Beginning in the 1920s, Surrealism is a cultural movement, which was founded with the aim to “resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-reality”. Much of the work created by the movement’s artists focused visual artworks and writings.
Nearly 100 years later, artists are still inspired by the surreal. This blog is a celebration of some of the member artists of RSG who are creating works which have this feel of the strange and bizarre about them. To see more of them, either come into the gallery for a visit and look about, or visit our website and search our Catalogue. Click the link and go to Style and search for “Surreal” in the drop-down menu.
Anne John
Anne’s works are often the products of her dreams. And her images have precisely that dreamlike quality to them, showing a surrealness that demonstrates the influence of artists such Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali. Her whimsical pieces often include animals or eggs, the latter motif being frequently seen in her paintings. It represents, she says, “potential”, as all animals species begin with eggs. It also has a pleasing shape to it!
Teresa Meier
The complex and striking works that Teresa Meier creates are the product of an elaborate process in Photoshop, where she ‘stitches’ together the finished image. “I have always loved puzzles.”, says Teresa, “I like to sift through all the pieces, analyzing their parts, and take immense satisfaction in seeing how they all fit together.” Her works are filled with exquisite detail, rewarding precisely this approach.
Chuck E. Bloom
“There is magic”, says Chuck E. Bloom. And, looking at the intricately-detailed and magnificently-painted worlds which he creates, you just have to agree with him. At first inspired by abstract expressionists such as Pollock and Rothko, Chuck’s work over the past 15 years has been driven by influences from his surrealist muses Leonora Carrington, Yves Tanguy and Remidios Varo. “Surrealism” he says, “seems to always ask more questions than it answers and it forces the viewer to abandon their closed rationalism and force them into the position of thinking about what they are experiencing and draw conclusions upon that experience.”
Karen Wippich
Karen grew up moving across the US, spending time alone creating characters and fantasies. Her works are filled with “enigmatic imagery that can be at once both playful and satirical”; no doubt drawing from these childhood experiences. Her mixed media works feel like worlds which are both weird, yet familiar and richly-realized, giving them a sense of a half-remembered, yet vivid dream. Her pieces have been shown extensively across the Pacific Northwest and at galleries throughout the United States.
Jennifer Joyce
A long-standing member of RSG, who has shown more than 100 works in the gallery, Jennifer is fascinated by the narrative in the visual arts and has a deep love for this. As she says,. “The visual arts have always resonated with me. As children, before we had a TV, we would gather around a book of my mother’s, which had full color prints of the world’s 100 ‘most famous’ paintings. And we would fabricate stories about the images.” Her surreal and imaginative paintings have a deep feeling of a story in them. Of a world which is nearby and waiting to be accessed.
