Latest Pet Portrait

Ginny, oil, 14x11

Here is the latest commission completed in time for Christmas! I have only a few progression photos as I actually used a clean, white canvas for this painting. That was hard. I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy carving out the image (like a sculptor?) rather than drawing in. This dog had so much white that I thought it might show better if she were painted on a clean canvas. I have not yet colored any white canvases but it has crossed my mind to go back to that. I started out my painting career doing that.
The commission was to join two images. Using the dog from one image and the background from another image with Ginny in it. In the first image, she is sitting on a wicker chair on a porch. That is the dog image I used. The second image Ginny is coming out of a patch of Hostas. So originally, as you can see in the image below, she was going to be in the Hostas. They were eventually going to be covering her chest and legs and leave her head and shoulders above the plants. I wanted to ground her before doing that so she did not look like a floating torso so I painted her in full body. Once I showed the client the second painting below with ALL the green blocked in yet still not covering her body I gave them the option to not do that and have here sitting in dirt in front of the plants. I did stylize the plants as I did not want them to take over from her as the main focal point.

The two lower images were shot in my studio so have warmer lighting. The finished painting was shot outdoors in natural lighting.

Life Imitating Art - Baumann

Life Imitating Art - at the Gustave Baumann Exhibit, 36x18

I have been working on two paintings simultaneously over the past several months but they were interrupted because of the welcome pet portrait commissions. I just received the final approval on a dog portrait so it is now drying awaiting varnish.

If you saw the link going around on Facebook from a photographer who took photos of people imitating the art they were looking at, I just want you to know these two paintings were started and this one almost finished, when I saw his collection. I did feel a bit gypped. This has happened to me before...where I get this idea and am in the middle of a painting and then something manifests in some form taking the uniqueness right away. I guess there is nothing new under the sun even when we want to believe it!

What captivated me about this scene is how she is standing like the trees she is looking at as well as the colors matching from her sweater and her skin tone. This one is from a now defunct art museum in Pasadena. It just recently closed its doors. It was a unique concept in that it showed only artists who painted in California, even if they did not reside there for long. There was no permenant collection. It was three galleries and there was usually one contemporary exhibit and two from the past. I had not realized that the Gustave Baumann exhibit was in the second gallery, so it was a very pleasant discovery to be sure! He is best known for his woodcuts of Taos. This exhibit actually included the press he used for his wood cuts as well as examples of the different color blocks. The pictures she is looking at were gouache, I believe. I wrote about the main gallery show, Joseph Kleitsch, if you care to check his amazing work out.

The second painting in this particular series is from NYC. The contrast is striking...to be continued.

Cherry Creek Art Gallery - Two Month Location!

We are excited to announce that our artist group, Cherry Creek Art Gallery, has rented a gallery space for two months. We open to the public today with the "Grand Opening" on Thursday, November 21, 2019.

November 14, 2019 - January 5, 2020

Thursday - Saturday, 11 a.m. -8 p.m.
Sundays, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Aspen Grove Shopping Center

Unit 514 

7301 S. Santa Fe Drive

Littleton, CO 80120

There are 11 artists participating including myself:

Linda Petrie Bunch

Mary Dunn
Dianna Fritzer

Carm Fogt

Rodgers Naylor

Lynn Nebergall

Jeannie Paty

Larry Pritchard

Melissa Renaud

Cheri Vilona

We are a mixed group of artists. A few are representational artists, a few are abstract, a few are a mix of those two, there is a photographer, and one works in clay, though not necessarily a potter. Of the painters, most of us paint in oil, but one is a watercolorist. 

I hope to see you there. We are all working shifts, so if you want to know when I will be there you will just have to ask. I am working tonight. 

James Tissot at the Legion of Honor - San Francisco

Recently I had the pleasure of going to this exhibit on James Tissot called Fashion and Faith. I must admit that prior to this point, I knew very little about James Tissot. Over the years I had seen his work sprinkled among a myriad of museums and museum shows and noticed his work, but not enough to delve deeper.
The back story is that going to spend 4 days with a friend in the Bay area and planning to hike and wine taste, I thought to check what if anything of interest might be up during my visit of a more cultured tone. I recognized the painting used on the Legion of Honor's main page for the exhibit so I ran it by my friend and also my traveling companion. They both were up for it. So it was built into our schedule of events.

 This lovely painting was listed as a "study." Wow. Looked finished to me.

