"Match" by Sandra Langston, oil and pencil on paper 28 x 22 in
Davis Gallery has announced its Summer Group Show, an extensive group exhibit showcasing the depth of work by its family of artists.
From the gallery:
As diverse and original as Austin itself, the Summer Group Show will showcase new and recent work by 34 central Texas based artists, that celebrates the now and the historical feel of our ever changing state.
“Barton Springs Guy” by Dana Younger, resin and acrylic, 16 x 2 x 4 in“Fullness of Peace” by Laurel Daniel, oil on canvas, 21 x 48 in.“Margarita” by Denise Fulton, oil on panel, 20 x 16 in.“In The Heat of The Night” by B. Shawn Cox, limited edition lenticular print 1/10, 36 x 36 in.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
Franz Klein (1779-1840), “The Beethoven Life Mask,” c. 1812-1815, Sandcast bronze, 22 x 17.5 x 10 cm
Provenance: Émile Descombes (1829-1912), Édouard Risler (1873-1929), Paris, Private collection, Paris
In 1812, the sculptor, Franz Klein was commissioned by the German piano makers Nannette (1769-1833) and Johann Andreas Streicher (1761-1833) to produce a bust of Beethoven. The 42-year-old composer gave the sculptor permission to mould his face in plaster, and the result was the only life mask ever made of the composer. What became the iconic portrait from which all renderings of the musician were derived, the plaster is preserved by Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany. It remains to this day the only completely faithful rendering of Beethoven’s features known, and the standard by which all portraits of him are judged.
It is understood that as the session with the sculptor drew to a close, an impatient Beethoven, feeling as though he were suffocating, took the mask off and threw it to the floor. The mask cracked in pieces. However, the broken mould parts were immediately retrieved by the sculptor, who cemented them back together. Klein later utilised the mask as the basis of his commissioned bust. Given its extraordinary detail, magnificent chasing, patina, and particular stylistic details, it closely resembles the period, sand cast bronze busts in the Wien Museum, produced in 1812 and overseen by the sculptor, Franz Klein, himself. The majority of later portraits and sculptures of the composer are based on Klein’s life mask.
The present example in bronze belonged to one of Frédéric Chopin’s best pupils, the celebrated virtuoso pianist, Émile Descombes (1829-1912), who, in turn, gave the mask to his favourite pupil, Édouard Risler (1873-1929). The latter had an eidetic memory. He played all of the rehearsals of Wagner’s Ring Cycle from memory at Bayreuth, and subsequently performed the complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas and the complete piano music by Chopin in concert in Paris.
Beethoven had small pox as a child and his skin was horribly disfigured. “The formidable impression conveyed by Klein’s austere life mask of seriousness and intense concentration (again, due partly to the plastering discomfort) would be seized upon by all later image makers as appropriate to the Beethoven aura. But the pockmarks- hardly conducive to hero worship- would be left behind”. One barely sees any traces of the composer’s pock marks in later versions of the mask. The angular and jagged wads of cotton used to protect his eyes are left exactly as they were originally cast and have not been converted to natural eyes. The mask corresponds as closely as possible to its originally modelled state. No adjustments have been made to embellish or to concede to delicate sensibilities.
Although poor examples of the Beethoven life mask are more commonly found, the present example is truly exceptional for the finesse of its casting. Extremely light in weight and of highly detailed surface, it faithfully reproduces the many blemishes, pock marks and enlarged pores that marred the composer’s face. In this regard, it is the closest to the original plaster conserved in the Beethoven-Haus, Bonn. The present mask is the only known bronze sculpture believed to have been taken from the original plaster life mask by Franz Klein.
While the present mask descended in French private collections, the style of casting and the mounting on the back are not at all typical of French bronzes and it is most probably the work of an early nineteenth-century Austrian foundry.
The Beethoven Life Mask will be on view and is for sale at Ben Elwes Fine Art / London Art Week. There will also be a concert by musicians from the Philharmonia at the gallery, playing Beethoven on July 6th.
London Art Week, taking place in galleries and online from July 3-8, has announced its series of wide-ranging selling exhibitions and highlights by this year’s dealers.
This year, London Art Week (LAW) introduces a special theme, Music & Dance, creating an artistic thread between galleries. Augmenting this theme is an exciting new partnership between LAW, Cromwell Place and the Philharmonia Orchestra, to present a series of chamber concerts in intimate gallery settings for those who enjoy music and art. Find more information at www.londonartweek.co.uk.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
How Do You Find Inspiration? Ellen Buselli: Painting from life offers an endless source of inspiration and challenges. Observations of light, shadow, color, values, edges, and atmosphere make each painting a new experience. There is magic in observing the natural world, making marks on a 2-D surface based on those observations, and creating the illusion of 3-Dimensions.
