Margaret’s work has appeared in many prestigious juried shows throughout the United States. In 2016 Margaret’s sculpture Ohitika won “Best of Show” at the Breckenridge Texas Fine Art Show. In 2017 her piece Mr. Remington’s Cowboy was acquired by the Museum of Western Art for permanent exhibition. In addition, Margaret was chosen to teach sculpting at the prestigious Western Art Academy in Kerrville, Texas, in 2019 and 2020.
Rachel Moseley’s works capture life’s moments in the most truthful and colorful manner and invite us to imagine ourselves in those same scenes. A master of realism, Rachel’s candid portraits leave us wanting more, to explore the story behind the painting.
A California native, Rachel received her MFA from the Academy of Art in 2010 and her BFA from Chico State in 2007. After completing her MFA, Rachel began working as a freelance illustrator, focusing on developing her oil painting skills in her free time, and eventually transitioning into fine art and shifting her focus from client-based projects to personal work. She has exhibited her paintings across the United States and abroad and has been teaching and building curriculum for the Academy of Art since 2011.
“The goal of my work is to capture my subject at a reflective moment of insight when intimate conversation allows for an uncorking of long held and often unexamined experiences. Rather than posing a model while I photograph reference for my paintings, I engage my sitters in conversation, sometimes lasting hours, and shoot candidly. Through this process I hope to capture the moments of truth that happen through storytelling, by being a compassionate listener and giving my subjects the opportunity to examine an experience at arm’s length and in the light of day.
I believe that involving myself intimately with my subjects makes me a more thoughtful painter and connects me very personally to each painting. I feel a great sense of responsibility to render the emotions of my subjects accurately and honestly. I strive for each piece to give the viewer the sense of sitting across from someone during an intimate conversation.”
See more of Rachel’s works, including a brand new collection of limited edition, hand-signed prints at rjdgallery.com.
There are some places which inspire our imaginations to fleetingly leave the realm of reality and find ourselves squarely in the lands where knights still searched the kingdom in pursuit of quests worthy of their devotion. When painting this piece, it was my goal to elevate the landscape to a place where all possibility existed; to take the viewer back to the time of unabashed make-believe, a reminder of their own childhood. I wanted this landscape to transport the viewer to a place where exploration and adventure awaited around every bend. A place where “Dragons” really flew.
The notion that a sword of Avalon might exist at the bottom of this pond, waiting for the hand of the Goddess to present it, only able to be grasped by the one who is pure of heart & lived in harmony with the land…
To amplify the dreamy quality of the painting, I used no dark value deeper than the blue-violet range and kept the high key tones of the piece well under the top range. I wanted the viewer to be able to hear the buzz of those dragonflies and to be able to feel a gentle breeze as the background willows whispered their beckoning song to the traveler. To conjure the gentle lapping of the water as it and rose and fell with the breathing of the pond. To place them once again, transported to another place and time.
While we are certainly isolated and restricted at this incredibly unique time, like any trial, we are never without hope. We can almost feel a new dawn emerging, envisioning a new world of cooperation and a remote destiny waiting for us to claim it. All we must do is to have the courage to lift the veil. My hope is that you will stand at the edge of this pond and remember how the world felt to you when you believed anything was possible.
Sleigh Bells Ring
Oil on Belgian Linen
14 x 14 in., 22 x 22 in. framed
$2500
Available in the 2020 Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Opening reception July 16, 2020, show runs through August 16.
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, I developed an early love for horses and a passion for drawing. However, my love for the west flourished when my family later moved to Colorado. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from Colorado State University I went on to pursue an 18 year career as a fashion illustrator, but now, capturing horses in action is what excites me the most.
My intent and challenge as an oil painter today is to immerse the viewer into the atmosphere of my paintings through the use of loose, energetic and impressionistic brushwork as I strive to capture a split second in time.
The inspiration for Sleigh Bells Ring began the day my husband and I went to up to Granby, Colorado, to photograph sleigh horse teams. It was the coldest day I think I have ever experienced. The driver of this team didn’t mind though as she absolutely loved working with these horses. This was a new Belgian team, and she had accomplished a lot with their training over the season. Painting this team back in my studio brought back the excitement of being there and doing the photo shoot. I utilized several of my photo references in the composition of this painting to portray exactly what I had in mind. The horses paid no mind to the dog, and in fact seemed to follow him and go at his speed. I had to make this little Aussie part of the painting. Utilizing the warm colors of the horses against the cool colors of the background and incorporating them together to pull the horse team and the dog forward in the scene involved a lot of scraping down and rebuilding of paint. I wanted to create interest in the process by allowing parts of the under-painting to show as the build up of textures is evident. The expression of the driver says it all as far as enjoying the moment. This painting has a lot going on, but in the end, it’s just about listening to the sleigh bells and the sheer fun of the experience.
