Anelecia Brooks. She’s got to be one cool woman. I would like to meet her. Her paintings are so different, full of life, fun, and thought provoking all at the same time. Clearly this woman can paint anything. Her subject matter is so different… refreshing!
First Time I Saw Antonio Lopez Garcia by Anelecia Brooks 16×20″ Oil
No matter what she paints, it’s amazing! Look at this, it looks like you can reach right into the painting and turn on the water! Wow…
There is a great article about her in Fine Art Connoisseur, check it out! Read a bit about Anelecia, from her website, but it’s short – so also check out FAC article above!
Anelecia currently lives and paints by the sea in North Carolina and in the grey light of the Pacific Northwest, alongside her husband, artistCharles Philip Brooks.
Ben Aronson. I KNOW! Just look how beautiful this painting is! How the pretty lady so elegantly holds the saucer, the sun glowing on her blond hair, the dark background, and the wonderful shadows. You can feel that she is deep in thought. Just look at all the color in the cup of coffee, fabulous!
Ben paints figures (mostly of his wife, Eileen), cityscapes, a series on Wall Street and more. His website is spectacular, so I urge you to check it out.
Orchids by Ben Aronson
Another wonderful painting by Ben, Orchids – so simple, so elegant, so beautiful!
Ben Aronson’s painterly urban landscapes combine photorealistic accuracy with gestural immediacy, portraying a world populated by urbane figures. Although the settings are more luxurious than Edward Hopper’s stark interiors, the figures often exude a similar sense of vulnerability, as in the solitary woman lost in contemplation in The Recollection (2008). Click Here to continue reading…
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mother’s out there – Mom’s are the best, aren’t they?
Thinking of all of you who no longer have their mom here on earth. This is a day of memories and cannot be easy for sure.
Also thinking of those of you who are expecting, I’m sure these are exciting times, know you are blessed!
I am so thankful for my mom, she’s the best – she’s funny, smart and cool! If I were a mom, I would be just like her ;)
Also thankful for Fred’s mom, she’s such a wonderful lady, so sweet!!
Best wishes for health and happiness!
The painting above was done by Pamela Gatens. Pamela’s work is so happy! Thank you Pamela for sharing the Featured Artist post with Mother’s Day!
Read a bit about Pamela from her website, and check out her work!
I paint nearly every day, and when not painting, I am gazing, studying or dreaming about it. Painting on canvas is all about color, freedom and problem solving. I thoroughly enjoy the abstract structure of all paintings. To me, the beginning structure is the most exciting part. No other activity gives the fulfillment that painting does.
Working in acrylic and watercolor, Pamela is a prolific painter and entertaining teacher. She is also a Signature Member of the West Virginia Watercolor Society. She sells her work at The Greenbrier Hotel & Resort, online with Carleton Varney, and at Tamarack in Beckley, WV. Her line of cat and floral cards have been best sellers for years. Pamela lives in Hillsboro, WV with her husband Pat, dog Barker, and cats Pokey and Mack.
Visit my blog often to see more of my newest paintings.
Coming Out of the Woods by Sandra Flood 10×10 Oil – Sold
Sandra Flood. Very different, her work stands out. Check out her website! I love her Greyhound paintings! Sandra has a blog and she also has a spectacular book! Check it out!
Sandra’s work was part of an exhibit at the Robert Lange Gallery called TEN, celebrating a decade in Charleston. A few of Sandra’s pieces sold, and more may be on the way, so be on the lookout if you’re in Charleston, SC!
Lizzy’s Head in the Clouds by Sandra Flood 12×12 Oil
Another stunning piece by Sandra, love her titles!
Sandra Flood, is a full-time, self taught oil painter who’s work has been received with enormous popularity over recent years. Her work is primarily figurative, imbued with subtle yet compelling emotion. She greatly admires a wide range of both contemporary and historic masters- notably: Egon Schiele; Lucian Freud; Degas; Motherwell; Whistler; and Antonio Lopez-Garcia. Without exception, even her most recent works reside in private collections in Zurich, Hong Kong, Greenwich, Manhattan, Princeton, Philadelphia and Chicago. Sandra lives in a 140 yr old house in Frenchtown NJ, on the Delaware River with her husband and three dogs.
