News Story on “28 Blocks” Mural by Garin Baker Wins Emmy

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July 22, 2018

28 Blocks Mural - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Julia Lanihan and Bryan Guglielmi, apprentice artists applying the final protective coating on the 28 Blocks mural

At the 2018 Emmy Awards, freelance journalist and producer Alec Schreck received the coveted statue for his story featuring Garin Baker and his recently completed “28 Blocks” mural in Washington, DC. (Watch the “28 Blocks” news piece here)

We’re honored to recognize this important project that has received extensive media coverage over the last year since its completion in 2017, including in the Washington Post, on News 9 in Washington, DC, and in a featured article in the 2018 April/May issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.

This monumental mural project took Garin Baker and his team of apprentice artists almost two years to complete. It’s located on the Penn Center Building in northeast Washington, DC, and measures 65 feet high x 160 feet long. The mural faces the Amtrak and DC Metro Commuter rail, where it will be seen by thousands of visitors.

Baker’s mural features the large seated figure of Abraham Lincoln as he rises above the adjacent buildings. As its title suggests, the Lincoln Memorial statue was carved out of 28 blocks of the finest white marble quarried in the United States by the sons and grandsons of slaves in 1916. The memorial was designed and created by famed American sculptor Daniel Chester French, who personally oversaw the individual carving of each block. These blocks were hand carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, a family of Italian immigrants whose skills and timeless artistry stretch back to the great sculptors of the Renaissance in Florence and Rome.

This until-now-hidden American story is told through iconic imagery and symbolism in Baker’s mural and goes to the core of recognizing all of those who labored in the building of America.

A full feature documentary film is in the works, and the artist and filmmaker, Shawn Strong, is in the process of raising the necessary funds. Any donations and in-kind support is greatly appreciated. Please contact Garin Baker at [email protected] or www.garinbaker.com.

Completed and installed mural (left section) on the Penn Center Building in Washington, DC

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A Giant of French Romantic Painting

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Fine Art Today

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July 20, 2018

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Eugène Delacroix drawings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863). “The Education of Achilles,” ca. 1844. Graphite, 9.313 x 11.688 in. (23.6 x 29.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Emily Rafferty, 2014 (2014.732.3)

Renowned as a giant of French Romantic painting, Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was equally a dedicated and an innovative draftsman. “Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix” explores the central role of drawing in the artist’s practice through more than one hundred works — from finished watercolors to sketchbooks, from copies after Old Master prints to preparatory drawings for important projects. As the first North American exhibition devoted to Delacroix’s drawings in more than 50 years, it will introduce a new generation to the artist’s draftsmanship.

The exhibition celebrates a major gift to The Met from Karen B. Cohen, an Honorary Trustee and a longstanding supporter of the Museum, of her extraordinary collection of drawings by Delacroix. Assembled with an eye to the artist’s process, Mrs. Cohen’s collection illuminates the ways in which drawing shaped Delacroix’s artistic development; his use of the medium in the preparation of prints, paintings, and public decorative programs; and his investment in the expressive potential of his materials.

“Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix” begins with an examination of drawing as a method of training and study for Delacroix throughout his career. This section presents academic and anatomical drawings; studies from life and nature; and copies after a broad range of sources, from Old Master prints after Raphael and Rubens to contemporary caricatures by artists such as George Cruikshank. Among the highlights are two of the artist’s sketchbooks: one from an 1829 trip to Normandy and the other of costumes sketched during an 1855 performance of Othello in Paris.

The second section of the exhibition looks at how Delacroix used drawing to invent, research, and refine his ideas for paintings on canvas, decorative and religious murals, prints, and illustrations. It features drawings for a number of his major paintings, including “The Massacre at Chios” (1824), “Liberty Leading the People” (1830), and “The Sultan of Morocco and His Entourage” (1845). A group of drawings related to his first important commission for the French State — the decorations for the Palais Bourbon — reveals the dynamism of Delacroix’s premières pensées (first thoughts) executed in fluid pen and ink. More precise preparatory works in graphite demonstrate the care with which Delacroix planned his prints, from his early satirical subjects to his landmark illustrations for Hamlet, published in 1843. The drawings are paired with their resulting prints, enabling first-hand comparisons of the studies with the finished lithographs.

The third and final section of the exhibition reveals how Delacroix reveled in the aesthetic possibilities offered by graphic media, including ink, wash, and watercolor. The works in this section also emphasize how drawing was a means of invention for Delacroix. The intense study and preparation demonstrated in the earlier sections of the exhibition come to fruition here in drawings that show the artist’s imagination at work on paper.

“Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix” is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through November 12, 2018. For more information, please visit metmuseum.org. The exhibition is made possible by the Schiff Foundation.

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Featured Artwork: Heather Arenas

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Fine Art Today

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July 16, 2018

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Get Your Greens Here
12 x 24 in., oil on wood
Available through the artist

Heathers’ paintings have dramatic lighting and mood drawing the viewer in from across the room. At closer inspection the play of paint and brushwork come to life, revealing Arenas’ passion for even the smallest surprises.

Heather, like most artists, began her love of art very early in life. Her grandmothers and her parents were influential and endlessly provided her with books, crafts, supplies and encouragement. She, of course was advised to follow a different path as she began her post high school education. Her ever present interest of the human form led her to briefly attend med school. Her studies of anatomy, art history and ceramics were a clue that art was her calling and should be followed through. Heather’s path has taken time with many twists and turns only to bring to light that oil painting excited her as much as the figure, and so she began her career as a professional oil painter.

If you are one of those people lucky enough to see Heather paint you will witness her joy and enthusiasm, singing and dancing with her brushes in hand. Her music choices run the gamut from hard rock to classical. “I listen to music and the music helps my brush seamingly move without assistance. Depending on the tune I can feel the beat ignite fire into my paintings.” Heather enjoys painting any subject but her first love is the figure. “The perfection of the human body, the curves, the movement, how a being sees and looks back at me, how it walks across a room, it’s all perfect. Figures are a vehicle for me to show my appreciation of the grace and mechanics of life’s ultimate creation.”

As a professional oil painter Heather has honed her technical skills with some classes, even more self-education and a lot of practice. Like all artists on their own personal journey, her focus has changed over the course of the years. At this point, light, mood and brushwork are the subjects that move her to put paint to canvas. “It doesn’t matter what the subject is, I am attracted to the way the light dances along the object, and in my eyes it sparkles and I get taken in.” Equally, she is excited to convey the mood of the scene before her. “Light and mood, they go hand in hand.” She stresses that she only paints what she sees beauty in and reinforces it by repeating words like sunshine, warmth, joy and sending positive vibes into her work. Drawing on her art education, she confidently dips into the mystery of painting, and the paint moves her into unexpected places. Her zeal guides her and she often finds that her brushwork leaves her surprises and instead of wiping it off she follows it through. “At this juncture of the painting it is about the paint, the big strokes, the broken color and the abstract spaces that appear. That combination allows me to let happy accidents happen and in turn play with the canvas in front of me.” Heathers unique and enthusiastic impressionist style gives the heart of the viewer a chance to use his imagination and participate in the telling of the story.

Heather has had many collectors say wonderful things about her work but one of her favorite quotes was from a gentleman who said “When I look at your work it almost makes me want to cry.” Arenas says, “To touch someone at that level is the ultimate compliment for me as an artist”. Heather’s success lies within her insatiable desire to learn, her friendly outgoing personality and her giddiness for trying new things. “For me, painting is a never ending marvelous journey. There is no end to the avenues I can explore.”

Heather is a Master Signature artist with the Women Artists of the West and Associate of Distinction with American Women Artists.

View more of Heather’s work at www.heatherarenas.com
Contact Heather at [email protected]

Recent Awards
Women Artists of the West, Spring Online 2018 for “Modern Day Venus”, Honorable Mention Gateway Intl Painting Contest, December 2017 for “Passion”, Finalist
Gateway Intl Painting Contest, November 2017 for “Red in the Sun”, Finalist
Sedona Art Prize, August 2017 for “It Takes All Kinds”, Finalist
Sedona Art Prize, June 2017 for “Red in the Sun”, Finalist
Bold Brush, May 2017 For “Oscar and Sharon’s Big Day Out”, Best of Show
Sedona Art Prize, May 2017 for “Colorful Subject”, Finalist
WAOW Nat. Juried Exhibition 2016 for “Home on the Range”, Art of the West Editor’s Choice AWA National Juried Exhibition 2016 for “Orange Taffeta”, Finalist
WAOW Hot Summer Nights 2016 for “After the Dance”, Best Overall
WAOW Hot Summer Nights 2016 for “31st and Lexington”, Honorable Mention
OPA Online Showcase Spring 2016 “Belizean Chef”, Honorable Mention
AWA Spring Online Show 2016 for “Margaritas in Tubac”, Finalist
FASO August 2015 Bold Brush for “After the Lunch Rush” Finalist
Finalist, Bold Brush May 2015 for “Angel in Disguise”
Honorable Mention, CFAI Figurative show May 2015 for “Lady in Red”
Finalist, AWA Spring Online Show 2015 for “Farmers Market Flowers”
2nd Place, WAOW Spring Online show 2015 for “Farmers Market Flowers”
3rd Place, Bold Brush January 2013 for “Ponytail”
Jury Award Women Artists of the West 43rd National Exhibition 2013 for “Tapestry”
Best Figurative and Wet Wall Painting of the Day Alla Prima Westcliffe 2013

