Alia El-Bermani

ONLINE STORE!

2012-01-19T01:20:00.001-05:00

Hello folks. I am happy to announce I have opened my very first online store. This shop will feature original oil studies that were done exclusively from life. Because they are usually small and quick, I can offer these paintings at a much more affordable price point. Please check out my first three offerings by clicking the following:

Alia Fine Art - ONLINE STORE!

I am very grateful to those who continue to support me in my artistic endeavors. Thank you!

As always, if you are interested in larger and more finished works, please contact either Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA or Loft Galeria in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

I Believe The Skeptic is fini

2012-01-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I wanted to write a post about my finished self portrait titled The Skeptic. You know, give you some behind the scene thoughts that brewed while working on this painting. But no matter how many different ways I try - I suck at taking photos of my own work. There is always a pesky glare, bad exposure or it just is slightly out of focus. There is also the annoyance that every single computer screen I see the work on has it's own color cast. I know that all artists have to deal with that last problem. I know that we all trust that you, dear readers, know that the painting is much better in person.. At this point I am just SO frustrated. I miss my old 35mm Canon AE1 (but not those slides we artists used to have to take of our work). Alas, I will continue to try to figure out the overabundance of settings on this damn digital camera!

Here are a few of my most recent attempts at photographing The Skeptic. On this computer they seem to be dark and have very inaccurate color, but maybe on your's these photos look amazing... one can dream. grrr

The Skeptic, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

Beginning Oil Painting Class

2011-12-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

For those of you in the area, I will be offering a college prep class for high school students starting in January, that will focus on good ol' oil painting. Recently I had the pleasure to work with high school students as the visiting artist at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh. I found that I really enjoy working with these bright, open, rising artists. It should be a fun class - so please tell your favorite teenage artist!

Winter Session
OIL PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS
Dates: January 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21
Time: 6pm-8:30pm
This course will cover the essentials of oil painting from proper surface preparation to color mixing. Working from still life set ups, students will explore painting materials, learn about composition, color theory and paint application. Using direct observation to gain skills and confidence, these finished paintings will be portfolio ready!
Instructor: Alia El-Bermani
Tuition: $150/$135 members
Material Lists will be provided upon registration

Please contact Artspace to register.

Phone: 919.821.2787
Fax: 919.821.0383
Email: info@artspacenc.org

www.artspacenc.org

Self as Skeptic

2011-12-04T17:46:00.000-05:00

Last week, after spending many hours on the large painting of my son, I wanted to take a little breather so I started a new self portrait. It is a relief to work smaller and once again from life. As you can imagine, I am not able to get my five year old son to hold still as a model, so I've been struggling with the limitations of photo reference. This self portrait is a huge relief in that sense, though I do have a mad crick in my neck.

open underpainting of

The Skeptic, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

The day after I started this self portrait, I had the pleasure (for the second time) to see the beautiful Rembrandt in America exhibition at the NCMA with some lovely friends. This exhibit boasts nearly 50 portraits by both Rembrandt and "the school of Rembrandt". There are some truly remarkable paintings to feast on, such as the following self portrait painted in 1659 (which is on loan from the National Gallery of Art). The exhibition continues at the NCMA thru January 22, 2012 and then travels to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

It certainly is a humbling experience to compare my efforts in paint to that of the master Rembrandt! But it also serves as a great source of inspiration to see how he layered so much paint and completely controls the viewers focus with not only the variation of paint applications, but great mastery of value relationships. Here are a few more progress shots of my humble attempt. It is still not complete and unfortunately, photographing a wet painting is nearly futile... my apologies for the poor photo quality.

work in progress

detail of first pass of color

The Skeptic (in progress), oil on panel, 20" x 16"

100 Grand Tonight!

2011-12-01T14:19:00.002-05:00

I am honored to share that two of my Southern Weed paintings have traveled west to California. They are included in the 3rd Annual 100 Grand exhibition at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara, which opens TONIGHT 5-8pm! This exhibition has become a fun tradition for artists and collectors to start off the holiday season. Please stop in if you are in the area!

Persimmon, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Pokeberry, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

December 1, 2011 - January 29, 2012

Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery

7 E. Anapamu St.

Santa Barbara, CA

www.sullivangoss.com

805-730-1460

Haunt, Taunt, Flaunt

2011-11-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a painting haunt you? It hasn't happened too often for me, but this painting idea has been stuck in my head for over 3 years now appearing like a demanding apparition. In those three years it has changed almost as much as my young son. Now its time has come. Now I am ready to take it on...

I'm still working on a title (you think in three years something would have come to me by now - but this has been a particularly visual haunt). Here's the start:

Work in progress, oil on panel, 64" x 48"

detail, oil on panel, 64" x 48"

First day into color (detail).

Happy to be back

2011-09-22T10:38:00.001-04:00

I am so happy that my travel is behind me (for now). California was sensational! Spending time with friends in Monterey at the Weekend with the Masters was wonderful and then too to have the opportunity to hear and paint along side some all stars was a cherry a'top that treat. Following the conference, the wonderful Rachel Constantine and I had a brief but amazing adventure in the most beautiful place - Big Sur. The locals took us in and made us feel right at home. I won't soon forget it! And then too, my visit down to Laguna Beach was a whirlwind trying to squeeze in as many visits with old friends as possible in 48 hours. Thank you to the beautiful Stefani Tewes for lending me your amazing studio as a place to rest my head. The lecture at LCAD went rather well. I had several students come up to me after with compliments and gratitude. I'm so happy that my experiences as an artist can inspire other artists. It's a wonderful life, being an artist. But I must admit, I was itching to get home to my family. Now that I'm back, my babes look bigger and seem smarter. My patient husband has managed to keep them alive and well. I'm so grateful to their amazing daddy!

Back into the studio I jumped. This week I have finished two paintings. The first is a study for a much larger work to come called Dumb Luck. I won't give too much away at this point, but I'm really looking forward to diving into this large painting. The second painting is one I have been sporadically working on for nearly 9 months. With all the travel I have done this year, this poor painting kept getting put in the corner half done. Now that I was able to focus on it for a bit, I think she's done. Right?? I think there are still a few more things I will tweak on it till the two big, custom panels from Ampersand arrive. Any suggestions for areas that you see need tweaking, speak up in the comments section.

Study for Dumb Luck, oil on panel, 16" x 12"

Home Maker, oil on panel, 48" x 36"

California Here I come

2011-09-03T20:56:00.001-04:00

I am (almost) on my way to good ol' California for a ten day sojourn. I will be starting in Monterey, where I will be an assistant to my friend Sue Lyon. She is one of the artists teaching and presenting at American Artist Magazine's Weekend with the Masters event. I then will travel south to Laguna Beach to visit friends and my alma mater, Laguna College of Art and Design, to give an Artist Lecture on my own work.

Susan Lyon, Figure Sketch, oil on vellum

Susan Lyon will first be giving a presentation of her work on Wednesday afternoon as well as teaching two classes in Monterey. On Thursday she will be teaching "Portrait Drawing" and then on Friday she will be teaching "Painting Short Figure Poses". You can view some examples of Sue's most recent figure painting studies on vellum on her blog by clicking here.

If you are in Southern California, please join me at Laguna College of Art and Design on Tuesday, September 13th at 4:30 on the main campus in Studio 1 for a presentation of my work. I hope to see you there. More information can be found here.

Laguna College of Art & Design

2222 Laguna Canyon Rd.

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

www.lcad.edu

Ravenscroft Exhibition

2011-08-27T22:00:00.001-04:00

While I was away in Philadelphia this past week, twenty one of my paintings and drawings were being hung in the beautiful Gallery of Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, NC. Ravenscroft, founded in 1862, is a premier private school for grades pre-k thru 12. It has become a preeminent academic institution in the Southeast, which happens to boast a very impressive Arts Education focus for both the visual arts as well as the performing arts. This exhibition will be up through the end of September. Gallery hours are 8-5pm, Monday thru Friday or by appointment. I am also very honored to announce that I will be one of the Visiting Artists for their Upper School. In September, I will be working with small groups of the arts students to learn more about traditional methods of drawing and painting. Many thanks to Joyce Fillip who coordinated this exhibition and workshop. You have done a fantastic job of installing my work in this beautiful gallery. I am quite grateful.

Ravenscroft - Fine Arts Center

7409 Falls of Neuse Rd.

Raleigh, NC 27615

(919) 847-0900 x2278

www.ravenscroft.org

More information can be viewed on the Ravenscroft School's Gallery Guide.

Daniel Sprick

2011-08-26T14:30:00.001-04:00

This past week I had the ultimate pleasure of spending time in Philadelphia with my very good friends Diane Feissel, Rachel Constantine and fellow NC artist Susan Lyon. We were all enrolled in a workshop at the esteemed Studio Incamminati taught by the incredible Colorado artist Daniel Sprick. There have been several posts on facebook and on the other artist's blogs about this workshop (Philly artist William Sentman did two great posts on the workshop which you can read by clicking: Day 1 or Day 2 and Diane Feissel did a great post titled Sprick).

Here are some photos of the experience with a few captions.

Painting at Rachel's beautiful studio on Thursday before the weekend workshop.

(left to right: Sue Lyon, Diane Feissel, Daniel Sprick & Rachel Constantine off camera to left)

Saturday, Day 1. Drawing

Daniel's final drawing demo.

Daniel starts another drawing demo from the model.

Daniel's final figure drawing demo.

My drawing of model Ron.

Day 2. Painting!

Susan Lyon taking Daniel's seat.

Daniel Sprick's palette.

Daniel's final painting demo (detail below)

My painting from the workshop.

Many thanks to Rachel and Diane for your amazing hospitality; to Daniel for the wonderful experience; to Studio Incamminati for hosting this great workshop and also a huge thank you to the lovely Lea Colie Wight for lending me your spare drawing board and paper. Philly is full of amazing people!!

Demo Detail

2011-08-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

Contemporary Portrait Painting Workshop

2011-08-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

This summer I have been honored to teach a Contemporary Portrait Painting workshop at Artspace in Raleigh, NC which met five consecutive Monday evenings; July 11th - August 18th. I had a dedicated group of students who ranged from a complete beginner to a few well trained painters and everything in between. It was a great supportive group of artists. Seeing the students growth and improvement is one of the most gratifying parts of teaching.

The first night, we started by talking about the basics of portraiture. We used a charcoal subtractive drawing method to learn about general proportions, placement of features, basic anatomy of the head as well as an understanding of value. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera this first session so I don't have images of this to share. My apologies.

The next Monday night, we continued to build our understanding of the human head, and started to get familiar with oil paints by learning a subtractive underpainting technique that relates well to the subtractive charcoal drawing technique. You begin by applying a thin wash of burnt sienna and burnt umber mixture evenly over the entire surface of the canvas. Then using the same mixture you draw in your portrait, and then use a rag, old brushes and even q-tips to "pull out" your light masses. Then, you go back into the shadow masses with more of the same oil color mixture to refine your value relationships, edges and structure. By only focusing on value the students were quite successful in creating an accurate portrait.

My quick demo a of subtractive underpainting (aka: open grisaille).

Students hard at work on their subtractive underpaintings.

The next three sessions we worked on one painting, which helped the students learn how to take a painting all the way from a grisaille (this time, using greys instead of the sienna/ umber mixture) to a full color portrait. This time, I asked the students to use a closed grisaille method for their underpainting. It is called a "closed grisaille" because instead of using the white of the canvas showing thru a wash of tone to create the lightmass (as shown above), this time white pigment was added to create the lighter values. (Please note that a closed grisaille could also be done with the sienna/umber mixture. It becomes "closed" when white pigment is introduced to any underpainting.)

Students at work!

My quick demo of a closed grisaille.

After the composition, proportions, placement and values of the portrait were established in a closed grisaille the student's next step was to do a "dirty color pass". Which is basically is a pass to get an approximation of the color - concentrating on keeping the value correct while also getting the correct warm and cool color relationships. By not worrying about mixing up the exact right color, students tend to have less anxiety about painting over their grisaille work. Also, it is nice to have many layers of paint in a painting. The history of previous marks can be a wonderful thing in a portrait.

My dirty color pass demo.

The final class was spent trying to get everything as accurate as possible especially the color. These students were a pleasure to work with and watch expand their understanding of the human head. Thank you to Artspace for facilitating this great workshop!

My final color pass demo.

Art Renewal Center Awards

2011-08-02T00:22:00.002-04:00

I am so pleased and honored to share that my painting Space Between has been chosen as a finalist for the prestigious

2010-2011 ARC Salon Competition.