Images via SandraFlood.Artspan.com, used with permission…
Holly Ready, a Maine artist who captures the views so well! Look at the color of that water, spectacular! The wispy clouds, the breaking surf, and high crashing waves. Very nice!
Ferry Beach Sunset by Holly Ready
I have seen some of the most spectacular sunsets while in Maine, and Holly captures that so well…
Read a bit about Holly, from her website, and take this opportunity to check out the rest of her work:
From early childhood, I was influenced by the artists in my family. To this day, when I walk into a studio and smell the aroma of turpentine and a freshly painted surface, I feel that I have returned “home.”
Living on the Maine seacoast, with its abstract shapes and constantly changing light and reflections, provides a continuous source of inspiration. The surfaces of water, land, and sky are incredibly diverse, and the diffusion and intensity of light in each are unique. Hour by hour, day by day, season by season, the light constantly changes.
Light and color are my avenues for involving the viewer and instilling a lasting impression. I want color to convey the inner experience, to transcend the viewer. My palette holds the colors that I’m seeing, the colors that I’m feeling, and the relationship between them.
My work reflects the emotions felt while painting each piece. The layering and building of paint enable me to get beneath the surface and create the depth and luminosity that I crave in paintings. From the very first time I apply a stroke of paint to a blank surface, the interaction between the painting and my paintbrush becomes a dance of intuitive experiences.
Although my work is strongly influenced by changing light, I’m constantly exploring different formats and compositions to further enhance the moment felt. I hope that I never feel too comfortable with the medium or the process. I strive to be constantly challenged and growing with my art.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust
All images via HollyReady.com, used with permission…
Paul Wright is an amazing artist from England. I featured Paul a while back, but I haven’t featured his interiors and WOW, are they amazing or what?I think they exude such style, color and even movement. Stunning!
Yellow Door by Paul Wright
Now THAT’S a yellow door! Just look at that fabulous chair, the color of the room, the walls, again… that wonderful movement, the bits of splattered paint – WOW. I am a huge fan of Paul’s work!
I have spent the last 15 years developing a painterly language through which I seek to capture a vitality beyond the establishment of a mere ‘likeness’ to the subject. Whilst I appreciate the importance of the subject being recognisable, they are glimpsed rather than exposed, their inner selves hinted at but ultimately inscrutable.
Though I often work on a large, potentially imposing scale, the work remains immediate through fluency of brush mark and a rich palette. The spaces the subjects inhabit are often indeterminate, providing an atmosphere that allows for ambiguity of psychological state. The subjects retain their integrity and yet a sense of intimacy is evoked.
Frank Bruckmann is a fabulous artist who I wrote about years ago… a fascinating story, if you get a chance, check it out. Frank is an artist who spent time with his family on Monhegan. It’s a wonderful story for sure!
Looking through Frank’s paintings I absolutely love the paintings from his “Breaking Bread” series. Wonderful, intimate dinners between friends/family. They evoke so much feeling and breath life! Wonderful! You must check them out!
WORKSHOP ALERT: If you’re going to be in the Monhegan Island area June 6-13, 2015, as I write this there are TWO SPOTS left in Frank’s workshop. It sounds heavenly! Check it out!
Frank began his studies at the DuCret school of Art in New Jersey, and then took classes at the Art Students League in NYC. In Paris he sketched at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and spent 8 years in France and Spain, copying the masters in the great museums like the Lourve and the Prado, and painting plein air landscapes in the cities and countryside.
Now a resident of New Haven, CT, Frank has found endless subject matter for landscapes in New England, but periodically packs his easel and travels farther and wider in his VW camper. To continue reading, click HERE.
Cynthia Britain has a cool style. I enjoyed looking through her website! Fabulous paintings with wonderful light, shadow and contrast, which I think is so important!
Are you looking to take a workshop this year? Check out Cynthia’s WORKSHOP schedule!
“My intent is to express the intrinsic truth and beauty of my subject. To reveal the power or presence of spirit in a place or person. I am inspired by what I feel and by what I see…They reflect one another.”
