Paper Mache on the Wild Side

For most of us, paper mâché represents that embarrassing crime against the art establishment that somehow managed to sneak into our school curriculum. Paper mache is not smooth and sexy, like clay, nor mind-blowingly arresting like oil-paintings. But in the hands of the professionals or perhaps a dedicated amateur, you could be surprised at the results. Meet surprisingly realistic dogs or engaging cat families. Auto-biographical trophies, and jaw-dropping masks. A delightful carousel horse. A stylish collection of bunnies. Quirky white mice. The sheer versatility of the art featured in this group and the fun spaces they populate is mind-blowing and inspiring.

Members: 50.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

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Collages

The Art Portal

Collages

Before photoshop and AI, there was the collage. A humbler and more honest method of adapting and combining different and sometimes conflicting elements into something new. A successful work is something that blends seamlessly to become a world wholly its own. Artists share their techniques and even how they went about sourcing different components of their work, or tell stories about the inspirations behind their masterpieces. The layering adds texture and depth. From bold splashes of color to gently harmonious attempts at visual storytelling. The beauty of the collage is that it seems so accessible. It's a discipline where you add and add and add until the picture seems complete. It is visually rich and vibrant. And fun too. Don't forget that. Look at these images for long enough and you'll start looking for a scissors and something to cut up.

Members: 149.5k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None.

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The Art Portal

Rock Mandalas

I AM AN ARTIST

Paul Klee

The diverse and highly individual work of the Swiss-German artist Paul Klee serves not only as a testament for his creativity, but also hint at a vast internal landscape populated in equal measure with expressions of his intellectual musings and moments of mischief. Unafraid of experimenting in different genres, media and indeed art movements, he had a life-long, passionate love affair with color that informed many of the 9,000 works of art he left behind. As did an early education in music and a deep interest in literature. His epitaph speaks of the sense of wit and whimsy that characterized his very being: "I cannot be grasped in the here and now, for my place is as much among the dead as the yet unborn. Slightly closer to the heart of creation than usual, but still not close enough." This Facebook group share works that are beguiling in their simplicity, or subtle and complex in their shifting palettes. There are also posts that focus on his lesser-known creations, his writings and his more unusual inspirations. 

Members: 137.6k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Mild nudity.

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Photo Credit: Wiki Commons

Susan Seddon Boulet

 Born of ex-pat British parents in Brazil, Susan Seddon Boulet brought a rich fusion of influences and inspirations to her art. Her early paintings are infused with a warm light that embodies the whimsy of exploration. Interacting with the divine, through all its incarnations and the disguises it wears. Later paintings shifted to the dubious denizens of the underworld as the artist struggled with her own mortality, but also included the promise of rebirth as personified by mythic figures such as Pegasus, born from the demise of the monstrous (and tragic) maiden Medusa. Compositions are dynamic and shimmer with strong emotional engagement. This Facebook Group shares and celebrates the uniqueness of her art. 

Members: 3.6k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None

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Pen and Ink Drawings

There is something relentless and unforgiving about the use of line in art. Lines are not soft, although they can soften, given the right degree of contact. Lines can be precise, delicate or severe, but a gentle wash of ink can modify. These are my thoughts as I am admiring the skill and character of each of the studies posted in this Facebook group. Ink can be used for quick impressions, or to execute detailed portrait or landscape studies. There are even startlingly well rendered subjects done in nothing other than blue ballpoint pens. While the vast majority of works are of landscapes or cities, there are also still lifes, portraits, and even imagined imagery. 

Members: 12.3k, at the time of writing

Trigger warnings: None

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The Art Portal

 There is a lot of whimsy and wonder at The Art Portal facebook group and it is obvious that inspiration comes from a wide range of sources - from the naive Georgian folk style of Zurab Martiashvili to the stylized landscapes of G. C. Myers, the unusually soulful cat characters of Anatoly Yaryshkin and the exotic fairy tale worlds of Warwick Goble and Josephine Wall. Artists featured include a famous name here and there such as Van Gogh or Goya, or pre-Raphaelite master John William Waterhouse, but also works in spectacular works in progress from contemporary artists. Although paintings pre-dominate, there are interesting works in other media - for example the walnut face sculptures of Kirk Roda. My brief exploration here made truly realize that art is the gift that opens the window onto a thousand worlds or more. 

Members: 374.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: Occasional nudity (come on, this is art!)

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A CELEBRATION OF FEMALE ARTISTS

 According to one of the founding members, this group was created to offer a platform to showcase rare and forgotten art by pioneering female creatives and the spectrum of styles and disciplines shown includes sculpture, ceramics, digital art, photography, textile art, and mixed media, as well as more traditional paintings. Featured artists include historic painters such as Artemisia Gentileschi, and well known names such as Dora Maas and Freda Kahlo. I particularly enjoyed the jaw-droppingly realistic portraits by contemporary British artist Isabelle Watling.

Members: 137.5k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: Nudes.

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Andrew Newell Wyeth

The Pennsylvania based American visual artist Andrew Newell Wyeth came from a family of talented artists. His father was the prolific artist and illustrator Newell Convers Wyeth and two of his sisters also painted. Andrew began to draw almost before he could write and saw his first one-man exhibition at the tender age of only 20. In a career that spanned many decades, his dedication to his craft won him much popular support, culminating in being awarded the National Medal of Arts by George W Bush in 2007. One painting, Day Dream, went on to sell for over $23 million at Christies. He died in 2009. This Facebook Group dedicated to the art of Andrew Newell Wyeth, showcases the honest simplicity and quiet charm of his work. 

Members 8.6k, at the time of writing. 

Trigger Warnings: None

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