Sargent at the Legion of Honor

 

Detail from Landscape below

Detail from Landscape below

Spanish Hills-details above

Stunning light!

A familiar one

I am a late in posting about this exhibit, but there is still a month or so left if you happen to be in or near San Fransisco before May 14th, 2023. I was there last month, working a visit to the Legion of Honor into visiting family. It is funny how I manage to do that! (It was a rainy day or else we would have also taken the trail along the cliffs from the Legion of Honor) This is my third out of state trip to see a John Singer Sargent Exhibit  (two were in NYC and Brooklyn). This one focused only on his time in Spain. https://www.famsf.org/exhibitions/sargent-and-spain  He was so prolific there has been very little overlap in going to see his works. Thankfully, he had the ways and means to paint as much as he wanted, and we are all the richer for it. 

Sargent sure had a way with color and light. Some of these paintings positively glowed from across the room. Thankfully the day we went it was busy but not crowded so one could see both close up and from across the room. And take ones time. These are just a few examples of what caught my eye. The landscape was atypical for Sargent in my experience, but so rich in color and nuance. The last three above from the fountain to the girl walking down the street, show the continuity of his palette and how he can make the light around the fountain dance as well as light up the street from a distance or bring to life the Alhambra using very similar color mixes yet achieving very different effects.

The only disappointing aspect of this exhibition was the 'swag' being sold. The postcards chosen for reproduction did nothing for the paintings they represented and usually postcards are the better than what is printed in the books.  I tend to buy coffee mugs as I travel, and the only mug was of one of my least favorite paintings in the show, a pomegranate tree. Even my old iPhone captured the light dancing around the fountain with the beautiful reflected light! This is the third exhibit (Alice Neel at the deYoung Museum in SF and recently here at the Denver Art Museum) I have gone to in the last few years where the quality has decidedly gone down in the Museum gift shops...I can't figure that one out. Cost more, quality sadly lacking. What could possibly be the excuse? I noticed I wasn't the only one walking out without buying anything, not that I believe that to be unusual...

Before and After, Debbie's Place

Debbie's Place, Hopland CA, oil, 11x14

This painting was started as a plein air painting in 2007. Debbie was a neighbor of my in-laws up the road in rural Hopland CA. I regularly brought my plein air gear when visiting and did many paintings over the years of this area. Debbie raised these sheep for their wool which she sold to weavers all over the country. I have sold many paintings of her sheep! This was one of my more adventurous paintings from that time period. My vantage point is looking down the hill from behind the fence, standing on the side of the dirt road that is basically one lane. Traffic was not usually a problem.

I recently reworked it yet again as I can't seem to get it where I want it. I think it is as good as it is going to get. When I can't get motivated to paint on the current round of canvas's I have going, revisiting an unsold painting is an easy way to get me interested. Nothing is ever finished around here until it goes out the door! There is a wedding in the family coming up and I was wondering if I should do a new painting for the happy couple or one that the bride would relate to from her childhood. That was the motivation on picking this particular piece to revisit. Some of the photos below are darker than the painting would have been due to the changing digital photo technology but they are not tampered with.

Original, plein air, 2007

First Revision, 2008, looks like a yellow filter! but not

It looks like I corrected some of the drawing on the sheep's shed and took out the blues and dark greens from the grassy hill. I wonder if that was shadows from the trees originally as the roadway was bordered by trees? It is too long ago now for me to know what is was that I was doing as the photo I took has the hillside in sun.

Second Revision, 2011

I have not included the 3rd or was it the 4th revision as it is very similar to the second except I added the dark sheep in the middle ground in the middle. The original plein air is not as bad as I expected it to be, but then, I have a history of not liking what I do on site and can't keep my hands off of it. Either I wipe it off then and there or I keep finding fault in it. I have gotten better about these high expectations over the years, but I don't paint outdoors as much and I have learned the hard way that they are not normally as bad as I think they are if I let them sit for awhile. Those painting that do end up being as bad as I thought, I have been painting over, which I enjoy doing.

True Confessions

I started this post two months ago-then promptly forgot about it.

Many of you may not remember the publication from back in the day and truthfully, I don't know much about it. The title sure stuck in my brain, however. It is a humbling experience to review ones work and find some of it, surprising in its lack of what one knows as a foundational principle.

This is one that first struck me as decidedly 'off' and yet at the time of its execution I thought I had done such a good representation. Which I had done. The thing was, I ignored what I knew and copied the image with its distortions as if it were true to life. One thing I had forgotten, or neglected to observe, and it is a big thing, is how the phone camera distorts perspective. What's wrong with this picture?

