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.
Landscapes and Seascapes On View: “Krystal Allen: Love of Nature”
Original oil and watercolor landscape and seascape paintings of the American west.
Clymer Museum of Art
Ellensburg, Washington
clymermuseum.org
Through March 25, 2023
“In the process of creativity, I find that the ends are a reward for the means,” says artist Krystal Allen. “The joy of creating an imagery of a moment or an emotion, and being able to share it with others, is the essence of my art. My intense love for both natural beauty and creating art makes for a wonderful combination. There are so many beautiful things to be painted and shared with the world, I feel it is an honor to have been given the talent to do so.”
“Krystal Allen’s paintings reveal a flawless demonstration of how light and shadow embrace the landscape,” said the curator. “This emphasizes the rugged energy of the terrain. Her technique works whether painting mountains, valleys, or rivers. Her refined attention to detail allows her to consistently create coherent compositions while presenting nature without exaggerated gestures or romanticism. This lends itself to giving the work a raw power, and an opportunity for the viewer to share this sensation through the honest beauty in her work.”
About Krystal Allen:
Krystal was born and raised in the northeast, and she has lived in the west since 1974, residing in California and Colorado before moving to central Oregon. Her love of art began as a small child when she would spend countless hours drawing and dreaming of being an artist. Having been raised in a large, supportive, creative family, she was encouraged to follow her dream from the beginning. Her parents and grandparents were major influences on her creativity; they were cabinet makers, draftsmen, artists, seamstresses, and gardeners.
Most of her formal training took place when she was young and fortunate enough to have the same art teacher throughout her primary and secondary education. His guidance helped her to explore the many mediums that were available to the visual artist, to refine her abilities, and to focus on what she wanted to do creatively. Later in college, she concentrated on design and graphics while studying commercial art and marketing, as well as painting.
Influenced early on by the Hudson River School, the Surrealists, and the Impressionists, her work is constantly growing to encompass craftsmanship, sensitivity, and a sense of space and time. Finding inspiration in the natural world and light, she translates emotions into a visual image of a moment in time. Her goal is to create a body of work that will convey her perception of our beautiful world through a legacy of paintings.
Krystal is a current member of the Plein Air Paints of Oregon. She worked for 9 years as the West Coast Marketing Manager for PleinAir and Fine Art Connoisseur magazines and retired at the onset of the pandemic. She now spends the bulk of her time painting landscapes and seascapes and gardening.
View more landscapes here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
What’s the best thing about being an artist?
Marcia Holmes: Living the artist’s life encompasses the best of an enormous range of emotion; the wonder and gift of creativity alone, dreaming art and pursuing the visions I’m compelled to paint, the boundless freedom of artistic expression; fulfillment, exhilaration, surprise revelations of self-discovery and beauty of unexpected finishes accomplished!!
Being a wanderlust, I’ve added a personal joy of being an artist, which is “I paint to travel and travel to paint. I’ll share an excerpt from my catalogue Anecdotes from Water’s Edge, 2017/2018-Degas Gallery, New Orleans Solo Exhibition, post a France painting excursion: “I am grateful for the experiences enjoyed, and further to be able to reveal the open heart of an artist, a voyager, a woman of conscience and faith. There is no comparison to being alone in nature. For me it is the closest thing to God and ultimate freedom.”
The Lagniappe, bonus of being an artist, is the personal relationships formed meeting collectors, working with art professionals, students, and just talking art with friends! This connectivity is the best part of living an artist’s life!
To see more of Marcia’s work, visit:
www.MarciaHolmes.com
On an art authentication foundation that helps root out fakes and frauds — a growing problem in the 1960s.
by Leslie Gilbert Elman
The International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) was established in 1969 at the suggestion of New York state’s attorney general to fill the void for an “authoritative, impartial, not-for-profit body to research works of art with uncertain authorship and also educate the public about art world issues.” For individual collectors, IFAR would help determine whether an heirloom that someone’s great-grandfather considered a Rubens was indeed that master’s work. For institutions, it could help to root out fakes and frauds — a growing problem in the 1960s.
Around this time, for instance, art forger David Stein was making and selling false Picassos, Modiglianis, Klees, and more at an alarming rate. He was arrested in New York in 1967, when Marc Chagall spotted a fake of his own work, painted by Stein, hanging in an exhibition. Stein pled guilty to six counts of counterfeiting and grand larceny, served time in prison, went to France after his release, and was arrested and convicted there as well. Nevertheless, Stein’s paintings in the styles of modernist masters — this time signed with his own name — were shown in a 1970 gallery exhibition titled “Forgeries by Stein,” and he was even enlisted to make the fakes featured in director Alan Rudolph’s 1988 film, “The Moderns.”
