Don Stone. Amazing artist. Gifted in his ability to paint what he truly loves. Most of the paintings that I am familiar with are paintings of Monhegan. They are just breathtaking. Setting on the Backside (above) is one of those paintings. This painting is available at his gallery in Exeter, NH. My husband and I have visited him at his studio on Monhegan several times and I cannot tell you what a treat it is to see work that is so very stunning. I can stand in his beautiful studio forever just looking at his paintings. If you ever get the chance… don’t miss it!

There is still time to catch Don’s show at Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery – it should be hanging until November 25, 2014! If you’re in the Portland, Maine area, don’t miss it!

Read a bit about Don from his website:

Internationally known modern impressionist painter, Don Stone, has been elected to full membership in the National Academy of Design, the American Watercolor Society (Dolphin Fellow), American Society of Marine Artists (Fellow), Salmagundi Club (Honorary Member), and the New England Watercolor Society (Lifetime Honorary Member).

In addition, Stone is a member of the Guild of Boston Artists, Allied Artists of America, the Hudson Valley Art Association, the Rockport Art Association (Lifetime Member), the North Shore Art Association and a number of smaller regional art associations with whom he has exhibited over the years. His work has been exhibited in various public museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Museum of Mobile, Alabama, and the Canton Art Institute, Canton, Ohio. He has won numerous awards, including two Greenshields Foundation Grants .and most recently First Prize in Juried Shows at both the Rockport Art Association and the North Shore Art Association.

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Scott W. Prior.  Life is full of happy surprises! One being Scott W. Prior! What amazing work! I recently contacted Scott to see if I could feature him and use an image… I did feature Scott Prior, BUT the wrong Scott Prior (ugh) – he sent me a nice message, and let me know there was another Scott Prior on the east coast (the one I featured). Ugh! When I went to Scott W. Prior’s website… WOOHOO… HAPPY SURPRISE! He is awesome! Scott’s paintings have a clear crispness to them. So nice! Scott Prior is clearly an artists name! Both are amazing!

St Marys Garden View (above) won Best in Show – 15th Annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational (2013) – pretty amazing!

I love great titles on paintings. You know, the creative ones that make you smile. This did just that. Gamblin, for those of you who aren’t artists, is a brand of paint. “Gamblin Man” is a brilliant title!

Read a bit about Scott from his website:

Scott W. Prior is an award winning oil painter and Southern California native.  He received his BFA from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA where he studied under the exceptional artists Craig Nelson, Bill Maughan and Hui Han Lui. During his time at the Academy of Art Scott established his skills in design, drawing and painting, giving him a solid foundation with which to develop his own unique, artistic style.  Scott draws inspiration from the beauty in ordinary, everyday scenes.

All images via ScottWPrior.com, used with permission…

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Lynne Lockhart. Wow, she really understands animals. Her paintings are amazing, but I’m drawn to the animals, especially the dogs, they all have such personality. Just look at Coco above, I would think she is likely wanting something… a treat perhaps? I love that face and the orange in the shadow, brilliant!

Read a bit about Lynne from her website:

Painting is a visual language and so is much of the language of animals. The quiet observation of the natural world, both wild and tame provides endless painting possibilities. No matter the subject, the application of paint to canvas is the easy part. Understanding anatomy, the nature of light and knowing your materials are only some of the variables one gets to juggle. However, the real challenge for me is the interpretation of what I see. That is the translation from subject to canvas. It is this translation through the artist that makes the difference in painters. Our facts may be the same but our truths are different.

Lynne Lockhart is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists. She lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with 2 mutts and her husband, painter Kirk McBride. They all go exploring together.

Image via Lockhartpainter.com – used with permission…

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Sally Linder. She paints fascinating subject matter. Sally’s subject matter makes you think. When you read her words and see her paintings you truly want to help the cause and help the world become a better place. Not just in the area where you live, but in all of the world… Sally travels far and wide and really knows about what she paints.

