Category: ART

So… you want to be an art critic? AND the Camden Snow Bowl Benefit, great paintings, great prices!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART2 Comments

“Last Light” by Daniel Corey / Image: Maine Art

We are all art critics at heart, some of us are better than others, but we all like what we like, right? Now’s the chance for your voice to be heard, your votes count… Maine Art is having a “Choice Art Show“, where all online participants have a choice… click on the “Choice Art Show” link and it will take you to the page where you vote. You select which piece of each artists work you like the most, then after you vote it shows how other people voted. I highly recommend this from other art communities, this is B R I L L I A N T ! It’s a lot of fun as well. Here’s the info from Maine Art, you have until May 31st to vote!

The painting above is another fabulous one from Dan Corey, one of the 12 participating artists! ENJOY!

Here’s the blip from Maine Art:

Twelve Artists, One Gallery, and You.A one-of-a-kind Maine art show that makes you a part of the jury, opening June 6 during the Kennebunkport Festival.Voting takes place April 2 – May 31. Click ”Choice” above  to vote.2012 Artists;Daniel Corey
Julie Freund
Philip Frey
Jill Hoy
William B. Hoyt
Anne Ireland
Henry Isaacs
Craig Mooney
Elizabeth Ostrander
Patrick Plourde
Janis Sanders
David Witbeck

And… on another note… LOOK through these paintings… FABULOUS paintings, outstanding prices… and all for a good cause, check it out!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Camden Snow Bowl Benefit Show

Colao, Seaside FarmhouseDowling Walsh Gallery is holding a benefit show for the Camden Snow Bowl. Help us give back to the community.

Artwork has been priced to encourage buying for maximum benefit to the Camden Snow Bowl and Ragged Mountain Recreation Foundation’s redevelopment project.

A selection of the work is on display at Dowling Walsh Gallery until April 28th, 2012. View the full show online now: http://www.dowlingwalsh.com/private-viewing/camden-snow-bowl-benefit-show

Featured artist… Brian Rego!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Backyard at Woodrow” by Brian Rego {Image: City Art Gallery}

This is such a sweet painting. I love the happy colors, very spring/summer… This painting was done by artist Brian Rego. He’s got a very distinct style and I like it! Almost that cool paint by number look that I adore… not sure how to achieve it, I believe it’s a style, and it’s one I like!

Here’s a blip about Brian from City Art Gallery’s website:

Brian Rego received a Bachelors of Fine Art at the University of South Carolina with a concentration in oil painting in 2004. He displayed his work in the Solo Senior Exhibit in the McMaster School of Fine Art Gallery in 2004. He is the recipient of the Ed Yaghjian Award from the University of South Carolina for distinguished undergraduate work. In 2007, Brian Rego received a Masters of Fine Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and displayed his work in the 2007 Annual Student Exhibition in the Academy’s Hamilton Museum. Rego has participated in group and solo exhibitions and has shown his work in Australia, New York, Philadelphia, Vermont, Greenville, and Columbia. Brian currently teaches oil painting and drawing classes at City Art and at the University of South Carolina. 

Artist’s Statement

“I paint my subject from life and consider it to be a great joy and an immense struggle. I hope to capture the feeling of these synonymous realities in my paintings. For me, the purpose of painting is to tap into something that is profoundly human, something sensual that lies on the fringe of memory, a reality both strange and familiar. “

Check out Brian’s website! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Kathleen Dunphy!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist6 Comments

“Low Tide” by Kathleen Dunphy 

There are so many wonderful paintings in this world to choose from… many are from artist Kathleen Dunphy. She is AMAZING! Her artistic ability is out of this world… I normally try to select paintings that are for sale… Low Tide appears to be for sale (hurry if you like it, it most likely won’t be around for long!), there was another that caught my eye… it’s sold, but I wanted you to see it. To me, this is perfection…

 “Morning Reflections” by Kathleen Dunphy

This is one gorgeous painting… it’s clear and crisp and truly looks, feels and even SMELLS like early morning out on the water. What a fantastic painting! Congratulations to whoever bought it!

Do you know nearly every single painting on her website that includes a structure of any kind has sold? Therefore… one more sold painting!

