December 21st, 2009
“Oriental Kimono”
24″ X 12″
I had the honor of being invited to a dinner with Quang Ho this past month where we were all able to sit down and ask him questions about the meaning of art as well as the practical aspects of applying paint. Quangs understanding of the philosophy of painting and how that interacts with real life was very challenging. As can be seen in his work art is much more than simply rendering what you see. This flow and Zen like quality can be viewed in every one of Quangs paintings.
What I like about “Oriental Kimono” by Quang Ho
Light - The feel of atmospheric light in this painting is just amazing. It comes from Quangs use of edges and his ability to mentally abstract what he sees as he paints. This skill of abstraction is a quality that most of the great painters have. They could not draw will without it. It is another one of those concepts that is much easier to show someone than to try and explain with words.
Dark and light composition - It is clear in this painting that there is a dark area and that there is a light area. Placing these areas as they without any subject matter at all would have still made for a very interesting work of art.
Art not subject - I love that this painting is not about the subject. If it were he would have made sure we could see all of the face and all of the needle work in the kimono. This choice makes the painting a very poetic experience.
Look and Enjoy!
Quang Ho’s Website (If you are interested in learning more about Quangs Philosophy of painting I highly recomend his video series which can be found on this site.)
Posted in Figure Painting, Oil Painter, Quang Ho | No Comments »
October 5th, 2009
“The Dawn of a New Day”
Tom Browning is the very first artist I was able to learn from in person. After years of receiving my art instruction from books and a few painting videos I happened across a workshops by Sarah-Brit-Arts right here in Tuscaloosa Alabama and Tom was the instructor. This particular painting was a part of the Prix de West show at the cowboy artists hall of fame in Oklahoma city. The day he set up the models for this painting he was also using my wife an daughter for another painting. So this one has some personal appeal for me.
Tom has also written an excellent book on painting that I always recommend to those who want to learn more about the basics of creating representational art. On his website you can also find out about the workshops that are available.
What I like about “The Dawn of a New Day” by Tom Browning
Personal Experience - I was able to watch Tom compose and think through this one so it’s hard not to love it on that basis alone.
Values - As with all of Tom Brownings paintings the values are clear and simplified. I really don’t think there are many in the country who understand values as well as Tom does and his paintings read all the way across a room as a result. If you go to his website and look at his Santa illustrations you get a wonderful example of what good values are.
Edges - When you are aware of the texture of items in a painting you know that the edges have been handled in an masterful way.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Figure Painting, Oil Painter, Tom Browning | No Comments »
September 19th, 2009
“Embrace” 16″ x 26″
I love painting for a living. My second love is following other artists who paint for a living. I’m not exactly sure how I’ve managed not to run into Johanna Harmon’s work before now but it has been my loss. I came across her site via a link on another artists site and I’m thrilled that I made that one little click. As with all the painters that I post here, she handles the basics with great skill but she also has some aspects to her work that is very difficult to put into words. You can call it soul, feeling, essence or emotion but there is a magic to Johanna’s work that impacts that wordless part of the viewer. Your just impacted and this quality is found in almost all of her paintings.
What I like about the oil painting “Embrace”
- Color Harmony - This is one of the qualities that you find in the oil paintings of exceptional artist. From a technical standpoint this comes from sticking with consistent light source temperature. I really need to write a short article about this for those of you who are not artist but “Embrace” is a great example of doing this well.
- Flow - I spoke of the flow of paint in my last post but here I am using “flow” to refer to the composition. You view this painting and feel like you are viewing an elegant dance. Once again this is a difficult aspect to analyze with words but you can feel the grace and flow of this composition.
- Center of interest - The way the light in this composition moves from right to left draws you gently to the models face and then there is this wonderful area of dark values to the left of the models head which solidifies this area as the center of interest. Wonderfully done!
- A site note - Johanna does workshops, which is always nice for those of us striving to bring our work up to another level.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Figure Painting, Johanna Harmon, Oil Painter | No Comments »
September 15th, 2009
I have limited posting time this morning so I thought I would hook you up with this painting demonstration by Scott Burdick. Scott is one of the nations top painters and he has also been very generous with his knowledge by taking the time to teach other artists. His website has a vast amount of information on painting, a full archive of his work as well as the work of Susan Lyon and some very interesting journals from their painting trips around the world. Take an afternoon and check out their site! By the way, I believe this painting is of the daughter of the artist Morgan Wiestling.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Demonstrations, Figure Painting, General, Oil Painter, Scott Burdick | No Comments »
September 7th, 2009
“Safety” 18′x12″ Oil on Canvas
I love Robert Coombs work so much that I actually have one of his paintings hanging in my house. It was certainly a splurge for us but it was well worth it. I had the honor of being at one of Roberts gallery openings in Sante Fe New Mexico in 2004. What was particular interesting about the show (other than the fact that he sold all of his paintings) was that many of the works were purchased by other artist. Artist know great art at a great price when they see it. We also knew that with that level of quality there was no way his prices could stay so low. As I looked around his website I was stunned to see that his paintings have gotten better than I remember! Please check out his works below, they are well worth the time. You will also see below a link to his upcoming show at the legacy gallery. I wish I could be there.
