“Summer in the Valley,” David Marty, oil, 36 x4 8 in, available through West Lives On Gallery, Jackson, WY
David Marty: I am predominately a landscape painter but I love the diversity of not only painting landscapes, but also boats and architecture. Traveling has broadened my exposure and challenged me to paint places and subjects that are especially meaningful to me. Hopefully that comes across in my work. I was pleased to see a cityscape of downtown Seattle just took first place in oils at the Oldfield Art Show.
“Good Catch,” David Marty, oil, 20 x 20 in, available through the artist“Old Town Rovinj, Croatia,” David Marty, oil, 18 x 20 in, available through the artist
“Manifest,” Megan Schaugaard, oil on canvas, 12 x 12 x 1.5 in., $1200, available through the artist. Daisies growing out of the worn wallpaper, weave a narrative of growth and transformation, reminding us of the worn threads of the past, beauty can unfurl
Megan Schaugaard: Specializing in realism, Megan’s work often features subjects that imply the paradox and interplay of pain and hope. She seeks to capture worn emotions with her choice of subjects, color palettes, and painting techniques while still infusing elements of hope that weaves a narrative of endurance from fractured histories. She is inspired by the stories of those who, amidst their struggles, find value and meaning throughout the journey–because every good story has a triumph over struggle.
“Still Blooming,” oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 x 1.5 in., $4800, available through the artist. Life has thrown her struggle after struggle, but this woman instills a quiet strength amidst all of it, using it to nurture and bless other lives
“Broken to Fly,” Megan Schaugaard, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 x 1.5 in., $1200, available through the artist’s website. The struggle to hatch is a transformative feat that shapes a bird’s essence; It becomes a testament to struggle to break free
Nikita Budkov, "Of Sorrow and Love," oil on linen, 30 x 24 in.
American Legacy Fine Arts presents the “20th Anniversary Exhibition: Celebrating a Legacy of Excellence and Premier Art,” a group exhibition that highlights a curated selection of paintings and sculptures including more than 40 new works from gallery artists.
The exhibition is on view by appointment at the gallery in Pasadena, Calfornia, through Saturday, December 16, 2023, and on the gallery’s website, americanlegacyfinearts.com.
Stephen Mirich, “Autumn Marsh; Harbor City, San Pedro,” oil on panel, 18 x 24 in.
On “Autumn Marsh; Harbor City, San Pedro”
“The waxing gibbous moonrise at Bixby Slough, also known as Machado Lake and Harbor Regional Park, is located in Harbor City and close to where I live in San Pedro. It has been a favorite painting location for me for many years. This was once the path of the Los Angeles River. Now, it is a park, where you can feel like you’re deep in the wilderness.”
— Stephen Mirich
Jennifer Moses, “Moonrise Celebration,” oil on linen panel, 24 x 26 in.
On “Moonrise Celebration”
“Fireworks, an aerial celebration of shimmering explosions that burst across the night sky. With each explosion, a magnificent display of shapes and lights appears at the pinnacle in a rainbow of colors, then falls and fades into darkness leaving behind a swirling cloud of smoke. I have found something ethereal and mysterious in them. Each one is unlike the next and their unique journey provides endless variations within this mystical and celebratory theme.”
—Jennifer Moses
More from the gallery:
Founded two decades ago by Elaine Adams, wife of renowned artist Peter Adams, American Legacy Fine Arts (ALFA) emerged as a sanctuary for traditional art forms in painting and sculpture. ALFA is driven by a commitment to feature the finest in contemporary and historic traditional art and to uphold the credentials of gallery artists as significant additions to any fine art collection. The gallery has become a haven for artists and art enthusiasts who share a profound appreciation for exceptional art.
The 20th Anniversary Exhibition will spotlight more than 30 artists, including Peter Adams, Béla Bácsi, Peter Brooke, Nikita Budkov, Steve Curry, Karl Dempwolf, Kathleen Dunphy, Michael Godfrey, Richard Humphrey, Chuck Kovacic, Jean LeGassick, Calvin Liang, Jim McVicker, Stephen Mirich, Jennifer Moses, Charles Muench, Michael Obermeyer, Tony Peters, Daniel W. Pinkham, Dan Schultz, Kevin Short, Amy Sidrane, Mian Situ, Michael Situ, W. Jason Situ, Christopher Slatoff, Alexey Steele, William Stout, Jove Wang and Mary Kay West.