“Lange Barn” by Kathleen Dunphy

Here’s a blip (all images as well) from Kathleen’s website (fabulous website and blog, it’s got to be hard to find the time to keep things updated, post a blog entry AND paint, but I can tell you… WE APPRECIATE IT! So thank you to ALL of you wonderful artists who update and keep the rest of us waiting for more!).

In the mid-1990’s, Kathleen Dunphy started her art career by displaying colored-pencil dog portraits in coffee shops and veterinary clinics in Eagle River, Alaska. Little did she know that less than a dozen years later, she would be a highly acclaimed oil painter, exhibiting her work in galleries across the United States and garnering awards from some of the top art competitions in the country. Kathleen’s rapid success in the competitive art world was predicted when American Artist Magazine recognized her as one of the Top Ten Emerging Artists in 1998. She is one of those rare people who have true passion, dedication, and a gift for transposing nature’s beauty to the canvas.

Kathleen’s early art education included workshops by Kevin MacPherson and Dan Gerhartz. In 2000, Kathleen was awarded a full scholarship at the prestigious Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where she was mentored by artists such as Craig Nelson and Brian Blood. She maintains strong ties to the Academy, where she has been offered a faculty appointment and participates in the annual Alumni Auction. Further study with Scott Christensen and T. Allen Lawson helped hone her skills and refine her own unique style of painting.

In 2003, Kathleen and her husband designed and built a log home and studio in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California, where the pristine setting of her new home provides endless inspiration for her work. Kathleen’s landscape paintings can now be found in galleries from coast to coast, and in 2009, she exhibited her 10th solo show. Her honors and considerable and include important juried shows in California, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Maine; Best of Show from The American Impressionist Society; an Award of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America; five California Art Club Gold Medal Shows; six magazine articles, including being featured in Southwest Art’s Plein Air issue in 2009; the Federal Duck Stamp Competition; Birds in Art; Arts for the Parks; Grand Prize at the Acadia Invitational Exhibition in Bar Harbor, Maine; signature status in Oil Painters of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters, and the American Impressionist Society; and many others.  In just twelve years, she has earned an impressive and growing reputation with galleries, private collectors, and art magazines across the United States.

In the spirit of passing on the gifts of her artistic abilities, Kathleen began teaching in 2005 and is a much sought-after workshop instructor. Her engaging style of teaching and one-on-one instruction garners high accolades from her student artists. She has also served as a judge for several art competitions. While her current passion is still to paint nature every day and produce a limited number of high quality paintings, she is now working on a book about her process of developing a work of art from field study to finished studio paintings.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured artist… Stuart Roper!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

“The Problem Solvers” by Stuart Roper

Stuart Roper, a wonderful artist from Asheville, NC… I love it when an artist can take a mundane scene and make it spectacular! Something like workers on the side of the road… this is fabulous, what does it for me is the ORANGE. I think a painting that has orange really catches the eye… it draws me to it… same with red, it’s probably WHY I like a painting with a flag in it, it’s that pop of red against other colors that are so spectacular! A friend recently explained how someone had told her about putting at least a hint of red or orange to make a painting really stand out, I think that’s so true! Of course in this painting it’s more than a pop of color, but you get my drift… great loose strokes… Check out Stuart’s website for gallery representation… here in Charleston, SC it appears that he has a few pieces at M GALLERY OF FINE ART!

Here’s a blip about Stuart from his website:

Born in North Carolina in 1953, painter and sculptor Stuart Roper moved to Manhattan in the mid-1970s to attend the Art Students League of New York. There, he studied anatomy and figure drawing with Thomas Fogarty and portraiture with John Howard Sanden. Following New York, Stuart made a brief move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he studied color theory under the direction of Gerry Wright. In 1980, he moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia for a year, prior to settling in the state’s capital, Atlanta. Over the next ten years, his work included various commissions, both private and corporate, as well as a number of solo and group exhibitions. In the fall of 1991, Stuart moved to France, west of Paris in the small Normandy village of Pressagny l’Orgueilleux. There, he settled in the guest cottage of the Château de la Madeleine. Only minutes away from the home of Claude Monet in Giverny, the place and its artistic precedent guided Stuart’s own paint handling; through plein-air work, he found the approach of the Impressionists, which has since characterized most of his painting. Normandy offered Stuart myriad tones of gray amidst the often-foggy landscapes, however, the frequent inclement weather made plein-air work difficult. In 1993 Stuart moved to the small hilltop village of Fayence in southern France where he would remain for the next five years working under “a glorious sun.” During this time, his work took him to Italy, Corsica and back to Normandy, all the while enchanted by the light, and concentrating on the development of his limited three-color palette. In 1998, Stuart made the decision to return to the United States, where he settled in Asheville, North Carolina. The Grove Arcade Public Market commissioned Stuart to recreate the original 1920s finials that adorn the top of the building, and the City Parks and Recreation Department also commissioned him on the development of “Grove’s Vision”, a station on the city’s historical Urban Trail. He may be spotted almost anywhere, as he continues his love of capturing the landscape and developing his artistic vocabulary. 