It is that all of the vertical lines should be parallel and straight up and down. The difference in color is from the devices used. The remake is with my iPhone. I think the image above was with my digital camera. A stark contrast...surprising or not, the iPhone image is more true to the painting. It did not take much to straighten the window edges out.

View from Above, 9x12, oil

There will be more revised paintings coming as I pulled a number of them out to revisit. I am so out of the habit of writing and posting that I am way behind. Thankfully, there weren't very many with the perspective lines out of whack. 

This painting is from my last trip to Italy. It reminded me of myself as a child living in France. Our house had three stories and I often sat in the window overlooking a street through our city that was a thoroughfare. I ticked off on the windowsill how many cars with British plates on their way to or from Paris.

Remake - Sausalito Houseboat

Original with a few adjustments already begun

Almost finished, but not quite, 20x16

This is a remake of an old one I did when in class over 10 years ago. It is quite ugly and every time I came across it I wondered why I didn’t just throw it away. It is of a houseboat in Sausalito CA. Richard and I had stopped there on our way back from San Fransisco to his parents house. It isn’t a pretty boat to begin with, but I sure didn’t improve it any! I could not find where I had ever taken a photo of it that is how much I disliked this painting.

So as you can see, the top one is the ‘original’ from class, when we were studying textures. Which I did very well as far as that goes. But it was so dark. I had already decided to take out the wooden structure on the left and you can see my corrected drawing, in pink, as to the top of the boat so there would be more sky and better proportions. The siding should be white but it looked so gray and dingy. So will it ever be a great painting? No. But it gives me a feeling of satisfaction to fix something like this. I still have to finish the big window and put the bike back in a few more finishing touches, but you can see the difference, which is all I wanted for today. Side note: I wrote this almost two weeks ago and then was distracted by a bathroom remodel so never posted. Here is the painting today as I did get some work done on it between painting walls and trim.

I used the side of an old credit card to get the illusion of rough wood with peeling paint. It is fun to do, although would not work for most of what I paint, it works well for this. 

Sausalito Houseboat, 16x20, oil on panel, available

Here is the 'finished' painting, at least for now. From the last photo, I dulled down the wooden screen in the window, finished the plant, redid the reflection and finished the bike. 

New Little Studies - winter fruit

It has been too long since I have paid much attention to writing a blog post. I am not one for making excuses so I won't start now. I do have a possible explanation, however I don't think anyone is really interested in that!

Suffice it to say, I am here, it is a new year, and I hope to be back at my easel more than I have been this past year plus. Everything seems to be taking longer as I have worked on a number of paintings all year and can't seem to make much progress as in getting them done. I was able to get some small studies done over the holidays and it really was a struggle at the start to compose from life. It started with fruit my sister had thoughtfully brought with her from her yard in southern California. Who knew that is all it took to get me motivated? I am going to try and remember the order I painted these, but don't hold me to it.

Lime Persimmons, 6x9, oil on canvas, available

My sister had brought with her limes, lemons, and persimmons. I picked this lime as it still had a leaf attached. I believe I painted this first as the limes were going to someone else. As I painted the leaves visibly dried before my eyes. I tried to do them in a limited time frame although I did not set a timer as I would normally do when going for a quick sketch. There is an under painting showing through as I paint over old paintings. I don't paint this small normally anymore, but the size is perfect for doing these exercises.

Persimmon Pair, 6x6, oil on panel, available

Still trying to get that leaf in before it broke off, I did another little painting of a couple of persimmons. Two is what worked for the square format. I still used the same blue mat board and red rice paper to offset the orange. 

Stacked, 9x6, oil on panel, available

I wanted to see if I could stack the persimmons as there enough to pick from to find what might work. Who would have thought a smaller one would be on the bottom with the largest in the middle, but that is what worked. No toothpicks or other assistance needed. Just wanting to have fun as I got to know persimmons as a subject. 

These were all painted over old paintings. I don't usually do well with allowing the layers to come through but this time I did as I worked quickly trying not to think about anything much. 

Next my sister had brought home some pears to put in the pear walnut salad we do for Christmas Eve dinner so I had a new subject to paint, and I have always enjoyed painting pears.

Pearishable, 6x9, oil on linen

The Bartlett's refused to stand on their own, so reclining it was to be. I propped the one on top of the other for visual interest and to get a circular composition going. I changed to a purple paper and the wood from the table for this one. This was my sister's favorite of those I did while she was here, so it went home with her. It was a gray day out and so the light is more subdued in this one.

Pear Trio, 6x8, oil, available

One more before the pears became salad for our consumption. The Bartlett's still refused to stand up. A stubborn pair. Different lighting on this one which brightens up the study and adds reflected light onto the paper. This is the only one of this group that was done a clean canvas. Very different feel.