There are so many amazing works by artists I've long admired amongst the winners.
Congratulations to you all!

Space Between, oil on panel, 36" x 48"

You can see a High Resolution image of the painting HERE.

You can see the all finalists by clicking HERE.

Summer Figure Drawing

2011-07-25T09:55:00.000-04:00

Here are a few quick sketch figure drawings from this summer. None of the poses were longer than 20 minutes.

Progress of Failure

2011-06-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

(detail) Horseshoe Crabs on Sill, oil on panel, 8" x 12"

I have several figurative paintings going on at the moment, all at different stages - but it has been too hard a shift for me to jump right back into these big painting projects after "coming down" from my Southern Weeds exhibition. I needed something to clear my head and to be able to paint directly from observation. Walking around my house searching for something interesting to set up for a small still life painting, I found a few dried horseshoe crabs that my nephews had sent me from Florida. They know how much I enjoy nature and they had saved these little gifts from the sea for their crazy Auntie. I had thought that this was going to be a quick painting that would sort of cleanse my palette, so I could get back to my more serious works. Instead this little still life became a bit of a frustration and struggle. I will share with you the progress of this little failure. I should say that though I view this painting as less than successful, I am grateful for the lessons learned for having gone through the process.

This was my set up. My studio is normally in my garage, which is neither heated nor cooled, so with temperatures in the mid 90's I found our dining room a much more temperate environment to paint. We have a nice view of some woods in our backyard that I thought would be an interesting juxtaposition for these sea creatures. The first problem with this choice was that although the view is good, being a south-west facing window, the light changed very rapidly. I basically only had 2 hours of painting time each day, before an immense glare (on our very dirty windows) totally obstructed the view and even changed the light on my little horseshoe crabs.

Failure two was not working out the composition well before plugging away at the painting. I was so excited and eager to just get into paint. I had wanted to do a horizontal image, but didn't have a good sized panel to start on - so instead of taking the time to run to the store to get the proper size, I used what I all ready had -which happened to be a 12" x 12" square.

Here you can see in the forrest on the top half of the window the shadows are moving diagonally up - but then as the time went on the shadows changed so on the bottom half the shadows lay diagonally down... Which one to pick?

Here you can see me trying to make sense of why I needed all that grass in the bottom portion of the composition. I was considering putting some land creature (bunny, robin, squirrel) frolicking in the grass, but I thought that would detract from what was supposed to be the real focus of the painting - the horseshoe crabs.

Horseshoe Crabs on Sill, oil on panel, 8" x 12"

In the end, I took a drastic measure - I broke out the table saw and cut her up! Its sort of scary how empowering the hum of a power tool is. Really, I know this is a cheap way of trying to solve some of the problems I set up for myself. In the end though, I do believe it is a better composition. And from the struggles of working this one out, I have learned much about working with nature and its fleeting light, and taking the time to plan in the beginning. Without having to fight yourself and the problems you create early on, you can more easily get to the joy of painting.

Introducing - Tricia Cline

2011-05-29T23:05:00.000-04:00

There is just SO much art out there in this wide world and on the world wide web. So much good and yes, so much not so good art. Its hard to not become anesthetized to images in general when there are so many images that are reminiscent and familiar. So when you stumble upon an image that awakens something within you it feels as if you are discovering a hidden treasure.

Please let me introduce you to a most recent discovery - sculptor Tricia Cline. After reading a bit of her thoughts behind her work and process, I all of a sudden feel too inarticulate to describe what it is that I find so compelling in her work. Instead, I think the images will speak volumes on their own.

Exile of the Deer, 25" x 12" x 12", Porcelain, 2008

To Bend and To Bow, 20" x 10" x 10", Porcelain, 2010

Fancy Ratus, 24" x 8" x 10", Porcelain, 2005

There are many many more works shown on Tricia Cline's website that you can find by clicking HERE. One of my favorite quotes from her statement page is below. Enjoy!

"Here in the west art has been glorified as a product of the ego, as personal revelation, this couldn't be less true, art comes from beyond the personal, from the transcendent whisper that is ever present to everyone (and every thing), and therefore there is really nothing personal about it. So the images that come to us are not based on ideas out of mind, the images that come are transcendent guests - friends - that we develop ongoing relationships with."

June Figure Drawing Class - RICA

2011-05-20T12:59:00.001-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching Figure Drawing this summer at Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art. In the summers, RICA offers 2 weeks sessions (to more easily accommodate those who wish to go on vacation). Starting in June, I will be teaching 2 week sessions of Figure Drawing on Sundays. Here is the class description:

Working from the live model, students will develop an understanding of proper proportions, structure and basic anatomy of the human figure. We will use a variety of short gesture poses and work toward longer sustained poses. Basic principles of drawing will be discussed to explore the use of line variation, and methods of blocking in of volumetric forms to represent the expressive qualities of the human figure. This class with strengthen your drawing ability whether you are an absolute beginner or advanced student.

June Sessions:

Sundays June 5 & 12 1-4pm

Sundays June 19 & 26 1-4pm

You can sign up by visiting the Class 2011 page or by calling 919-800-0208

Also, the un-instructed Open Figure Drawing sessions will continue every Thursday night 7-10pm. This is a good way to practice what you learn for only $10/ night or $8 for currently enrolled RICA students.

Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art

424 S. Dawson St.

Raleigh, NC 27601

919-800-0208

www.ricanc.com

Quick Sketch Drawing - Spring 2011

2011-05-20T12:45:00.000-04:00

Here is an assortment of figure drawings from my sketchbook since February of 2011. These are all quick sketches that were anywhere from 1 to 20 minute poses. Enjoy and comments are welcome.

Southern Weeds - Opening

2011-05-07T09:54:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Opening Reception for my Southern Weeds exhibition at Artspace in Raleigh NC. It was a fun night seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Here are a few shots from the evening.

Friends Sue Lyon and Scott Burdick drove all the way from

Winston-Salem area just to see my weeds! Thanks :)

Winding down the evening.

Southern Weeds

is on exhibition thru May 28th

Artspace

210 E. Davie St.

Raleigh, NC 27601

www.artspacenc.org

My artist statement can be read by clicking here or by clicking on the "botanical" label.

Thank you to everyone who came to show love and support, especially to the very special family members who traveled some distance. It means a great deal that you were there. And a very Happy Birthday to my favorite 7 year old. Thank you for sharing your special day with me.

Invitation

2011-04-22T15:10:00.000-04:00

Woohoo the invitations are in!

Please join me at the Opening Reception on First Friday, May 6th from 6-10pm.

Artspace -201 E. Davie St. Raleigh, NC 27601

(...psst, I'm still painting. Images of all 10 weeds coming soon :))

Plein Air in Spring

2011-04-04T22:22:00.000-04:00

These last few weeks, I have been pushing hard to finish up a few more Southern Weed paintings for my show coming up in May at Artspace. I am getting anxious and tired, and still have far to go to be "finished" (and then framing and photography needs to miraculously happen). This push is an exciting time though. And I think the body of work is slowly growing into something lovely as a whole. For awhile, I was cursing plants and my initial attraction to them, but I've come again to a spot of appreciation and admiration. I think now, weeds will find their way into all of my work.

In the meantime, I have also been trying my hand at plein air landscape painting. Since the Women Painting Women group painting trip to Charleston, SC in November last year, I have been inspired to get more proficient at Plein Air painting. In a setting, responding to changing light, and conditions is so thrilling and yes, sometimes frustrating as well. This past weekend, I had the chance to go out and paint some local scenes. I am lucky to live in an area with these spots of splendor just minutes away. Take a look. Thoughts are always welcome. Happy Painting folks!

Jenks Farm, oil on panel, 8" x 10"

Jordan Lake, oil on panel, 10" x 12"

Random Life Drawings

2011-03-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

Southern Weeds continued

2011-02-27T16:29:00.001-05:00

Well, nothing gets you moving on a project like a pressing deadline. Such is the case with my Southern Weeds series. This series will be exhibited in May for a solo exhibition at ArtSpace in Raleigh, NC (in the upfront gallery). It has been a while since I've mentioned these botanical paintings - so as a refresher feel free to revisit a few thoughts and images by clicking HERE and HERE.

I am anxiously awaiting the re-growth of the blackberry bush in my back yard so that I can paint the first sprigs for this blackberry triptych.

Blackberry, oil on panel, 8" x 18" (Center and left panels)

In the meantime, we have been enjoying some very lovely weather. It is just starting to feel like spring here in North Carolina. I found these tiny blue flowers happily sprouting under a water spout, near the foundation of our home.

Brick and Speedwell, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

I may do one more pass on this painting, if the weather continues to hold out. It has been so wonderful to sit on the (weedy) lawn to paint this from life. I hope where ever you may be reading this, that you are starting to feel the warmth of spring.

The Figure at RICA

2011-01-31T22:29:00.004-05:00

I am so elated to share that Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art will now be offering Open Figure Drawing sessions starting Feb 17th. These uninstructed live model sessions will run every Thursday 7-10pm. This is a great opportunity to brush up on those drawing skills for only $10 ($8 for currently enrolled students). No pre-registration necessary. Join me on Thursday nights!

ALSO-

I will be offering two Contemporary Portrait Painting Workshops this February at RICA. These one day workshops will help you learn to create an accurate, dynamic portrait in oil as you capture the features and proportions of our model. Working from life, we will study structure, value, color-mixing strategies and application techniques for creating lively skin tones in an alla prima portrait. This class is for all levels.

Sign up for one or both: Thursday, February 17th 10-2pm or Sunday February 20th 1-5pm. $65 plus a $10 model fee. More information on RICA's Workshop page.

Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art
464 S. Dawson St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-800-0208
www.ricanc.com

Four Paintings at GMA

2011-01-29T20:33:00.001-05:00

Here are the four paintings of mine that are included in the Greenville Museum of Art's exhibition mentioned in the post below. I really enjoyed speaking with the curator as to why she chose these particular paintings. She explained that "these pieces really give a good view of women in self-reflection through out different ages.

Becoming, oil on panel, 24" x 24"

Mother Reading, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

Kitchen Window, oil on panel, 48"x 36"

Paige at Mirror, oil on panel, 36" x 24"

Thank you to all who came out for the opening reception!

Greenville Museum of Art

2011-01-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

Last night was the Opening Reception for the Greenville Museum of Art's exhibition titled A Woman's Place: Exploring the Female Identity. Sculptures, paintings, drawings, mezzotints and fabric works of seven artists are included in this show. A beautiful, full color catalog is available by contacting the museum. I am honored to be showing in this historic North Carolina art museum. Thank you to Director Charlotte Fitz and the wonderful staff of the Greenville Museum of Art for all your hard work. Also, a huge thank you to the sponsors who made the catalog possible. The seven artists included in the exhibition are: (links included for those I could find)

Holly Fischer

Dazzala Knight

on the far wall left to right works by: Jill Eberel, Valerie Jean Bailey, Alia El-Bermani, and Kiki Farish
sculptures by: Holly Fischer

sculpture by Holly Fischer; paintings by Amy Freeman

A Woman's Place : Exploring the Female Identity

January 28 - March 20, 2011

Greenville Musuem of Art

802 S. Evans St

Greenville, NC 27834

252-758-1946

January Long Pose II

2011-01-23T19:18:00.001-05:00

Dave, oil on panel, 10" x 8"

Here is the long pose painting after one more 3 hour session yesterday. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to have painted Dave. He is a fantastic model! The light changed a bit so the shape of the shadow on his cheek and cast shadow onto his torso were a bit different, but I don't mind those kind of shifts. It's good to note them, but to be flexible and in the moment take what is before you and do what you can with it. I'm torn whether or not I'll do another 3 hours on it. I think this works as a study, and need not be noodled (which might be where it would go with another session). What do you think?

January Long Pose

2011-01-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Dave, oil on panel, 10" x 8"

Every now and again, Artspace in Raleigh, holds a long pose figure session where one three hour pose is revisited 3 times over the course of a month. They are starting the New Year off right, with such sessions this January. I will be enjoying this cost affective way of getting some life painting in. Here is what I came up with so far on Saturday. There was some talk by some of the other participants to move the model against the wall next time, or even switch the pose. I was hoping to get at least one more session on this one (there are some cool pipes up behind his head that I would like to get in) , but if not, that's ok. It's just good to get the eyes moving. Thank you to our fantastic model Dave - who held the pose for 45 minutes at a time. Ouch!

