“The Cape Lunch” by Sue Gilkey [image] I really enjoy Sue Gilkey’s style. One of the many subjects she paints are interiors. I love paintings of interiors, you don’t see a lot of them, so when you do it makes them extra special. I love how the green in this painting captures my eye (but does not hold it)… your eye is taken ever so slightly around the painting, mine goes first to the green booth with people having lunch, then up to the waitress, to the lit display on the wall, down to the empty table and back again. Nice. There is a nice air about this painting… This image is from the Waterhouse Gallery website, a nice gallery located in Santa Barbara, CA
The complexities of working in oil infinitely challenge and delight Sue Gilkey. Her work is observational, expressive, and intuitive. “The painting process for me, is a meditation on the aesthetics of the subject I’m observing. I am always interested in developing a painting that will connect to the viewer and possibly evoke a sense of shared experience.”
Growing up in New Jersey, Gilkey studied with a well-known local artist. She completed her BFA in Painting at The University of New Hampshire, followed by post-graduate work at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has studied Tonalism with contemporary master, Dennis Sheehan. Gilkey pursues a traditional approach to painting, striving to combine the emotional power of tonalism with direct observation.
Gilkey has exhibited in major shows, receiving awards at Greenhouse Gallery Salon International, American Artist Professional league, and The Guild of Boston Artists. She is represented by Gallery Antonia, Chatham, MA,Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara,CA, Edward Montgomery Fine Art, Carmel-by-the-Sea,CA and Cleo,in Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland. Gilkey is an artist member of The Salmagundi Club in NYC and The Copley Society of Art in Boston, MA.
Gilkey divides her time between her home on the Charles River in Massachusetts and her cottage in Ireland.
Monhegan, ME. Artists everywhere. I. Mean. Everywhere! Everyone is busy painting away, doing their thing, and let me tell you , there are some incredibly talented artists who’s work just blows you away! We met artist, Tim Bell (pictured) on the island years ago (I’m thinking 2006?!) and have remained friends with him through the years, and have made new friends through him. He’s such a talented, brilliant artist. Tim had so much information to share that I had to go get a pen and paper. Great, useful information. One year we watched him paint this painting… and as he walked away with it… we had to have it. So it’s pretty cool that we have this painting… good memories. We love every one of our paintings, they’re all special to us in one way or another. This is a perfect example!
Have a great Sunday! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Shawn Fields, artist that paints the childhood imagination… Is this not a fascinating painting? Does it not conjure up wonderful childhood memories? The kinds of memories made from using your imagination (nothing in the world beats that, there is no video game that can beat a childhood imagination. Not. Ever). Do you recall the art of building a fort, riding a bike and make believe that seemed so utterly real it was hard to believe that it wasn’t! I truly think Shawn’s paintings bring us back to that happy childhood… it gives us a feeling of make believe so good and pure. Just honest fun. Fun that wore you out and made you sleep well at night! The way he captured this sweet little boy with his cape and his furry friends is nothing short of spectacular. His paintings make me smile. A big, wonderful, happy smile!
“Jousting” by Shawn Fields
All I can say is… this painting brings back fabulous memories. The longer you look at this it, the more you see… this is a creative kid, who jumped on his bike, with his bed sheet as a cape. Keep looking and your mind will create stories. How wonderful is that?! Shawn’s paintings are so original. Pure amazement is what I feel.
Shawn’s show is at Dowling Walsh Gallery, in Rockland, Maine. There is an opening reception tonight with the artist from 5-8PM. If I could be there I would be! If you’re in the area, stop by the gallery, it’s located across the street from the Farnsworth Museum and it is a gorgeous gallery! Filled with paintings that will tempt you… big time! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Read a blip about Shawn from the Dowling Walsh Gallery website and check out his website:
Upcoming Show: August 2-30, 2013
Shawn Fields is a representational artist, telling stories of childhood with convincing detail. Shawn reminds us of the simplicity of a childhood full of resourceful, economical play. His paintings begin centered on a particular object – a “cabbage patch kid’s” bicycle, a bathing suit, a pillow case – familiar from his own childhood and echoed in his children’s. The object becomes embedded in layers of narrative until the picture is complete.
