the dirt

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know JB. We grew up together, skiing in the winters in Vermont and scheming adventures in the summers in New Jersey. We go years without seeing each other in person and when we are reunited it’s like no time has passed. I know I can count on him to say yes to any adventure and he is always the first person to make snow angels with me, even if there’s no snow. He’s a lifelong, long lost friend and a crazy talented landscape painter too.

On first glance, you’d swear he was a photographer not a painter. His attention to detail and patience throughout the process of bringing his paintings to life continually astound me. When you scan his horizon format paintings, some of which are only 3 inches high but nearly 6 feet long, you feel there, immersed in the space, seeing it through his eyes. Diving into his seascapes seems like a perfectly reasonable option, it’s as if you’re looking through a window out to the glistening ocean. JB’s work is represented by Robert Lange Studio if you want to add a new piece to your collection, I know it’s a life goal for me! Check out the video below to see his process and learn more…

About JB Boyd’s work: Focusing on the Lowcountry as a subject, Boyd’s paintings start with photographs, or more accurately, the journey to reach the photograph site. Boyd uses boats, ladders, trees and whatever else he can find and/or trespass on to create a unique perspectives. Perched twenty feet above the flat expanse of the marsh, or lying belly down in the mud, Boyd photographs in series to create a 360º view. Then, back in his studio, he arranges, crops, and edits these photographs to make a singular image. Using the image as a reference, his oil paintings are built up layer by layer, with each subsequent layer tightening the detail presented.

Learn more at JB’s website or follow him on Instagram, Facebook or You Tube

To purchase his work, contact Robert Lange Studios

Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…

I had been a fan of Sally’s work long before I got to meet her in Taiwan during our residency at the Yingge Ceramic Museum. It was impressive to see her in action, she was only at the residency for one month and I think she created more work in that month than I had in the three months I’d been there, she’s amazingly productive!

I love how animated her forms are, it feels like they will just get up and start walking or swimming through the studio. Her use of pattern, color and carved textures only adds to the movement in her work. I also had no idea that she threw all her forms on the wheel, I had assumed everything was hand-built, so it was great to be able to watch and learn about her process. Not only is she an impressive sculptor with excellent craftsmanship but she is also the sweetest person, a stellar karaoke singer and she made me laugh until it hurt.

Check out the video below to see more images of her work…

About Sally Walk’s Work: My sculptural works are often on the edge, balanced, uneasy and restless, contrasting with a delicate prettiness that presents a sense of determination. They reference the illusions we create, how we present ourselves and what we determine as truth. Our outer shell is a façade, a beautiful illusion, but who we are is unclear. Our very existence is constructed, carefully controlled, meticulously edited. Only the edited version is apparent. What lies within or beyond the beautiful façade is lost, as reality teeters on the edge. This imbalance between what is real and what is not, is unnerving, and my ceramic sculptures explore this concept.

The shape of the forms are inspired by marine animals and microscopic imagery. I became interested in microscopic images after my mum was diagnosed with cancer, and unlikely positive to come from the situation. The virus-like rounded spikes were actually from some research I did into viruses that were being used to cure cancer. Oh how quickly that imagery has become linked to a pandemic.

You can follow Sally on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website to view more of her work.

Artists Sharing Artists: is a series of posts where I share some of my favorite artists who are also inspired by nature and use their art to protect what they love. More artists coming soon…