Jay

2010-12-27T23:30:00.001-05:00

Blue Jay, oil on panel, 12" x 12"

Here is a recent painting of a Blue Jay that flew into an on coming car this past summer. My daughter and I witnessed the poor bird's accident while on a walk together. As you may know, I have been painting dead birds for at least a decade. The first dead bird was a Mourning Dove left as a prize by our cat. After that first painting, people started to bring me their cat kills and dead bird finds. I see these birds as fleeting gifts of infinite beauty. It is a challenge and honor to try to capture that beauty. You can find a few examples of my previous bird paintings on the still life page of my website. Unfortunately, most of the birds were photographed using old school 35 mm slide film. Remember that stuff? Well, those slides don't scan so well and those paintings have found good homes long ago. So I don't have very good images to share with you. I guess I'll just have to keep painting new ones. :)

Blue Jay, oil on panel, 12" x 12" (detail)

Architects + Artisans

2010-12-16T10:13:00.001-05:00

Thank you to Cheryl Wilder who wrote a very nice article on my work and the Women Painting Women exhibition and On Expedition in Charleston. You can read the article by visiting Architects + Artisans.

Teaching at RICA

2010-12-09T10:36:00.002-05:00

I am so very excited to share that I will finally be returning to teaching! For several years I taught the foundation level classes (such as Fundamentals of Figure Drawing, Fundamentals of Painting etc) at Laguna College of Art and Design. As life happened, I had to turn my attentions away from teaching and I have very much missed the classroom and energy of my students ever since.

It is with great honor and anticipation that I announce I will be teaching a Contemporary Realism in Oil Painting class at the Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art, starting January 9, 2011! This four week class is for all levels of artists interested in exploring the concepts and techniques of contemporary realist painting. Using a variety of subjects (still life objects, figure or objects of the student's choice) we will learn the basics of composition, value relationships, color, form and space as well as more advance techniques of oil painting. We will be meeting every Sunday, 12:30 - 3:30, January 9 -30, 2011.

Due to RICA's great success and popularity it has now out grown its original facility. In January, please come visit the new, beautiful space right in the heart of downtown Raleigh at 424 S. Dawson St (between Davie St & Cabbarus St.)

Raleigh Institute of Contemporary Art

424 S. Dawson St

Raleigh, NC 27601

(919) 800-0208

For more information on RICA please visit the website www.ricanc.com or to find a complete list of class schedules and to sign up click here (my class is listed all the way at the bottom).

Birth of Impressionism at the Frist

2010-11-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

William Bougureau's Birth of Venus, oil on canvas, 120" x 86", 1879.

This past long holiday weekend, the family and I made our way to Nashville, TN to see the beautiful exhibition at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts called Birth of Impressionism. This exhibition displays 100 paintings from the mid to late 19th century which are from the collection of the Musee d'Orsay. In comparing the contemporaneous academic and realist paintings of that time period to the paintings of the avant garde, this show seeks to show the evolution of Impressionism as a reaction against the Salon.

In walking thru this exhibit I kept finding myself drawn more to the examples of academic realism, the accepted Salon paintings or the earliest examples of Impressionism. I found myself rushing through the last two rooms of typical Impressionistic landscapes, trying to avoid looking too long at what my daughter brilliantly described as "scribble, scrabble". I've included some images of some of my favorite works from the show (many of which I first saw at the Musee d'Orsay in the summer of 1997).

Alfred Stevens, Le Bain, oil on canvas, 29 7/8" x 36 5/8", 1867

Henri Fantin-Latour, Victoria Dubourg, oil on canvas, 36 3/8" x 29 7/8", 1873

Henri Fantin-Latour, Antoine Vollon, oil on canvas, 11 7/8" x 7 1/8", 1865

Emile-Auguste Carolus-Duran, Lady with a Glove, oil on canvas, 89 3/4" x 64 1/2", 1869

Gustave Caillebotte, The Floor Scrapers, oil on canvas, 40 1/4" x 57 5/8", 1875

This show is definitely worth a trip to Nashville to see these amazing paintings before they return to their home in Paris. The Birth of Impressionism continues through January 23, 2011. The Frist has also posted a short video of visitor reactions to the exhibit that you can view by clicking HERE. A favorite quote from the video a gentleman speaks about The Floor Scrapers painting "It said to me, that we are worked on by what we work on".

A Few Shows in December

2010-11-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

I am happy to share that my work will be included in a few shows this coming month. First, at Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery, in Santa Barbara, California the following North Carolina landscape is included in their Winter Salon, 2010 continuing on through January 30th

Old Laurel Creek, oil on panel, 10" x 8"

Also, included in another annual group show, which they cleverly call 100 Grand (100 works of art for $1,000 or under) Sullivan Goss will be showing my Southern Draw'l painting of model Kat. This exhibition runs December 2, 2010 - February 27, 2011. Here is a picture of the painting in its brand new, hand made, cherry frame that my husband and I collaborated on (he designed the molding, measured and cut; I glued, assembled, stained and varnished).

Figure Study, Kat, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Lastly, I will have four of my recent still life paintings included in the Green Hill Center for NC Art's Winter Show, which opens with a Collector's Choice Gala event the evening of December 4th and continues through January 15, 2011. If you are interested in joining me for the Gala, tickets may be purchased by clicking here. You can also view some of the 500 works included in this 'best of NC' show by clicking here. My paintings included are as follows:

Nest, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Heirloom, oil on panel, 10" x 10"

Kidney Beans, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Sugar Bowl, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, I feel its appropriate to say how grateful I am for what has proven to be an amazing year for me. I have had my work shown all around this glorious country, included in various important collections, I have had several opportunities to travel, and to paint with some of America's best artists. As always, I am humbled by all the love and support that my friends and family continually offer. Thank you!

On Expedition - Sullivan's Island

2010-11-17T15:03:00.004-05:00

Distant view of Charleston, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

I have purposefully been avoiding this computer. It's not that I don't want to be blogging, but instead that I have been saving my wrists due to a very painful bout of carpal tunnel. I hope you've missed me (whom ever you may be). :)

So much has been going on this Fall, that it will be impossible for me to recap it all for you. I will quickly say, that my artist lecture at Green Hill Center for NC Art turned out well and the Opening Reception for the People You May Know exhibit at DAC was very well attended. I am honored to have been a part of both exhibitions that focus on North Carolinian artists. You may find more information about each in the respective posts below.

What I would most like to share with you because it is at the forefront of my thoughts these days, is the recent week long painting trip that I, along with the help of fellow WPW contributor Diane Feissel, organized for a dozen of the artists included in the Women Painting Women exhibition at Robert Lange Studios (more on that amazing show in a future post).

The following were the On Expedition 2010 participating artists (click the names for links)

Alexandra Tyng – Narberth, PA

Alia El-Bermani – Cary, NC

Catherine Prescott – Harrisburg, PA

Cindy Procious – Chattanooga, TN

Diane Feissel – Philadelphia, PA

Katherine Stone – Toronto, ON, Canada

Linda Tracey Brandon – Phoenix, AZ

Mia Bergeron – Chattanooga, TN

Rachel Constantine – Philadelphia, PA

Sadie Valeri – San Francisco, CA

Terry Strickland – Pelham, Alabama

Stefani Tewes –Laguna Beach, CA

I am tempted to give you a blow by blow detailed account of the week, but to save my wrists and to also avoid the pitfall of a diary style post, I will point you to the very informative posts already created by some of my fellow painters. You can read poetic tellings and see pictures of us at work on Sadie Valeri's blog; Diane Feissel's blog; Alexandra Tyng's blog; Mia Bergeron's blog; and Terry Strickland's blog.

Instead, I will share with you all the (good, the bad and the ugly) paintings that I created during this week. These paintings primarily ended up being "quick studies". We had intended a few repeat sessions with models, but due to illness and the abundance of so many wonderful things to paint in the Charleston area, this didn't ever happen. The painting at the top, is one such quick study of the view from Alhambra Park in Mount Pleasant, SC. This waterway seemed to be a busy inlet for most of Charleston's shipping industry as I witnessed several HUGE cargo ships pass this very spot several times in the span of about an hour and a half. The channel must be quite deep here because these ships seemed to pass so close to the marsh that I could see a lot of detail and I instantly felt dwarfed.

Lucy Seated, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

This painting of a local model named Lucy, was the very first I did of the week. Most of us arrived late Thursday afternoon, went to a very late night kick off party, and then woke up bright and early on Friday morning to transform our designer dream beach home into a live/ work studio for 12. Lucy arrived at 9 am to a very comfortable large studio space that had once been a living room.

Porch View, oil on panel, 8" x 10"

I believe Porch View was painted in the afternoon after Lucy had departed and before the Opening Reception (which was jam packed) of the Women Painting Women show at Robert Lange Studios. It is a very quick study of our amazing location, right on the beach of Sullivan's Island.

The Gibbes Mausoleum, oil on panel, 10" x 8"

On Sunday, upon the recommendation of local artist extraordinaire, Mary Whyte, we ventured with model in tote to the phenomenal Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. We quickly decided to disband the model, as there were so many wonderful subjects to paint in this historic cemetery which was originally chartered in 1850 and designed by noted South Carolinian architect Edward C. Jones. I was so overwhelmed with the amount of interesting subjects to paint -a man made lake with a resident gator, the many excellent examples of fine 19th century iron work that surround several historic family plots, the statues of fallen confederate soldiers and the many beautifully designed headstones - it took me over an hour to just decide where I was going to set up. At the time, I was frustrated with my self for wasting precious painting time, but in the end, I'm glad I took my time to choose the perfect spot. I ended up in front of the Gibbes family Mausoleum. The Gibbes were a prominent Charleston family and in fact the local art museum is named after them - The Gibbes Museum of Art.

Lauren at Magnolia Plantation Pond, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

The next day, I took our crew over to Magnolia Plantation and Botanical Gardens which is an incredible plantation which was founded by the Drayton Family in 1676. It is currently the oldest public garden in America which first opened its garden gates in 1870. Catherine Prescott, Stefani Tewes and I quickly set up with our wonderful model Lauren only a few feet into the grounds near the schoolyard pond, while the rest of the artists traveled further into the gardens and found some beautiful settings to capture.

Study for Threshold, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Here is another painting of our model Lucy. I had expected this to be a two day painting, but as I mentioned above, Lucy unfortunately got ill, and was not able to come the second time - therefore the unfinished face and hands. The setting is the upstairs porch doorway of local artist Shannon Runquist's beautiful home. Shannon was my local liason to all things Charleston! She helped me find models and locations and even showed the group the perfect example of Southern Hospitality by hosting the most delicious oyster roast (with shrimp and grits as well, of course). Yum! Thank you for all your help, charm, hospitality and fun Shannon!

Lauren Seated, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

The last night we were in the house we invited Lauren over for our last painting session. We ended up painting quite late into the night as well as hosting an impromptu party and champagne toast for the wonderful folks Robert, Megan Lange and Carri Schwab who run the beautiful Robert Lange Studios.

I'm sure I have forgotten to mention somethings from the week - But this is all my wrists can bare at the moment. I'm sure there will be more realizations to come. I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who helped make this week such a great experience for so many artists - To those family members that helped me make this a reality, there are no words great enough to express the deep gratitude and love I feel for you.

Thank you.

RADIO Interview!

2010-10-18T11:50:00.002-04:00

I am so very excited to share with you an interview that aired today on a local NPR station - 88.5 WFDD's Triad Arts Up Close. David Ford did an amazing job condensing our 30 minute conversation into an eloquent interview about my work as well as my philosophies on Art. This interview coincides with an Artist Lecture that I will be giving at the Green Hill Center for NC Art in Greensboro this Wednesday October 20th at 5:30-6:30. I will be talking about my work in general as well as my layered vellum drawings that are included in the Drawing Revisited exhibition.

Thank you to David Ford for a wonderful first experience! I am so honored to be on your fantastic radio program.

You can hear the interview by clicking "listen" on the following link: Triad Arts Up Close

People You May Know

2010-10-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

(my painting Public Restroom pictured bottom left)

People You May Know a contemporary portraiture exhibition at the Durham Arts Council opens THIS Friday October 15th from 5 - 7pm in the DAC's Allenton and Seamans Galleries. The exhibition will continue thru January 9, 2011. Artists included in this exhibition are Daniel Allegrucci, Dave Alsobrooks, Maria Brubeck, Jacob Cooley, Alia El-Bermani, Titus Heagins, Dipika Kohli, Beverly McIver and Marianita Stevans.