Adam Matano, “Primal Serenity,” bronze, 9 x 6 x 5 in.
On “Primal Serenity”
“This enigmatic being, grappling with the weight of a world slipping through their grasp, a fusion of might and compassion. The hands may not hold salvation. Bound by an unbreakable, gentle resolve, this figure finds itself unable to preserve its realm, yet remains the vigilant observer, a silent, stoic witness to the unabating drift of worlds.”
— Adam Matano
Kathleen Dunphy, “Winter Begins; Truckee River,” oil on linen, 24 x 48 in.
On “Winter Begins; Truckee River”
“I painted this piece in the studio using studies done along the Truckee River in January. The cold temps only allowed for small, fast studies and I was anxious to spend more time on this more extensive, larger work back home in the comfort and warmth of my studio.”
—Kathleen Dunphy
***
The driving force behind ALFA is Gallery Director Elaine Adams, recognized as one of the nation’s most visible and influential proponents behind the growing interest and appreciation in traditional and classical fine arts.
“American Legacy Fine Arts is excited to celebrate our 20th anniversary,” Elaine said. “We are proud to be recognized for encouraging artists to exercise the freedom to create works that truly inspire them and allow them to reveal their own unique personalities. In turn, we provide art enthusiasts with the opportunity to develop a discerning eye, form emotional connections, and stimulate their senses by living with art.”
Judy Thompson, "Prairie Dance," watercolor, gouache, and charcoal on paper, mounted on board, 27" x 27"
Western Art Events > Tickets are on sale now for the Annual Young Guns Reception at the National Western Complex in Denver. This year’s Reception is December 7th, kicking off the 2023-2024 Stock Show season.
From the organizers:
The Young Guns Pop-Up Exhibit features local, emerging artists selling work in price ranges more accessible to Young Guns attendees. Join hundreds of young professionals for an evening of art, country music, entertainment, and philanthropy. Proceeds from the event and art sales help support the National Western Scholarship Trust, giving support to 120 Colorado and Wyoming students.
Suzan Lotus Obermeyer, “Night Watch,” painting on board panel, 6.5″ x 11.5″
2024 Coors Western Art Event Schedule
Thursday evening, December 7, 2023 – YOUNG GUNS RECEPTION. 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the National Western Complex, Expo Hall, Third Floor. Tickets on sale now.
Wednesday evening, January 3, 2024 – RED CARPET GALA RECEPTION, 30th Annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale opening night, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the National Western Complex, Expo Hall, Third Floor. Tickets on sale now.
Saturday, January 6 through Sunday, January 21, 2024, Coors Western Art Exhibit and the National Western Stock Show, open to the public.
David Holland, “When Souls Take Flight,” oil on linen, 36″ x 48″
Established in 1906, the National Western Stock Show is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides college and graduate-level scholarships in agricultural science, business, and rural medicine. Our mission is to serve producers and consumers worldwide by being the premier annual livestock show and center for year-round events. The 16-day show in January also serves as an entertainment arena, hosting one of the world’s richest regular-season professional rodeos, world-class horse shows, family educational events, and Colorado’s largest western trade show.
Newton Smith Limbird Fielding (1799-1856), “A Dog chasing a Snipe,” Inscribed lower centre: Newton Fielding 1839. Watercolour over pencil heightened with bodycolour, 10.1 by 16 cm., 4 by 6 ¼ in.; Guy Peppiatt Fine Art
London Art Week
December 1-8, 2023
More than 50 fine art dealers offering digital and in-gallery exhibitions and events, including the 2023 LAW Symposium.
Exhibitions and sales will take place online and in galleries across central London, offering Renaissance and Old Master rarities, modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, sculptures, and rare furniture, books, and manuscripts.
The 2023 LAW Symposium, The Art of Conservation – Preservation, Restoration, and Framing, takes place on Tuesday, December 5th, at the recently reopened National Portrait Gallery. In partnership with The Burlington Magazine, there will be three panel talks with leading curators, conservators, and LAW experts.
