Painting and drawing from live models in college is where her passion for figurative painting emerged. While attending Otis/Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles Carla D’aguanno discovered the art of illustration, which led to the start of her career in the movie poster industry and book cover industry. However, her interest in fine art fifteen years later would lead to a permanent detour in the direction of her career. Today, she feels her maturity as an artist has come full circle. She perceives the gift that she’s been given as a continual work in progress that keeps growing and evolving with each work of art on her easel.
Two of her favorite most outstanding artists of influence are John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt. The intensity and depth of Sargent’s portraits and figures have been a great source of inspiration to her. What she admires most about the works of Mary Cassatt is her portrayal of the endearing bond between mothers and their children. Carla believes her enthusiasm for painting children may have come to fruition with the birth of her two children. They quickly became her models and still model for her today. There is much for the eye to behold when capturing the beauty and innocence of a child. They possess an inquisitive nature and their interaction with animals is what she finds intriguing. The bond between children and horses is among her favorite subjects to study since the outcome is always spontaneous and unpredictable. Women, children and horses are at the top of her list of priority subjects of interest to paint.
“There’s something beyond compelling about the anatomy of the human figure, and when exposed to a single light source, it’s always s challenge to convey the most interesting perspective that creates a perfect harmony of light, shadow and composition,” she claims. The unique characteristics and curvature of the human figure draws the viewer in for a closer look invoking a range of emotions while revealing a story,” she believes. It is vital for her to have familiarity with the personality of her models, since it enables her to unveil the true essence of their character on canvas. It’s her belief that there is gold hidden in every soul and she has made it her mission to reveal it in each individual.
Carla’s love for horses and western genre is also apparent in her work. She finds the sight and sound of running horses to be one of the most breathtaking sights to behold. Their majestic beauty, size and grace makes them one of the most impressive and magnificent creatures on earth in her opinion. It’s no wonder she loves being in their presence and photographing them continually. Her intentions as an artist are to emphasize the simple beauty of life that comes from our Creator, and in so doing she is hopeful that her art will put a smile on the faces of those who see it.
“Treasures from the Bay Area: New Paintings by the California Art Club” is on view at the Holton Studio Gallery in Berkeley, CA, March 7 through April 4, 2020. View landscapes, still lifes, cityscapes, and figurative paintings by 56 artist members of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the California Art Club.
Painting by John Tocchini Painting by Michael Reardon
The artists are:
Charity Anderson – Tomiko Bailey – Janet Arline Barker – Michael E. Bartlett – Nanette Biers – David Casterson – Lyn Coffey – MaryLou Correia – Christin Coy – Nancy Crookston – John Deckert – Mark Farina – Catherine Fasciato – Tatyana Fogarty – Terri Ford – Randy Gallegos – Terry Guyer – Annie Haines – Cynthia Hamilton – Timothy Horn – Ellen Howard – David Jenks
– Gary Jiang – Michelle Jung – Paul Kratter – Tia Wallace Kratter – Leslie Landers – Amy Leung – Diane Liguori – Richard Lindenberg – Carolyn Lord – Ed Lucey – Steven Markoff – Heather Martin – Joseph McFadden – Sherrill Miller – Clark Mitchell – J.R. Nelson – Erika Perloff – Robert Porter – Carole Rafferty – Michael Reardon – Teresa Ruzzo – David Savellano – Julia Munger Seelos – Randall Sexton – Randall Stauss – Robert Steele – Linda Sutton – Kerima Swain – Nancy Takaichi – Barbara Tapp – Carol Tarzier – John Tocchini – LaRhee Webster – Dennis Ziemienski
Freya Grand, “Pu’ U O’ O,” 2016, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
“Dialog: Landscape and Abstraction” at the Art Museum of the Americas (amamuseum.org), Washington, DC, through April 26, 2020
Operated by the Organization of American States (essentially the United Nations of North, Central, and South America), the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) is an often-overlooked jewel box in the heart of the nation’s capital.
