Paintings of the Disappearing Fishing Industry on the East Coast

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June 4, 2018

Fine art oil paintings, Kirk McBride - FineArtConnoisseur.com — “Steam Shrimp,” 2016, oil, 16 x 20 in., Studio, Collection of the artist. “The evening light lit up the steam from the paper mill next to the shrimp boat docks at Fernandina, Florida,” McBride says.

“What Remains” is a new PleinAir Magazine story about Kirk McBride’s paintings (kirkmcbride.com) of the disappearing fishing industry on the East Coast: old boats, crusty harbors, and the watermen still working the waters.

“In my lifetime,” says McBride, “there have been major changes in the fishing industry along the East Coast. Diminished fish populations and government regulations have made it hard to earn a living, driving the waterman to become an endangered species. Many of the rustic buildings, working docks, and classic wooden fishing boats are gone, replaced by waterfront condos, modern marinas, and shiny new recreational vessels.”

The following are two more of McBride’s paintings that keep alive the disappearing fishing industry.

Read the full feature article on Kirk McBride’s art in PleinAir Magazine June/July 2018.

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A Visual and Social Showcase: 300 Paintings and Sculptures

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Fine Art Today

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June 4, 2018

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Western art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Logan Maxwell Hagege, “Winds Will Come and Go,” oil, 38 x 43 in.

Fine art exhibition news: Prix de West® Art Show and Sale set at National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, OK) has announced its 46th “Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition & Sale,” June 8–9, 2018. The annual exhibition offers more than 300 paintings and sculptures by contemporary Western artists.

Prix de West features works ranging from historical subject matter that reflects the early days of the West, to more contemporary and impressionistic artistic expressions. Landscapes, wildlife art, and illustrative scenes are showcased. Works remain on display and available for purchase through August 5, 2018.

New this year, Prix de West welcomes renowned artist Robert Griffing. Guest artists include Joel Johnson and Benjamin Wu.

“Our 46th annual Prix de West exhibition and sale is both a visual and social showcase of how the Museum celebrates the American West through incredible art,” said Museum president and CEO Natalie Shirley. “It is our honor to host famed principal artists along with their paintings and sculptures of the highest quality found in today’s studios, galleries, and museums.”

Prix de West opening weekend events include seminars, artist demonstrations, a live auction, master art classes, receptions, awards, an art sale, and a trunk show at the Museum Store. Reservations are required for most Prix de West opening weekend events; to make reservations, see a full schedule, or arrange a bid by proxy, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/prixdewest.

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Keepers of the Flame

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Fine Art Today

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June 4, 2018

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Maxfield Parrish art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966), “The Lantern Bearers,” 1908, oil on canvas, 40 x 32 in., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.71. Photography by Dwight Primiano

This summer, the Norman Rockwell Museum presents the first comprehensive exhibition to look at the work of master illustrators Maxfield Parrish, N. C. Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell in relation to the history of Western art. With more than 60 works by 25 American and European painters, along with more than 300 digital representations of some 50 other artists, “Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell, and the Narrative Tradition” reveals the lineage connecting American illustration to some 500 years of European painting through the long line of teachers who have passed along their wisdom, knowledge, and techniques to generations of creators.

Norman Rockwell art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Norman Rockwell (1894–1978), “Girl at Mirror,” 1954, oil on canvas, 31.5 x 29.5 in., Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1954, Norman Rockwell Museum Collection. ©SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, Indiana

Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, the exhibition is curated by Dennis Nolan, an award-winning artist and professor of illustration at Hartford Art School, University of Hartford.

Nolan states, “Telling stories in pictures — whether the vehicle is an altarpiece, a ceiling fresco, a canvas, or an illustrated book — transcends the limits of written and spoken language and is the most powerful way to express and comment on our shared experiences and multifaceted lives. The artists represented in this exhibition told their stories with clarity and an expertise that had been nurtured and maintained through the centuries by the artist/teachers, the keepers of the flame.”

NC Wyeth art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — N. C. Wyeth (1882–1945), “In the Crystal Depths,” 1906, oil on canvas, 38 x 26 in., Illustration for N. C. Wyeth, “The Indian in His Solitude,” The Outing Magazine, vol. L, no. 3, June 1907. Brandywine River Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 1981.

Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt adds, “Every artist-teacher passes on to their pupils a certain way of seeing and drawing the world, creating a distinctive lineage. This groundbreaking exhibition traces the traditions of European painting that crossed the ocean to tutor America’s most famous illustrators, linking centuries past with the present while unveiling the alchemy of artists and their teachers. Together, the works in ‘Keepers of the Flame’ provide a unique and important view of a particular line of picture-making, demonstrating the importance of the connections of American illustrators to the Western tradition.”

