A word from one of our sponsors … Today, we’re traveling into the minds of great artists to discover how they rose to a level of unsurpassed mastery in “Secrets of Figure Drawing” with Cesar Santos.
(4/30/20 Update: The Facebook Live version of this has expired since this article was published. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/StreamlineArtVideo to view many more free lessons that are still available.)
Cesar’s drawings are considered to be some of the finest in the world. In fact, one of today’s top realism collectors purchased one of Cesar’s sketch pads, knowing it will become a national treasure. The entire video is a full course that gives you the depth of training you need to create masterful figure drawings. Here is what one customer had to say, “This is one of the best tutorials because [Cesar] shows everything from start to finish…”
Royal Spirit, 36"x36", oil and bronze on canvas $8700, available through the Broadmoor Galleries, Colorado Springs, CO
Representational Art > Painter and former Peace Corps volunteer Chula Beauregard shares six of her paintings and her inspiration for each.
Chula Beauregard is an award-winning artist, born and raised in the mountains of Colorado. She began painting in the cockpit of a small sailboat in the Bahamas in 5th grade. She enrolled in art every year since, until she graduated cum laude as a Studio Art major from Whitman College. Following college, she served for two years in Gabon, Central Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. She has been painting in oils since 2006, pursuing her career as a professional artist in her hometown of Steamboat Springs, CO.
Royal Spirit (shown above)
My husband is an archery hunter. He is not really a trophy hunter, but this large 6×7 point elk wandered into his sights. He had this European Mount in the house, and I have always admired the strength and grace. I actually completed two paintings simultaneously, exploring texture and graphic elements in both.
Spring Debut
In the spring, the elk who had been wintering in the trees, come down to enjoy the open fields and sprouting grass. After a long winter, we can see the promise of new life in each calf that has joined the herd.
Spring Debut, 24″x48″, oil and gold gesso on canvas, $7700, available through the Jace Romick Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO
Sandcastles
This commission was directly informed by the figurative work of Sorolla. A collector had a beautiful photograph of her grandson on the Carolina Beach. As soon as I saw it, I knew this was my chance to take a deep dive into Sorolla’s work, palette, and color theory. What a treat!
Sandcastles, 8″x10″, oil on linen, sold
Ready to Ride
This big red barn was constructed by the 10th Mountain Division Veteran – turned cow rancher – turned ski area developer, John Fetcher. The 200+ acre ranch north of Steamboat Springs, CO is now run by my classmate and friend, Molly and her husband. This scene of the two of them suiting up for a ride exemplifies the new west. It is rich with heritage and family, yet ever moving into the present.
Ready to Ride, 18″x24″, oil on linen, $3200, available through the Broadmoor Galleries
Late Winter Solace
One of my favorite times of year to paint in Steamboat Springs is late March. The beautiful, deep snow is still blanketing the ground, yet the sun is warm and the water is starting to open up. What was once concealed comes into view.
Late Winter Solace, 24″x20, oil on canvas, $3400, available through the Broadmoor Galleries
Into the Light (written for the AWA catalog at the Booth Museum, now being held virtually):
Have you ever been out walking in the snow? The winter sun, always low in the sky, glints across the tops of the trees as it dips behind the ridge. The ground hides the subnivean life below and reflects the last blue of the sky before dark.
In this peaceful moment, we feel the pull of hibernation. And yet, in the distance, the riotous, inviting warmth of sun on the white bodies of the aspen calls to us. Do we push through the deep snow in pursuit of the light? Or do we stay content in the stillness of this moment?
In my paintings, I use the tools of representational painting to convey the deeper experience of witnessing the beauty of nature.
Into the Light, 36″x36″, oil on canvas, $8700, available through the American Women Artists
Stephen Scott Young, The Blues, Dry Brush, 12 3/4" X 18 3/4"
In this new “Gallery Spotlight” series, we’ll be featuring art galleries that are continuing to keep their doors open – in at least a virtual sense, that is. This week’s spotlight is on The Red Piano Art Gallery, South Carolina’s oldest professional gallery of fine art.
