February 3, 2014

Some say God is in the details, or is that “the devil’s in the details?” I can never remember for sure, but you can be assured that this month’s Virtual Gallery artists have an abundance of detail in their work. They also share a strong, but subtle use of color and strong compositions in their respective work.

Rob Schouten, coming from Holland, has centuries of Dutch and Flemish art history to draw upon, not to mention to compete with.  While he shares that authentic Dutch love of detail, he has found his own style, subject matter, and iconography in his work.  He combines the physical world with metaphysical themes to create a universe of exploration and wonder.

The work of John Ursillo gives serious mojo to what has often been considered a student medium. In Ursillo’s capable hands, colored pencil combines the control of drawing with the richness of paint to portray the natural world. Whether he is portraying wildlife, or the rusted hull of a ship, his paintings portray detail with specificity and empathy. He never forgets that a work of art must be more than the sum of its parts in order to affect the viewer. See more in the February Virtual Gallery. 

Read the WLM feature on Rob Schouten here.

Read the WLM feature on John Ursillo here.

(Image at the top “Chestnut-back Chickadee,” colored pencil on board, by John Ursillo)

Anne Belov; Virtual Gallery Curator