Inspiration also comes from objects I collect for my still life paintings. Chinese pottery and figurines, pueblo pottery, and distressed pots always catch my eye for new subject matter. Placing opposites in a composition create dynamic paintings: light and dark, matte and shine, large and small. I tend to pursue wabi-sabi flawed beauty and a sense of timelessness.
Painting flowers from life requires translating the qualities of opacity and translucence, sharp and lost edges, and intense and dull chroma.
Portraits requires the ability to create the look of turning surfaces with values and warm or cool colors, sharp or soft edges, and quality of paint.
Landscapes require the ability to edit quickly, and to understand how color works in light and in shadow, in the foreground and in the distance.
Painting from life is a constant learning experience and an endless source of inspiration, and is the ultimate challenge.
Ellen Buselli, Copper & Light, oil on linen, 12 x 16 in., 2022. Matte white and black objects with shiny copper create a dynamic study in surfaces.Ellen Buselli, Peony Season, oil on linen, 14 x 15 in., 2022. Stunning peonies from the 28th Street Flower Market in Manhattan.
T. Allen Lawson, “The Beckton Statesman," 42 x 40 in., graphite on heavy paper m/o aluminum panel
T. Allen Lawson shares three new landscape paintings that are showing at the 50th Annual Prix de West Exhibition.
The Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale takes place at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK through August 7, 2022.
Of note, “Two of Us” received the Wilson Hurley Award for the outstanding landscape, and Lawson won the Robert Lougheed / Painter’s Choice Award for the best group, decided only by the artists, of three or more works.
T. Allen Lawson, “Six to Eight Inches Possible,” 26 x 28 in., oil on panelT. Allen Lawson, “The Two Of Us,” 29 x 45 in., oil on linen m/o panelT. Allen Lawson, “The Beckton Statesman,” 42 x 40 in., graphite on heavy paper m/o aluminum panel
Related > Listen to an interview with Eric Rhoads and T. Allen Lawson in this Plein Air Podcast:
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
Sherry Blanchard Stuart (b. 1941), "The Wind Speaks," 14.25 x 26 in., Oil on Linen
The American Plains Artists (APA) 37th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale is hosted by the Fort Concho National Historic Landmark in San Angelo, TX, taking place through August 7, 2022.
TW Vanya (b. 1953), “The Shield That Guard the Realms of Man,” 18 x 24 in., Oil on Ampersand Panel J. I. McElroy (b. 1955), “In the Hush of Early Morning a Nod Hello,” 24 x 48, Acrylic on Canvas
The public is invited to attend this celebration of “Art of the Plains” featuring approximately 115 two- and three-dimensional realistic and representational artworks in traditional media that depict the American Great Plains region – its landscape, wildlife, people, and way of life in historical or modern times.
Debbie Hughbanks (b. 1955) “American Icon,” 13 x 13 in., Pastel on sanded Premier Paper
Artworks in the show will be rendered by nationally recognized award-winning artists from across the U.S.A. and sometimes from foreign countries.
Jammey Huggins (b. 1945), “Our Link to the Past,” 14″H x 12″W x13″D, BronzeBarron Postmus (b. 1937), “Home Before Dark,” 18 x 24 in., Oil on Canvas
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
Randy Kemp (Euchee/Mvskoke/Choctaw), “Hoop Dance,” 2022, acrylic paint on wood, 8 x 8 inches
The Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival takes place June 25-26, 2022 in Indianapolis, returning as an in-person event for the first time since 2019. More than 140 Native artists from across the United States and Canada will be at the Eiteljorg Museum to show and sell their exquisite jewelry, pottery, paintings, beadwork, weavings, carvings, and more.
Indian Market and Festival artist Alexa Rae Day (Anishinaabe / Hochunk / Lakota) shows her artworks to a visitor during the 2019 market. File photo courtesy of the Eiteljorg Museum.
This year’s market weekend will be an especially meaningful celebration of Native cultures: It is the 30th annual Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival and coincides with the grand reopening of the museum’s newly redesigned Native American Galleries, a defining capstone project in the museum’s history.
Artist’s rendering of the Eiteljorg’s new Native American Galleries that reopen to the public June 25, 2022, and will be open permanently thereafter. Image courtesy of Origin Studios.