Using practiced color, composition and anatomy, Shawn amplifies his narratives with make-believe. He has been inspired by Pixar and Spielberg, as much as by Winslow Homer and the Wyeths, in their ability to tell a story. Shawn understands that a painting can seem even more real when it takes liberties with reality. He cleverly invents ways to weigh down the mattress beneath the feet of a feather-light child, allowing it to crease and fold in a way that our mind reads as true. He billows the cape of a young boy jousting on his bike, the ribbons and grasses blowing with vigor, capturing the speed the viewer and the child have imagined. Shawn’s paintings signal to our recollection of reality.
Shawn Fields grew up in a suburb of Baltimore and also in rural Pennsylvania. His early conception of art was formed by a monthly subscription to Mad Magazine, and the Wyeth family’s presence in the Brandywine Valley. Shawn studied drawing and painting at the School of Visual Arts, at the Water Street Atelier in New York, and at the New York Academy of Art. He now lives in the Berkshires, Massachusetts with his wife and three children.
“The Red Hen” by Tim Kelly [image]The Red Hen is Plein Air Easton’s headquarters – what a neat painting! He captured it quite perfectly!
“Rest for the Weary” by Tim Kelly [image]Tim painted this in his car while it was pouring rain, is that dedication or what? I love the light in the trees behind the truck… awesome!
The Grand Prize Winner at the Easels event in Frederick, Maryland, at the end of June was painted in inclement weather — but the artist stayed dry. “It was a rainy day in downtown Frederick at the intersection of East and 3rd Street that paid off,” the winning artist, Russell Jewell, wrote in his blog. “I painted the scene from the front seat of my car as the rain poured down.”
Here’s a blip about Tim from his website (a good one), click HERE to read in its entirety:
In recent years I’ve taken to direct painting. This work can be seen on the FIELD STUDIES page. All of the work you’ll see here was painted on site and completed in a single session. Also in this page are interior studies. The medium is oil, usually on a masonite panel. The dimensions range from 6″ to 28″, average size is 16″ x 12″. Each painting takes 1 to 3 hours to complete. This type of painting can be a challenge for an artist. Gotta be quick, gotta get it right.
I swear, this woman can paint ANYTHING! There were so many paintings that I fell in love with it was difficult to choose! I love the light in this landscape! How the colors compliment each other so nicely… I am drawn to that light in the sky, absolutely beautiful!
Mary won the People’s Choice Award at the Easels in Frederick plein air event in June 2013 – fabulous painting!
Mary Pettis is a classically trained artist who works mostly from life, using the Alla Prima or Direct Method of oil painting. Her lifetime in art is a journey reflected in hundreds of originals and thousands of reproductions and etchings collected in nearly every state and several countries. She currently lives in the beautiful St. Croix National Scenic Riverway along the Wisconsin/Minnesota border. She shares her life with her husband, Randy, and grown children, Matt, Nathaniel, Zach and Amanda Catherine.
Mary Pettis was born in 1953 on a farm in southern Minnesota. Growing up in the country, she followed the rhythm of the seasons: barefoot before the ground was dry in Spring, baling hay, feeding chickens, tromping through the sloughs and ravines and helping “put up” food for the large farm family. At fifteen, Mary discovered that painting seemed a natural means by which she could express her enjoyment and love of nature.
While receiving a BFA in Art and in Humanities from the College of St. Benedict, Mary studied with Hungarian artist Bela Petheo at nearby St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. She excelled in advanced courses in Modern Composition and in Abstract Art at Mankato State University during the summer. She also did extensive research abroad in art museums from Amsterdam to Rome.
Mary’s love for the traditional style emerged in 1975 when she was accepted to a three year full-time student apprenticeship in Classical Realism at Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During that period, she also studied copperplate etching with C. Daniel Graves (founder and director of the Florence Academy of the Arts – Florence, Italy). Working daily from antique plaster casts and from the figure gave her a solid foundation and disciplined approach which would never leave her.