One of his "fashion" pieces. His family was in 'textiles' and his handling of the fabrics of his day is stunning. What I enjoyed so much about his group scenes like this is how each face tells a story. Almost as if there was thought bubble above their heads speaking outlaid. It is the first time I can recall where I have seen this phenomena in paintings.

Here is one of many of his painted stories. I do remember the title of this one "Early to the Ball."
Not mentioned in the title for this exhibition is that he was also an official chronicler of the, if my memory serves - Franco Prussian war. I thought the follow painting, done in watercolor, poignant.

Now for the 'faith' piece. While living in London (he was French), he met a young divorcee of 2 children. They lived together until her death from tuberculosis. He was devastated and turned back to his Catholic faith. He had already done a series on the prodigal son but he did a second version of it and also did over 100 watercolors from the new and old testament. Below is our prodigal son asking papa for his inheritance. The faces on the people at table are priceless in their judgement of this request. These same characters are in all the illustrations he did for this one parable. I believe there were 5 or 6 illustrating this reading alone.

In the watercolor series he did, a couple of them were used in movie scenes. I apologize for not remembering the movie from the 1920's that used one of his images, but the one everyone should recognize (I did not take a photo of it however) was a scene he painted with the ark of the covenant. His rendition of it was taken and used in Raiders of the Last Ark.
Lastly, here is one that really stood out for me from his illustrations from The Life of Christ; It is Jesus praying at Gethsemane. Never, in my imagination, had I thought of Christ praying like this. Yet it makes all the sense in the world when one really thinks beyond the common illustrations of the Bible we were all brought up on.

If you will be in the Bay area and can go see this exhibit, it is up until February 9, 2020. I highly recommend it. To sweeten the deal, the Coastal trail goes right by the Legion of Honor and on a clear day it is a beautiful hike along the water with the Golden Gate Bridge in view. Nature and Culture!

Stormy III or Stormy Napping - cat portrait

Stormy Napping, 9x12, oil

The comment I received from Stormy's owner when I sent him an image for final approval of #3 was:

Purrrrfect!!! She looks so "Stormy" like! That's our kitten who just had her 13th birthday You do such lovely work Victoria!

Can't get much better than that. It is nice to have satisfied customers. I stopped doing pet portraits years ago after one client had so many little tweaks. She was finally satisfied but I was done with that.

To keep with the other two portraits (https://victoriasart.blogspot.com/2019/10/stormy-ii-cat-portrait.html and https://victoriasart.blogspot.com/2019/10/pet-portrait-1-stormy-outside.html) I found an old 9x12 plein air painting from 2008 to paint over. It was a path leading into a dark grove of trees with some tall grasses catching the light. I turned it upside down to start this painting. I drew in white chalk a basic outline. I decided to paint in the background to get rid of distractions and start my building blocks. I liked the strong texture coming through from the path of the painting underneath for the background. Interestingly enough, the wall in the photo was an old textured plaster wall. I recognized it as I have the same in my house.

Blockin start

Next, I started with the bigger shapes of the cat and outlined the blanket folds. I did like the green coming through, as I own a green plaid blanket and it seemed apropos with it already laid in so nicely!

Alas, it was not a green plaid blanket Stormy slept on. Never having to paint plaid before I think that intimidated me more than anything else. So, go to the trusty shape thing and don't worry about what it actually is. The owner doesn't seem to mind that it isn't a perfect rendition of the blanket but is of Stormy. A man who has his priorities straight!

I did have fun doing these pet portraits. I like doing cats, I have decided. A shout out of thanks to The Whole Cat & Dogs too for the referral. They have been amazing in promoting me to their customers. Stop by and see them when you are on Old South Pearl Street

Stormy II - Cat Portrait

Stormy II, 8x8, oil on linen panel - commission

Here is the second portrait of Stormy in the series of 3 I was commissioned to do. The original image has Stormy in a shoe box. I cropped it down to a square leaving those 3 white rectangles to help move the eye around and break up the space.

Here is the beginning of the block in process. I liked these abstract shapes showing through. It is a shame I can't seem to incorporate them more into the new painting! I know it sounds weird, but when I have another color underneath it does push me to think differently than I would do starting on a fresh pristine canvas. One day the underlying painting will become a part of the new. Some things just take time to make themselves known.

Pet Portrait #1 Stormy Outside

Stormy I, 8x8, oil on linen panel

I was recently commissioned to do three portraits of this lovely cat, Stormy. This particular painting Stormy was outside. I have not met this cat yet.