“There is so much deep meaning for me as we celebrate the 30th Indian Market,” said Pahponee (Kickapoo / Potawatomi), a pottery and sculpture artist who has shown her art at the market each year it has been held. “As a descendant of great nations who have lived in this area, I always feel like I am coming home each year. There is much to say about how this great event has evolved. This is one of my very favorite markets…always!”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state and local health precautions in effect at the time, the Eiteljorg could not hold an in-person market and festival in 2020 and 2021. Instead, the Eiteljorg in 2021 was able to support the artists and performers by hosting a successful all-virtual Indian Market that brought together artists and buyers online. The museum is pleased to be able to welcome back artists, collectors, performers and market-goers in person in 2022.
Shondinii Walters (Navajo), “Portrait of Maria,” 2019, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Artists participate through a juried selection and must be members of a federally or state-recognized tribe. Many of the artists also submit their artwork for judging as part of the weekend’s juried art competition, which includes awards and cash prizes across various categories. Artists’ booths will be inside the museum and outdoors on the Eiteljorg grounds.
Roberta Begaye (Diné / Navajo), “My Fave,” 2021, acrylic & aerosol on canvas, 12 x 12 inches
“I enjoy the entire celebration Indian Market represents,” Pahponee added. “Mostly, I enjoy how art has the power to bring all of us people together, and how art can inspire each of us toward actions of greatness. This world class event is a true treasure for the Museum and for the city of Indianapolis.”
Monty Claw (Navajo), “Courtship,” 2022, acrylic, 36 x 24 inches
Market-goers this year will also get to experience the completely reconstructed and reinstalled $6 million Native American Galleries and Expressions of Life: Native Art in North America, opening June 25. The new galleries are designed to showcase Native art in a multi-sensory space creating a contextual experience organized around the themes of relation, continuation and innovation, demonstrating a continuum of Native art told through the voices of Native Americans.
For Eiteljorg Museum members, free admission to the market is available for the individual named on the museum membership card with a reduced admission price of $15 for two adult guests. Non-member adult tickets to Indian Market and Festival are $20 at the gate either day. Advance discount tickets of $15 can be purchased online at www.eiteljorg.org or by calling 317.636.9378. Youth and children ages 17 and under are free. Tickets to Indian Market and Festival also include admission to the entire museum and the new Native American Galleries.
DG House (Cherokee Tribe of NE Alabama), “As We Walk,” 2021, oil on canvas, 15 x 30 inches
There will be a variety of food options, including delectable fry bread. Visitors of all ages will enjoy a wide range of entertaining cultural performances, including music, dance and storytelling, as well as family art-making activities. Performers on the Indian Market outdoor stage under The Sails include five Native groups of various music genres and styles, who perform on both days, June 25-26. They are: Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company; Ed Kabotie and Tha ’Yoties; Randy, Rykelle and Raven Kemp; Innastate; and Wade Fernandez. Visit Eiteljorg.org/IndianMarketandFestival for a schedule of events.
Avis Charley (Spirit Lake Dakota/ Diné (Navajo)) “Protectors,” 2021, colored pencil on antique paper, 15 3/4 x 14 inches
The 30th annual Indian Market and Festival is presented by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance. Additional support comes from the Central Indiana Community Foundation, Ice Miller, the Indiana Arts Commission and the Arts Council of the City of Indianapolis.
During market weekend, a new special exhibition will be open inside the Eiteljorg Museum: Celebrating 30 Years of Indian Market and Festival, featuring Native works that were past winning entries of the juried art competition and were added to the museum’s collections. That exhibit runs April 30 to August 14.
Visitors to the Eiteljorg during market weekend also can experience two other exhibits: Warhol’s West, a traveling exhibition featuring Andy Warhol’s screenprint portraits of iconic Western figures, continues through August 7. Contemporary Native Art 101 looks at contemporary works by Native artists across several decades, and continues through early 2023. All are included with Indian Market admission.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
Fine Art News > The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts has received a transformative gift from Charlotte Colby Danly, a former student and Trustee at the Academy, in support of the Academy’s mission to teach a new generation of artists in the figurative tradition.
The gift will allow the creation of an endowed chair in the donor’s name, the Charlotte Colby Danly Sculpture Chair, and establish a program to teach figurative sculpture to students attending the Academy.
The Academy is presently calling for applications for an Artistic Director of Sculpture to lead the effort. Qualifications are as follows: The Artistic Director must unequivocally embrace the Academy’s mission of using time-tested techniques to teach basic artistic skills in sculpture. The successful candidate must be an established artist with extensive experience teaching art in an atelier, academy, or other educational settings. Candidates should also have a proven background in administration and in creating programming. In addition to the community within the Lyme Academy, the Artistic Director will be fully immersed in the greater Lyme, Old Lyme, and Shoreline communities.