Cynthia’s favorite activities are twofold – painting and spending time in nature. It is the combination of these two passions that have resulted in her becoming an award winning plein air painter. “I can’t imagine a more gratifying experience than painting outdoors while listening to the birds sing and feeling the sun on my face.”
While majorning in fine art at Fullerton College, Cynthia was introduced tot he Impressionist painters. She continued her studies at UCLA and Putney College of Art in England. Both the French Impressionists and the early California Impressionists deeply influenced the direction and concentration of her work.
Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Yucatan Peninsula area all locales where she has enjoyed painting, but California holds a special place in her heart. “Future generations will not thave the experience of this quickly disappearing natural landscape. I aspire to create a permanent repository of these unique places in my paintings.”
Cynthia Britain’s work has been shown at The Laguna Art Museum, The Orange County Museum of Art, and the San Diego Museum of Art, where she was awarded a Gold Medal. Her work is shown in a corporate and private collections throughout the world.
Have you seen Anne Ward’s paintings? I love them! They’re all so wonderful, happy and full of those fabulous brush strokes! Anne also has an interesting blog, filled with images of her paintings! What a treat!
Anne was chosen as one of 17 artists to participate in the Paso Artfest – an event that’s coming up May 21, 2015 in central California, that raises a percentage of money for arts in schools (this is a cause near and dear to Anne’s heart). Check out that link for more info!
Here is one of the paintings of Anne’s that will be available:
End of Summer by Anne Ward Image: PASO Artfest
This painting is the epitome of summer, isn’t it? Those cool chairs, the pretty tablecloth, the beautiful flowers, that fabulous sunlight and those shadows!!
Read a bit about Anne, from her website, also check out Anne’s blog!:
Anne Ward is dedicated to painting with the intention of capturing quiet spaces and the light that envelopes them. She decided to pursue painting after working for writer/director Lawrence Kasdan on several films. It was while living in France that Anne discovered the thrill of painting outdoors with an easel and returned home fully devoted to the pursuit of painting. Though primarily self taught, she has also studied with painters Joseph Mendez and Daniel Pinkham. Anne is an Artist Member of the California Art Club and the Oil Painters of America. Her paintings reside in many private collections. She lives and paints in Los Angeles with her husband author/painter Ian Roberts.
Artist statement: For my last several solo shows, I have been inspired by the transitional and transformative nature of light. I often title the paintings based on the specific time of day they were painted. I’m endlessly curious about light, pattern and color. It fascinates me beyond words. Many of the small still life paintings are created in my kitchen in the quiet time before dawn often using fruits and vegetables which we have grown in our garden. I find that painting in this early morning window of time, before my children and the city are awake, reconnects me to a reservoir of stillness and fosters an appreciation for nature.
Striking paintings by Lisa Egeli, aren’t they? I like how the subject is close up in For Love and Money, and those colors… very nice! That water is fabulous! Love the sun coming through the sail as well!
When One Door Closes by Lisa Egeli
Isn’t this painting just so peaceful? Can you feel your shoulders drop slightly instead of being hiked up around your ears? I would like to be sitting at this very spot listening to the slight ripple in the water while watching the moon. Lovely!
Artist Lisa Egeli has been described as “a meticulous connoisseur of nature”. Her portraits and landscapes, in oil and pastel, have been featured in many exhibits and permanent collections since her professional career was launched in 1988, when she graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago.
Her life as a painter, however, began long before, growing up a third generation artist in a family of artists, and learning her earliest skills from her father, portrait and maritime painter Peter Egeli. Her early training led her to a series of commissioned portraits and paintings of private homes, and then on to her formal art training in Chicago, to continue developing her gift for representational art in diverse media.