Cherie Dawn Haas: It’s no secret that things, due to the coronavirus, have changed dramatically within the past couple of weeks. What adjustments have you made as a gallery since the outbreak? Ben Whiteside: One of the upsides to living in the very small town of Bluffton, South Carolina, is that self isolating is not hard to do. There aren’t that many people here to begin with, so we follow all of the guidelines and stay home. Our approach to continuing to work is to reach out to our existing collector base. The Red Piano was founded in 1969 so having five decades of collectors to call, email and, yes, even to write real letters, gives us a lot to do. Email and social media are our “go to” methods of collector outreach and communication.
Dan Gerhartz, Blossom, Oil, 48″ X 22″
What’s your biggest priority at this time? Over the next year?
Our main priority is to stay healthy and do what we have been asked to do by our local, state, and federal governments. With regard to our gallery, we strive to stay engaged with our artists and collectors. It would be an understatement to say that business has slowed. My expectation is that, once this virus has passed, business should come back with strong demand. Our intention, and what we are telling our artists, is to be ready when that demand comes back to the market.
Jonathan Green, Last Harvest, Oil, 16″ X 20″Jonathan Green, Marsh Woman, Oil, 48″ X 60″
What advice do you have for collectors as they navigate these times, and beyond?
Currently, given the anxiety, stress, and common distractions, it is difficult to get the attention of collectors. Top-shelf quality, however, will always find a market. So for the collector that has the interest and the means, now is a great opportunity to support the galleries and artists that they collect. This is true any time and especially in difficult times.
Joseph Orr, Dance Partners, Acrylic, 9 x 12
Anything else you’d like to add about the current issues galleries are navigating?
My hope for the art gallery business, as well as all business, is to be ready to come back. Small business is the backbone of American business. There is not an art gallery in this country that is not a small business. Reach out to your collector base through, email, and online social media. Use the phone and give them a call. The bottom line is to continue to work for the artists you represent.
Mark Boedges, Low Country Dock, Oil, 10″ X 16″Mark Boedges, Screened In, Oil, 8″ X 16″
What are some of the ways you find artists to represent?
We are approached weekly by artists looking for professional representation. I’m constantly amazed at the number of talented artists in our country. Every town, state, and region has talented painters and sculptors. My business partner, Jack Morris, told me that when we started, back in the early nineties, that we would have the opportunity to represent whoever we wanted to. At that time, I thought Jack was nuts. The top living American artists of the day were very professionally represented, and had been for most of their careers. Jack could not have been more right!
Today, we represent who we consider to be those painters and sculptors. The key is that we have to believe in the work. If you don’t believe in it, you can’t sell it. If you do, then you would own it. The artists we are proud to represent are the artists we own in our own fine art collections. In addition, local, regional, and national juried art shows, national fine art publications, such as Fine Art Connoisseur, present many opportunities to find artists to represent.
Michael Karas, Low Country Allure Oil 20″ X 30″Michael Karas, Marsh Everlasting Oil 36″ X 48″
Regarding your fine art exhibitions, do you have a current online show?
Currently we are featuring Stephen Scott Young, Joseph Orr, and Peter Batchelder on our website home page, redpianoartgallery.com. Having the opportunity to represent Scott is simply an honor. In my opinion, he is the leading artist of my own generation, the sixty-somethings. Watching Scott work in his studio defines for me, what is a god-given talent. Being completely self taught and working incredibly hard over the past 40 years has brought Stephen Scott Young to the attention of museums and interested collectors, coast to coast as well as internationally.
Stephen Scott Young, Lace and Light, Dry Brush, 52″ X 30 1/2″Milt Kobayashi, Shawna’s Glow Oil 12″ X 10″Milt Kobayashi, Quiet Oil 12″ X 10″
More about The Red Piano Art Gallery: Gallery owners since 1994, J. Ben Whiteside and Lyn Whiteside acquired Morris & Whiteside Galleries in January 2015 and combined gallery operations under the Red Piano Art Gallery firm with which they have been associated since 2002.