I am honored to have received prestigious awards from the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, Women Artists of the West, and the American Academy of Equine Art. I am proud to be a featured artist in E. Ashley Rooney’s book 106 Artists of the Rocky Mountain West.
Organization Affiliations
The American Impressionist Society, Signature member
The Oil Painters of America, Associate member
Gallery Representation
RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX
Abend Gallery, Denver, CO
The oyster is not pretty. It is a rock from the sea. If a child is collecting sea shells, the oyster is not prized, it is discarded because it is not symmetrical, colorful or shapely.
But the oyster is delicious. And as Jonathan Swift put it, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”
Tidal Harvest was born of a love for the sea and her delights, specifically the humble oyster, which is unattractive, yet prized. This bountiful collection of oysters is rendered with a precision and clarity that shows the inherent beauty in the ordinary. Even as they age, and barnacles grow, what is inside the shell is what is savored and appreciated, born out over time.
Perhaps barnacles grew on artist Matthew Bird, as he painstakingly developed the realism and nuance in this painting! Every detail was carefully studied and recorded with paint.
This “harvest” is rich with visual delights: frothy bubbles in a smooth glass, slick marble, and craggy, barnacled shells that hide the briny oyster. It whets the appetite!
Matthew Bird maintains a studio outside Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and children, where he paints with a deep love and respect for nature and life, enjoying both portrait and still life work.
Bird is a Signature Member of numerous organizations, including the National Watercolor Society where he serves as vice president, and his award-winning watercolor paintings have been exhibited in juried shows across the United States, as well as in Canada, China, England, Greece, Hong Kong, and Italy. His work is in permanent museum collections as well as numerous private collections.
Figuring It Out
Oil on Canvas
24 x 20 in.
$2500.00
This work will be in the OPA National Exhibition at RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, Texas, from October 16 through November 28, 2020.
Figures have been one of my favorite subjects over the past 30 years. Around 1989 I was intrigued by the appearance and character of an older man at the local racetrack, named Dobbie, who fed the horses. I asked him if he would sit while I sketched him in charcoal and the result turned out great so I showed it in an exhibition and put it on my brochure. This success working from life led me to seek out life drawing groups and thus began my practice of regular figure drawing.
Once comfortable with drawing under the clock I started to paint during the longer poses. After moving to StFX University with my wife I started to teach art part-time and participate in a life drawing group. They needed someone to take over the organization and book the models, so I agreed, and nearly 20 years later we’re still having sessions, albeit with a small group of artists. Originally I drew in charcoal, conte and pastel and then started to do finished or nearly finished paintings during the sessions using watercolor, pastel or oil. Some were juried into national and regional exhibitions where they often won awards, so I was hooked. I always seemed to get a favorite model, often a student, who just had something special. It was paintings of those unique models which garnered the awards and they also had the quality of a good likeness and something of their spirit.
One such model was a Chinese student named Emily and a work of her won an Award last year in the American Watercolor Society International Exhibition. This past year or two my favorite model has been Moire, the niece of one of the art faculty. She’s just fabulous and knows how to take a great pose that looks natural. Works of her in oil and watercolor have been juried into four National and regional shows. The image of her here titled Figuring it Out has been selected for the 2020 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition, now slated for the fall of 2020.
Check out my website for my CV, Galleries and Works. Also follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
The 12th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Art will recognize the achievements of 23 artists who have successfully interpreted the canyon, both in plein air and studio work.
Cody DeLong, when he is not off plein air painting or participating in plein air events, has a studio and gallery located in Jerome, Arizona. This will be his 12th year participating in Celebration of Art, being awarded Best of Show in 2010 and then Artists’ Choice Award in 2015. DeLong has taken numerous raft trips on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, often with a group of fellow artists.
All of the participating Celebration of Art artists submit a Grand Canyon themed studio painting prior to the event. Of this year’s studio painting, Sunny Day at the Beach, DeLong says:
“This view is looking downriver from one of my many rafting trips. Last year we had gorgeous clear emerald water. I love the color vibrations in this piece as well as the textural qualities. There is a dynamic tension between the transitions of the water reflections, and the limestone walls. There is also movement in the water gently lapping along the beach. It’s a classic sunny day at the beach and it makes me happy every time I look at it.”
During Plein Air at Grand Canyon from September 12th through September 19th, visitors can watch the artists at work, painting along the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Beginning September 20th, 2020, and open daily through January 18th, 2021 their work will be exhibited and available for purchase at the historic Kolb Studio at the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Admission is free and open to the public. The work can also be viewed at the website below.
Bo Bartlett, "The Promised Land," 2015, oil on linen, 88 x 120 in., private collection; featured in the July/August 2020 issue of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine
A letter from Peter Trippi on communicating with artists during Covid and more, in this preview of the July/August 2020 issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.
Featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue: Nikolai Blokhin (b. 1968), “Old Harlequin” (detail), 2020, oil on canvas, 41.25 x 29.5 in.
Supporting Each Other
Well, 2020 has been like no other year, and it’s only half over. Here’s hoping that summer and autumn will treat us all better.
Like every field, art has been clobbered, and we at Fine Art Connoisseur have been keeping in touch with colleagues everywhere to learn how they’re doing at this extraordinary time. We have been inspired by readers’ ingenuity and determination, and we salute you for sticking to your aesthetic guns.
Our objective was to find out how nine remarkable colleagues have kept things going. The first program featured artists Alia El-Berani and Mario A. Robinson with the dealer Laura Grenning (Grenning Gallery, Long Island); the second welcomed artists Zoe Dufour and César Meza with Betty Standish (Wethersfield Academy for the Arts, Connecticut); and the third involved artists Dina Brodsky and Richie Carter with dealer Robert Simon (Robert Simon Fine Arts, New York City).
Katie and I learned a lot and send our renewed thanks to these nine professionals, who thoroughly demonstrated their ongoing commitment to making, teaching, and promoting superb contemporary realist art. Their observations ranged from detailed to big-picture, from handy tactics to the pitfalls looming ahead. Overall, it was a joy to reconnect and hear how everyone is coping.
Equally esteemed colleagues are at the Art Renewal Center (ARC); in this issue we have highlighted what’s new with them, and for our artist readers, please note that ARC is accepting entries to its 15th International ARC Salon Competition until August 14. To see its prospectus and to enter, visit arcsalon.org.
I am highlighting the Zoom conversations and the ARC Salon because it is clear that digital communications will remain essential post-COVID-19. Everyone at Fine Art Connoisseur believes in this paper magazine and will keep it moving forward, but today’s realities also make it crucial for our community to keep in touch online. Our parent, Streamline Publishing, is glad to offer an array of outlets that serve our field; just visit streamlinepublishing.com and join us.
Many thanks as ever for your collegiality, and be well until we meet again.
Morgan Weistling, "The Watering Trough, 1874," 30 x 24, oil
Since he was a child, artist Morgan Weistling has constantly seen beauty and design in the world. Intensely studying art by 12 and painting movie posters for top agencies by 19, Weistling has been chasing beauty his entire career, and he continually captures it with luminous results.
Morgan Weistling, “Silence Broken at Coyote Creek, 1879,” 34 x 40, oil
From infancy, Morgan Weistling’s mother knew he was destined for a career in art. “She loves to tell the story of when I was a baby,” he says. “She would place me on the couch that had a large painting over it. I would supposedly just get quiet and stare at it. I remember the painting, actually, and it bothered me. The perspective seemed to be off and the vanishing points didn’t all rest on the horizon line. Eventually it would make me cry that I couldn’t yet fix it. I was determined to be an artist so that someday I could fix that painting. I guess my love of art was born from frustration,” Morgan says with a tongue in cheek grin.
One toddler’s frustration is the art world’s triumph. Today, Weistling is well known throughout the country for his gorgeous figurative works and, in particular, his mastery of light. “The number one thing I use to glue everything together is lighting,” he says. “No matter what, nothing can make or break an idea more than how it’s lit. I am interested in designing light shapes. It is also how I control mood and tone.”
Morgan Weistling, “The Posse, In Pursuit of the Cook Gang, 1894,” 34 x 46, oil
Weistling’s paintings are also known for their deep, revelatory narratives, which are available only after a relationship is cultivated with the work. The artist suggests, “Ultimately, we create images that are supposed to hang on a person’s wall and it will be seen every day. I think about that. I hide sub-stories within my paintings to be discovered over time. Everything has a backstory and can be slowly digested as one lives with it. When I talk to collectors, I’m always reminded of how the painting wasn’t really finished until it was brought home and the collector added their lives to it.”
Morgan Weistlin, “The Edge of the Law, Dodge City, 1878,” 28 x 21, oil
Indeed, this “surrendering” of the painting forms a part of Weistling’s creative process. “I always tell people, I don’t finish paintings, I surrender them,” he says. “That word describes it completely. It’s rare when I don’t have a deadline waiting for a painting.” The remaining aspects of Weistling’s creative process are less predictable than deadlines.
He continues, “My process is complicated due to the fact that I create my paintings to fit a specific time period. In some ways I work backward towards inspiration. Though ultimately I am simply interpreting the form I see in relation to the light, a lot of preliminary work takes place in terms of research of my subject, costuming, model choice, and most importantly, storytelling. It’s like I have to first step into my time machine and travel to another world. Once those things are decided upon and implemented, the easy part is painting.”