Ran across this on his website… if you’re thinking of coming to Charleston May 30- June 1, 2012 this would be a fabulous time for a visit!

PLEIN AIR PAINTER OF THE SOUTHEAST 
Returns to Charleston for a Four Gallery Show 

Opening Reception: June 1st 2012 6-8pm 
Show Closing Date: June 22nd 2012 

Show Locations:

Galerie on Broad 29 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 

Hagan Fine Art Gallery and Studio 27 1/2 State Street, Charleston SC, 29401 

Horton Hayes Fine Art 30 State Street, Charleston, SC, 29401 

Smith Killian Fine Art 9 Queen Street, Charleston, SC, 29401 

Participating Artists: 

Scott Boyle 
Loryn Brazier 
Anne Blair Brown 
Roger Dale Brown, OPA 
Katie Dobson Cundiff 
Dee Beard Dean 
Beverly Ford Evans (New Member) 
Trey Finney 
Paula Frizbe 
Karen Hewitt Hagan 
L. Diane Johnson 
Andre Lucero (New Member) 
Diane May 
Kevin Menck 
Larry Moore 
Gwen Nagel 
Richard Christian Nelson 
Richard Oversmith 
Lori Putnam 
James Richards 
Stuart Roper 
Junko Ono Rothwell 
Shannon Smith 
Hodges Soileau

Sue Stewart

Brett Weaver

Dawn E. Whitelaw 

Attending artists will paint on location in the vicinity of the gallerys (Queen Street, State Street, and Broad Street) starting Wednesday, May 30, 2012 through Friday, June 1, 2012. 

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured artist… Jennifer O’Connell!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

 “Bay Window” by Jennifer O’Connell/Image: Left Bank Gallery

Jennifer O’Connell does some amazing interior paintings! This is an artist not afraid of color! Her bold paintings really make a statement… I love the way she did the fireplace in this one, and the light streaming in the window, fabulous!

A blip from the artist’s website:

Jennifer O’Connell grew up in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. She earned an MFA degree in painting and drawing from the University of New Hampshire and a BFA from SUNY Plattsburgh. Additionally, she studied fine art at the University College Chester in England on a Giltz Family Travel Award. After receiving her MFA, she was invited to show in the Young Talentexhibition in Washington Depot, CT. Since then, she has been the recipient of numerous awards including an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellowship, a Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency Grant, and a Massachusetts State Cultural Council Grant. She has led public lectures and participated in panel discussions on the East Coast. Visiting Guest Artist Lectures include Barton College in NC and SUNY Plattsburgh in NY. Her exhibition record includes national and international shows at Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC and the Bowery Gallery in New York, NY.  In 2008, she was selected by juror Cynthia Reeves for the New England New Talent Exhibition at the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, MA. In 2011, she was invited to exhibit her work at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Galleries that represent her include Adam Cave Fine Art in Raleigh, NC and Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, MA. She currently works and resides in Western Massachusetts.

Catch you back here tomorrow!


Featured Artist… Ken Dewaard!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART5 Comments

Morning on Monhegan by Ken Dewaard

Ken Dewaard is one of our favorite artists. Super nice guy as well as talented beyond words. The man can paint ANYTHING! You must check out his website, look at the paintings he did of China… whoa! I spent a great deal of time agonizing over WHICH painting… usually there is a painting or two that stands out to me… with Ken there were many… decisions, decisions… Check out his work, I promise you will not be disapointed!