There are two more but I forgot that I hadn't taken their photo yet. So, another post to come to follow up to this sojourn at my easel to have a bit of fun.

Dance of the Jelly Fish

Dance of the Jelly Fish, 16x12, oil on linen

This painting comes from a Facebook 'challenge' a month or so ago that some friends of mine were throwing around. The first subject was octopus. I so wanted to paint an octopus but I have no images of my own of those amazing creatures. Searching online did not help me find what I was looking for. So, after those paintings were posted by those who knew what they wanted, the next topic was Jelly Fish! I had a number of images I took when I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I went there a few years ago with my son on our road trip up the California Coast. I am sure it is the lighting of this exhibit that makes the colors so vibrant, but it was captivating!

I thought this being a fairly small piece it would not take me long, which it didn't. But getting it to the satisfaction of my son (and he was correct) has been a struggle. In the original image the jelly fish are fairly dark and almost have a solid feel to them, which I of course, captured. He just could not like the painting because of that. So I did my best to rid them of the dark lines and solid feel trying to make them more ethereal. Not something I do well with. I am so an outline, graphic person in how I see. He has not seen this last version yet, but I am thinking it will 'pass muster.' Finally!

I do love the colors and it was fun to paint something totally different for me.

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!

Laguna Beach Art Association Part 2

So. Last week I showed only one known artist to me and spent the time on the art and artists that were new discoveries. Then today a friend of mine sent an article on the healing properties of going to see art as an aid to healing! The title was "Take Two Emily Carr's And Call Me in the Morning." It is in fact being implemented in a certain place that will be revealed in another post. But, don't you just love it? It made my day.

First up today is William Wendt. I found out at this exhibit that he was a deeply religious man and he endeavored to do God's creation justice. I do think he succeeded as I always think of him as an amazing landscape painter.
These are not all stellar photos as sometimes the glare just could not be avoided. And I did not take photos of all the name tags. But my memory of who is who is pretty good.

William Wendt, The Mantle of Spring

His landscapes are always memorable to me. Rich in color, texture and composition. So much movement.

William Wendt

Laguna Beach. Gives you such a sense of place.

William Wendt

Below is one final photo I took of his and it was grouped with Nicolai Fechin. If that isn't high praise I don't know what is! I don't know that I have ever seen a Fechin 'seascape' before. He was a Russian Immigrant who came to the US around 1923. After living in NY for a few years he went to Taos where he painted the Taos Indians. I know him more as a portrait painter or painter of people more like. It is not known when he went to La Jolla exactly but around 1925 the tag said. A worthy artist to look into.

Nicolai Fechin top, Old Pier; William Wendt below

I did not get this artists name, but the painting below stood out in its overall simplicity yet boldness of use of Thalo blue green. This color is very strong and in the wrong hands can be overwhelming, but I was quite taken my how well he managed it.

Then there is Joseph Kleitsch, whom I have written of before. I went to the now closed Pasadena Museum of Art to see a whole exhibit on Joseph a year and a half ago. This was the last painting in this current exhibit and a fitting way to end a great show. On a lazy afternoon, strumming a guitar while a faithful companion sits patiently waiting.

Joseph Kleitsch

This is just a small taste of well put together group of artists that painted in and around Southern California 100 years ago. I once again urge anyone who is in the area to make the effort to see this exhibit that is up through January 13, 2019 at the Laguna Art Museum. Be prepared to feel a part of another time and place but in the company of some masterful artists. We are so blessed!

The Laguna Beach Art Association Exhibit

Last week I flew to SoCal. One reason was to see the Laguna Beach Art Association Exhibit at the Laguna Art Museum. Edgar Payne was one of the main founders of this art association which started in 1919. Here is a painting by Edgar Payne hanging in the exhibit. There was also a magnificent large painting from the Sierra Nevada's.

Here is my most favorite "new" artist for me. I had never heard of George Brandriff before but these two paintings are both by him and I love them for different reasons. The top one has such an amazing composition as well as being very luscious in paint application. The second one I thought had particularly well done abstracted shapes that made up the whole.

detail of the abstract handling of this painting, Sunday Reflection, 1929

Here is another new to me painter, Frank Cuprien. This painting that at first I did not really like. It took some getting used to. It comes off as so Yellow. But the longer I looked at it or tried to ignore it (both) the darn thing kept calling me back for closer inspection. And upon further reflection it too made me marvel. The foreground water is a light wash over a wonderful palette of soft pastel under-layment which is thicker in texture. I learned that Frank built a house on a hill overlooking the ocean and was known for just painting water. This painting is from 1930.