Starting out, I grabbed an old plein air painting, for which I do not have a photo, but I think you can tell it was in fall and the trees are reflected in the lake. This painting is from Washington Park, south lake facing south. Not one of my better paintings...ie no great loss and is now better used.

My initial block in. Starting with larger shapes and breaking down into smaller shapes.

The owner is very happy with this portrait, so that means a job well done.

Coneflower: Sombrero Hot Coral

Another painting from the road trip I took through the heartland of America this past June.  I saw this beauty in the garden of my co-pilot's cousin in Columbus, Ohio. I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed Ohio, where we spent 5 nights. Gigi's garden definitely showcased someone who is gardener and I really enjoyed talking to her about her garden and older home, since we both share in those things. There are some distinct differences between gardening in Ohio vs Colorado of course. In some ways I was a bit envious but in others, very grateful!

I had never seen a coneflower like this one. It took us awhile to figure out its name, but now that I know it I think I can remember it. I looked so hard to find one like it online but Gigi finally found the original tag that came with it in her shed. Phew! It may find a place in my garden next year...if I can find a place to put it.

Shockingly, I had a clean, never before painted on panel for this one. Felt strange to start out on a white background.

Sombrero Hot Coral, 6x6, oil on panel

Plein Air - oh how I miss you

Last week I went up to Evergreen Colorado to paint with some mountain artist friends. It was a glorious fall day. We were fortunate enough to have access to a private retreat location that was previously a camp for girls. Bear Creek ran through the property, it was well kept and just an amazing spot to have all to ourselves (with the exception of one lone workman). My first one was done from one of the bridges crossing Bear Creek. We are not talking high art here, but rather a study. The bridge was concrete and I can only stand on concrete for so long so I whipped this thing out concentrating on large shapes of color and hoping to get a bit of the movement of light and water. I had found this masonite panel laying around the day before so I quickly gessoed it to take along with me. It has been a long time since I painted on masonite and even with gesso it was a slick and slippery surface. Always fun to have extra challenges along with painting outdoors. The paint just did not want to stick to the surface. A bad brush contributed to the struggle.

Upper Bear Creek, oil, 8x12

This second one (and of the 4 of us I was the only one to do 2, telling you how fast I did the above study) I found a chair so was able to take a load off my legs and sit in the shade. There was this long out building that was full of fun shapes the whole length of it which I may someday play with in its entirety. I chose to crop this bit off for a myriad of reasons. Of course I loved the truck door leaning against the wall as well as the pink doormat to go with it. That it is a Wash House only added to it and of course the diagonal ladder and the yellow whatever it is diagonal was an extra treat.

Wash House, 9x12, oil on panel

Being Catholic I love the idea of this retreat house. It is a perfect place to go and be with God in all his handiwork. Peaceful with one way in and one way out. Come on your horse, there is a hitching post. We were allowed access to all the buildings  with the one caveat to be sure all doors were closed! Oh my. To paint outdoors and have toilets and running water is always a bonus. The Lodge is beautifully furnished and includes a game room. I could not interest anyone in a game of fuss ball much to my chagrin. I do hope to get a chance to go back there, sooner than later. Already have my spots picked out. Another reminder to get my butt in gear and paint outdoors more often.

Anticipation

Anticipation, 16x12, oil on linen

In the heat of the summer we have been experiencing here, it seemed apropos to dive into something to cool me off! I saw this young boy while walking the beach in western Italy. We were on a tour, and the first day of the tour was a 'free' day or you could add on a day trip to St. Lucia with the guide. We opted to go to the beach by train instead. I had hoped we could go to Cinque Terra, but that was going to make for too long a day, so this was next best. There were not many people in the water as the orange flags were out. I watched his intensity of finding "the" wave to catch. Someone recently made the comment that of course this is not a beach in the USA because he is wearing a speedo! For some reason that never crossed my mind that boys here don't wear speedo type swim suits.

Below is the block in for this painting. As is my want, I picked an unfinished start of a portrait to paint over. I thought you might like to see the big shapes and patterns I use to build upon.

Block in over unfinished painting

Evening Glow over the Gulf

Evening Glow over the Gulf, 20x30, oil on linen, available

Seems appropriate with Hurricane Dorian wrecking havoc and approaching the east side of Florida to post this recent painting from Florida's west coast. A bucolic scene if ever there was one.