To be sure, stories of exploits such as Stein’s are tantalizing, and it’s understandable when they become the subject of articles, books, and even films. Yet, sadly, cases of misattribution, fakery, and fraud happen more often than art world professionals might care to admit. They inflict serious damage and have long-lasting ramifications. In 1969 there was an undeniable public need for IFAR, an independent, objective source that could conduct unbiased research to determine an artwork’s authenticity.
Over time, IFAR’s mission broadened to include investigations into provenance, particularly related to the restitution of artworks looted by the Nazis in the 1930s and ’40s. It created and maintained the Art Theft Database (precursor to today’s Art Loss Register) and has provided expert guidance and scholarship to Interpol, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.
This is the work for which IFAR is best known. But over the course of its 50 years, IFAR’s resource offerings have expanded to include a comprehensive Catalogues Raisonnés Database with more than 4,500 entries for over 3,000 artists — from Hans von Aachen (1552–1615) to Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664). IFAR also created the Art Law & Cultural Property Database of legislation and case law from the United States and abroad related to cultural property ownership and loss, authenticity, and restitution. This is an invaluable resource for attorneys, scholars, collectors, and anyone else interested in this continually expanding legal area.
IFAR’s members include museum professionals, dealers, scholars, collectors, students, and “a lot of attorneys,” executive director Dr. Sharon Flescher says with a smile. “They look to us for our research services, online resources, the quarterly IFAR Journal, and our events.” In fact, the organization’s public programs addressing top-of-mind subjects are almost always sold out. (Just for example, “What Is It about Modigliani?” and “Notre Dame: Iconic Cathedral; Disastrous Fire; Uncertain Future” took place in 2018 and 2019, respectively.) Today all of IFAR’s work is funded by contributions and dues, subscription and submission fees, sponsorships, and grants. It is not an endowed foundation.
“We guard our reputation for integrity jealously,” Flescher notes, adding that any owner of an artwork who engages IFAR’s Authentication Research Service must sign an agreement stating that she or he understands that IFAR’s determination about its authorship may not necessarily be what the owner was expecting or hoping for. “We have no vested interest in the outcome of the research,” she explains. “We don’t buy, sell, or even appraise art for monetary value.”
On rare occasions, the results of IFAR’s research may raise unexpected questions without answers. Such was the case when it was asked to say whether a painting known as “Sportsman at the Well” was the work of American genre painter William Sidney Mount (1807–1868). It was nearly identical to “At the Well,” an 1848 painting known to be by Mount and now in the collection of Connecticut’s New Britain Museum of American Art.
An example of the idealized rustic scenes for which Mount is known, the painting in question was also signed and dated 1848. The fact that it had been owned by Mount’s descendants as recently as 1941 would indicate it was not a forgery, and Mount was generally known to have painted several versions of the same scenes. Nevertheless, the quality of handling and treatment of details in this example were inferior to what we see in Mount’s known works — a fact made clear when it was placed side by side with New Britain’s version.
So, if Mount didn’t paint “Sportsman at the Well,” who did?
IFAR’s investigation turned up a couple of candidates, most likely of which was Mount’s niece, Evelina. Like her uncle William and her father Henry, Evelina Mount was a skilled artist. She frequently copied William’s work and he advised her on techniques and materials. They lived in the same house on Long Island for several years, and Evelina took over his studio after his death. Similarities between Evelina’s work and William’s — right down to the materials they used — are thus easily explained. Yet because no evidence was found to confirm Evelina’s copying of this specific painting, her hand in its creation can still only be assumed.
Of the many cases in which IFAR has been asked to provide expertise, one that began in 2002 and took more than two years to complete stands out for Flescher because of its rare resolution.
It began with an American professor who inherited a Rembrandt drawing she had reason to believe had once belonged to Arthur Feldmann, a lawyer in Brno, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). On March 15, 1939, the day the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia, Feldmann’s collection of some 700 Old Master drawings was confiscated by the Gestapo. He and his wife died at the hands of the Nazis, and their art collection was eventually dispersed. Much of it remains unaccounted for. Some works were sold at auction by Sotheby’s London in 1946; four works made their way into the collection of the British Museum.
In 2002, after reading that Feldmann’s heirs were searching for objects from his looted collection, the professor (who prefers to remain anonymous) sought to confirm the provenance of her drawing. If it had indeed been looted, she wanted to return it to Feldmann’s family without recompense. She consulted a museum director on how to proceed with confirming the provenance and finding Feldmann’s family. The director referred her to IFAR.