Freya Grand, “Poas,” 2004, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
From the museum:
On view this season is an exhibition, “Dialog: Landscape and Abstraction,” that pairs mid-20th-century abstractions from the permanent collection with paintings by the Washington landscapist Freya Grand. Her immersive landscapes of Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands share forms, textures, symbols, colors, and compositions with works created by such forerunners as Maria Luisa Pacheco (Bolivia), Angel Hurtado (Venezuela), and Anibal Villacis (Ecuador).
Maria Luisa Pacheco, “Composition 1960,” 1960, oil on canvas, 48 x 61 in. Collection OAS AMA | Art Museum of the AmericasAngel Hurtado, “Signo en el Espaci,” 1962, oil on canvas, 62 x 76 in. Collection OAS AMA | Art Museum of the AmericasDanilo di Prete, “Pasagen Cosmica no. 2,” 1963, mixed media/canvas, 58 x 58 in. Collection OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas
The works in this exhibition were selected through a conversation between AMA’s curator, Adriana Ospina, and guest curator Hilary Piece Hatfield. Hatfield was invited to explore the AMA’s extensive digital archive and in doing so, she noted strong correlations between Freya Grand’s work from the Americas and certain abstract works in the permanent collection. Ospina and Hatfield then visited with Freya Grand at her Washington, DC, studio and continued their curatorial dialog with the artist, reflecting on Grand’s work and Hatfield’s selections from the AMA’s collection. The curatorial team found that the process led them to the selection of many of the same works of art. This resulting exhibition demonstrates a shared language among the artists and suggests that humanity has an essential dialog with the earth.
Grand describes her process as a direct, immersive experience and that she moves fluidly from close proximity to her subjects to observing them from a vast distance. She asserts, “The two experiences — the one tactile and intimate and physical, the other a privileged bird’s-eye view — inform and enrich each other. These experiences allow me to feel the land under my feet, as well as comprehend the larger patterns, structures, and forces at play.”
Freya Grand (b. 1947), “Tungurahua,” 2011, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Women Artists at the Art Museum of the Americas
International Women’s Day: Sunday, March 8, 2020, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
Earth Day Panel Talk
Art and Our Environment: An Essential Dialog
Thursday, April 23, 2020, 12:00–1:30 p.m.
John Henry Niemeyer (American, 1839–1932), “Landscape,” 1900, oil on canvas. 20 x 22 in. New Haven Paint & Clay Club Collection
“A Century of Creativity: Connecticut Art from the New Haven Paint & Clay Club” celebrates the history and continuing legacy of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, one of the oldest active art clubs in New England, established in 1900. This exhibition of paintings, prints, and drawings explores our surroundings — the land, water, people, and places that help shape this region. The exhibition will be on view through May 10, 2020.
Christy Gallagher (b. 1939), “Sasco Creek No. 3,” 1977, oil on canvas. 14 x 15 in. New Haven Paint & Clay Club Collection
From the museum:
As its name indicates, the New Haven Paint & Clay Club’s identity is geographically based. As such, it seems fitting to consider place and regional identity as the organizing theme for this retrospective exhibition. The history and impact of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club extends beyond New Haven, drawing members and exhibitors from across Connecticut, as well as from New York and New England. In the first half of the 20th century, numerous artists connected to the New Haven Paint & Clay Club were also affiliated with the art colonies at Cos Cob, Old Lyme, and Mystic.
Constance LaPalombara (American, b. 1935), “Complexity,” 2009, oil on linen, 28 x 44 in. New Haven Paint & Clay Club Collection
Showcasing landscapes of Connecticut and beyond, “A Century of Creativity” includes traditional views of the region’s beautiful coastline, woods, and fields, as well as its cities, towns, roads, boats, and industry. The exhibition also contains art reflecting artists’ travel to distant places and art that explores space and place in different ways, rendering abstract landscapes and imaginative places.
