As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
Both Lani Irwin and Alan Feltus paint stunning figurative paintings that compel the viewer to stop and contemplate. They are quiet paintings that are both formally impeccable and psychologically intriguing. Feltus’ figures are ambiguously gendered and strangely simultaneously aware and unaware of each other. Irwin’s female figures are powerful magicians that confront the viewer head on.
This exhibition presents the works of these two artists – who are married to each other – together in the same space, allowing the viewer to consider their paintings in conversation.
“Lani Irwin & Alan Feltus: Selected Works”
Bannister Gallery
Rhode Island College
Providence, Rhode Island
ric.edu
April 3-25, 2025
Alan Feltus, born in 1943 in Washington, D.C., has been represented by Forum Gallery in New York City since 1976. Lani Irwin, born in 1947 in Annapolis, MD, has exhibited widely in both the US and in Italy. Both artists’ work can be found in many public collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. They have lived and worked near Assisi, Italy, since 1987 and have two sons.
A rediscovered masterpiece in watercolour, “A Reception in the Harem” by John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876), unseen in public for over 60 years, was the top lot at Bonhams 19th Century & Orientalist Paintings sale March 26 at Bonhams New Bond Street, London. The work, which had been in the same private collection since 1961, sold for £1,137,400.
The 69-lot sale made a total of £2,693,754.
More from Bonhams:
Charles O’Brien, Head of 19th Century Paintings at Bonhams, commented: “An extraordinary watercolour by John Frederick Lewis, ‘A Reception in the Harem’, was an exciting discovery, having not been exhibited publicly for over 60 years. Rich in the intricate detail and the jewel-like colours that made Lewis’ reputation, it is no wonder this work caught the eye of collectors eager to acquire a work by one of the greatest British Orientalist painters.”
John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876) was one of England’s most prominent 19th-century painters. He excelled in both oil and watercolour, was elected President of London’s Old Watercolour Society in 1855 and was made an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1859 and a full member in 1865. Lewis’s ten-year period of residency in Egypt in the 1840s led to the widespread belief that his incredibly popular scenes of the Middle East and North Africa, which he produced after 1850, were the work of a cultural insider.
By mixing watercolour pigments with Chinese white he discovered they could rival the look of oils. By the early 1860s, Lewis began to systematically produce two nearly identical versions of a work, one in oil, destined for exhibition at the Royal Academy, and one more elaborate version in watercolour for collectors.
“A Reception in the Harem” is a larger version of the celebrated oil painting by Lewis at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Connecticut.
Other highlights of the sale included:
For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.
Attention Art Collectors!
May 20-22, 2025: Visit the Plein Air Convention & Expo’s robust pop-up art gallery at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada, where hundreds of artists, including our master faculty, will have studio and plein air works on display and ready to purchase. Register for the full event at PleinAirConvention.com now.
The Briscoe Western Art Museum proudly presents the 2025 Night of Artists Exhibition and Sale, a premier celebration of the American West and one of the nation’s leading Western art events. Taking place March 28-29, 2025, this year’s event showcases over 270 exceptional works by more than 85 of today’s top contemporary Western artists, drawing collectors, enthusiasts, and artists from across the country.
The two-day celebration includes exclusive collector experiences, artist demonstrations, a live auction and the highly anticipated Luck of the Draw sale. A public exhibition of the works follows, running March 30 – May 11.
“Night of Artists is always our most anticipated event of the year. But the overwhelming interest in this year’s event is a testament to the deep love of the American West – and the appreciation of the fantastic art that highlights the stories and traditions of our Western heritage and culture,” said Liz Jackson, President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone and showcase the body of work presented by this year’s artists. The exhibition is stunning, and we have no doubt that art enthusiasts will find works that compliment, or even kick off, their collections.”
New This Year: The Small Works Sale
For the first time, the Briscoe is featuring a Small Works Sale, offering collectors and art enthusiasts the chance to acquire smaller-scale pieces from renowned contemporary Western artists. These intimate, high-quality works will be available during the evening celebration on Friday, March 28, and buyers will be able to take their purchases home immediately. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just beginning your journey, this sale provides a rare opportunity to own an original piece of Western art in an accessible format.
Featured Artists
The 2025 Night of Artists welcomes an extraordinary lineup of returning favorites and exciting new voices in Western art. New artists include Thomas Blackshear II, Sean Michael Chavez, Scott Christensen, Quang Ho, Josh Elliott, Dean Mitchell, T. Allen Lawson, Sally Maxwell, Kyle Ma, Matt Smith, Daniel Sprick, Dustin Payne, and Vic Payne.
Artists returning to the celebrated exhibition and sale include Martin Grelle, John Coleman, Greg Beecham, Eric Bowman, G. Russell Case, Bonnie Marris, Teresa Elliott, William Haskell, Jeremy Lipking, Ed Natiya, Don Oelze, Howard Post, Grant Redden, Gladys Roldán-de-Moras, Billy Schenck, Jim Vogel, Morgan Weistling, and Jeremy Winborg.