Through the years, while continuing to read and study the Masters, she opened a studio gallery, taught classes and led workshops on various topics. She spent many years painting commissions, portraits, and highly illustrative wildlife and genre pictures to the commercial specifications of various publishers. While this was a sidetrack from “following her muse”, she recognized it as an important part of her artistic journey. As she says, “There is something to be learned from every subject, every challenge, and every failed attempt. Just when I would begin despairing over my artistic growth, I would see a tiny touch of true beauty in what had come from my hands. I would recognize an edge, a square inch, a color combination that was truthful… and the passion to forge ahead would possess me all over again.”
In the mid 1990s Mary met Jim Wilcox, who introduced her to the “wet-in-wet” plein air approach. “I spent years laboring over details using layers and glazes, taking weeks or months to complete a picture. This method was totally different. It was sheer fright and utter joy to paint directly, to strive towards putting the right color in the right place in one fell swoop!” With more input and encouragement from Robert Duncan, and Zhang Wen Xin, whose tradition stems from the Russian Realist and Impressionist schools, Mary moved her studio outdoors.
Melding the experiences in her life with her artistic influences have now resulted in an authentic and powerfully lyrical style. “As I paint I get swept away by the symphony of artistic elements in front of me. It is an honor to be able to share through my work those impulses which, more often than not, feel like expressions of private worship.” Today, as she melds technical proficiency with insight and sensitivity towards her subjects, Mary’s art resonates with her deep connection to nature and her love of life.
Isn’t this the sweetest painting? I love these pink flowers, the composition, the pretty light in the background… very nice! If you haven’t had a chance to see Thien-Kim’s work now’s your chance!!
Read a blip about Thien-Kim Pham from her website:
Thien-Kim Pham is an artist currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland. She first studied music at the Saigon Conservatory of Music in VN at young age but at the same time had a passion for art. In 1995, Kim began studying art when attending the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. In 2004, she became a full-time artist and went on to study with various local and nationally known artists. Kim won many awards in Maryland and Virginia in the past few years, including three Caruso Awards at the Maryland Federation of Arts and Best in Show at the Art League, Torpedo Factory in Va. Her work was also published in 2004 by International Artist Publishing in a book titled “How Did You Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint People”. Kim finds her inspirations in the colors of nature and the beauty in human figures.
Thien-Kim lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband Peter, daughter Lisa and their maltese Jessie.
Here’s a little blip about the painting from the artist…
This painting was executed inside 40 minutes one evening late last August after driving around on the East side of Mt Hood, frantically watching the light fade. I didn’t have much hope for a strong finish when I set up but then the sun dropped behind the trees and dappled the roof in a lovely way. You never know what your subject will do, or even be until you actually start working. Which is why each painting starts off as a mystery to me.
The Tin Roof is a personal favorite of mine from last year so I am pleased to see it recognized in this way.
If you aren’t familiar with this artist’s work… his website is a treat! He also has a Facebook page “Thomas Jefferson Kitts – Impressionism + Realism” that you can “Like”.
Thomas lives in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1984, after which he returned home to paint en plein air in the Pacific Northwest and California. (Picture of him left shows Thomas painting the Californian coastline somewhere south of Carmel.) Thomas is an active member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, the California Art Club, the Oil Painters of America, and the American Impressionist Society. He travels extensively and maintains an active and distinguished exhibition history – one which includes the Laguna Art Museum, the Maritime Museum of Curacao, the Academy Museum of Easton, Oil Painters of America National & Regional Exhibitions, Arts for the Parks Top 100, and three New York Art Expos. Thomas has been commissioned by such prestigious entities as the Publix Corporation, the Mariott Corporation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Kaiser-Permanente Collection. His work is collected throughout North America. For more information on Thomas Kitts, read his bio.
Isn’t this a happy painting? The fabulous greens, the luscious yellow’s, the pops of red, very nice. If you aren’t aware of Michael’s work I urge you to check it out!