As Sharon Flescher recalls, putting the professor in touch with Feldmann’s family, although initially difficult, turned out to be fortuitously simple: his grandson, Uri Peled, who had initiated the search, was a new subscriber to the IFAR Journal. The connection was facilitated and the research began.
Records reviewed by IFAR and the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE), which was representing the Feldmann family, showed that the drawing — “The Liberation of St. Peter from Prison” — had appeared at the Sotheby’s sale in 1946. The professor knew that her family acquired the drawing in good faith from an Amsterdam dealer in the 1970s. Now it seemed clear that the drawing was part of the looted collection and would be returned to the Feldmann family, but there was a surprise in store.
“Although our task was to determine whether the work had been looted, we also examined the drawing itself,” Flescher recalls. The late Egbert Havercamp-Begemann, a professor at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, member of the Rembrandt Research Project in Amsterdam, and longtime member of IFAR’s Art Advisory Council, lent his expertise. “It was his opinion that the drawing was not by Rembrandt, but by a follower, probably Govert Flinck,” Flescher says. That had also been the opinion of another great Rembrandt scholar as far back as 1956. In 2004 the drawing was returned to the family, who two years later presented it to the British Museum, where curator Martin Royalton-Kisch affirmed the work was by Flinck.
This reattribution might have made the drawing less “important,” but its significance in cultural history remains undiminished: this case marked a rare instance that a Nazi-looted artwork was returned to its rightful owners unprompted and without compensation of any kind. “The professor was, in my mind, a true heroine, as no one would have known she had the drawing,” Flescher notes. “From the start, it was her intention to err on the side of generosity.”
It’s safe to say that every IFAR investigation, even if it ends with a question mark, adds something to art-historical scholarship. Each study is exhaustive and may require many months to complete, yet it is work that needs doing. “We have dealt with issues of theft, looting, fakes, and so on, for 50 years, long before they became ‘sexy,’” Flescher explains. “Now they are more in the news than ever, making our work more significant than ever. But I think our supporters fund us because they realize how important — and sorely needed — integrity in the visual arts is.”
For more information: www.ifar.org
View artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
Fine Art Today would like to congratulate William Suys for being elected Master Signature Member in the Oil Painters of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of representational art.
The recognition, he says, “is a heartwarming and humbling confirmation of where I stand as an artist. It is also a huge opportunity and challenge, as it lays a foundation for a new level in my exploration of Art and what I am able to develop and offer. I really look forward to doubling down on my existential effort toward realizing Artistic mastery.”
William’s announcement is wonderful, and our team is happy for him and his many achievements. As he and I continued to converse via email, however, I realized that this “story” is much bigger. His is a story that is representative of why so many of us are drawn to art and from so many different angles. He helps us understand with a fresh perspective why it’s so important. Why it’s so much more than what we end up viewing in a frame.
For example, he shares how his artistic path might have veered toward music, specifically playing the trumpet. “Both of my parents were deaf, and so much of their world came to them through visual stimulus,” William said. “Still, I always found music incredibly interesting and stimulating.
“When I was in high school, I was learning to play the trumpet; I was in my basement bedroom practicing and my sister was at the door listening. My dad also came to the door, and after a while, he asked her, ‘Is he good, does he sound good?’ (all in sign language, of course).
“At that moment, I decided working on any musical talent wasn’t really fair to them, and I should really focus on areas that they could appreciate, too.”
Without further ado, enjoy the following exclusive and incredibly moving interview with William on his path in representational art, and in life.
Cherie Dawn Haas: Tell us a little about your path in art, and how your work has evolved since the beginning.
William Suys: To be honest, answering this question would require a long, wildly diverse discussion of ‘Life’ and ‘Art.’ As my work evolves, I believe the two are completely intertwined. In this format, I’ll share a few quick notes about both:
I have been drawing in some shape or form since my earliest memories. For some reason, I’ve always been compelled to create things, whether in two dimensions or three. There has always been an urge to produce something that wasn’t there before. It did not start out as a pursuit, it was simply what I did — it is still what I do. I do recall a pivotal moment in my young drawing life: We had a class trip to see an exhibit of drawings by Andrew Wyeth at the Art Institute of Chicago. I was blown away by what I saw. The thought that kept running through my head was, “So …THAT’S what I’m trying to do!”
I enrolled in a commercial art program and moved on to Fine Art in college. Abstract expressionism was in vogue and I realized some artists were more successful simply due to their ability to ‘wax eloquent’ about the schlock they created. I intuitively felt I should hone my craft and my vision would evolve. I also realized the key to being a successful artist isn’t whether you’re trained or self-taught; it is being a self-driven artist … seeking and developing the visual and emotional building blocks that feed one’s growth.