Karen Israel (American, b. 1959), “All That Remains,” 2013, pastel on paper, 17.5 x 23.5 in. New Haven Paint & Clay Club Collection
All objects are from artists affiliated with the New Haven Paint & Clay Club. Many pieces come from the Club’s permanent collection, acquired from Club exhibitions dating back to 1931. Works of art from the Lyman Allyn’s collection and several from the New Haven Museum help augment the story, adding material by artists from the Club’s early years.
George Marinko (American, 1908–1989), “Snow Scene,” ca. 1939, oil on board. 15.25 x 19.25 in. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, gift of Frances Wayland Williams, 1947.12.9George Bruestle (American, 1872–1939), “Woodland Glade,” 1930, oil on board. 24.25 x 29.25 in. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, gift of Mrs. Bertram G. Bruestle, 1968.42
Check the museum website at www.lymanallyn.org for updates and additional programming.
Leslie Duke Anemones and Chickadees
36 x 72
Oil on panel
$9,800
Leslie Duke has a deep love for color and texture, as well as an enthusiasm for finding the intrinsic beauty in everyday subjects. With each painting she strives to instill a profound sense of mood through use of color and space. Leslie is particularly inspired by the masterful beauty of works by Sargent and Zorn; the evocative color fields of Rothko; and the intriguing compositions of illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger. She is a graduate of BYU and currently resides in Springville, Utah. Her work is on currently on display, along with 100 other artists, at the Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, AZ through March 29, 2020. Contact us at 480-443-7695 or [email protected].
View paintings by the Washington Society of Landscape Painters (WSLP) at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia through March 16, 2020.
Web Bryant, “National Cedar,” oil
From the gallery:
The color and beauty of the world around us will illuminate the walls of the Principle Gallery (Alexandria, Virginia) in an exhibition by painters of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters.
For 106 years, WSLP artists have been united by a love of the landscape, but the current members also find inspiration and joy in florals, still life, and other subjects. This show will feature this variety of motifs, in the style and medium of each individual artist.
Lisa Egeli, “Silk and Wool,” oil on linenChristine Lashley, “Brook Cascade,” oil on linenJean Schwartz, “February Fire,” oil on panelBrenda Kidera, “Tranquility”Jill Basham, “Coastal Comfort,” oil on linen
Edgar A. Payne, “Blue Lake, California,” oil on canvas, 28 x 34 in.
An essay by art historian Jean Stern on the Fleischer Collection, the earliest and one of the most extensive collections dedicated to California Impressionism. The Irvine Museum recently published the comprehensive and beautiful book, “The Fleischer Collection: Masterworks of California Impressionism.”
BY JEAN STERN
The Fleischer Collection is the earliest significant and one of the most extensive collections dedicated to California Impressionism. It was formed in 1983 at a time when works from this pivotal American art style were just coming to the fore and examples were easily available and relatively inexpensive.
Later, the collection became the core of the Fleischer Museum, a nonprofit, free-to-the-public institution that operated in Scottsdale, Arizona, from 1990 to 2002 with Donna Fleischer as director. Since then, the Fleischer Collection has remained a private collection in the home of Mort and Donna Fleischer.
I met Mort Fleischer and shortly thereafter his wife, Donna, in late 1983, when I was director of Petersen Galleries in Beverly Hills. Owned by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife, Margie, it was one of the first art galleries to specialize in California Impressionist paintings. Moreover, it was the first gallery to present these works on a national basis through advertising, books, and exhibition catalogues.
The term itself, “California Impressionism,” originated there. On any given day, one could walk into Petersen Galleries and see important paintings by Guy Rose, Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Joseph Kleitsch, Franz Bischoff, Alson Clark, and many others.
At the time I met Mort, the gallery was located at 270 North Rodeo Drive, just one block from the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Later, the gallery moved to 332 North Rodeo Drive, in the Anderton Court Building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and owned by Robert and Margie Petersen.
One morning early in December 1983, Mort Fleischer walked into the gallery and introduced himself. He told me that he was from Phoenix, Arizona, and was staying at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The evening before, he had taken a walk up Rodeo Drive to look in the shop windows. As he looked through our window, he liked what he saw and resolved to return the next morning.
