The Art of Whimsy

by Carolyn Edlund

Whimsy: capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful. A perfect definition of the works from these artists, who delight their audiences.

 

 

Artist Marie Sansone presents “Great Blue Heron” saying, “I’m always inspired by nature with my whimsical touch.”

 

 

Australian painter Jen Stark gets creative in the studio. She says, “Inspired by the film that scared me so much as a child, Alice In Wonderland, I explored my childhood fears and laid them on canvas in a humourous yet ominous manner.”

 

 

Would you like a little sci-fi mixed with your whimsy? Photographer Kristian Coltman does. “Astronauts feature heavily in my works,” he says, “They have always represented an icon of exploration, discovery and expanding our limits of both our physical world and our minds.”

 

 

Shannon Crandall shares a delightfully colorful collage. “My imagination and intuition are the driving forces behind my creations,” she says, “Never knowing where the journey will go, and always being happily surprised at the outcome, is part of the adventure I seek while creating.”

 

 

Charlee Brodsky of The Spot Press features her best friend in a series of whimsical greeting cards. She explains, “In my work, I photograph my little white dog, Max, exploring the world while he spouts words by great thinkers reminding us what it means to be human.”

 

 

Painter Jim Otis shares a interesting point of view with this work. “Humans needs laughter,” he says, “Humor in my collections of work are prevalent. While contemplating new designs in Hawaii, I once fell asleep under a coconut tree, and woke up with this idea.”

 

 

Celebration of the season is the theme in this painting by artist David Lenz. He says, “There’s a magical moment each autumn when the sky is so blue, and the leaves so vibrant, that it takes you back with childlike wonder. I wanted to capture that!”

 

 

Licensed artist Ann Troe shares a sampling of her charming work. She is “busily creating art that causes JOY!”

 

 

Mixed media artist Kent Epler has a dream job, creating fanciful sculptures. “The inspiration in a scrap of fabric, a funny name, a found object, a verse, a song: these are the bits of everyday magic that bring my characters to life” he says.

 

 

Aussie artist Linda MacAulay describes her humorous paintings this way:  “My emu series is a joyous and humorous reflection on those ‘What the …?” moments in life. Littered with popular culture references, my works deliver social commentary with a smile.”

 

 

Artist Tim Hupkes proclaims, “My motto is: ‘The Importance Of Not Being Earnest.’  A wink to Oscar Wilde, who had an immense sense of humor. Humor will probably, well, save the world.” With his approach to art, we agree!

 

 

Artist Tsun Ming Chmielinski shares this charming piece, and explains, “Birds inspire me to paint.  I find beauty, serenity and playfulness in them. In this painting, I imagine myself being one of these little shorebirds happily scurrying along and chatting with my siblings and friends.”

 

 

Artist Janine Adamo presents a delightfully painterly work, saying, “Though I never know what my piece is going to look like in the end, its always a reflection of what is going on in my life at the time.”