Category: ART

Artist to watch… Geer Morton!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS2 Comments

I love unique art, you know, a painting that’s different from everything else you see… The first year we stopped in Wiscasset Bay Gallery we fell in love with Geer Morton’s paintings. Such vibrant colors and nice loose style. LOVE IT! My husband surprised me with a painting of flowers that is just the happiest little piece. It brightens up our kitchen on a daily basis. If you get a chance, stop in Wiscasset Bay Gallery and check out his work, or visit his website! (Image and info: WiscassetBayGallery.com) 
 
Here is a great blip that came from Wiscasset Bay Gallery website about Geer Morton:

Born in Damariscotta, Maine in 1935, Geer Morton began painting as a young man. He was drawn to California where he immersed himself in a movement of art now known at the San Francisco School–notably recognized through the work of Nathan Oliveira and Richard Diebenkorn, with whom Morton studied at the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute. Morton went on to become Chairman of the Design Department and an Instructor of Painting and Drawing, and to develop his own style of art. Morton’s paintings can be found in numerous private and corporate collections, and he has exhibited extensively throughout the United States. Morton is still actively painting from his homes in Lubec, Maine and San Diego, California.

The second image, not such a great photo of such a great painting… taken with my Blackberry… it’s the painting that hangs in our kitchen. LOVE. IT. This painting makes me happy…  Our painting:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

 

Art quote weekend… EDWARD HOPPER…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Blackhead by Edward Hopper (via Artchive.com)

 

No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination.

 -Edward Hopper

 

Whoa… a masterpiece!

 

Quote via ArtQuotes.net

Image via http://www.artchive.com

Art quote weekend… Mark Rothko

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Image via sfmoma.org

I’m not an abstractionist. I’m not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.

–         Mark Rothko

Quote via artquotes.net

Visit my photo blog if you get a chance! 

Have a great weekend… catch you back here tomorrow…!

Artist to watch… SHANNON SMITH…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Fresh Catch by Shannon Smith

Charleston, SC artist Shannon Smith can catch the light in a painting like nobody’s business… whenever I see the sun behind the trees I think of Shannon’s paintings. Very versatile, this artist can paint anything! And she does!  If you aren’t familiar with Shannon’s work, check the Smith Killian Gallery . You will notice there are a few other artists with the last name of Smith. Betty Anglin Smith and her triplets, Shannon, Jennifer and Tripp – All. Amazing.

My sister and I took a workshop from Shannon a while back and it was SO INFORMATIVE. Just the opportunity to watch her paint helps so much! It was a great workshop and I highly recommend it! If YOU are in the market for a workshop in the May timeframe, Shannon Smith and Laurie Meyer will be giving one in ITALY… click HERE for more information. More than just a workshop, it looks like quite the adventure!
If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – I’ll catch you back here tomorrow…
Image via SmithKillian.com

Artist to watch… Colin Page!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS, TRAVEL6 Comments
ColinPagePaintings.com

My husband and I met Colin Page several years ago while we were in Port Clyde, Maine. He was set up not far from Monhegan Boat Line and he was painting the ice cream shop. I still remember that painting, the colors, the composition… wow, all were perfect! Colin is someone who can pull off painting something ordinary like a street with a stop sign and a telephone pole AND make it look stunning! Whenever my husband and I see the white light on the water from the sun or a picturesque intersection, we always say… “ahhhh, a Colin painting!” so true!

Colin was one of the guys in the cottage down from us, in the PAINTAPALOOZA group, (I know I keep saying this will be a future story… I need to do it don’t I?) – it was so exciting to see so much awesome artwork in one house by all these amazing artists!
Colin gets an A+++ for keeping his  website so updated! It cannot be easy to be an artist AND keep up a website, blog, etc. etc. You must check out his website AND his journal. Valuable information. This guy is good. We have a painting of his that we absolutely love, lobster boats and the white light from the sun. Simply amazing!
Colin is in several galleries, we’ve only been to DOWLING  WALSH, very nice! If you’re in Rockland, Maine sometime, check it out!
Don’t forget to take a peak at my photo blog… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… FRANK GARDNER

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
"Ben" by artist Frank Gardner

 

Frank Gardner… many of you have heard his name.

 Great artist, and a nice guy.

You may be familiar with the story where we met Colin Page, an artist in a cottage down the street from the one we were renting in Port Clyde, Maine. Colin invited us to their cottage on the last day to see all the paintings and WOW! I’ll save that story for another post, let me just say… what a group of amazing talent. (Frank was part of the Paintapalooza group of artists, like I said… future post)!

I have spent a great deal of time trying to find the ONE painting to post… all I can say is I can’t pick just one… this painting “Ben” is exquisite, and there are many more so you need to go check out Frank’s website. He’s in several galleries (website has links) and even a local gallery here in Charleston, SC the M Gallery of Fine Art.

Take a peak and see which your favorite is…

Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

Artist to watch… KEN DEWAARD

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS2 Comments
KenDewaard.com

An artist friend of ours told us about an artist friend of his.

WHAT AWESOME WORK!

My husband surprised me last year with a painting and said that he was a great guy to deal with. Oh, what a GREAT surprise! I loved the panting and I LOVE IT WHEN ARTISTS ARE NICE! I don’t know about you, but if I really like the artist, I want to collect MORE of their work. I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying a painting from an artist who I didn’t admire or at the very least like…  I just really like Ken’s work, the colors, the light… ahhhh.

