Marc Anderson, "House of Refuge," oil, 18 x 24; First Place
Presented by the White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA), “Into Nature” features 95 artworks inspired by the outdoors, created in eight countries between March – June 2020.
“Never has art been so essential in connecting us to each other and expressing our human experience,” says Suzi Hudson, WBCA Executive Director. “Never has nature felt so necessary to finding hope, inspiration, and a sense of solace. As in nature, we are reassured that all seasons eventually change.
“In providing ‘Into Nature’ at this time, it is our hope that you will find both; the comfort of nature, and a reverberating connection to our shared need for beauty and art, and its ability to express the inexpressible.”
DK Palecek, “Just Curious Study 9,” oil, 12 x 12; Second PlaceMarc Anderson, “Colfax Farm,” oil, 16 x 32Marc Anderson, “Colfax Farm,” oil, 16 x 32Kami Mendlik, “Gogebic On The Brule,” oil, 8 x 10Tonette Nelson, “Flying Free – The Park is Finally Open,” oil on board, 8 x 10
This exhibition is made possible by WBCA’s Legacy Endowment Fund, ensuring new, creative opportunities. View at WBCA online: https://whitebeararts.org/into-nature/.
Brendan Johnston, “Artist’s Panel,” 2017, oil on wood, 12 x 16 inches
Brendan Johnston gives us a glimpse into his world of art, as shown in this honest still life that includes objects of inspiration and practicality. Keep reading to learn more about Johnston and his process in this exclusive Q&A.
Fine Art Today: How long does it take you to come up with your final composition or arrangement for a still life?
Brendan Johnston: The process of every still life setup is a little different. With perishable objects, I try to plan as much ahead of time as possible. Once I buy flowers or have a beautiful bird, I have to get to work immediately, because time is so limited. Otherwise, I like to spend several days thinking about a composition. Often I will gather objects together and play around with the arrangement — adding and removing elements until the composition works.
Brendan Johnston, “Artist’s Panel,” (detail) 2017, oil on wood, 12 x 16 inches. “The lower half of my painting consists of objects relating to my creative life: pencils, paints, and sculpture calipers,” says Johnston.
Which of the objects in “Artist’s Panel” have a backstory, or a special significance to you?
My picture “Artist’s Panel” is something of an allegory of my artistic life. All of the objects have a personal significance. The pocket watch was owned by my step-grandfather, who was a fascinating British abstract painter. The opera lens was owned by my grandmother who lived in Paris and had a deep appreciation of the arts. The blue butterfly I caught as a child up in the White Mountains, marking the beginning of my interest in studying nature. The postcard of Ingres’ ‘Comtesse d’Haussonville’ has been in my studio for years and has always been a great inspiration to me. The lower half of my painting consists of objects relating to my creative life: pencils, paints, and sculpture calipers.
Viewers may wonder: Is the wood we’re seeing in the image the actual surface, or a painted rendition of wood?
Trompe l’oeil painting is meant to be something of conjuring trick. I hope that anyone who is curious comes to Eleventh Street Arts to see the painting in person and figure out what is real and what is painted.
“’Diving Northern Gannet” (2017, oil on linen, 40 x 40 inches) is a painting of an incredible bird my dog Theo found washed up on the beach out on Long Island,” Johnston says. “I brought it back to the studio and managed to have four days to complete the piece before the bird was no longer possible to paint. It was exhilarating to make.”
What inspires you to paint still life in particular?
My inspiration for still life painting is usually a remarkably beautiful or poetic object that I happily will spend dozens of hours working to convey in oils. Often, however, it is the work done by other talented still life painters that inspires me to dedicate myself to the wonderful genre.
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Learn more about the contemporary realism of Brendan Johnston at brendanhjohnston.com.
Joshua LaRock, “Bather in White,” (detail), oil on linen, 26 x 10 in.
Joshua LaRock takes us behind the scenes of his painting, “Bather in White,” which is part of his “Bathers” series that celebrate light and human form.