If you’re fortunate enough to be in the Pine Mountain area of Georgia, Ken will be participating in the Third Annual Plein Air Paint Out, Art Show and Sale at Calloway Gardens. Sunday, April 15- Sunday, April 22!

Here’s a blip about Ken from his website…

For Ken there is nothing more rewarding and challenging than painting under an open sky, surrounded by the scents and sounds of nature, along with it’s ever changing color and harmonies to excite one’s creativity.
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts with honors, Ken began working in a commercial art studio in Chicago. He continued his studies at the American Academy of Art, where he studied with nationally recognized watercolorist, Irving Shapiro. Upon Irving’s recommendation Ken joined the acclaimed Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago, where he soon began studying with Scott Burdick
as well as Dan Gerhartz.
It is here that Ken adapted his direct and pure approach as well as his bravura brush style, which he achieves by painting from life.
Strongly inspired by John Singer Sargent, Nicolai Fechin, Joaquin Sorolla and the Russian Impressionists, Ken finds himself painting an array of subject matter from everyday life. The feelings Ken evokes in his paintings are due in part to the excitement and passion he feels while capturing the fleeting effects of light, or the wonderful color nuances and harmonies presented by nature and all of her beauty.
Ken continues to travel throughout the United States as well as Italy. He has spent many a summer day painting the Italian hillsides, American vistas, and beauty wherever it finds him. This has always been a contributing factor in his work, insight, and inspiration and growth as an artist.
Ken is an instructor at the Kewaunee Academy of Fine Art, 
in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. He currently resides with his wife and four young children in the beautiful driftless area of southwest Wisconsin.

And… one that isn’t for sale (it’s ours!)… Love this one, View Of Booth Bay…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured artist… Tom Soltesz!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Down The Street And Across The Bay” by Tom Soltesz

I ran across Tom’s work years and years ago… I was on a California plein air website and there were so many artists it was hard to fathom! When I looked at his work I fell in love with it!  I love his bold strokes and his subject matter. He did a painting of some trees in Muir Woods years ago that was just out of this world! I still remember that painting. He’s got an interesting story… can you imagine KNOWING you’re going to be a professional artist at age 7? Yep, me either!

You’ll see on Tom’s website that he also give workshops. He even gives weekend workshops for $100! How tempting! Might be a great time for a little vacation to Califor-knee-eye-A!

A blip about Tom from his website:

 In 1954, Tom was born in a small coal-mining town in western Pennsylvania.  There were little or no cultural influences.  At the age of 7 Tom decided to become a professional artist.  He believed that to be an artist came naturally, and that involved little effort.  This was his first major misconception.  Living in a town of less than 5,000 he received little artistic training, and since Tom was from a family of 7 children, being sent to art school was out of the question.  Upon graduation from high school and being voted “most artistic” of his class,  Tom moved to Florida where he talked his way into a job painting billboards for Florida Outdoor Advertising.  In one year, Tom became their top pictorial artist.  After one more year Tom decided there was little chance of growth.  In 1974, he moved to Denver, Colorado and he enrolled in the Colorado Institute of Art where he received a degree in Advertising and Design.  He freelanced his way through college and graduated with a professional portfolio and since he still had the wonder-lust for travel, Tom moved to Manila, Philippines and started a graphic design studio.  He had by now become a painter/designer, and he worked in watercolors and designing logos, packaging, and ad campaigns for some of the biggest companies in South East Asia.  From Manila he moved to Hong Kong to manage the studio of a major designer.  Tom continued to paint and draw while he freelanced for various companies in both Hong Kong and the Philippines.  He was greatly influenced by the artists of the Philippines, both landscape and figurative, especially by the Philippine artist known by the name of Amorsolo.  Tom was asked to move to Papua New Guinea to upgrade the corporate image of San Miguel Beer Corporation, but since there were little social activities in New Guinea, he continued to develop his painting abilities.  In 1981 Tom decided to return to the U.S. and further educate himself as a painter.  He enrolled in the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and studied illustration and fine art.  Tom freelanced his way through the academy and graduated with knowledge of a variety of illustration and painting techniques.  He decided the only way to continue to paint in the various styles that he enjoyed, was to service a diversity of clients.  Tom started working with interior designers by supplying them with custom paintings, murals and screens, and he worked on hotels, restaurants, and residential projects.  He has been involved in projects in a number of countries and has supplied clients with room art custom painting, murals, and tromp L’oeil.  Tom is represented by numerous galleries in California.  His fine art oils are mainly landscapes and florals, however he also does figurative works.  Tom teaches plein air landscape painting, an Artist member of the California Art Club, and The Baywood Group of painters which is a socially active environmental group of landscape painters. Tom recently won “Best in Show” at the annual San Luis Obispo Plien air festival and an “honorable mention “at the 2005 Carmel art festival. Tom was recently featured in the April issue of South West Art magazine, and the April issue of The Artist’s Magazine 2007. Tom has many collectors in the United States and abroad and continues to develop into one of the most important landscape painters in the U.S.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Gene Costanza!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART2 Comments