Painting Wherever Beauty Takes Him

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Fine Art Today

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July 15, 2018

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landscape paintings - Marc Dalessio - FineArtConnoisseur.com — “East Hampton from the Jitney Stop,” 2018, oil on canvas, 8 x 12 in.

Marc Dalessio, a leading plein air painter, has returned to Sag Harbor, New York, to paint locally as he has done many years since he first came in 1999. Grenning Gallery is showing a select group of major works from his year of creating landscape paintings around the globe.

From Grenning Gallery:

Although he is based mostly in Florence, Dalessio paints in Ireland, California, Cape Cod, Maine, Wales, Austria … basically wherever the beauty takes him. As an environmentalist, he is following his true inspiration.

Dalessio’s first love, the California coast, is found in the anchor painting “Big Sur” (above). This grand and sweeping view is a feat of contemporary painting, with its rich foreground in shadow, and subtle and true color of the distant water and sky. The articulated observations of the rocky coast are both intriguing and bold at the same time. It’s a powerful painting to stand in front of — which is exactly how the great landscape paintings of the late 19th century were able to convince our leaders to set aside huge swaths of land. It was the Hudson River Valley paintings of the west that inspired the creation of our federal and state parks. Artists, and their observations, are the true leaders, which is why one needs to vote with one’s dollars to encourage artists to keep painting these spectacular natural places.

Shifting to the local paintings, we are very pleased that Dalessio was able to spend several weeks painting local scenes — ranging from Main Street Sag Harbor, to Indian Wells Beach. One especially interesting painting, “East Hampton from the Jitney Stop,” recalls the work of another famous American painter from over a 100 years ago — Childe Hassam.

His delight in painting, drawing, and etching the great elms lining the streets of East Hampton are well known to the followers of the great American impressionist. Here, Dalessio has been able to capture the same view with convincing accuracy and a brightness and lightness that could only be from the 21st century. Only after 25 years of painting full-time could an artist come to town and paint one or two local landscapes a day during the weeks leading up to his show and deliver such an amazing collection of works.

“Marc Dalessio | Solo Show” is on view at Grenning Gallery (Sag Harbor, New York) through July 30, 2018.

Listen to Episode 79 of the PleinAir Art Podcast with Eric Rhoads, featuring Marc Dalessio!

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Why Watercolor? Mario Robinson Answers

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Fine Art Today

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July 14, 2018

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Mario Robinson watercolor paintings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Watercolor portrait by Mario Robinson

Mario Andres Robinson is an exhibiting artist member of the National Arts Club, an artist member of the Salmagundi Club, and a signature member of the Pastel Society of America. Next month Robinson has a new Liliedahl art workshop video available, titled “Portrait Painting Techniques That Tell a Story.” He is also on the faculty for the 2nd Annual Figurative Art Convention & Expo.

Why Watercolor? Mario Robinson Answers

A common question I receive is “Why watercolor?” My response is “Why not?” There’s a rich American tradition of painting, and watercolor is front and center of that movement. American masters such as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Andrew Wyeth focused heavily on watercolor. While the majority of contemporary artists choose to work in oils, I embrace the challenge of using a medium that is often overlooked.

I’m drawn to the figure, primarily due to the connectivity I feel toward human beings. My work deals largely with the human condition. I enjoy painting landscapes; however, my emotional response to nature is vastly different than to that of the figure.

More watercolor portraits by Mario Robinson:

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John Singer Sargent and Chicago’s Gilded Age

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Fine Art Today

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July 13, 2018

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John Singer Sargent paintings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925), “Portrait of Charles Deering,” 1917, 28.5 x 21 in., Art Institute of Chicago, Anonymous loan, 8.2002.

Presenting the full range of John Singer Sargent’s work — including his beloved portraits — “John Singer Sargent and Chicago’s Gilded Age” chronicles a never-told story about this celebrated American artist, tracing his Chicago connections and illuminating the city’s vibrant art scene at the turn of the 20th century.