“Bather in White”
By Joshua LaRock
“Bather in White” is my third piece in a series of paintings I am calling “bathers.” In all honesty, the idea was generated as an attempt to find a contemporary excuse to paint the nude figure. This is nothing particularly new, of course, where there are countless 19th-century and prior works entitled “Venus” for what I would believe to be similar reasons. Contemporary culture is probably more accepting of the shameless nude than in the past, but I do think they can be more difficult to place in collectors’ homes without some sort of accompanying narrative or modesty. At the very least it narrows my market and where all I really care about is the beauty of how natural light drapes itself over the human form. That is what “Bather in White” really is, a celebration of light and the human form.
For me it is always a bit of a surprise how a piece comes together and seems to take on a life of its own. I believe I had seen an image of a marble statue somewhere with a similar pose, but without the drapery, that stuck with me. So when I got a model in my studio I tried out some variations on the idea and added the drapery. My studio space at the time of painting this was small but had many surrounding windows, and the walls were painted entirely white, which meant there was a lot of ambient light to bounce around. While trying to decide what to do, I happened to notice this lovely bit of back-lit light trickling over my model’s collarbone, and I had to go for it. It was a lot of fun to figure out how to control and compress the values for the rest of the modeling to make that effect work.
“Bather in White,” final
I paint in layers, meaning that once the drawing is transferred to the canvas I take separate passes over the whole painting letting each layer dry in between. Usually it’s about three to four layers total, but as many as are needed really. This is also where the idea continues to evolve and take shape while there is still time to make adjustments. Throughout the process I am keenly aware of the need to pack in an emotional wallop for my viewers. I may be delighting in the technique or colors from my artistic perspective, but the observer tends to connect with a picture on a much more emotional and immediate level. I find this to be the most elusive and ambiguous part of art-making, because the possibilities for making a picture emotionally significant are so vast, and all too often I find out that a work has missed the mark only when it is nearly completed!
“Bather in White,” framed
At any rate, for “Bather in White” I found that the resonant feeling arose from the combination of the long narrow format, the neutral pallet and lighting, and her subtle expression and slightly bowed head. Again, I didn’t set out with a particularly clear vision of where the painting would end up, but I just got the piece going and tried to respond to when something seemed like it was working. It’s like growing a plant from seed — a small kernel of an idea, which, when planted and tended, grows and flowers into something beautiful.
*** Joshua LaRock is internationally recognized as a preeminent figurative artist. His exquisite paintings are an ode to the past filtered through a contemporary life. LaRock’s portraits and figurative pieces alike are memorable both for their emotive quality and for evoking an eerily present feeling. Inspired by Bouguereau and other masters of the past, Joshua imbues a shade of the timeless, drawing the viewer deeper into his personal interpretation of how the world ought to be. Discover more about his work at joshualarock.com; artists can also learn from him in person at the October 2020 Realism Live global virtual art conference and preview his portrait painting workshop video here.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this new “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the paintings below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Louisiana Heron by Booth Malone, Oil, 22 x 40 in.; Anderson Fine Art Gallery
Rust and Stone by Chris Cox, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36 in.; Bluestone Fine Art Gallery
Pomegranates by Dale Zinkowski, Oil on Linen, 11 x 16 in.; Williams Fine Art Dealers
Western Shadows by Kim Lordier, Pastel on Archival Board, 24 x 30 in.; Rieser Fine Art
Deep Blue by Hammond (b. 1976), Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30 in., Signed and dated; Rehs Contemporary
Good News by Pierre Jean Edmond Castan (1817-1892), Oil on Panel, 11 x 8 1/2 in., Signed and dated 1869; Rehs Galleries, Inc.
Basket Makers by Dane Tilghman, Acrylic on Canvas, 31 x 41 in.; Vermont Artisan Designs
Roses in a Dutch Glass by Sherrie McGraw, Oil on Canvas, 17 x 20 in.; Turner Fine Art
Twisted by Sabrina Stiles, Pastel on Paper, 24 x 30 in., 2020; Ann Korologos Gallery
Buffalo County Nordic Star by Ben Bauer, Oil, 32 x 36 in.; American Tonalist Society
After the Shower by Nicholas Martin, Oil on Linen, 12 x 9 in.; Vanessa Rothe Fine Art 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.
