Tag: horton hayes

Featured Artist… Francis Sills!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

FrancisSills Entrance2013 fs

Entrance by Francis Sills 

One of my favorite painting subjects… the interior… It’s like being invited into someone’s home… You get to “visit” places you may never really end up. Kind of like going on a home tour… LOVE those! So very interesting to see into other peoples lives. This painting by Francis Sills is a perfect example… What a cool house!

I had heard that Francis has recently started showing his work at Horton Hayes Fine Art, a fabulous gallery in Charleston, SC – if you haven’t been… G.O. It is FILLED with fabulous artists. The “Horton” of Horton Hayes Fine Art,  Mark Kelvin Horton, as well as Chris Groves, Larry Moore, Elizabeth Pollie and Nancy Hoerter, just to name a few! Check it out if you’re in town!

In addition to showing his work at Horton Hayes, Francis has got his work hanging for a show that is part of their continuing series of independent artist exhibitions at Jericho Advisors in Charleston, SC… the show will be hanging through July 4, 2013.

Now this is the type of bio I enjoy reading… a blip about Francis from Horton Hayes website:

Francis Sills was born in 1974 and raised in central New Jersey. Exposed to the wonders of the natural world at an early age through hiking and fishing, his childhood was spent drawing and constructing things out of cardboard. Both his grandfathers were good with their hands; one as a watercolorist, the other with carpentry and building. In high school, he was exposed to new techniques and became aware of the masterpieces from Art History. Art became a magical world of possibility, a place where one could create an illusion of reality.

In 1996, Sills received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (in Painting) from Syracuse University. While he was there, he had the good fortune to study under the renowned figurative artist, Jerome Witkin, who shaped his devotion to the practice and craft of painting. Trained in the work of the Old Masters, students were taught to draw from life, and in particular the model. What Witkin offered was an example of a life dedicated to the serious pursuit of painting, shaped by one’s own experiences and personal narrative.

After graduating from Syracuse, Sills moved to New York City, and settled in Brooklyn, where he continued to hone his skills with paint. “Day jobs” included: mixing colors for a wallpaper company, creating faux finishes on furniture and lighting fixtures, working with decorative plaster finishes, and painting murals.

In 2001 Sills received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design. While there, he experimented with different styles including collage, drawing installations and gestural abstractions. This work generated new ways of expression and allowed for a fresher, loosened handling of paint. After Parsons, however, the pull back to perceptual painting became too strong to deny; Sills’ heart was in realism and capturing the reflection of reality within the confines of the canvas.

Gradually Sills’ work became increasingly focused on the genre of landscape, and in particular, the urban and industrial scenes that surrounded his studio in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. Finding beauty in the decay of post-industrial Brooklyn offered endless possibilities in form, surface and light. By working from observation, his painting began to take on the specificities of time and place.

In May of 2011, after nearly 15 years in New York, Sills relocated to Charleston, South Carolina. Since then he has generated a completely new body of work while exploring the Lowcountry and the amazing beauty that Charleston and its surrounding areas have to offer. In addition to painting, Francis is an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston where he teaches drawing. Sills has exhibited both nationally and internationally, and his work is in many private collections. He lives with his wife, Faith, also an artist, and their three children in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Adele Earnshaw!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART9 Comments

“One Mile To Go” by Adele Earnshaw / Image: HortonHayes.com

I absolutely love it when I run across a painting that just takes my breath away… this is one sweet painting. Fred and I were at the art walk in Charleston, SC a few weeks ago and we went in the Horton Hayes Gallery (if you haven’t been you MUST go, so many fabulous artists in one space!). Lovely work, I’m telling you, Mark Horton, Chris Groves, Nancy Hoerter, Shannon Runquist, Larry Moore, (and more) all so very talented. Then we went upstairs (if you don’t normally go upstairs it’s quite the treat, there are a treasure of beautiful paintings upstairs as well) we saw this painting “One Mile To Go” on an easel. The way the light hits the foliage, the light in the trees and WHOA that tiny red bird across from the bright sun on the bushes… brilliant! Adele Earnshaw is a very impressive artist… here is a blip from the Horton Hayes website:

A sixth generation New Zealander, Adele Earnshaw was born in Hastings and lived in Warkworth before immigrating with her family to the U.S. Her childhood in New Zealand has been a major influence on her work and choice of subject matter.

Adele’s paintings have been exhibited at the Natural History Museum in New York and have toured Japan and Sweden with museum exhibitions. The artist was selected to design the first three stamps for the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Stamp Program. In 2000 she was invited to participate in the Ecoart Conference and Exhibition in Taiwan where her work was exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in Taipei. In 2003, Adele was selected as a judge for the prestigious Federal Duck Stamp Competition held at the Department of Interior’s Fish & Wildlife Service in Washington D.C.

