English painter Mary Jane Ansell creates work that both subverts gender roles and pays homage to the history of portraiture. In a new show at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, “Of Dreams, Birds and Bones,” she offers a series of paintings that evolves these ideas. The show kicks of June 10 and lasts through July 8. Ansell was last featured on cctvta.com here.
“With a love of intriguing narratives and in catching a contained but dramatic moment, Mary Jane’s work draws influences from a multitude of inspirations, from classical portraiture to the world of haute couture and with an appreciation for a refined technique that invokes the past but with a resolutely modern viewpoint,” the artist’s statement says.
The artist’s work has adorned magazine covers and books. Among them are “The Gilly Salt Sisters” by Tiffany Baker and the below issue of American Art Collector Magazine. A piece of hers is featured on the Adam Ant record “Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter.”
Zhiyong Jing says he paints "dreams, bodies and absurd realities." The Beijing-based artist takes a surprising approach to scale in his work, often rendering distant figures on small canvases. The effect is cinematic, further underscored by the artist’s occasional use of pop culture references and characters.
The vulnerable, fantastical oil paintings of 
Dave Pollot revitalizes thrift store paintings with surreal or pop culture-centered flourishes. The artist recently painted giant banana duct taped to an existing mountainous backdrop for a piece auctioned for charity. The reason: Pollot says these conversations “can happen while people have little or nothing to eat."
Figurative painter