“They say “it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere,” as a way of anticipating the joys of happy hour. It also happens to be the time of day that many artists, including myself, consider it to be the golden hour…that time near sunset, when the sun displays a beautiful show of warm, golden colors that can make people and objects almost seem to glow.”
Lisa Cunningham is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, and her work is held in private and corporate collections. She is also a member of American Women Artists, The Salmagundi Club, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, and the American Artists Professional League.
Carl Bretzke, “Good Deal Up North," 2020, oil on panel, 12x16 in., private collection
Landscape oil paintings > For many artists, positive reception of their pictures is simply a bonus, not the true end to their creative means. For painter Carl Bretzke, the creative act seems to boil down into one lovely emotion: joy. How?
Carl Bretzke, “Main Beach Tree Silhouette,” 2020, 16×20 in., oil on linen, private collection
Finding joy through painting is something artists, collectors, and connoisseurs certainly experience. Painter Carl Bretzke of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is no different, though joy is often combined with a sense of urgency when a scene captures his imagination. The artist writes, “I think it’s important to be excited about what you paint. I can’t put my finger on exactly why a certain scene appeals to me, but I know that I experience a joyful sense of urgency when I see it. Often the scene will be some off combination of the mundane and the sublime. I then want to start the piece as quickly as possible before the light changes.”
Carl Bretzke, “Winter Evening On The Block,” 2020, oil on panel, 9×12 in., Available at Grenning Gallery (NY)
Once the moment of inspiration strikes, the scene’s light, subject, and color dictate Bretzke’s creative process for his oil paintings. He says, “Technically, I rarely start any painting the same way anymore. Early on, I used a Payne’s gray underpainting taught to me by Joe Paquet. This allows me to draw and freeze the light effect quickly. As my skills have improved, I have eventually learned to shortcut the process by adding color earlier and keying in some light values early as well.”
Carl Bretzke, “Pontiac In Repose,” 2020, 8×16 in., oil on linen, Available Grenning Gallery (NY)
As the painting evolves, knowing when the work is finished is perhaps one of the most subjective and challenging moments. For Bretzke, this moment is both technical and personal. He says, “I know when a plein air piece is completed when I feel like any additional paint will start to diminish the fresh feeling of the image or when my wife, Kristie (also a painter), says, ‘I’m hungry, you’re done.’”
In addition to working en plein air, Bretzke has a matured studio practice that allows him to work in a slower, more detailed manner. “I spend a lot more time analyzing and making lists of things to work on or change in the studio. It’s like this until I can’t think of anything else.”
Carl Bretzke, “7-11 Sunset,” 2020, oil on linen, 16×32 in., Private Collection
As a writer for The Washington Post once remarked of Bretzke’s paintings, “They’re a little lonely and simultaneously intimate and detached.” The assessment seems apropos, as the artist’s landscapes and cityscapes are seldom populated with figures. The effect can be a ghostly one, but the absence of the figure only encourages the viewer to place himself or herself within the artist’s creative world. The pictures seem to invite you into their spaces while evoking feelings of nostalgia.
The future is bright for Bretzke — and sure to be filled with lots more painting. The artist writes, “This is an exciting time for me. I have retired from my medical practice and plan to put that energy into my painting. I will paint constantly and study more. I want to balance out my plein air work with some more carefully thought out studio pieces. I hope to be as excited about painting as I am now in the distant future — and hopefully better at it. My happiness comes from the journey. My only goal has been to become a better painter.”
Carl Bretzke, “Standing On A Rock,” 2020, 16×20 in., oil on linen, Available
To see more landscape and nocturn oil paintings by the artist, visit Carl Bretzke online.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
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 paintings below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Black Wings by Adam Matano, Bronze, 8 x 11 x 4 in., signed; Rehs Contemporary
Dieppe, Le Quai de Carenage by Gustave Loiseau (1865 – 1935), Oil on canvas, 19.875 x 24.25 in., signed and dated 1905; Rehs Contemporary
Sea Glass by Jeanne Rosier Smith, pastel, 24 x 24 in.; Anderson Fine Art Gallery
Sonoma Fall by Nancie King Mertz, 14 x 14 in., pastel demo, framed; ArtDeTriumph & Artful Framer Studios
Russion by Hai-Ou Hou, Oil, 11 x 14 in.; Ceres Gallery
Studio Interior III by Warren Chang (b. 1957), oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., 2004; Art Ventures Gallery
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-serve and availability is limited.
