I try my best to select a painting that is for sale instead of one that is already sold, but I just think this is the sweetest painting. This is done by artist Elizabeth Pollie of Harbor Springs, MI. After reading about her, and the different locations that she paints, I was so pleased to see that she paints scenes of Mackinac Island, Michigan! I had vacationed on Mackinac Island this year, and this painting is reminiscent of that trip… This looks like the horses on Mackinac Island. I love the flag in the distance, the light in the horses mane. Excellent. Not typical at all. I often wonder why there aren’t more galleries on Mackinac Island. Why aren’t there artists with easels set up everywhere like on Monhegan Island, Maine? It baffles me. I think it would be an awesome adventure (once my husband retires) to pack up, buy a place on the island and open a gallery. Invite our artist friends to paint on the island and show their work… whoa! Who could pass that up!? I love to dream!
Elizabeth Pollie’s exposure to the arts came at an early age. Taken to museums, enrolled in classes by her parents and influenced by her father’s love and practice of art and architecture, she was always clear about her path in life. “Working within the field of visual arts never seemed like a choice, but rather a place of true belonging”. She enrolled in college art classes while still in high school and went on to receive an education at a formal Art School. She earned her B.F.A. at The College For Creative Studies where she later taught.
Harboring a deep love of travel and art history, Elizabeth has combined her travels with her painting practice. The images that she creates are imbued with a sense of poetry, mood and depth.
The artist paints full time and teaches from her studio, West Wind Atelier in Harbor Springs, Mi. Her paintings reside in both public and private collections here and abroad and have received much national recognition.
Elizabeth has found a deep sense of place within the rekindled practice of representational painting in America. Of this movement Pollie reflects, “ It is celebration, an homage and in many ways a joyous homecoming. I am pleased to be a part of it.
Check out Elizabeth’s website! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Pam Ingalls – “The Kingdom of Ahhhh” /Image: RSHannaGallery.com
I love paintings of interiors. I especially love the ones that are painted loosely, like this one done by artist Pam Ingalls. This is a great little interior painting entitled “The King of Ahhhhh” and can be located at the RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Here’s a blip about the artist, this comes from the Meyer Gallery, who also represents Pam, they are located in Santa Fe, New Mexico:
Ingalls’ education in art began early. She first studied with her father, Richard Ingalls, who created the Art Department at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. She continued at the Accademia Delle Belle Arte in Florence, Italy in 1977, then returned home to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree from Gonzaga in 1979.
She later worked with Frederick Frank in New York and subsequently studied oil painting under Ron Lukas in Seattle. More recently she has studied with Richard Schmid and Burt Silverman.
Strong color and sound drawing are primary in her paintings. Her choice of simple subject matter is surprising, sometimes humorous, and always full of emotion. Portraits, still lifes and interior scenes populate her studio.
A table with chairs, a diner counter top, rubber boots standing by a kitchen door, even a bowl of cherries – all evoke a sense of humanity and presence, as if someone is either about to enter the frame or has just left it.
Pam has exhibited in over 125 national and international juried art shows, where she’s won more than 60 prizes. Her work has exhibited in 28 states, and is in collections in several countries.
"Sand in the Sheets" - Karen Hollingsworth, Image: Wynne-FalconerGallery.com
I can FEEL the breeze blowing in the window, I can hear the crashing of the ocean waves, the birds chirping… I can smell the salt air, I FEEL AS IF I AM THERE. Ahhh, this is a great painting done by an amazing artist from Atlanta, GA. She is known for her light airy paintings and considers a painting successful if the viewer feels as if they’re there. Here’e a blip from the artists website:
Karen Hollingsworth is known for her unique light, airy “windowscapes”. In the past the artist painted interior spaces, now she includes an open window that acts as a portal into the space beyond. Her large oil paintings often depict subject matter that is fairly minimal, chairs and ordinary interior settings, however what attracts many viewers is the mysticism evoked by the movement of the air and the ocean breeze through the curtains.
For Karen, a painting is about the feeling it evokes. Although there are no figures present in her windowscapes, it is difficult to deny the implications of vacant chairs in such an empty space. Karen is interested in creating the “impression of looking through that room and seeing the view outside the room.
“I love to create paintings that evoke a sense of the familiar,” says Karen. “To blend the common objects of everyday life, placed within the interior of a room, with a glimpse of the ocean or mountains through an open window. My windowscapes are intended to provide the viewer with a sense of solitude and well being. A comfortable world bathed in sunlight and warm breezes. For me, a painting is successful if “I wish I were there.”