Ebb Tide
32 x 32 in.
oil on panel
$3800
Available through the artist
Bodies of water and broad, atmospheric skies saturated with color are hallmarks of many of Jean Schwartz’s paintings. Subjects are most often scenes of the Atlantic coast, the Potomac River near her home and cityscapes of Washington DC. Even when painting the city, the pavement is usually wet or the view is of the city from the river. “When deciding what to paint I need to feel an emotional pull. If I am not feeling it I doubt I would engage the viewer.”
Jean Schwartz’s Ebb Tide is one of a series of coastal paintings worked up from her plein air studies created during August painting trips to mid coast Maine. The location of this scene is Round Cove on Casco Bay and is found next to a private peninsula which houses a popular artist retreat.
“I went out just after sunrise to walk around the cove and pick a spot to paint later when the tide was in. I generally prefer to paint the reflections and movement in water, but at extreme low tide the landscape below was revealed, and it engaged me. Along with the composition the saturation and warmth of the early morning light was hard to resist!”
Jean’s paintings can be found in private and corporate collections both in the U.S. and Europe and some have been loaned to U.S. embassies through the State Department.
Jean is a juried artist member of: The Washington Society of Landscape Painters, OPA, The Salmagundi Club, and an elected fellow of The American Artists Professional League.
Upcoming Exhibit: Washington DC Places at American Painting Fine Art, Washington DC, June 6 to October 3, 2020.
Sweet Summer Heat by Jude Tolar, PSA, IAPS/MC
Pastels on sanded paper
11 x 14 in.
$750
Available from the artist
Jude Tolar’s pastel paintings are lyrical views of the beauty and joy she sees in the world. She’s lead first to light, then design and color.
She works mainly from life, preferably en plein air, and is known for tree and floral portraits outdoors and glass still lifes indoors.
“My summer models are usually found and painted en plein air, in gardens or on travels. However, these beauties stole my heart in a florist kiosk, and I simply had to paint them (Sweet Summer Heat). I was intrigued by the interplay of red-hot edges on sweet, white roses.”
Jude spent her childhood in SE Kansas and NE Oklahoma exploring outdoors and drawing indoors. But she set aside drawings and doodling for a psychology degree from Oklahoma State University and two post-baccalaureate years of fine arts and illustration at University of Oklahoma.
She began painting with pastels after a long career in graphic design and illustration. She’s studied with master pastelists, most extensively with Clive Tyler.
“Soft pastels and sanded papers changed my art world. This forgiving medium lets me paint freely and in layers. I’m fearless with strong colors and values. This adds impact to the stories and portraits I paint.”
Jude’s pastel paintings have won two PleinAir Salon awards from PleinAir Magazine, three Pastel 100 awards from Pastel Journal magazine, and five Best of Shows. She’s juried in to numerous Pastel Society of America and International Association of Pastel Societies international juried shows, and other juried shows.
Two of her pastel paintings are in the current edition of The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques (2018) by Judy Martin.
Jude has written articles for Plein Air Today and Pastel Journal magazine, and shown in invitational gallery shows, solo and groups shows. She gives pastel demonstrations and teach pastel workshops in the US.
She is a Master Circle Pastelist with International Association of Pastel Societies; a Signature Member of Pastel Society of America, Oklahoma Art Guild and Arizona Pastel Artists Association; and a member of American Impressionist Society, Oklahoma Pastel Society, Pastel Society of New Mexico, and Stillwater (OK) Art Guild.
Find Jude’s work here:
-Women Artists of the West 50th Anniversary National Show, Settlers West
Galleries, Tucson, AZ, March 25-April 17, 2020
-Arizona Pastel Artists Association Open National Exhibition, Sedona Arts
Center, Sedona, AZ, March 31-April 14, 2020
-Guild Gallery, Stillwater, OK
–Fine Art Connoisseur magazine (March/April 2020), “A Bouquet for Spring”
–Pastel Journal magazine (April 2020), “Pastel 100”
And here:
–www.judetolar.com
-Facebook: Jude Tolar Art
-Instagram: judetolar
Sun and Shade
11 X 14 in.
Oil on Belgian linen
Available from the artist
THE ART OF NATURE
My husband and I are fortunate to live within a few miles of some of the best wildlife viewing in North America. We take advantage of that every chance we get. We found this Pronghorn Buck trying to escape the heat of a Summer afternoon. I knew as soon as I saw him that I would have to paint him and Sun and Shade is the result.
