New York is Cook-ing

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May 4, 2017

EScreen Shot 2017-05-02 at 2.20.57 PM — Janet Cook, “Liz and the Thread of Flight,” pastel, 40 x 43 inches

A renowned figurative artist featured in many collections and publications, including Fine Art Connoisseur, has a May solo exhibition in New York City that’s worth a gander.

On view from May 4 through May 20, “Where When Lingers” is a captivating display of figurative beauty from the mind of accomplished artist Janet Cook. Hosted by Dacia Gallery in New York City, Cook will be presenting many familiar and new works.

Janet Cook, “Wilderness,” oil on aluminum panel, 48 x 24 inches

Janet Cook, “Tiger, Tiger, Burned so Bright,” oil on panel, 24 x 20 inches

Lovers of figurative art are likely familiar with Cook’s art because the artist shares in their fascination. “It’s timeless, beautiful, and powerful,” Cook says of the human body. “Other inspiration comes from a variety of sources ranging from the Old Masters to modern advertising, graffiti and body art. My goal is to combine these elements, along with my imagination, into a cohesive, strong statement that intrigues and engages the viewer.”

Janet Cook, “Phoenix II,” oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

There can be little doubt that Cook has achieved these goals in “Where When Lingers.” Among the highlights of the show are works such as “Liz and the Thread of Flight,” “Tiger, Tiger, Burned so Bright,” “Wilderness,” and many more. In total, the solo show will display 19 of Cook’s pictures.

To learn more, visit Dacia Gallery.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Lulu in New York

By

Andrew Webster

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May 4, 2017

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DScreen Shot 2017-05-02 at 1.44.16 PM — Max Ferguson, “Lulu in New York,” 2014, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

The compelling works of painter Max Ferguson feature in an upcoming publication by author Robert Power that could look very nice on your coffee table. Details here!

We don’t typically publish articles about publications, but when it features the stunning works of Max Ferguson, our ears perk up. Titled Lulu in New York and Other Tales, the newest text by author Robert Power is a beautifully crafted volume of 60 individual stories inspired by Ferguson’s paintings.

Max Ferguson, “Doll Hospital,” 2005, oil on panel, 30 x 20 inches

Max Ferguson, “Strand Book Store,” 2010, oil on panel, 16 x 22 inches

Via Unicorn Press, “Often featuring solitary figures, the brooding atmospheres and urban landscapes of Max Ferguson’s paintings have a narrative and cinematic quality that hints at hidden stories, secrets, and conversations waiting to happen. Robert Power’s critically acclaimed fiction of longing and resolution, alienation and loving, provides the perfect vehicle to breathe life into these luscious paintings.

Max Ferguson, “Couple in Hallway,” 2009, oil on panel, 12 x 9 inches

Max Ferguson, “Chess Players,” 1991, oil on panel, 30 x 19 inches

“Lulu in New York and Other Tales is an exquisite and beautifully crafted volume of sixty stories from Power, inspired by Ferguson’s paintings. Some of the pictures, like ‘Chess Players’ and ‘Interiors’ lent themselves to whimsical or heart-rending conversations. Others, such as ‘Women in Bath,’ ‘Subway,’ and ‘Billy’s Topless’ have violence and menace simmering at their core. And then there are paintings that tell tales of reflection and of love both lost and found. An aged ‘Mr. Gordon’ looking over the East River. The couple in ‘Bobby Short’ recalling their first meeting. And another ‘Couple in Hallway’ stumbling over their words, saddened by infidelity.”

Max Ferguson, “Atlantic City,” 1998, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

Unicorn Press is set to release the book on May 24 at Strand Bookstore in New York City. Both artist and author will be on hand, live readings will take place, and models in costume will entertain the crowd.

Max Ferguson, “Billy’s Topless,” 1991, oil on panel, 20 x 30 inches

Max Ferguson’s next solo exhibition opens today, May 4, at New York City’s Bernarducci Meisel Gallery and will continue through May 27.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Portrait of the Week: Two for One?

By

Andrew Webster

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May 4, 2017

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CScreen Shot 2017-05-02 at 12.51.06 PM — Thomas Ehretsmann, “Double Portrait,” 2016, acrylic on board, 30 x 40 cm. © Thomas Ehretsmann 2017

In this ongoing series, Fine Art Today delves into the world of portraiture, highlighting historical and contemporary examples of superb quality and skill. This week we feature a “Double Portrait” that is fragile and timeless.

