[featured artist] Millie Gosch!

"Montana Canola Fields" by Millie Gosch
“Montana Canola Fields” by Millie Gosch

Millie Gosch is a plein air painter from the Atlanta, Georgia area. Her work is fabulous! Millie’s compositions are interesting, the brushstrokes are nice, and that beautiful green in the distance.. LOVE IT!

"First Light" by Millie Gosch
“First Light” by Millie Gosch

Had to include one more… I would say she nailed it! Millie has a fabulous website, here is just a short blip (read more on her website) about her…

I love to paint from life and I love to be outdoors, so naturally painting en plein air is a good fit for my art. During the spring and fall, I spend a lot of time painting field studies. From those studies, I paint larger pieces in the studio. I don’t use photographs at all. I paint what I know, and what I love is nature. My favorite subjects are big open fields, sunrises, sunsets, trees, the lowcountry, and the southland. I use a limited palette of primary colors. In my work I strive to bring my viewer into the painting and let them make it their own experience. 
-Millie Gosch

F L A S H B A C K

O N E   Y E A R   A G O…  What’s for dinner? Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken… quick and delicious!

T W O   Y E A R S   A G O… Artist to watch… Tollef Runquist!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

[images] via MillieGosch.com

Featured Artist… Thien-Kim Pham!

"Goodbye Summer" by Thien-Kim Pham
“Goodbye Summer” by Thien-Kim Pham

Isn’t this the sweetest painting? I love these pink flowers, the composition, the pretty light in the background… very nice! If you haven’t had a chance to see Thien-Kim’s work now’s your chance!!

Read a blip about Thien-Kim Pham from her website:

Thien-Kim Pham is an artist currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland. She first studied music at the Saigon Conservatory of Music in VN at young age but at the same time had a passion for art. In 1995, Kim began studying art when attending the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. In 2004, she became a full-time artist and went on to study with various local and nationally known artists. Kim won many awards in Maryland and Virginia in the past few years, including three Caruso Awards at the Maryland Federation of Arts and Best in Show at the Art League, Torpedo Factory in Va. Her work was also published in 2004 by International Artist Publishing in a book titled “How Did You Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint People”.  Kim finds her inspirations in the colors of nature and the beauty in human figures. 

Thien-Kim lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband Peter, daughter Lisa and their maltese Jessie.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Josh Clare!

JoshClare

White by Josh Clare / Image: Josh Clare Facebook

WHAAAT?!!! Are you kidding me? Josh Clare… artist. A young artist with incredible talent. Each and every painting is so fresh, there is a clearness to his paintings (if that makes sense?). They are so pure. The combination of the light hitting the white barn, the color of the mountains and that perfect green in the trees behind the barn is so perfect. The colors are gorgeous. The subject matter, clear and focused without being tight… there is such a fine line between being focused and being tight. (I’m not poo-pooing artists who paint realistically, it is just a different painting style, obviously, meant to be realistic)! A definite pat on the back is in order for whoever maintains Josh’s website, very nice!

Read more about Joshua Clare from his website:

Born in 1982 and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Josh has been interested in art ever since he can remember; but it was when his fifth-grade teacher sincerely complimented him on an art project that he became an artist. He says concerning that defining moment, “a large part of being good at something is believing your good at it—and I’ve believed in myself ever since.”

Josh graduated in 2007 from BYU-Idaho with a BFA in Illustration and immediately began to sell his work in galleries. He currently resides in Queen Creek, AZ with his wife Cambree and their son, Nathan.

 WHY I PAINT

“Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47-48).

There is no artist greater than God, and no beauty more perfect than His creations—His art; to see any, even the least of them, is to see God himself, “moving in His majesty and power.” There have been times in my life when I have done more than merely look—times when I’ve seen. Those moments are sacred and precious to me, and I desire to share them. I want to see more clearly, I want to comprehend more fully—and I want to help others do the same. That’s why I paint.

My aim as an artist is not to redefine beauty—no one can do that—but to discover for myself, through the Spirit of Truth, those eternal laws that govern it, and obey them.

If I am anything good, if there is anything in my art that is good—it’s because of and thanks to God. As often as I forget it, I know that I am nothing of myself, and I’m deeply grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to be an artist.

Peruse Josh’s website… Read his blog and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Leah Bell!

“Still Life With Monarch and Blueberry Crate” by Leah Bell

Years ago we met this cool artist on Monhegan Island (Maine)… he had this huge easel set up outside of the Island Inn and was painting Uncle Henry’s, and it was amazing! His name was Tim Bell and he turned out to be a neat guy that we’ve kept in touch with over the years. His paintings are fabulous and he is a larger than life character. Those of you who know him know what I mean… he makes you laugh. About everything. He’s a good guy, he often talked about his wife Leah, who we have yet to meet, but have emailed with. Another very nice person and very talented. Between the still life paintings and the portraits, wow! I love how she leaves bits of white showing through on the canvas, and big loose strokes.