Kathryn Ashcroft was born in a small Northern Utah farming town in 1961. She was raised on the family dairy farm where animals were fed before people were and a strong work ethic was instilled in her at a very young age. Many hours were spent on the back of a horse and riding was her favorite pass time. Her Mother, also an artist, created beautiful paintings in oil and this was a great source of inspiration. Kathryn began drawing animals very early and was encouraged and taught by her Mother and by Nature.
Striving to convey the essence of the animal, as opposed to a detailed depiction, she uses a loose, painterly style. The result is a beautiful rendition of what the viewer would see if they were viewing the animal in the wild. Abstract backgrounds bring the focus of the painting to the animal itself.
As a child, Kathryn had ample opportunities to view wildlife in its natural environment. She continues observing and studying animals every day and her paintings are based on personal experiences that she has had. She will not paint an animal unless she has seen it and studied it in the wild. Countless hours are spent outdoors and in nature capturing reference material for her artwork.
The use of light, color, shape and value are important to Kathryn and she is constantly striving to bring all dimensions of her paintings to a higher level.
Her work can be found in collections across the country and internationally. It is her desire that all who view her work will have a greater appreciation for the natural world.
Kathryn is regularly invited to participate in the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina, and she has had her work accepted into the prestigious Birds In Art international competition in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Gallery Representation:
Horizon Fine Art Gallery-Jackson, Wyoming
Summit Gallery-Park City, Utah
Sorrel Sky Gallery-Sante Fe, New Mexico
For more of Kathryn’s work you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook as Kathy Ashcroft.
She can be reached through email and by phone: [email protected] 435-890-0912
View more of Kathy’s work at kathyashcroft.com.
Kathy Ellem
Together we succeed
16x28 oil on linen
$3,500
The 50th National Exhibition Jubilee Celebration at Settlers West Galleries (Tucson, AZ) is now online.
Women Artists of the West: 50th Anniversary National Exhibit
March 25 – April 17, 2020 settlerswest.com
From the organizers:
Settlers West is proud to host the Women Artists of the West’s 50th National Juried Exhibition. All paintings and sculpture are available for purchase first come, first-serve online now; preview a selection here:
Paula Holtzclaw Creekside Oaks 30×24 oil on linen $6,200Georgene McGonagle Barnyard Follies 13Hx20Wx15.5D bronze & wood $3,500Dena Peterson Green Pitcher with Fruit 16×16 oil on panel $800H.R. Kaiser They Speak With Forked Tongues 25Hx18Wx11D bronze $7,700Bruce Bingham French Rose Shadows 8×10 oil on Linen $850Christine Drewyer In A Blaze of Glory 18×24 oil on linen $5,200Jane Hunt Lavender Fields 12×24 oil on panel $2,200
Shy Boy
24 x 27 in.
Oil on aluminum
$2900
Available through the artist or Shopify
Cheryl King has had a lifelong love affair with art and beasts. She grew up immersed in the wilds of the Pacific NW under the guidance of her Father, a twentieth-century mountain man who taught her a great reverence for Mother Nature and her creatures.
A working artist for 30 years, she honed her skills through personal training, workshops, and plenty of brush mileage. Fun loving, bold, honest and energetic are the qualities she endeavors to bring to her art.
She describes the turning point in her career as the month spent studying art in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the summer of 2006. She has painted nearly every subject from still life to figurative, but her true love of animals takes precedence, and this is what she currently devotes her easel time to. Her constant goal is to create images of animals not as beasts but as living, loving, intelligent beings with a full spectrum of emotion.
