Tag: art

Fog of Isolation

by Brian Sostrom, posted in Uncategorized

These two paintings were part of a small collection of animal paintings I did. Very heavily influenced by Tonalism, a movement that emerged in the 1880s. Works that fell under that umbrella of style were painted with an overall tone of colored atmosphere.

There were a lot of really interesting artists that were grouped into this art movement such as George Innes and James McNeil Whistler. My personal favorite was Albert Pinkham Ryder, his work is more stylized with a very grim and haunting look. I was excited to see some of his original pieces at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art a number of years ago!

Three

by Brian Sostrom, posted in Uncategorized

Three Black Birds

This painting that goes back a few years. I was playing around with Brewer’s Blackbirds as stark symbolic subjects. Lacking the stature and mystique of the crow they are nonetheless interesting birds. The strange light ring of their eye… the surreal dark shapes they create in the sky with their multitudes. I dusted this one off recently as it was purchased by my brother in-law as a Christmas gift. I realized I didn’t have a decent photograph so I took a little time to capture one!

Lost Words

by Brian Sostrom, posted in Uncategorized

Lost Words

This is the second typewriter painting I have done. I used my Grandmother’s typewriter as reference for the image. This particular painting was 20″ x 20″, a bit of room to play.  I wanted to keep this loose and intriguing. The last thing I wanted was to turn it into a technical rendering which is utterly dull to me. I was pretty happy with the result and a little sad to see it go when I sold it in October.

In high school I took a “typing class” at my mothers suggestion. Now typewriters are simply a curious historical artifact. The electric typewriter I used in school did not possess any of the beauty of this antique… But it was the late 80’s!

Ryan’s Electric Crow

by Brian Sostrom, posted in Uncategorized

image

This poor crow electrocuted himself on a poweline in Seattle. My buddy Ryan knows I have a fondness for crows so he gave it to me. I have used it for reference a number of times and then pop it back in the freezer! Ryan’s electric crow has seen better days!

This is another painting with a lot of interesting textural depth. I built up heavy vertical lines with acrylic medium. It also has an undevrcoat of interference pearl that results in a dynamic lighting that you can pick up a bit of in this photograph.