Buttons and Bananas
Oil on linen on art board • 8" x 10" Sold
------------------------------
On display 5/3/13–6/25/13 in the
2nd Annual MVIS Competition
at SouthWind Art Gallery
I am currently obsessed with green. While my artistic eye was still quite immature, I found green rather "boring." But later, my eyes were opened to the beautiful array of greens that occur in nature. Right now, I am especially fascinated with painting green color harmonies, particularly those occurring under cool light. You may notice this trend in a lot of my current paintings (eg. the last piece I posted, Emerald Musings). My green obsession influenced the still life on the right, although the setup was the group effort of my girlfriend Andrea Orr, our good friend Jonathan Stasko and me. The only thing better than painting is doing it with those you hold dear!
Making a green harmony our primary goal, we gathered the still life objects according to their color while purposely ignoring how the items related to each other in any other way. The result was an eclectic and unconventional grouping of objects that I found most refreshing.
This still life taught me a few good lessons I think we can all benefit from. First, decide from the very start what you want to "say" with your painting. It could be a story, a lighting situation, a color harmony (as in this case), or whatever. Then, fix your mind singly on that goal, refusing to be distracted by other ideas, and pursue it until you find the best way to communicate it. Second, don't worry if your solution is unconventional. If you're excited about it, go for it! When you're able to approach your canvas with excitement, your excitement will often (1) show through in the end product and (2) be contagious, causing your viewers to share in your excitement over something they might not have otherwise even noticed.
Here is a recently-finished painting of mine, Emerald Musings. This lady is a coordinator at Starkweather Arts Center in Romeo, MI., but also frequently serves there as a model for their live painting sessions.
From the bottle to the iridescent peacock feathers, to the jeweled necklace, to the subtle hues of the seat-back pattern, I greatly enjoyed painting all of the various greens!
Gently squint at the piece. You'll notice that the areas containing the highest value contrast and the sharpest edges are at the inside of the wrist and at the lady's jaw. These attention-grabbers help nudge the viewer's eyes toward the picture's most important elements, the face and hand.
I strove to keep my flesh tone mixtures simple, but introduced a color I hadn't used much for skin—cadmium lemon, a very cool yellow. Mixing it with varying proportions of alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and white can produce beautiful skin tones.
I am excited to spread the word about a very special online art contest open to all representational painters using wet media. Portrait artist Brian Neher has worked together with some acclaimed artists and several art equipment suppliers to put together a prize package that is well worth competing for. Best of all, entering the contest is completely free!
The Prizes
The grand prize winner will receive Richard Schmid's books Alla Prima and The Landscapes, Daniel Gerhartz's book Not Far From Home, Yale University Press's John Singer Sargent: Figures and Landscapes book and DVD collections by Joe Bowler and Brian Neher. Also included are several sizable gift cards from well-respected art supply companies. This is truly a prize package designed to equip the serious, aspiring artist!
To learn the guidelines and enter this free competition, visit Brian Neher's website here.
Pumpkin and Lanterns by Daniel Keys
36 x 30 • Oil on linen • Unframed
As a team member of the Lasting Impressions Online Charity Art Sale, I would like to say that it has been quite an exciting ride these past two months since the sale's opening! In case you missed my previous posts, the event has been spearheaded by my friend and fellow artist Jonathan Stasko, who felt led to conduct the sale to help his hurting communities in Schoharie Valley, New York, which were devastated in August by flooding from Hurricane Irene. Since much of the damage occurred outside the flood plain, most property owners did not have flood insurance coverage. Proceeds from the sale will go to Schoharie Recovery, Inc., a local charity dedicated to aiding the property owners. Please take a moment to watch the video below, which gives a glimpse of the great destruction caused by Irene.
The Star of the East by Brian Jekel
36 x 24 • Oil on panel • Unframed
The response from our participating artists was staggering. C.W. Mundy. Brian Jekel. Kathy Anderson. Mark Gingerich. Michelle Dunaway. Marci Oleszkiewicz. Daniel Keys. Twenty-nine artists in all, some emerging and others widely-recognized as leaders in today's art scene. All individuals who jumped at the chance to help by contributing over 115 works of art. As emerging painters, we at Lasting Impressions could not have dreamed that we would be able to host such a stellar group of artists and works. In addition, Southwest Art Magazine announced the sale at its blog (here) and American Artist Magazine published it in their February issue, which is on stands now. The Bennington Center for the Arts is graciously handling our transactions. Fellow team member Ryan Mellody created our beautiful website, and Andrea Orr and Taaron Parsons designed our printed ads and logo. To all who have lent a hand to this endeavor, I would like to say a hearty "thank you!" I am humbled by the Lord's goodness in blessing this sale and I praise Him for it!
Girl with Bonnet by Michelle Dunaway
16 x 12 • Oil on linen • Framed
There now remain only 11 days to purchase art from the Lasting Impressions Sale and take this opportunity to help the people of Schoharie Valley. With paintings as low as $135, there is artwork for every budget. Please visit the Lasting Impressions website to view and purchase works from the online gallery. I want to thank you for considering the purchase of artwork that will help bring relief to these people.
Morning Light at the Canal by Mark Gingerich
10 x 12 • Oil on panel • Framed
Cow by Andrea Orr
5 x 7 • Oil on linen • Gallery-wrapped
The English Gardener
Timothy Thies • Gicleé print
Provided by Kristen Thies,
West Wind Fine Art
Watching and Waiting
John Ball • Original oil
The online sale will begin November 19 at www.LastingImpressionsSale.com. Please consider purchasing a beautiful work of art that will help Schoharie Valley, New York recover from the destruction of Hurricane Irene.
Check back here often for updates on this charity.
The Spirit That Endures
(From the Ellis Island Series)
Brian Jekel • Oil
Tea-tins and Peaches
Daniel Keys • Oil • 16" x 20"
Visit the Lasting Impressions website on November 19 to acquire a masterpiece while providing much-needed assistance to upstate New York victims of Hurricane Irene. Stay tuned. More Lasting Impressions artists and paintings will be revealed on this blog soon. To learn more about the sale, please read the blog post here and be sure to "Like" the Lasting Impressions Facebook Page.
