art vs. art | adele blais vs bonnie lewis

earlier this month i attended love art fair. a spin off of affordable art fair, and i was really pleased with the galleries that were represented at this event. or more specifically, i appreciated all of the art represented by the galleries. it was fresh, modern and far from the traditional landscapes one might expect would sell best at commercial art venues.

there was one artist however, that really held my attention. as in, i could barely leave the booth before i turned around and went back for more - adele blais. these borderline frightening, but elegantly pieced together portraits have a distinct piccaso-like feel. at first i didn't know whether i wanted to look away, or look closer. in the end the detailed collage* drew me in and i realized the sections of bright florals are more than they appear. within each knot of rainbow flora there lays a whole other world of shapes, icons and figures.

these hidden treasures reminded me of bonnie lewis' girls - including miss carefree #3. in lewis' work the key is layers - layer after layer of childhood imagery. when you look close enough, the multitude of characters and stories begin to reveal themselves - and so do the tools of girlhood trade (sparkles, glitter glue, collage clippings, doilies and even hidden "how-to" pages from vintage magazines).

and so i knew i must take this opportunity to post an "art vs. art." though in my book, everyone's a winner (whether it's adele's captivating women, or lewis' depiction of the lives of girls).

adele blais

*it needs to be said that the complexity and beauty of adele's work does not translate well to digital images. if i had encountered her images online first, rather than in person, i certainly would not have been quite so fascinated (or at all interested truth be told). and so instead i am posting photographs i snapped at love art fair.

bonnie lewis