This exhibit has all ready gotten much attention from the press. Here is an article that was featured in last weeks Durham News that pictured one of my paintings. And here is another article that hit the paper today that includes several quotes from an interview of me on my work and the state of portraiture. There are several other articles expected as well as a film crew on site at the opening reception. It should be a fun night. I hope you can join me.

If you care to read a previous post about this exhibition you can find that here.

Thanks for reading!

It's Elementary

2010-10-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I had the distinct pleasure of working with two parents who have a child in my daughter's class. Earlier this year, I was approached by the school's Art Teacher, who asked if I would be willing to do a video interview on portraiture for 3rd - 5th graders. Well an interview turned into a video demonstration of a how I would approach the portrait in charcoal. I asked one of the moms from the class if she could volunteer her time as my model. She not only offered that, but also the very skilled hand of her husband, a professional film maker. Whoa - no pressure now! The three of us managed to have a fantastically funny and productive afternoon. I was able (between out-takes) to present some pretty big concepts and technical approaches to the portrait, yet in an easily digestible way for any 3rd grader to understand (hopefully). Here is the drawing that was created for the demo. All in all, I think I had about 2 hours in on this drawing. It will be fun to see the full edited version of the video and especially to hear of the children's reactions! How amazing to be a part of something for our future artists. Thank you to my fantastic model and her camera man. Also, I am quite grateful to Mrs. M for the wonderful opportunity and for her extraordinary efforts to share her love of Art with our children.

Portrait Demo, charcoal on paper, 24" x 18"

Twenty-Four Hours

2010-09-27T23:03:00.000-04:00

Joaquin Sorolla, Vision of Spain

Thursday was a full, wonderful day of inspiration and the joy of great friendship. I headed to Philadelphia so that Diane Feissel and I could meet up with our other dear friend Sadie Valeri in New York City. We started our day in upper Manhattan at the Hispanic Society of America. This Museum/ Research Library, founded by Archer Milton Huntington in 1904, is devoted to the arts and literature of Spain, Portugal and Latin America. The beautiful Beaux Arts building, constructed in 1904 on a farm originally owned by artist John James Audubon, was created specifically to house the Hispanic Society of America's impressive collection. In May of this year, they finished renovating the fantastic Bancaja Gallery which has housed Joaquin Sarolla's Vison of Spain murals since 1926. These 14 monumental canvases (commissioned specifically for the Hispanic Society) surround you when you enter and each represent a different facet of Spanish life. This free museum is a real hidden treasure.

Diane in the center of the Hispanic Society of America

Joaquin Sorolla's Vision of Spain Murals

After feeling full on inspiration, we set out to fill our stomachs before heading to Arcadia Fine Arts a gallery in SoHo, at 51 Greene St NY, NY. Sadie has one stunning piece included in their Small Works exhibit. It was a wonderful opening reception for a beautiful show filled with small jewels of paintings, drawings, and photographs. Small Works will be on exhibit thru October 13, 2010.

Sadie Valeri, The Wave, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Sadie, Me, Diane at Arcadia Fine Arts Small Works exhibit.

We ended the evening with more food and friends. It was a truly wonderful twenty-four hours!

Green Hill Opening Photos

2010-09-12T21:53:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos from the Opening Reception of the Drawing Revisited exhibition at the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art. It was a lovely night with some friends from Raleigh and a huge turn out for the show. It was so packed I wasn't able to get any decent shots of the show overall. I will however be going back and will take more shots of some of my favorites from the exhibit as well as the beautiful space. Thank you to artist Susan Martin for taking these few .photos. Her net drawings are really beautiful and intriguing as well as very hard to photograph.

To see a previous post on Drawing Revisited you can click here. Thank you to Edie Carpenter, Mario Gallucci, and Emily Shank for this wonderful exhibit.

Artist Kiki Farish and myself

Autumn Fun: Part III

2010-09-03T11:46:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to share the last bit of fun I will be having this Fall! Perhaps you are aware that I am a contributor to a fabulous site called Women Painting Women? If you haven't all ready, please make your way over to this wonderful online collection of high quality figurative paintings that happen to all be done by women artists. The WPW site sprung from an online conversation, that prompted San Francisco artist Sadie Valeri to highlight contemporary women artists working in the figurative tradition. Soon after, Diane Feissel and myself became contributors to the blog to help maintain the ever growing collection. We are so excited to announce the first ever Women Painting Women exhibition which will be held November 5-31, 2010 at Robert Lange Studios, an amazing gallery in Charleston, SC. There are over 45 artists included from across the globe! RLS really has pulled out all the stops on this show, making sure that the Art comes first! I am so proud to be hanging in such great company! Here is a post on the gallery's blog that lists all the artists included as well as mentioning a six page article featured in ArtMag. And here is one more brief article on this exhibition in the Charleston City Paper.

Jennifer Balkan, Poof, oil on birch with map fragments and ink, 30" x 30"

As if that weren't exciting enough, we at WPW have been working hard to coordinate a weeklong painting retreat for a dozen women artist whom have all been featured on the site. We will be staying on Sullivan's Island, just outside of Charleston to paint the figure in the beautiful marshes and beaches of the Low Country. Then in March of 2011, the works created during or inspired by this trip will be exhibited at Notion Fine Art in Laguna Beach, CA!

The artists included in this inaugural Women Painting Women retreat are:

Alexandra Tyng - Narberth, PA
Catherine Prescott - Harrisburg, PA
Cindy Procious - Chattanooga, TN
Diane Feissel - Philadelphia, PA
Linda Tracey Brandon - Phoenix, AZ
Lisa Gloria - Aurora, IL
Mia Bergeron - Chattanooga, TN
Rachel Constantine - Philadelphia, PA
Sadie Valeri - San Francisco, CA
Stefani Tewes - Laguna Beach, CA
Katherine Stone - Toronto, Ontario
Alia El-Bermani - Cary, NC

I hope you will be able to join us for the opening reception at Robert Lange Studios on November 5th from 5:30-7:30! It is sure to be a stellar event.

New Figure Painting

2010-09-01T11:46:00.000-04:00

Becoming, oil on panel, 24" x 24"

Here is my most recent figure painting. I literally just finished it last night. For those of you who have found me on Facebook, you may have seen a very early stage of this painting (even earlier than the grisaille below), and then again last night I posted the "finished" version on there. However, if you look closely there are a few tweaks I made after seeing it on Facebook. Often times, I don't see errors within my paintings until I see them condensed for me on the computer screen. Another good tool for finding problems in paintings is to look at them in a mirror. Now, if only I could remember to use these tools before I share my work with the public. Ah well.

Becoming, oil on panel, 24" x 24" (in progress)

Autumn Fun: Part II

2010-08-20T21:42:00.003-04:00

Public Restroom, oil on panel, 20" x 30"

The next portion of autumnal fun will be another fabulous invitational show which is being curated by Barclay McConnell at the Durham Arts Council. The title of the exhibition is People You May Know: Contemporary Portraits. I am so pleased to have four of my portraits included in this exciting exhibition that not only celebrates the fine art of portraiture, but also seeks to celebrate the characters of our everyday life that often go by overlooked. Other great artists included are Beverly McIver, Titus Heagins and Jacob Cooley. This exhibition will run October 8th, 2010 - January 9th, 2011 with the Artist Reception to coincide with Downtown Durham's Third Friday ArtWalk on Friday October 15th from 5-7pm. Thank you to Barclay and the DAC for including my work in this wonderful exhibition.

Durham Arts Council: 120 Morris Street Durham, NC 27701 919.560.ARTS

Autumn Fun: Part I

2010-08-16T15:08:00.009-04:00

This Autumn is going to be packed with great exhibitions and adventures for me. I am so looking forward to the coming crisp air because with it will come a flurry of activity. I am so happy to share with you that I will have my work included in several prestigious invitational exhibitions here in North Carolina as well as a group figurative show that is near and dear to my heart in Charleston, South Carolina.

Images left to right by artists: Tamie Beldue, Kreh Mellick and Alia El-Bermani

First off, in September I will have three of my layered vellum drawings included in an exhibition titled Drawing Revisited at the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art. The Opening Reception is September 10, 2010 5:30 - 7:30 and will continue through October 29th. "Drawing Revisited is a major survey of North Carolina artists working in a medium which in the digital age may appear to be a slow and intimate art form. Drawings from more than fifty artist, both renowned and newly notable will be on view. Over 200 works on paper in graphite, watercolor, artist's crayon, wash, charcoal and ink will attest to the ongoing vitality of drawing. Related programs will include lunchtime artist's talks, figure drawing workshops, and an audio tour for children and families." In fact, I have been asked to give an Artist's Lecture on my work on Wednesday, October 20th at 5:30. I will be presenting 'slides' of my work both painting and drawing. I am quite honored to also have been chosen as one of the artists whose image was reproduced for the invitation you see above.

Artist Proof, Julie, charcoal on layered vellum, 38" x 25"

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my "Layered Vellum Drawings" I think I should explain. This series of large scale, charcoal drawings investigate the concept of layers. I am interested in the physical layers of my chosen medium as well as representing the internal, psychological layers of my sitters. Each complete drawing is made of up several (as little as two and as many as four) drawings on separate sheets of vellum, which are then flattened one a top another to create the final image. Often, I have included symbols such as pattern and still life objects to further represent my subjects. As with painting, the under layers of these drawings are not always as clear as those on the surface. This in fact, is an intentional use of the semi-transparent vellum. The further the layer recedes from the viewer, the more ghosted the drawing appears. It's a nice physical representation of the deeper layers we all have obscured within us.

Layered Self Portrait, charcoal on layered vellum, 94" x 45"

Colin, charcoal on layered vellum, 38" x 25"

200 N. Davie Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27401
http://www.greenhillcenter.org/

If you are near Greensboro, I hope you will be able to join me for either the Opening Reception on September 10th or the Artist Lecture on October 20th.

N.E.W. Works Exhibition at VAE

2010-08-03T22:02:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to announce that my painting Space Between will be included in Visual Art Exchange's 21st Annual Never Exhibited Works show September 3 - 23, 2010. The juror for this year's exhibition was Steven Matijcio, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Winston-Salem, NC. I hope to see you at the Opening Reception on Friday September 3rd 6-9pm.

Space Between, oil on panel, 36" x 48"

In Progress: Southern Weeds

2010-07-09T13:24:00.000-04:00

These two paintings are still in progress. They are two of a triptych which shows three different stages of the blackberry bush in my back yard. The weather here has scorched the bush, so unfortunately, now I will have to finish these up from photos. It is not an easy thing for me to switch from working from life to using photos, especially on this newer subject matter. With the figure, I have had enough time painting in front of the real thing, so that I know what information I need to ignore in photos. But, with the botanicals, I become overwhelmed with so much information and details within the photos which aren't as apparent to the naked eye. Also, colorwise, I need to find a way to tie these two (and then the third) together a bit more.

Blackberry Blossom, (In Progress), oil on panel, 8" x 10"

Blackberry Fruit, (In Progress), oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Diane in Raleigh again!

2010-07-02T12:23:00.005-04:00

Diane Feissel is in Raleigh tonight... well sort of! Diane with Kitten will be on exhibit thru July 31 in the Upfront Gallery of ArtSpace. The opening reception is tonight during First Friday 6-10pm, so stop by if you are out enjoying the fabulous weather!

Diane with Kitten, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

Artspace Artists Association New Members Exhibition
July 2 - 31, 2010
Opening Reception: July 2, 6 - 10pm

New members of the Artspace Artists Association (since Spring 2009) will exhibit work in the Upfront Gallery during the month of July. New artists participating in the exhibition include Megan Clark, Ryan Cummings, Jenny Eggleston, Alia El-Bermani, Kiki Farish, Bill Hickman, Lillian Jones, Julie Niskanen, Addison Page, Megan Sullivan, Ann Corley Silverman, and Lisa Stroud.

The Artspace Artists Association (AAA) is a professional membership association. Artists are juried into the association through a competitive process twice each year. The next deadline for membership is September 1, 2010.

2010 Art Related Travels: San Francisco

2010-06-30T12:42:00.002-04:00

I am woefully behind in blogging as of late. Please be patient with me in my attempt to catch up. Back in April, I had the opportunity to take a quick trip to San Francisco, California. We only had a weekend, so I felt a bit rushed, but I did manage to see some fantastic Art while visiting.