Adele is represented by galleries across the U.S. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Her book, ‘Painting the Things You Love in Watercolor’ was released by North Light Publications in 2002.

Several years ago, Adele started to paint exclusively in oil after many years as a watercolorist. Although her subject matter still includes wildlife, primarily birds, she also enjoys painting on location and landscapes have become a major focus.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Larry Moore!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
"Four Corners" by Larry Moore / Image: HortonHayes.com

Larry Moore is a cool guy. I don’t know him personally. I just met him briefly, along with a lot of other people, a few weekends ago when he was in town and painting in Charleston. Larry is a joy to watch paint. Matter-of-fact we watched him paint a similar scene to this one… fabulous! After reading Larry’s blog and hearing more about him, you learn that he’s a nice guy with a great sense of humor. I happen to treasure people with a sense of humor. If you are interested in art (and I assume you are if you’re reading this blog?) you will be quite entertained by Larry’s blog. Very insightful AND entertaining. Just like his paintings. My husband and I both really enjoy his paintings. They’re loose, and they’re fresh… you know exactly what it is without having every detail displayed. If you get a chance, check out his work! In Charleston, SC his paintings can be seen at the Horton Hayes Gallery. For those of you not in Charleston, check out his website, he’s in other galleries as well AND he’s got a great website and you will love his blog!

Here’s a blip about the artist from Horton Hayes website:

Larry Moore is a painter with a message. He has committed his life to documenting the natural world. In his words:

“Today, our beautiful planet is taking a beating through overdevelopment and abuse. I try to capture the grandeur of nature. To create reminders of peace and beauty. It’s my way of making a statement against destruction.”

Larry was born in 1957 and raised in Cocoa Beach, Florida. When his family first began to recognize his talent, he was a tender nine. First drawing, then painting, then surfing. At age 14, Larry had already combined his passion for nature and surfing with his gift. He began airbrushing surfboards, vans and wall murals.

Since then, Larry’s success has been rapid. The mass of awards listed below gives clear witness to his position among the country’s leading artists. Larry has been awarded the highest national and international honors. To date, over 30 pieces of art have been accepted into the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles. Recently, he was awarded the Society’s most prestigious honor, a gold award. Without pretension, Larry attributes his success to passion, hard work and problem solving; a technique he learned as an illustrator.

Since 1993, Larry has taught illustrating, drawing, creative thinking and oil and pastel workshops. In front of the classroom, he is known as an instructor, role model and mentor. Time and time again, Larry has helped promote young artists to heights they never dreamed of reaching so soon. Perhaps this ability to nurture came from the support of his family. Growing up surrounded by talent, Larry’s mother, grandmother, brother and stepmother were all artists.

Larry remembers clearly the day he discovered plein air painting. From that moment, he knew exactly what he wanted to do: Combine his experience, his passion for nature and his life-long goal of becoming a better painter. “It’s all about the learning journey.”

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Chris Groves!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment
Image: HortonHayes.com

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.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Shannon Runquist!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: HortonHayes.com

Shannon Runquist always paints the neatest subject matter. Regular everyday things come to life with her paint brush! This painting is entitled HOW ‘BOUT A HUG? Here’s a blip from the Horton Hayes Gallery :

Shannon Runquist was born is Savannah, Georgia and has spent most of her life in the South. She has lived on St. Simons Island, Georgia and currently resides in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and spends summers on Cape Cod. Spending time near the shore, she has developed a great love for coastal regions and the elements that define them. She has painted and studied in Europe, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Runquist has participated in many national and international exhibitions including consecutive years at the Salmagundi Club in New York City and the Salon International. She enjoys traveling and painting en plein air as well as working in her home studio. Her paintings hang in both corporate and private collections in the United States and abroad.

Artist’s Statement: “I would like for my paintings to convey a timeless aesthetic. They are often an extension of an emotion at the time I am painting but I hope my work remains ambiguous. I paint what is familiar to me, what I have collected or a place I have been. My favorite paintings are ones that tell a story but leave a little mystery for the viewer.”

Hey, if you get a chance, stop in the gallery… and if you aren’t in town, check out their website. It’s a gallery full of amazing artists!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… NANCY HOERTER!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

What a beautiful painting! This is EVENING PEONIES by artist Nancy Hoerter. Nancy is so talented, her work is stunning. For those of you who read my blog you know that we like to buy art from artists we actually LIKE. Those with a lofty attitude, hmmm, I lose interest in their paintings. Nancy is one of those people you like from the moment you meet her, you simply cannot help it! She’s hilarious, kind and oh so talented. Her work is at the Horton Hayes Gallery, stop in and check out her work! You’ll be glad you did!

Catch you back here tomorrow! Check out my photo blog if you get a chance!