Since then Lisa’s work has taken her all over the world, in pursuit of landscapes. In 1991 she set out on a nine month painting tour that took her to Europe, Southeast Asia, China, and New Zealand. “Views From Around the World,” an exhibition of documentary drawings and paintings, opened on her return. Her work has been recognized in a variety of regional and national exhibitions, including shows with Oil Painters of America, American Society of Marine Artists, Art for the Parks, and Paint America. In 1998, Lisa traveled to Alaska to paint and sketch in preparation for her 1999 exhibit, “Nature’s Moods,” and in 2001 she made two painting trips to Italy. The State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources selected her for their Artist’s Residencies on both Sapelo and Ossabaw Islands in 2003. Lisa was selected to participate in the plein air painting events “Paint Annapolis” in 2005, 2008 and 2009, “Telluride Plein Air” in 2008, and “Plein Air Easton” in 2006 through 2009. A solo show in Baltimore in 2007 exhibited paintings from travels in east Africa, the Everglades of Florida, and her home state of Maryland.
Lisa is a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists and a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. Other memberships include Oil Painters of America and Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association. “Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine” featured Lisa as one of “Today’s Masters” in the September/October 2009 issue.
Lisa continues to paint portraits and landscapes for a wide range of clients, working from her studio at home in southern Maryland most of the year and in south Florida (at Miami’s Art Center South Florida) in the winter. Her goal, whether portraying the wilds of Alaska, the endangered mountain gorillas of Uganda, or the haunting marshes of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is to capture a sense of place, and also capture that combination of awe and intimacy that is the essence of an encounter with nature.
Lisa Egeli lives by the shores of the Chesapeake Bay for most of the year and in south Florida for the winter.
Low Tide Morning has such great movement, doesn’t it? Faye has nailed the color of the water. That’s one thing that will stand out to me quickly… if the color of the water is off. Water is different in color and clarity depending upon where you are. This is gorgeous! Faye said on her website that she painted this at Mariposa Beach, which is close to her house. She painted it plein air and finished it in about two hours before the tide came in and submerged her subject.
Painting is my passion, and I have always dreamed of pursuing a life in the arts. From a young age, my dad, also an artist, taught me the joys of painting. Since childhood I have been surrounded by amazing art and inspiring artists.
Originally from New Mexico, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. I then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to chase adventure and explore whatever creative avenues I could. From Art Gallery Management and Sales to Commercial and Fine Art commissions, I have experienced many creative and business opportunities within the art world. As a professional artist for over 15 years, it has been a great experience working with companies like Disney and Universal Studios. Working for Disney brought me to Southern California, where I now live.
I recently launched Fay Wyles Fine Art to pursue my lifelong dream. My love of surfing, experiencing the outdoors and traveling is what fuels my passion and inspiration for art. As a full time artist, I now live my dream every day.
Oooh! Dramatic, intense, FABULOUS color. Laguna Canyon – California is a wonderful piece at a super wonderful price ($120, if it’s still available)! Check out Kevin’s Etsy shop, you’ll be amazed at the work that’s available and very affordable! This oil painting almost looks like a mixture of pastel and oil to me. I love the texture and the many colors showing through!
The Laundry Scene by Kevin Inman
I thought this would be a great piece for a cool laundry room, The Laundry Scene. This was painted at the Suds O Fun, ha ha… with the paintings come a little blip about it. This is a watercolor ($50 if still available)!
Cannon Beach View by Michael Orwick 30x40x2 Oil on Canvas
Michael Orwick. Beautiful painting! What else can you say? Stunning with the dark trees against that beautiful background. Everything about this painting is appealing. You see the sharpness of the detail that is up close and you can feel the distance. There is some wonderful light going on! Michael’s paintings are fabulous, and it wasn’t easy to choose just one!
Michael has some workshops coming up this year, so be sure to check them out!
Growing up in the Oregon Cascades and the Willamette Valley, nature and the landscape have had a profound impact on Michael Orwick. He has always been inspired by the ability of landscapes to tell stories.
Michael’s career in art started in animation at Will Vinton Studios and moved quickly into illustration, where he enjoyed bringing the ideas of others to life. As is true for many creative people, Michael was drawn to develop his own signature style of “Inspired Expressionism,” painting his ideas on canvas and inviting the viewer to provide the narrative.
Orwick is a master of creating mood through atmosphere and color, utilizing space, a sense of place, and time of day to convey his vision. His work hints at a story and it is what he leaves untold that that engages the viewer in the creative process of storytelling. He often hears that people feel as if they have “seen this place before”.