Born in Mulhouse, France, Thomas Ehretsmann (b.1974) is an artist known for his tightly rendered, exquisitely executed portraits, two of which have been featured in the prestigious BP Portrait Awards in London. His work has also been displayed in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and Elle magazines and is included in many private collections.

This week’s feature portrait, titled “Double Portrait,” was recently honored by the 2017 BP Portrait Awards. The painting is a breathtaking and intimate portrayal of the artist’s wife, Caroline, as the two walked through a park. Ehretsmann has suggested that he was struck by the way the light illuminated her face, which reminded him of the naturalist painters Jules Bastien-Lepage and Emile Friant.

The portrait shows Caroline in strict profile, facing toward the viewer’s right. The portrait is cropped just below her shoulder and above her head, heightening the closeness and intimacy of the picture. She wears a black high-collared coat and black gloves, and Caroline’s face is a flash of brilliant light in an otherwise dark composition. The dark green and blue landscape behind her as well as her dark-brown hair also accentuate this perception of the piece. Each detail of Caroline’s face has been captured with a focus and knowledge that only a husband (and extremely talented painter) could attain.

Via the BP Portrait Awards webpage, “The artist used multiple layers of semi-transparent acrylic paint in order to mix a fragile instant with something more timeless, a technique often used in his art. The title, ‘Double Portrait,’ suggests the passage from one state of being to another as Caroline was eight months pregnant at the time.”

To learn more, visit the BP Portrait Awards.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Featured Lot: Find Yourself In the Garden

By

Andrew Webster

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May 4, 2017

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B52234225_4_x — Daniel Ridgway Knight, “In the Garden,” n.d., oil on canvas, 32 x 26 in., Private Collection

In this ongoing series for Fine Art Today, we take a longer look at the history and features of a soon-to-be-available artwork of note. This week we feature a 19th-century academic masterpiece.

A Pennsylvania native, artist Daniel Ridgway Knight (1839-1924) would spend much of his life abroad in Paris, where his paintings of peasant women amidst the countryside earned him great success. In addition to his pastoral subjects, Knight was a supremely skilled and acute observer of the natural world. Knight was also known for his talent for rendering the human form, which was comparable to that of his 19th-century contemporary William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Early in his career, Knight was fortunate to have studied under Gleyre at the École des Beaux-Arts, and he later worked in the private studio of Meissonier. Knight was honored several times throughout his life, including a silver medal and the Cross of the Legion of Honor in 1889. He was also made a Knight of the Royal Order of St. Michael of Bavaria in 1893. The Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, also awarded the artist a gold medal of honor in 1893.

Knight’s works are heavily collected, and the market frequently demands more than $100,000 for his works. Samuel’s Online Auction expects similar numbers when Knight’s “In the Garden” heads to the block on May 6, 2017. This work displays Knight’s proficiency as a figure painter, colorist, and landscape artist. Standing at center is one of Knight’s canonical peasant girls. Her left arm rests on her hip, and she holds a water jug in the right. Immediately surrounding the figure is a lush arrangement of colorful flowers, rendered with acute observation and precision. The atmospheric landscape beyond this foreground is stunning as well.

In 2001, “In the Garden” was sold through Vose Galleries for $440,000 and is now being offered with a starting bid of $150,000 — its lowest listing ever. Samuel’s Online, located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, expects the painting to sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.

To learn more, visit Live Aucitoneers.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Featured Artwork: Star Liana York presented by Sorrel Sky Gallery

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Andrew Webster

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April 30, 2017

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FA_SorrelSkyGallery — "All Legs" by Star Liana York

“All Legs”

Bronze

22 x 21 x 9 in.

Available through Sorrel Sky Gallery

“When a character emerges from a work I am sculpting, I feel touched at a deeply intimate, subconscious level. It is the essence in a work of art that makes it intensely personal and entirely universal at the same time.”

Since moving to the Southwest in 1985, Star Liana York has been creating a vast body of work that reflects her interest in the people, animals, environment and history of the region. A continuous source of creativity for her bronze sculptures comes from exploring the native peoples of the Southwest and the mythology of ancient sacred sites.

She is an avid horsewoman, riding daily on her ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, where she finds inspiration surrounded by the vast open vistas.

York has been named one of Southwest Art’s thirty most influential artists. In 2013, she was selected as an Honorary Artist at The Millicent Rogers Museum Taos, New Mexico, and received the Artist Choice Award at the National Cowgirls Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.