“The incredible talent at Night of Artists is what makes this event one of the most anticipated in the Western art world,” said Jackson. “This year’s lineup showcases the breadth and vibrancy of Western art today. We’re honored to host such remarkable artists and share their work with our community.”
Exhibition on Display through May 11
Following the opening weekend, the Night of Artists public exhibition and sale will remain on view through May 11, allowing visitors to experience and appreciate the breathtaking collection of contemporary Western art. This extended exhibition offers an opportunity for those unable to attend the sale events to see the remarkable talent shaping today’s Western art scene and purchase any remaining works. The exhibition is included in museum admission. Works not sold during opening weekend will be available for purchase both in-person and online. For tickets, absentee bidding and art sale information, visit briscoemuseum.org/noa or call 210.299.4499.
Attention Art Collectors!
May 20-22, 2025: Visit the Plein Air Convention & Expo’s robust pop-up art gallery at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada, where hundreds of artists, including our master faculty, will have studio and plein air works on display and ready to purchase. Register for the full event at PleinAirConvention.com now.
Browse more western art here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
There is a lot of superb contemporary realism being made these days; this article by Brandon Rosas shines light on a Ukrainian artist.
In a world obsessed with the next big thing, Ukrainian artist Polina Barskaya (b. 1984) dares to reclaim the dignity of the ordinary. Her intimate, diaristic explorations of family life examine and elevate the small moments that make up our everyday lives, challenging the Instagram-centric notions of presentability that prevail in modern society.
Born in Cherkassy, Ukraine, Barskaya has spent most of her life in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood. From an early age, visiting museums was a regular part of Barskaya’s life, as was calling herself an artist. She made her calling official as an adult by earning a B.A. in art from Hunter College and then an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute’s School of Design.
Barskaya based her early paintings on photographs taken by family members but soon began taking her own photos for greater control of the creative process. “I have always felt most honest when working on something that I know well,” says Barskaya of her autobiographical subject matter. “I like being able to work on something so intimate and personal, but at the same time, these are images that people can really recognize and see themselves in.”
Indeed, it is Barskaya’s unvarnished honesty that makes her paintings so relatable. In “Morning in Florence,” Barskaya’s husband gazes up from the end of a messy hotel bed, his chin resting on a hand that holds what appears to be a television remote. He wears patterned socks and an inquisitive expression, suggesting that he is waiting for the day’s plans to either commence or be canceled for the warmth of the covers. Who has not been in a similar situation of waiting for a family member — uncomfortably, unceremoniously, yet not impatiently?
Works such as this follow in the lineage of Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, leaders of the early 20th-century Intimist movement that lent its name to Barskaya’s most recent solo show. Like these masters, Barskaya brings unassuming scenes to life with elaborate detail and carefully selected colors, but she also layers in a psychological tension that feels very much of our time.
Barskaya’s works do not overwhelm with drama or spectacle but instead invite us to slow down and spend time with them, as one might with a cherished family member.
Follow Polina Barskaya’s works on Instagram here.
Attention Art Collectors!
May 20-22, 2025: Visit the Plein Air Convention & Expo’s robust pop-up art gallery at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada, where hundreds of artists, including our master faculty, will have studio and plein air works on display and ready to purchase. Register for the full event at PleinAirConvention.com now.
Fine Art Paintings for Sale > LeQuire Gallery is set to host an exhibition of recent works by two of America’s leading artists, teachers, and authors — Juliette Aristides of Seattle and Lori Putnam of Charlotte, Tennessee. Their paintings of landscapes, built environments, and interiors reflect distinct approaches — Putnam inclines toward impressionism and Aristides toward realism — though each has a unique artistic voice that eludes classification.
At a Glance:
INSIDE/OUT: NEW WORK FROM JULIETTE ARISTIDES & LORI PUTNAM
LeQuire Gallery
Nashville, Tennessee
lequiregallery.com
March 25–May 31, 2025
“Typically,” explains LeQuire Gallery director Elizabeth Cave, “I wouldn’t pair different genres within the same exhibition, but the subject matter, in particular Aristides’s interiors and Putnam’s exteriors, represents what I consider to be signature themes for each artist. Combining them was an intriguing thought.” (Aristides is also exhibiting a series of 9 x 12 inch drawings inspired by the great Victorian draftsman and critic John Ruskin.)
Putnam notes, “Since I was a little girl, I have pondered the lives of the families and individuals who live in the houses I pass by, imagining their stories, what games they played, their conversations, and their struggles, if any. Each window holds a glimpse of a life I’ll never know. Their existence feeds my curiosity about human experiences and how their day-to-day life is the center of their universe, as mine is to me. There is something beautifully mysterious about the idea that so many lives are unfolding in those walls, all of which remain a world apart from me.” Putnam has published “So Far,” a book of her paintings with stories and sketches, including contributions from the distinguished artists Scott L. Christensen, Quang Ho, Kevin Macpherson, and Dawn Whitelaw, as well as the scholar Jean Stern.
