this topic.

Website: Learn more about Whimsical Artist Bob Stuart.