The life as an artist always has it’s ups and downs.  Luckily I have been very blessed and mostly experience the former but had my fair share of downs too during the twenty something years I have been painting.

This painting which was featured in ARTension magazine is called The Two Bridges of Port Adelaide, South Australia and is in the private art collection of Rosalie and Kevin Zerk.

INCLUSION IN FRENCH ART MAGAZINE

When I found out I had been chosen together with 11 other naive artists from around the world to be featured in a French Art Magazine called ARTension I was thrilled of course.  What had led up to this was my inclusion in the Art Naif Festival in Katowice, Poland 2011 where some 190 naive artists from all over the world had been invited to exhibit.  This in turn led on to another invitation to take part in the Henri Rousseau exhibition which was held in the Abbey of Montivilliers in Normandy, France in January and February 2012.  These exhibitions as well as this year’s Naive Art Festival in Katowice, Poland 2012, has all been made possible by the wonderful Jacques Dubois, who eats, sleeps and breathes Naive Art!

The special edition of ARTension is called L’Art naïf aujourd’hui. Which is available on back order from that link and is absolutely full of articles on Naive art and they quote;

“The air and the fragrant art of time a little too much stress.  In lack of light, we wanted to look at the most modern solar adventures: that of naive art.  Revelation of the early twentieth century, for decades it has enthused poets, historians and enthusiasts arts.  Now, almost thirty years, calm… Where are the masterpieces, why are they out of fashion, and who now renews this style of painting?  In the company of experts-curators museums, exhibition organizers, auctioneers, gallery owners, collectors and artists, now more than ever passionate about this art– dive with us in the wings, wheels and glare.  Brazil to Slovakia, find and discover treasures imagined by the most popular and most serene creators.  Naive Art? An excellent antidote to all forms of gloom! “

12 NAIVE ARTISTS

So here is the article about the 12 naive artists and keep in mind that the pages have been translated from French to English so there are a few problems with the grammar, but that adds a little French charm, no?

Around the World

Jacques Dubois

For six years, Jacques Dubois has abandoned his original trade of business to devote himself to painting he loves, and his wife practice. Creator of the World Festival of Naive Art in Verneuil-sur-Avre in 2005, he moved to Katowice, Poland, five years later.He presents the naive current world, convinced that this art still has a bright future ahead of him. We asked him to introduce his recent twelve strokes of heart.

Germany

Olaf Ubricht

Born in 1951

Olaf is currently the most talented of the few German naive. Its uniqueness, its trademark, it is twilight, in a German village on the Rhine. It uses a marine varnish to enhance its color.

Australia

Marie Jonsson-Harrison

Born in Sweden

A sculptor father, a circus family, she is top model in the 1980s and devoted himself to painting. Sense of humor, acute observation of life, Mary painted cheerful and positive experiences, accompanied by a social commentary of the human condition. His paintings and sculptures are presented in Australia, Japan and the United States. This is the painter’s most exhilarating and most creative.

Brazil

Edilvado

Born in 1956. Jacques is Ardies who exhibited in 1995, for the first time in his gallery in Sao Paulo and who became his agent. Its deserved success he owes only to the development of Brazilian landscapes with lush vegetation and bucolic nature and enchanting. This is what distinguishes it from all other painters Naïve.

Côte d’Ivoire

Roger Hamado Djiguemdé

Born in 1966 in Burkina Faso

Installed in Ivory Coast for many years, he developed an “African naïve art” in his own words. His descriptions of daily life are as much of a dream than reality. Surrealism is not far. One of the best contemporary painters in Africa. Currently in their forties, he still has a bright future ahead of him ^ and full of ideas of tables in the head.

Cuba

Armando Torres

Born in 1956 in Havana.

He lives with his mother in the suburbs of Havana. In his neighborhood, he was immured to escape the noise and Salsa. He paints his dreamlike paintings while listening to baroque music of the eighteenth century. Obviously, his neighbors are crazy. Amahoro gallery of St Martin in the Caribbean defends his work very creative.

Spain

Crucita Gutiérrez Segovia

Born in 1951 in Madrid

Born into an artistic family, she has been painting since 1977 and many European museums possess his works. Based in Barcelona, ​​she made prints in the studio Artcontraprova and teaches visual arts at the Foundation for the Arts Hervás Amezcua. This is goodness personified, and his paintings emit an enormous amount of things certainly because of the flat technique perfectly mastered.

Israel

Rafi Perez

Born in 1965 in Jerusalem

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in Jerusalem in 1992, he lives in Tel Aviv where he painted landscapes and couples.Despite its “youth” Rafi is one of the most talented of his country and handles very large formats with ease that commands respect.