Mark Horton is a fabulous artist (as well as a super nice guy). That’s nothing new, however I’m seeing some work like none I’ve ever seen of his and I like it. A lot! This painting is one from the workshop he and Chris Groves gave in Italy this year. It’s so unique. I love it!
If you’re in the Charleston, SC area be sure to stop in the Horton Hayes Gallery! Stop by, say hello and check out the wonderful art work! If you aren’t in the area, check out Mark’s work on the gallery website. Here’s a blip from the gallery website, there’s more, so check it out!
Mark Kelvin Horton was born and raised in rural North Carolina. After graduating from East Carolina University School of Art in 1983, Horton moved to New York City to begin a career in advertising and design. He carried with him the dream of someday becoming a painter.
Eighteen years of living in New York were spent working as a creative director in various advertising agencies and eventually founding his own design company. Those years also provided an invaluable opportunity for Horton to view and study firsthand the seemingly endless number of masterworks of art in the city’s museums and galleries. Horton became particularly fascinated with the works of George Inness, Herman Herzog, Frederick Church and the tonalist photographer, Edward Steichen. He was also captivated by the realism of John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer as well as the romantic landscapes of the Hudson River School painters. The experience had a profound effect on his artistic development.
During his years working as an artistic director and designer, Horton continued to nurture his “fine art side”, drawing, sketching and painting whenever he had the opportunity. In early 2001 Horton made the decision to devote himself full-time to painting. He left New York City and returned to his Southern roots, moving to Charleston, South Carolina.
Horton is particularly fascinated with the effects of light and weather upon the landscape. He paints beyond a literal interpretation of a scene to portray nature in a way that reflects his own ideas and sensibilities while capturing the spirit, color and changing light of a place.
Adding this a bit late, but just in time… this past weekend we went to a fabulous demo that Mark Horton and Chris Groves gave at the Horton Hayes Gallery, it was about painting the English countryside and it was AMAZING! To watch these guys paint is fascinating. I took notes like a crazy person and can’t wait to try what they mentioned. They are full of information, and lucky for you they have workshops in your future! There are a few in England that will blow you away. We’ve seen the photos, seen the paintings and whoa! If you have ever thought about taking a workshop, check them out! Besides learning a lot, trust me, you’ll have a good time. They’re fun! Click HERE to go to the Horton Hayes workshop link!
Mark Horton demo at Horton Hayes Gallery
You liked his work, didn’t you? Catch you back here tomorrow!
OK, who here remembers the milkman? You know, the man who delivered milk and other dairy products to your house each week. Well now the secret is out, I’m old enough to remember and I kind of miss the concept of the milkman! How nice would it be to answer your door and have your dairy products right there? Or reach inside the milk box that was outside the door in case you weren’t home? Well, I think the milkman era has long been gone, but here is a painting done by a very cool artist entitled “MILKMAN”. I just happened upon this artists website and it’s just so different. Very realistic images. The artist’s name is Otto Lange and he lives in Athens, GA. He has work in several galleries…
"Wentworth Mansion" by Jennifer Smith Rogers Image: Smith Killian
Are you an art lover? An artist? A collector, or just someone who loves to watch an artist paint? Well, this weekend is for you! It’s my favorite time of year, for many reasons… cooler weather, cooking and baking, and yes, CFADA’s (Charleston Fine Art Dealer’s Association) Fine Art Walk… The art walk is Friday night, watching the artists paint is Saturday morning… and I. LOVE. THAT. It never fails to amaze me. We are very fortunate to have such a strong and successful art community here in Charleston! Here are the details… if you see something you love you can bid on it Saturday night, all the money goes towards helping to fund ten high school art programs! Here are the details:
Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association
13th Fine Art Annual. November 2, 4-5.
Friday night join us for gallery receptions followed by 20 artists painting plein air
Saturday morning 9am-12pm in Washington Park ( at Broad and Meeting Streets ) Art competition from the local high schools will also take place.
Saturday evening 6:30-8:30, at Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art;
58 Broad St. Meet and greet the plein air painters and bid on works
completed that morning.
Proceeds will go to fund ten local high school art programs of which
CFADA has contributed $180,000 over the last seven years.
AND, check out Jennifer Smith Rogers new painting WENTWORTH MANSION… love it! Go see her work at Smith Killian (www.smithkillian.com for those of you not in Charleston)! Whoa! See you at the art walk… catch you back here tomorrow!
