Last month, I wrote a post about establishing a gallery on Etsy. Since then, I've continued to add to it, refine the listings, and actually sell a couple of pieces. My gallery currently has 62 items and I'll add some more this weekend.
Some artists cringe at the thought of putting their work on Etsy. It has an image of a craftsy place for hobbyists. I've found that's not necessarily true. While, yes, there are tons of people who are hobbyists, and frankly a lot of the work is about the level of a hobbyist, there are actually some highly talented and capable professional artists there as well. We're talking about people with bachelors and masters degrees in fine art, teachers at some of the best art schools in the country (Rhode Island School of Design, for example), and many who are just plain good.
Etsy has a feature called a "treasury" list. Members can put together a variety of "treasuries" of items that caught their eye. I did one called "Outstanding Figurative Art on Etsy". It links to really strong work by 16 different artists. Here are some of them.
Kristina Havens does some beautiful classical figurative work. She has an MFA degree and it shows in the quality of her drawings. Kristina is actually the reason I've got an Etsy shop: she wrote an article on setting one up that was published in Professional Artist magazine. It got me started on the project and I'm still following her advice. Kristina's shop is Krystyna81. She also has a blog.
I've been looking at Helen Gotlib's figure drawings for years. This young lady really knows how to draw expressive figures. And flowers, too. She earned a BFA degree, has exhibited in solo and juried shows, and has worked the art festival circuit. Her shop is HelenGotlib and her web site is helengotlib.com.
Derek Overfield is a beautifully expressive artist. His drawings are gestural rather than classical, full of energy and power. Derek, like the other two, has a degree in fine art, and has exhibited in numerous juried shows. His Etsy shop is derekoverfieldart and he also has a website.
Rory Alan MacLean has a way with the figure. This one, for example, is so strong and captures the weight and mass of the model beautifully. He studied partly in the classical manner and also in school, earning a BFA. I really like both his drawings on his Etsy shop (roryalanmaclean) and his oils on his web site.
Ute Rathmann is a young lady in Germany whose work continues the spirit of German expressionists. She has a very vibrant style with a great sense of composition. I have no idea what her background is since her bio is in German, but it's clear that she's prolific and exceptionally skilled and talented. She works primarily in drawings, etchings, drypoints, chine colle, and related media. Her Etsy gallery is uterathmann.
So there are five of the 16 artists I've found. If you like figurative art, go take a look at my list and browse through. I guarantee you'll find something that will catch your eye.
Some artists cringe at the thought of putting their work on Etsy. It has an image of a craftsy place for hobbyists. I've found that's not necessarily true. While, yes, there are tons of people who are hobbyists, and frankly a lot of the work is about the level of a hobbyist, there are actually some highly talented and capable professional artists there as well. We're talking about people with bachelors and masters degrees in fine art, teachers at some of the best art schools in the country (Rhode Island School of Design, for example), and many who are just plain good.
Etsy has a feature called a "treasury" list. Members can put together a variety of "treasuries" of items that caught their eye. I did one called "Outstanding Figurative Art on Etsy". It links to really strong work by 16 different artists. Here are some of them.
Kristina Havens does some beautiful classical figurative work. She has an MFA degree and it shows in the quality of her drawings. Kristina is actually the reason I've got an Etsy shop: she wrote an article on setting one up that was published in Professional Artist magazine. It got me started on the project and I'm still following her advice. Kristina's shop is Krystyna81. She also has a blog.
I've been looking at Helen Gotlib's figure drawings for years. This young lady really knows how to draw expressive figures. And flowers, too. She earned a BFA degree, has exhibited in solo and juried shows, and has worked the art festival circuit. Her shop is HelenGotlib and her web site is helengotlib.com.
Derek Overfield is a beautifully expressive artist. His drawings are gestural rather than classical, full of energy and power. Derek, like the other two, has a degree in fine art, and has exhibited in numerous juried shows. His Etsy shop is derekoverfieldart and he also has a website.
Rory Alan MacLean has a way with the figure. This one, for example, is so strong and captures the weight and mass of the model beautifully. He studied partly in the classical manner and also in school, earning a BFA. I really like both his drawings on his Etsy shop (roryalanmaclean) and his oils on his web site.
Ute Rathmann is a young lady in Germany whose work continues the spirit of German expressionists. She has a very vibrant style with a great sense of composition. I have no idea what her background is since her bio is in German, but it's clear that she's prolific and exceptionally skilled and talented. She works primarily in drawings, etchings, drypoints, chine colle, and related media. Her Etsy gallery is uterathmann.
So there are five of the 16 artists I've found. If you like figurative art, go take a look at my list and browse through. I guarantee you'll find something that will catch your eye.