Her monumental bronze sculptures are held in collections across the country including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

View more of Star Liana York’s at Sorrel Sky Gallery here.

Featured Artwork: Olaf Schneider

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Andrew Webster

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April 30, 2017

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FA_Schneider — "The Vault" by Olaf Schneider

“The Vault”

Oil on canvas

30 in. x 60 in.

Available through the artist

Biography

Olaf Schneider (b.1964) is a husband, father of two, and grandfather of six. He studied at the Ontario College of Art as well as Sheridan College. In 1986, while painting large scale outdoor advertising billboards for Mediacom, he acquired a strong practical foundation that would become integral to his work today.

He is greatly inspired by mentor Ron Grieg and Norman Rockwell.

For Olaf each piece represents an intense exploration and refinement of his personal pictorial sensitivities, especially as they relate to beauty, form, light, and shade. Composition, color, and craftsmanship are all elements that become the building blocks of his work. Olaf is a prolific painter who is inspired by the power and diversity of the northern landscape, and anything that needs a “second look”. An explorer by nature, he travels across North America and Europe to gain inspiration.

“Each dab I make is stimulated by the details that I observe. I hope to see what others miss and then make it compelling. I push and alter the colors to suit my ravenous needs and I love to improvise on the spot.”
Olaf has a passion for a variety of subjects. Through his art, he expresses his love for life and his affinity with vibrant colour.

“I like to use expressive and thick impasto brushstrokes or soft blended strokes to render a sense of movement and texture giving the painting a life of its own. My interpretation of colour also sets the dynamic mood. The tones often range from the darkest to the lightest in an effort to achieve maximum drama. This creative combination is spontaneous and intuitive.”

To keep his mind clear and focused he limits his exposure to all the media ‘noise’ we generally are pummelled with daily. He does not watch TV and restricts his time on the computer. He starts his day with God in prayer and meditation. Painting six to ten hours a day is common practice. Equally important to Olaf is continued growth and learning.
“I want to always have an open mind so that new ideas may come in. In the mind of an expert, there are few possibilities, but in the mind of an amateur they become endless. This is a God given gift and I value it greatly. If I am able to bring emotion, understanding, comfort, or joy into another’s life then I am using it wisely in His glory.”

Philosophy

Art is a celebration of life, and the making of art is an expression of the sacred spiritual discipline. If a painting could, for a moment, capture the attention and awareness of the viewer through visual harmony, carry on a dialogue, bring the viewer further than the call of the senses, beyond a momentary concern for the past or future, to a timeless state free from thought and self consciousness. Then the work has approached the realm of art, the realm of life. Art and money don’t mix.

View more of Olaf’s work at http://www.olaf.ca.

Solo Exhibitions

2016 – Tilting at Windmills Gallery, Vermont

2016 – Broadway Galleries, Virginia

2015 – Westmount Gallery, Ontario

2015 – Woodbine Raceway

2015 – International Artist Magazine June issue

2014 – Cannes France

2005–2013 – Westmount Gallery, Toronto

2011 – Royal Gallery, Rhode Island

2009 – Mercedes Benz, Ontario

2009 – Homer Watson Gallery

2008 – Gallery DeLisle

2005 – Hummingbird Centre

2004 – McMichael Gallery, Kleinburg

2003–2006 – International Artists Magazine

1998–2004 – Formula 1, Montreal & Indianapolis

Group Exhibitions

2014 – Chapel St. Bernardin, France

2014 – Le Cannet, France

2008–2013 – Westmount Gallery, Toronto

2013 – The Louvre, SNBA Salon, France

2009–2013 – Edgewood Orchard Gallery, Wisconsin

2013 – Galerie Demante, California

2012 – The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists

2012 – Portrait Society of America

2011 – Thornwood Art Gallery, Texas

2011 – Canadian Heritage Art Gallery

2010–2013 – Toronto International Art Fair

2010 – Canadian Heritage Art Gallery, Toronto

2010 – Thornwood Art Gallery , Texas

2009 – Boston International Art Fair

2007–2011 – Miller Gallery, Ohio

2007 – Scottsdale Art Gallery, Arizona

2006 – Kipling Gallery Woodbridge, Ontario

2006 – Manitou Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2006 – Latino America International

2004–2006 – Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum

2002–2005 – Hummingbird Centre, Toronto

2000 – Living Arts Centre, Mississauga

1998–2002 – Molson Indy, Toronto & Vancouver

Publications

American Art Collector Magazine

Arabella Magazine

Houston Lifestyles and Homes

Ducks Unlimited 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011

Etobicoke Guardian

Scarborough Mirror

Vaughan Weekly

George Chuvalo Fight Against Drugs

International Artist

Art Fix

WPBS Television

Algonquin Park news

The Huntsville Forrester

24 Hours

Toronto Life

2004–2006 Magazin’art Biennial Guide

Creative Source 1989, 2004

Corporate and Private Collections

Ripley’s Aquarium Canada, Toronto

PCO – Construction Ltd.