Gene Costanza, artist at M Gallery of Fine Art {image}

Isn’t this a fabulous Charleston scene? I remember many years ago it seemed like so many of the paintings were the same… most of the Charleston paintings were pastel in color and all the same in subject matter… things have been changing for years now. The paintings are more modern even though they’re not contemporary… I think it’s the influence of working plein air for many artists. There is nothing like that quick loose style, it’s fabulous. This painting was done by artist Gene Costanza. Happened to see on Facebook that he’s in town painting right now…  (as I write this)… that’s one thing about our city. You can be walking around downtown and run into artists set up on the street painting. I still marvel at that. I love to watch someone paint. Everyone approaches it so differently. There are truly SO MANY GREAT ARTISTS it blows my mind. We are very fortunate to have such a strong art community. We support the arts and all the different events… our galleries work hard here in Charleston to keep the public involved in the art… art walks, receptions, they get very creative, and we are very lucky indeed!

Gene Costanza is an exceptional artist, and I’m thrilled to know that he’s being shown here locally at M Gallery! Check out his work, or his website (or both!)… catch you back here tomorrow!

Image and blip from the artists website:

GENE COSTANZA
American, b.1954 
 
Gene Costanza is a contemporary realist painter of traditional subject matter, focusing primarily on landscape and man’s interaction with it and nature. Equally at home painting “en plein air’ as well as in the studio, Costanza orchestrates paintings that engage the viewer to enter the subject with him by capturing the light and atmosphere.
 
Over twenty-five years of his life was spent in Law Enforcement in such specialties as SWAT, K9 Handler, K9 Supervisor, Patrol Supervisor and Detective.  About mid career, the desire to return to artistic endeavors surfaced after having been abandoned in his early twenties.  Though dormant, there was a constant underlying desire to again delve into the mysteries of paint, light, and subject matter.  Costanza believes it took a decade and a half of discipline to mold his personal tendencies so that he could study and work as hard as one needs to in the very difficult endeavor of making a good painting.  Costanza retired from law enforcement to become a full-time painter.  
 
Primarily “self-taught,” he has studied with a number of great contemporary artist/teachers including; Kevin McPherson, Matt Smith, Jeffery Watt, and has a long standing close personal as well as professional friendship with Scott L. Christensen.  It is Christensen whom Costanza credits with most of his growth.  Frequently these two can be found painting, fishing, hunting or just enjoying the fellowship of intimate friendship.
 
His work is in collections from coast to coast and is included in the permanent collection of the Academy Museum in Easton, Maryland.
 
Costanza is married and has two grown sons and makes his home in Eugene, OR.

Featured artist… Elizabeth Tolley!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Color of Sunset Maine” by Elizabeth Tolley {Image}

It’s funny how I can skim through an artists paintings, and really like some of them but be sucked in by one of Maine… Elizabeth Tolley is a California artist who painted a fabulous Maine painting… I think she captured the sunset perfectly. There are the most wild and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. It makes you want to jump out of bed early in the morning to see the sunrise, and be home in time to see the sunset… Of course when you plan for it, it’s not fabulous, but when you’re out and about and [GASP!] without a camera that’s when you’ll see the most spectacular of skies! As my husband said, this painting has an old world look about it… it does, it’s fabulous, and ooowie, would I love to be there… Right. Now.