Sorolla, “Children in the Sea,” 1908; ColnaghiHenriette Vaillant, “Bust-length study of a man in profile,” 1930, pastel on paper, 470 x 450 mm; Elliott Fine Art
More from the organizers:
Marie Auguste Lauzet (1863-1898), “Still Life of Fish / Ingredients for a Bouillabaisse,” Dedicated “a L’excellent ami Paul Guigou | A Lauzet 82”, Oil on Canvas, 622 x 790mm; Dominic Fine Art
On “Still Life of Fish / Ingredients for a Bouillabaisse”
The Marseille-born Auguste Lauzet was one of the few mourners at Vincent van Gogh’s funeral and is mentioned in 16 of his letters sent between December 1889 and Vincent’s death in July 1890. Theo van Gogh suggested that the two artists share a studio in Paris. He also told him of Lauzet’s intentions to visit him in Provence. Lauzet never managed to visit Vincent at the asylum at Saint Remy (a letter from Theo suggests he couldn’t afford the trip) but he was among the first to see the visionary landscapes he painted there and was particularly taken by one with “a little thicket of dark trees against a crescent moon.”
“I hope that Mr. Lauzet will come, I very much want to make his acquaintance. I trust in his opinion when he says that it’s Provence…” Vincent to Theo van Gogh, 1st February 1890
Oswald Achenbach (Düsseldorf, 1827-1905), “View of the piazza del Quirinale in Rome,” Oil on the original canvas cm. 136 x 193,5., Signed and dated bottom left: “Osw. Achenbach 1892”; Paolo Antonacci
On “View of the Piazza del Quirinale in Rome”
Provenance:
Caecilie Achenbach, Berlin, 1911.
Private collection, Lindau.
From 1983 on permanent loan to the Düsseldorf Kunstmuseum, inv. n. 1983/82.
Exhibitions: Andreas und Oswald Achenbach. Das “A und O der Landschaft,” Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf 1997/98, ill. p. 128/129, sch. p. 221.
There is a preparatory drawing for this view in the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf inv. n. C54.274.
The painting, shown here for the first time on the market, comes from an illustrious German family who had left it on permanent loan to the Kunstmuseum in Düsseldorf, in whose rooms it was displayed from 1983 onwards.
Oswald Achenbach was one of the leading German painters of his day and a prominent member, along with his brother Andreas, of the so-called “Düsseldorf school.” He traveled to Italy on eight separate occasions and his fondness for the peninsula grew with each one of his trips, the first in 1845 and the last in 1895. His trip in 1850 had a major impact on his work because while in Rome he met up with Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901) and Anselm Feuerbach (1829–80), both of whom he had known during his student days in Düsseldorf.
Achenbach developed a new way of looking at Italy, succeeding in combining an interest in the realistic portrayal of architecture and the landscape with an intense handling of light.
His reputation and his success went from strength to strength between 1860 and 1890. He focused on Italian views, thus meeting the growing demand from his clientele. He was a member of the Academies of Düsseldorf, St. Petersburg, Rotterdam, and Vienna. He painted pictures intended for both the national and international markets, showing his work in Berlin, Vienna, New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati. He was represented in New York by the Galerie Goupil of Paris, which had opened a branch in the city in 1848.
For full details including a list of exhibitors, please visit londonartweek.co.uk.
Anders Zorn working on the painting "Peasant Girl (Flodakulla)" in his studio in Mora 1908. The young girl, Örjas Ida, was one of Zorn’s favorite models.
For art enthusiasts: A New Book on Anders Zorn and His Process: “Zorn’s Studio: The Artist’s Materials and Techniques”
by Art Historian Emma Jansson
From the Foreward
by Johan Cederlund
Director, The Zorn Museum:
At the turn of the century, Anders Zorn was among Europe’s most celebrated artists. Kings, presidents, financiers, and cultural figures lined up to have their portraits painted by the famous Swede. His sensual pictures of bathing women won wide acclaim, and his etchings commanded prices higher than those of any other artist. Today, Zorn’s name is not as well known, at least not outside of Sweden, but those who encounter his paintings are still fascinated by his brilliant technique, and the ease with which he seemed to create his works. It is as if the paintings were made without effort. Many painters also refer to “Zorn’s palette,” a palette that according to tradition consisted of only four colours: white, yellow, red, and black.
Anders Zorn, “Our Daily Bread (Vårt dagliga bröd),” 1886. Watercolour on paper, 68 x 102 cm. Stockholm Nationalmuseum.