The Haven on the Queensway, Toronto

The Good Shepard, Toronto

Mackenzie Financial, Toronto

Toronto Dominion Bank, Toronto

Ducks Unlimited 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Make a Wish Foundation

George Chuvalo Fight Against Drugs Foundation, Canada

Paul Smith’s College, New York

Make a Wish Foundation, Toronto

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto & Montreal

Jessie Centre for Teenagers, Toronto

Ontario Provincial Police, Canada

Labatt Breweries Ltd. Ontario, Canada

Evian Canada

Gilles Villeneuve Museum, Quebec

Chapters Indigo Canada

Mercedes-Benz, Toronto

Ford Ontario

Ferrari North America

Apple Canada

Governor General of Madrid, Spain

L.L.C.B.O.

Art Gallery of Ontario

Centennial College

Van Moorehem Barristers, Ontario

Block Parents Foundation, Canada

Current Gallery Representation

Chloe Gallery, San Francisco CA 415.531.5748

Eclipse Gallery, Huntsville ON 705.783.2579

Emma Butler, St. John’s NFLD 709.739.7111

Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa OK 918.664.4732

MountainMist Gallery, Cashiers NC 407.620.2685

Palm Avenue Fine Art, Sarasota FL 941.388.7526

Rendezvous Gallery, Vancouver BC 604.687.7466

Spa Fine Art Gallery, Saratoga NY 203.226.6934

Tilting Windmills Gallery, Manchester VT 802.362.3022

Westmount Gallery, Toronto ONT 416.239.5427

Westport Gallery, Westport CT 203.226.6934

Featured Artwork: Ron Donoughe

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Andrew Webster

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April 30, 2017

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FA_Donoughe_May17 — "Out to Pasture" by Ron Donoughe

“Out to Pasture”

oil on panel

9 x 12 in

Ron Donoughe has made his career as a painter by painting what he knows and loves.

He has focused on two worlds of Western Pennsylvania, rural areas where he was raised and the city of Pittsburgh where he now lives. He has been a full-time painter for over 30 years and has made a significant contribution to that region. His work is primarily plein air, but he doesn’t like to be pigeonholed as an artist. When asked about his work he often talks about being a visual journalist. The paintings represent the times and places of his life.

Recent projects have included murals for a courthouse, paintings all 90 neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and a major permanent installation of paintings for the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. His work has been widely collected, especially in western Pennsylvania. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, and The Duquesne Club of Pittsburgh are just a few of the public collections that have acquired his paintings. Last year his 90 Pittsburgh Neighborhoods paintings were acquired by the Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, for permanent installation.

Ron has become known for taking a year or more to complete 60-100 plein air paintings that are used to complete an installation. It is a contemporary take on a traditional approach to painting. The small paintings interact with each other, giving a textural overview of a particular time and place. Ron believes such in-depth projects allow for a more thoughtful understanding of his subject. He has published three books of his work.

View more of Ron’s work at http://donoughe.com/

Featured Artwork: Chantel Barber

By

Andrew Webster

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April 30, 2017

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FA_Barber_May17 — "Holding On" by Chantel Barber

“Holding On”

Acrylic on panel

5 x 7 in.

Available through the artists online gallery: http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/chantel-barber/holding-on/574435

Chantel’s passion for art began flourishing at age 12 when she was mentored under local San Diego artists. She continued to study art, largely self-taught, while living in Newport, Rhode Island, and Keflavik, Iceland. While enrolled in a college art course, a fellow student introduced her to acrylic paints, and she soon found it to be a medium dominated by abstract art. But her first love was portraiture for which she found little advice. As she dreamed of perfecting her skills as an acrylic portrait artist, Chantel continued to learn from professional oil painters and translated their teachings into acrylic techniques. All the while, she remained active in local art communities.

In 2006, Chantel opened her own art business called Chantel’s Originals near Memphis, Tennessee. Chantel soon benefited from workshops and demonstrations with outstanding artists including Dawn Whitelaw and Michael Shane Neil. Chantel is currently the National Coordinator of the State Ambassador program for the Portrait Society of America, and is also a member of The Chestnut Group and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society. She is past President of Artists’ Link in Memphis, Tennessee.