A blip about Leah from the Bell Art Studio website:

Leah Bell (nee Torney) graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from Towson University in Towson, Maryland. She studied Northern Italian Renaissance Art in Florence her Junior year. Following her graduation she returned to Florence, Italy to attend the Charles Cecil Studio and subsequently the Florence Academy of Art. At the Academy she further developed her drawing skills, learned classical materials and techniques and studied the history of Renaissance Art. She had the unique experience of copying master drawings from the Gabinetto del Disegno in the Uffizi Galleries. Leah has been a long time member of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Maryland and has studied pastel portrait painting with Bonnie Roth Anderson. Leah also studied at the Corcoran School of Art. She studied watercolor with Frank Webb and Erika Walsh. She has studied portraiture with the well-known artists Cedric and Joanette Egeli since 1993.Leah is an active member at the Rehoboth Art League in Delaware. She is a Certified Member of the Maryland Society of Portrait Painters, the Maryland Federation of Art and the Muddy Creek Artist Guild. Leah exhibits in a variety of shows and exhibitions throughout Delmarva. She paints portraits of any type by commission. Her paintings are inspired by her home by the Chesapeake Bay. Flowers from her garden, still life objects and her children and their friends are gathered as subjects for her paintings. When she travels the landscapes, towns and countryside become the subject matter of her work. Her paintings hang in private collections throughout the United States, Italy and Great Britain.

If you’re around the South Street Art Gallery (Easton, MD) pop in and say hello, see Leah’s work in person – catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Kathleen Dunphy!

“Low Tide” by Kathleen Dunphy 

There are so many wonderful paintings in this world to choose from… many are from artist Kathleen Dunphy. She is AMAZING! Her artistic ability is out of this world… I normally try to select paintings that are for sale… Low Tide appears to be for sale (hurry if you like it, it most likely won’t be around for long!), there was another that caught my eye… it’s sold, but I wanted you to see it. To me, this is perfection…

 “Morning Reflections” by Kathleen Dunphy

This is one gorgeous painting… it’s clear and crisp and truly looks, feels and even SMELLS like early morning out on the water. What a fantastic painting! Congratulations to whoever bought it!

Do you know nearly every single painting on her website that includes a structure of any kind has sold? Therefore… one more sold painting!

“Lange Barn” by Kathleen Dunphy

Here’s a blip (all images as well) from Kathleen’s website (fabulous website and blog, it’s got to be hard to find the time to keep things updated, post a blog entry AND paint, but I can tell you… WE APPRECIATE IT! So thank you to ALL of you wonderful artists who update and keep the rest of us waiting for more!).

In the mid-1990’s, Kathleen Dunphy started her art career by displaying colored-pencil dog portraits in coffee shops and veterinary clinics in Eagle River, Alaska. Little did she know that less than a dozen years later, she would be a highly acclaimed oil painter, exhibiting her work in galleries across the United States and garnering awards from some of the top art competitions in the country. Kathleen’s rapid success in the competitive art world was predicted when American Artist Magazine recognized her as one of the Top Ten Emerging Artists in 1998. She is one of those rare people who have true passion, dedication, and a gift for transposing nature’s beauty to the canvas.

Kathleen’s early art education included workshops by Kevin MacPherson and Dan Gerhartz. In 2000, Kathleen was awarded a full scholarship at the prestigious Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where she was mentored by artists such as Craig Nelson and Brian Blood. She maintains strong ties to the Academy, where she has been offered a faculty appointment and participates in the annual Alumni Auction. Further study with Scott Christensen and T. Allen Lawson helped hone her skills and refine her own unique style of painting.

In 2003, Kathleen and her husband designed and built a log home and studio in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California, where the pristine setting of her new home provides endless inspiration for her work. Kathleen’s landscape paintings can now be found in galleries from coast to coast, and in 2009, she exhibited her 10th solo show. Her honors and considerable and include important juried shows in California, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Maine; Best of Show from The American Impressionist Society; an Award of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America; five California Art Club Gold Medal Shows; six magazine articles, including being featured in Southwest Art’s Plein Air issue in 2009; the Federal Duck Stamp Competition; Birds in Art; Arts for the Parks; Grand Prize at the Acadia Invitational Exhibition in Bar Harbor, Maine; signature status in Oil Painters of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters, and the American Impressionist Society; and many others.  In just twelve years, she has earned an impressive and growing reputation with galleries, private collectors, and art magazines across the United States.

In the spirit of passing on the gifts of her artistic abilities, Kathleen began teaching in 2005 and is a much sought-after workshop instructor. Her engaging style of teaching and one-on-one instruction garners high accolades from her student artists. She has also served as a judge for several art competitions. While her current passion is still to paint nature every day and produce a limited number of high quality paintings, she is now working on a book about her process of developing a work of art from field study to finished studio paintings.

Catch you back here tomorrow!