Sargent (1856–1925) became the most sought-after portraitist of his generation on both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Italy to American parents, he traveled the world in search of subjects and worked professionally for more than 50 years creating vibrant, lively paintings.

His assertive portrait of Carmen Dauset (above) commanded the attention of critics and museum-goers when it was displayed at the Art Institute in 1890 and helped put Chicago on the map as a center for contemporary art and culture.

“John Singer Sargent and Chicago’s Gilded Age” is on view at the Art Institute of Chicago through September 30, 2018.

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Art and the New England Farm

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July 13, 2018

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Landscape oil paintings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Michele Felice Cornè (1752–1845) “Ezekiel Hersey Derby Farm,” ca. 1800, oil on canvas, 40 x 53 in. Historic New England, Gift of Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little

Drawing on the agricultural heritage of Florence Griswold’s family estate and of the Lyme region and beyond, this exhibition examines the history and character of New England’s farms in works by artists from the 19th to the 21st centuries.

From the Florence Griswold Museum:

Paintings, drawings, and photographs from public and private collections trace the challenges of farming in New England, with its rocky soil, and the pastoral landscapes crafted through intense labor. Landscapes by George Henry Durrie will receive special attention as influential representations that translated the New England farmstead into an American icon in the mid-nineteenth century. Works by Ivan Olinsky, Thomas Nason, Martin Lewis, and Walker Evans will map the transformation and decline of the New England farm into the 20th century with the pressures of urbanization and suburbanization. The more recent revival of farming, with the enthusiasm for organic produce and farm-to-table cooking, will close the exhibition, with the inclusion of works by contemporary artists and photographers, including artist Judy Friday’s project on a year in the life of Lyme’s Tiffany Farm.

Mixed media art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Judy Friday, “Red Roan,” 2002, watercolor and pencil on card, 4.5 x 6.75 in. Courtesy of the Artist

Wood engravings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Thomas Nason (1889–1971), “Midsummer,” 1954, wood engraving, 6 x 9.125 in. Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of Janet Eltinge

“Art and the New England Farm” is on view at the Florence Griswold Museum (Old Lyme, Connecticut) through September 16, 2018.

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Studio Incamminati Appoints New Dean

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Fine Art Today

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July 12, 2018

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Portraits by Dan Thompson, Studio Incamminati Dean - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Dan Thompson, “Portrait of Irvin,” 2015, oil on linen, 18 x 24 in.

From Studio Incamminati:
“Dan Thompson, an artist and teacher whose decades-long career ranges from exhibitions worldwide to faculty positions at Parsons the New School for Design and the Art Students League of New York, has been appointed Dean of Faculty and Students at Studio Incamminati, School of Contemporary Realist Art. In the newly created position, Thompson assumes the duties of Artistic Director, previously held by the school’s co-founder Leona Shanks, who is stepping down to devote more time to her painting.”

Portrait Paintings - Dan Thompson - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Dan Thompson, “Gabriela,” 2015, oil on linen, 18 x 24 in.

We reached out to Thompson to take us behind the scenes and tell us about his new role:

From my perspective, this appointment evolved out of a series of conversations that I was having with several artistic-minded colleagues in 2005. Envisioning school structure and curricula, I seriously considered relocating to Van Nuys to supervise an atelier that had been founded within the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. Later, I co-founded an academy in Manhattan, on 44th Street, called the Grand Central Academy of Art. This germinated a further venture: Harlem’s Janus Collaborative School of Art that I also co-founded and developed until its conclusion. The effort at every opportunity was to create educational programming that provided students with a profound strategic understanding of their process. I remain committed to connecting students, via their temperament and technical aptitude, to a personal means of exquisite artistic expression.

Dan Thompson, “Dave,” 2014, oil on linen, 20 x 24 in.

When Studio Incamminati (SI) asked me to join forces as Dean, I could see opportunities in an alliance. My general discourse on artistic programming had matured, and the aesthetics of this art school were stirring. Nelson Shanks had been my instructor and there was tremendous sympathetic appeal. I remembered the exhilaration way back, witnessing his demonstration of Grace, under the Grand Rotunda in PAFA, and how electrifying this performance had been. Looking further into the history of the school, there was such richness in its manifestations. In more recent years, I’d watched my colleagues — SI’s instructors — develop their proficiency and communicative expertise. I’d seen SI graduate classes of students with inspiring voices. Both from having taught in the Advanced Fine Art Program within Studio Incamminati for a decade, as well as having taught elsewhere, I was fascinated with the circumstance.

