Reviews for Ta Byrne

PCM, United Kingdom

Review posted 6 Jun 2017

This is a tremendous work that would grace any municipal art gallery. Egg Lady presents us with a 50 x 60 cms oil on canvas. The subject is a female with a headscarf shown from the chest upwards. The most obvious and visually striking aspect of the work is that the lady’s face has been replaced entirely by a fried egg. Egg Lady certainly references the Surrealists, particularly the paintings of René Magritte, whose The Son of Man comes to mind, where a man’s face is obscured with an apple in much the same way as the lady’s face is replaced by a fried egg. The work also references Magritte’s The Man in the Bowler Hat, which sees the man’s face obscured by a white dove. The centrepiece of Egg Lady is the fried egg face of the subject, which is covered by a beautifully rendered blue-green, silk scarf deliciously covering the head and neck of the subject. The vivid orange-yellow yoke of the egg – which looks good enough to eat (it’s got to be free-range), dominates the right-hand side of the image, but is beautifully counter-balanced by the silk scarf, flowing like a flag unfurled into a stiff breeze, onto the left-hand side. The strong colouration of both scarf and face are reinforced by the off-white background framing both. The white of the egg serves two purposes. Firstly, its washed-out, off-white colours enhance the brilliant orange-yellow hues of the yoke. Secondly, a part of the egg white (together with two slips of fabric from the knot of the scarf), hang like appendages, skilfully connecting the lower and upper parts of the painting. Aside from the vivid egg yoke and scarf, the artist has muted all other colours in the work. However, with the use of strong triangular and rectangular shapes in the bottom half of the painting – where we find solid blocks of pale pink, brown and off-white, we discern she has provided a firm foundation on which the Egg Lady’s head, and indeed the entire work, comfortably and solidly rests. At first viewing, Egg Lady may come across as humorous, quirky, flippant or even clever. However, there may also be a deeper meaning in the work. The Egg Lady wants to be seen, but she does not want to reveal herself entirely. So, on a human level, Egg Lady is symbolic of the masks we wear, the devices we use to hide ourselves even as we reveal ourselves; to the world and to the judgement of others. In this context, Egg Lady may well be a unique self-portrait by a very talented artist.

Alan Chalkley, United Kingdom

Review posted 31 May 2017

This painting gives me great pleasure

Tiago Romeiras, Portugal

Review posted 13 May 2017

Beautiful artwork!

Phil Harding, United Kingdom

Review posted 3 May 2017

This is the first piece of artwork I have purchased. Communication with the artist was excellent, as was the delivery and packaging. All of my family were thrilled with the painting and it completely lived up to our expectations for how it would look in our home. Superb experience.

Sinisa Todorovic, United States

Review posted 13 Apr 2017

The Goddess is amazing, and we are so happy to have it! Suthamma was very kind to let us know all details about the delivery, so we were able to plan ahead to be at home when the painting arrived. The listing accuracy was great, and we like that the painting is even more vivid and vibrant than the online listing. We will be on a watch out for Suthamma's next master pieces.

Jude Robinson, United Kingdom

Review posted 10 Mar 2017

This a beautiful artwork and I am delighted with it. The colours are brighter and slightly different than on the website, but this is not a problem, just a comment. Ta was very helpful and kept me updated, and the order arrived at from Thailand at the same time as an order placed at the same time in the UK where I am based, so no delays at all.

Anita Quinto-Quirk, Australia

Review posted 7 Feb 2017

Lovely art work which was well protected during shipping. Ta has been so very helpful in her communications with me and I am very pleased with the art work purchased. Please feel comfortable in dealing with her!

An Artfinder user, Peru

Review posted 24 Jan 2017

Everything went fine and the painting is awesome.

