White Sand Beach by Derek Gollaher   24×30″   Oil on Canvas

This painting grabbed me right away. I am drawn to paintings that have a dark, dark, if you know what I mean. Not just close to dark, but really dark, look how the deep shade of the water makes the sand that much more stunning! I love how the light is hitting this painting. Really nice… those shadows in the sand… sweet!

Sister by Derek Gollaher   22×28″   Oil on Canvas

This style seems a bit different, and I like it just as much. He captured this woman so perfectly. I have a thing for interiors, and not everyone can pull them off, but Derek did a great job capturing the essence of this scene!

Read a bit about Derek, and be sure to check out his Facebook Page (“Derek Gollaher”)!

All images via Derek Gollaher, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Reach for the Sky by Cheryl St. John  11×14″  Oil

Cheryl St. John. Cheryl can paint the scenes that nature offers so fluently. Her paintings are just beautiful. Cheryl is an artist from Colorado who paints plein air (outdoors). She paints the larger paintings in the studio from small plein air studies, so she can capture the feel of her location and portray that onto a larger canvas.

The painting Reach for the Sky makes me happy just to look at. The combination of colors is so beautiful to me. Just fabulous!

Lavender Sky by Cheryl St. John  11×14″  Oil

I think it’s so fabulous when an artist can really capture the light, and I would say Cheryl did just that. The sky is wonderful, the bright sun is spellbinding!

Are you an artist interested in taking a workshop with Cheryl? Check out her 2016 Workshops!

Read a bit about Cheryl, from the Saks Galleries website:

Cheryl St. John is a fourth generation Colorado Native; it’s in her blood to appreciate the nature and environment.  She says she is a preserver of both.  Cheryl draws inspiration to paint from her vast travels from the wide-open spaces of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the high deserts of New Mexico, the colorful hillsides of Tuscany, to the charm of San Miguel de Allende.
 
She is a member of the American Impressionist Society and member of the Plein Air Artists of Colorado.  She says of plein air painting, …”it’s always a challenge, never-ever routine. The changing light and weather conditions create a sense of urgency that translates to a spontaneous and loose interpretation of the scene.”  Transporting structured chaos into the studio for the much larger pieces proves an undertaking Cheryl is well equipped to handle. 
 
She is deeply connected to her environment.  Her paintings reflect harmony and tranquility.  They reflect the soul and spirit of the land to the viewer

Cheryl is known for her “plein-air” landscapes as well her breathtaking large landscape paintings created from the plein air studies. “It’s a bit difficult to paint on a 36X48 canvas on location so working from small studies, created in the field is the perfect solution!” Now, she can enjoy being outdoors, which is where she wants to be most of the time, and enjoy the comfort of the studio when she wants to work large. The nice thing about creating a small study on location is it takes me right back to that “special place” so I can create a large work with the same feeling and emotion.

Cheryl’s inspiration comes from the wide open spaces of the rocky mountains of Colorado, the high desserts of New Mexico, the colorful hillsides of Tuscany and the many other landscapes she is yet to discover. Painting en plein-air is always a challenge, never-ever routine. The changing light and weather conditions create a sense of urgency that translates to a spontaneous and loose interpretation of the scene, which is something she retains in working much larger in the studio. “Besides, it’s a great excuse to be outdoors and what better way to take the viewer to all of the wonderful places I get to visit! My hope is that the viewer can actually feel the breeze, smell the fresh air and soak in the warmth of the sun in each and every one of my works of art. I want my paintings to let you escape to a very special place and enjoy.”

Cheryl studied fine art and design at The Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design and The Colorado Institute of Art, as well as with well known artists: Kim English, Melinda Morrison, Michael Workman, Robert Spooner and many others. Read more HERE…

All images via CherylStJohn.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Wade and Spade by Don Weller  20×20″  Watercolor

Don Weller. What he can do with watercolors is breathtaking. This gorgeous blue sky is mesmerizing! He captures movement with horses so well. Just beautiful!