Michael Clark is a plein air landscape painter from originally from Traverse City Michigan. Michael’s paintings capture the light, color, and beauty that are found in the Michigan landscape. Working on location Michael must work fast and direct to capture the light before it changes. This way of working results in unique works that combines both impressionism and realism. Michael also draws inspiration by studying the work of both contemporary masters like Skip Whitcomb, Clyde Aspvig, and Ted Goerschner along with masters such as John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla. Michael Clark grew up on the old mission peninsula in Traverse City, Michigan. Living in Northern Michigan he developed a love for nature and being outdoors. Painting allows Michael to combine these two loves. Michael works on site to create small paintings and does larger works in his studio based on the smaller sketches. “Painting from life is the most honest way to capture a scene. Photos don’t show the true colors and values or give me the true feeling of a scene.” Michael holds a BFA in painting from Kendall College of Art and Design and has also supplemented his training with workshops and classes with several nationally known artists. In 2006 Michael received second place award at Grand Valley Artists Spring Competition and had a painting accepted into the national Barns and Farms annual show in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Michael was also juried into the prestigious KRASIL outdoor art fair in St Joe MI. In 2010 and 2011 Michael was the back to back winner of the “Paint the Town” plein air show in Marble Falls Texas. Michael is currently represented by Grand Gallery in Grand Rapids MI, Crooked Tree Art Center Sales Gallery in Petoskey MI. and Treeline Gallery in Suttons Bay, MI.
Isn’t this an incredible painting? I urge you to take a look at this artist’s website. His work is amazing. Warning… much of it is sold. I can see why! I love the warm palette. The texture is amazing in these paintings, as is the light, the shadows… wow. Venetian Facade is sold, but I had to share it with you anyway!
Charles Thomas Cox developed a passionate interest in art while in high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During this time he was very active in the school’s art club and won a number of local and regional art awards.
Determining on a career in art, he pursued his education at David Lipscomb, Ringling School of Art, Watkins Institute, and U. T. Nashville Extension, acquiring a B. A. in art from Lipscomb. He taught painting at Lipscomb and had among his students, Dawn Whitelaw, a well known painter and portraitist. Also during this time he had two one man shows at the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, which received high praise from local critic, Clara Hieronymous, and was well-received by the public.
Cox then embarked on a long career as an llustrator, working for ad agencies and publishing houses in Nashville, Minneapolis, and St. Louis, and winning awards given by judges such as Bernie Fuchs and Bob Peak. Illustrations he did during these years are in the
permanent collection of The Baptist Board.
Fifteen years ago Cox retired from illustrating in order to paint fulltime, and has since sold virtually everything he has painted.
Although he has not emphasized entering contests he has won a Best of Show in the 2008 Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional, an “Award of Excellence” in the 2012 OPA Eastern Regional, First in Oil and a Best of Show at the Central South Show, and a First in Oil at The Tennessee Art League, along with awards at the Motorola Regional and Tennessee State Fair. He was also accepted into the 2009 Oil Painters of America National and Eastern Regional, the 2011 OPA National and Eastern Regionals, the 2012 Eastern Regional, and was awarded a Finalist prize in the May 2010 Fineartviews Painting Competition. He has a juried painting traveling with the “2010 Paint the Parks Contest,” and has won a 3rd place in the January 2011 Boldbrush competition
He counts among colleagues and friends acclaimed portraitist and painter Michael Shane Neal, and New York illustrator and painter Neal McPheeters.
His favorite artists are John Singer Sargent, Velasquez, Degas, and Corot, among others, and his painting style is painterly-realistic, with an emphasis on accurate drawing and tones, entertaining brushwork, good surface quality, enjoyable details, careful choice of subject, and rich color.
With his wife, Joyce, he travels in Europe, especially in France and Italy, searching for subjects. His paintings have been in collections at Vanderbilt University, David Lipscomb University, Cheekwood, and several bank headquarters, as well as in private and corporate collections around the country. His youngest son, Bryan, is an animation artist for Blue Sky Animation Studios, producers of such successful animated films as “Rio” and “Ice Age.”