Mort and I chatted as we walked around looking at one painting after the other. He pointed out what piqued his interest, and I gave him a brief biography of the artist, the quality of the painting, and the price. He told me that he had shopped in some New York galleries looking for French Impressionist art but he was put off by the prices. He felt the California paintings were equally good and far less expensive. He was especially attracted to the freshness and colorful style of the California Impressionist paintings.
The first painting that Mort looked at was “Mt. Alice at Sunset” by Franz A. Bischoff. He scrutinized it for a while, asked the price, and said he would buy it. As we walked around, he pointed out a vivid painting by John Bond Francisco titled “California Landscape.” It was a large, 46 by 64–inch view in the San Gabriel Mountains painted sometime about 1900. He also liked a moody painting by Alson Skinner Clark, “Sunset, Normandy,” painted in 1901 on his first trip to France. He selected those two as well.
Alson Skinner Clark, “Sunset, Normandy,” c. 1901, oil on canvas, 25 ½ x 32 in.John Bond Francisco, “California Landscape,” c. 1900, oil on canvas, 46 x 64 in.
Soon it became clear that Mort was discerning and that he was serious about building a first-rate collection. So I took him to our storage room, something I rarely did with clients, as the lighting conditions there were far from optimal. I pulled out several paintings that I thought would interest him, and he selected two more works.
After about an hour, I wrote up the sale and gave him a copy of the invoice. He said he would send me a check when he got back to Phoenix. I said I would have them crated and sent upon receipt of payment. We shook hands and he walked out.
It was a memorable afternoon and quite a significant purchase. I have never before conducted a transaction where one client purchased so many of my best paintings. I have been in the art business since I was a child, helping at my father’s gallery, and had dealt with numerous collectors over the years. Mort’s transaction was quick, direct, substantial, and far from routine.
Experience had taught me to be wary of new collectors who pick out the very best paintings. I was concerned that I may never again see Mort or his check. The next day, an envelope arrived via overnight courier with the check. That was the last time I ever doubted Mort Fleischer.
On my visits to Scottsdale, Mort’s business kept him occupied for most of the day, but in the evenings we would have dinner, always at the best restaurants. We would talk about his growing collection and identify which artists should be added.
Number one on the list was Guy Rose, who is generally regarded as the very best California Impressionist painter. He is the only California Impressionist with a direct connection to French Impressionism, having lived in Giverny for eight years and been a friend of Claude Monet. At the age of 27, Rose contracted a serious bout of lead poisoning and he gave up oil painting for three years in mid-career. He suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of 54, which ended his art career. He died four years later.
Quickly, the Fleischer Collection grew. Mort added a magnificent painting by Donna Schuster, “In the Garden.” Painted in 1917, it shows the convincing influence of William Merritt Chase, with whom Schuster studied in Carmel in 1914.
Donna Schuster, “In the Garden,” c. 1917, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in.
In addition, the collection acquired an elegant Colin Campbell Cooper called “A California Water Garden at Redlands,” set in the back garden of Kimberly Crest, at the time home of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Kimberly, of the Kimberly-Clark paper company.
Colin Campbell Cooper, “A California Water Garden at Redlands (Kimberly Crest),” oil on canvas, 29 ½ x 36 ½ in.
He also purchased “Blue Lake” by Edgar A. Payne; “Fish Market, Provincetown” by Christian von Schneidau; and several others, all from Petersen Galleries.
Christian von Schneidau, “Fish Market, Provincetown,” c. 1920, oil on canvas, 46 x 56 in.
Although Mort was eager to add a Guy Rose to his collection, he wisely waited for the right one. In November 1984, I called him about an important painting by Rose that I had just acquired at a small auction in Michigan. It was “Mist over Point Lobos.” Again, Mort flew in to see it and immediately bought it. The painting quickly became the unofficial icon of the Fleischer Collection and is one of the most popular works by Guy Rose, appearing on posters, book covers, and notecards.