Here we have the proverbial walking on the beach at sunset. What can I say? It was a beautiful time spent on  a Florida key near Tampa Bay. The light was just perfect. It isn't a dramatic sunset but these calm colors are soothing to the soul sandwiched between the gathering clouds and the still warm sand.

Overall the colors are impacted by the sunset except that one little slice of cool blue water. The long triangular shape of the water is repeated with a bit of cooler sand in the path in the lower right hand corner.

Solitaire- Water Lily in the Grotto

Solitaire, 12"x12" oil on linen panel, available

It seems ages since I last posted. It isn't for lack of work to post, just lack of will to sit down and write. Here is the finished piece of a solitary water lily. It was in a peaceful grotto on the grounds of Bergamo conference center near Dayton Ohio. It was an overcast day with scattered rain showers. My favorite light, local tone! I had been on the road and around lots of people for over a week and to seemingly have this place to myself was a welcome respite. Now how would I know about such a place???

The day before I had been in Yellow Springs, Ohio as a tourist. We went into an artist's co-op because when people hear you are an artist they want to show you what they know. But in this co-op stood a woman I had not seen in 17 years when we meet and spent two weeks painting in southern Spain! I had connected with her and her adult daughter and as is common, we kept in touch for awhile but the distance and time gets in the way and though I saw them periodically posting on FB that was the extent of it. Then to see her working in the co-op was just too much. She had just joined the group and only worked 1 or 2 days per month. So what were the odds I would be in Ohio, in Yellow Springs, on the day she happened to be working?? The upshot is we had lunch with her daughter the next day and I was invited to her place of work for the afternoon where I could wander around and explore. Not only did I get a wonderful place to decompress, the little art gallery was opened that day. It has the work of 5 retired priests. I am going to share with you a few pieces by one of the artists I just loved. Aren't they fun? He has to be 95 if he is a day but his work is so full of life. I did not meet him but I saw him. A bent over little gnome of a man slowly hobbling with a cane. It was delightful to talk to the two men manning the gallery that afternoon. One a priest, the other a brother. I believe this was the most memorable day of my 17 day trip, and there were lots of highlights!

Conglomerate

Today I am playing a bit of catch up. First, here is a photo from the August First Friday pop up show that I participated in with Cherry Creek Art Gallery.

Thanks to Larry Pritchard for this photo

This is me and my wall. We each had a section of wall and a post. As the sun set the lack of lighting became a problem as evidenced by the spotlight on the floor only shining on the bottom section of the wall. Still, there was a constant stream of people coming in for a solid 4 hours and I talked to a lot of people. I was fortunate enough to be closest to the windows on this side of the space so had more light than most. We picked our 'spot' by pulling a number out of a bag. There were 15 artists participating in this one night art show.

study in apple green, 6x6, oil on panel

Here is a little study I did this past week of this little apple I found on the ground while walking my dog in the neighborhood. It must have just fallen as it was still looking so perky. I set it up on the ledge of my easel for a study in apple green. We were hit with such hail this year that very few fruit trees in our area have any fruit on them so this was somewhat of a surprise to find.

And then shockingly, I went out to paint plain air last Friday. I really cannot remember the last time I did that. I went up to Evergreen and 3 of us painted this little cabin. It was a beautiful day. I did this profile facing North, Betsy painted it facing almost due East (ie the front porch) and Debbie was facing south, so on the other side of the cabin.

Here is my first sketch of the cabin. I painted it over another landscape (maybe from the last time I painted outdoors) of a tree with fall foliage. I turned the old painting on its side so the cabin is over the orange and golds of the tree. I was told to stop right here so I did.

This is my second sketch, again painted over another, much older plain air painting of church spires and a one way street sign. By this time the sun was getting to me so you can see, the cabin has lost some width! Both of the boards are the same size, 11x14.

Waterlily in progress

Here is where I ended up yesterday. I keep saying I really like the block in process and continue to hope that I can maintain the abstract quality and yet I rarely "succeed" in my own mind in doing that. It isn't that I don't like the finished product, but I can't seem to keep the under painting from adding that certain something that is in the block in. On this one the windows are showing through at the top giving it a grid pattern that continues here and there down the painting.

The image below is where I started to photograph the progress. I turned the unfinished painting underneath to its side so the the face wouldn't distract me.

Continuing to block in the greens around the water lily so as to get a better feel for the pattern I was wanting to get. ie a circular yet not a halo effect. Still leaving the orangish color of the figure's skin to help keep it from feeling too green.

Adding the darks of the water and more outlines of the lily pads to prepare for finishing the whites of the lily.