Cox has appeared in the December 2008 issue of “American Art Collector,” was featured in the January 2011 issue of “Nashville Arts Magazine,” and in the April 2013 “American Art Collector.” In 2012, he was made a Signature Member of Oil Painter’s of America in recognition of his achievements in the field of painting.
I think Mark did a great job capturing that big city feel, don’t you? This is an impressive 60 x 60. Mark has a fabulous loose style that has a uniqueness to it… I love how the light is hitting the taxi and the fabulous colors in the road, especially where the sun hits. Whoa. This one really keeps your eye in the painting doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but mine starts on the taxi, then travels up to the large TV on the building, to the top of the building on the right where the light is hitting… over to the oh-so-very-cool green traffic light, following the arm of the light down to the red on the building to the white parked car and back to the taxi. Where does your eye go? Paintings have so many aspects that are just so interesting… like this ‘keeping your eye in the painting’ deal… but it’s so true! Check out Mark’s website, it’s a nice one… He also has images from Plein Air Richmond 2013!
Mark has developed an international reputation and has won numerous awards, both in his native Canada and in the United States. A dedicated painter, Mark Lague was born in Lachine Quebec in 1964 and he has had a fascination with drawing since childhood, a skill he practices constantly, even to this day. Upon graduation from Montreal’s Concordia University in Design, Mark embarked on a 13-year career in the animation industry, working primarily as a background designer and art director. During this time, despite working full time, he began recieving international acclaim for his watercolour paintings through competitions, juried shows, and solo exhibitions. In 2000, Mark switched to oil as his primary medium, and in 2002 made the jump to full time painter. As an artist he is a realist, who is open to virtually all subject matter. What keeps him excited about painting is his endless quest to simplify and get to the essence of whatever he paints. Mark has been featured in numerous national art magazines, and continues to recieve international recognition for his distinctive style of painting.
What is it about paintings of an Airstream? The neat reflections that bounce off it? The happy memories they might bring back? Whatever it is, it seems that everyone is enchanted by an Airstream painting… This is a nice one by Christina Body… love the flamingos!
I think it is so interesting when artists show what they’re painting along with the actual painting. It’s neat to see what they see and how they can transform the canvas and make it so much more interesting than real life! See what I mean?
Christina Body calls this “Painting a Silver Twinkie” – sense of humor, I like it!
This painting has already sold, but I just had to show you! Christina paints a wide variety of subjects. If you aren’t familiar with her work, check it out!
“There is nothing more exciting in my life than ‘seeing’ something to paint” – stopping dead in my tracks and saying “I’ve got to paint that! City life, boats in a harbor or my son in my arms my heart pounds with inspiration and excitement from the onset of the idea until the final stroke on canvas. I paint what I know, what I love and new people and places that strike my heart… “
Christina has been making art since childhood. Strongly influenced by her Great Uncle and First Uncle she became familiar and comfortable with many forms of art. Charcoal and Sumi ink drawings, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, woodcarving and sculpture. She experienced first hand the passion to make art and the excitement in experimenting in multi-medias. It was the beginning of how she would forever see the world.
Christina’s formal training began with an art scholarship under the mentorship of professor emeritus Robert Paulson at Southern Illinois University. It was in Carbondale, IL that she had her first plein air (outdoor) painting classes. It was Robert Paulson that taught his students how to capture fleeting light, compare values and temperature, and see the big shapes. And uniquely he also inspired his students to not always paint exactly what you see but to paint how you feel about your subject and environment.
After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in painting and minors in Photography and Theatre from SIU she continued her studies at the American Academy of Art and the acclaimed Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and under the tutelage of renowned artists David Leffell, Ken Auster and Henry Yan. Inspiration also came from her extended stays plein air painting in Key West, Jamaica and travels abroad. Christina’s inspirations consist of notable artists Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, and the early twentieth century artists of the Ashcan School. She paints in oils both ‘en plein air’ and in her studio from models, sketches, oil studies and photographs.