In this book, Zorn’s technique, colours, and work process are for the first time the focus of a scientific investigation. Art historian Emma Jansson refutes the myth of Zorn’s limited palette, and shows how paintings that give the impression of improvisation were in fact preceded by countless sketches and studies, artistic considerations, and deep knowledge of the nature of the materials in use. For Zorn, art was a craft that had to be learned from scratch and in all aspects; he proved himself capable of everything and in any technique.
Anders Zorn, “Herdsmaid (Vallkulla),” 1908, Oil on canvas, 121 x 91.5 cm, Zorn Museum, Mora
Emma Jansson’s research on Zorn was conducted at the Institute for Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University. The work resulted in the doctoral dissertation “Making in Context: Reconsidering Anders Zorn’s Oil Painting Practice” (2022), from which this book emerged. It is with our great pleasure that the Zorn Museum, which has followed and supported Emma Jansson in her investigation, is able to contribute to the fascinating results she presents reaching a wider audience.
Juliette Aristides & Alan LeQuire: The Figure in Charcoal & Terra Cotta
Orgain & Bruner Galleries, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center
Clarksville, Tennessee
On view through January 28, 2024 https://customshousemuseum.org
The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center is presenting the exhibition “Juliette Aristides & Alan LeQuire: The Figure in Charcoal & Terra Cotta.” As the title suggests, these gifted artists are devoted to exploring the human form in different materials. They started exhibiting together 12 years ago at Nashville’s LeQuire Gallery & Studio, and each has been the focus of a solo show at the Customs House, so this season’s project — featuring older and newer works — makes a logical next step.
LeQuire, the creator of the monumental Athena Parthenos for the Parthenon in Nashville, is one of Tennessee’s most iconic sculptors. Renowned for his monumental public sculpture, most recently the “Dream Forest” installation at Nashville’s Four Seasons Hotel & Residences, LeQuire is powerfully inspired by terra cotta, which was used by the Etruscans to represent real people and — almost magically — preserves the artist’s touch after it is fired. (Sometimes we can see the fingerprints left by an artist who lived thousands of years ago.)
LeQuire explains, “When I work in natural clay, I feel connected to the entire history of sculpture-making around the world. This is the primary way we know about most of those early cultures, through their clay sculpture — because it lasts. Clay is found everywhere and is inexpensive, but once fired it offers permanence. In this way, earth is the humblest medium, but also the noblest.”
Alan Lequire (b. 1955), “Janelle Reading,” 2009, terra cotta (unique), 8 x 16 x 7 in.
Aristides is an accomplished Seattle-based artist who seeks to understand and convey the human spirit through her work. Recently immersed in teaching at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy and at its New Jersey outpost, Aristides has been experimenting with flatness and form in her latest drawings — in charcoal on paper and in charcoal with oil on panel.
“Drawing is among the most innately human activities,” she notes. “It is an immediate art form considered to be as natural and close as thought itself.”
Figurative art by Juliette AristidesJuliette Aristides (b.1971), “Crouch,” 2022, charcoal and oil on board, 15 x 12 in.
Grace Athena Flott, "Let it Shine (Portrait of Kari)," 2022, oil on aluminum panel, 26 x 26 in.; Photo courtesy of the Artist; Scanned by Bellevue Fine Art Reproduction
“New Icons” is the first solo exhibition of 12 paintings and one recorded interview compilation by Grace Athena Flott at the Port of Seattle Pier 69. Supported by a Hope Corps grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, “New Icons” celebrates the lived experience of folks with visible differences, specifically burn survivors.
“New Icons”
Solo Exhibition by Grace Athena Flott Port of Seattle Pier 69, Washington state
Through February 29, 2024
Remixing medieval and Renaissance iconography motifs to highlight contemporary body politics, Flott presents realist portraits of her underrepresented community alongside abstract works depicting patterns printed directly from scarred skin. Paramount to her process is Flott’s conscientious exchange with each subject, a collaboration meant to counteract common experiences for those with visible scarring: toxic staring, comments, or outright harassment.
While each subject is painted in meticulous life-size detail, Flott combines scar prints into the portraiture as well as unique works of pure pattern and color that, together, weave the stories of each individual into larger narratives of body liberation, health, and beauty redefined.