If you haven’t checked out Ken’s work, do so now! He’s got a great website (ugh, so frustrating when artists websites don’t get updated… BRAVO to those of you who do update regularly, it must be a real challenge to those of you who paint, blog and update websites! It is much appreciated, believe me)!  Check it out!

 http://www.kendewaard.com/

Until tomorrow… Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!

Every child is an artist…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Image: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote_(Picasso)

I thought I would do weekends a little differently, this weekend… art quotes for your reading pleasure! Today… Pablo Picasso…

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.
Pablo Picasso

Isn’t that the truth… so easy to draw loosely as a child, but a real challenge for most grownups!

Quote via artquotes.net

Artist Charles Movalli, whoa!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS, TRAVELLeave a comment
Image: BayviewGallery.com

Bayview Gallery has a wonderful collection of Charles Movalli’s work. I think his colors are fresh. I am drawn to his pallette.  What can I say, some people love other stuff, we love art. LOVE. IT. Me, being the aspiring (ok, so that’s stretching it) artist that I am really appreciates OTHER peoples art. It facinates me how they make it happen. There is nothing I would rather do than to watch someone paint. You know why? IT’S LIKE MAGIC! I will watch and be “in the zone” and I’M NOT EVEN THE ONE PAINTING! Ha ha… I watch carefully and I think, I TOO CAN DO THIS… but then to try… whoa… another story indeed. I’m not saying I’m bad, I’m just not good, but I need to paint more often, so… Someone out there, give me an assignment. My biggest hangup is WHAT to paint? I keep trying to find something easy enough and I end up spending all my time searching for WHAT and then TADA… time to make dinner… I think I need to master painting indoors before I can move the great outdoors. So with that being said… any takers? hee hee.

If you’re in Maine and are in Camden or Brunswick, stop by Bayview Gallery! This is a little blip about artist Charles Movalli from the Bayview Gallery website:
Holder of a PhD. in English, Gloucester painter Charles Movalli uses dramatic brushwork to capture the essence of a scene. A student of Emille Gruppe, Movalli has received more than fifty awards for his vibrant work.
 
Visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Paintapalooza Artist: Jeff Bonasia

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS, TRAVELLeave a comment
Image: Addisonart.com

YOU GONNA EAT THOSE FRIES? I would say this painting is aptly named, wouldn’t you? I simply love the light on this birds belly, it’s stoic look and how it’s really looking right at you. Kind of Wyeth’ish, don’t you think?

This doesn’t appear to be what he normally paints, but it just has so much character!
 
Years ago when vacationing in Maine we had rented a cottage. Down the street from our cottage was a large group of painters from all over the country. Real artists, the ones who do it all the time and are so good at it. The paintapalooza story is for another post, but it was a great group of talented guys.  Jeff Bonasia was one of the talented artists that week. He shows in several galleries, click on his name for a link to his website. This photo is from Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
 
If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at:
http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com
 
Until tomorrow…

Artist to watch: Robert Joyner

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via http://www.robertjoynerartist.com

The day started innocently enough… taking the dog for a walk we ran into a neighbor. “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” she asked. Hmmm, we really hadn’t thought about it. We don’t usually go out to eat or buy flowers, etc since the dinners out that we have had on Valentine’s Day have been rushed and the flowers are at an overinflated price. But… that got us thinking… Fred was on Robert Joyner’s website (www.robertjoynerartist.com) and reading his blog, he saw this painting that we’ve had our eye on, Old Timer Number 5… it was still for sale… AND at that moment there was a 20% sale! Robert is very savy when it comes to his sales. Sales are there and then they aren’t, and then they are…  Earlier it was 15%…, now 20%, ohmygosh, a sign? We had just talked about cutting back, no more art this year. During the last year we’ve gotten some great pieces, but it’s time to slow down… we both agreed. BUT… IT’S. ON. SALE. So, we decided it would be our Valentine’s gift to each other (can we justify just about anything or what?), so it’s a done deal. It’ll be on it’s way here shortly and we CAN’T WAIT! If you haven’t been to Robert’s website I encourage you to visit it. It’s full of great information, stories and PAINTINGS! His blog is as interesting as it is informative. Speaking of his blog, there is a demo of him painting this very painting and it’s AMAZING! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxZm8YxK3GI You won’t believe your eyes! If you’re looking for a painting, check them out, he paints a variety of subjects, ALL AMAZING.  Horses, cows, Maine scenes, landscapes the list goes on and on… Enjoy the demo AND your weekend!

Don’t forget to check out my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

I’ve been putting this off and I need to stop!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Winsor & Newton oil paint, image via http://www.dickblick.com

I’ve been putting something off and I need to stop… Well actually I don’t need to STOP I need to START… start what? Painting… Not painting a wall, shoot, if that’s all I had to do THAT kind of painting would get done in a hurry! It’s the other kind, the kind that requires skill and creativity… Oil painting… You know when you have something you should be doing, but for some (sometimes unexplained) reason you just don’t get to it? Well, that’s me. I was on a good roll several years ago… then I think a series of paintings I wasn’t happy with just got to me… What am I doing? Do I even know? Then it was too hot… now it’s too cold… hmmm, actually TODAY is a perfect day, but I’ve got other things to get done. See what I mean? But I have it back on my mind daily.

I need to start painting again… SOON! Or else I’m going to turn the sunroom/studio back into a nice sunroom/reading area! When I look back at some of my paintings I’m thrilled, I actually am HAPPY with them… so what was my problem then? My guess is that I was comparing myself to “good” experienced artists, and in my mind I just wasn’t measuring up. Well this is the year to turn things around. Wish me luck… I’ll need it, ha!

Check out my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!