Myriad by Yellena James

Cold-and-sopping-wet Tuesday greetings collectors! Brrr... Last week's warm signs of spring have sadly been replaced by heavy clouds and sheets of rain. Luckily for us, I have a flurry of fresh editions planned to enliven even the most drenched and sun-deprived souls, including a bonus edition on Thursday from a super-smartie who straddles the line between art and poetry. Tomorrow's double photography edition is sure to warm the coldest of hearts, at least a little bit.

But first, on this sodden second day of the week, I bring you Myriad by way of Portland, Oregon and Ms. Yellena James. This carefully rendered drawing speaks of H2O too, but welcomes water and its ability to make all things appear fluid and graceful (even les elephants!). Upon first sight, Yellena's works have a kinship to the effervescent paintings of 20x200 favorite: Jennifer Sanchez. Waving all about the page, her objects mimic microscopic organisms that flit unseen in an imaginary pink and blue world. What might be mollusks live harmoniously among seas of snaking vines. Yellena's close attention to detail in these co-existing entities also makes me think of Pattie Lee Becker and Jacob Magraw's wild, organic forms — entirely invented and flawlessly executed — evidence of both rich imaginations and sharply honed skills.

Yellena's drawings bring to mind a couple of other artists not (yet!) in the 20x200 fold. Their otherworldly-ness orbits in a galaxy where you might find the works of Rosemary Fiore and their exuberant swirls and whirls evoke the work of Beatriz Milhazes. To bring them both into the 20x200 universe would be quite the convergence of curvilinear cacophony, no?

While resting comfortably in the good company of these fine artists, Yellena's work is all her own, conjuring a life aquatic most favorable to the wet walk I faced today. No doubt a bright spot in an otherwise dismally dark day. But as I promised earlier, this is just the beginning of an art-packed week, which always makes things better, right? Till tomorrow, friends!