Ridin’ and Racin’ by Don Weller  10.5×18″  Watercolor

You can tell that Don has spent a great deal of time around horses. He paints them so well. I love to see his landscape within the painting as well. He has a way that is unique and wonderful. His palette is gorgeous – his paintings are a treat for the eye!

Don has a few wonderful books available – just beautiful!

Read a bit about Don, from his website:

As a boy Don Weller drew horses and cowboys when he wasn’t exploring with his horse along the Palouse River or over the rolling hills that surrounded his childhood home near Pullman, Washington. He roped calves in high school and college rodeos and sold some cartoons to Western Horseman magazine. His passions were horses and art. 

Graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Fine Art, he sold his horses and moved to Los Angeles where he spent decades doing graphic design and illustration. His work appeared on record covers, posters, in advertisements, and on hundreds of magazine pages. He did covers for Time Magazine, TV Guide, and illustrated stories in Sports Illustrated, Boys Life, Pro, Readers Digestand many others. He did posters for the Hollywood Bowl, The National Football League, The Rose Bowl, and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He illustrated three children’s books and published a coffee table book about cutting horses, Pride in the Dust. He created five stamps for the United States Post Office.

Besides illustration and graphic design, he taught school part time, three years at UCLA, where he met his wife Cha Cha, and eleven years at the Art Center School in Pasadena.

Finally Don realized he had seen all the cement and palm trees he could stand. They moved to Utah, near the skiing at Park City. A book project for the NCHA introduced him to a neighbor who trained cutting horses. The west of his childhood came flooding back. It was still there, just as he’d left it. The cutting horse book project took him to Texas and Arizona, California, and Montana. He was in arenas and on ranches.

He began to wonder what it would be like to ride those cutting horses. He found out, and his adventures expanded to cutting contests, rodeos and ranch life.

Now Cha Cha and Don live in rural Oakley, Utah, with Buster the border collie, two cats, and five horses who are bred to cut. Don creates western paintings and rides the cutting horses. In the summers the menagerie grows to include cattle and sometimes buffalo. In winter they ski. Read more HERE…

All images via DonWeller.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Painting by Tony Karpinski

Tony Karpinski. Wow! His paintings are enlightening. They tell a story about where he lives (UK) – these are paintings of London and they are stunning. Don’t you just love his brush strokes and colors? The way he portrays light is amazing. He gives you a glimpse at what London looks like, and let me tell you, it makes me want to be there right now!

Painting by Tony Karpinski

Tony captured this scene so well. The statue is just stunning. The background is fabulous, and the light in this painting is crazy wonderful! I love how the woman is perched against the column reading her book, sun hitting her face. What a delight! This would be me! I would walk around, grab a bite to eat, and maybe a coffee or tea, and then take time to just be… either write, read, or sketch. How wonderful! The song “Leaving on a Jet Plane” comes to mind right now… on it’s way to London!

Check out more paintings by Tony, available via Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, located in Worcestershire (UK). Stunning paintings (& sculpture!), I encourage you to take a peek!

Read a bit about Tony, from his website:

My heart is rooted in London. I was born in London, I grew up in London and I spent most of my adult life in London. Yet it is quite remarkable that despite having also spent most of my adult life as a professional artist it is only now that I have started to paint my beloved City.

It could be seen as a long and necessary apprenticeship that has led me to this moment. A combination also of how I see London now and a new style of painting in which I think my subject should be interpreted. I would like to align myself with such stellar company in terms of vision if not talent as Blake, More, Dickens and Chaucer all of whom were obsessed with the light and darkness of a London. To paraphrase Ackroyd “In a city that is built in the shadows of money and power; all of them were entranced by the scenic and the spectacular, in a city that is continually filled with the energetic display of people and institutions. They understood the energy of London, they understood its variety, and they also understood its darkness.”

