Rose Barron "The Annunciation"

If the art markets are any indication, interest in Renaissance, Baroque and Old Master painting has spiked again.  With record-breaking auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, its clear that collectors and dealers alike are betting on these works as appreciative investments, despite their age and content.  In addition to this market resurgence, more and more contemporary artists are looking back several centuries for inspiration. David LaChapelle, Kehinde Wiley, and Pierre et Giles have all reinterpreted iconic religious imagery in their sometimes controversial work; and, in whitespec at whitespace Rose M Barron’s “Multitude of Madonnas” similarly examines and reinterprets classical religious art, with a focus on the Virgin Mary.  We asked Rose to tell us more about her work and the particular influences for a few of the pieces in this series: Continue reading →

Whitespace artist Michele Schuff is currently completing a 4-week residency at the Schloss Pluschow in Mecklenberg, Germany. Schuff, native Atlantan, traditionally works using an encaustic wax medium, creating colorful, glowing works with undulating surfaces. In her current program at Schloss Pluschow, a converted Rococo-styled manor house in the German countryside, Schuff is both rediscovering her roots and experimenting with new materials.

The Baltic News recently published an article highlighting Schuff’s work and a dialogue about her experience in Germany. The article, written in German, discusses both Schuff’s experience as an American abroad and an artist working in a foreign setting. Continue reading →