Sally is an amazing person as well as a deeply connected artist. Deeply connected in saving the world and making it a better place for all of us. We need more Sally’s in the world! This is just one of many wonderful paintings. Be sure to check out her website! This painting is in the “Approaching a Threshold Series”.

In Sally’s words:

Many of the legends of the polar north, as told by the Inuit elders, speak of the spirits of the great white bear and man as being interchangeable.  For in the telling, when the polar bears enter their dens they shed their hides and become men, and only upon returning to the frigid outdoors do they don their furs once again.

Read a blip about Sally, from her website:

Born in the United States, I was educated in the US and Canada. A strong foundation in drawing enables me to move seamlessly between representation and abstraction, determined by my subject’s desire to be recognized or left to the imagination. Inspired by Earth’s beauty and the social and political issues that confront humankind, each of my artistic endeavors has sprung from a deep commitment to Earth and all living beings. This love of life with its contrast and balance of agonies and ecstasies prompts both activism and playfulness in my work. The paintings chronicle a quest for a better and more conscience driven world and my passion becomes their purpose and content.

Painting in series provides the opportunity to be immersed in each subject’s distinct, emotive language conveyed through choice of color, form, and mark. Particularly in the more representational work, this immersion is linked to considerable research for each series involving historical, scientific and spiritual elements. It is from this deepening well that the layers of paint emerge on the canvas, paper or drafting film.  The images that are inspired become symbols of a compassionate, participatory commitment to life. This vision provides us with the opportunity to turn around so that we may know who the others are and our connection to them. So evolves an intimate partnership between artist, subject, canvas, and viewer.

I have exhibited worldwide in Bangalore, India, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Jakarta, Indonesia, throughout the United States, Yaounde, Cameron, and Johannesburg, South Africa. I am the recipient of national and international awards including from the International Music and Art Foundation in Liechtenstein, the National Endowment for the Arts/Vermont Arts Council, the Philanthropic Collaborative in New York, and the Board of Governors’ Medal from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. My work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Yes!, the National Geographic Magazine, Art New England, The Best of Acrylic Painting, and Femina Magazine. Speaking engagements have included the United Nations, the Earth Charter’s venues at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, Brown University, the International Women’s Conference in Bangalore, India, Middlebury College, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

All images via SallyLinder.com, used with permission…

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John Matthew Moore. Stunning work. So intricate and detailed. Stunning and just so beautiful! Fred and I met Moore on Monhegan (Maine) many years – such a nice guy. (The group we meet on Monhegan every year has become a treasured tradition… one that we look forward to from the moment we step off the island… see you soon Jennifer, Hank, Ruth, Jimmie, Matthew, Frank, Sally & Bob… the list goes on and we add to it each year, I love that!). We’ve met many artists on Monhegan… I write their names down and when I get home so that I can check out their work… and when I ran across John work… W O W ! Stunning. Such intricate detail. Elegant and classy. Elaborate and well thought out. Each painting is a treat for your eyes! Check out John’s Facebook page for even more work as well as upcoming Designer Show Homes that his work is featured in!

This double orchid is beyond gorgeous. Just look at the light in this piece – whew, takes my breath away! Such luscious greens, I have no idea how he does it! BUT, I’m glad he does!

Atlanta Designer Danielle Rollins did a spotlight feature about John and his work on her website – it’s a must read! Gorgeous paintings! Great write up!

Read a bit about John from his website:

John Matthew Moore is a botanical artist with a fresh approach to this well know genre. Moore’s medium of choice is the velvety, chalk enriched watercolour known as gouache, with which he excels in the mastery of colour and attention to detail.  The opaque pigments of gouache enable Moore to achieve stunning effects ranging from light shining through petals to the deep, dark, rich tones of his red tulips.

Although the inspiration for his works is drawn from 17th and 18th century botanical and classical works of art, Moore’s own vision is evident.  His paintings are larger than life, seeming to explode off of the page while maintaining their scientific integrity, resulting in a photo-realistic effect.