I live just outside of London now and going into town allows me to look at it with fresh eyes, seeing the smaller things that I could possibly overlooked if I saw it day in day out.
I’m filled with a great sense of excitement when I’m in the streets, I feel like a fly watching a fast moving City in slow motion.  I love watching people, my focus is always on the people of London simply going about their daily business and moving around living their lives, I don’t look for action, just simple beauty.

Of course this new avenue I have entered has opened up exciting new worlds to me of all the great cities on this planet, a never ending stream of reference material and so much to see and paint. The truth is though I could spend my whole life in London, never get bored and constantly see something incredible and new.

All images via TonyKarpinski.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Wind on the Water by Mary Erickson  12×24″ Oil

Mary Erickson. What wonderful colors in the water! The reflections, the bird, grasses, trees all so nice and so serene. This painting captures the coastal areas so nicely.

Path to the Sun by Mary Erickson  8×8″ Oil

Mary is well known for her beach scenes. She has a way of painting sand, it’s just beautiful. I love the footpath to the beach. Think of all the people who have made their journey through this area… Isn’t that hint of sun at the far end just stunning? You just know that when you step off of this path you are stepping into sunshine, which sounds fabulous during these cooler months!

Read a bit about Mary, from her website:

Mary Erickson grew up sketching the beaches of Long Island Sound and sold her first painting to Gulf+Western Industries in Stamford, Connecticut at 13.She studied at the University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University, and initially worked in small business management. Erickson’s passion for painting, and a move to Florida in 1986, stirred the desire to pursue art as a career. Finally, she realized a long held dream, and in 1993, Mary began painting professionally.

Preferring to work on location, in the tradition of painters since the French Impressionists, Mary travels extensively. She creates field studies (plein air) then returns to the studio to produce large paintings using the visual knowlege and critical information gathered in the field.Painting tours have taken her to Spain, Guatemala, Argentina, Ireland and throughout the United States. Whether solitary excursions (like scouring the coast of Maine for painting sites with her rescue dog, Maggie) or group efforts with other professionals or students, Mary believes these painting trips are essential to an artist’s career and growth. Future trips are planned to Italy, France, Costa Rica, Mexico and New Zealand.

Erickson currently maintains studios in Marshville, NC and Venice, FL. In the summer she rents a large house in Port Clyde, ME and shares the experience with other professional artists. Daily painting excursions and art talks into the night typify the weeks into early September. Read more HERE…

Be sure to check out Mary’s upcoming EVENTS for 2016.

Thank you Mary for submitting your website for a possible feature – what a treat!!

All images via MaryEricksonArt.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

If you are an Artist (or Emerging Artist) I welcome you to submit your website for a possible ARTIST TO WATCH future feature.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Passages No. 15 by John Wentz

John Wentz, a California artist with a twist. I like the idea of not seeing every little bit of a painting, leaving something to my imagination. I think these three women are incredible. John captured a moment – he captured it so well that I keep going back to those three woman wondering what are they are talking about?

Is the one on the right saying I told you so? Is the one in the middle smirking, or just wanting to get to her lunch destination? How about the one on the left? She looks like she could possibly be the one on the right’s sister? Behind her sunglasses, I believe her eyes are rolling back in her head.

See what a good thing it is to use your imagination? I can come up with an infinite number of scenarios, ha ha… Interesting, different and very cool, be sure to check out John’s paintings!

Read a bit about John, from his website:

John Wentz is a contemporary painter whose process resides in an area between rigid technicality and honest expression. Working within the classical idiom of the human figure, his goal is to reduce and simplify the image to it’s core fundamentals: composition, color, and paint application. Paint application and brush strokes are broad and simplified as a means to connect and convey these ideas to the viewer in a way that only painting can.

 John was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in art began at the age of 6 when he first discovered Batman and Spiderman comic books. After years of copying comics panel by panel he worked in the commercial arts as a muralist, billboard creator and freelance illustrator. After learning to paint by doing airbrushed billboards, he decided to pursue Fine Art and work in oils. Since then, he has had 3 solo exhibitions in San Francisco and numerous group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His works have appeared in many publications and have won multiple awards. John now paints full time in his studio in Alameda, CA.