While in school I experienced a great range of “creation,” from the potter’s wheel and sculpting (which may have been my forte) to creating the exploded-view Assembly Manual for Excalibur Motor Cars and having a one-man show. I received tremendously positive feedback and support from my instructors, including requests that I apprentice with a professor who had works in the Smithsonian.
But, because the Fine Art world was a strange and dicey proposition during this time, I morphed from an Art Major to graduating as a Business Major so I could feel secure in my ability to raise a family. As it turned out, I loved that life and the company I worked for, and I learned so much that also strengthened my work and my artistic career. I still drew and painted in watercolor every day.
When I left the company, I switched from watercolor to oils and found rapid success. I was working toward building a major series of paintings while traveling the world to curate an international art collection, but my wife became severely alcoholic and I was prompted to focus solely on the kids and life at home. This caused me to shift toward work that was more basic and could be marketable in local galleries; a safer solution, but also something I feel stymied my larger creative potential. Still, my kids were more important than my art ‘mistress’ and I just did my best.
Curating and purchasing an international collection of art reinforced for me how important it was to deliver a story, message, or emotion in the art I responded to. I also saw the importance of maturity in one’s work; there are often new artists who are very capable craftspeople, but years of work and understanding seem to infuse an artist’s work with depth and gravitas that will stand the test of time.
Fortunately, after a few difficult years, I met and married Kristin. She was a former Designer/Art Director and lifelong “art person” — maybe even more than I was! She understood what I was about and was completely supportive of me and my work. Her desire to see my work develop and my career grow has been a wonderful catalyst. Though she’s an uncompromising critic, I can never thank her enough.
Even with this healthy new life, the past few years have been consumed by the illness and death of my son. He died a Major in the Air Force of cancer from burn pit exposure. This has been so heartbreaking that for the first time in my life, I have not created art on a daily basis. I do, however, feel deeply that the aftermath of this experience is driving me to truly dive into my core principles and I will begin to create work that reflects my soul. Though it’s been difficult, I believe it may result in the true “evolution” of my mature work.
In short, the evolution begins with understanding and developing one’s craft; transitioning from learning how to see to building upon that foundation to eventually express life and feeling in a visual manner. I am really looking forward to what will come in the years ahead.
You’re known for your incredible figurative works, among other subjects in representational art. What are some of the things you consider when painting one’s portrait?
Thank you for that.
When I’m painting someone’s portrait, a simple likeness is only a beginning. I want to bring that specific person and personality to life. I work to fully understand the structure, gesture, and form, and I like to imagine my brush laying both transparent and opaque paint over and around the actual surface of my subject.
I also find it is very helpful to “fall in love” with one’s subject … to fall in love with the beauty of that particular human form and its presence. Once you really become intimate with your subject, celebrating that individual seems to flow naturally and the end result will breathe forever.
What is one of your favorite paintings (by you), and can you tell us about it?
A current favorite is “The Immigrant.” I feel I’m expressing a life … the young subject is engaged within themself, and we are not sure exactly what they are doing or where they are going, but I sense wonderful potential within the world of this piece. I’m happy it expresses a story in beautiful, interesting paint.
How does plein air painting fit into your process?
I always say I do plein air because it informs my work, and I mean it! When plein air painting, we’re being presented all the questions, and they take all forms; the solidity of a building, the transparency of atmosphere, the transition of light, and the translucency of a tree. With each painting, we learn a little bit about how to understand the complexity and beauty of interpreting what is presented to us in the natural world.
As I go forward with my plein air work, I’ll want to build a two-dimensional personal celebration of the environment presented to me — while working toward a genuine emotional response. Because of the immediacy and idiosyncratic nature of each plein air experience, success is not guaranteed, but sometimes serendipity pulls everything together with very satisfying results.
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.
How do you describe success?
Karen Ann Hitt: Having the opportunity to fully utilize aesthetic abilities in an environment allowing for growth and the continual development of its potential defines success to this artist. I love these three Michelangelo quotes: “I am still learning” spoken at 87. “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” Success is having the opportunity to seek to reflect those shadows, continually pushing self to new limits and learning all along the way. There is no greater honor than when a collector connects and brings An Original Hitt into their home to add to their collection.
How do you find inspiration?
Karen Ann Hitt: Inspiration rises from the emotion that causes an ‘at that moment…’ pause, and then the deep desire to capture it — reflecting those influential daily moments that occur in all our lives. Passion is to reflect light, life, land, expressions as genuinely experienced ‘at that moment.’