“My passion to make paintings has only grown stronger after having my children. The love I feel mothering my children and making a painting are parallel; I can’t see myself any other way. I feel an urgency to paint and a directness that I didn’t feel before I had my kids. My time is precious as well as my aspirations. When I paint I wear my ‘mental suit’ armed with confidence, clarity, excitement and spirituality. When I connect with my subject everything else around me becomes a blur. Raising and caring for my children has enlightened me and the way I see and opens up new doors everyday. Children and painting together is a stream of rewarding moments. I am truly grateful.”
Christina’s award winning paintings have earned her participation in juried shows and national plein air painting competitions and invitational’s, including ‘2008 Plein Air Festival, Door County, WI and ‘2007 Plein Air Easton’, in Easton, Maryland. Most recent awards include “Best of Show” at the 65th Annual Salon Show, at Bachman Gallery, in Munster, IN and two “Honorable Mentions” at the Cedarburg Plein Air Painting Festival, in Cedarburg WI. In May 2008 Body’s solo exhibition “Chicago in a Blink” at The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts was reviewed by Chicago Art Critic Alan Artner in the Chicago Tribune – a first for The Palette and Chisel Academy in 100 years. Her work has been published in American Art magazine and is included in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s corporate art collection in Chicago.
Christina is a founding member of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago, a member of Oil Painters of America, International Plein Air Painters and an Artist Member of The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, in Chicago. She exhibits her work in galleries and juried exhibitions nationally and her paintings hang in corporate, public and private collections worldwide. Christina resides in Chicago with her husband Jake and sons Emil and Walter.
“Anarchist” by Mia Bergeron Image: RobertLangeStudios.com
S P E E C H L E S S. I. Am. Speechless. It doesn’t happen often… It was difficult to come up with words to start this post. The detail in this face is amazing. The background is genius. The more abstract background makes this beautiful face pop. Mia Bergeron is the artist, and she is fabulous! Mia’s show opens July 5, 2013 at RLS (Robert Lange Studios) in Charleston, SC. This is Mia’s first solo show. Mia, I wish you much success, you certainly deserve it!
Here is information about the show as well as a question and answer interview from RLS… If you haven’t been to Robert Lange Studios I highly recommend it. It is cutting edge and so unique! Catch you back here tomorrow!
In her first solo show, Gradual Thaw, Mia Bergeron has created a series of paintings that will take viewers on a visual journey of what drives, motivates and inspires her creative process.
Gradual Thaw Questions with the Artist:
1. What inspires you?
A lot of things inspire me. I’m drawn to everyday abstractions I see in nature… subtle variances in shades of lights and colors, big, unusual compositions. People are a huge source of inspiration for me, both strangers and close friends.
2.What are three words that describe both you and your work?
Introspective, Experimental, Inquisitive. (And some would say moody! Ha!)
3.When you look around your studio, what do you see?
A lot of paintings I have worked on and destroyed, and worked on again. I probably painted double the paintings I have in this exhibit, but destroyed half of them over the course of time. And books. I’m addicted to art books. I have books that range in subjects from John Singer Sargent to the Alexander McQueen retrospective at the Metropolitan. I have little pieces of paper in all of these to remind me of ideas for paintings. I also have a huge amount of printed images in my studio…paintings of other peoples’ work, photos that inspire me, even scraps of textiles that remind me about a particular color harmony.
4.What project are you currently working on?
Mostly I’ve been working on paintings for my solo show at Robert Lange Studios, and a few paintings for a Women Painting Women show I will be involved with in September.
5.What was the impelling force for the current subject matter and show?