To learn how to apply for the position of Lyme Academy’s Charlotte Colby Danly Sculpture Chair, please visit lymeacademy.edu/opportunities.
Charlotte Colby Danly is an award-winning sculptor and artist and a longstanding benefactor of Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. Having received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley, Danly began studying at Lyme Academy in 1988 under renowned sculptors Elisabeth Gordon Chandler, the founder of Lyme Academy, and her husband, Laci de Gerenday, Danly’s work has been featured in Art Ideas, published by the American Renaissance for the Twenty-First Century, a nonprofit dedicated to a rebirth of beauty and life-affirming values in the fine arts. Previously a resident of Lyme, Connecticut, Danly now lives out of state.
Ms. Danly was first elected to Lyme’s Board of Trustees in 1999 and served in that role for over a decade. In 2021, Danly was appointed a Trustee Emeritus, in recognition of her contributions and service to Lyme Academy. She established Lyme Academy’s first endowed chair in 2001, the Deane G. Keller Chair in Classical Drawing and Figurative Art. Keller was a renowned artist and distinguished teacher at Lyme Academy for 25 years who counted Danly among his best students. This Chair currently supports Co-Artistic Directors Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide.
“The time that I spent with the founders of Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in the sculpture program was transformative for me, personally and creatively,” Danly recalls. “It is with great pride and appreciation for Lyme Academy that I endow a new Sculpture Chair, in my name, that will allow the Academy to continue to help others learn to sculpt in the figurative tradition.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter with fine art news, announcements, gallery exhibitions, and more.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Twilight Harmony, Paula Holtzclaw, oil, 37 x 47 in; Anderson Fine Art GalleryDesert (featured in INsight), Arantza Sestayo, oil on canvas on board, 29 1/2 x 13 in; Rehs ContemporaryHôtel, café, bar, Bernard Buffet (1928 – 1999), oil on canvas, 32 x 39.5 in, Signed and dated 1990; Rehs Galleries, Inc.Red Awnings, 24 x 18 in., Oil on linen-lined panel; Jill BanksLaguna Overlook, Kathleen Dunphy, Gouache, 6 x 9 in; LPAPA Art Gallery; “Outside Insights” Exhibition by Kathleen Dunphy June 2-July 4, 2022Setting Sky, Joseph Alleman, oil, 24 x 18 in.; Mockingbird Gallery; Mockingbird Gallery’s exhibition “Vestiges”, show featuring Steven Lee Adams and Joseph Alleman
Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
Lori Putnam in front of her painting Safe Harbor, 30x40, oil, 2020, Winner of the $15,000 Grand Prize Plein air Salon, 2021
How did you get started and then develop your career and How do you describe success? Lori Putnam: Although I had a strong love of drawing and painting as a child, fine art, its history, and the desire to learn to paint did not come into my life until my mid-30s. Gratefully, incredibly talented and giving artists shared their knowledge with me and encouraged me along the way. Many times, I felt discouraged, but I have much determination and a fierce work ethic. Learning and developing painting skills is incredibly difficult. We all know that. But having the courage to put yourself out there and invest the time needed to develop the career side is also a huge part of the equation. Having reached a certain level of comfort in my career, I am finally able to prioritize my own artistic exploration over all else. That is my personal definition of success; the art comes first.
KAMI MENDLIK (b. 1973), "Autumn on the River," 2022, oil on canvas mounted on board (panel), 14 x 18 in.
KAMI MENDLIK: COLOR RELATIVITY
Grand Hand Gallery
St. Paul, Minnesota thegrandhand.com
through July 21, 2022
Kami Mendlik, “Spirit Waters”
The Grand Hand Gallery has mounted an exhibition of recent works by the Minnesota painter Kami Mendlik that celebrate and amplify her new book, “Color Relativity: Creating the Illusion of Light with Paint.” A decade in preparation, this publication shows readers how to convey the illusion of light and form through color relativity using a simple limited palette.
Kami Medlik, “Devotions”
Renowned for her impressionistic landscape paintings, Mendlik grew up near Stillwater, Minnesota, and in 2008 founded the St. Croix River School of Painting, named for the scenic river that Stillwater overlooks. Now based on a 16-acre farm, she has been painting professionally for more than 30 years and teaching for at least 20.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
> Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, our free weekly e-newsletter
Fill your mind with useful art stories, the latest trends, upcoming art shows, top artists, and more. Subscribe to Fine Art Today, from the publishers of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.
