I typed another reply last night, but my keyboard batteries were crapping out and with multiple browser windows open, in my frustration I lost my post.

I checked out the "living artists" list. I thought the range of content was interesting: from fairly photographic (and to me, uninteresting) portraiture, through nostaligic mimicry of 19th century romantic themes, to more creative (and interesting) things.

Too bad about the missing etchings. ;-) My grandfather, Frank A. Nankivell, and his daughter (my father's half-sister, Edith) were artists whose first love was printmaking, though they both worked in oils, as well (oil portraiture was bread and butter for my grandfather, he also did illustration and cartooning, and printing for other artists).

My grandfather was working when Modernism reared its ugly head, and was tempted by the dark side: he was involved with the New York Armory exhibition of 1913. I'd call most of his work impressionistic, though. Here's a pre-Armory print, that was in the exhibition. Here's a painting that's almost certainly post-Armory (and that my family didn't know about until a curator contacted them for this recent show). I think it's great.

My aunt stuck to realism, though her paintings are somewhat impressionistic. She always considered herself a lesser talent. Here's a print of hers.

Of course, neither of them really drifted into modern abstract art, everything's representational.

For myself, lately I'm really into Andy Goldsworthy.   :-)

~ Becky in Tucson