Carl Dobsky, Portrait of Layil (detail), oil on canvas, 12.5" x 9" 2009

At John Pence Gallery, we were fortunate enough to see the exhibition of Carl Dobsky's most recent drawings and paintings. Dobsky studied Fine Art at the Ringling School of Art in FL, received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art, as well as studied under Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier in NY. His paintings combine a controlled skill and refinement with a fresh liveliness to the paint that comes from thicker application in key areas. Just off center of the room was a table that displayed several paintings that were framed double sided. These double sided paintings, were mostly contemporary portraits on one side and still lifes of skulls and contemporary objects on the other. I quite enjoyed circling this table several times, noting his choice of pairing portraits and skulls.

More images and information for this exhibition of drawings and paintings by Carl Dobsky can be seen by clicking here.

Seeing such great paintings can make a girl hungry, so the good folks at John Pence Gallery recommended the Grand Cafe at the Hotel Monaco. What a splendid suggestion that turned out to be. Fantastic French cuisine in an Art Nouveau grand ballroom style atmosphere made for quite an experience. Delicious!

Grand Cafe at the Hotel Monaco, San Francisco California

The next day was spent at the De Young Museum. Now, I must say that several friends that have lived in San Francisco have always been quite apologetic for the art museums of their city. So going to the De Young, I had low expectations. However, I am happy to report, I have no idea what those friends are apologetic for. This smallish museum had quite a few holdings to be proud of. Here are a few of my favorites:

Thomas Dewing, Elizabeth Platt Jencks, oil on canvas, 1895

Alexander Pope, The Wild Swan, oil on canvas, 1900

Alexander Pope, The Wild Swan (detail), oil on canvas, 1900

John Singer Sargent, Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles, oil on canvas, 1884

John Singer Sargent, Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles (detail), oil on canvas, 1884

2010 Art Related Travels: NYC

2010-05-29T22:15:00.003-04:00

As I stated in a previous post, in January I was quite fortunate to go visit my good friend Diane Feissel in Philadelphia. While on that visit, we took a bus trip up to NYC to meet up with our other good friend and fabulous painter Sadie Valeri who was visiting the big apple from San Francisico. We spent the entire day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seeing amazing works of art with two amazing friends was such a great way to break in the New Year! Here are just a few of some of the works that struck me that day. Again, there is much more to see at the MET and every time I get back there, I seem to find more great works I hadn't previously discovered.

Eugene Delacroix, Madame Henri Francois Riesener, oil on canvas 1835

Camille Corot, Portrait of a Child, oil on wood, 1835

Camille Corot is considered more of a french landscape painter (see example below) yet here in a room filled with Corot's masterful landscapes, I was surprised to find two of his finest portraits. It is said that he painted fewer than 50 portraits in his life time which were mostly of his family or close friends.

Camille Corot, The Environs of Paris, oil on canvas, 1860

Charles Brague, Bashi-Bazouk, oil on canvas, 1875

Jules Breton, The Weeders, oil on canvas, 1860

I loved walking into the room that this painting is hanging in. It shares the space with a few Jean Francois Millet's wonderful paintings of a similar time of day. I am in awe of paintings with back light situations. It has got to be one of the most difficult casts of light to paint. According to the placard hanging next to The Weeders, in his autobiography, Breton states that one evening he came across this twighlights scene of peasants pulling up "thistles and weeds... their faces haloed by the pink transparency of their violet hoods, as if to venerate a fecundating star".

Greenville Museum of Art

2010-05-25T20:52:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to be the Juror for this year's Greenville Museum of Art Artist Association's Annual Juried Exhibition. The exhibition will run from July 29 - August 29, 2010. I look forward to seeing GMA Artist's best work! Thank you to Director, Charlotte Fitz for the opportunity.

More information on entering the exhibition can be found Here (scroll down) or on the Greenville Museum of Art's site.

Greenville Museum of Art
802 S. Evans St
Greenville, NC 27834
www.gmoa.org

Neighbor Painting Now Complete with Title

2010-05-17T18:42:00.000-04:00

Space Between, oil on panel, 36" x 48"

Et Voila, here she is, my neighbor painting. I found this painting particularly difficult to photograph high quality images of because of its size. So, I have added a few detail shots to give you a closer view of some key areas.

Space Between (detail), oil on panel, 36" x 48"

2010 Art Related Travels: Philadelphia

2010-05-17T15:40:00.005-04:00

As I said earlier, this first half of the year has been a very busy and art filled. I need to take you back to January to give you a better idea of some of the great Art I've been so fortunate to see this year so far. In January, I took a trip up to Philadelphia to visit my dear friend and fellow artist Diane Feissel. She was so kind to take me around her new, fantastic city. Among other things, she took me to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on an evening when they were hosting some wonderful Jazz Music. We focused on viewing the American Collection which houses some of our countries greatests like Inness, Beaux, and several works by Thomas Eakins, in fact an entire room was dedicated to this local artist. Here are some favorite images from this visit.

Thomas Eakins, various portraits, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Thomas Eakins, Portrait of J. Harry Lewis, oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in, 1876

Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic, oil on canvas, 84⅜ in × 118⅛ in, 1889

Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic (detail), oil on canvas, 1889

Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic (detail), oil on canvas, 1889

George Inness, Short Cut Thru Watchung Station New Jersey, oil on canvas, 1883

Cecilia Beaux, Portrait of George Burnham, oil on canvas, 47 3/4 x 41 3/8 in, 1887

There are of course many many more exemplary works in this museum. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is definitely worth a visit. They also have a very good website that shows most of their collection with the ability to zoom in. You can find better images of these paintings and view the PMA's website by clicking HERE.

Next post will be about a quick trip to NYC... stay tuned.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-05-11T17:07:00.001-04:00

It has been one VERY busy Spring. I have been busy painting, painting, traveling, painting, traveling again and oh yes, painting... I am so close to finishing the Neighbor painting (still working on a title). But before I get ahead of myself and post a nearly done painting, instead of the fully complete painting, I thought instead you might enjoy seeing some pictures of one of the great places I went. When life has more time for organizing, resizing photos, and blogging I'll do a post on some of my favorite Art works seen this Spring.

National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC

Give and Take

2010-04-10T12:26:00.000-04:00

Maple Pod, oil on panel, 12" x 12"

The painting above will be included in a GREAT annual fundraiser at ArtSpace called Give and Take. The proceeds from this event will help to fund scholarships for inner city youth to be involved in the wonderful art classes offered at ArtSpace this coming summer.

Give a child the chance to explore their creativity in the Artspace Summer Arts Program and Take home a great work of art!

The Give and Take event will happen on May 13, 2010, but you can purchase tickets this coming Monday, April 12th! You can get more information on the event HERE. Please come out and share you love of art with our future, our youth.

Southern Weeds

2010-03-29T22:36:00.005-04:00

Poke Berries, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

I've been working on a little something... Here's my Artist Statement for this new series.

Southern Weeds

As a recent transplant to the South, I have been struggling to find how I belong here, especially as an artist. I grew up in New England, just south of Boston yet, I have spent the last thirteen years in California. Our recent relocation to North Carolina has markedly skewed my sense of identity. I am now acutely aware of how foreign I am in this place where terms like Yankee still mingle freely in conversation; where even still, segregation is a reoccurring and prominent subject. It is through the nature of my new home state, that I have been able to find peace and a sense of place.

While in California I studied and developed my career as a fine artist. I received wonderful classical figurative painting training from Laguna College of Art and Design. There, I focused on representing the figure and still life in paint. In retrospect, it seems odd that I never was interested in painting that Western landscape. It is such an iconic setting for plein air work, and yet I never felt connected enough to want to represent it. Over the years, I slowly became less aware of my desire for a more familiar landscape. This desire wasn’t re-ignited until I took a quick trip to visit Chapel Hill, NC which reminded me of the rich greens, dark woods and rolling pastures that I craved from my youth.

The natural surroundings of my new backyard are at once familiar and shockingly different than that of my childhood. There are of course, many familiar plants that flourish in both areas, but then there are also some species that are unique to the South. It is these new to me, but common to the South plants that I find so interesting. As a continuation of previous bodies of work that explored the idea of representing the mundane as extraordinary, I hope to share the beauty that I find in these common, and often overlooked, southern weeds. Through my research and painting of these specimens, I’ve also learned some of the history of the area. As I’ve discovered how these plants were used as medicine or ink or even in Anti Slavery protests, I have found a deeper connection to my new setting. It’s a connection safely explored through beauty and history, beyond any stigmas or political agendas. It is an artistic connection rooted to the natural history here that has helped me find my place.

Water Oak, oil on panel, 8" x 10"

Persimmon, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Art for Haiti

2010-03-18T15:41:00.003-04:00

I am pleased to announce that Reflecting Image, a painting that was included in my 2006 solo exhibition titled 'Perceptions of Beauty', will be included in the Live Auction portion of a charitable event sponsored by Jerry's Artarama benefiting Habitat for Humanity's relief efforts in Haiti. The Art for Haiti Auction and Gala event will be on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ticket Information:
Tickets for the event are only $45 which includes dinner catered by Centerplate and a live and silent art auction. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Art for Haiti website, by clicking HERE or by contacting Heather Goldstein: heather@jerrysartarama.com.

Artists there is STILL time to participate!

For more information about the event visit: the Art Auction and Gala For Haiti at http://www.jerrysartarama.com/community/Art-Auction-and-Gala/ or contact Heather Goldstein at 919-878-6782 ext# 115 or heather(at)jerrysartarama(dot)com.

Reflecting Image, oil on panel, 30" x 20", 2006

New Works Exhibition

2010-03-13T20:55:00.001-05:00

I'm happy to announce that two of my pieces were excepted into ArtSpace's annual juried exhibition for AAA artists called New Works. The exhibition will be in Gallery One from March 13 – May 1, 2010 with the Opening Reception: April 2nd, 6 - 10pm and an Awards Presentation at 8pm. Harriett Green was the juror for this year’s New Works exhibition. Among other things, Green is the Visual Arts Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission. You can find more information about Ms. Green and the show by clicking here.

The two pieces that were selected were Artist Proof, Julie as well as the Portrait Study of Wyeth. If you are in the area, I hope you will come out for the First Friday opening reception. Hope to see you there.

Neighbor

2010-03-09T17:12:00.001-05:00

It's taken me a long time to get this painting to just this point (in grisaille). I think I started this painting about a month ago but I have had other projects to wrap up. So, although I've really wanted to be working on this all the time, it has been slowly developing in bits and pieces, as I found 'extra' time. I'm excited by this new painting. I've been painting so small since our move to North Carolina, so it is immensely freeing and exhilarating to be painting life size once again. It feels like I've found a bit of my old self to be working this large again.

Susan at Kitchen Table, 36" x 48" oil on panel (working title and in progress)

So, you may remember my Scattered post, about trying to find inspiration amidst distractions and frustrations. Well, because of that snow storm, I got the idea for this painting and another (which hopefully will surface beyond the image in my head). I asked a neighbor who not only is a lovely person, but also has a lovely view from her kitchen, if she would be willing to model for me. Amazingly, I didn't scare her off, or at least she feels she owes me since I rescued her from that Copperhead snake in her garage last fall (that's another story). This grisaille is nearly done, but I can't wait any longer... I'm dying to get into the color... Wish me luck!

Susan at Kitchen Table, Detail (working title and in progress)

Artist Proof

2010-03-03T09:42:00.003-05:00

Artist Proof, Julie

charcoal on layered vellum

38" x 25"

I just finished this drawing of my lovely printmaker friend Julie Niskanen. It is one of my layered drawings on vellum. What I like so much about working on vellum is the semi-transparent nature of the material as well as the ease of erasing all the way back to white. This drawing only has two layers (figure on top and tatoo below), but sometimes I will do several layers and the further the layer back is, the further ghosted it is. It's a nice physical representation of the deeper layers we all have obscured with in us.

Artist Proof, Julie (detail)

You can read a previous post I did about Julie's work by clicking here.

Artist Lecture at ECU UPDATE!

2010-02-22T14:52:00.002-05:00

My Artist Lecture on Friday, February 26th at East Carolina University in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center's Auditorium (room 1220) now has a confirmed time of 5:30pm. If you are in the area, I hope you will be able to join me.

You can find a Campus Map Here.

Mentor Update!

2010-02-21T20:14:00.002-05:00

Well I just found out that one of my mentors from LCAD FINALLY has a website. You can see a previous post I did that included a mention of him here regarding Flesh Tones.

