C. Parsons for Currier & Ives, Clipper Ship “Racer,” 1854, lithograph on paper, 21 x 28 1/4 in. (overall), Joslyn Art Museum, gift of Conagra Brands
On View: Revisiting America
Old Lyme, Connecticut flogris.org
through January 23, 2022
Organized by Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum and now on view at the Florence Griswold Museum, the touring exhibition “Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier & Ives” reminds visitors of this publishing firm’s huge influence on American visual culture.
Its still-familiar prints perpetuated Victorian ideals of family, history, and politics, and today serve as records of this country as it transformed from rural and agricultural to industrialized and urbanized.
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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.
Evening Falls by Paul Batch, Oil on panel, 18 x 24 in.; Anderson Fine Art Gallery
New York Atmosphere by D. Eleinne Basa (Born 1967), Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 in., Signed; Rehs Contemporary
Harlequin by Ugo Omleto Giannini (1919 – 1993), Oil on canvas, 32 x 26 in., Signed; Rehs Galleries, Inc.
Farmer’s Market by Jie Wei Zhou, Oil, 24 x 20 in.; ArtzLine.com
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.
How did you get started and then develop your career?
Tim Oliver: I was first introduced to watercolor in 1981 as a landscape architecture student at Texas Tech University. I had a friend in the architecture program who mesmerized me with his skill at rendering his illustrations. At the time, landscape architecture students were not taught watercolor as a rendering medium. Instead, all of our rendering was done with design markers on blueprint paper. I fell totally in love with the effects that he was achieving with watercolor. The transparency, the way the colors moved and blended, the dry-brush technique and the detail that he was able to achieve all came together to entrance me with the medium.
My first attempt with a cheap scholastic watercolor set, a bad brush and thin typing paper left me frustrated and disillusioned. While that initial attraction to watercolor remained with me, it was not until 2009 that I found myself in a life situation that allowed me a new beginning with the medium. My painting career continues to develop as I experiment and discover new ways to tell the stories in watercolor. I’m a firm believer that sketching and painting outside is vital to my growth as an artist. There is absolutely no better reference material than the sketches, studies and finished paintings that I can only get from being on location. Seeing the light, feeling the wind, hearing the sounds and smelling the smells are vital to my process.
How do you describe success?
I describe my personal success really only in two ways. First, if my work can evoke an emotion, any emotion really, in someone who views it, then I consider it a success. Secondly, if I can gain a sense of satisfaction from a piece or learn something that will further my craft, then it is certainly successful.
How do you find inspiration?
Inspiration comes to me in several ways I think. In my daily life, I’ve trained myself to be observant and to view everything as a potential composition. Everywhere I go and in everything I do, I’m looking for an evocative subject to paint. I’m also an avid sketcher. Pencil or pen on paper is really probably my first love. As I translate a subject or a scene from life to a two-dimensional graphite composition on paper, I find my inspiration. It’s in the sketch that I can manipulate the scene, play with darks and lights, push something here or pull something there. This is where excitement and inspiration begin for me. I’m always drawn to things western, rural, gritty and seemingly mundane or ordinary. Anything evocative of a ‘time long passed by’ will always capture my attention.
Who do you collect?
I collect art that inspires me and is painted by artists that I have a love and appreciation for. I have a really great collection of paintings from artist friends who I have painted with. The collection is priceless to me because each painting, while inspirational, also represents a friendship that I treasure. I have pieces by Iain Stewart, Joseph Zbukvic, Lisa Wang, Richard Sneary, Mat Barber Kennedy, Lon Brauer, Dan Marshall, Jason Sacran, John Lasater, Brienne Brown, Charlie Hunter, Paul Kratter, Greg Summers, Jill Basham, Laurel Daniels, and Richie Vios.
Tim Oliver, “Ain’t Much of a Crime Whackin’ a Surly Bartender – Capt Augustus McCrae,” 10 x 20 in., watercolor, 2021Tim Oliver, “Contrabando Casita,” 8 x 8 in., watercolor, 2021Tim Oliver, “Powell Country Bar-B-Q,” 10 x 14 in., watercolor, 2020Tim Oliver, “Stare Down,” 14 x 21 in., watercolor, 2018
Michael Carson (b. 1972), Tight, 2021, oil on resin panel, 48 x 36 in.
Michael Carson: Social Studies
Scottsdale, Arizona bonnerdavid.com
December 9–27, 2021
Social Studies is a show of recent paintings by Michael Carson, presented at Bonner David Galleries. His scenes depict people entering society again: dating, dining, attending concerts or performing in them — activities we considered “normal” before the pandemic.
Through his loose, impressionistic brush strokes, Carson captures the expression and body language of the figures as they reenter a world that has been shut down for so long.