Ulrich Gleiter (b. 1977), “Spring,” 2017, oil on linen, 27 x 31 in. Private collection
Ulrich Gleiter (b. 1977) is a citizen of the world. Born in Saarbrücken, Germany, he pursued his undergraduate studies at Dresden’s Academy of Fine Arts, where he learned to paint with the bold, colorful strokes handed down from the early 20th-century German expressionists. Students there prioritized their individuality — no one but you could have made this picture, they were told.
Ulrich Gleiter, “Sunset Rocky Coastline,” 2018, oil on linen, 23 x 27 in. (photo: Gallery 1261)
Gleiter then absorbed a different view of artistry during his exchange year at Moscow’s Surikov Institute, followed by six more years at the Repin Institute in St. Petersburg. Russian training emphasizes mastery of the process of drawing and painting the nude — not as precisely as in U.S. ateliers, but with more emphasis on how relative value is established by the play of light and shadow.
Ulrich Gleiter, “Small Winter Scene,” 2018, oil on board, 12 x 16 in. Private collection
Despite the international renown of their country’s naturalist landscapists, Russian professors do not actually teach plein air painting, instead encouraging students to make a picture outdoors every day if possible. Gleiter was glad to do so, relying heavily on such historical forerunners as Isaak Levitan.
Ulrich Gleiter, “Rocky Coast at Sunrise (Croatia),” 2018, oil on linen, 29 x 21 in. Private collection
Today Gleiter divides time between Germany, Russia, and the United States, where he has become much admired among plein-airists in such scenic places as Colorado, California, and Wyoming. Wherever he goes, Gleiter paints in all kinds of weather, with a special fondness for woodlands and meadows. The painting illustrated here was made last summer in Russia’s Caucasus mountains, though he could just as readily have made it in the Republic of Georgia, Greece, Italy, or even Crimea, with its Mediterranean climate.
Ulrich Gleiter, “In a Canyon (Kabardino-Balkariya),” 2017, oil on board, 12 x 16 in. Private collection
In our era of diplomatic tensions, when Crimea and Russia appear regularly in the headlines, Gleiter feels a renewed appreciation for nature’s timelessness — for its inspiring capacity to rise above the ins and outs of man-made problems. Today, he says, “I often think about the history of an area where I am painting, about how many troubles and beautiful things may have happened there. Most importantly, I am humbled to observe how natural forces never stop moving.”
Ulrich Gleiter, “Apricot Orchard,” 2016, oil on linen, 20 x 24 in.
Gleiter turns his searching eye not only to wilderness, but also to the banalities of urban life — to parked cars, the glinting sprawl of an automobile dealer’s lot, retail stores, and even cargo ships. There, too — as in his portraits, nudes, and still lifes — he manages to find abstracted beauty and emotional significance in the interactions of light, color, and air.
Ulrich Gleiter, “Wide Open Land (in the Urals),” 2017, oil on linen, 29 x 37 in. Private collectionUlrich Gleiter, “A Georgian Village (Svaneti),” 2014, oil on linen, 25 x 20 in. Private collectionUlrich Gleiter, “Autumn Colors in the Caucasus Mountains,” 2017, oil on linen, 27 x 23 in. Private collectionUlrich Gleiter, “By the Armancon River, Burgundy,” 2018, oil on linen, 27 x 31 in. Private collectionUlrich Gleiter, “December in Finland, View from the Cabin,” oil on linen, 27 x 20 in. (photo: Gallery 1261)
Nancy S. Crookston OPAM, "Chopin's Raindrops," 24x36, $6,400
The Oil Painters of America is presenting its 29th National Juried Exhibition at RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX, through September 19, 2020.
Artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts will find a collection of traditional oil paintings representative of the high quality of work being produced by the nationally and internationally acclaimed group of oil painters in this exhibition.
Marc Hanson OPAM, “Tidal Solitude,” 30×40, oil on cradled panel, $9600
OPA’s exhibitions receive over 2,000 submissions for consideration from members across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Of those entries, over 230 artists have been selected to be part of this exhibition. Total awards will be approximately $100,000 in cash and merchandise with a $25,000 cash Best in Show Award.
Howard Freidland OPAM, “The Allure of Honfleur,” 24×30, $12,000
The National Exhibition opened Monday, August 17. Well-respected and renowned artist Rose Frantzen (who is on the faculty for the October 2020 global virtual art conference, Realism Live) will serve as Juror of Awards. Rose has gained national and international acclaim for her oil paintings from life that bring contemporary perspectives to a traditional alla prima approach. In addition to landscapes, still lifes, and figurative works, Frantzen creates serial and allegorical works that incorporate diverse stylistic elements along with gilding, stained glass, and mosaic.
Ken Cadwallader OPAM, “Anticipation,” 16×12, $2500
Artists and art students from around the world are invited to participate in the Virtual Convention on September 17-19. Events will include an interview of Juror Rose Frantzen by Joshua Rose, editor of American Art Collector and Western Art Collector as well as webinars by nationally renowned artists such as Kurt Anderson OPA, David Dibble OPA, Rusty Jones, Kelli Folsom OPA, Susan Hotard OPA and presentations by John DiGiacomo, Es q. and Dave Geada from FASO. Pre-registration is required.
Cindy Baron OPAM, “Sierra High,” 30×30, oil on linen board, $10,750Kathy Anderson OPAM, “Black Swallowtail and Rhododendron,” 18×24, $5,200
Wet Paint Awards of approximately $15,000 in cash & merchandise will be awarded in three divisions: Studio, Plein Air and International on September 17. Convention registration is required to participate in the wet paint event.
Jeff Legg OPAM, “Transitory Repose,” 24×36, oil on board, $21,500
Fears for Humanity
80 cm x 80 cm
Oil on canvas
Available through the artist
As experienced by the viewer in Jessica Bianco’s Fears for Humanity, weaving the elements of graffiti with the classic embodiment of angels, gives the viewer a sense of clashing of realms – one of peace versus one of human conflict.
“While residing in Germany, I found the influence of graffiti to be very prominent and it’s always struck a chord with me. The ability of just a few words hitting you in both their simplicity and complexity, is truly unique. I felt compelled to merge this into a relationship of modern and classic, while emphasizing the intricacy of the times we’re living in; rife with chaos, disappointment and uncertainty.”
Jessica paints in a variety of categories and styles of fine art, living under the philosophy of avoiding boredom and repetition, and portraying the satire and symbolism of our existence. She has recently been concentrating on a collection of paintings entitled The Haunted, depicting the intrigue of the afterlife and faded memories.
Jessica is largely self-taught, driven by a lifelong passion for art, while formally educated in the medical sciences. She is an artist member of OPA and the Federation of Canadian Artists.
Richard Boyer, "Last Light," oil, 30 x 30,
June 2020 First Place Overall Winner in the Plein Air Salon
Congratulations to Richard Boyer, whose cityscape oil painting, “Last Light” won First Place in the June 2020 Plein Air Salon. We asked him to tell us about his winning work in this exclusive feature.
“I have always been inspired by the architect of the city, especially San Francisco,” Boyer said. “It’s a real challenge to capture the perspective, light, and feel of the buildings.
“I like the idea of being challenged in a painting. With so much information to put on the canvas one really has to simplify and get a little abstract in order to get all the information recorded down in the painting session. This is really evident in plein air work. I have some friends who I paint with in the city and the amount of time one has to paint the light is changing so fast you can actually see the shadows moving across the buildings.”
On Painting “Last Light”
“I created this piece based on a smaller, 12×12 plein air study,” Boyer said. He added that the light was moving so fast that he couldn’t complete the painting he wanted at that moment, so he took a photo, and later finished the winning painting “Last Light.”