Here’s a blip about Elizabeth from her website!

Elizabeth “Libby” Tolley is an American Painter and Author. She is a fourth-generation Californian. Painting the rural landscapes of California’s Central Coast has been her focus. The artist brings these California scenes into the national spotlight, as her paintings have been selected for inclusion in art magazines, books, and national exhibits.

In 2007, Libby completed an instructional book on painting landscapes called, Oil Painter’s Solution Book: Landscapes, 100 answers to you oil painting questions. The book, published by North Light Books, answers questions students have asked over the years, and illustrates the process of painting both on location and in the studio. The book has been well received by artists in all mediums. Over 25,000 copies have been sold.

Libby has been featured in over 25 articles in international art magazines including, The Artist (UK), Southwest Art, Plein Air Magazine, The Artist’s Magazine, and International Artist Magazine. Libby’s paintings have graced three magaxine covers.

San Diego Flora, another book released in 2007, included her paintings “Morning on the San Mateo” and “Afternoon on the San Mateo.” “Morning on the San Mateo” was exhibited in the Capistrano Light Exhibit sponsored by The Irvine Museum.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Robert Spooner!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

“Gloucester Morning” by Robert Spooner

I really enjoy Robert Spooner’s work. The golden light in this painting is pure magic! It reminds me of Mackinac Island, MI… so many great paintings to choose from, I couldn’t select only one, sigh…

Robert’s plein air pieces are amazing. In many ways they remind me of the way our friend Tim Bell paints. Fast and loose and with such incredible style. Of course I love the ICE CREAM HOUSE! Matter of fact I would love to pop in that little ice cream house right now… His work has ‘air’, you can feel it. If you get a chance, check out Robert’s website. I look forward to seeing some of his pieces in person at M Gallery in Charleston, SC!

A blip about Robert from his WEBSITE :

Robert Spooner was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1956. He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Louisiana Tech University in 1978 and pursued a career in graphic design. It was not until 1998 that he developed an interest in oil painting after having taken it up as a creative antidote to the structured advertising world where he was working as a designer and illustrator. He became further motivated to continue on this path of expression when he enrolled in painting classes at the Denver Art Students League and studied with noted painters Kim English and Quang Ho.

 The dimensions of his canvas are determined by the story needing to be told. Robert works from large shapes in a scene to the small, all the time keeping his values in check. Arriving at the focal point, which in many cases may be a face, he slows down to spend more time on what he considers to be the heart of the painting or story.

 Robert explains that his art is not about any one approach but it is about developing as an artist by exploring various visual approaches. The discoveries he makes along the way are what fuel his desire to be an artist. He also finds inspiration from a number of artists and their works including Quang Ho, Alex Kanevsky, Dan McCaw, Dennis Miller Bunker, Morgan Weistling, Matt Smith, Anders Zorn and Valentin Serov.

 Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Kim English!

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment

Kim English… a master of light… his paintings are striking. He is a versatile artist, the man can paint anything and it’s fabulous! Kim is in many galleries, he gives workshops (he’s giving one in Switzerland in August of this year!). The man is talented. And from artist friends I’ve heard nothing but good things about Kim, he’s a super nice guy who is talented beyond belief, he paints, he sings, good grief…! His paintings are a joy, if you aren’t familiar with Kim’s work I highly suggest you check him out, he’s in galleries all over the country! In Charleston, he’s at the Wells Gallery. I love this painting, “Conifer Sunset” (above). The one thing I love is the light on in the house with the sky getting dark, the sun setting, the day winding down… it’s magical. Oh, and those trees… L O V E  T H O S E  T R E E S !

I couldn’t make a decision, so I included two images… “Private Garden” is such a sweet painting, once again with fabulous light, and sigh… that pop of red… brilliant. I love how the shutters and window aren’t perfect, they aren’t perfectly square, they have CHARACTER. Fabulous! Here’s a blip about Kim from the Saks Galleries website (blip and images from Saks Galleries):

Colorado-based painter, Kim English, depicts in his paintings the simple beauty found in daily life. Known for his mastery of chiaroscuro, each piece speaks to the true focus of English’s inspiration the harmony existing between light and shadow. His subject matter, ranging from a street side fruit stand in Mexico to sun filled windows, creates a particular mood, through which the viewer is introduced to charming scenarios that are wrapped in depth and texture, and are entirely about paint. This is the primary force of English’s painting his astonishing manipulation of his medium. He maintains a feeling of spontaneity by completing each painting in one sitting the alla prima method. He says of using this method, Immediacy is important. Not only because it is often the nature of people, but for me it is the most instinctive way to paint.