Orwick’s paintings offer the chance to return and explore a special place that lingers in memory and imagination.
Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist. —Magritte
Michael Orwick, at his best melds pictorial storytelling with a hauntingly familiar world. He creates compelling views of our world that move beyond time and place – full environments for your mind to explore, your senses to imagine.
— Mari Rockett, Curator, DragonFire Gallery, Canon Beach, Oregon
Artist Statement …
There is a reason we are drawn toward beauty. It is the language of God and nature. Nothing more provocative than beauty — it inspires deep reflection and motivates me to create.
I blend from a primary color palette, painting wet into wet and with layers, to both reveal and hide what lies behind; in this way I entice you into the painting. I love it when people share the feeling and stories my paintings evoke. It is my sincere wish that you will want to revisit these beautiful locations and painterly stories again and again.
Spanish Colonial House by Mark Kerckhoff 12×16″ Oil on Panel
Mark Kerckhoff. Mark’s paintings are fabulous! He stops painting before the painting is tight and has every little detail included. His use of color is AHmazing! Just look at the light in the painting! That wee bit of color, the orange and red, just a dab here and there, stunning against that gorgeous blue, sky with those fabulous fluffy clouds. Nice!
Sunny Day at the Beach by Mark Kerckhoff 9×12″ Oil on Panel
Another great painting with a bit more looseness which I really love! The colors SING. Yep, they sing… a perfect harmony of color, feeling of movement, composition, and it’s just a great example of a nice painting!
Read a blip about Mark – from his website:
Mark Kerckhoff was born in Covina, California in 1959 and studied painting and drawing at California State University Long Beach. Mark was deeply influenced by his teachers – hyper realist painter Nicolas Boscovich, and figure drawer John Lincoln. Mark is a self-taught landscape painter. The base of his interest in landscape painting stems from growing up in rural Los Angeles County raising Cochin bantams and other exotic birds in his suburban backyard. Many of Mark’s early drawings were of his birds. Mark also enjoyed exploring the Sycamore-lined gullies near his home and riding horseback through the South Hills, observing the beauty of nature and its peaceful solitude. These early childhood memories continue to be a presence in his paintings. Mark rarely paints with companions, preferring the solitude of remote areas far from the maddening crowd and critic. Inspired by old and modern masters, Mark executes paintings that embrace his love of color, high aesthetics and craftsmanship. Mark’s favorite quote is by John Ruskin the great Victorian art critic, “All great schools enforce delicacy of drawing and subtlety of sight: as of yet, found without exception respecting art is that all great art is delicate”.
Linda Christensen has a style all her own. She paints (mostly) women, her colors, brush strokes and choice of subject is always interesting and fresh. I urge you to scroll through and see these amazing paintings! In this painting “Tea” it’s clearly a woman drinking her tea, but you can tell by the way she’s holding it with both hands that she’s savoring it. You can tell by her body language that she isn’t in a rush, she is enjoying it. With the nice warm sunlight streaming in the window this is a fabulous place to be. Neat how she continued the pattern on the floor onto the woman. Those few strokes that make up the sink are brilliant!
I continue to explore the figure and am looking more consciously at the reasons for doing so. I enjoy working on composition whilst creating obstacles for myself – this challenges me to select different solutions to familiar situations.
Sometimes throwing something onto the canvas that has little immediate connection to the current idea opens up a new awareness. I strive to keep myself interested in the process and therefore a challenge is welcome. Reworking my palette and exploring new color combinations is helping me to question the reason for selecting specific colors.
I like the challenge in my awareness of what isn’t happening, what isn’t being used, what isn’t being said and why, these are some of the obstacles I set myself.
Honesty about myself is a crucial factor in my paintings. My overall desire is to emit emotion through the paint, the line, the contrasts and composition. Redundancy is the enemy. I want to keep things interesting and with a hint of danger. Danger in the desire to obscure what is already there and what might be a beautiful passage in the painting. Courage to continue growing and recognizing my need for emotional movement is paramount.
ARTFOODHOME.COM 