In her 2016 book, “Lessons in Classical Painting,” Aristides observed, “We have all experienced moments of eye-catching beauty, when even the least artistic among us are flooded with a sense of visual wonder. Yet, such moments are rare. The necessity of day-to-day living means that our sight is mainly used for negotiating life, rather than meditating on its beauty.” Aristides explores beauty further in her brand-new book, “The Inner Life of the Artist: Conversations from the Atelier.” In it, she argues that by engaging the senses and diving into direct experiences, artistic practice nurtures our humanity, offering a counterbalance to the flattening effects of digital technology.
Both artists’ publications will be available for purchase during the exhibition’s run at LeQuire. Check the gallery’s website for updates on book signings and panel discussions.
Attention Art Collectors!
May 20-22, 2025: Visit the Plein Air Convention & Expo’s robust pop-up art gallery at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada, where hundreds of artists, including our master faculty, will have studio and plein air works on display and ready to purchase. Register for the full event at PleinAirConvention.com now.
View more fine art gallery exhibitions here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
There is a lot of superb contemporary realism and figurative art being made these days; this article by Allison Malafronte shines light on a gifted individual.
Few artists have the gumption to explore such weighty topics as death, destitution, and decay, but these are concepts about which Georgia-based painter Miles Cleveland Goodwin (b. 1980) has much to say. With a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from Portland’s Pacific Northwest College of Art, and many years of additional self-education and practice, Goodwin paints in a contemporary realist manner sometimes compared to Southern Gothic, the literary genre focused on the shadowy, scarred side of Southern culture and history. He brings a heightened level of awareness and philosophical pondering to subjects some artists are afraid to touch.
Born and raised in the South, Goodwin can also put pen to paper to create another kind of artistry; we can detect a preoccupation with darkness and death even in his poetic descriptions of his upbringing. “My painting was born in the cypress swamps of Mississippi, where I was conceived, under a white heron’s wing and a drunken parade,” his artist’s statement declares.
“The stories of slaves and farming, the seasons burning with colors and feelings, that resignation to the idea we were different. I found it later on the bottom of the Chattahoochee River, floating by a bible and a dream. Those brown waters against the warmth of fall leaves would ignite my love for expressionism and poetry.”
He continues, “The American South is hauntingly beautiful; it could supply a person novels, paintings, and songs for eternity. In winter the mountains were on fire with white. White against dark wiry cedars, against the black of my paint. And in the summer endless patches of Queen Anne’s lace, chimney swifts flying just below the old train bridges, the shimmer of brown trout at the surface of the cold river waters. In fall the maples melted between the old brick and wood of abandoned churches. I could start to hear mice in the walls, horses in their stalls fattening up, a whisper of death.”
One of Goodwin’s paintings is the eerily compelling “Beautiful Dying Man” (shown above). Many of his works explore old age and isolation, and here an elderly man figures prominently, this time — we gather from the title — on the brink of death. In Goodwin’s depictions, passing on is a struggle and strain, one that strips us of dignity and humanity.
The man here is naked, and his posture suggests resignation and dejection. To his left is a dog, likely a longtime companion, who seems to be sleeping or dead, and there is a shadowy man lurking in the mirror; one would assume the spirit of death. Why then does Goodwin call him a beautiful dying man if no indication of hope is entertained? As in many of his creations, there is thought-provoking irony in the dichotomy and parallels he sets up and asks us to consider.
Connect with the artist and see more of his figurative art at www.milesclevelandgoodwin.com.
Attention Art Collectors: View more artist and collector profiles and figurative art here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
Happening Now: Acrylic Live Online Art Conference
For artists, art lovers, and collectors: Watch and interact with world-renowned artists as they demonstrate their skills at the inaugural Acrylic Live online art conference, March 26-28, 2025, with an Essential Techniques Day on March 25.
Watch and interact with acrylic teachers such as Anne Blair Brown, Aimee Erickson, Jed Dorsey, Kevin Macpherson, and many more, hosted by Publisher Eric Rhoads, PleinAir Magazine Editor-in-Chief Kelly Kane, and Charlie Easton!
This is an experience this amazing event from the place where you are at your most comfortable and creative such as your own home or studio — no need to spend on travel, hotels. Each ticket tier includes several replay options so you can watch the demos again and again!
Artists, you’ll be able to ask questions, paint along, and quickly learn methods and techniques that took these painters decades to master — all thanks to their exceptional teaching skills.
PAINT ALONG & COCKTAIL HOURS!
Join Eric Rhoads, Charlie Easton, Faculty Members, & the other attendees each night for an intimate virtual paint along & cocktail hour… right over Zoom!
Learn more about Acrylic Live here and register today.
View fine art auctions and sales here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