Aren’t these paintings OUT OF THIS WORLD?? They’re so fresh, so different, colorful yet peaceful, I absolutely love them. The painting above is entitled “BELOW SONORA PASS” and the one below “395, NORTH OF MONO LAKE”. I found this artist in an unexpected place. I was on Serena and Lily’s website (home furnishings, bedding, etc.) and they have something called a BAZAAR, where they collect neat things from around the globe… I clicked on the ART tab, TRULY not expecting to see what I call fabulous art and whoa! There she was… Karen Smidth has paintings on Serena and Lily’s Bazaar (click HERE) that are breathtaking. MANY are sold, you have to act fast! I’m telling you… this girl is good! (See, now you know what I meant when I said Karen was a bazaar artist… Serena and Lily Bazaar)!
Image: KarenSmidth.com
Karen is a graphic designer/artist who was born in Denmark, then moved to the United States. Here is a bit about Karen from her WEBSITE:
EDUCATION
1976-80 journeyman hot metal typesetter, ringkobing, denmark 1980-82 the graphic arts institute of denmark, copenhagen 1985-86 the academy of art, san francisco 2004-07 part time student at college of marin, kentfield, ca
after many years of working as a graphic designer, i am now focusing some of my energy on painting and drawing.
my paintings are about seeing, as well as being an attempt to understand the world around me. what ends up on the surface is a product of a my discoveries.
Well done Karen! I wish you much success you certainly deserve it!
Hey! It’s not too late! There’s still time to catch this show at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine! I first saw Greta’s name mentioned while reading Colin Page’s Journal (if you haven’t read it… it’s addictive, this is one VERY talented artist, who shares a wealth of information). Greta’s work is so different. I am impressed. This is one girl with some energy! She has a great WEBSITE and BLOG. She’s in a fabulous gallery, the DOWLING WALSH GALLERY. So if you are fortunate enough to live anywhere in the Rockland vicinity and haven’t seen Greta’s show yet… I would find a way to make it over there…
Here’s a blip about Greta from the Dowling Walsh website:
Greta Paints America
“Over the course of 2011, I plan to visit all 50 of the United States and paint a portrait of America. The act of painting helps me to look more closely and honestly at all that is around. I want to explore contemporary America, while also learning about the history of the land and people in our country. I want to meet individuals from all walks of life and listen to their stories. My goal will be to preserve and share the experience of paying close attention to all that I see and learn by capturing it in paint. A car will serve as my main mode of transportation, but I’ll also be traveling by plane, bus, rail, boat, and foot. I want to begin the project with loose guidelines: one year, 50 states, oil paint, an open and curious mind, and the desire to learn, listen, explore, and look closely. Hopefully, if I hold true to those guidelines, the project will develop organically, leading me to many great discoveries!”
Greta will have a solo exhibition at Dowling Walsh Gallery from Friday, September 30th through Sunday, October 30th, 2011.
One more image… from Dowling Walsh’s website… check them out for more!
I really enjoy paintings done of interiors. I love to get a glimpse into other peoples homes, it’s kind of like taking a home tour without going anywhere. I appreciate other people’s style and design (well, most of the time!) Karen Lawrence is an artist from Atlanta, GA who primarily does interiors. They’re fantastic. She does paint other subjects, but interiors are what she’s known for. What drew me to this painting was the gorgeous deep dark greens that you see through the window next to the bright light. This painting is entitled SUMMER SUN.
It appears that Karen is in the midst of updating her website (we always appreciate an up-to-date website when we aren’t close enough to pop into a gallery and see the real thing! For now click HERE for a link to see her work. Her original website is http://www.karenlawrenceoils.com – check back in a bit, give her a chance to update! Here’s a blip from the temporary website:
I paint every day in my studio at Tula Art Center in Atlanta. That is, when I’m not out photographing beautiful homes and meeting the people who live in them. I’m intrigued by how people live and the common thread that connects us with our past. I love houses with history and rooms filled with beloved treasures.
The elegance of a curved archway, the drama of tall ceilings and open French doors, the intimacy of an overstuffed chair with a good reading lamp – are all elements of scenes waiting to be painted. For me, the other essential element is light. I’m especially excited by the play of bright sunlight streaking across the floor or warm lamplight drawing one to a comfortable place.
After wrestling with the perspective of a foyer with multiple archways reflected in mirrors or chair legs that don’t want to cooperate with my paintbrush, I relax with the tranquility of a vase of flowers on a table. I find still life very comforting. I love the colors reflecting on shiny surfaces and the freshness of garden flowers backlit by sun pouring in my dining room windows.