To see more of Karen’s work, visit:
www.anoriginalhitt.com
The 2023 Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale, benefiting the National Western Scholarship Trust, ended recently after celebrating its 30th year anniversary.
From the organizers:
Thank you to all of our patrons, artists, buyers, volunteers, and visitors for another successful year of the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale. We couldn’t have done it without you.
We are proud to announce that this was one of our most successful years in the show’s 30-year history. It was also the most successful year for Young Guns since it began in 2013.
Selling just over $1,010,000 we continue to support the careers of local, national, and international artists as well as contributing to the Scholarship Trust of the National Western Stock Show to further encourage future generations in agriculture, veterinary science, and rural medicine.
Best Of Show: Sophy Brown, “Lit Fuse and Count to Ten”
Artist’s Choice: Adrienne Stein, “Arc”
People’s Choice: Sally Maxwell, “Corvid #19 The Omen”
Fine Art Connoisseur Club: Diana Woods
Fine Art Connoisseur Coors: Seth Tummins
The Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale is an annual event and gallery exhibition associated with the National Western Stock Show (non-profit) in Denver, Colorado. Taking place each January, the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale has become one of the finest exhibitions of contemporary Western art in the United States, featuring an eclectic mix of styles and mediums, with established artists to unknown talent.
The Young Guns of the National Western Stock Show is a social group that promotes art, philanthropy, Western culture, and networking for young professionals. With an annual event in December, social events throughout the year, and a strong connection to the West, the Young Guns are proud to represent Colorado’s next generation of leaders.
For more information, please visit coorswesternart.com.
Browse more articles at fineartconnoisseur.com.
The 3rd Annual Watercolor Live came to an end Saturday, January 28, wrapping up with even more of today’s best watercolor artists sharing all of their secrets, explaining their materials, methods, and more.
The next Live event is March 9-11, 2023, with Plein Air Live. Join us then to be with fellow painters online for days of demonstrations, Q&A with your favorite artists, mingling during the breakout rooms and cocktail hours, and the incredible faculty painting auction.
“In watercolor, we can’t actually paint the light because the white paper is the light,” explained Hazel Soan in her Beginner’s Day workshop. “You cannot paint the light. You have to paint around the light by using tints and shades.”
Artist Thomas Schaller kicked off Day 1 of Watercolor Live on Thursday, January 26 with a live on-screen demo that included a conversational Q&A with Kelly Kane. Schaller shared not only his painting techniques but also generous words of wisdom about being an artist and learning to paint in general.
Stan Miller began his painting demo by going over how to use a photo reference; in this case, it was of his godson. After cropping the image, he showed us how to transfer the photo onto paper to have as a guide for the drawing. During the demo, he flipped the photo and painted it upside down as he continue adding detail.
Previously at Watercolor Live, Birgit O’Connor led a session on Beginner’s Day but this year she took us inside her personal painting process. She used a composition that demonstrated her techniques for underpainting, using harmonized color, creating flower petals without overlapping the edges, working with shadows and even negative painting in specific areas.
The next Live event is coming in March with Plein Air Live, so visit PleinAirLive.com now to register and be with fellow artists online for days of demonstrations, Q&A with your favorite artists, and mingling during the breakout rooms and cocktail hours.
Browse more fine art watercolor paintings here.
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum has announced the purchase of a portrait painting of a mixed-race youth, ca. 1830s-‘40s, a rare work that speaks to the diverse community of free Blacks that existed in New Orleans before the Civil War. It is on view in the Museum’s American Perspectives gallery, having been installed just in time to add to the celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.
More from the museum:
The intriguing portrait of a mixed-race young man is closely related to the portraiture of Julien Hudson, one of the earliest free painters of color in America. Hudson was born in New Orleans and his principal period of activity was from 1831 until 1844, when he died prematurely at age 33. A thriving community of free people of color existed in early 19th-century New Orleans, unique to the American South.
Within that community, Hudson was patronized by both white and mixed-race clients and is known to have taught students as well, although their identities remain largely unknown.
“We are very pleased to add this exquisite image of a youth, very likely painted by an important free black American artist, to our permanent collection,” said Lyman Allyn Director, Sam Quigley. “It was acquired as part of our intentional effort to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels within the Museum’s collection, programming, staff, and board.”
The painting was purchased for the Lyman Allyn’s permanent collection from Robert Simon Fine Art, Inc., New York, where it was featured in the recent exhibition “Beyond Boundaries: Historical Art by and of People of Color.” At the Lyman Allyn this portrait is now on view in “American Perspectives,” the Museum’s permanent collection galleries of American art.
For more information, please visit www.lymanallyn.org.
Discover more portrait painting articles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
