Happy St. Patrick’s Day! A PSA: remember to wear green, so you don’t get pinched! Let me thank you for taking a moment in between green beers to read this post. Your shepherd’s pie is probably waiting, so let’s get right to it: Irish painters.

One of Ireland’s most famous painters is Charles Jervas. He had the distinct honor of painting Jonathan Swift (redhead!) and Alexander Pope, as well as other dignitaries. Fun fact: he also did the translation work for a little book called “Don Quixote.” (Which Wikipedia tells me is the second most-translated book in the world besides the Bible.) Jervas was notorious for being more than a little confident. You might say he was straight up conceited, in fact. With good reason, I suppose. He did have a knack for portraits. Or McPortraits as they call them in Ireland.

Jack Butler Yeats was another big name in Irish art circles. If the name is familiar, it’s because his family was super artsy. His dad, John, was a portrait painter and his brother, William, is the famous poet. No doubt Jack grew up under a barrage of limericks at the dinner table. Let’s try one:

My brother Jack likes to paint

My mother swears he’s a saint

But I know better

It would just upset her

Instead of “isn’t” he says “ain’t.”

– A FAKE WILLIAM BUTLER BATES LIMERICK

Jack was talented in his own right, creating paintings like this. Ain’t it lovely?

Mary Swanzy (are we all picturing Mary Swanson from “Dumb and Dumber”?) is one of many talented Irish female artists. Nano Reid, Mainie Jellett, and Letitia Marion Hamilton are just a few others. But I love Swanzy’s swanky paintings that are so bold and colorful. She lived in Hawaii for a while, and the influence is clear in her paintings.

Please resume your St. Patrick’s Day celebration now, wowing your friends with your knowledge of Irish art history. And pro tip? Guinness pairs perfectly with Lucky Charms.

*This post was first published March 17, 2021

Last June we looked at a few scenes and subjects that have been created several times over the years, in an artsy version of “Who Wore it Best?” It was so fun and there are so many popular scenes artists have painted, it seems like a shame not to check out a few more. Kourtney Kardashian and Brittany Spears, move over! We have some new (old) matchers to compare!

Helen of Troy was the most beautiful of beauties in Greek mythology. An absolute icon. All the men wanted to marry her and the women wanted to be her. And artists? They wanted to paint her. And so they did. Tons of painters depicted scenes featuring Helen: Gavin Hamilton, Peter Paul Rubens, Renoir, and about a million others. It wasn’t uncommon to paint her abduction, but that’s not cheery. Instead, let’s look at two portraits.

Below are two paintings of the infamous beheading of Holofernes. Caravaggio’s painting is on the left. He loved a dark, depressing project, didn’t he? Some would argue this is his most famous painting. It certainly is one of the most disturbing, in my opinion. But nobody does disturbing as well as Caravaggio. It looks like it could be a scene from a Broadway performance- the background is dark, the faces alight. It gives me shivers. On the right is… another painting by a woman! Artemisia Gentileschi did this portrayal roughly a dozen years after Caravaggio did his. It seems clear she was influenced by his work, but her female perspective comes into play. For example, in her painting Holofernes is struggling more, her Judith enlisted help holding him down. Delightful, I know. What do you think? Who painted it better?

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Just for fun let’s pit Paul Cezanne against… Paul Cezanne! This is Mont Sainte-Victoire on the left and the right. He painted it a bunch of times in between too. I always have mixed feelings when artists paint the same thing over and over. I mean there are so many great landscapes, models, and beheadings they could paint instead! But I’m probably just making a mountain out of a molehill. What do you think? Does 1895 Cezanne paint it better, or turn of the century Cezanne?

That wraps up this episode of “Who Painted it Better?” Hit me with your votes!

The first thing I did when I got a job and apartment after college, was A.) sent flowers to myself B.) splurged on an all-new wardrobe, or C.) went to a home decor store and went bananas, or D.) all of the above.

The answer is D! And my first stop at said home decor store, was… the kids’ section for my artwork. I may have been an adult on paper, but my favorite show was still Lizzie Maguire. Plus, one thing that hasn’t changed since the days of that cute apartment in the Twin Cities is my love of color. And art made for children is always vibrant and colorful and fun. Just like I used to be before a mortgage and laundry and stressing about forgetting my daughter’s freshman orientation wore me down and beat me up. I digress.

Here are a few artists whose work would look amazing in either an office OR a playroom.

Matt Lyon (aka C86) is a London-based artist that I’m sure I can’t afford. He’s done work for Nike, AT&T, and AOL (remember aol?!) among others, which tells me he’s out of my price range, but maybe not yours! In any event, we can appreciate his fun, funky designs like Cloud Blusters. To see more of his happy-go-lucky designs, check out his website here.

Matt Lyon isn’t the only Matt whose creations are kid-oriented, parent-appreciated. Matt Mabe illustrates animals and is there a kid’s room in the world without some kind of animal art? No. Even as an adult I wouldn’t dream of living in a home without some animal art. And his is perfection. Matt Mabe began creating a series of animal prints (one for each letter of the alphabet) for his kids’ bedrooms. They should definitely take them when they move into their first apartments.

Finally, I’d love to introduce you to a local Michigan artist. I was grabbing a cup of coffee a few weeks ago at a Full Circle Coffee (Byron Center- a few miles from the ice arena, incidentally.) and there was this beautiful, whimsical art on the walls. Mary Litwiller creates the most precious scenes- sometimes with fairies, sometimes not, but always cozy and/or interesting and/or fun. Check her out on IG at miss.artiste. Her feed is chock full of goodness. Not to mention… the mushrooms! Swoon!