My style of painting is a rather loose version of realism. I spent thirteen years developing my style and technique in watercolors. Since 1997, I have been painting almost exclusively in oils.
Karen is in several galleries click HERE for a list from her website… Catch you back here tomorrow!
Chris Groves has got an eye for art. His paintings are breathtaking. Most (to me) have that rare old world look to them. This one is a bit different, this one is looser, but is so awesome. Chris has his work at the Horton Hayes Gallery downtown Charleston. This is one beautiful gallery and his work fits perfectly within its walls.
Here’s a blip from the Horton Hayes Gallery. If you’re in the area, stop in the gallery, if not they have an excellent website! I just love his pieces from Italy!
Chris Groves’ love of art grew from his early experiences with nature and the introduction of a master sculpture in his youth.
Groves was born in Boulder, Colorado, but soon moved with his family to Slidell, Louisiana. Those early years in Slidell were spent outside, exploring the woods, swimming in the bayou, boating, fishing, playing with snakes and other wild animals. It was during those years that Groves learned to love the outdoors and nature.
At the age of ten, Groves’ family returned to Boulder where he continued his exploration of nature with countless hikes, mountain climbs and camping trips. His parents gave him a nature-drawing book and Groves latched onto it as a source of awe and inspiration. He would spend countless hours copying the drawings and enhancing them with his own interpretation. His parents, recognizing their sons’ talent and appreciation of art, hired a private tutor to instruct him in basic techniques. Soon, Groves’ interest turned from nature to people. Groves looked to magazines, friends and siblings as a source of inspiration and drew detailed portraits of their faces.
In high school, Groves met sculptor, Glenna Goodacre, the mother of a school friend. Meeting with her and seeing some of the success she enjoyed as a artist (Vietnam Women’s memorial, Sacagawea US Dollar design) helped to inspire Groves’ own artistic aspirations.
After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.F.A. in Environmental Design, Groves spent the next ten years as an art director for two large companies, all the while continuing to study and hone his fine art skills.
Groves has studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, the Colorado Academy of Art, the Loveland Art Academy, the Cottonwood Art Academy and the Denver Arts Students League. He also enjoyed a private, two- year mentorship with artist Jay Moore, which he considers a turning point in his artistic career.
I love to introduce artists that you might not run across… good ones, artists that are unique… I would like you to meet Maine artist, Tom Curry. This is a fabulous pastel on paper entitled BOAT HOUSE, I love the orange undertones, its a very striking piece! It’s at Gleason Fine Art in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. If you’re in the area, check him out! If not, check out Gleason’s website, he’s under the CONTEMPORARY ART section. The artist also has a FABULOUS website, (click HERE)… so check him out! Here’s a blip from his website (the Artists Statement):
Life on the Maine coast is charged with a brilliance, a wildness. The waters are a living green ecosystem, radiating wonder. There’s an urgency to my work because so many of these places are being lost to development.
Nature, ever changing, offers countless compositions. I want to evoke a place, time and atmosphere in my work. The natural world is my big studio, filled with opportunities to observe nature and explore its seamless miracle. Open air painting is a selection process: this sky, these waves, this foreground. It’s not a fragment, but a series of experiences not limited to space and time like a photograph. Many places feel sacred to me, places where the landscape evokes a sense of stewardship and reverence.
I have worked with pastel more than 20 years. The medium’s fluidity and immediacy allow me to capture the ever changing light, water, and atmosphere. I often return to work in the same locations with infinite daily results.
Many artists influence my work: Ferdinand Hodler, Wolf Kahn, Marsden Hartley, Tom Thompson and Rockwell Kent. I also find inspiration in Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot’s paintings of the Italian countryside, as well in the work of Edgar Degas, Fairfield Porter, Edward Hopper and Rockwell Kent.
Talk about spectacular paintings. Ohmygosh! I love Betty’s work. I love her style, her GREAT colors and fantastic subject matter. Most of the time what Betty paints is what she looks at from her studio, on the water in Meggett, SC. A setting that makes you think you’re back in time with the big old oak trees, the water, the cottage that has been restored beyond preciousness… the fabulous porch, the backyard, it’s a mecca of beauty! The most perfect spot for an artist to paint!