Dennis Nolan art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Dennis Nolan, “Narrative Painting: The 14th Century to the 20th Century,” 2018, colored pencil and watercolor on paper, 15 x 24 in., Illustration for the Norman Rockwell Museum exhibition “Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and the Narrative Tradition.” Collection of the artist.

Jean Leon Gerome art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824–1904), “Michelangelo Being Shown the Belvedere Torso,” 1849, oil on canvas, 20.25 x 14.75 in., Dahesh Museum of Art, New York. 1999.8

Marc Charles Gleyre art - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Marc Charles Gleyre (Swiss/French, 1806–1874), “The Bath,” 1868, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 25 in., Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2069.

“Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell, and the Narrative Tradition” is on view June 9 through October 28, 2018. For more information, please visit www.nrm.org.

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Iconic Western Images from a Legend and a Contemporary

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Fine Art Today

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June 3, 2018

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Western art - Andy Warhol paintings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Andy Warhol, “Geronimo” (from the Cowboys and Indians portfolio), 1986, screenprint, Courtesy of Jack and Valerie Guenther. © 2017 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

The Briscoe Western Art Museum presents “Andy Warhol: Cowboys and Indians,” featuring works by the legendary artist that portray iconic Western images, and a companion exhibition, “Billy Schenck: Myth of the West,” by the contemporary artist who founded the Western Pop movement.

Andy Warhol was the undisputed leader of American Pop Art — a movement characterized by the use of household items, advertising images, and commercial printing techniques. Warhol’s 1986 “Cowboys and Indians” series pays tribute to the archetypal symbols of a popular and romanticized version of the American West.

Warhol had the tremendous gift of understanding the myths of the baby boomer generation. His ability to identify images that expressed the essence of the boomers can be seen in his early work in the 1960s, including “Soup Cans” and the “Elvis Presley” series. The “Cowboys and Indians” series, Warhol’s last major project before he passed in 1987, pays tribute to the archetypal symbols of a popular, romanticized version of the American West. Distilling an ocean of imagery down to ten prints, Warhol challenged the meaning of playing “Cowboys and Indians” in American media culture.

Western art - Billy Schenck - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Billy Schenck, “Singing Cowboys Hero Sunset,” oil, c. 1985

A founder of the Western Pop movement, Billy Schenck combined influences from his many artist-heroes in the Pop movement — including Roy Lichtenstein — in his exploration of every aspect of the West’s potent iconography. In his early work, Schenck found inspiration and image sources in Western paintings and movie stills, but being a genuine cowboy himself, he increasingly turned to his personal photographs for material. With his signature reductivist style, Schenck transformed traditional Western images from a realist’s replica of detail into flat, sharply defined, simplified areas of color and stylized patterns.

Both exhibitions are on display at the Briscoe Western Art Museum through September 3, 2018. For more information, please visit BriscoeMuseum.org.

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Figurative Artist Spotlight: Sadie Valeri

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Fine Art Today

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June 2, 2018

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Sadie Valeri paintings - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Sadie Valeri, “Art Nouveau Embrace,” oil on panel, 20 x 26.5 in. Show: Art Renewal Center 2018-19 Salon Exhibition: Salmagundi Club, NY, Sotheby's, LA, and MEAM, Barcelona. Available. Inquiries contact: Art Renewal Center, Kara Ross, [email protected]

Sadie Valeri is well known for her evocative still lifes featuring crumpled wax paper painted in the tradition of the Dutch Golden Age. With her most recent work, Valeri is exploring the human figure as depicted through a classical tradition but with a contemporary eye.

Merging the painting methods she has mastered through alla prima, direct, and indirect painting techniques, Valeri’s newest work is larger and is painted with broad and fluid strokes, while building on her classical training.

She uses the subject of wax paper to both shroud and illuminate the beauty of the human form, provoking inquiry into the historical and contemporary motivations for depicting the female body. Valeri lives and teaches in San Francisco, where she directs Sadie Valeri Atelier, an art school for adult students of classical and contemporary realism.

Sadie Valeri Paintings:

This coming November, artists will have the opportunity to learn from Valeri at the 2nd Annual Figurative Art Convention & Expo in Miami, Florida. Learn about the workshops and scholarships, and enter to win a free ticket at figurativeartconvention.com.

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Fool Me Once

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Fine Art Today

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June 1, 2018

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tromp l'oeil paintings - Marina Dieul - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Marina Dieul, "Conciliabule," oil on panel, 8 x 8 in., Sold

This month Robert Lange Studios (RLS) in Charleston, SC, celebrates 20 artists from around the globe and their desire to fool the viewer using the age-old technique of creating trompe l’oeil paintings. Each artist has created multiple works exemplifying their specific style, genre, and subject matter.

