Shintaro Ohata

Intentionally depicting scenes of everyday life -- roads wet from rain, city life at night, a child with her pet cat -- Shintaro Ohata takes a fairly quick detour from "typical", as his works are at once both sculpture and painting, 2D and 3D. Alongside strong expressions of light, Ohata's works are seamless until you spot the sculpture's supports. According to the artist, he found he could accent the atmosphere or dynamism of his paintings in a different way if he placed sculptures in front of them. Ohata will have work on display later in 2013 at the Akita Museum of Modern Art in Japan.

Jeremy Miranda

Based in the North Shore area of Massachusetts, painter Jeremy Miranda is "interested in the landscape and how people control, fetishize, and dwell within it." The result is a feeling of worlds-within-worlds and dreamy layers. Ladders are the common thread in many of his works, which draw the viewer from one world into another. Miranda's recent work and process photos can be found on his blog; paintings and prints can be ordered through his Etsy shop.

Frank Gonzales

Merging natural realism and abstract geometry, the vibrant paintings of Frank Gonzales are really beautiful. The painting of flowers, birds, and other botanical things are pretty enough on their own, but the small abstract and geometric elements in his paintings give just enough of a unique twist. They appear either pixelated or off-registered at first glance, but are just intentionally created. The paintings are large-form, usually a couple feet or more in height. Gonzales has been commissioned for pieces in London hotels and recently had his first solo show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Andy Denzler

Andy Denzler's paintings have been called "blurred surrealism", "glitchy expressionism" and "distorted". Whatever the correct label might be, Denzler's oil paintings bring to mind the audiovisual-- whether corrupt .jpeg files or paused and off-track VHS tape. His use of particular brushes and applications make the oil paintings seem almost as if someone pressed pause on a old taped recording; he has mastered the blurred and glitchy realism using only paint. According to Denzler, "What remains is a distorted moment — classically painted, oil on canvas — which, upon closer inspection is very abstract, but from distance looks real.”

Beth Cavener Stichter

The grey-toned clay sculptures of Beth Cavener Stichter are some of the most dynamic we've seen recently. The stylized animals are posed in action and carved with deep grooves that give a depth and raw appearance. She uses gradients in her painting and shading that give lifelike muscle form and shape to the animals, as well as included almost transparent decorative elements.

In Stichter's own words, "these figures are simply feral animals suspended in a moment of tension. Beneath the surface, they embody the consequences of human fear, apathy, aggression, and misunderstanding." Stichter builds the stoneware sculptures on metal armatures, disassembles and kiln-fires, then reassembles.

Stitcher will be opening an exhibition of new work on September 13th, 2012 at the Claire Oliver Gallery in New York City.

Yayoi Kusama

83 year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has somewhat taken over New York City. Between a retrospective at the Whitney and a partnership with Louis Vuitton, her signature polka dots can be found in multiple areas throughout the city. Kusama's fascination with polka dots is one of the defining characteristics of her work and her persona. Her retrospective is on view at the Whitney until September 30th.

Misato Suzuki

Misato Suzuki's paintings and drawings are at once geometric, soft, detailed, neon, textural, and a host of other adjectives. The Japan-born, LA-residing artist has a distinct style -- varying between abstract and realistic, watercolor and acrylic, and techniques like pointillism. Her lush, textured painting are feminine without being flowery and the color palettes used are soothing. We imagine her working process to be very interesting! Very compelling contemporary work. Suzuki is currently represented by Sam Lee Gallery in Los Angeles.

Riusuke Fukahori

The Japanese contemporary artist Riusuke Fukahori has an interesting muse -- his pet goldfish. He is best known for his paintings of goldfish, however, his paintings could be easily mistaken for sculpture. Fukahori paints using acrylic on clear resin, poured into containers, which gives the paintings a three-dimensional appearance. The photorealistic goldfish are painted layer by layer, which gives the final product multiple viewing and vantage points. Incredible! Fukahori's work was most recently shown at ICN Gallery in London.

Clark Goolsby

Ranging from sculpture to painting (and things in between) Clark Goolsby creates intriguing and colorful pieces that surround the subject of the fragility of life. Neon color palettes find their home in Goolsby's collages - geometric mixed media pieces and paintings - while his sculpture and installation work has more anatomical and human elements, drawing inspriation from things like the Dead Hand system, a doomsday device built during the Cold War. Goolsby's work was most recently exhibited in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Fragments of Nature - Paintings by Frank Gonzales

You don't have to be a bird lover to appreciate the art of Frank Gonzales. Researching the marriage of nature and design we came across the work of Queens, NY artist, Frank Gonzales and immediately was struck by his paintings.

"My work is about taking forms in nature and making them my own. What I do is nothing new, but by using the language of color, composition, fragmentation, and representation my aim is to speak about these known elements and present them from a different perspective." - Frank Gonzales

Anyone lucky to be in the Sante Fe area from 27 September thru 11 October 2011, be sure to check out his upcoming solo show at Beals and Abbate Fine Art in Sante Fe, NM. The word out is he's working on some exciting new pieces to unveil.

09/27/2011 thru 10/11/2011 “Fragments of Nature” featuring Frank Gonzales Opening Reception, Friday, September 30th, 5 – 7 PM

Images courtesy of ©Frank Gonzales. (top to bottom, Meaters, Oriole and Nest, Refuge, Amplify)