Moore’s paintings are displayed in many prominent international private and public collections due to representation in London, Beverly Hills, New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. In addition, his works have been placed in prestigious show homes including Southern Accents 2000 Capital Design House in Washington, DC (Barry Dixon, designer), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Design House, (Franya Waide, designer) and the 2008 Holiday Show House in New York City, (Kelly Proxmire, designer) to name a few.

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Shaun Downey. An amazing artist from Canada. His paintings draw you in. Just look at the classy elegance of Into the Distance. I wonder what she’s looking at? Is she waiting for her date to arrive? Is that him far in the distance? I love possibilities… and stories, all told through a painting without saying a single word. Very. Cool. Check out more of Shaun’s work, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s quite amazing!

A bit about Shaun from Galerie de Bellefeville’s website (in Montreal, Quebec (Canada))

As outside viewers, we find ourselves longing to understand who Shaun Downey’s subjects are. What their lives are like, and which chain of events led them to the exact moment the artist has captured. His meticulously rendered paintings call out to be understood, but we the viewer are left to make our own assumptions.

Shaun Downey strives to breathe fresh life into realist painting by combining classical ideals within the context of his own life and surroundings. His paintings have elements of decades past, but are firmly grounded in present day. Often painting his wife and friends within the confines of his home, we are allowed a voyeuristic glance into his world as he reveals his efforts to capture the fleeting beauty of modern life.

Image via ShaunDowney.com, used with permission…

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Terry Miura. Wow. Scrolling through paintings posted on Facebook by various artists I love it when a painting jumps out at me. And *POW* This one… jumped! Incredible in every way, including the title. This painting tells a story, which I love!

Without clearly seeing her face, you can feel that this woman is clearly having second thoughts about something? What could it be? Perhaps she shouldn’t meet that young man she was introduced to earlier like she told him she would? Maybe she should cancel her dessert order, the cheesecake sounded good, but can she live with herself if she eats it?? Should she have said YES to that job offer in a different state? Or should she just stay here where its comfortable?  So many stories run through my mind! I love paintings that draw you in, make you think…

If you’re an artist looking for a workshop, Terry has several coming up, check them out! Also you might want to take a peek at Terry’s blog, full of great info!

Terry is one amazing artist, here is a bit about him from his website:

(b.1964) After graduating from Art Center College of Design in 1990, Terry Miura headed out to New York City to pay his dues. He began his career as a freelance illustrator, creating imagery for such clients as Time, Newsweek, Rollingstone, and Sports Illustrated, to name a few.​

In between illustration assignments he painted and exhibited cityscapes, and continued his transition to becoming a full time painter after returning to the West Coast in 1996.​

Miura’s evocative tonalist landscapes explore the relationship between memory, emotions, and identity. “Although they’re still very much representational,” says Miura, “they’re not about specific locations. Well, actually they are, but the locations are found in my and the viewer’s memories. Not out there in the physical world. “​

With atmosphere, mood, and abstraction as driving characteristics of his work, Miura has, more recently been revisiting the complexities of the cityscape as a major part of his repertoire. Urban Aria, his latest solo exhibition at Thomas Reynolds Gallery in San Francisco, illustrates his mastery in this genre.​

Emotion and abstraction carries over to his figurative works. It is in this genre that Miura finds most personal expression; “In painting the figure, I allow myself to get lost in the process and take more risks. Only by deconstructing the representational and the objective, am I able to tap into the more subconscious, intuitive voice which for me, is at once mysterious and authentic.”

His works are represented by The Christopher Hill Gallery in St. Helena and Healdsburg, Sloane Merrill Gallery in Boston, Thomas Reynolds Gallery in San Francisco, Anne Irwin Gallery in Atlanta, Sekula’s in Sacramento, and Holton Studio in Emeryville, Ca.

Image via TerryMiura.com, used with permission…

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Scott Prior. Amazing. Just look at how he captures these scenes. I think Scott takes his viewers to a place they truly want to be. A wonderful memory of a fire with friends and family on the beach at sunset, you can feel the warmth from the fire. I can hear the lull of the water and feel sand between my toes. I long for this scenario… I love it!