“The Country Schoolhouse” by Morgan Weistling
Weistling isn’t exaggerating, either, and his description of “The Country Schoolhouse” reveals just how far the artist is willing to go to capture his artistic prize. “It started with little idea sketches as I was waiting in a car line to pick up my daughter from school,” he says. “Those idea sketches get drawn over and over again, using my old skills as an illustrator. I think about every possible angle and type of lens it would be if I were shooting it like a movie. I travelled and researched restored schoolhouses, and read a lot, too. When I had it somewhat decided, I began looking for models. In this case, I approached many parents and pleaded my case. I built a version of a schoolhouse in my studio, with desks and all, so that I could simulate the lighting and reactions while the models posed together.
“This is where I get to play director and work out the stories and see if my idea sketches had merit or whether I need to revise. Unlike a movie, though, I need to tell my story in one frame. One moment in time that sums up all I want to say. I make new sketches, I make hundreds of changes along the way, I change models, and finally I feel like the story is clear. I worked out the perspective of the desks on my canvas first and sketched over those desks with each child filling those seats.”
In addition to the lovely narratives in Weistling’s pictures, the surfaces have a vibrancy and life of their own — an element that the artist is especially attracted to. Weistling says, “Paint texture is really important to me personally as an artist. I feel bored unless the painting has that third dimension of pleasing paint variety on the canvas. If a painting is too slick or perfectly smooth, I am bored. I am excited by a contrast of thick with thin, transparent with opaque, and texture with raw canvas. There is some perfect balance I feel I am constantly chasing. Once in a blue moon I get close. But most of the time it seems elusive.”
Additional Oil Paintings by Morgan Weistling:
Morgan Weistling, “Chicken Girl,” 2016, oil, 30 x 30 in.Morgan Weistling, “The Needlepoint Artist,” 2016, oil, 24 x 20 in.Morgan Weistling, “Indian Stories,” 2016, oil, 40 x 46 in.Morgan Weistling, “First Blossoms,” 2016, oil on linen, 16 x 20 in.Morgan Weistling, “The Prairie Church,” 2016, oil, 30 x 43 in.Morgan Weistling, “Snake Oil Salesman,” 2016, oil on linen, 36 x 56 in.
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.
Robert Porter, "Will lunch ever be the same?" 12x16, Oil
“Our World Re-Imagined” is the Northern California Chapter’s first virtual exhibition with the California Art Club (CAC). This exhibition’s theme is to inspire our artists to visually interpret their perception of our changed world during Covid-19. The show is a diverse snapshot into each artist’s state of mind and visual interpretations during this time. These images range from hopeful beautiful landscapes and past times of busy urban life to desolate rural buildings, vacant urban establishments, and isolated people.
Organizers: Ellen Howard, Paul Kratter Co-chairs SF Chapter
CAC Exhibitions Manager: Addy Stupin
Judges: William Davidson & Kim Lordier
President: Peter Adams, Executive Director: Elaine Adams: California Art Club
David Casterson, “Fort,” 12×12, Oil
Carolyn Lord points out, “I reimagine our world where the use of fossil fuels is considered archaic, the environment is restored, and the infrastructure left behind become artifacts of the Anthropocene epoch. I painted “Abandoned Gas Station” in Livermore, CA, as if it were made of white marble, bathed in ethereal light. The columns are not Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian; there is neither entablature nor pediment; it is mid-20th century Googie!”
Carolyn Lord, “Abandoned Gas Station,” 11×14, Oil
Almeida Deladier’s says his painting “Meta Rembrandt” is from a series of paintings depicting museum visitors’ tendency to take a photo of famous artwork to document their visit, thereby reducing Rembrandt’s work into a tiny snapshot. People miss experiencing the beauty of the artwork as it was originally intended and created.
Deladier Almeida, “Meta Rembrandt,” 18×24, Oil
Richard Lindenberg choose to paint one of his favorite areas along the Sonoma Coast escaping the hot frustrating days indoors during sheltering in place, titled “Carmet Cliffs.”
Richard Lindenberg, “Carmet Cliff,” 9×12, Oil
Robert Porter’s painting “Will lunch ever be the same” (below) and Gil Sambrano’s painting “Station Number 5” (shown at top) contrasts two scenes. Painted just prior to the pandemic hit, a group lunch stands in stark contrast to the social distancing in Gil’s painting of the lone lifeguard station on the beach.
Gil Sambrano, “Station Number 5”, 12×16, Acrylic
Juror of Awards: Bill Davidson, Artist Member, and Kim Lordier, Signature Member
CAC “Our World Re-Imagined” Awards:
First Place: Deladier Almeida “Meta Rembrandt”, 24×18, Oil $500 cash award
Second Place: David Casterson “Fort”, 12×12, Oil $250 cash award
Third Place: Richard Lindenberg “Carmet Cliff”, 9×12, Oil $125 cash award
Honorable Mention: Ni Zhu “Caltrain 3:37”, 8×10, Oil $50 cash award
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