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:

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.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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!

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!

Read a bit about Lisa, from the Egeli Gallery website:

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.

Beautiful!

Read a bit about Faye from her website:

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.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Image via FayWylesFineArt.com, used with permission…

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!

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)!

All images via Kevin Inman’s Etsy shop, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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!

Be sure to read MY STORY on Michael’s website – I LOVE his style of writing! Brilliant!

Read a bit about Michael, from his website:

The Art of Michael Orwick

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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!

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”.

Images via www.KerckhoffPaintings.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

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!

Read a bit about Linda from Sue Greenwood Fine Art gallery’s website:

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.

Read more here…

Image via LindaChristensen.net, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Lois Dodd! Who can’t find her work utterly amazing. Lois is an icon. She creates the most fantastic paintings. Here are a few that I find so striking!

There is a wonderful link to a video interview with Lois. I like her! What a cool lady!

How is this for striking? The dark against that wonderful yellow and the mysterious light in the sky. Get out! Whoa! Also read more about Lois from Wikipedia…

Read a bit about Lois from the Alexandre Gallery website (NOTE: There is a show for Lois at the Alexandre Gallery that ends tomorrow, so if you’re in the area – stop in before it’s over!:

Lois Dodd was born in Montclair, New Jersey in 1927. From 1945-1948 she attended The Cooper Union in New York. In 1952 she was one of five artists to establish the Tanager Gallery, where she exhibited until 1962. From 1971 to 1992, Dodd taught at Brooklyn College, and has, since 1980, served on the Board of Governors of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She is an elected member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and National Academy of Design. 

Images via www.AlexandreGallery.com, used with permission…

Impressed. Just look through the many still life/landscape and figure paintings of Nancy’s. Try to pick only one. I think this is a stunning still life. The peonies are gorgeous, the background makes them even more delicate, soft and beautiful.

Whew! I have an affinity for pink peonies. They are my favorite. We can’t grow them here in Charleston, I think our climate is too warm from what I’ve read, but once in a while I’ll see them at Whole Foods and they are just beautiful!

Read a bit about Nancy, from her website nancycarroll-fineart.com:

Nancy is a second generation artist, spending her early years in Boston and summers on Cape Cod. After college, she sought to enhance her early love of art by studying at the Scottsdale Artist School, California Coast College, Laguna Art Institute, Fredericksburg Artist School, and Laguna Art Workshops. She has also pursued direct study under Master Chinese artist ShuQiao Zhou and noted landscape painter, Morgan Samuel Price. She has been acknowledged for her direct, rich, expressive style by both her art clients as well as juried representation in exhibitions with the Oil Painters of America, The California Art Club, American Women Artists, the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painters and the Southern California Plein Air Painters Association.

Artist Statement 

Nancy paints still life, landscapes and figure. “No artist could live in California and not become enchanted with painting in natural light and from life” says Nancy. Painting in a direct post-impressionist Russian style of realism, where strong expression of form is critical, she has developed a definitive style of painting from life that is evident in all of her works.

Image via NancyCarroll-FineArt.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Donna MacDonald is a fabulous artist from Canada. I had such a great time going through her paintings. How to choose just one? It wasn’t easy! The color in this painting is dynamic. Bold. The movement of his body is comfortable and confidant. Not easy to relay that information with the stroke of a brush!

Donna has some workshops coming up soon in the Calgary area of Canada, so if you’ll be in that neck of the woods, check it out!

Read a bit about Donna, from her website:

Born in Windsor, Ontario and now living in Calgary, Alberta, Donna is best known for her bold brushwork and impressionistic style. She has traveled to the U.S. to study with master painters such as Kim English, Jeffrey Watts and Carolyn Anderson over the last several years striving to improve her technical knowledge and to grow as an artist.”Although my subject matter is varied, I am most captivated by a strong sense of light.  I enjoy oil paint as my medium because  of its slow drying quality which allows me to show movement.

My hope is that the viewer experiences my paintings, as not just a literal depiction of a scene, animal or person but feels the sun and atmosphere of the day.” Her paintings have won numerous awards and she has been featured in the American Art Collector and Canadian Brushstrokes magazines.  Donna has exhibited in numerous juried exhibitions and her work can be found in the Calgary Flames Rotary House collection as well as private collections in Canada, United States and South America.

“Painting has become a passion and a wonderful necessity in my life. Since becoming a full time artist, I have unexpectedly discovered that painting provides me relief from almost daily migraines which I’ve had for over thirty years.  I truly believe that I am doing what I was always mean to do and feel very blessed!”  As a way of “paying it forward” she contributes 10% from the sale of her paintings to charity.  This year HOPEthiopia, a Calgary based charity that works tirelessly for the betterment of the Ethiopian people has been chosen.  Their projects  include drilling water wells, building schools and providing dental and medical treatment.

Donna is currently represented by Different Strokes Gallery, Art Connection Calgary, Alberta, AyrSpace Gallery, Ontario, Leighton Art Centre, Alberta

Instructor at the Calgary School of Art

 Images via DonnaMacDonald.ca, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Kathi J. Smith. Wonderful paintings, nice and loose.  She leaves just enough to your imagination. I happen to love paintings that let you “fill in” the details. Just look at these brushstrokes. Also a nice sense of distance with the island and the dramatic clouds. Nice!

Read a bit about Kathi, from her website:

Image of Kathi Smith’s painting via Greenhut Galleries, used with permission from the artist…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Janet Broussard. Two things stand out right away in this painting. The wonderful light in the trees, especially against the gorgeous background color… wow!! Ooooh, that gorgeous clear water. Not easy!

Janet has some beautiful work, be sure to check out her many paintings!

Love the olives and the background. Fabulous!

Read a bit about Janet, from her website:

Thank you for your interest in my work. I am happy to share with you my enthusiasm for painting; the joy of color, animating with texture, the chance to see a particular subject in a different way. 

The painting surface is just as important as the rendering of the subject matter. You see thick strokes of paint, thin washes, and fine lines cutting through the layers of paint to the panel. Some edges are smeared, some are precise.  All these techniques give the painting a sense of life and energy. 

Janet’s artistic talent came to fruition at an early age, winning her first award in fourth grade, for a watercolor seascape of California’s Bug Sur.  Constantly painting and drawing, with frequent milestones of recognition for her artistic talent, she followed her chosen path to the University of North Texas where she majored in Advertising Art. 

While working in a gallery and commuting to school from Dallas, she became immersed in papermaking, sparked by the tactile challenge of working with her hands.  Over the next sixteen years, Janet enjoyed success with her abstract collages, each one using a variety of materials including cotton fiber and found objects.  Corporate and private patrons alike enjoy her work in Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Mexico.

Always emotionally inspired by nature, Janet admired the beautiful light captured by the California Impressionists, especially Edgar Payne and George Wendt; she also admired the fluid strokes and spontaneity of the painter Joaquin Sorolla. Maynard Dixon’s southwestern landscapes appealed to her graphic sense with saturated colors and simple shapes that conveyed vast skies and distant buttes. The paintings by these masters moved Janet to change mediums and genres.  Leaving behind handmade paper and contemporary abstract ideas, she embraced representational concepts and began painting with oils.

After moving to Austin, she enthusiastically pursued landscape painting, and studied with such notable painters as Matt Smith, Scott Christensen, Skip Whitcomb, John Budicin, and Don Ward. She paints small field studies outdoors to capture the essence of the scene, and then later uses these with photographs and observations to create larger works in her studio. 

Images via JanetBroussard.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!