And enjoy looking through Stephen Douglas' website here!

Enjoy!

Diane with Kitten

2010-02-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

Diane with Kitten, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

I've had a few more brief sessions on the painting Diane with Kitten and I'm pleased that I have re-visited this painting. In the previous post, I noted the size as 24" x 18", when in fact it is actually 20" x 16". No big deal, except that the incorrect dimensions threw off how I sized the image for the web, and therefore her head felt stretched. Why didn't I notice that before? Beyond my apparent ineptitude at reading a ruler, I really am quite pleased with how I have pushed the color and softened the value shifts from light mass to shadow mass on the face. I'm not sure how much of a difference you'll be able to see from the images here, but I'm happy none the less to call her done.

Also of note: I have reciprocated the favor of modeling for Diane. She has posted a (may I say, brilliant) painted sketch that she's done of me on her blog which you can find here!

Notion Fine Art Grand Opening

2010-02-15T17:40:00.002-05:00

Notion Fine Art is a brand new gallery opening in Laguna Beach, CA. I am proud to be showing along with fellow Laguna College of Art & Design alumna Stefani Tewes for their Grand Opening Exhibition! The Reception will be Thursday, March 4th to coincide with Laguna Beach's First Thursday Art Walk, and it will continue thru March 30, 2010. I hope you will be able to make it out to support this new gallery. Great things are sure to come!

Notion Fine Art
1590 South Coast Hwy. Suite #1
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
www.notionfineart.com

Artist Lecture at ECU

2010-02-11T15:16:00.003-05:00

Kitchen Window, oil on panel, 48" x 36"

I am pleased to announce that following student critiques, I will be giving a lecture on my work, methods and art related ramblings on Friday, February 26th at East Carolina University in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center's Auditorium (room 1220). The lecture will take place in the early evening around 5:30pm. Stay tuned, as the time still has yet to be confirmed. You can find out more about ECU's School of Art and Design Here. Thank you to ECU's Painting Guild and especially Beth Blake for the honor and invitation!

I hope you will come and enjoy the evening with me!

Click here for a Campus Map

Scattered

2010-02-10T19:06:00.003-05:00

It has been a frustrating few weeks. I've had a series of distractions that has kept me out of the studio. The least fun perhaps was the 'chance' to do our taxes. This yearly endeavor causes nothing but grief and hair loss. It is rather depressing to see how much money can be spent on the making of art. In fact, I let it creep into that cyclical crevice in my brain that holds the nefarious creature I've spoken of before... Yes, good ol' Self Doubt. I quickly started to doubt the validity of being an artist at all. What a selfish pursuit it is to be stuck in a room alone to make pretty pictures, when there are masses of people who are in need of real things like food and water and shelter. How can I quantify the value or cost of my Art to my children? I let these thoughts paralyze me. I'm embarrassed to share that I could have given drawings to the Lodi Project's Artist's Unite For Haiti; I had intended too. Yet, in my tail spin, I missed the drop off dates and lost an opportunity to feel like I affected some small change. Did I intentionally sabotage myself so that I wouldn't feel a bit better? And now even, is this post an attempt to appease the guilt felt for being a have instead of a have not?

At some point though, there is a need to breath again; to lift myself from the muddle of thoughts; to regain my determination to become a better artist (whatever that is to me, at that moment). Once again, it was the by the grace of Mother Nature that yielded inner peace. We were dealt our first snow storm of the season. And it was wonderful to see the world anew. A fresh white palette to observe the minutia in the scheme of the whole. I wandered into my refuge, the woods, and once again found clarity. I took these photos of nature undisturbed. I am sure some of these images will pop up in paintings to come, as personal symbols of calm and clarity.

For the Love of Art

2010-02-06T08:52:00.001-05:00

Visual Art Exchange is hosting it's 26th Annual Live & Silent Auction at the beautiful Raleigh Marriott tonight starting at 6pm.

If you are one of the 400 or so lucky ticket holders, then I will look forward to seeing you there tonight. I've spared my husband the hassle of accompanying me to this swanky evening. He hates these kind of social events, especially if it means he has to dress up. Instead I am joining the lovely and uber-talented Kiki Farish (who happens to have also won First Place for the juried aspect of this event). You can see all the work that was donated (including my two figure drawings and Kiki's prize winning triptych) by viewing VAE's Flickr site here.

Unlike my husband, I do like playing dress-up occasionally. Unfortunately though, the dress in my closet that I had in mind that would be perfect for this event is now way too big! I guess that is a good thing, but at the same time, I wish I had thought to take it out and try it on sooner than yesterday. Since my sewing skills are very sub-par these days, I am off to the mall on a rainy day, instead of drawing like I wanted to. I knew I should have skipped more gym sessions...

Finding Inspiration

2010-01-24T09:16:00.005-05:00

Vivaldi’s Virgins
By Barbara Quick
HarperCollins

At best, studio time has been sporadic over these last few weeks as my familial duties ebb and flow. Although I don't have any worthy images to share with you, I thought that I could share with you a bit of unexpected inspiration.

I have been reading a most stimulating historical fiction by Barbara Quick titled "Vivaldi's Virgins". I am addicted to art related fiction. It's a genre in writing that easily sucks me in and keeps me up at night as I obsessively turn pages. This story recreates for us 18th century Venice thru the eyes of a cloistered orphan and student of Vivaldi, the Red Priest. Barbara Quick's style of writing immediately set my visual senses a flutter. There are passages that had me weeping at the brilliance of the idea. Here is a favorite:

"Are all lives such a complicated puzzle? Maybe it's only in Venezia - in this place where everyone's role is so striclty and precisely defined - that the cracks between the puzzle pieces tell as much a story as the pieces themselves. Each piece, seen in isolation, makes no sense at all - a corner of this, a limb of that; a leaf, a shadow, a section of water or sky. The meaning only becomes clear when all the pieces are fitted together."

I also found an insightful review by Terez Rose that you may read HERE.

Have you found inspiration in writing before? Do you have a favorite art related fiction to recommend? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Now, I must binge on Vivaldi's beautiful scores as I paint and draw.

Los Angeles Art Show

2010-01-14T21:28:00.006-05:00

Heirloom, oil on panel, 10" x 10"

This painting will be exhibited at this year's Los Angeles Art Show which opens with a Gala Reception on Wednesday January 20th and continues thru January 24th. Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery has once again put together an impressive collection of work which you can see in person at booth G182. I am very happy to once again be a part of this fabulous show.

Artist and Mother

2010-01-06T10:10:00.009-05:00

Lately, I have had extended conversations with several young aspiring women artists who are most interested in how I manage motherhood with my career. I suppose it’s a valid question, although in my own naiveté, it was not one I thought to consider when I was deciding to pursue a career as an artist. I’m not sure where to start on this one though as it is such a big topic with much potential for controversy. I do have fears of being pegged as one thing or another but, I feel this is an important enough topic to bring up, that my fears are less consequential than the potential benefit this post may have.

As a student, there were several professional women artists teaching at LCAD. Most (if not all?) of them had chosen, long before I became their student, to decidedly NOT have a family. I think this was, at least partially, due to the stigma of not being seen as a professional artist. Betty Shelton, Sharon Allicotti, and Darlene Campbell were all wonderful role models for me on how to become a strong, intelligent, sensitive, and successful woman in a career path that at the time, (and I’ll let other’s decide about the current scene) seemed dominated by male egos. Yet none of these working professional women were raising a family. I was too naïve to see this deficiency.

Now, I am the mother of two young children (5yrs and 3yrs) for whom I choose to stay home with, while maintaining my career as a painter. It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. It sometimes feels that everything is happening at once. But, I’m not sure I wouldn’t feel the juggling act of life any less without children. It’s just that my concerns are different than they would be without a family. We all have busy lives, with too little time in the day. Right? I also believe that by continuing my painting career, I am a better parent, because I am showing my children how to be a whole, complete and happy adult.

I think it’s very important for me to point out here, that I am not the type of person who thinks everyone should have children. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. For me though, I knew it was right. I have always loved children. I very much enjoy seeing their worlds open wide with every minor discovery. I knew I would raise a family and I feel I’m doing a good job in that role. Being an artist has made parenting that much easier because we always have creative outlets to fall back on. What kid doesn’t like making a mess on the dining room table with paint, glue and of course glitter?

I’m not going to lie though. These last, especially, three years have been the hardest of my life. Our little family has had to deal with a series of unfortunate medical and financial issues that has both tested and strengthened us as family. Finding balance has been the key for our survival as a family, as parents and as artists. I am very fortunate to have my husband, who happens to also be an artist. He understands how profoundly important it is for us both to continue our chosen career paths. We often swap family roles so the other parent can get to the studio to work. I don’t think I could be as good an artist, mother or person if I didn’t have the overflowing love and support of my husband. Andrew Wyeth said, “One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes.” I think that ‘love’ Wyeth is talking about is as much the love the artist has for her subject and process as well as the love that’s put into the artist from those around her.

I really believe there is nothing in life that should limit your art, and your art shouldn’t limit your life. Meaning, if you WANT to have kids and a career you can. There will be times when there seems to be an imbalance, with one needing more time. But, with hard work, dedication and a clear heart open to both, your life will be full for having both. Your life experiences no matter your choice of family or not, will inform your work. For me, my children have really benefited my work, by giving me a clear vision, optimism and a reason to make this world a bit better.

I hope my words will be comforting to some young artists out there who struggle with the desire for both family and career. It is possible, with patience, balance, love and support. Please feel free to share your stories or comments on the subject.

The Sketchbook Project

2009-12-30T22:33:00.014-05:00

I've spent the last 4 months trying to keep quiet about this fun project that I decided to be a part of, because... well, I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. I must admit it did help quite a bit that they extended the deadline.

The Sketchbook Project, now in its fourth variation, is a opportunity for anyone to submit a sketch-filled moleskine, sketchbook to become part of the permanent Library of Art House Gallery. Steven Peterman and Shane Zucker have recently announced that they will also be opening up a new space in Red Hook in Brooklyn, NY in January 2010. The Sketchbook Project Volume 4 exhibition will begin touring January 29th, starting in Atlanta and moving to NYC, then Los Angeles, St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL. Hundreds of people will be able to receive a library card to be able to get a hands on look at the sketchbooks.

Each participating artist was given one of 30 possible themes to base their creations on. The theme idea was created to help the artists get a clear focus as well aid the visitors in finding the books they are most interested in viewing. The theme I was randomly given was "The Aftermath of..." and I filled in the blank for the title/ theme to read The Aftermath of Line and Sight. You can click that link to view more pages from my submission.

I am so very happy to be a part of such a huge community driven project. I love that so many people will get to handle the book and see the drawings up close. I hope you will take a look at this link for the touring dates. If the books come to your neck of the woods, go take a-look-see. I think you get to keep your library card.

Recent News

2009-12-29T07:23:00.002-05:00

Recent News & Events

Posted using ShareThis

Good Art in Raleigh

2009-12-13T22:54:00.007-05:00

Shortly after relocating to North Carolina, about one year ago, I went out to experience my first Raleigh art walk (known as First Friday), which happened to fall on January 2nd 2009. What an unfortunate first impression this night left on me. Having come from Southern California, where there are almost too many Art Walks to choose from each month, Raleigh's art scene appeared a very ho-hum, dead scene. People must have been recovering from their festivities, because I now know this isn't the typical First Friday scenario. But on that blustery, night I happened to walk into the (then quiet) studios of 311 W. Martin St. It was there that I met an artist who gave me hope that Raleigh wasn't the cultural vacuum I had assumed.

Julie Niskanen has her studio at 311 W. Martin Studios, which houses many fine print makers and a few painters as well as hosts gallery exhibits in the front space. I immediately fell in love with the rich blacks of Julie's mezzotints as well as her seemingly simple compositions. I've been coveting one of her piece's in particular, since that night. And today my husband and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary by purchasing this piece. Please take the time to look through her website which includes installation shots and mixed media pieces as well as drawings and of course her beautiful prints.