First Friday on Sante Fe Drive

First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe

Our Cherry Creek Art Gallery artists are participating in the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe on August 2nd. For this event the street is closed down and food, drinks and entertainment are available throughout the area. Stop in and see us at Skylight, 833 Santa Fe Dr from 5-9:00, during this enjoyable evening. We'd love to see you at the event! By the way, many seasoned Colorado artists have recently joined our group. Visit cherrycreekartgallery.com to see what we're up to!

Cherry Creek Art Gallery Artists:

Jean Brodie Denise Dambrackas Mary Dunn Victoria Ekelund Carm Fogt Kris Iltis Anita Mosher Solich Rogers Naylor Lynn Nebergall

Jeannie Paty
Dena Peterson

Linda Petrie Bunch

Lawrence Pritchard
Melissa Renaud
Sascha Ripps
Christine Segal
Cheri Vilona

Weekend Warriors

Weekend Warriors II, 9x12, oil 

In an effort to keep clutter down to a minimum, I was thinking it was time to ditch these favorite pair of Birkenstocks. Because they have been such faithful and easy shoes, I thought I should do another portrait of them first. It was also a diversionary tactic to avoid working on any of my other paintings in progress too. In 2002 I painted them thinking it was time to toss them then. Forgotten by me until I just went for this photo of the first version, I called them Weekend Warriors back then too! The first version sold soon after I painted them and bought to hang in his office to remind him that the weekend was coming...

My father, 6 months before he died, bought these Birkenstocks for me while we were in Phoenix for my sisters  Master's Degree graduation. That was 37 years ago. My son was a babe in arms. When I painted the first portrait I was fairly new to oil painting and still very graphic and flat in my approach to painting. I still like the original and I am happy that they still look like the same pair of shoes if not a little more worse for wear now. They are only used for gardening or quick dog walks. They are still a very solid pair of shoes having been made with a heavy leather yet malleable enough to fit the form of my feet, horrific bunions and all. The sole was replaced in recent memory and still has many miles on them. But one of the shoes hurts the top of my foot now, which is a new development. Enough to be quite painful if I am not wearing socks. Who wants to wears socks in the summer to work in the garden? Not me, at any rate.
I had sent the new image to my family saying I was planning on tossing the shoes but how did they like the painting? Well, the uproar from them was deafening even though 2 were in Greece at the time and my sister in California. I am not, under any circumstances, to throw these shoes away. What is a little pain with such stalwart supporters of my feet? Even if I choose not to wear them they are a memento that they all were unanimous on keeping in the family.
So there you have it. I haven't tossed them yet, and I will keep them, for now. I enjoyed painting them again. The portrait will go into the next pop up show that is upcoming the First Friday of August. More on that soon.

A World to Discover Part 1

Recently, on a road trip, I made some discoveries I would like to share. These are little gems hidden in places I had not heard of before I did a little research. Well, that isn't quite true as the first place I want to talk about was at Bethany Lutheran College and I had heard of this museum before...Bethany Lutheran College is where Birger Sandzen taught. If you don't know who Birger Sandzen is, he was a Swedish immigrant who taught art at the college in the small Swedish town called Lindsborg. I wanted to see the campus and the museum there in his name. I was fortunate to have seen the collection of Birger Sandzen held by the college a few years back when it was sent to Colorado Springs Fine Art Center while the museum in Kansas underwent renovation. Or I might have been very disappointed. The front room was Birger's work, and some of the side hallways held his etchings and drawings. But that was the extent of his work on display. Prime examples to be sure. And the room did him and his work justice. It was to be left wanting more.

It was visually delightful. He handles color and thick paint with such ease. The textures he portrays makes you want to reach out and touch. The disappointment could have come from it not being ALL about Birger Sandzen as it was in Colorado Springs...however...in the second gallery was a Kansas artist. His name is Aaron Morgan Brown. I was quite intrigued by his work. The first one that caught my eye was the kid in the museum with all these huge ancient sculptures. In this painting there is a tea cup on the  half wall as if the horses head were going after it. On the floor at the base of the wall is a hammer. And the kid looking into the next gallery holding an apple. It just gets you thinking in a very different way. So I went back and started over and really started to delve into each painting a bit deeper. Every painting drew you in a very different way. Photo realism yet with a decided twist that all is not what it appears. On his website he calls it "constructed dreaming." I have included a few for you to see but please go to his website for a visual journey. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.