I think I’m in a natural evolution with my work. Mostly, I have been focused on two ideas for this show. One is to really dive into my fears as a painter, and my strengths. When I was in school in Italy, I was constantly told I was better at getting an effect than achieving details. This was said to me as a weakness I had in my painting skills. I was also told I was a temperamental painter. For years, I thought these two “defects” would hurt my work. In the past year, I’ve really dug into making my vulnerabilities my strengths. I think it’s sort of creative problem solving and simply being curious. Instead of denying that I am a erratic painter and that I like big, overall effects in a painting (like mood, for instance), I decided to accept those parts of me and even play them up in these paintings. I think the work looks like it could change at any moment, and the moods are very purposeful. The other idea I have been exploring with in my work is loss of information. The paintings in this show are the results of a bunch of questions I had with paint. I will paint a model for days and days, then slowly start to erase parts of my painting, wiping out entire passages I have worked hard on, making transitions that don’t exist. I will purposefully look to lose areas of a painting that I want to grow into something more.
6.What do you hope people walk away from the show talking about?
I hope they ask questions. I’m not offering any real answers in my work, mostly just posing questions to the viewer.
7. What do you think both visual and conceptually your strengths are as an artist?
Visually, I think I am strong in depicting light and mood. Conceptually, I think I am strong at looking at broader topics that relate to inner feelings.
8. Can you talk about the title of your show, “Gradual Thaw”?
I picked this name because it represents both what happens in spring time, just before plant life blooms, but also as it relates to a mental state. I had all these rules for being a person, a painter, etc. I think I’m in a transitional stage of my life, as many people are, and some of those previous rules and ideas about myself, my work, and my world are melting away to make room for new growth. A lot of the titles of paintings in this show refer to this evolution.
9. How do you choose your models?
Most of the women I paint are artists. There’s this sense of understanding I find with them about poses and intentions. It’s a bit of an unsaid symbiosis. I’m also a huge advocate of women artist visibility, so I think it is a natural choice for me to be drawn to creative females to paint.
10. When do you call a piece finished?
When it no longer seems to have any obvious needs.
WHAAAT?!!! Are you kidding me? Josh Clare… artist. A young artist with incredible talent. Each and every painting is so fresh, there is a clearness to his paintings (if that makes sense?). They are so pure. The combination of the light hitting the white barn, the color of the mountains and that perfect green in the trees behind the barn is so perfect. The colors are gorgeous. The subject matter, clear and focused without being tight… there is such a fine line between being focused and being tight. (I’m not poo-pooing artists who paint realistically, it is just a different painting style, obviously, meant to be realistic)! A definite pat on the back is in order for whoever maintains Josh’s website, very nice!
Born in 1982 and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Josh has been interested in art ever since he can remember; but it was when his fifth-grade teacher sincerely complimented him on an art project that he became an artist. He says concerning that defining moment, “a large part of being good at something is believing your good at it—and I’ve believed in myself ever since.”
Josh graduated in 2007 from BYU-Idaho with a BFA in Illustration and immediately began to sell his work in galleries. He currently resides in Queen Creek, AZ with his wife Cambree and their son, Nathan.
WHY I PAINT
“Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47-48).
There is no artist greater than God, and no beauty more perfect than His creations—His art; to see any, even the least of them, is to see God himself, “moving in His majesty and power.” There have been times in my life when I have done more than merely look—times when I’ve seen. Those moments are sacred and precious to me, and I desire to share them. I want to see more clearly, I want to comprehend more fully—and I want to help others do the same. That’s why I paint.
My aim as an artist is not to redefine beauty—no one can do that—but to discover for myself, through the Spirit of Truth, those eternal laws that govern it, and obey them.
If I am anything good, if there is anything in my art that is good—it’s because of and thanks to God. As often as I forget it, I know that I am nothing of myself, and I’m deeply grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to be an artist.
Peruse Josh’s website… Read his blog and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Bruce Gomez, artist… Spectacular, right? The composition of this painting is amazing. The colors… perfect in every way! If you haven’t seen work by Bruce Gomez I highly suggest you check him out, he’s got such beautiful subject matter! Bruce is a pastel artist, living in Denver, CO.
Bruce A. Gómez was born in Denver, Colorado in 1957 and was educated at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Denver, where he received a degree in Political Science as well as a degree in Romance Languages. The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art has represented Bruce since 1985.
