Cuchara, CO by Donna Bland  16×20″ Oil

Donna Bland. Wonderful paintings, these are a few of my favorites. These Colorado painting is dramatic with the dark greens from those stunning trees against the bright yellow/green. Nice, very nice!

Pinch of Sunshine by Donna Bland  36×24″  Oil

Something struck me with this painting. I love it! It’s like you’re standing in the woods with trees in the distance. It’s got a wonderful, happy feel to it. This is a great painting!

Read a bit about Donna, from her website:

“Donna Bland lives and paints in the Austin, Texas area.  She has been an artist all her life starting in kindergarten.  Painting daily in her studio, plein air or teaching a workshop, subjects are unlimited.  Donna loves to learn, create and share what she has experienced in finishing a painting.  No words to describe the joy in painting outdoors in the Texas Hill Country, Colorado or Mexico.

My passion is creating an oil painting that reminds someone of a special moment, place or person in their lives.

When she first started painting in Georgia,  Donna was taught to paint scenes that interested her.  Painting what interest her adds a feeling of excitement into her painterly strokes.  Painting outdoors (en Plein Aire) is a wonderful way to study light and shadow as the day unfolds.  Painting a portrait is especially fun because I get to know the people or create a scene from a person’s life.  “From outdoor scenes, to portraits, to still life – I love it all,”    Each canvas is the opportunity to create a new design made of various colors and shapes.  It is  truly a blessing to be an artist and share people’s experiences, culture and dreams through art. 

She formally studied art at The Student Art League of New York, Scottsdale School of Art, University of Georgia and Tyler Jr. College in Texas.  And, has been fortunate to paint with modern day masters throughout the United States as well as Europe.   Continuing to study and read works by John Singer Sargent, Nicolai Fechin, Joaquin Sorolla and Emile Gruppe’ lends it’s influence in her work.”

All images via DonnaBland.com, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A Red Box Low by Nick Patten 24×36 Oil

Nick Patten. Wonderful paintings… great light! What a delightful interior! I love the angles in the ceiling, the light reflected on the floor, bedspread, cabinet, etc. A bonus, paintings within a painting! Delightful!

Soft White by Nick Patten 24×26″ Oil

Pretty darn realistic! Almost as if you could reach in and pull this lightbulb right out of the painting! Nice shadows and that light! Woohoo!

Read a bit about Nick, from his website:

“Nick Patten, a contemporary realist painter, is a native of Troy, New York, he received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. People love the mysterious light in his paintings, and one art critic referred to him as an “American Vermeer.”

He has also been referred to as a Master of Light and Shadow because of the style of his paintings. Among other awards, recently Patten received the Best in Show prize in a juried show in upstate New York.

He has been a full time artist for more than 20 years, and he states that: ”my goal is to be able to paint what I want to see”.

ARTIST STATEMENT
“Settling on a composition for one of my room interior paintings is a progressive process. I pick and choose the most interesting and necessary elements from an array of photographs, often adding items from my imagination. Light & Dark is a primary focus of my painting, with particular attention to brush stroke and gradation in the darkest areas. Through working from photographs with the aim of creating believable paintings, I strive to bring a quiet drama to everyday scenes. My paintings are never intended to be “photographic”. In part, my aim is to make paintings where the content of the image is most compelling, and how the painting was made is secondary. In a sense, attempting to make the work exceed the medium.”   Nick Patten”

All images via NickPatten.com, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!

#4 (Aggregates) by Amy Mahnick  15×11″  Oil

Amy Mahnick. Wonderful paintings, cleverly done, abstract, some more than others. Fabulous color palette. Her paintings draw interest. I love this one – I love how everyone sees something a little different in abstract paintings. She has a great website, be sure to check her out!

Miss 4th (#2) by Amy Mahnick 10×8″ Oil

She also paints these cool models, they have so much character – the colors are so fun and she nailed the shadows and light. Wow!

Read a bit about Amy, from Black Pond Studio website (check website for workshop info):

“Amy Mahnick has been creating the subjects for her still life paintings for 18 years.  The plastic and packaging material she uses reflects her love of clean, colorful, modernist forms, and her paintings, a love for the process of working from observation.  

She was born in Detroit and received a BFA, in sculpture, from Michigan State University, and an MFA, in painting, from the New York Academy of Art. 

Her work has been exhibited in the United States and South Korea, most notably with Flowers Gallery, Nancy Margolis Gallery, Trestle Gallery, and 1285 Avenue of the Americas in New York; Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles; Girls’ Club, Ft. Lauderdale; and the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul.

She has taught painting and drawing as an adjunct instructor at Adelphi University on Long Island for the past 5 years.  Prior to that, her work as a commercial painter included projects as far ranging as the recreation of Pierre Bourdelle’s Depression-era murals in Dallas’s Fair Park, to Jeff Koons’s Easyfun-Ethereal series. “

All images via AmyMahnick.net, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Interior with Flowers by John Francis Murray

John Francis Murray. Interesting paintings – so different and full of life. There is an abstract quality to them, which I like, a lot! This interior painting is so happy and vibrant! I love the table cloth, the background, the texture, the bright flowers. You know what it is even though you don’t know what everything is, if that makes sense. Fabulous! Check out more of John’s work, as well as his website!

Read a bit about John, from his website:

“John Murray is a contemporary artist who works primarily in oil. His subject matter includes figure, landscape, still-life and portraiture. Inspired by the classical masters as a boy, his traditional training and artistic development has lead to work of quality. His paintings carry an appealing sense of clarity and color. Murray was educated at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. In 1991 he studied at the John Michael Angel Studio in Florence, Italy. Upon graduation, he became one of four banknote designers at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he drew presidential portraits and worked on currency designs for 16 years. In 2005, he decided to leave the Bureau to pursue his art career full time. The same year, as a faculty member at the Corcoran School of Art, he won a grant from the Corcoran to do post-graduate work at the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

In 2001, his wife Lena, a Russian artist, founded the Bridgeview School of Fine Art in New York. John Murray is a co-founder and guest teacher at the Bridgeview School. Since 2005, John and Lena have been organizing summer master classes for American students in St. Petersburg, Russia at the famous Repin Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

John has exhibited in many venues including the International Art Expo in New York City, the Strathmore Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he won Best of Show Alumni Award in 2002. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and teaches drawing, painting and sculpture at the Corcoran School of Art while continuing to paint. He is represented by Nichols Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia and Newman Gallery in Philadelphia.

Major commissions include portrait of Supreme Court clerk Suiter, religious mural for the Jesuit Chapel at the Georgetown University and historic restoration of the dome of the Hispanic Gala Theater in Washington DC.”

All images via JohnFrancisMurray.com, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!