Dan Thompson, “Reanimate,” 2015, oil on linen, 28 x 18 in.

The Dean appointment is momentous for me. There are characteristics that remind me of a teaching engagement, the most significant feature being a self-revelatory one. As an instructor, accepting the challenge of teaching a particular course magnifies the potential to more deeply understand your very nature — what motivates you, your aesthetic self, and why you revere certain artistic principles. This endeavor offers this on a grander, more philosophical level.

Dan Thompson, “Alison,” 2017, graphite on paper, 17 x 23 in.

There is also the notion of safeguarding an entity which has been so beautifully constituted and nurtured by my predecessor, Leona Shanks. As SI’s Artistic Director, Leona actualized a dream that she and Nelson had for what an ideal art school could be. She championed the fundamentals and sheltered the community from influences that threatened its aesthetic integrity. Since departing her position to devote more time to her artistic practice, the intellectual investment into Studio Incamminati’s artistry goes on. The faculty are rock stars, and our students are inspiring each other to more exultant creativity. My interests will be to enhance elements of the curriculum which have striking potential while protecting the bedrock principles that make Studio Incamminati’s educational culture unique.

Dan Thompson, “I’ll Be There,” 2016, oil on linen, 18 x 16 in.

The community of Studio Incamminati is a very open one. We have welcomed people into it from the entire world and from every part of society: Some have never anticipated being capable of a decent drawing; others have entered from elite academic environments — and all have flourished. The most valiant thing that Fine Art Connoisseur’s readers can do now is to stay engaged with us. Studio Incamminati has just entered a new chapter. In Nelson Shanks’ spirit, the school is fearless and resolute. Studio Incamminati is also audacious. To be a school “…For Realist Art…” is to be, at its essence, audacious! ~Dan Thompson

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American Illustrations: The 10 Greatest Masterpieces

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July 12, 2018

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American Illustrations - I Want You poster - FineArtConnoisseur.com — The lecture presents "The Ten Greatest Masterpieces of American Illustration Art.” One of the ten is this famous World War I poster by James Montgomery Flagg.

A lecture on American Illustrations:

The National Museum of American Illustration in Newport, Rhode Island, presents “The Ten Greatest Masterpieces of American Illustration Art,” a lecture by John Howard Sanden.

John Howard Sanden portrait artist — The lecture is presented by portrait artist John Howard Sanden.

Focusing on great masterpiece paintings from the Golden Age of American Illustration that shaped and influenced the national culture, plus the background of the great artists who created them, this lecture will give you a new appreciation for the power and influence of the illustrator’s art, and the amazing artistic and technical skill involved.

“The Ten Greatest Masterpieces of American Illustration Art” lecture takes place July 28 at the National Museum of American Illustration.

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From the Artist’s Perspective – July/August 2018 Edition

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Cherie Dawn Haas

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July 10, 2018

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Artists on Art magazine - Victor Wang - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Victor Wang, "A Sunflower Crown," oil and collage on canvas, 52 x 50 1/2 in.

The July/August 2018 issue of Artists on Art magazine features the satirical work of Leah Saulnier, new advice from Nancy Tankersley on painting from photographs, and a look at the multi-media work of Christopher Owen Nelson. Robin Ewers Carnes tells us how she sells her art on greeting cards, artists Kenny and Judy Harris show us what it’s like to be married to an artist, and Victor Wang takes us into his mixed-media portraits that are born of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Here’s a preview of the new Artists on Art magazine:

“The human figures in my paintings serve as vehicles to convey human experiences, representing the emotional tension and psychological drama of life’s turning points. Nostalgia, harmony, passion, agony, sadness, and pleasure are all revealed in my new body of work within the last decade.” ~Victor Wang, Fondness and Fright

Artists on Art magazine - Kenny Harris - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Kenny Harris, “Portrait of the Artist and his Wife,” oil on linen, 30 x 39 in.

“Art and life are intertwined together in the relationship. We don’t have to convince the other that a really good replica of a human skull is a necessary thing for the house — it is understood.” ~Kenny Harris, Two Artists, One Roof

Artists on Art magazine - Christopher Owen Nelson - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Christopher Owen Nelson, “Shapeshift, A Solo Exhibition,” Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Colorado

“My goal is to continuously analyze this connectivity in an attempt to convey the possibilities that lie within the nurturing of a human’s relationship with his or her surroundings.” ~Christopher Owen Nelson, A Constantly Evolving Shape

Click here to download this issue of (or subscribe to) Artists on Art magazine.

Or read the Editor’s Letter and preview the table of contents here.

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