Tollef Runquist. His paintings are joyful. Colorful, happy and make you want to be a kid again! His wonderful colors bring you in, the bold blots of red and orange keep me hanging in there… fun.

Tollef’s show at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine runs from October 3 – 31, 2014! (Can you believe it’s October 3rd already?) Stop in and take a peek!

See, don’t you want to be a kid again? Colorful pool noodles dot the landscape of a cool house on the water. Happy & fun! Tolef has some wonderful work for this show, if you are anywhere near Rockland, Maine, don’t miss it!

About the show, from Dowling Walsh Gallery website:

” This work, a selection of pieces from the past year, reflects my ongoing interest in aspects of the Decorative, textile design, repetition, symmetry, flatness, and ideas of resolution and process as they apply to the construction of a painting. In addition I have been attending to a sort of cross pollination from other bodies of my own work, namely my ‘toy paintings’ and ‘revision’ series. These paintings contain elements of the whimsical, the dream image, something forgotten, something suggested, and are indicative of the ongoing evolution of my work.”

About Tollef, from DowlingWalsh.com

Artist Statement

“Painting for me is an undertaking of appreciation and inquiry. It is a means by which to engage the beauty and mystery of visual experience in an ongoing dialogue. This is a widening puzzle; as I partake in this conversation, it continually refreshes itself, revealing unexpected angles and new understanding. I feel no particular loyalty to realism or my own past work. I set to draw out a particular vision as long as my experience with it is visceral, attentive and useful. I try to encapsulate the fullness of my experience of a moment; weight and stillness, burning edges, massive calm. These move me towards a particular subject, I try to paint and honor them, and then move on.

Some visual artists who have affected me deeply have been Richard Diebenkorn, Monet, De Kooning, Gauguin, Bonnard, Rothko, Sargent, Gordon Grant, Gerhard Richter, Hopper, Homer, Klimt and Egon Schiele among others. I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. I received a B.A. in studio Art from Dickinson College in 2002 and have since been continuing my education through creation.”

All images via DowlingWalsh.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Crystal Moll. Urban Landscape painter. Don’t you just love this painting? It’s like a breath of fresh air. It’s welcoming and has all the feel good things in it. This looks like a happy home. A great place to sit on the porch and talk to your neighbors. It’s bright and happy! That’s what the world needs with all that’s going on. It needs more happy! Check out more of Crystal’s work!

Read a bit about Crystal from her website:

URBAN LANDSCAPE PAINTER CRYSTAL MOLL

For over 20 years Crystal  Moll has been seen on location, with her canvas, brushes, and oils, interpreting the urban landscape as she sees it. Painting on location gives her work the feel of “being there,” allowing the viewer to enter the scene, look in the windows, and acquire a sense of place and time. Crystal works on several paintings at a time, moving locations with the sun, to capture the light and shadow of each scene at its optimum time of day. Her work has been compared to the subjects of Edward Hooper but with a brighter,happier feel. Crystal paints on locations throughout Baltimore and beyond, often using urban scenes as her chosen landscaped. Baltimore’s Federal Hill always being a favorite, along with yearly painting trips to South Carolina and Virginia.  Her works have been published in Baltimore Magazine, Sketch Artists, Encyclopedia of Living Artists and Working Artists magazine.

For over 20 years Crystal  Moll has been seen on location, with her canvas, brushes, and oils, interpreting the urban landscape as she sees it. Painting on location gives her work the feel of “being there,” allowing the viewer to enter the scene, look in the windows, and acquire a sense of place and time. Crystal works on several paintings at a time, moving locations with the sun, to capture the light and shadow of each scene at its optimum time of day. Her work has been compared to the subjects of Edward Hooper but with a brighter,happier feel. Crystal paints on locations throughout Baltimore and beyond, often using urban scenes as her chosen landscaped. Baltimore’s Federal Hill always being a favorite, along with yearly painting trips to South Carolina and Virginia.  Her works have been published in Baltimore Magazine, Sketch Artists, Encyclopedia of Living Artists and Working Artists magazine.

While occasionally a  participant and award winner in several Plein Air painting events including Norfolk VA, Easton MD, Mountain Maryland and Frederick… she prefers to paint plein air on her schedule.. choosing her optimum light!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Sandra Pratt. Luscious thick paint.  Fabulous paintings all created with a palette knife. If you aren’t familiar with Sandra’s work, check it out! It was difficult to find one that wasn’t sold to preview! I especially love the dark paint, it really makes the rest of the painting POP!