Serbia

Drago Terzic

Born in 1956. It is one of the most representative of the third generation of self-taught artists of “on glass”. Known but also acknowledged it now opens on Europe. His style PureColour and impeccable style gives this notoriety,

Tanzania

Stephen Lewis

Born in 1964

It is the best representative of the current Art Tingatinga, invented by Edward Tinga Tinga, who is becoming known throughout the world and gives local artists the opportunity to live their art. Audience Award at the 2011 World Festival in Katowice, he will appear this year. Just reward for this humble artist, who paints for sixteen years. The French association Tinga is African-charge of its promotion.

Turkey

Sema Culam

Born in 1951 in Izmir

Former pupil of the sculptor Turgut Pura at the State Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Izmir, then Cavit Seref Bigali Atmaca and the Department of Painting Education Institution, she has since won numerous Awards of naive painting and often exhibited in different countries. His landscapes are particularly noteworthy.

Netherlands

Joop PLASMEJEIR

in 1942, the grandpa of Naive Art is still the most inventive today. But looking at his paintings and retailer, it must be quite a prankster. His favorite themes are the urban landscapes such as Amsterdam, where he is particularly fond of representing ports and major facades of Dutch houses. He also painted the interiors of these houses with precisely these landscapes through windows. It’s great art.

Veronica LABAT

Born in 1960 she still lives in his country Argentina. This is one of the few painters have Naives to study drawing, sculpture and also engraving. Since 1990 she exhibited nationally since 2004 but that its course becomes truly professional with the gallery GINA Gallery Tel Aviv. At each table, but it is renewed crunches always living in Argentina. The most successful in his country and most interesting, for me, naturally.

I urge you all to Google these artists and have a look at their fabulous work!

Here is the quote again from ARTension who said;

“Naive Art? An excellent antidote to all forms of gloom!”

Till Next time happy painting and sculpting and collecting art to you all,

Love Marie xxx

If you enjoyed this art blog you may also like this one; 14. Adam & Steve 2 Sculpture

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Ever since I started painting I have been a big fan of Henri Rousseau’s work. My father said that the art I was producing had something in common with the naifs and bought me a couple of art books; one on Grandma Moses and the other on Henri Rousseau.

HERO ARTIST

So Henri has been one of my heros for such a long time, so you can imagine my joy when I was invited by the organizers of the annual Henri Rousseau exhibition in France to participate. I jumped for joy! The curator is Jacques Dubois who also is involved in the Art Naif Festival in Katowice, Poland which I took part in last year. Jac is very heavily involved in promoting Naive art in Europe and throughout the world really and his wife Martha Dubois is a very well known and talented naive artist herself.

FRENCH EXHIBITION
This year the Henri Rousseau exhibition will take place in the Abbey of Montivilliers in Normandy opening on Saturday 21st January until 19th February with an auction of the paintings being held on 12th February at 3pm. The exhibition itself is open 7 days a week and it is not to be missed.
Henri Rousseau was called Le Douanier which translates to the customs (or customs officer)a name he got from his job as a tax collector on goods entering Paris. Henry married twice, first Clemence Boitard with whom he had six children and after she died he married Josephine Noury.
Henri also tried his hand at music and writing but it was painting that was his first love, which he started doing seriously in his early forties and by the time he was 49 he retired from his job to pursue the art on a full time basis. Rousseau was represented in the exhibitions of the Salon des Independants from 1886 onwards, and his pictures hung side by side with Matisse, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Picasso.

INVITED ARTISTS

This year 2012 there were 88 artists invited from around the world with 20 different countries represented among them France of course and Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Cuba, Belgium, Italy, Japan and “moi” from Australia just to name a few.
As this is an exhibition in homage of Henri, most artists are sticking to that theme and I had so much fun painting “You Rock, Henri Rousseau”. I wanted to do a contemporary celebration and incorporated elements of Henri’s art into it by putting in a detail of “The Dream of Yadwigha” (the naked lady lying on the couch).
The Dream of Yadwigha was the last painting that Henri painted before his death in 1910, in it the lady in question is laying on a red velvet sofa with a luxurious jungle behind her listening to the notes of a single magic flute. I of course painted a myriad of musicians and singers, artistic license and all that, LOL. If you look a little closer at my painting you will also see the influences of two other of Rousseau’s work in “The Sleeping Gipsy” which is the woman sharing the couch in the striped outfit.

HENRI ROUSSEAU ORIGINALS

In Henri’s original artwork a lion is standing over her as she lies dreaming under an ancient green sky in the solitude of the desert. Some say this is the lyrical prelude to Surrealism, with a mandolin and a jug which stands beside the sleeping figure, these objects would inhabit the dreams of the Surrealists and the space of the Cubists.
The third painting of Henri’s represented in my artwork is of Henri himself, from his self portrait painted in 1890 “I – Myself Portrait-Landscape”, he is holding a palette of paints and a brush and in the original painting he is standing on a road in front of a bridge, although he does look like he is standing in mid air, lol.
NO ART RULES

That is the naive charm, us naives are so lucky that we can just paint whatever we feel and see without having to worry about rules and other people’s perception of how things should look. As the whole idea of perspective is totally lost on me that is really lucky!!
Thank you Henri Rousseau – you gave me the freedom to be me, to paint in my own style and not to be embarrassed by the child in me. Instead my childishness it is something that I celebrate and hope that I will never grow up, or out off- but wake each day full of wonder and excitement.
So Henri I hope you approve of me painting you like a Rock Star, complete with women swooning at your feet and throwing their knickers at you. There is wild music supplied by a rock band and a brass band as well as the choir and Can Can girls dancing and pirouettes by ballerinas and of course no party is complete without balloons.