Betty’s paintings have presence. You notice them. They’re beautiful on brown walls :), they’re beautiful on ANY color wall! My husband and I are both big fans. We have so many favorites, well, Betty is just one of our very special favorite artists. You know how I’ve mentioned before that we just can’t buy a painting from someone we don’t admire, respect or at least like? Betty is the absolute nicest woman, she’s a blast to talk to, we love catching up with her about her painting trips around the country. Check out their (Betty and her triplet kids, two painters and a photographer, all amazing!) website, they’re in a gorgeous gallery downtown Charleston, SC. It’s like a movie set, a perfect backdrop for beautiful paintings!
If you’re in Charleston you simply cannot miss Betty’s show… OCTOBER SKIES will be in the gallery for the art walk on October 7, 2011… check with the gallery if you have any questions. Click HERE to go to the Smith Killian Gallery website.
A blip about the artist from the Smith Killian Website:
A native of the Carolinas, Smith has firmly established herself in Charleston’s artistic community. With a style consisting of large brush strokes and bold, vibrant colors, Smith has grown exceptionally accomplished at capturing the expansive marsh vistas, beaches and waterways that are an integral part of the Lowcountry landscape. Following the birth of her children, who incidentally are triplets, Smith enrolled in art classes at the Gibbes Museum of Art in downtown Charleston, where she further developed her love of painting. “I really became serious about it immediately”, Smith recalls. “It was like a part of me that I had not been able to fulfill yet. I was lost in it.” For the past twenty-five years, Smith has dedicated herself to painting, and though her subject matter frequently reflects the Lowcountry landscape, her success has far outgrown the confines of South Carolina. Her work has been shown in prominent galleries across the nation, from New York, Washington D.C. and Martha’s Vineyard, MA, to San Francisco, and Carmel, CA. In addition, many of her pieces are included in some of the nation’s finest corporate collections such as Walt Disney World, IBM, and Johnson and Johnson. But despite being a native of South Carolina, her love of broad and encompassing landscapes, which are frequently the subject of her work, grew out of a trip she took to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the late seventies. The tidal landscapes of the Lowcountry presented Smith with different challenges to the ones she encountered in New Mexico. Rocky Mountains, awe-inspiring canyons and windswept deserts were suddenly replaced with mile-upon-mile of flat marshland – a world seemingly void of the diagonal lines that artists use to balance a painting and add depth. Seeking out diagonal lines in a predominantly flat environment forced Smith to examine the Lowcountry more closely. It was then that she discovered that the lines were to be found in the colorful shifting clouds and meandering creeks. Using large brushstrokes and eye-catching colors, Smith has grown adept at capturing not just the physical nature of a place, but the feeling as well. Her paintings, whether they depict vibrant sunsets or the sweeping expanses of the Lowcountry marshland, give the viewer a sense of the immediacy of the moment as though Smith, working against the clock, was able to capture the essence of her subject. “I can’t emphasize enough just how much I want my work to look quick, impulsive, and spontaneous, like it just happened and flowed, as opposed to appearing overworked”, Smith explains. She adds that the bold colors she uses give the paintings an element of surprise “so that you are not looking at something you have seen a thousand times before. It is making you more aware of the colors that are actually in the landscape”, Smith explains. “These colors are there, I just exaggerate them as much as possible. I want my work to be expressionistic, whilst also remaining in the realm of reality.”
See you at the art walk! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Many of you have heard of Eric Hopkins. He’s got a fabulous gallery in Rockland, Maine. An exquisite space full of his paintings, most of which are large and a few are VERY large… If you think he seems familiar but haven’t been to his gallery perhaps you’ve seen his paintings on the cover of the LL Bean catalog? He’s got a fun element to his work. This painting is entitled FLYING OVER BLUE BAY. If you’re in Rockland, ME, you’ve GOT to go in the gallery. I LOVE how (at least last time we were there) Eric used an old door with glass panes as a palette. BRILLIANT!?
With the eyes of an artist, the words of a poet, and the mind of a scientist, Eric Hopkins has engaged numerous people through his art and with his thoughts about life on this Big Blue Planet. He captures the dynamic forces and rhythms of nature in watercolors, oils, blown glass, mixed media, and photography. His vision focuses on the Big Picture of the natural world, geological and geographical forms, and the exchange of energy between Earth, Water, and Sky. From this intimate study of nature, Eric has developed a keen awareness of light, form, color, and pattern, which is reflected in all of his work.