Michael Carson, “Scratch,” oil on panelMichael Carson, “Fake Plastic Tree,” oil on panel, 40 x 30 in.
Bonner David Galleries welcomes Michael Carson and the public to gather in honor of his latest masterpieces on Friday, December 17th, to commemorate his newest work and to celebrate the beauty of being together once again.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
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The artist Mary Pettis cherishes her relationship with the verdant valley of the St. Croix River, which graces the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and where she and her husband, Randy, moved in 1979.
“As a young artist,” she recalls, “I struggled to explain the magnetic pull of the river and its watershed. Now, after four decades, I recognize that I had fallen in love with the abstract shapes of the valley: the silhouette of the white pines against a vast sky, the contrast of natural stands of birch groves against the deep forest, the musical structural rhythms formed by the river pressing against its banks. I love its story, the historical and geological narrative stored in the layers of rocky sentinels lining the river. I care now more than ever that this thriving, wild, and scenic watershed be preserved and protected.”
Pettis is exhibiting more than 50 oil paintings depicting the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway at the headquarters of the Wild Rivers Conservancy in Osceola, Wisconsin.
Ranging from field studios to larger paintings completed in the studio, many are annotated with the latitude and longitude coordinates where they were initiated. Pettis will donate a quarter of each sale’s proceeds to the conservancy.
A self-described expressive realist, Pettis has drawn inspiration from various traditions, including her classical training and the legacy of Russian painting. Early on, she studied with the Hungarian artist Belo Petheo, Richard Lack in Minneapolis, and Daniel Graves, who later founded the Florence Academy of Art.
In the 1990s, Jim Wilcox introduced Pettis to the “wet-in-wet” plein air approach, which led her to paint outdoors. Today she divides her time equally between nature and the studio.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
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Christine Graefe Drewyer (b. 1954), "Lilies and Lace," 2021, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in.
Three-Part Harmony
Warrenton, Virginia berkleygallery.com
Through December 31, 2021
Berkley Gallery is set to present “Three-Part Harmony,” an exhibition of recent landscape paintings by Christine Graefe Drewyer, Barbara Nuss, and Nancy Peach. The artists share a deep love of nature’s beauty and power, as well as mastery of color, light, composition, and expressive brushwork.
Barbara Nuss, “Forever Spring,” oil on linen, 16 x 16 in.Nancy Peach, “Still of the Night,” 20 x 32 in.
All award-winning artists, masters of color, composition and brushwork, they take the viewer on a journey; whether it leads us to dazzling lily pads on a still pond, the brook at the edge of a field, or the haunting stillness of midnight snow under the moon. This is the power of art; to lift the spirit and remind us to look and appreciate the beauty and power of the natural world.
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
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On Painting Portraits > Tony Pro was born in Northridge, California, in 1973. He grew up in Southern California under the guidance of his father, Julio Pro (1929-2013), a successful Southwest wildlife painter. Tony received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design while simultaneously studying drawing with the late illustrator Glen Orbik (1963-2015). It was at this time that he learned the value of academic figure drawing and the importance of applying these strict study principles to his craft.
What is it that portraiture and figurative work give you as an artist?
I’ve always loved painting people, as it’s a direct connection to others … especially portraiture; I love putting the spirit of a person on canvas. It still baffles me that moving paint around on canvas using sticks with hair can create a person’s image and likeness looking back at you.
Tony Pro, “Cowpoke,” 14 x 11 in.
Could you walk us through your process for painting portraits? What are the steps you go through to create a painting?
A lot of my work starts with ideas in my head. I don’t always start with sketches; I usually compose things digitally since I am used to that, being a graphic designer for 25 years.
From there I can work out all the color and composition issues and I can move to the canvas and begin the work.
For finished paintings, I work in layers. I start with putting in my middle tone and moving to all the darks in a monochromatic fashion. Then from there, I start with all my midtones, and I key my lightest light and darkest dark so I know my value range early on. Sometimes I will glaze if need be to tone certain areas.
You work alla prima. To do that, what do you have to have figured out before you lay down that first stroke of paint?
I only work alla prima if I am painting from life, which is not that often these days. Any time I paint from life in a limited-time session, I have to work out the whole palette first by premixing everything before I lay down any strokes on the canvas.
Tony Pro, “Her Day Out,” 36 x 24 in.
With your references, what do you take more or less directly and what do you translate? Why?
I was trained in school to idealize my figures and human heads — for men to be more heroic or characterized and the women to be more attractive than they are. I typically do that, unless it’s a commissioned portrait and likeness takes more importance than idealization. However, you always want to make the sitters look better than they are. Otherwise, you don’t get paid.
How do you approach color? Do you work exclusively with local color, or are there places you push the color? Why?