MOTHY REES (b. 1985), The Kiss, 2019, oil on linen panel, 45 x 45 in., private collection
21 Figure Paintings You Must See
BY MAX GILLIES
Everyone has one, so everyone is interested, to a lesser or greater degree. I’m referring to the human body, surely the most important touchstone in the history of art. Artists have been depicting the figure for millennia, sometimes in exacting detail and sometimes vaguely, but always with the understanding that every viewer has a direct connection with the subject — and also a way of assessing the rendition’s accuracy.
The ongoing renaissance of classical realism means that figure drawing and painting have not been this good in North America for half a century. Though it would be easy to fill this section with examples from the classical ateliers, we have mixed it up here stylistically. Enjoy this array of approaches, and let us know which figure artists you are following these days.
1. “Desire Guides Imagination” by Robin Cole
ROBIN COLE (b. 1985), “Desire Guides Imagination,” 2018, oil on linen, 24 x 30 in., available through the artist
2. “My Very Own Star” by Marianna Foster
MARIANNA FOSTER (b. 1982), “My Very Own Star,” 2018, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in., available through the artist
3. “AJ” by Matthew Bird
MATTHEW BIRD (b. 1977), “AJ,” 2019, watercolor on paper, 15 x 22 in., available through the artist
4. “Inside Looking Out” by Palden Hamilton
PALDEN HAMILTON (b. 1980), “Inside Looking Out,” 2020, oil on aluminum composite panel, 32 x 23 in., private collection
5. “The Traveler” by Stephanie Deshpande
STEPHANIE DESHPANDE (b. 1975), “The Traveler,” 2018, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in., available through the artist
6. “Entangled” by Alexandra Manukyan
ALEXANDRA MANUKYAN (b. 1963), “Entangled,” 2020, oil on linen, 24 x 12 in., Rehs Contemporary Gallery, New York City
7. “Bugeisha” by Edi Matsumoto
EDI MATSUMOTO (b. 1964), “Bugeisha,” 2020, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in., available through the artist
8. “Subversion” by Christopher Remmers
CHRISTOPHER REMMERS (b. 1982), “Subversion,” 2020, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., available through the artist
9. “Sam with Miraak” by Catherine Prescott
CATHERINE PRESCOTT (b. 1944), “Sam with Miraak,” 2018, oil on canvas, 38 x 30 1/2 in., available through the artist
10. “Resurrection” by Christina Ramos
CHRISTINA RAMOS (b. 1961), “Resurrection,” 2019, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 36 in., available through the artist
11. “The Kiss” by Tim Rees
TIMOTHY REES (b. 1985), “The Kiss,” 2019, oil on linen panel, 45 x 45 in., private collection
12. “Waiting for the Return” by Suzy Schultz
SUZY SCHULTZ (b. 1959), “Waiting for the Return,” 2019, watercolor on paper, 16 x 21 1/2 in., available through the artist
13. “Cheating at Solitaire” by Marc A. Duquette
MARC A. DUQUETTE (b. 1973), “Cheating at Solitaire,” 2018, oil on canvas on board, 22 x 23 in., available through the artist
14. “The Veteran” by Charles Warren Mundy
CHARLES WARREN MUNDY (b. 1945), “The Veteran,” 2018, 40 x 30 in., Vanessa Rothe Fine Art, Laguna Beach, California
15. “Sleepless” by Omalix
OMALIX (b. 1982), “Sleepless,” 2016, oil on linen, 42 x 24 in., available through 33 Contemporary’s page on artsy.net
16. “Standing Room Only” by Scott Prior
SCOTT W. PRIOR (b. 1968), “Standing Room Only,” 2020, oil on panel, 48 x 60 in., available through the artist
17. “Dancing with Unicorn” by Pavel Ouporov
PAVEL OUPOROV (b. 1966), “Dancing with Unicorn,” 2020, oil on canvas, 72 x 48 in., available through the artist
18. “It Doesn’t Melt” by Rachel Linnemeier
RACHEL LINNEMEIER (b. 1989), “It Doesn’t Melt,” 2019, oil on aluminum panel, 20 x 16 in., available through the artist
19. “Gather Your Thoughts and Let Them Go” by Riley Doyle
RILEY DOYLE (b. 1990), “Gather Your Thoughts and Let Them Go,” 2019, oil on panel, 36 x 18 in., available through 33 Contemporary’s page on artsy.net
20. “Beginnings” by Sally Strand
SALLY STRAND (b. 1954), “Beginnings,” 2017, pastel on paper, 24 x 18 in., available through the artist
21. “Under the Influence” by Doug Webb
DOUG WEBB (b. 1946), “Under the Influence,” 2020, acrylic on linen canvas, 30 x 24 in., available through 33 Contemporary’s page on artsy.net
Powerful feelings of nostalgia, hope, and serenity are often evoked by Michael Malm’s oil paintings. Giving visual voice to his faith and the profound joy he experiences through nature’s beauty, Malm’s best works regularly manifest before he even grabs the brush.