Another fabulous scene… I feel like maybe I rented this place for a few weeks, the owners left the lights on for me… I’m walking up the sandy walkway with all my bags, ready for a few weeks of AHHHHHHH, relaxation and fires on the beach. Scott’s work is quite amazing. All of it makes me happy!

Read a bit about Scott from his website:

All images via ScottPriorArt.com, used with permission…

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Isn’t this a fabulous painting by Roy Germon? Well, if you’re in the Portland, Maine area, stop by Greenhut Galleries and check it out in person! This is one of the new pieces in the gallery and I love it!

The sky and horizon is just amazing, I think this painting is so interesting without being detailed. Very nice!

Read a bit about Roy from the Greenhut Galleries website:

Roy Germon received his BFA from The School of Visual Arts. He is a painter and internationally published illustrator with an extensive art conservation and printmaking background. He relocated to Maine with his wife, daughter and son from NYC in 2003.

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Tollef Runquist. His paintings are joyful. Colorful, happy and make you want to be a kid again! His wonderful colors bring you in, the bold blots of red and orange keep me hanging in there… fun.

Tollef’s show at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine runs from October 3 – 31, 2014! (Can you believe it’s October 3rd already?) Stop in and take a peek!

See, don’t you want to be a kid again? Colorful pool noodles dot the landscape of a cool house on the water. Happy & fun! Tolef has some wonderful work for this show, if you are anywhere near Rockland, Maine, don’t miss it!

About the show, from Dowling Walsh Gallery website:

” This work, a selection of pieces from the past year, reflects my ongoing interest in aspects of the Decorative, textile design, repetition, symmetry, flatness, and ideas of resolution and process as they apply to the construction of a painting. In addition I have been attending to a sort of cross pollination from other bodies of my own work, namely my ‘toy paintings’ and ‘revision’ series. These paintings contain elements of the whimsical, the dream image, something forgotten, something suggested, and are indicative of the ongoing evolution of my work.”

About Tollef, from DowlingWalsh.com

Artist Statement

“Painting for me is an undertaking of appreciation and inquiry. It is a means by which to engage the beauty and mystery of visual experience in an ongoing dialogue. This is a widening puzzle; as I partake in this conversation, it continually refreshes itself, revealing unexpected angles and new understanding. I feel no particular loyalty to realism or my own past work. I set to draw out a particular vision as long as my experience with it is visceral, attentive and useful. I try to encapsulate the fullness of my experience of a moment; weight and stillness, burning edges, massive calm. These move me towards a particular subject, I try to paint and honor them, and then move on.

Some visual artists who have affected me deeply have been Richard Diebenkorn, Monet, De Kooning, Gauguin, Bonnard, Rothko, Sargent, Gordon Grant, Gerhard Richter, Hopper, Homer, Klimt and Egon Schiele among others. I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. I received a B.A. in studio Art from Dickinson College in 2002 and have since been continuing my education through creation.”

All images via DowlingWalsh.com, used with permission…

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Crystal Moll. Urban Landscape painter. Don’t you just love this painting? It’s like a breath of fresh air. It’s welcoming and has all the feel good things in it. This looks like a happy home. A great place to sit on the porch and talk to your neighbors. It’s bright and happy! That’s what the world needs with all that’s going on. It needs more happy! Check out more of Crystal’s work!

Read a bit about Crystal from her website:

URBAN LANDSCAPE PAINTER CRYSTAL MOLL

For over 20 years Crystal  Moll has been seen on location, with her canvas, brushes, and oils, interpreting the urban landscape as she sees it. Painting on location gives her work the feel of “being there,” allowing the viewer to enter the scene, look in the windows, and acquire a sense of place and time. Crystal works on several paintings at a time, moving locations with the sun, to capture the light and shadow of each scene at its optimum time of day. Her work has been compared to the subjects of Edward Hooper but with a brighter,happier feel. Crystal paints on locations throughout Baltimore and beyond, often using urban scenes as her chosen landscaped. Baltimore’s Federal Hill always being a favorite, along with yearly painting trips to South Carolina and Virginia.  Her works have been published in Baltimore Magazine, Sketch Artists, Encyclopedia of Living Artists and Working Artists magazine.