English was born in 1957 in Omaha, Nebraska and raised in a rural community near Colorado Springs. After graduation from the Rocky Mountain School of Art he joined the faculty and later began teaching at the Art Students League of Denver and the Scottsdale Artists School. He has exhibited at the Allied Artists of America winning the Gold Medal of Honor; the National Academy of Design; the Artists of America-Denver Rotary Club; NAWA 21st Annual Exhibition; Arts for the Parks; the Colorado Governor’s Invitational – Loveland Museum; the A.R. Mitchell Memorial Museum of Western Art; The Knickerbocker 42nd Annual Exhibition; the Oil Painters of America and won both the Certificate of Merit and the Joseph Hartley Memorial Award at two Salmagundi Club Exhibitions.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Janis Sanders!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments

“On an Island” by Janis Sanders

I ran across Janis Sander’s work while checking out the artists at Camden Falls Gallery located in Camden, Maine. Her work is striking. The colors are vibrant, the subject matter is clean-lined and visually appealing. I love how the brights play off the darks. That fabulous green against the darker colors. Great work! Bright grass, dark shadow… I love it! If you’re in the area of Camden, Maine pop in and check out her work!

“Coastline” by Janis Sanders

Here’s a blip about Janis… she is just such a likable person! Blip and images from Camden Falls Gallery:

Expressive Intention

Salt air, salt spray, sweet smell of summer grass, verdant marsh, an old house at the water’s edge, wind in your hair, sun on your face.

These elements draw me outdoors, to the grassy dunes of Truro, the calm marshes of the North Shore, to the rugged cliffs of Maine.

Many of my paintings are done “en plein air”, a method introduced in the mid-1800’s by Boudin and other French artists, and pursued vigorously by the Impressionists, a name coined by an art critic in response to Claude Monet’s work, Impression, Sunrise, 1872.

Each of my works is done as spontaneously as possible, with only minimal blocking in of forms.

I begin each painting with the sky, to me the most important element.

The sky IS light, some days slightly purple, sometimes hazy cream, clear aqua, rosy, peach, celadon; we are immersed in it. Sky is the key to determine the entire atmosphere of the painting, and visually and practically provide the backdrop for the other objects in view.

My self-assigned task for each work, is to convey the ethereal ‘thing’ of light in paint, as the sun casts its breath on the world.

I paint vigorously, expressively, physically, applying paint with a palette knife in blocks/area of color, smoothing/blending minimally to keep the paint fresh and say the essence of the ‘thing’.

I take tremendous joy in the attempt, and the subsequent sharing of the result with you.

Thank you for looking, sharing the experience.

I would say thank Y O U Janis! Thanks for sharing! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Jerry Weiss!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Morning, Raspberry Island, Maine” by Jerry Weiss / Image: JerryWeiss.com

I think by now there isn’t a soul alive who doesn’t know how much Fred and I LOVE Maine art… one day we were downtown (Charleston, SC) going in our usual galleries, when we walked by a painting that we recognized. My husband said “that’s Raspberry Island!!” and we hear a voice that said… “you’re right!” whoa! We went in this wonderful gallery called Ingram Fine Art & Antiques… FABULOUS work mostly by Maine artists. Artists who we have met on Monhegan Island in Maine, or who’s work we’ve seen in other places as we bopped around Maine. How utterly cool that they were right here in Charleston! We spoke to one of the owners for quite a while and she was such a delight to talk to… it made us really miss Maine and really LOVE her gallery. If you’re in the area I highly encourage you to pop in and say hello and check out all the beautiful things they’ve got in their gallery!