Hailing from the gorgeous Cache Valley of northern Utah is accomplished father, husband, son, and painter Michael Malm. Malm’s oil paintings, which are represented by several acclaimed galleries in the United States, have commanded a wide and diverse viewership for their timeless subjects, inner luminance, and spiritual allure.
Michael Malm, “Little Angel,” 2015, oil on board, 12 x 8 inches
“I find that my best efforts are usually the result of what happens before I pick up a brush,” the artist says. “Much of the battle and struggle are conquered during the designing and planning stages, when I can make decisions about how to convey a painting’s message.”
That message is often the result of Malm’s emotional reaction to experiences that move him, which can range from the subtle effects of light as it cascades through the trees to the relationship he’s cultivated with God. He writes, “I am always refreshed and amazed by the richness and beauty of nature. I find it important to get outside and just observe.”
Michael Malm, “Summertime,” 24×13 in., oil on board, 2020
The next stages of Malm’s creative process involve making preliminary sketches and employing live models. “When working on narrative or multi-figural pieces, I will generate rough thumbnails for the composition before the models come to experiment with poses,” says Malm. “Once the preliminary work is done, I draw the composition onto the board or canvas with charcoal or paint without a lot of detail, just enough to establish correct proportions and large masses. Achieving harmony in value and color come next, making sure my overall pattern is established.”
Michael Malm, “For She Loved Much,” 2015, oil on board, 24 x 36 inches
The subtle nuances of refinement, detailed work, and immersion within the oil paintings are the final stages of a work’s production, and Malm’s favorite part of the process. He suggests, “This is where the push and pull occurs, a procedure that can take days, weeks, or even months to reach the desired effect. I like to live with my work for a time in the studio, where I can see them with fresh eyes day after day and notice little refinements that need to happen, such as adjusting tone or changing an edge. When the painting has captured that certain feeling I was after, I know it is finished.”
Michael Malm, “Winter Mood,” 2015, oil on board, 24 x 30 inches
Malm’s memories surrounding the production of “My Little One” (shown at top) make a tantalizing tale of one oil painting’s evolution. He recalls:
“This piece came about with the idea of capturing a certain mother-child relationship. The setting was a local spot near my home that I drive by often, and the season was just as spring was coming on. I worked out the pose as the two interacted naturally. I loved the light and color harmonies that were happening in addition to the gestures of my models. After composing the image in Photoshop, I sketched onto a toned gessoed board with charcoal, after which I began to paint, blocking in with big shapes first and refining as I went. I altered the color of the little girl’s jacket to help harmonize the piece. The original color was a bright purple. Neutralizing the jacket also allowed the red scarf to dominate. The paint was applied using a variety of techniques, incorporating palette knife work with brushwork, dry brush, and some glazing to achieve the surface quality and variety of texture that I love.”
Michael Malm, “Textures of Venice,” 12×8 in., oil on canvas
Malm’s surfaces are also important to him for their ability to communicate tactile beauty. “I love to see work that functions on two levels simultaneously to create an effect. The first level is that the work appears naturalistic or representational, the second is abstract, the realization that the representational image is really just a variety of marks, smudges, glazes, and scumbles of paint on a flat surface. When these two things come together, there is something almost magical that happens. I love when a painting looks like a painting — where the hand of the artist is evident, it gives a sense of the heart of the painter.”
Michael Malm, “Son of the Highest,” 12×9 in., oil on board, 2020Michael Malm, “Autumn,” 22×16 in., oil on board, 2020Michael Malm, “Spring Light,” 12×18 in., oil on board, 2020Michael Malm, “Refreshment,” 36×48 in., oil on board, 2020
Giving visual voice to his own luminous heart appears to be Malm’s specialty, a feature that many will continue to enjoy for years to come.
To see more of his oil paintings, please visit Michael Malm.