He has been working in pastels for thirty-nine years, full-time for the past twenty-nine. Entirely self-taught, Bruce works exclusively in that medium on cold-pressed watercolour paper. In addition, he has taught for the last twenty years at the Ah Haa School in Telluride, CO, where he has been one of the school’s highest rated instructors for years. He has also had the opportunity to teach workshops in Sedona, AZ, Moab, UT, London, England, and Cortona, Italy. He is currently a regular instructor at the Abend Gallery of Fine Art in Denver.
Bruce has participated in more shows than he can recall and his work has been featured in The Artist Magazine, Art and Antiques, and in Southwest Art Magazine several times where he was noted as an Artist to Watch Over $5,000.
He has appeared in numerous Pastel Invitational shows as well as Plein Air Invitationals including The Denver Golden Triangle Invitational, and The Sedona Plein Air Festival, in which he won The Collector’s Choice Award, The Artists Choice Award, and received one of five Merit Awards in 2011 and the Merit Awards in 2012.
Bruce has also produced the artwork for numerous festivals and events including The MAAD poster Detroit 1998, The Telluride Jazz Festival, The Telluride Chamber Music Festival, The Sheep Mountain Alliance, and many others. He has contributed his work to numerous fundraisers and benefits including fundraisers for The Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, The Telluride AIDS benefit, The Ah Haa Art Auction, The Alzheimer’s Foundation, KRMA Art Auction, and The American Cancer Society.
His extensive travels range from Aspen and Telluride, New Mexico and Arizona, Wyoming and Montana, up to Banff, and crossing the Pond to Europe; he has painted across London, Amsterdam, Paris, Provence, Florence, and Rome.
I love this piece by Susan Gilbert. The rich, warm colors, the pounding surf, the splash of the wave in the distance… and oh, how the toned canvas shows through. Remarkable. Susan lives on Monhegan Island, ME. Her work is featured at the Island Inn this year… be sure to check it out!
Susan’s work is shown at theLupine Gallery on Monhegan Island. This is the neatest gallery. I just love the atmosphere, the art (obviously), and the people. Everything about it makes it one fabulous gallery. Susan’s opening reception is today from 2-4, so if you happen to be on the island, don’t miss it!
Read a blip about Susan’s philosophy from her website:
Philosophy
Heard on the Elizabeth Ann, ferry to Monhegan, Maine:
“One kind of work describes its object and is about the object. The other work is about art.” “There is nothing wrong with illustration, but it should be acknowledged, that is what it is.”
What do I believe? All art work is about art. All people see and respond to the world in an unique way. Art is the product of a true eye, a personal vision which one may or may not have the privilege to uncover. The truth of art will be revealed when given the chance to become itself through time and work.
Alex Katz, visiting lecturer to my school in the early 70’s, showed his recent work, cutouts- wooden silhouettes of figures with his characteristic, flat , simple delineation. He described that work as seen with “quick light,” and explained that he meant the impact to be gotten immediately, all at once. I compare this to the to the painting of Vermeer, timeless, still, yet endlessly unfolding,to my vision seen in the slowest light.
Broad categories are used to organize art, and to try to understand it. Context, history surround us. The frame of reference can be daunting. Where in this sea of time do I belong? To work, to search, to find my vision knowing that truth in art can only become itself through time and work.
The artist who continues to open may interpret vision. Like DNA, art which becomes signature expression is predetermined. Style is secondary to vision. Incorporating much or little of history, art is narrative, figurative or abstract, minimal or baroque, technological, conceptual. With quick or slow light, art is always about itself.
So, art may be about describing a harbour, may be about color and pattern, may tell a story, or not. Art can be almost anything. How to organize art is personal. I choose not to draw a line. Why subvert my need to be surprised by the unexpected, to be enlightened, refreshed. When viewing art I ask, does the color sing? does the paint move me? does this work have a life? can I return to it? will it be thrown away? Is this rich, true, right? Art is.
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