Jerry Weiss is a fabulous artist, this is a large painting (30 x 40) and is splendid in every way! I love the shadow of the island in the water, and they sky, and… and… and… I guess it caught both of our eyes because a few years ago we rented a cottage in Port Clyde, ME, that faced Raspberry Island, so this was our view! I love the loose strokes… I swear, we need to build more walls in our house, ha ha… Here’s a blip about Jerry from his website… or click HERE to read a different version from Ingram Art & Antiques! I love learning about the artist! If you aren’t in the Charleston area, check out Jerry’s website, it’s a great one!

Seeking competence in figure painting, I spent the better part of six years drawing and painting the figure in art school, and after leaving, continued the notion of the figure in the interior. My goal was to create a visual diary that would be a pictorial record of artists and friends. Then, as now, I was intrigued by the portrait and figure as a most sacred subject.

As a landscape painter I was self-taught, and I struggled for a long time to find my vocabulary. It took many years for me to realize a structural approach, looking for the anatomy that exists in landscape as it surely does in the human subject. Since moving to Connecticut in 1994 and painting outdoors in earnest, I have become better at emphasizing abstraction of shapes. I want to refer to the individuality of the subject, those characteristics which render a person or place unique. For me this also means not merely noting the external beauty of things, but going after something a bit deeper. Put another way, I try to paint temporal qualities, but composed in such as way as to render them timeless.

Evident in my work is an enchantment with the feminine, fascination with psychological nuances, and love for the natural and architectonic shapes of landscape. I am amazed by the color of skin, continually gratified to recognize bone and muscle beneath the surface, and delighted by the powerful forms underlying the Maine coast and Connecticut River Valley. If I may be permitted understatement, I also like light, without which there would exist no space, form or visual coherence.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… JULIA RALSTON!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

Grandfather Carlson’s Place by Julia Ralston

I have my husband to thank for this one… he knows I’m always on the lookout for artists, recipes, ideas… and he suggested Julia! Well, thank you Fred… soon I’m going to have to change the name of this blog to include you…!

Julia has fabulous wide, loose strokes, nice and free. She’s able to leave out a lot of the little detail that ends up making a painting look fussy… I love that about her paintings! Here in Charleston, Julia is represented by the Atelier Gallery (also in Asheville, NC! Note: Link is no longer viable so it’s been removed)… so check her out… if you aren’t in the area give her website a look, you won’t be disappointed!

Summer Light by Julia Ralston

A blip about Julia from her website…

Julia Ralston was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. As a teenager she was often found reading or drawing and toting a sketchbook and journal to camp and family vacations. Encouraged by her artistic maternal grandmother and an enthusiastic high school art teacher, Julia entered Indiana University as a Fine Arts major, graduated in 1981 with a B.S. in Finance, and went to work for a major bank in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 Julia travels frequently and in each place she gathers reference material for her paintings.  Working en plein air and in the studio using her own photographs and sketches, Julia’s work expresses movement and color using loose brushwork and a variety of application methods. This vitality translates well to a variety of subject matter. Julia has studied with Scott Christensen, Stuart Shils, and Peggy Kroll-Roberts to name a few, and well as with her mentor, Andrew Braitman.  She maintains a summer studio in the North Carolina mountains and winters in the South Carolina lowcountry. If she’s not in the studio, you can find her out on the trail stalking birds and new compositions.

“The painting process is a game for me; making decisions using value, color and variety of line appeals to me in a way that wordsmiths feel about writing poetry or crafting a story. I try to be attentive to nuance of light and sense of place… it’s fantastic when brush stroke and color resurrect a memory or transport to a particular field or country road.”

Great work Julia! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Links updated 2/24/25

Hard to believe she would have been 12… a painting and a memory…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, THOUGHTS5 Comments

Streamers After by Tollef Runquist / Image: Dowling Walsh

This painting is special to us. It isn’t ours, it’s for sale at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine.  Today is a special day… Isabelle would have been 12… hard to imagine. This painting is what Fred and I both imagine Isabelle would have been like if everything went OK. Unfortunately, things with the pregnancy didn’t go well… You have to figure that things work out for a reason, although it’s hard to understand “why” at that moment…  We’re so fortunate to have each other and for that we are extremely thankful!

This painting is so happy and bright. Just like a little girl after her birthday party. See how paintings can evoke memories? Every painting that we have has a great memory attached to it. Hope yours do too!

Happy 12 years Isabelle… We love you…