She’s become increasingly concerned about the dire state of our natural world and how it affects wild creatures. Her current body of work is a reflection upon this sad situation; of how habitats are disappearing, and the wild denizens fade along with them. She refers to them as “Vanishing Nations.”
Cheryl recently launched a clothing line and accessories to help bring attention to the creatures of the world. A portion of each sale will be donated to World Wildlife Fund. High quality clothing that is both fashionable and travel friendly! Her designs can be purchased on Cheryl-King-Studios.myshopify.com.
Cheryl participates in the Out West Art Show every March in Great Falls, Montana, and has gained prominence for her unique style and presentation. She is represented by Going to the Sun Gallery in Whitefish, Montana, and Matheson & Grove in Penticton, Canada. Her work hangs in residences from Australia to Europe, Canada and the USA.
She is a member of Women Artists of the West and the American Impressionist Society as well as Founder and President of the Washington Art Gang. Cheryl resides in Shoreline, Washington, with her husband David and her faithful Boykin Spaniel, Nugget.
To see more of Cheryl’s work, visit her website now.
Palm Solo
9 x 12 in.
oil on linen panel
$650
Available from the artist
“Whether painting landscapes, interiors or figures, my primary focus is always the ‘light’ and how it affects the subject I’m trying to capture. Working in pastel and oil, I approach my paintings as a sculptor would, carving out nuances of highlight and shadow.
“An avid plein air artist, I’m inspired by the American landscape and that of my beloved Italy. I find my greatest joy painting on location, taking in the atmosphere, temperature, sounds and smells, as well as the view. I participate in national plein air festivals, traveling throughout the country to capture the uniqueness of each venue. During the cold Michigan winters, I work in my studio creating larger pieces…but always, always chasing the light.”
Jill Stefani Wagner’s artwork has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the country and is included in many corporate and private collections. Her paintings have been juried into prestigious national oil and pastel exhibits and have been honored with multiple awards.
One of Jill’s paintings graced the cover of PleinAir Magazine, and her work is often featured in their pages. Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine has highlighted her work as has Pastel Journal and the best-selling French magazine, Practique des Arts. Wagner has been invited Pastel Faculty at the Plein Air Convention for four years and also enjoys teaching workshops and mentoring other artists.
She has been designated a Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America and Master Circle in the International Association of Pastel Societies, and also belongs to American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, the Great Lakes Pastel Society and the Degas Pastel Society. Her work is represented by four fine art galleries in the Midwest.
Jill Stefani Wagner received a B.F.A. from The University of Michigan School of Art. She owned an award-winning advertising firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before “seeing the light” and becoming a full-time artist.
By Johanne Mangi, featured in "The Fine Art of Painting Dog Portraits."
A word from one of our sponsors … Today, we’re traveling into the minds of great artists to discover how they rose to a level of unsurpassed mastery in “The Fine Art of Painting Dog Portraits” with Johanne Mangi.
Have you ever loved a dog so much that you just had to paint it? Well now you can!
In today’s video broadcast, you’ll see the amazing Johanne Mangi bring beautiful dogs to her canvas.
The image shown is “Sam, the Wonder Dog” whose owner is our very own Ali Cruickshank, whom many of you have gotten to know at our live events.
Whether you’re capturing your own beloved pet or creating a painting for someone else, Johanne is going to show you how to paint dog portraits so the piece becomes a treasured heirloom for a family. Don’t miss today’s broadcast if you want to create high-quality dog portraits!
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.
Cesar’s drawings are considered to be some of the finest in the world. In fact, one of today’s top realism collectors purchased one of Cesar’s sketch pads, knowing it will become a national treasure. The entire video is a full course that gives you the depth of training you need to create masterful figure drawings. Here is what one customer had to say, “This is one of the best tutorials because [Cesar] shows everything from start to finish…”
Cherie Dawn Haas: It’s no secret that things, due to the coronavirus, have changed dramatically within the past couple of weeks. What adjustments have you made as a gallery since the outbreak?