Gallery owner and artist Robert Lange says of this new body of work, “Years ago I remember hearing a story about one artist painting a fly on top of another artist’s painting to see if he could fool him. Ever since then I’ve had a fascination with how trompe l’oeil forces the viewer to smile and question what their own eyes are seeing.”

tromp l'oeil paintings - Patrick Kramer - FineArtConnoisseur.com — Patrick Kramer, “Unveiled,” oil on panel, 11 x 14 in., $3,000 (framed) is one of many tromp l’oeil paintings on display at “Fool Me Once”

From the gallery:

One such trompe l’oeil artist that has been invited to the show is Patrick Kramer, who recently began to extensively incorporate elements of trompe l’oeil into many of his hyperrealist works. Each subject is very personal for the artist in both selection and execution. He says, “Being a perfectionist, I have always been considering art as an outlet for my slightly obsessive personality. I studied painting in college, and experimented with hyperrealism as a way of perfecting my craft. I never intended to pursue the style, but found it hard to give up, as it suited my nature.”

Artists like George Ayers, who created a perfect to life replica of bananas hanging in a framed box, was inspired by the show’s concept to create something unique. He said, “Although I’ve only recently begun to dabble with trompe l’oeil, I’m already planning more work for the future. For me, it is a great excuse to inject a bit of humor in a composition that I may not have otherwise.”

tromp l'oeil paintings - George Ayers artist - FineArtConnoisseur.com — George Ayers, “Egg Drop,” oil on panel, 11 x 14 in., $2,500 (framed)

The “Fool Me Once” tromp l’oeil paintings are on view through June 22, 2018. For more information, please visit robertlangestudios.com.

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Featured Artwork: Patrick Lee presented by South Street Art Gallery

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Fine Art Today

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May 31, 2018

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Beach Day
24 x 24 in., oil on linen
$2900

Artist Patrick Lee often will start a painting with only a loose idea or a simple subject and lets the painting come to life using its own momentum.

“Patrick creates evocative light-filled oil paintings of landscapes and interiors that demonstrate an intense subject focus. He is equally adept with acrylic, which he employs to produce quick expressive figure studies from live models,” says South Street Art Gallery owner Alan Brock.

A painting may begin as a sketch of something from life or from memory. As the image begins to take form, the shapes or colors on the canvas inspire Patrick to incorporate elements of memory, imagination, and connected ideas. The thoughts and feelings that arise from these elements and the creative process itself set the tone for the piece and are conveyed to the viewer in the final artwork.

He draws heavily on intuition and imagination to develop an image, often altering the drawing, color, and spatial relationships to create a mood and express a feeling about the subject. This often leads to strong elements of abstraction and suggestion in his work, rather than explicit detail. This gives the viewer an opportunity to connect with each piece in their own way, inviting them to let their own imaginations make personal associations and connections.

“I like to present the viewer with an image beyond an everyday, documentary rendering of a subject by incorporating an evocative, dream-like mood into each piece, whether done in the studio or en plein air,” explains Patrick.

Patrick has exhibited work at The Butler Institute of American Art, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. An internationally collected artist, he has been involved in numerous group and solo exhibitions.

To view Patrick’s recent work, visit South Street Art Gallery, and follow Patrick on Facebook and Instagram.

Featured Artwork: Carrie Ballantyne presented by The Brinton Museum

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Fine Art Today

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May 31, 2018

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Wyoming Blue Eyes by Carrie Ballantyne

Wyoming artist Carrie Ballantyne will be featured in a retrospective exhibition of her portrait art at The Brinton Museum in Big Horn, WY, opening June 3, 2018. Carrie Ballantyne Comes Home includes works in oil, colored pencil and graphite, conté and charcoal, from the 1980s to the present and represents the first time Ballantyne will be featured in a retrospective show of her work in her own ‘backyard’. Having exhibited at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (Cody, WY), Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa, OK), Booth Western Art Museum (Cartersville, GA), National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, OK), Autry Museum of the American West (Los Angeles, CA) and the George Phippen Memorial Show (Prescott, AZ), The Brinton Museum’s exhibit represents a coming home for this artist whose family and friends are part of the local community, many of whom she has lovingly portrayed in drawings and paintings.

Known for her representational art, from within our ranching culture, images of male and female, young and old, Ballantyne’s exquisite portraits are more than just a documentation of life in the West, her art tells a story about the individual lives of the people who live in the American West. Carrie grew up in California and developed a passion for art at a young age. She was destined to take her keen interest in the outdoors and a love for the lifestyle of the people who work with horses and cattle, and bring the two together in art. The result has been a long and passionate art career that continues to excite and humble her; an artistic love affair with the portrait by an artist who truly captures the essence of the subjects she paints, and draws. Ballantyne says, “I feel very fortunate to be able to pursue my artistic passion, in places, and with people who mean so much to me.”

