Scott W. Prior.  Life is full of happy surprises! One being Scott W. Prior! What amazing work! I recently contacted Scott to see if I could feature him and use an image… I did feature Scott Prior, BUT the wrong Scott Prior (ugh) – he sent me a nice message, and let me know there was another Scott Prior on the east coast (the one I featured). Ugh! When I went to Scott W. Prior’s website… WOOHOO… HAPPY SURPRISE! He is awesome! Scott’s paintings have a clear crispness to them. So nice! Scott Prior is clearly an artists name! Both are amazing!

St Marys Garden View (above) won Best in Show – 15th Annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational (2013) – pretty amazing!

I love great titles on paintings. You know, the creative ones that make you smile. This did just that. Gamblin, for those of you who aren’t artists, is a brand of paint. “Gamblin Man” is a brilliant title!

Read a bit about Scott from his website:

Scott W. Prior is an award winning oil painter and Southern California native.  He received his BFA from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA where he studied under the exceptional artists Craig Nelson, Bill Maughan and Hui Han Lui. During his time at the Academy of Art Scott established his skills in design, drawing and painting, giving him a solid foundation with which to develop his own unique, artistic style.  Scott draws inspiration from the beauty in ordinary, everyday scenes.

All images via ScottWPrior.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Lynne Lockhart. Wow, she really understands animals. Her paintings are amazing, but I’m drawn to the animals, especially the dogs, they all have such personality. Just look at Coco above, I would think she is likely wanting something… a treat perhaps? I love that face and the orange in the shadow, brilliant!

Read a bit about Lynne from her website:

Painting is a visual language and so is much of the language of animals. The quiet observation of the natural world, both wild and tame provides endless painting possibilities. No matter the subject, the application of paint to canvas is the easy part. Understanding anatomy, the nature of light and knowing your materials are only some of the variables one gets to juggle. However, the real challenge for me is the interpretation of what I see. That is the translation from subject to canvas. It is this translation through the artist that makes the difference in painters. Our facts may be the same but our truths are different.

Lynne Lockhart is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists. She lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with 2 mutts and her husband, painter Kirk McBride. They all go exploring together.

Image via Lockhartpainter.com – used with permission…

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Sally Linder. She paints fascinating subject matter. Sally’s subject matter makes you think. When you read her words and see her paintings you truly want to help the cause and help the world become a better place. Not just in the area where you live, but in all of the world… Sally travels far and wide and really knows about what she paints.

Sally is an amazing person as well as a deeply connected artist. Deeply connected in saving the world and making it a better place for all of us. We need more Sally’s in the world! This is just one of many wonderful paintings. Be sure to check out her website! This painting is in the “Approaching a Threshold Series”.

In Sally’s words:

Many of the legends of the polar north, as told by the Inuit elders, speak of the spirits of the great white bear and man as being interchangeable.  For in the telling, when the polar bears enter their dens they shed their hides and become men, and only upon returning to the frigid outdoors do they don their furs once again.

Read a blip about Sally, from her website:

Born in the United States, I was educated in the US and Canada. A strong foundation in drawing enables me to move seamlessly between representation and abstraction, determined by my subject’s desire to be recognized or left to the imagination. Inspired by Earth’s beauty and the social and political issues that confront humankind, each of my artistic endeavors has sprung from a deep commitment to Earth and all living beings. This love of life with its contrast and balance of agonies and ecstasies prompts both activism and playfulness in my work. The paintings chronicle a quest for a better and more conscience driven world and my passion becomes their purpose and content.

Painting in series provides the opportunity to be immersed in each subject’s distinct, emotive language conveyed through choice of color, form, and mark. Particularly in the more representational work, this immersion is linked to considerable research for each series involving historical, scientific and spiritual elements. It is from this deepening well that the layers of paint emerge on the canvas, paper or drafting film.  The images that are inspired become symbols of a compassionate, participatory commitment to life. This vision provides us with the opportunity to turn around so that we may know who the others are and our connection to them. So evolves an intimate partnership between artist, subject, canvas, and viewer.

I have exhibited worldwide in Bangalore, India, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Jakarta, Indonesia, throughout the United States, Yaounde, Cameron, and Johannesburg, South Africa. I am the recipient of national and international awards including from the International Music and Art Foundation in Liechtenstein, the National Endowment for the Arts/Vermont Arts Council, the Philanthropic Collaborative in New York, and the Board of Governors’ Medal from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. My work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Yes!, the National Geographic Magazine, Art New England, The Best of Acrylic Painting, and Femina Magazine. Speaking engagements have included the United Nations, the Earth Charter’s venues at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, Brown University, the International Women’s Conference in Bangalore, India, Middlebury College, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

All images via SallyLinder.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

John Matthew Moore. Stunning work. So intricate and detailed. Stunning and just so beautiful! Fred and I met Moore on Monhegan (Maine) many years – such a nice guy. (The group we meet on Monhegan every year has become a treasured tradition… one that we look forward to from the moment we step off the island… see you soon Jennifer, Hank, Ruth, Jimmie, Matthew, Frank, Sally & Bob… the list goes on and we add to it each year, I love that!). We’ve met many artists on Monhegan… I write their names down and when I get home so that I can check out their work… and when I ran across John work… W O W ! Stunning. Such intricate detail. Elegant and classy. Elaborate and well thought out. Each painting is a treat for your eyes! Check out John’s Facebook page for even more work as well as upcoming Designer Show Homes that his work is featured in!

This double orchid is beyond gorgeous. Just look at the light in this piece – whew, takes my breath away! Such luscious greens, I have no idea how he does it! BUT, I’m glad he does!

Atlanta Designer Danielle Rollins did a spotlight feature about John and his work on her website – it’s a must read! Gorgeous paintings! Great write up!

Read a bit about John from his website:

John Matthew Moore is a botanical artist with a fresh approach to this well know genre. Moore’s medium of choice is the velvety, chalk enriched watercolour known as gouache, with which he excels in the mastery of colour and attention to detail.  The opaque pigments of gouache enable Moore to achieve stunning effects ranging from light shining through petals to the deep, dark, rich tones of his red tulips.

Although the inspiration for his works is drawn from 17th and 18th century botanical and classical works of art, Moore’s own vision is evident.  His paintings are larger than life, seeming to explode off of the page while maintaining their scientific integrity, resulting in a photo-realistic effect.

Moore’s paintings are displayed in many prominent international private and public collections due to representation in London, Beverly Hills, New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. In addition, his works have been placed in prestigious show homes including Southern Accents 2000 Capital Design House in Washington, DC (Barry Dixon, designer), the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Design House, (Franya Waide, designer) and the 2008 Holiday Show House in New York City, (Kelly Proxmire, designer) to name a few.

Catch you back here tomorrow!