Richard Boyer, “Last Rays of Light,” 30 x 30
On His Painting Process
To aid in doing the paintings, Boyer said he finds rollers and squeegees work really well. They “help give a loose feel to the work, then I can go into it with brushes,” he said. “I find treated Masonite works best for me because I can go at it a little harder and don’t have to worry about damaging or the springing effects of stretched canvas.”
Richard Boyer, “Market Street,” 36 x 36; First Place in the Plein Air Salon, August/September 2019
On Painting Reflections
“There is a beauty I find in the city with rain coming down. The reflections become much more intense and the atmospheric quality adds some nice effects. I use to paint a lot of European villages years ago, but when the recession hit in 2008 I started to find more inspiration closer to home. I remember doing a trip to Portland to paint with a friend and for the weekend it just poured every evening and I think that’s when I got hooked on all the reflections and lights.”
Richard Boyer, “San Francisco, Bike Ride Home,” 30 x 30, which will be in the Oil Painters of America Western Regional show in St George, Utah
ART COMPETITION CALL FOR ENTRIES: Did you know? The Plein Air Salon accepts both plein air and studio works! Categories include best Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, Watercolor/Gouache, Floral, Landscape, Nocturne/Sunrise/Sunset, Figure/Portrait, Outdoor Still Life, Water, Animals/Birds, Western, Plein Air only, Buildings, and Vehicles. The next deadline to submit art is coming soon. You could win up to $15,000!
Denver printmaker Leon Loughridge, whose work hangs throughout the Broadmoor Hotel
Beginning with the 4th of July weekend, in conjunction with the Broadmoor Hotel, Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs hosted its 2nd annual Broadmoor Art Experience. Originally expanded off the 2018 Plein Air Weekend, the show now takes place over the course of four weekends throughout the month of July with artists working each weekend in a variety of mediums.
Each weekend 15-20 artists set up throughout the Broadmoor Properties, creating new pieces on site while being available to visit with guests and collectors. Viewers watched the magic of art making as blank canvases were filled with paint and mounds of clay transformed while artists’ visions came to life. As guests strolled the historic property they saw clusters of artists staged throughout the resort. The event was free and open to art lovers of all ages.
Master plein air artists from IdahoNationally known Illustrator, Thomas BlackshearAmbidextrous and color-blind painter Robert Moore from IdahoNationally known plein air painter, Darcie PeetYoung up and coming Colorado plein air artist, Jared BradyWildlife painter from Colorado, Dustin Van WechelDenver printmaker Leon Loughridge, whose work hangs throughout the Broadmoor Hotel
Featuring standout museum artists Gerald Balciar, Leon Loughridge, Nathan Solano, and Thomas Blackshear, in addition to plein air masters Ovanes Berberian, Susie Hyer, and Scott Yeager, plus many, many more! Artists had additional pieces available for purchase as well as the works created on site.
Bennett Vadnais, "The Little House," acrylic on panel, 32 X 43 inches
Bennett Vadnais’ newest work is created from intimate and humble architectural subjects around his neighborhood and home in Baltimore city.
Artist Bennett Vadnais with his paintings
The pictures arise from direct observation of the locations that he records via numerous sketches, drawings and colors studies.
Referring to them in his studio, Vadnais turns the references into pictures through a lengthy process of reflection and distillation.
Bennett Vadnais, “Mill Houses,” Acrylic on Panel 30.5″ X 40.5″
He draws heavily on traditional methods of painting while employing modern materials such as acrylic paint and durable aluminum composite panels.
The finished pictures have a complex balance of observed facts, memory and invention. Through these modest structures with their subtle play of light and texture, he finds magic in the mundane.
Bennett Vadnais, “Church,” acrylic on panel, 30″ X 48″
View these paintings and more by Bennett Vadnais at George Billis Gallery (open by appointment in NYC) through September 10, 2020. For more details, please visit georgebillis.com.
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