Read a bit about the artist from her website:

Born In Chicago 1978,  Sandra started painting and drawing at a young age, she remembers cold evenings in Colorado at sunset and the color of distant trees and barns, the smell and quietness of snow, wanting to capture those effects. Studying briefly at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago left her to experiment with her own creative ways, self taught from an early age, It was traveling to Europe that really resonated with her artistic vision. Old barns, alleyways, cobblestone streets, all left an imprint in her mind for future works. 

Completing color charts inspired her decision to paint primarily with the palette knife, the boldness and spontaneity it afforded was a great teacher. Her artistic process is very quick, painting without the intention of erasing, molding the paint into a desired and cohesive understanding between color and form.  Her artworks show diversity being mainly abstract while others will have a focal point. She is inspired by art legends Sergei Bongart, Nicolai Fechin, and Edward Seago. 

She has exhibited her art work in France, New York, Seattle, Denver, and Austin. Her work is in many private residences throughout the country. She is currently living in Austin Texas.

All images via SandraPratt.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Jeff Gola. Stunning. Egg Tempura. Like nothing else! Look at these stunning paintings. So full of life. The light! Oh, the light is magnificent! That wonderful, magical warm light. Fabulous in every way!

This is the most stunning tree… there is a story to be told here. Again, the wonderful light just makes this such a fabulous painting! Check out Jeff’s work, each and every piece is out of this world beautiful!

Read a bit about Jeff, from his website…

Jeff Gola specializes in egg tempera painting and also works in oil and watercolor. He received a BA degree from Allegheny College, spent his junior year in Temple University’s program in Rome Italy, and has continued his art education with courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His work has been included in many juried competitions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Jeff currently lives and works in Moorestown, New Jersey with his wife Linda.

Artist Statement

From my earliest memories, I have always been drawn to the rural landscape. Having grown up on a farm, I have always had a strong interest in observing the elements that influence that environment; the cycle of the seasons, the changing skies and the weather it portends, the constant presence of the natural processes of life, decay and rebirth, and the fading remnants of distant history and past lives.

Egg tempera painting has a long tradition and its special qualities are uniquely suited to capturing the properties of light and exploring its interplay on texture. I have found that the slow and careful process that tempera requires to achieve its depth and luminosity suits my temperament and vision. The gradual building of form and the patient exploration of every surface nuance that is involved in tempera painting requires a meditative and reflective approach, one that I feel enables me to examine personal memories and feelings that these subjects evoke in me.

 Images via JeffGola.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Larry Moore. I love this guys style. He’s a super cool guy to boot. I love his blog, it makes me laugh. Larry definitely has a sense of humor to go along with being a stunning artist!

This is a fabulous study (above) from Monhegan, Maine of the island of Mañana. He captured it so well! Wow! Larry started an Etsy shop where he is selling his studies (WOW… awesome paintings, at fabulous prices! A great way to collect art if the non-studio pieces are out of your price range, or if you’re new to collecting original art.).

This is one artist that can truly paint anything, East coast, West coast, North, South, inside, outside, things, people, you name it, Larry can paint it! Just check out his website! I am so impressed by the number of paintings and how they aren’t alike. Each and every one is different. You can tell that he pushes himself as an artist.

I do try to feature paintings that are for sale… but Larry’s interiors just pop out at me. I love paintings of interiors and not many are painted. Larry’s are outstanding, and they go quickly. Very quickly! So if you see one for sale… BUY IT! ;)

Larry has some WORKSHOPS coming up, so if you’re an artist, you may want to check them out!

Read a bit about Larry from his website:

I’m an artist, for the most part I paint outdoors, what we call en plein air, which is a fancy french term that means “outdoors”. I’ve been doing this since the mid-80′s and have only recently started to feel like I am in the early stages of figuring it out. It’s a lifelong journey, this figuring it out thing. My background is in illustration where I worked in almost every medium and style you can think of… except maybe egg tempera and marble. I have a huge passion for nature having grown up on a river right next to the ocean with nothing but islands and wildlife behind my house. To paint the great outdoors is to give homage to nature and maybe give the viewers of the paintings a reminder of what was and what could still be.

All images via LarryMooreStudios.com – used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!