All of us here at Oracle are either artists or art collectors (or both) and, as it happens, our shop tends to attract other artists and art collectors. We strive to curate a beautiful, creatively driven environment in our shop and our individual aesthetics always creep into the mix. It is my personal belief that art has the power to enrich our souls and communicate messages which transcend spoken and written language barriers. Art can connect us to our humanity in extraordinary ways, so I'm into it.
I am also super into how accessible art has become via the internet and smart phones, (and I'm not just saying this because of my fear of a robot uprising, lead by Siri, in which we are murdered in our beds while we sleep). Viewing art in person is still my number one favorite way to experience it, but I think it's wonderful that we are able to see the work of artists that we might not otherwise have been exposed to if we relied entirely on proximity of their location. I have been following some out-fucking-standing artists on Instagram, you may already be familiar with their works, but in case you are not, permit me to introduce you to a few of my favorites.
~ Victoria Clare Gray ~ This UK based artist is amazing y'all! Her illustrations of flora and fauna absolutely knock my socks off and - good news, if you are like me and have champagne tastes on a beer budget - I really appreciate that she offers affordable prints, pins and patches. To see more of her exquisite work, you can follow her here.
Art by Emilio Vallalba.
~ Emilio Villalba ~ Oh my god, Y'all. These paintings, they slay me. This San Fransisco based artist has what one of my former instructors would call, 'a hot hand', which is to say that his oil paintings are incredible. His work references Old Master portraiture, which is a striking pairing with the visual distortion of his subject's facial features. You can follow this artist and his excellent work here.
Art by Christina Mrozik. (Someone please buy this for me).
~ Christina Mrozik ~ Are you sitting down? Because you might want to sit down when you look at this artist's GORGEOUS drawings and paintings. I am blown away by this Portland, Oregon-based artist's work, her beautiful pieces give me serious manual dexterity envy. Christina Mrozik's art depicts my very favorite subject matter with such tender and skillful draftsmanship, her work breaks my heart in the best way. You can follow the artist and her stunning work here.