This article was written by Andrew Webster and originally featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
Ulrich Gleiter, "A Street in Burgundy," 2020, 27.5 x 27.5 in.
Gallery 1261 in Denver has announced an exhibition of masterfully executed plein air paintings by German artist Ulrich Gleiter.
Ulrich Gleiter, “Colorful morning (Spring in southern Finland),” 2020, 20 x 28 in.
The show is a survey of recent travels throughout Europe – to French Burgundy, Finland, Portugal, and Croatia’s Dalmatian islands.
Gleiter created some of the paintings under quarantine this spring in his temporary home of four months in Finland. What was planned as an overnight stop, en route to Germany coming from Lapland, Europe’s Arctic North, later turned out as a stay until June at a cabin in the woods.
On exhibit are Gleiter’s descriptions of wilderness and scenes in quaint villages of France, all painted outside, en plein air.
Ulrich Gleiter, “The Reindeer Barn, Winter Evening in Finland,” 2020, 32 x 36 in.Ulrich Gleiter, “On a Bright Winter Day”, 2019, 20 x 23.50 in.Ulrich Gleiter, “Olive Orchard (Croatia)”, 2019, 12 x 13.75 in.Ulrich Gleiter, “The White Nights in Finland”, 2019, 27.50 x 20 in.Ulrich Gleiter, “The Road to our Cabin,” 2020, 18 x 29.50 in,
Ellen Howard
"Along the Path"
Oil on panel, 9” x 12”
With a particular emphasis on contemporary Northern California landscape painting, The Holton Studio Gallery celebrates the beauty of nature and life in harmony with it.
“Beloved California V: 20 Painters With a Passion for Place” is on view at the Holton Studio Gallery (Berkeley, California), through December 30, 2020.
Featuring more than fifty works by twenty leading artists of the Northern California landscape:
Kevin Brown, Sharon Calahan, Bill Cone, Christin Coy, Mark Farina, Robert Flanary, Ellen Howard, Paul Kratter, Tia Kratter, Richard Lindenberg, Kim Lordier, James McGrew, Terry Miura, Robin Moore, Ernesto Nemesio, Carol Peek, Davis Perkins, Paul Roehl, Barbara Tapp, and Erik Tiemens.
“We are proud to be presenting these outstanding artists—and love framing their work,” said the gallery.
Kim Lordier “Rolling in California” 2020. Pastel on paper, 8” x 16”James McGrew “Half Dome Overlooking Autumn on the Merced” 2020. Oil on linen panel, 10” x 8”Ellen Howard “Along the Path” Oil on panel, 9” x 12”Carol Peek “Her Eyes on Mom” 2020. Oil on canvas panel, 8” x 10”Terry Miura “Moonlit Bay” Oil on linen, 11” x 14”Robin Moore “Fall Moonrise Through Cottonwoods” Watercolor on paper, 5 1/2” x 7 5/8”Richard Lindenberg “Bluefish Cove, Point Lobos” 2020. Oi on linen, 16” x 8”
That Winter Day, Driving, When the Highway to Home Closed #6
Oil on panel
9 x 12 in.
$1,100.00 through Turner Fine Art in Jackson, WY
It was on multiple car trips in adverse winter weather conditions, one in which the highway to home did close, that this work found inspiration. Anxiety over her husband’s medical appointments in Salt Lake City accompanied these drives through Wyoming, Idaho and Utah from their rural home in Moran, Wyoming. However, the window views of compelling shapes and textures in the snow, ice and sleet resulted in a new approach to her art making, one that has become more textural and abstracted. A newer, tropical series is based on reactions to a change of place when she found herself in Florida during the initial virus sequestration.
The above work was chosen as a runner-up in Southwest Art Magazine’s Artistic Excellence 2019 competition and was featured in an exhibit at Turner Fine Art Gallery.
Bobbi Miller’s education includes bachelor and master degrees in Special Education with minors in Fine Art, which have been augmented with many, diverse national and international classes. Several notables are the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, the New York Studio school and workshops with Wolf Kahn and Wayne Thiebaud. After leaving the teaching world, she earned an associate degree in graphic design, and following freelance work, commenced her own art making.
Of utmost importance to her journey of Embracing Place, is a focus on the camaraderie resulting from initiating the gathering of artists, whether pioneering an art critique group in North Carolina or a plein air group in Wyoming as well as in supporting the arts community on a local level. Bobbi’s current concentration, motivated by the world-wide virus pandemic, is on Suicide Prevention Awareness. Proceeds from her sales of art prints currently benefit the National Foundation for Suicide Awareness. In the fall of 2021, an exhibit of her work will benefit a similar Jackson Hole, Wyoming non-profit organization. Details are forthcoming.