PCM, United Kingdom

Review posted 4 Dec 2016

I don't want to talk about it' presents a relatively large 60 × 80 cms oil on canvas. The subject is a female nude in a sitting posture, facing right as we view the work. Her arms are drawn up defensively on both sides of her face - of which we can only see the forehead - and rest on her knees. Her hands clutch the back of her head, pressing down her hair. The right foot is not visible; the left foot appears to be tucked under the right leg. The composition is taut and self-contained, and the black outline around and through the figure lends the work a sense of brooding isolation. The same black outline echoes Picasso's 'Blue Nude' (1920) - with which 'I don't want to talk about it' has a particular resonance; both paintings show a nude female in a state of withdrawal; knees drawn up, face obscured; both figures dominate the canvas; both paintings evoke a sense of empathy; a personal understanding of what the subject may be experiencing. The influence of Picasso can also be seen in the Cubist/Primitivist style and execution of the work, which recalls his 'Dryad' and 'The Woman with the Fan' (both 1908). Reinforcing the Primitivist influences in ‘I don’t want to talk about it’, we again reference the dark outline of the work, which technique was very much in evidence in the creative genius of the Palaeolithic cave dwellers of Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain, between ten and twenty thousand years ago, and which primitive art also inspired other 19th Century artists such as Gauguin, Matisse, Derain, Rousseau and Larionov. There is some daring involved in the Expressionistic manner in which the artist has, metaphorically, thrown away the rule book with the colour composition. Whilst the subject is perfectly recognizable as a voluptuous woman, so-called 'normal' flesh tones have been replaced with the most delicate and varied pastel-like colours, which colours, in turn, have been carefully balanced by the judicious application of stronger blue and brown tones on the legs, feet, spine and upper back. By accentuating the buttocks of the subject, the artist has lent power to the work in both a visual and textural context; the subliminal message being: this is a woman of substance. Both the physical and emotional impact of the work is enhanced by the artist's use of a block of bright, blood-red on the lower right-hand side of the work, which, whilst not appearing to represent any particular part of the figure's anatomy, seems to be wrapped like a winding-cloth around the lower sections of the legs and feet. Doubtless, this anguished red represents the emotional heart of the work; the unrest the artist has so poignantly portrayed; and which unrest the figure is trying to deal with; perhaps to reconcile herself to. She does this by temporarily withdrawing from us, needing some time for thought, for silence, for healing, perhaps for forgiveness. As onlookers however, we can only speculate. Because we recognize ourselves in her, and in her all-too-human situation, we ask if we can we help; we offer counsel; we offer advice. But she replies with only silence. For now, at least, she doesn't want to talk about it.

PCM, United Kingdom

Review posted 13 Nov 2016

'Unforgettable' is my third purchase from the Thai artist, Ta Thimkaeo, one of Thailand’s finest exponents in the field of fine arts. Ta's art explores many styles, from Modernism through Impressionism, Expressionism and Cubism to the more traditional and homespun themes that reflect her immense pride in her native Thailand. Ta’s work is rapidly attracting a growing international audience, and with her more recent works – particularly her female nudes – it is clear that this multi-talented artist is in a league of her own, and is helping to put Thailand on the world map in terms of fine arts. ‘Unforgettable’ presents us with a voluptuous female nude in languorous repose; her back is towards the viewer, her right arm cradles her head, and her left arm extends across her stomach. The work is beautifully balanced and composed, with the figure placed diagonally across the canvas; top right to bottom left. She is then carefully positioned along an L-shape on the right side of the canvas, looking languidly into the blue/white rectangle that dominates the left side of the canvas - which itself is perfectly counterbalanced by a creamy triangle/rectangle immediately behind her. The brownish shadows beneath her body at the foot of the painting provide a perfect counterpoint to similar brownish hues framing her head. The complex colours that make up the subjects flesh and musculature are slightly subdued, (compared to some of the artist’s other colour work), but because they are concentrated in the woman's voluptuous figure, they are very powerful indeed. The artist has ingeniously placed a splash of blue on the woman’s elbow - which is also the centre of the canvas – and so the blue draws the eye almost unconsciously. ‘Unforgettable’ reminds me of 'Benefits Supervisor Sleeping' (1995), by Lucien Freud - but I like Ta Thimkaeo's colours more. The tone of ‘Unforgettable’ is beautifully considered, profoundly sympathetic, and deeply respectful and admiring of the female form - which this artist has clearly developed a talent for portraying in all its humble yet life-affirming glory.