For over 20 years Crystal  Moll has been seen on location, with her canvas, brushes, and oils, interpreting the urban landscape as she sees it. Painting on location gives her work the feel of “being there,” allowing the viewer to enter the scene, look in the windows, and acquire a sense of place and time. Crystal works on several paintings at a time, moving locations with the sun, to capture the light and shadow of each scene at its optimum time of day. Her work has been compared to the subjects of Edward Hooper but with a brighter,happier feel. Crystal paints on locations throughout Baltimore and beyond, often using urban scenes as her chosen landscaped. Baltimore’s Federal Hill always being a favorite, along with yearly painting trips to South Carolina and Virginia.  Her works have been published in Baltimore Magazine, Sketch Artists, Encyclopedia of Living Artists and Working Artists magazine.

While occasionally a  participant and award winner in several Plein Air painting events including Norfolk VA, Easton MD, Mountain Maryland and Frederick… she prefers to paint plein air on her schedule.. choosing her optimum light!

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Sandra Pratt. Luscious thick paint.  Fabulous paintings all created with a palette knife. If you aren’t familiar with Sandra’s work, check it out! It was difficult to find one that wasn’t sold to preview! I especially love the dark paint, it really makes the rest of the painting POP!

Read a bit about the artist from her website:

Born In Chicago 1978,  Sandra started painting and drawing at a young age, she remembers cold evenings in Colorado at sunset and the color of distant trees and barns, the smell and quietness of snow, wanting to capture those effects. Studying briefly at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago left her to experiment with her own creative ways, self taught from an early age, It was traveling to Europe that really resonated with her artistic vision. Old barns, alleyways, cobblestone streets, all left an imprint in her mind for future works. 

Completing color charts inspired her decision to paint primarily with the palette knife, the boldness and spontaneity it afforded was a great teacher. Her artistic process is very quick, painting without the intention of erasing, molding the paint into a desired and cohesive understanding between color and form.  Her artworks show diversity being mainly abstract while others will have a focal point. She is inspired by art legends Sergei Bongart, Nicolai Fechin, and Edward Seago. 

She has exhibited her art work in France, New York, Seattle, Denver, and Austin. Her work is in many private residences throughout the country. She is currently living in Austin Texas.

All images via SandraPratt.com, used with permission…

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Jeff Gola. Stunning. Egg Tempura. Like nothing else! Look at these stunning paintings. So full of life. The light! Oh, the light is magnificent! That wonderful, magical warm light. Fabulous in every way!

This is the most stunning tree… there is a story to be told here. Again, the wonderful light just makes this such a fabulous painting! Check out Jeff’s work, each and every piece is out of this world beautiful!

Read a bit about Jeff, from his website…

Jeff Gola specializes in egg tempera painting and also works in oil and watercolor. He received a BA degree from Allegheny College, spent his junior year in Temple University’s program in Rome Italy, and has continued his art education with courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His work has been included in many juried competitions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Jeff currently lives and works in Moorestown, New Jersey with his wife Linda.

Artist Statement

From my earliest memories, I have always been drawn to the rural landscape. Having grown up on a farm, I have always had a strong interest in observing the elements that influence that environment; the cycle of the seasons, the changing skies and the weather it portends, the constant presence of the natural processes of life, decay and rebirth, and the fading remnants of distant history and past lives.

Egg tempera painting has a long tradition and its special qualities are uniquely suited to capturing the properties of light and exploring its interplay on texture. I have found that the slow and careful process that tempera requires to achieve its depth and luminosity suits my temperament and vision. The gradual building of form and the patient exploration of every surface nuance that is involved in tempera painting requires a meditative and reflective approach, one that I feel enables me to examine personal memories and feelings that these subjects evoke in me.

 Images via JeffGola.com, used with permission…

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