Guy Rose, “Mist over Point Lobos,” c. 1915, oil on canvas, 28 ½ x 24 in.
One day, I called Mort to tell him I was in the process of acquiring the most important work by Jessie Arms Botke I had ever seen. As he was looking for a present for his wife’s birthday, and as Donna was a professional horticulturist, an important painting by Jessie Arms Botke would be ideal. He asked me to describe it. It measured 48 by 64 inches and consisted of a huge bouquet of flowers set in a stone urn with a white peacock and two cockatoos. When I had secured the painting, he came to view the work and immediately purchased it. Some weeks later, at their home in Scottsdale, Donna and I stood in front of the painting while she counted more than twenty distinct varieties of flowers.
My relationship with Mort and Donna Fleischer did not end with Petersen Galleries, which closed when Robert Petersen sold his vast publishing company in 1991. Although I never again sold Mort a painting, I served as an advisor when he opened the Fleischer Museum and continued to do so for several years afterwards.
In 1992, I became executive director of the newly founded Irvine Museum. Established by Joan Irvine Smith and her mother, Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke, the museum was from its inception dedicated to the California Impressionist style. Our first traveling exhibition, “Selections from the Irvine Museum” opened at the Fleischer Museum in 1992 and then traveled to the Oakland Museum and then back home to the Irvine Museum.
Over the years, I wrote three books on the collection. The first was Masterworks of California Impressionism: The F.F.C.A.-Morton H. Fleischer Collection, published in 1986. In 1989, I wrote American Impressionism: The California School, the official guide book for the Fleischer Museum Collection. When the collection was displayed at the eminent Gilcrease Museum, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1991, we updated and re-issued Masterworks of California Impressionism to serve as the exhibition catalogue.
In 2018, my wife, Linda, and I were guests at Mort and Donna’s aptly named “Mor Do Ranch,” their 100-acre horse ranch in Scottsdale. At that time, we discussed publishing the conclusive book on the Fleischer Collection. Although there had been earlier books, they were not definitive, as the Fleischers continually added to the collection. We felt that the collection needed to be documented, since it was the first important collection to specialize in California Impressionism and had remained one of the best since it was founded in 1983.
Moreover, I told Mort that through this book, my name and my role would forever be linked to this magnificent collection. I broached the idea to James Irvine Swinden, president of the Irvine Museum. Since its founding in 1992, the Irvine Museum has been the definitive authority on California Impressionism.
As it was only fitting that the museum be associated with this pioneering collection, James Swinden immediately agreed to publish it. The book, The Fleischer Collection: Masterworks of California Impressionism, was published by the Irvine Museum in 2019. Thus, the Fleischer Collection and the legacy of Mort and Donna Fleischer will be accessible to future generations of art lovers.
River Painter
oil on linen on panel
26 x 30 in.
$2800
Brian Keeler – Artist as Environmental Advocate
This painting is a view of the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania; the location and muse for many of Brian Keeler’s paintings over a decades long career. This oil, a 26 x 30 in. painting on linen is titled River Painter as it includes a depiction of the artist. This island on the river is the muse for several of Keeler’s beautiful evening views of the river, and it is also part of his new Instructional DVD on painting the Susquehanna plein air and in the studio. This new DVD includes four paintings that the student will see from start to finish with all kinds of insights offered.
Keeler is aligning his mission as a painter with the Hudson River School’s leader Thomas Cole for his portrayals of American beauty but equally important for Cole’s environmental activism. In recent years Keeler has become active as an advocate for ecological responsibility in Pennsylvania and New York. His efforts are to meld the aesthetic with environmental, while in defense of the beauty, history and safety of the region and in opposition to the industrial onslaught by the fracking industry.
He organized a symposium in November of 2019 with historians, scientist, poets, musicians and artists for this cause and has presented lectures on this theme in the region.
Keeler has won many prestigious prizes over his career and his work has been featured in two career retrospectives, in 2004 at the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania and another in 2018 at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton, New York. Keeler has traveled extensively in Italy over the past 25 years where he paints and teaches workshops. In recent years his travels have included plein air trips to Ireland, Scotland and many excursions in Maine.