All images via WentzArt.net, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Arriving Quietness by Eric Merrell

Eric Merrell. His paintings never cease to amaze me. They’re so different, so striking, both in color and subject matter. They aren’t just a replica of what is seen, his paintings include the feeling of where he’s at. I have to say there isn’t one of Eric’s paintings that I don’t absolutely love. Rare for me, I usually hone in on a painting or two that really stands out, but wow.

Eric has a fabulous palette… How does he do it? How does he make a painting evoke feeling and sense of wonder with not a lot of color (in these instances). In his paintings that have color, his color is different. It stands out to me, not in a way where the color is too bright, or exactly what the scene is that he’s painting, it’s so much more. Who knew color could show so much feeling and mood of the area?

Eric is a cool guy and a fabulous artist. Do not miss watching his video – it is FABULOUS. My favorite quote in the video: “When night falls in the desert, it almost becomes an entirely new world. A lot of the shapes lose their definition, the edges become blurred together, it becomes more abstract. And sound becomes much more prevalent, you can hear little things scurrying around through the sand. It’s hard to tell where the facts end and fiction begins”. This video is so well made – don’t miss it!

Journey to the Oasis by Eric Merrell

The light at night is spectacular. The shadows are so wonderful. It’s obvious that Eric loves the desert. I have never personally been to the desert, never walked around in it, so it amazes me. There is such beauty out there! In the video just released, Eric takes you into the desert, explains his process, it’s such a well-made video, you’ll want to watch it more than once, and then share it. His demeanor is so genuine, his paintings are beautiful, it’s no wonder he’s such a success!

Be sure to check out Eric’s Blog,  2016 Workshop List, and Exhibitions!

Be sure to check out the newly released video (Joshua Tree State Park), it’s fabulous! :

N O C T U R N E S   |    The Paintings of Eric Merrell

(Produced and directed for The Los Angeles Review of Books by Alec Ernest)

Read a bit about Eric, from his website:

As a native Californian, Eric Merrell spent his formative years on both East and West Coasts. Early art classes in Northern California preceded art school, which he attended first in Philadelphia and later in Pasadena. Though he graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, his goal was always to paint outdoors.

Following that objective, Merrell began exhibiting with the California Art Club, one of the oldest art organizations on the West Coast devoted to outdoor painting. Exhibiting with the CAC caused Merrell to become aware of and recover much of the club’s history that had been lost; founded in 1909, its history is intimately tied to the history of Los Angeles. Through the CAC he met and sought out further study with artists Peter S. Adams and Daniel W. Pinkham.

Merrell was selected as one of six artists from around the world for a Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency in 2009. The following year he presented a solo exhibition at The Forbes Galleries in New York City, and in 2011, another solo exhibition at American Legacy Fine Arts in Pasadena. He has consistently exhibited for over a decade in the California Art Club’s Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, currently held at The Autry National Center in Los Angeles.

After making a connection to California’s deserts over a decade ago, he has taken special pride in painting the color and light found in these stark and often overlooked arid lands. There is a mystery to these deserts during the day; even more so at night. Merrell has made a special focus of painting nocturnes on location – not only is it possible, but he feels that this is an area that is relatively unexplored, as technological advances now allow an artist to actually experience what moonlight looks and feels like, working from direct observation rather than from memory or other methods.

With a foot in both the ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ camps, Eric strives to combine the methods of the former with examples of individuality from the latter, using his own sense of color and design to create work that is singular and timeless. His works have been noted for their distinctive aesthetics and brushwork, developed over years of pursuing his personal vision.

All images via EricMerrell.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

I’m a little concerned about the “things scurrying around through the sand”! Ha ha…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Winter Sunset III by Todd Williams

Todd Williams. His ability to portray light in his paintings is uncanny. Winter Sunset III is such a wonderful painting. The moody, cold skies, and that sunset… ooh, that sunset, how that wonderful golden glow just makes the landscape come alive. I enjoy the subtle hints of light in the snow. Just gorgeous!