“I was lucky enough to spend my early days on North Haven,” says Eric, “where my worldview consisted of roaming the woods, fields, shorelines and exploring the edges where land, water, and sky meet. I was drawn to shapes, spaces, patterns, and the rhythms of nature. I was and still am fascinated by the incredible variety of life forms and forces on this Planet.”
Eric is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and has taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Pilchuck Glass School. He has exhibited at the Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Waterfall Arts Center, University of Maine Museum of Art, and a number of galleries nationally.
I think this is the sweetest little painting. I love the pop of red against the white, the shadows, the light… This makes for one happy painting. “THE LIST” is a watercolor on paper that measures 8 1/4″ x 5 1/2″. You will find it at the Haynes Galleries in Thomaston, ME (Note: they have another location in Franklin, TN). Click HERE to check out their website. THE LIST is a name that makes me think up all kinds of possible stories behind this painting… for me it would go something like this… I spend time to write out a list of things to pick up from the store… I’m in a hurry, grab my keys, jump in the car, once inside the store I reach into my purse to pull out THE LIST only to remember I left it sitting on the table next to the geranium while I locked the front door. Nice… Luckily trying to constantly remember what was on my list is keeping my memory sharp, ha ha…
Here’s a blip about the artist from the Haynes Galleries:
Accomplished in both watercolor and egg tempera painting, Gary Akers has received national recognition for his abilities in both mediums. He has exhibited widely in numerous institutions, including the Speed Art Museum in Kentucky, the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle, the Ogunquit Art Museum in Maine, the Asheville, N.C. Art Museum, the National Academy of Design in New York City, the Artists of America show at the Colorado History Museum, and the Great American Artists exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Akers was born in Pikesville, Ky., and was educated at Morehead State University, graduating with a master’s degree in 1974. Since the 1970s, his paintings have been featured in numerous books and periodicals, including the two monographs about his art, Kentucky: Land of Beauty (1999) and Memories of Maine (2003). He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art, Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America, and American Artists of Renown. He currently paints and resides alternately in Kentucky and Maine.
If you’re in the area of Orleans, MA check out his work, otherwise check out their website! Great paintings!
Cindy Baron is a fantastic artist. She paints in both watercolor and oil. She lets the setting determine which it will be. Her paintings are out of this world good. One of the (many) galleries she is represented by is the Walls Gallerylocated in Wilmington, NC. If you’re in the area, but haven’t been to the Walls Gallery I would hightail it over there…. Otherwise check out her personal website . This painting is entitled ON EVEN GROUND.
Here is a blip from the Walls Gallery website:
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Cindy arrived in East Greenwich, RI in 2001, where she conducts workshops and gives private lessons in both watercolor and oils. In 2000, she became a signature member of the American Watercolor Society.
Her interest in art developed in early childhood. Her background in drawing led her to watercolors and eventually oils. She discovered that one medium enabled her to grow in the other and vice versa. One of the most frequently asked questions she receives is, “How do you choose which medium you want to use?” The answer is “Nature chooses it for me”. “I’m blessed to see landscapes in two mediums.”
“When on location, I can feel the movement a watercolor can give with its easy flowing and entwining colors, like a foggy morning, or a crashing wave. Yet some scenes call for the intensity, depth and lust that only oils can give. Some say you need to concentrate on just one medium, but I believe if you are passionate and daring as you create and see the world through many eyes, your work will naturally evolve.”
Cindy gives a lot of credit to an art teacher she had in school who always said, “There is no such word as can’t”, which she still uses to this day. One of her early interests was portraiture, which she still loves, and when an interesting subject is found she does not hesitate to introduce herself and begin a painting. She uses her studies for many of the classes she teaches. She has traveled extensively and has spent a great deal of time on the East Coast, where the Maine landscape is an etched road map in her mind. She finds it impossible to paint a landscape, unless she has personally experienced the scene…to study and take in the atmosphere, committing to memory what she wants to portray on paper. Her camera, sketchbook and easel are her treasured tools when on location.
Cindy’s paintings reflect the beauty that is found in nature, if you take the time to study the colors around you. She can capture beauty in a blustering storm or the tranquil air of everyday places. Her portraitures relay a story of human life as though they were family or friends. The versatility of her subjects keeps her energized, excited and creative.
She has become a highly sought after instructor, with many prestigious awards in both watercolor and oils. Her work can be found in private and corporate collections around the world, including NIKE and The National Museum of Wildlife.
Cindy has fantastic website of her own, if you aren’t near Wilmington, check it out… http://www.cindybaron.com
ARTFOODHOME.COM 