I hope you’re doing something for your inner kid today! If you need some inspiration, look no further than your local home decor store!

Daisy Buchanan said “I always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it.” Well, friends, I always plan for National Redhead Day and then miss it. But not this year. It’s today! I’m celebrating with red wine and red vines. Because I’m classy.

Like fanny packs or white-washed jeans, red hair goes in and out of style in art. For instance, Pre-Raphaelite artists loved painting redheads. Why? Nobody knows. We can only assume some redheaded witch cast a spell on them. Here are three paintings featuring gingers.

John William Waterhouse painted redheads like Squid Game kills characters off. Easily and often. He loved painting mythological figures and creatures! He painted A Mermaid in 1901. His most famous redhead painting is Lady of Shalott, which I love so much I recreated it during quarantine when I had nothing better to do than paddle around in a canoe with candles and blankets. But I’d like to feature another painting of his, that I like just as much.

In The Tempest, Miranda is a compassionate, kind character, which is another reason I love this painting. Often redheads are witches or villains or have questionable morals. Case in point- Waterhouse also portrayed Lamia as a redhead and she was a child eating demon. So. When there is a good redhead in media, I just can’t resist her!

Historically, Mary Magdalene has also been portrayed with red hair. Along with Judas, Eve (after the fall), and sometimes Abel (after he killed his brother). I told you! We get a bad rap. Mary Magdalene turned out to be a gem though, and Frederick Sandys painted her beautifully. The model was probably Lizzie Siddal, who modeled for everyone who was anyone in the Pre-Raphaelite era.

Wikipedia thinks this is a sensual portrayal, but I sort of think she looks like she’s about to be sick in the alabaster jar. Opinions? I do like the eyebrows he gave her because they are faint like mine. Like she also has to add color to them before parent teacher conferences or tailgating or whatever redheads did back then.

If this next one looks familiar, it’s because you’ve visited my “About Me” page! But I promise I’m nothing like Lilith, who was horrible. In Jewish culture she was Adam’s first wife and a self-absorbed seductress and murderer. And those are the kinder descriptions.

This painting is a great example of Pre-Raphaelite art. There were lots of redheads, but does anybody every talk about the abundance of candelabras? Freckleless faces? Flowy dresses? Flowers? How women loved to play with their hair or hold something close to their chest?! What a time!

Happy National Redhead Day! You don’t need permission from a redhead to celebrate, but if you feel you do, here it is! Tell me how you are celebrating today!

I know what you’re thinking: “Today is National Deviled Egg Day!” You’re right, but there aren’t as many deviled eggs in the world of art as you may think. Instead, let me direct your attention to the Melbourne Cup race, which is also today! I didn’t care about the Melbourne Cup at all until I watched “Ride Like a Girl” on Netflix (I highly recommend it, you guys!) PSA: The horses to watch this year are Twilight Payment, English King, and Verry Elleegant. If you’re the betting sort.

In honor of the Australian race, let’s check out some Australian artists!

1. John Olsen: In reading about Olsen, I got the feeling he’s just always been famous. Like he was born a famous painter 93 years ago and has been ever since. His kids seem to have been bitten by the art bug too. His son is a successful art dealer, one daughter is a painter in her own right, another was a designer before passing away. It wasn’t all family fingerpainting and wholesome pictionary nights though. The family had their fair share of obstacles, you can read about this article, if you’re interested. We’re here for the art though, and the paintings emerging from John Olsen’s studio are noted as the best in Australia.

2. If we’re talking about Australian artists, the world wide web insists I mention Sidney Nolan. I don’t know if he intended for his paintings to be funny, but I can’t help but find them humorous. His most famous work is a series of Ned Kelly paintings. Don’t know who Ned Kelly is? Me neither. He was a bushranger. Don’t know what a bushranger is? Me neither. They were escaped convicts, surviving in the outback. Outback outlaws, basically. I think Ned Kelly was like the Jesse James of Austalia. Nolan painted such an expansive series of Ned Kelly paintings, they could practically make up a comic book. Nolan lived through the Great Depression and agonized over his involvement in WWII. He had no shortage of inspiration for his art, but he most loved the Australian landscape and local history. It’s no wonder he’s noted as an Australian great.

3. After stuffing my eyeballs with tons of Australian art and tearing my clothes and gnashing my teeth, I picked Margaret Preston to highlight as our third and last Australian artist du jour, but I’m going to give you a list of honorable mentions if you’re feeling saucy about the Aussies and really want to dive in to their art like a scuba diver at the Coral Reef. You know still-lifes aren’t my favorite, but something about how Preston painted flower arrangements makes me all warm and fuzzy. I love the bright flowers, and the unique touches she takes the time to include. For instance, in Anemones, I am completely enamored with the pitcher the flowers are in. Where are those houses, what inspired her to include them, and why are they so close together?!

Happy Melbourne Cup Day! Here’s the answer to the question we all really want to know: The horses run counterclockwise in the Melbourne Cup as they do at the Kentucky Derby. See here for more info.

As promised, here are some Honorable Mentions: Albert Namatjira (his landscapes are beautiful!); Ben Quilty (if you’re into disfiguration, check him out); Fiona Hall (her sardine can sculptures are chef’s kiss! Mwah!)