My color is pretty dependent on what’s there. I don’t usually push color saturation too much unless I am working on something more impressionistic. Really depends on my mood and what I am trying to achieve in a painting.
If likeness is important for an artist, where should they focus their skill development? Why?
Skill development always, always, always starts with solid head drawing. I spent five years learning to draw the head before I even touched a paintbrush. Understanding the design of the human head is paramount to getting a likeness. Drawing from life is paramount as well. Drawing from photos is great in-studio practice at home for most of the time, but drawing from a sitter at least once a week is necessary to be able to make decisions faster and to learn to convert the three-dimensional into a two-dimensional surface.
Tony Pro, “Winter’s Light”
What are the biggest mistakes you see your portrait students making, and what advice do you give them?
Not listening to my answer I gave to the previous question. Most students want fast tricks or gimmicks to make their work flashy, so they latch on to whatever artist they like that does it and try to mimic it by using whatever art supply that artist is touting as what will “take your piece to the next level.”
They don’t understand that to get to the point of taking shortcuts, you need to travel the long roads many times first. As the founder of our school, Fred Fixler, said, “You need to do at least 1,000 drawings to get one good one.”
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.
Cezanne & Spring Flowers by Elizabeth Floyd, Oil, 24 x 36 in.; Anderson Fine Art Gallery
Evening Colors by D.Eleinne Basa, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in., Signed; Rehs Contemporary
L’Epte à Gisors by Emilio Sánchez Perrier (1855 – 1907), Oil on panel, 13 x 18.125 in., Signed; Rehs Galleries, Inc.
Jewel by Daniel Gerhartz, Oil, 48 x 30 in.; ArtzLine.com
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.
Susan Hediger Matteson, “Moonlit Pass,” 12 x 28 in., oil on linen, 2020
Susan Hediger Matteson in her winter painting gear — fur cap, not her hair!
How did you get started and then develop your career?
Susan Hediger Matteson: As I child I used to stay with a lady who loved to do watercolors and drawings, and I was fascinated, and it became a huge influence on me. I had some wonderful art teachers in middle and high school, and these teachers pushed us as students, to create in various mediums plus public works and murals. This approach promoted a wide range of disciplines, and I feel I was very lucky to have been a part of that. I find it sad now that most public schools don’t support the arts like they used to; it is truly a loss for everyone and a lost opportunity for some.
When I started attending Southern Illinois University, I declared my art major in the first semester. I earned my fine arts degree and continued on to earn a second degree in graphic design and Illustration to pay the bills garnering a strong sense of discipline along the way. I felt the rigors of graphics and illustration — meeting deadlines, having a good work ethic, were all something I thought were missing in the fine art section of my education. In my design career, I competed in various shows and earned awards in Print magazine and ADDYS.
After 20 years in the design field, I wanted to explore more of the fine art side of my training. I signed up for classes and studied with artists whose work I admired: David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, Scott Christensen, Brian Blood, Kim English, Robert Liberace, Susan Lyons, Scott Burdick and Huihan Liu.
How do you find inspiration?
I love how light plays across a scene — whether a person or a place. Snow scenes are a constant favorite, especially when it is snowing.
What is the best thing about being an artist?
I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love going outside to paint en plein air but also like working in the studio. It is a lot like fishing — you are always going for the next big catch.
Who do you collect?
(Looking across my living room) – Anne Blair Brown, Jane Hunt, Hollis Williford, Veryl Goodnight, David Grossman, Scott Christensen, Brian Blood, Tiffany Stevenson, Kim English, Bill Gallen, Susan Lyons, John Poon, a couple of favorite local artists: Jerry Cohoe and Ed Singer.
Susan Hediger Matteson, “Moonset,” 16 x 16 in., oil on linen, 2021 (Landscape Award of Excellence – OPA Western)Susan Hediger Matteson, “Reverence,” 36 x 27 in., oil on linen, 2020Susan Hediger Matteson, “Ute Mountain Moonset,” 30 x 30 in., oil on linen, 2021Susan Hediger Matteson, “Winter’s Muse,” 11 x 14 in., oil on linen, 2020
Enchanted
By Elizabeth Butler
36 x 72 in.
Oil and silver leaf on panel
$9,600
As native of Arizona, Elizabeth Butler has always been inspired by the beauty of nature. In turn her floral and botanical works of art inspire others to appreciate the gifts of nature. Her current body of work makes an effort to accomplish that with flowers. She arranges and paints them in such a way to draw attention to that life-giving fullness they embody. She carefully selects and arranges the flowers and photographs them as reference, but also keeps the live bouquet as inspiration as she lets her imagination run free.
Discover more of her work at www.celebrateart.com. Butler’s work, along with 100 other artists, was shown at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 15 – March 27, 2022. Contact us at 480-443-7695 or [email protected]
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