Artist: Craig Kosak

Inspired by the wildlife and landscapes I encounter while traveling I return to my studio with insights about the natural world and about the human condition. Rather than faithfully documenting the flora and fauna, I strive to capture the feeling and emotions these trips provide. Each trip consists of both a journey through the outer world, and an inner journey of self discovery. These paintings are about both worlds and how they relate.

Richly textured and developed using many layers of alternately opaque and translucent paint, strong graphic composition and bold colors combine to set the stage for realistically rendered animals, objects and landscapes. The subjects are integrated with abstract elements and expressive brushwork representative of the inner emotive world. I continue working until balance between both worlds is achieved and the painting comes alive.

Stylistically, my work is grounded in realism, inspired primarily by the iconic images of painter N.C. Wyeth. I am, of course, painting about today’s world and the modern paint handling of contemporary artists John Nieto and Nathan Oliveira have had significant influence in this regard.

WS: craigkosak.com

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Cake pulls

For the wedding of a dear friend, Steph, I assisted in the creation of some inspired little cards to accompany the charms of her cake pull. I had never heard of this tradition until she explained it to me. Of Southern origin: small charms attached to ribbons are baked into the cake, ribbons poking out, one for each bridesmaid. Before the cutting of the cake, the cake pull must occur, during which each bridesmaid will pull out a charm that she shall keep.

Steph is quite crafty. First of all, she found the sweetest little charms on Etsy. I think we both favored the mirror:

She also came up with the endearing idea of accompanying each charm with a card containing a love- and marriage-appropriate quote, relating to the symbolism of each charm. Quote sources ranged from Cinderella to Charles Dickens. This is where my help came in: painting an image of each charm on the envelope of its card. She managed to rustle some gold paint out of a closet. She loves gold as much as I do.

Did I mention that she found the cutest little cards?

Note: the paint was still drying, so some pencil still appears in these little guys.

“Once upon a time… in a faraway land…” —Cinderella

“Have a heart that never hardens… a temper that never tires… a touch that never hurts.” —Charles Dickens

CONGRATULATIONS STEPH & GRIFF ♥

Inspired landscapes

What I may love most about living in New Mexico is the gush of inspiration I feel from observing its landscape. Taking off and landing is perhaps the most intense form of this feeling.

The cracks, crevices, bumbling mountains and wide expanses of seeming nothingness never cease to amazing me.

They remind me:

…The original native people…. lived, acquired wisdom through experiences, and died. Generation after generation was buried in the Earth where bodies were transformed into elemental Earth forms once again. Dust to dust. Bones and flesh changed into smaller and smaller living organisms, microbiological and chemical life elements, the nutrients that create future bodies through the plants, soil, and stones…. Though the soul of the human being has left its material form and expanded to higher levels of life, it has left something of its wisdom in each element from which it had previously taken human form. Literally, the stones are our ancestors. The spirits of our ancestors may live elsewhere in higher vibratory bodies, possibly finished with Earth incarnations, but they have left us their life wisdoms in the substance of the earth itself.

—Carol Bridges, The Medicine Woman Inner Guidebook, p. 143-4

Artist: Kate Shaw