So here is a quote I like by another Henri – Henry Ward Beecher who said;
“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,
Love Marie xxxx

If you have enjoyed reading about this artist perhaps you may like to see this art blog too; 91 He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother, the Artist

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

One of the most important festivals for Naive art is currently underway in Katowice, Poland where until August 17, you will be able to see more than 190 naive artists from all over the world and 40 of the artists participating are from Cuba this year.   Cuba is this year’s guest country and the Cuban Vice Minister of Culture was in attendance at the opening which was a cultural feast.  The highlight was a 4 piece Cuban band dressed in white suits, hats and black t-shirts with 2 dancers complete with headdress and costumes in yellow and green straight from a carnival.

ARTLINK MAGAZINE

This detail image is from one of my paintings on the cover of an art magazine called Artlink, this addition was dedicated to naive & outsider art, if you look closely there is homage to Picasso there too.  If you would like to see one of my own artworks on show in Katowice here is a link to it and another art blog 73 Snack attack at hungry jacks

MONDIAL D’ART NAIF

Oh I so would have wanted to attend myself – all of us; exhibiting artists were invited to attend and they had even organized a special artist dinner.  The timing wasn’t right for us this year as we are in the middle of renovations and also planning a trip to Europe for next year.  Here is a link to this wonderful exhibition and website Mondial d’art naif

SZYB WILSON ART GALLERY

It is my idea of total bliss to have so many wonderful naive artists work on show in the same place, at the same time, all that wonderful, innocent and colorful work under one roof.  That is so exciting too, the place itself that is housing this exhibition – which is the Szyb Wilson Gallery in Katowice.  It is the largest privately owned gallery in Poland and I think it would be rivaling most private galleries in the world as it offers more than 2000 square meters on two levels and it’s a huge building, 10 minutes away from the city centre in the district of  Nikiszowiec the historical settlement of Katowice. Another fascinating place to have a look at there would be the “Spodek” which means flying saucer in Polish and is a multipurpose arena complex which can hold up to 11,500 people.

The area of Szyb Wilson Gallery was in fact an old coal mine construction, a virtual wasteland of late.   It so happens too that one of the naive artists participating in this festival was a mine worker at this very mine for some 35 years, where now his work hangs on their walls.  His name is Erwin Sowka and he is part of the legendary group Janowska in Poland and he was awarded a special prize at the opening of the show.  (Erwin Sowka is the only surviving member of Janowska – “Amateur Painters Circle” whos origins date back to the 1930’s and there was even a film made about them in Poland called Angelus.)

ART PRIZE WINNERS

Other prize winners were artist Sylvie Marcel from Marseille in France, who won the “people’s vote” during the 2010 festival and was therefore invited to create the poster for this year’s festival, her image was also used for the large banners advertising the show, and she attended and picked up her trophy; Grand Prix du Public 2010.

Another prize awarded was to a sculptor Eugene Zegadlo who has during the last 52 years made nearly 3000 sculptures and exhibited in 20 countries in over 150 separate exhibitions.

JACQUES DUBOIS & NAIVE ART

Of course this naive  art exhibition could never have existed without the hard work of many and it is the French non-profit association Fivan that has organized it in conjunction with the Szyb Wilson Gallery.  They have designed this event to promote naive art and to sell paintings in a festive atmosphere, which is something they have totally achieved.  There are without doubt many people to thank for this wonderful event but I would like to mention one very special man Jacques Dubois who has worked tirelessly and could not have been more accommodating and nicer liaising with all the artists, so Thank you Jac!

Naive art is currently experiencing resurgence in its popularity and there were some 2000 people who attended this year’s opening with many people flying in from across the world.  Naive art has become a status symbol for many professionals and collectors and the waiting rooms of doctors and dentists just are not complete without one.  We can thank the naive artists that paved the way for us current artists,  ones like Henri Rousseau and Grandma Moses and the like and also of course Pablo Picasso who was the one that discovered Henri Rousseau in the first place.

So here is a quote from Pablo Picasso that I think the naive artist has actually mastered;

“Every child is an artist.  The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up” and this one

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

However it is perhaps this Picasso quote that will make all of us feel better;

“We don’t grow older we grow riper.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxxx      (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.