Chantel has been featured in solo art shows and has participated in numerous group shows at premiere Memphis venues including the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Her award winning paintings are in private and public collections throughout the United States and overseas. Her work is published in Acrylic Artists magazine, American Art Collector, and Fine Art Connoisseur. Chantel resides in Bartlett, Tennessee, where she teaches online and in workshops throughout the United States.

View more of Chantel’s work at www.chantellynnbarber.com.

Featured Artwork: Linda Harris Reynolds

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Andrew Webster

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April 27, 2017

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FA_Reynolds — "Cassandra" by Linda Harris Reynolds

“Cassandra”

oil on linen

24 x 36 in.

$3500

“Capturing personality that goes beyond the surface is always my goal. ‘Cassandra’ is part of a new series for me, addressing young women in America, and their issues surrounding beauty, strength, and sexual identity. In mythology Cassandra is clairvoyant, but doomed to be disregarded and misunderstood. Though women have made great strides in gaining respect and equality in our American society, there is still work to be done.”

Nationally recognized portraitist Linda Harris Reynolds has been creating captivating portraits for families and individuals for the past twenty-eight years from her studio in historic Centreville, Delaware. Working mostly in oils, pastels, and charcoals, Linda’s lively painting style enhances the personality of her subjects and reflects a blending of Classical Realism and Impressionism.

Most recently, her portrait work was featured in the international Fine Art Connoisseur magazine’s Nov/Dec 2016 issue in “Today’s Masters-The Enduring Appeal of Youth”, as well as the upcoming May/June issue’s “More Than Faces”.
In January 2017, the Delaware Division of the Arts awarded Linda an “Honorable Mention” in the “Established Artist” category for “Works on Paper”, and in 2014 granted her a solo exhibition in their state Carvel Building. The exhibit showcased her figurative work in a show called “Fazes.” Linda was also invited to be a mentor in the Portrait Society of America’s 2017 Cecilia Beaux mentoring program. The program is designed to foster professional growth and relationships between an established artist and an emerging artist in the field of fine art portraiture and figurative painting.

Linda has been receiving commissions throughout the east coast, and has been serving as the Delaware State Ambassador to the Portrait Society of America since 2009. Currently taking on new commissioned work, she is represented by the national portrait agency, Portrait South, as well as the Hardcastle Galleries and Carspecken-Scott Gallery. In 2011 Linda started The Centreville Art Student’s League, where she teaches classical portrait and figure drawing classes seasonally.
Locally she has had five one-woman shows on the Wilmington Art Loop, mostly notable the Mezzanine Gallery of the Carvel Building and the Tower Hill School’s DuPont Art Center. Her group exhibitions include the Hagley Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Designer’s Showcase, as well as shows in New York City and Rome, Italy.

View more of Linda’s work at LindaHarrisReynolds.com

Rockwell Returned

By

Andrew Webster

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April 27, 2017

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Gct-stolen-rockwell-painting-found-20170331 — FBI agents stand next to Rockwell’s stolen painting in Philadelphia on March 31, 2017 © Matt Rourke/AP

It was over 40 years ago in 1976 that Norman Rockwell’s “Boy Asleep with Hoe” was stolen from a private home in New Jersey, sparking an international investigation that remained unsolved — until 2017.

Widely covered by both domestic and international publications, the nighttime theft of Norman Rockwell’s “Boy Asleep with Hoe” has remained one of the art world’s biggest mysteries. In 1976, thieves broke into the Cherry Hill, New Jersey, home of Robert Grant and stole the work, which is estimated to be worth between $600,000 and $1 million today. After a thorough investigation was completed with no recovery, Chubb Insurance paid the owner’s claim and acquired the painting’s title.

It was with great pleasure that Chubb Insurance announced the painting’s recovery just a few weeks ago. “Recovered art is often valued at a greater amount than a similar piece, given its unique provenance,” suggested Fran O’Brien, senior vice president of Chubb Group and division president of Chubb’s North America Personal Risk Services. “While many often assume a piece is out of harm’s way upon recovery, its newfound high-profile status and value can invite new exposures.

“Existing insurance coverage based on an outdated appraisal, for example, may not provide sufficient protection moving forward.”

The Grant family has returned the claims payment to Chubb in exchange for the painting. Chubb has stated it will donate those funds to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

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