What I like about the oil painting “Safety” by Robert Coombs.
- Emotional Appeal - As I have noted before on this blog, people love art that has an emotional tug and when you can portray a subject that has an emotional appeal and also maintain the highest quality of artistry then you have a real winner on your hands. I don’t think I need to explain the emotional appeal of “safety”
- Brush work - Outstanding! Every shape, direction and edge (hardness or softness) is intentional. Robert makes every stroke add to the overall reality and atmosphere of this piece.
- The Basics - This painting is a clinic on doing all the basics right: value, color, edges, drawing, composition. I could write several posts on how this oil painting does all of those things in a superior way. As you look through the website below you will find that everyone of his paintings is a winner in handling the basics with great skill.
- Emotional appeal again - I just can’t get over it! Because Robert is so skilled at the basics the center of focus (or communication) is unhindered and you hear and feel it load and clear.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Figure Painting, Robert Coombs | No Comments »
September 5th, 2009
“Open Gate II”, 6×8″ oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
I realize the majority of the people who frequent this blog are not art buyers but rather friends who may or may not be interested in art in general. So when you see a painting of a cow, walking to a gate, you may not immeaditly get why I love this painting and why I love Frank Gardners work. Let me just say that is one beautifully painted cow and Frank Gardner consistantly produces incredible work. He also has a biography that is really interesting and I encourage you to go to the site link below and read it. He essentially found a place in the world he loved to paint and moved there!
What I like about “Open Gate II”.
- #1 Color - Frank is an expert as using color to communicate form. The value ranges in most of his paintings are limited. This makes his paintings very colorful. It is very difficult to paint this way and he does it very well.
- #2 Drawing - I know I keep saying this but I’m stunned at how well Frank handles the drawing elements at this small size! In painting you are not just drawing the lines but the shapes. So when Frank has a triangle shaped brushstroke that defines the light hitting the top of the horns… well that’s one very well thought out brush stroke.
- #3 It’s just beautiful! - Makes me glad I’m a painter and it gives me something to strive toward.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Figure Painting, Frank Gardner, Oil Painter, landscape | No Comments »
August 28th, 2009
One of Adebanji’s sketches
There are many things I do not like about technology and the web. This blog is not about my minor discontents but I mention that to contrast how wonderful the web is at introducing you to people you would have otherwise never run into. Adebanji’s sketching blog makes me very thankful that we have the web. There was so much content to choose from on his three sites that I have decided to post on his work in general rather than a specific piece in hopes that you will take the time to look through his sketch book and enjoy the journey he is recording for us.
What I like about Adebanji’s work.
- #1. Integrity - I believe all the artist I have posted have this but when you are out in the streets each day recording life with your pencil as it passes you by…. well you really can’t have a more honest approach to producing works of art.
- #2. Composition - As with so many of the artist I really enjoy Adebanji has a great eye for composition and you see this in all of his sketches.
- #3. Drawing - I guess that’s obvious. To fully understand what I mean, take a sketch book, go sit on a street corner and try and draw people…. while they are moving…. with the light constantly changing. I really love the skill and freshness of his work.
- #4. Fun - I try and stick to 3 observations but I can’t leave this one out. It is simply fun to follow what Adebanji is working on!
Look and Enjoy!
Adebanji’s Sketching Blog
Adebanji’s Painting Blog
Adebanji’s Website
Purchase Adebanji’s Art
Posted in Adebanji Alade, Drawing, Figure Painting | 1 Comment »
August 15th, 2009
“Girl With A Fan” 5″x7″ Pastel Painting
Creating art is such a Privilege. A free prosperous nation makes it possible for thousands of artist to create and make a living at the same time. Margaret Dyer was one of the early influences in my career who helped me see how healthy it is to be an artist. Her work has always inspired me both because of it’s emotional impact and because of the great skill she has developed with both oils and pastels. I would have posted one of her paintings sooner but apparently she has been working on a show which you can find out about on her site. I love that I live in a country where you can get your hands on such beautiful work at such a reasonable cost.
Here’s what I like about the pastel painting “Girl With A Fan”
- #1 Margaret’s use of warm and cool colors. If you ever get a chance to study with her or watch her do a demonstration I highly recommend it. I was able to do so several years ago and it is a delight to watch how she will dance back and forth between cool and warm colors to develop depth and form in her figures.
- #2 Atmosphere. This primarily comes from the use of soft and hard edges. Her paintings always feel mysterious to me and I think that comes mostly from this edge quality.
- #3 Size. Once again, as with most daily painters, I am stunned at how well she works at this small size. It is also important to note that Margaret was doing these little paintings well before the small painting-a-day trend became the fashion.
Look and Enjoy!
Posted in Figure Painting, Margaret Dyer, Pastel Painting | 2 Comments »