To stay connected to these projects through her newsletter, to receive a gratis greeting card, or to purchase prints of artwork, visit www.artistbobbimiller.com.
Jeremy Miranda
"Tunnel"
acrylic on panel
9 x 8”
22.86 x 20.32 cm
William Baczek Fine Arts, in Northampton, Massachusetts recently announced a solo exhibition of new acrylic paintings by Jeremy Miranda. The exhibition will be on display through Saturday, December 5, 2020.
Jeremy Miranda “Lion’s Share” acrylic on panel 18 x 20″ 45.72 x 50.8 cm
From the gallery:
The title “Everyday” fits this solo exhibition of paintings by Jeremy Miranda in several different ways. Given the sheer number of paintings (over thirty) and variety of sizes (from petite 9 x 8 inches to large 48 x 54 inch scenes), one might imagine that Miranda paints literally every day.
The artist also takes a deep interest in common objects and subjects of everyday life, from ingredients laid out on a kitchen counter while a pot simmers on the stove, to the dashboard of a car on a night errand or brushes soaking in a cup in his own studio.
Jeremy Miranda “Sardines & Zinnias” acrylic on panel 20 x 16″ 50.8 x 40.46 cmJeremy Miranda “Where Did You Go?” acrylic on panel 54 x 48” 137.16 x 122 cm
For more details about the contemporary acrylic paintings of Jeremy Miranda and his solo exhibition, please visit wbfinearts.com.
Edward Hopper
"Le Pont des Arts"
1907
Oil on canvas
23 11/16 × 28 13/16 in.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper Bequest
The Phillips Collection is presenting a collection of Edward Hopper paintings exclusively on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art. These defining works were created during the iconic American painter’s early career while he lived in and visited Paris. “Hopper in Paris” is on view at The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.) through January 10, 2021.
“We are honored to welcome a selection of works from the Whitney Museum of American Art’s important holdings of Edward Hopper,” says Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, Vradenburg Director and CEO of The Phillips Collection. “The Phillips has enjoyed a long history with Edward Hopper since its acquisitions ‘Sunday’ (1926) and ‘Approaching a City’ (1946). While paintings such as these are the quintessential Hopper celebrated today, the lesser-known Paris pictures provide a rare glimpse into the artist’s early period of experimentation, which set the stage for his later development.”
Edward Hopper “Approaching a City” 1946 Oil on canvas 27 1/8 x 36 in. Acquired 1947, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC
From the organizers:
In 1906, following his artistic training with William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri at the New York School of Art, Edward Hopper (b. 1882, Upper Nyack, NY; d. 1967, New York, NY) lived for a year in Paris, later returning for shorter sojourns in 1909 and 1910.
The works on loan from the Whitney—quiet, urban scenes devoid of people—are critical early examples, painted before Hopper returned to the U.S. and began creating his images of American life and identity.
In Paris, Hopper enjoyed observing and capturing everyday life on the streets and visiting exhibitions to see the latest expressions in modern art. His picturesque views of the Parisian landscape are rendered in stark contrasts of light and dark, framed from high vantage points and striking angles, presaging elements that would become the hallmark of his mature work.
Edward Hopper “Stairway at 48 rue de Lille, Paris” 1906 Oil on wood 12 7/8 × 9 5/16 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Les Lavoirs…Pont Royal” 1907 Oil on canvas 23 1/2 × 28 3/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Notre Dame, No. 2” 1907 Oil on canvas 23 3/4 × 28 3/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Bridge and Embankment” 1906 Oil on wood 13 × 9 5/16 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Le Quai des Grands Augustins” 1909 Oil on canvas 23 11/16 × 28 3/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Le Pavillon de Flore” 1909 Oil on canvas Overall: 23 5/8 × 28 13/16 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Le Parc de Saint-Cloud” 1907 Oil on canvas 23 3/4 × 28 15/16 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Interior Courtyard at 48 rue de Lille, Paris” 1906 Oil on composition board 13 × 9 1/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “île Saint-Louis” 1909 Oil on canvas 23 5/8 × 28 3/4 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper BequestEdward Hopper “Bridge in Paris” 1906 Oil on wood 9 1/4 × 13 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Josephine N. Hopper Bequest
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