The painting “Let it Shine” (shown at top) barely contains the radiance of its subject Kari, a white femme-presenting person with visible scarring across her face and upper body. Contrary to the mainstream portrayal of injury and physical difference, she stands unapologetic and self-possessed with arms thrown back behind her head. Her body language seems to greet and merge with the sun, emphasized by acerbic yellows and turquoises suggestive of an electric landscape. Kari’s voice is audible in the exhibition as part of a recorded montage of all the participants. In her own words, she discusses navigating an ableist society wherein physical desirability determines social and economic value. With frankness and levity, she speaks on the intersection her identities as a fat woman with scars and how she embraces self-love.
Detail of “Let it Shine (Portrait of Kari)”
Flott created “Let it Shine” over half a year and her labor is visible in the textural sensitivity of Kari’s skin and complicated expression behind her eyes. Flott’s meditative process is also thanks to her dedication to fostering reciprocity and consent with her subjects through extensive interviews. In “New Icons,” each subject toys with a normative gaze — staring back at us or beyond us — not with contempt, but rather a joyful reclamation of their place in the canon.
Grace Athena Flott, “Statue of Liberation (Portrait of Tonya),” 2023, Oil on aluminum panel, 40 x 30 inches; Photo courtesy of the Artist; Scanned by Bellevue Fine Art ReproductionGrace Athena Flott, “Mirror (Body map #1),” 2023, Oil on panel, 14 x 11 inches; Photo courtesy of the Artist
Flott is a recipient of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Hope Corps Grant and was awarded First Place in Artistic Excellence by Southwest Arts Magazine. Her work is exhibited in solo and juried group exhibitions internationally including with the Museum of Modern European Art (MEAM), Barcelona; Salmagundi Club, New York City; Figure|Ground Gallery, Seattle. Her paintings have been published in Fine Art Connoisseur and Realism Today. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and Juliette Aristides Classical Atelier. Flott lives and works in Seattle, WA.
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.
Cotton Tree, Jess Le Clerc, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in; Jess Le Clerc
By Dawn’s Early Light, Larry Cannon, watercolor, 10 x 14 in; Larry Cannon
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.
Puerto Rico–born artist Patrick McGrath Muñiz pays homage to the tarot and its archetypal imagery in his exhibit “Retablos,” a selection of paintings based on the 22 Major Arcana cards of the tarot. The artist draws, as cartomancy has for hundreds of years, from the contemporary world as well as from the world’s long past.
Patrick Macgrath Muñiz, “La Emperatriz,” oil and gold leaf on panel, 20 x 12 in.
Solo Exhibition November 24—January 20, 2024
Opening reception November 24th, 5pm – 7pm at EVOKE Contemporary
The artist will be in attendance and there will be complimentary tarot readings by a local intuitive reader.
Patrick Macgrath Muñiz, “La Noria,” oil and metal leaf on panel, 33 x 19 in.
More from the gallery:
Muñiz received his BFA from the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in San Juan in 2003, and his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Georgia, in 2006. His painting style recalls the work of well-known Puerto Rican artist José Campeche (1751–1809), who learned in turn from the Spanish court painter Luis Paret y Alcázar (1746–1799), who lived in exile on the island. But the retablo tradition in North America is mainly associated with 17th- and 18th-century New Mexican santeros, or saint makers, a tradition that continues today.
Patrick Macgrath Muñiz, “Lazarus Senex,” oil and metal leaf on panel, 33 x 12 in.
Early on, painters of the Spanish Colonial period painted and carved in a style derived from the Spanish baroque and rococo. Following suit, Muñiz, an astute student of classical painting traditions, brings a stately poise to his figures, but often adds satirical elements that provide humor and invite afterthought.
Patrick Macgrath Muñiz, “La Papisa,” oil and gold leaf on panel, 20 x 12 in.
Muñiz sees more in the past 500 years of history than the stories told by the victors. He also looks beyond more obscure narratives salvaged from the histories of peoples trampled by European conquest.
Patrick Macgrath Muñiz, “Sebstian Against the Plague,” oil and gold leaf on panel, 48 x 24 in.
The topical themes explored in Retablos serve also as reminders that contemporary issues often inform art, and that the past informs the present. Muñiz looks for the hidden meanings between the correspondences, recognizing patterns that are repeated throughout history. The past holds lessons unlearned. Rather than a didactic treatise on what’s wrong with the world, he lends it a certain noble prestige. The drama of the human story unfolds, with comedy and tragedy as its recurrent themes. Through the imagery, art, and history, Patrick McGrath Muñiz unveils a portrait of humanity with a shadow aspect gnawing at its soul.
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