Julie Niskanen, Sanctuary, mezzotint, 18" x 24"

Winter Figures

2009-12-10T15:10:00.013-05:00

The top two drawings were done with graphite, the rest are ink using a new brush pen that my husband picked up for me. This is THE best brush pen I have come across. You can get incredibly fine lines with it, (which has been my main complaint with the majority of commercial brush pens). I love to use an ink well and series 7 brush when in the studio, but this is so much easier to tote to the many figure drawing groups I go to. A lot less clean up as well. My husband, Greg Baldwin (of Creaturebox) gives the details about the maker of the brush pen and describes how he is using it on his blog which you can check out here. We discovered that if you order it from the UK, you get extra refills and it's slightly cheaper (even with shipping). I hope some of you will give it a try.

and There's Always Mexico

2009-11-30T17:12:00.010-05:00

How could I have forgotten? This is a true sign of too much going on all at once. Why do I have all shows converging on the same month, at the end of the year, instead of spread out nicely through out the year? Don't get me wrong dear Art Gods.... I appreciate all the shows. I do!

If you are planning a trip to Mexico please make sure to stop into The Loft Galeria in Puerta Vallarta. I have three figurative pieces there currently that are some of my favorites! Tell John I sent you.

The Loft Galeria Corona 176A, Centro 93800 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Nude Seated, oil on panel, 17" x 14"

Nude Seated, charcoal on vellum, 17" x 14"

Public Restroom, oil on panel, 20" x 30"

Alia Fine Art Newsletter

2009-11-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

Since this is such a busy time for me, I thought that I should start a Newsletter to keep us all up on recent events, upcoming exhibitions and workshops. You can view my very first e-Newsletter by clicking on this link.

If you haven't all ready, you can sign up from either here on my blog (see right) or directly from the Newsletter (at the top, in the grey bar you should see 'Subscribe to List'). If you have any trouble feel free to email me your contact info, and I'll be happy to do it manually for you.

I really appreciate all your support and I hope I will get to see you at one of these events soon!

Opening Reception THIS Friday!!

2009-11-30T09:34:00.009-05:00

I am very pleased to annonuce that I will be exhibiting the paintings below as one of VAE's Exchange Gallery Artists for the month of December, along with fellow artists Kathy Brancato, Janet Harrell, Mary Ann Scherr and Sean Byrne.

Please join us for the Opening Reception this Friday, December 4, from 6-9pm. The exhibition will continue thru December 24, 2009. Hope to see you there!

Visual Art Exchange - 325 Blake St. Raleigh, NC 27601 (919)-828-7834

CaryAnn, oil on panel, 18" x 14"

Allison at Mirror, oil on panel, 26" x 16"

Leslie, oil on panel, 26" x 20"

related post

Nest

2009-11-23T14:51:00.003-05:00

Nest
oil on panel
8" x 8"

I've worked on this itty painting now for 7 sessions of about 3-4 hours a piece and it is nearly complete. There are just a few little areas I'd like to work on a bit more before I can call this one 'done'. It's been such a joy to paint this beautiful nest and broken egg. I've loved having them set up in my studio, protecting them from visitors and a studio cat. It will be sad to put these on a shelf, out of their singular light...

I hope to make another progress video from the still shots I've taken of this painting's progression. At the very least, I will share with you the individual progress shots, but for now, I must get ready for our upcoming holiday. For those of you that celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this year, and your support is one such thing. I so appreciate all the kind comments and silent viewers that come to share in my studio experiences and art related ramblings.

Thank you!

see related post

She's not a Stranger to me...

2009-11-17T15:20:00.007-05:00

My dear friend Diane Feissel has abandoned me. She's up and gone, as fast as I got to know her. I'm sad for myself and the rest of Raleigh, but very happy for her and her new home town of Philadelphia. That city suits her much better and I hope she'll acclimate quickly. I've known for awhile now that she was going to be moving around November 1st. But it wasn't until about three weeks before that date that the full reality set in. I got the bright idea to do a portrait of her, which 1)would leave a nice remembrance of her for me in my studio, and 2)force her to sit for me, chatting away while she stared at a speck on the wall. Amazingly, she agreed and we were able to get 2 three hour sittings in before her departure. We were hoping to get one more session in, but she ended up being a virus magnet and was quite ill, in the midst of packing. I may be devious, but I'm not cruel, so I didn't make her sit for me her last week here in Raleigh. Here are a few photos of how I developed this painting.

Diane with Kitten, oil on panel, 24" x 18"

While painting this, I had a few of life's persistent distractions. It's taken me longer than I had hoped. And now, there is still more I would like to do (for instance on the shirt). While I was painting it this week and last, I had a nagging thought that really I should be working on something else (like the Nest painting); that this painting was merely a selfish practice that probably shouldn't/ couldn't go into my impeding solo show, since it's JUST a portrait of a stranger to most people. Yet, I am so happy I chose to indulge myself, after all, Diane is not a stranger to me!

Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the kitten inclusion. My husband thinks I'm crazy to have Diane holding it like that. "What will people think"? I like that it adds a sort of maniacal aspect to the portrait. I feel that it's inclusion has brought a heck of a lot more interest to what was a stark, frontal portrait. {insert villain chuckle... boo waa...a..a.a.a}

In Flight 2

2009-11-10T10:10:00.004-05:00

Hunting Buddies, Passenger 8D

graphite on paper

9.75" x 7.5"

Passenger 26D
graphite on paper
9.75" x 7.5"

These two drawings were done on my recent trip to California. The two gentlemen (one very lightly drawn across the aisle) in the first drawing were headed to Sioux Falls on a pheasant hunting trip. He turned out to be a very interesting guy and showed enough interest in the Arts, that I felt comfortable enough to show him the drawing when he woke up. His reply was a very Southern "oh, bless your heart". Now my understanding of that term is that it is a southern way of 1) filling space in a conversation, but more importantly 2)a nice way of insulting the person you are saying it to. Perhaps, passenger 8D did not intend to use it in that way, but I could not help chuckling to myself. I guess its similar to the term "oh, how interesting", not necessarily bad, but not so good either. Maybe he was just uncomfortable with the realization that a stranger had taken advantage of his sleeping visage (which is a thought that also makes me chuckle). Passenger 26D, in fact, was visibly annoyed with me for drawing him, turning a cold shoulder to me at one point, but I continued to draw him despite his discomfort. He had no interest in even saying hello when he sat down next to me and therefore I felt no obligation to be generous with the decency to stop drawing him when I noticed his discomfort. Horrible, I know.

100 GRAND Reception

2009-11-08T16:36:00.016-05:00

I thought I should post some photos of the fabulous Opening Reception that I enjoyed being a part of this past Thursday night for the 100 GRAND group exhibition at Sullivan Goss, which will be on exhibit thru January 31st, 2010. I enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Thank you to Frank, Susan and Jeremy and all the hard working folks at Sullivan Goss (who got to hang these 100 paintings, and will get to patch all those holes...) It was a truly fantastic evening. Also, a huge thank you to my friend Fatima who became my personal chauffeur and roommate.

Chauffeur Fatima and myself.

me with friend and fellow exhibitor Adam Normandin (those beautiful train paintings are his).

Some of the participating artists attended. photo courtesy of Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery

Left to right: Guy Diehl, Ian Putnam, Angela Perko, Pamela Enticknap, Robert Redfield, Alia El-Bermani, Tracey Sylvester-Harris, Adam Normandin, John Nava, Susan Bush (Director), Colin Gray, Ken Bortolazzo, Dane Goodman, Robert Townsend, Dave Lefner

Below you can see a sampling of some of the art as hung on the walls (I somehow managed to miss photographing a few walls, sorry to those artists who's work was on these walls). To see more work and a short video click here. Or to see a close up of just my two paintings you can click here.

west wall

southwest corner

east wall

Also exhibiting that night were John Nava in the center gallery and Robert Townsend in the back gallery. Both have created amazing paintings, Nava in oils and Townsend in watercolor on large paper. Nava's paintings have a quiet calm that celebrates the beauty of the figure and local west coastline, while Townsend's depiction of the retro, which appeared meticulous from afar, have a wonderful painterly quality in many areas.

John Nava talking briefly (while in 4th position) about his recent paintings.

A few of John Nava's beautiful Facing West paintings

Robert Townsend's Thiebaud Does Watercolor, from his 'A Pop Mythology' series.

ArtSpace

2009-11-01T20:22:00.008-05:00

Alison

oil on panel

20" x 16"

Colin

oil on panel

20" x 16"

I am pleased to announce that I have been juried in as an Artspace Associated Artist. Artspace is the center of all things Art related in Raleigh. As a non-profit visual art center Artspace has been providing the community with quality exhibitions and educational opportunities since 1986. The building is an incredible space with several exhibition galleries, education rooms and several artist studios (you would drool over some of these studio spaces). Being an AAArtist member provides numerous opportunities to exhibit and interact with the community. I'm taking full advantage of that all ready. If you are in the area, you can see these two paintings hanging in the hallowed halls of Artspace now thru January 23rd 2010. Have a night on the town and enjoy Raleigh's growing art scene every First Friday for a gallery walk, music and yummy food. The next Art Night is coming this week, Friday November 6th (unfortunately, I will miss this one as I will be in Santa Barbara for the 100 GRAND exhibit).

Bartlett Worshop Insights

2009-10-31T10:32:00.019-04:00

**UPDATE November 1, 2009:
After I posted this I realized I had failed to mention another very moving part of the weekend. During our lunch break Bo shared with us the documentary he helped produce on Andrew Wyeth, called Snow Hill. It was an incredibly moving and beautiful film and a stunning tribute to one of the most important American painters of our lifetime. You can purchase the dvd at either the Farnsworth Museum's Store or Brandywine River Musuem store.**

Bo Bartlett, Demo Painting, oil on panel, done at PAFA 10/09

I have purposefully taken my time to write out what it is I ‘learned’ from the recent workshop with artist Bo Bartlett that I attended in Philadelphia. I wanted to give all the information and insights time to seep into all the right places. In fact, when I returned, it was rather hard to get back into the ‘normal’ routine. For several days I found myself daydreaming about thoughts raised by this long weekend. I have only been to one other workshop (with artist Stephen Assael, several years ago) so I don’t have a real good idea of what happens normally during such workshops. Yet still, I HAVE to think this was a unique workshop experience. I think most workshop attendees expect to be taught the artist’s trick or technique, given simple step by step instructions to create a masterpiece. Bo had a totally different idea about what was a valuable lesson. For me, this workshop was more about the Philosophies of an artist than a technical explanation. In fact, his method of teaching was also very different than any I ever have encountered. His calm approach and inquisitive nature pulled ideas forth from each individual present and we were given several opportunities to connect and share with each other. We started each morning in a semi circle, greet and share session. People shared life stories and art concerns as well as technical questions. It was a very organic meeting which ended with us all doing Yoga together. I am a skeptic by nature but I was really trying to be open and excepting of whatever it was he would share with us or ask us to do.

The first studio practice he had us do, was so simple and yet for me, so profound. He started by telling us we would be drawing the model for the first day. Then he continued to talk about line. All he wanted us to do was draw a straight line from one side of the page to the other. At first take, this was merely an exercise to warm up or practice line, but as he continued to talk in his slow, meandering way, it emerged that there was more to this seemingly simple exercise. The first line was to be a line that represented “me or myself”. Faithfully and studiously, I drew a straight line at the top of the page from left to right, conscious of the weight quality and line variation, thinking every wobble was a valid symbol for the flaws within me as a human. I listened carefully and followed his instructions with each stroke, trying to put real thought and intent and meaning into each line. Next, (as if to continue the farce that this was merely about technique) he asked us to think “STRAIGHT LINE” (insert stern voice). I thought he was trying to show us how we may get constipated if we put too much pressure on ourselves for making the perfect line or artwork for that matter. Maybe that was part of it. Then he said, “Now draw a line your mother would like”. Hmm, pause… but, ok here I go… not bad I guess. “Now draw one for your Dad”… I could feel my eyes tear up. All of a sudden I became aware of how loud my sniffles were. Embarrassment flushed my face. But ok, here’s a broken, dashed confused line to represent the strange concoction of emotions that represent my feelings toward my dad… “Now draw a line for Pain” and this is where my eyes turned to an open faucet with my nose soon following suit. I tried to breath and calm myself so I could draw that damn line. I tried. I just honestly couldn’t think of a way to draw that line. And through all the thoughts of what would be a ‘good’ representation of PAIN came the thought “I don’t want to”. Relief! I had the choice to represent pain or not. Long ago when my first child was born, I made a conscience decision to try to represent the beauty of this world for her and to not focus on the easily represented pain of it. So in this simple exercise and with his gentle approach, Bo had reminded me of something so deep and so powerful.