Glow of a New Day by Todd Williams

Glow of a New Day is another exceptional painting. I think the areas with that wonderful orange just make the light so dramatic. The sun shining in the girls hair, the movement of the sheets, the bright sun, the beautiful trees and sky all contribute to one dynamic painting!

Be sure to check out Todd’s latest project “Legacy of Nebraska”, an exhibition featuring a painting from all 93 counties. Also, click HERE, or HERE for links to purchase his new 2016 calendar!!

Read a bit about Todd, from his website:

Born in the small farming community of Central City, Nebraska. Since his childhood he has been aware of the natural beauty of the world around him, an awareness that he continues to cultivate today through the art of painting.

Todd was eager from an early age to pursue art. At a time when most of us leave our crayons behind, he was being accepted and encouraged by his classmates, as an artist. “When I was 7, I took out some colored pencils and a posterboard. There was a poster of a tiger in my bedroom and I remember spreading out on the floor with these pencils, looking up and drawing the tiger. The next Friday I took it to show and tell at school. The other kids and the teacher liked it. I’ll never forget that feeling of acceptance from sharing my experience in color and shape. As children we all love the colors and our crayon expressions. But the reality is that everyone of us is an artist at heart. We just move on to share and express it in other ways.”

After studying painting and illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Williams went on to be an in-house Senior Artist/Designer for Hallmark Cards and DaySpring Cards for the next ten years.

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Neighborhood Scene by Alex Beck – Gouache

Alex Beck. A style all his own. Do you know how hard that is to accomplish? His paintings are unique, fresh and different. They have fabulous color and I’m crazy about these neighborhood scenes of his. The bits of salmony color pink against the green of the roof and in the tree just grabbed me. Whoa!

Sketch in Arlington, VA by Alex Beck –  Gouache  5×8″

Alex simplified all the “stuff” that is normally there, yet he kept just the right amount, this painting has interest, color, shadows and light. So much is left to your imagination, which is just how it should be.

Be sure to check out Alex’s paintings on his website, as well as his blog on Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram!

And… may I just say… WHAT A WEBSITE! I love when an artist puts their all into their website. It makes a difference, truly, it does! This is fabulous!

Read a bit about Alex, from his website:

All images via AlexTheBeck.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Blue Whiskey by Bill Rhea  16×20″  Oil

Bill Rhea. He paints what we see all around us. Cars, cities, random objects – he takes these things and creates fabulous paintings. His website is wonderful and will bring a smile to your face. Be sure to check it out. He also has a blog on Tumblr: http://dirtandtreasure.tumblr.com – even more paintings!

Sun and Metal Number Twelve by Bill Rhea  12×12″  Oil

Bill packed a lot of oomph into this 12×12″ painting! Love these colors, the abstract quality to it, just fabulous! Who knew an old truck could look so fantastic!

Read a bit about Bill, from his website:

The scenes I like to paint, the images that “grab me,” so to speak, always seem so obviously right that I’m surprised that I don’t have to stand in line to paint them.

Armed with a strong subject, it feels as if the composition will fall into place. A strongly composed picture – the composition being the “bones” of the picture, if you will – is a pleasure to paint and continually suggests that the next logical step in the painting process.

The thing that I like the most in painting is form and weight boldly indicated with light, shadow, and rich color. To paint something well is deeply satisfying and I feel there is wealthy of subject matter just waiting to be found.

Bill has worked at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco teaching both Still Life painting and Composition and Painting. He has had extensive experience painting plain-air in the Bay Area as well as Wyoming and the Tuscan region in Italy. In addition he continues to paint weekly with fellow artist in his home studio and continues to regularly take advantage of the rich opportunities present in San Francisco Bay Area. Read more… click HERE!

All images via BillRhea.com, used with permission…

IMAGES ARE NOT FOR REPRODUCTION, THEY ARE PROPERTY OF THE ARTIST.

Catch you back here tomorrow!