Brian Keeler’s works can be seen at The North Star Art Gallery in Ithaca, NY and The Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor, Me.
Brian Keeler’s Susquehanna River paintings are part of his current show at North Star Art Gallery in Ithaca, New York through February 29th. He will be doing a presentation on “The Artist as Environmental Advocate” at the gallery on February 29th at 4 pm.
Brian’s exhibits, workshops, instructional books and videos are available at www.briankeeler.com.
Learn more about Brian Keeler and his work on Youtube and Facebook.
Painting by Dean Mitchell, credit: albanymuseum.com
Announcing “Looking at America and Painting How I Want, What I Want, and How I See It”
Works by Dean Mitchell at the Albany Museum of Art, through March 29, 2020.
From the museum:
In his four-decade long career, Dean Mitchell, of Tampa, Florida, has become known for his figurative works, landscapes, and still lifes. “Looking at America and Painting How I Want, What I Want, and How I See It” is an exhibition of works by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native.
“I’m looking for freedom, regardless of painting styles and labels imposed on artists in regards to race and ethnic origins,” Mitchell says, “total freedom to explore my full potential as an artist.”
Mitchell, who earned his MFA from the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio, maintains a deep connection with Quincy, Florida, a small industrial city where he was raised and inspired by his grandmother.
His grandmother pushed him to not to waver in his pursuit, encouraging him to attend his art studies. His work has been collected by many prestigious museums and has received numerous accolades, including meeting President Barack Obama and his family, and being considered as a portrait artist for the 44th president. A small snapshot of Mitchell at the White House hangs on the wall at his Quincy location—aptly named after his grandmother — the Marie Brooks Gallery.
Mitchell has been featured in publications including The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Southwest Art, Art of the West, American Artist, Western Art Collector, Artists Magazine, Fine Art International, Art News, The Art of Watercolour Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, and The Outwin: American Portraiture Today at the National Portrait Gallery.
His art can be found at the Autry National Center, Los Angeles; Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, Ark.; Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Mo.; Margaret Harwell Art Museum, Poplar Bluff, Mo.; Rockwell Museum, Corning, N.Y.; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kans.; Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kans.; Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Ariz.; Gadsden Art Center, Quincy, Fla.; Whitney Western Art Museum, Cody, Wyo.; Mississippi Art Museum, Jackson, Miss.; St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Mo.; the Library of Congress; and the Quanhua Art Museum in China.
Mitchell has garnered more than 600 awards, including the T. H. Saunders International Artists in watercolor competition in London, England; the American Watercolor Society Gold and Silver Medals; the National Watercolor Society Masters Award; the Allied Artists of America Gold Medal in Watercolor and Oil, and the Thomas Moran Award from the Salmagundi Club in New York.
Visitors with sculptor Todd Paxton at Celebration of Fine Art
While the team at Fine Art Today is doing our best to give you up-to-date information about current art shows, please also check with the individual gallery or museum to confirm that the information has not changed since it was published here.
This juried invitational show and art sale is where art lovers and artists connect, featuring 40,000 square feet of working studios and works of art by 100 renowned and emerging artists from across the country.
Jeweler Isabelle Posillico and Painter Leo Posillico at Celebration of Fine Art Opening
From the organizers:
The 10-week event enables visitors from around the globe to admire and acquire an unsurpassed selection of artwork in all mediums and styles. Plus, show guests have the opportunity to enjoy the hour-long Art Discovery Series each Friday.
Michael and Karen Jones at Celebration of Fine Art Opening
During the Art Discovery Series, discover the inspiration, techniques, and stories behind the creation of art. Enjoy wine, cheese, and artistic dialogue at informative panel discussions and demonstrations with Celebration artists.
Painter Leslie Duke at Celebration of Fine Art OpeningSculpture by Bryce Pettit and Painting by Santiago Michalek at Celebration of Fine Art
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