Bo Bartlett, demo drawing (detail and full image), charcoal on paper, done at PAFA 10/09

The rest of that day was spent on several drawings of the model progressing from simple 20 minute line drawing all the way to a full scale, full value charcoal drawing using the pull out method. It was a great way to familiarize ourselves with the model. In fact that night, I found myself doing several thumbnail portrait sketches of the model from memory (which had decent likeness). Bo explained that he only uses people he knows for his paintings. In fact, the model he set up in front of (there were two models for our large group) he brought from his home town. The final thing we did that first day was to do a simple quick grisaille painting of the model which was to be wiped out at the end of the day. It reminded me of how I used to love the figure sculpture classes in school, because we would do one pose all day and then tear it down. There was no pressure to have a ‘finished’ work at the end of the day and therefore there was so much freedom and ease to each sculpture.

Alisa, chacoal on paper, 24" x 18", painted at PAFA 10/09 Bartlett workshop

The next two days were spent developing a painting from a finished grisaille through to full color. I am not accustomed to using a full prismatic, high chroma palette. I usually compare subtle variations of mud (earth colors), to make a full color painting. Not being familiar with each color on his palette was definitely a disadvantage for me. Most of the pigments had high tinting strength and yet I found that in the end my painting was very chalky looking. I've included 2 photos of my work here. The first I took once at home with my 'good' slr digital camera, and the second is poorer quality because it was taken with my phone, but better color, I think because it was taken in the same north light that the painting was painted under.

Alisa Study, oil on panel, 24" x 18", painted at PAFA 10/09 Bartlett workshop

Bo Bartlett’s Full Color Palette:
Alizarin Crimson
Burnt Sienna
Cad Red Dark
Cad Red Medium
Cad Orange
Cad Yellow Dark
Cad Yellow Medium
Yellow Ochre (or Raw Sienna)
Cad Green
Raw Umber
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt Violet

Something that I found interesting about his approach was that he really only paints the figures in his compositions with this process of developed grisaille to full color. All the other elements and background of his images may be sketched in, but then painted directly with local colors. I am not clear if he does this is for expedience sake or to make the figure be the main focus.

There really is so much more that I got out of this weekend, but I can’t seem to articulate, at the moment. I guess the two things that I’d like to remember the most from this weekend with Bo Bartlett, is that I do deserve success and that I had forgotten how to dream big. Self doubt is a nefarious creature capable of stopping any endeavor, but to push past this nasty beast and see the full value of one’s work is a great gift to the world. Life has seemed to stall my fast growth as an artist. But, it is ok that my career is at a slow progression right now, for perhaps (I’d like to think), it is like a good soup stock that takes several hours on low heat to come to its final full flavor.

Lastly, I am so grateful to have been able to have this experience in Philly. I feel so much appreciation to my dear husband who knows me better than I do. He knew how much I would benefit from this experience. He knew how much it would feed me. I am so blessed to have such a loving and caring man!

Downtown Philly (it rained the entire 4 days!)

100 GRAND Exhibition

2009-10-28T21:57:00.007-04:00

As you can tell from the previous post/ title below, I've been having some technical issues lately. I think (crossing fingers and toes), it is all worked out now. Thank you for your patience.

I am pleased to announce that two of my recent paintings will be exhibited at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA in a group show titled 100 GRAND. If you are in beautiful Santa Barbara, please visit this exciting show, where all works are $1,000 or under. This is a great opportunity to build your collection of great art at great prices. I am happy to say, I will be at the opening reception Thursday, November 5th from 5-8pm. I'd love to see you. The exhibition continues thru January 31. More information can be found at the gallery's website: http://www.sullivangoss.com/

Below you will see my two paintings all framed up and ready! Again, I hope to see you at the Opening Reception on Thursday Nov. 5th 5-8

Old Laurel Creek
oil on panel
10" x 8"

Sugar Bowl
oil on panel
8" x 8"

The Tech Gods Must Be Mad at Me. All I can post is this lousy title.

2009-10-27T18:11:00.003-04:00

Nature Nurtures

2009-10-05T14:59:00.003-04:00

Nest (in progress)
oil on panel
8" x 8"

I am in the midst of working on several paintings for an upcoming solo show at Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery, in Santa Barbara, CA next fall and I've taken a slightly new direction. As you may know I have recently relocated back to the East Coast after spending the last 13 years in Southern California. Although the pseudo-south (meaning my new state of NC) is quite different than my native state of MA there are still some striking similarities that I have enjoyed returning to. I had no idea how much I missed the smell of rain, and the lush greens of deep, dark woods. I grew up spending all of my time out doors exploring the nature of the East Coast and I feel rejuvenated to be surrounded once again by it's familiar splendor. So instead of following a theme of 'underwear' (which is what I had intended for my next body of work), I have chosen to follow my heart in it's celebration of nature and my new surroundings as well as incorporating the human figure into that theme (somehow). I'm still working on a title for the show, but cheesy ideas like "Aux Naturel" come to mind to include nude figure paintings with my new images of nature. Having thought long and hard about this, my new theme isn't actually that far off of any of my previous works. All my works are tied together by the appreciation for beauty and wanting to celebrate the often overlooked beauty before us.

Here is a new still life currently on my easel. The nest and broken robin's egg were found separately in my backyard. My most recent paintings have had a thin raw umber sketch for the underpainting, but I have decided to do a finished grisaille on this one to be able to resolve the complex areas with in and surrounding the nest. I will try to share many progress shots of this one as I go along. Hope you enjoy.

One down

2009-09-29T14:26:00.005-04:00

Figure Study of Kat, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Darn it, I should have waited until this afternoon to have posted the last post... because now, with a morning of painting she seems to be done... right? I worked from memory on the figure, and from life for the background today, and I think it's come together nicely. I think she deserves a 'real' name now, don't you think?

Nude Studies in my Garage

2009-09-28T17:09:00.006-04:00

Figure Studies, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

I've had one more model session with each of my Southern Draw'l figure studies. I also took some really blurry photos that helped me work on them a bit more after the models had departed. The photos were unintentionally blurry, but in fact, this was a real positive in my progress, because I didn't get as bogged down with details as I would have from a crisp photo. I relied quite a bit on my memory and used the photos only as a brief reminder. It's a very hard thing to switch to photo reference from direct observation mid-stream in a painting, and I hope I've managed to keep the freshness that I was getting from working directly from life. I would like to have both of these models return one last time to tweak, finish and fix certain areas. So here they are still unfinished.

Bo Bartlett Workshop

2009-09-27T09:20:00.007-04:00

Bo Bartlett, The Triumph of Romance, 2009 oil on linen 76 x 90 inches

It's getting closer! I've signed up for a 3 day workshop at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with Bo Bartlett in October. I am so thankful for my ever supportive husband for being brave enough to let me take a weekend away. He's all ready told the kids that that means they are going to be in vacation mode (ie. staying up late, eating whatever they want, and getting into assorted bits of trouble).

I am (almost) as equally excited to explore Philadelphia. I'll share with you my first impressions upon my return. From a far, I am all ready looking forward to being in a city that has a multitude of quality fine art, as well as history. (Raleigh is really lacking in both of these categories for me lately).

Bo Bartlett, Manifest Destiny, 2006 oil on panel 33 x 33 inches

I first came across Bo Bartlett's work at a group exhibition at my college's gallery while I was still a student there. His work captured my attention by being at once calm and quiet, yet hauntingly powerful. You can see how Andrew Wyeth (a mentor and friend) has influenced him yet his work retains a character of its own. His compositions are often slightly unconventional, for example with low vantage points and his colors seem muted with subtle greys. I recently received the materials list and was amused to find a key component is a yoga mat. I'm looking forward to learning about his process and studio habits. I'll be sure to take notes and distill them into some kind of knowledge that I can share with you.

Bo Bartlett, Sweetness, 2008 oil on panel 24 x 24 inches

You can find more images on Bo Bartlett's website as well as some interesting writings in his Message section.

Rebel Magazine

2009-09-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to share with you that I have been asked to be one of four visual arts Jurors this year for Rebel Magazine's Arts and Literary competition hosted by East Carolina University. The other judges will be Ceramic Artist Victoria Sexton, Graphic Designer and current President of AIGA Mike Joosse, as well as Greenvill Museum of Art's Director Charlotte Fitz. ECU students, bring us your best. Click here for a brief article with more details (for those interested in submitting).

Southern Draw'l

2009-09-14T11:08:00.008-04:00

Figure Studies, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Once a month since June, I have been hosting a shared model experience in my studio for some wonderful artists that I've become fast friends with. We happen to be all women, but it's just by chance, not so much by choice. Some of us draw, or some paint depending on the mood. I haven't taken any 'in studio' shots of the group, but perhaps next weekend they will allow me to. I would like to share with you links to some of their sites because they have been so supportive of me, and their work deserves a good look. In no particular order: Kiki Farish does these amazingly complex graphite on panel drawings that usually incorporate text in a sometimes hidden way; Jill Eberle is a Fine Arts teacher at East Carolina University and does some wonderful figurative paintings; Diane Feissel is another Massachusetts transplant to the Raleigh area via San Francisco, who paints beautiful animals and figures on patterned fabrics; Lisa Beth Robinson, another ECU teacher and uber detailed book artist and print maker (who doesn't work from the figure), often comes for our after chats, critiques and yummy food; and our other artist friend Jackie Ogden, draws and paints the figure in a wonderfully expressive, over sized manner but she unfortunately, doesn't have a website to share (get ON that Jackie!)

For me, its the experience of these days that is most rewarding. I never get 'finished' paintings from these sessions, but having the opportunity to paint the figure directly from observation and to share thoughts and ideas with hilarious folks is always a gift. I so enjoy my Southern Draw'l Saturdays.

To Post, or Not to Post...

2009-09-11T14:51:00.004-04:00

I know I've asked this question before. I still don't have any solid feelings on whether I should share publicly paintings or series of works that are in development. I have finished two little beauties, that I'd love to post here, but my gut tells me to hold out. Stingy bitch that I am... No, it's not that really. These 2 paintings are the first of a new series for my solo show that is coming up sometime in the fall of 2010 at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara, CA. In all honesty, I should be much further along on this show... but with things like relocating to a new state, and family health issues and the loss of a beloved pet... you know LIFE... I'm woefully behind. Initially, I also had started painting in a direction that my heart was not interested. It took me several months to find a new direction that suited my head, heart and past images. Perhaps it's my inner narcissist, but I tend to see all my work as a single continuum, a single thread. That one leads to the next, or relates to another from further in the past and that there should be symbols (even if only apparent to myself) in one that relates to another. I imagine retrospectives or hard bound books that could easily show that progression... yeah, like a said, inner narcissist dreaming... Any thoughts?

Long Done

2009-09-11T14:39:00.004-04:00

Sienna at Five

oil on panel

8" x 8"

This painting has long been done (since the beginning of August), and I hadn't realized I haven't posted a final image of it yet. I ended up not having to use photo reference to do the last touches on this one, because I got my daughter to sit for me one last time while she was 'Tracked Out' (a year round school system's term for a 3 week break). Her hair had grown, and believe it or not, her face had matured a bit as well. It is amazing to watch something grow right before your eyes. Her face all ready is loosing some of the pudge I witnessed here. And she's all about flirting with the neighborhood boys while we walk home from school. Uggh. I'm so in trouble. But, knowing how I was as a teen, I really do deserve every bit of it...

Organs for Art

2009-09-05T14:51:00.008-04:00

I want to introduce to you a young artist I recently discovered in San Francisco at the John Pence Gallery. In my humble opinion, Jeremy Mann is a virtuoso. His paintings have a wonderful sense of atmosphere, and sophisticated control of color. He has no trouble painting any subject whether figure, still life, landscape or cityscape. He also seems to be quite prolific. If this beautiful square composition had not been sold, I would have seriously thought of selling off one of my kidneys to have been able to look at it always.

Jeremy Mann, City in Saffron and Grey, oil on panel, 36 x 36 in

He currently has 25 compositions at the Christopher Hill Gallery in St. Helena, CA and is a featured artist in the O & S: Artists and Poets Magazine which you can read online HERE.

Jeremy Mann, The Cathedral at Sunset, oil on panel, 20.5 x 20.5 in, 2009

Jeremy Mann, Lindsey in Red and White, oil on panel, 36 x 48 in

Lastly, Novemeber 13th will be the opening for a show of his paintings at the Principle Gallery, in Alexandria Virginia. If you would like to be in the 'know' and follow this rising talent's lift off, then you should sign up on his web site for announcements and upcoming events here. Enjoy!