Carrie Ballantyne Comes Home comprises nearly 30 retrospective pieces on loan from the Gilcrease Museum, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Booth Western Art Museum and private collectors from across the country. A selection of new work recently completed will also be included in this show. The artist is represented in numerous public and private collections and is a recipient of the prestigious 2017 Academy of Western Artists – Artist of the Year award, as well as an award winner of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, now the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, in Cody. Ballantyne has been featured in multiple publications and magazines throughout her career.

A full-color, illustrated exhibit catalog of works of art on display in Carrie Ballantyne Comes Home will include an essay on the artist.

Carrie Ballantyne Comes Home runs June 3 through July 15, 2018.

Featured Artwork: Monique Carr

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sarahw

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May 31, 2018

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Sailing at Sundown
20 x 20 in., oil on canvas
$1400
Sailing at Sundown can be seen at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, 5 Broad St, Charleston, South Carolina.

“My mission as an artist is to make people smile. My intent is to transform a common scene into something new and stunning, sometime with a sense of humor, that will leave the viewer with feelings of surprise and joy.”

Monique Carr is a contemporary, impressionist artist. She paints en plein air and in studio. After growing up in Montreal, Canada, and spending 10 years in the Cayman Islands, Monique and her husband made East Tennessee home in 1999.

Prior to becoming a full-time fine artist in 2009, Monique worked as a graphic artist for 25 years. Since the beginning of her new career, she has been studying under many well known artists, which has influenced her development and success. The style that emerges in Monique’s work is out of the ordinary. It bursts with energy with its vibrant colors, constant movement and intriguing texture. She likes to experiment, try different medium, substrates and embraces the new discoveries. Also, you will find that each of her painting holds a small exclamation mark—it’s her trademark!—the playfulness of finding this solitary mark invites audiences to slow down and re enter that space as they have to find this well hidden exclamation mark (kind of finding Waldo!).

View more of Monique’s work on her website.

Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch Monique’s painting process.

Read a recent publication interview.

Gallery Representation:
Alta Vista Gallery, Valle Crucis, NC
Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, Charleston, SC
York and Friends Fine Art, Nashville, TN

Featured Artwork: Hai-Ou Hou presented by the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art

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Fine Art Today

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May 31, 2018

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Overlook by Hai-Ou Hou

The 10th annual Celebration of Art at Grand Canyon National Park will take place September 8-15, 2018. Sponsored by the Grand Canyon Association, visitors to the park that week will have the opportunity to watch the 24 artists create artwork along the South Rim as they interpret the ever-shifting light and shadow, amazing landforms, and vibrant colors of this vast landscape. On Saturday September 15 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., the artists will be participating in a Quick Draw along the South Rim from Verkamp’s to Kolb Studio, with an auction of their work at 11:00 a.m. at the Bright Angel Trailhead

One of the artists the GCA welcomes back this year is Hai-Ou Hou, who also participated in 2014 and 2015. Hai-Ou was born in Beijing where she received her B.F.A from Central Institute of Fine Art and Design. She earned her M.F.A. from Towson State University. She taught painting and design at the Hubei Fine Art Institute in Wu Han, China. She is currently owner and director of the Chesapeake Fine Art Studio.

Hai-Ou is a Signature Member in both American Impressionist Society and the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters’ Association. She is also a member of the Portrait Society of America and the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. Her work is widely represented in commercial galleries and is included in many public and private collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has received numerous awards and honors through participation in art events and exhibitions.

There is no question that the most inspirational landscape for Hai-Ou is the American West—especially the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and the Sedona Red Canyons. She has devoted a great deal of time and travel to these magnetic terrains, which are the perfect subjects for the approach she takes towards art and expression.

Of her studio painting, Overlook, Hai-Ou says:
“This overlook is my favorite spot in the canyon. I come to it every time I visit the canyon and paint it at different times and different light conditions throughout the day. I have made many studies of this place and I painted the studio piece based on six or eight of them. But I found it difficult to do because I struggled with keeping it from becoming too detailed, keeping the focus on shape and light and the freshness of the studies. I am happy with the results.”

The Celebration of Art exhibit and sale opens at 11:00 a.m. on September 16, 2018, and will be open daily through January 21, 2019, at the historic Kolb Studio at the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Admission is free and open to the public.

Please visit grandcanyon.org or contact Kathy Duley at [email protected]
or 480.277.0458 for more information.

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