Detail from Poeme du Soir, Frank Caprien

Thomas Hunt, Newport Harbor Scene

I like this Thomas Hunt, another artist I had not heard of before, Newport Harbor Scene, as it is so graphic and simple. With the blue flag hanging down out of the top frame. Very 'edgy.' There was one other by him, also boats, although more abstract than this one.

I did not take a photo of the tag for the painting below so I do not have that information to share with you. I guess you will have to go see the show if you want to find out! It is up through early January I believe. And it is well worth a visit if you are in the area. I really enjoyed the exhibit very much. I took the photo because I liked the abstract shapes of the porch and laundry and the colors used (a wee bit of glare there). I also thought the palm tree rather lovely with the warm browns in there. Not something you see painted in on palm trees too often.

To round out this first post on this exhibition of newly discovered painters for Victoria,  I will close with Ruth Peabody. I think her style is more reminiscent of the time period in which she painted but I did like her work.

Ruth Peabody, The Cookbook

I found out about this show through American Art Review a wonderful magazine that highlights shows around the USA every two months. I find a show that interests me and then figure out if I can go. My sister moved to just north of LA last year so it was a perfect marriage to go see her and her new home and go see this show.

Klimt at the Legion of Honor

Lady with Feathered Hat

The show at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco is a double billing of Klimt/Rodin. For me, it was all about Klimt. Don't get me wrong, I like Rodin's work, but I came to discover and see Klimt's paintings in person. This painting of the Lady with Feathered Hat struck me because it brought to mind one  of Klimt's proteges,  Egon Schiele, whom I happen to really like, more so than what I would think of a typically Klimt piece. But this exhibit was not a show of what most people have in mind when they think of his work. A few pieces, of course, but not overall.

For instance, one usually thinks of females, especially the Kiss or the Woman in Gold. There was one piece that fit that mold, The Maiden, shown below. I took this long view of it to show its size. Klimt painted LARGE! But the size adds to the power of his images. I think there are at least 6 women in this painting, with the virgin in the middle of this menagerie.

My personal favorite works of Gustav are the landscapes. Most people have no idea that he painted landscapes. It said in the exhibit he fit them in around his commissions, but tended to do 3 or 4 per year. They are also quite large, and all of them are square. Below is one of the 4 that were on display. It is of the Schloss were he went for rest and recuperation. You can see the lake to the left where he boated. I took a close up of another painting so you can see the brush work. I was quite surprised to discover how loosely he really painted.

Next up, either Richard Diebenkorn or The Women of Paris from our own Denver Art Museum show...

A New Year Begins! Welcome 2018

As a follow up to my last post, I will regale you with my take of the museum art shows we went to. To start, my son and I had a time of wonder and discovery together.

Starting with landing in LAX where my sister and her husband picked us up. We drove straight to the Pasadena Museum of California Art as it was 'on the way' home. The exhibit of E. Carlton Fortune was everything and more I could have hoped for. Photos were not allowed, unfortunately, so I did buy the catalog. I have not been impressed with exhibit catalogs of late so it is rare I will buy them.

The show started chronologically, but the first one that took my full attention was of Monterey Bay.
There are many artists who paint the coast, with the rocks, waves and coves, but not always do they take your breath away. Effie's (Effie is what her family and friends called her, but for her professional name she went by Charlton) handling of this subject was pure joy. Despite how many of her paintings I liked and would love to own, this one, for me, was the premier piece. I found this tiny image of The Lonely Shore to post here, but it does not do it justice nor does the image in the catalog.

Even as a thumbnail, I think it still shows it well enough. The colors and the paint application are stunningly luscious and varied.

If my memory serves, the image below is a view Effie painted from the old Santa Barbara Mission which burned down in the 1920's. The second painting below shows that Mission as a sprawling property with a cow grazing.

Charlton moved around quite a bit. She lived and worked all up and down the California coast painting as she went, mostly on site. One reason being, her home burned down in the SF earthquake. Eventually, she and her mother moved to Europe, where again, she moved around quite a bit. They lived and visited relatives in Scotland; they lived in St Ives, and also the south of France. While living in France, she entered the Paris Salon, and 'Mr Charlton Fortune' won an award and critical acclaim. She used her name to her advantage, as well she should!

Needless to say I could go on and on about Effie and this show; The good news is that after it leaves Pasadena in January it is going to the Crocker Museum in Sacramento so there is still plenty of time to pop over to CA to see this amazing painter's work.

Our next museum stop (not counting the Reagan Library, the Hearst Castle and the Monterey Bay Aquarium) was the Legion of Honor in San Francisco where the Klimt/Rodin exhibit is. Stay tuned...