September 2020 Newsletter - Getting Motivated

Are current events distracting you from your art?

Read my latest newsletter for ideas on how to get motivated and stay in touch with what draws you to create art.

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© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Art Review - "Roasted Chestnuts" by Andrew Wyeth - Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA

With cooler weather upon us, I thought I'd share this painting by Andrew Wyeth at the Brandywine River Museum of Art for #MuseumTourTuesday.

Through his use of muted color, Wyeth perfectly captures that sense of the cold day where one stands in the sun to catch that little bit of extra warmth that it might provide. Even the choice of tempera as the medium adds to the sense of the crisp cool air where everything in view is just a bit clearer in its detail without any atmospheric distractions. 

I love that Wyeth elongated the figure in the painting, relating his thinness directly to the movement of the thin tracks in the road.

In Wyeth's own words, from the museum's website: "The boy is Alan Messersmith, and I saw him standing there on Highway 202 near West Chester…in Pennsylvania. The tracks seemed to me almost like those made by ancient Roman chariots. There’s a sort of ancient feeling about this picture and the young man."

"Roasted Chestnuts"
 • Andrew Wyeth
 • 1956 
• Tempera on panel 
• 48" x 33”

The museum website also offers an interesting explanation about the elements of the painting: “Messersmith was a neighbor who regularly sold chestnuts by the side of the road. Although he is alone, the ruts created by car wheels in the mud indicate the past presence of other people in this place. The tracks also serve as a strong compositional element, opening out towards the viewer at the bottom of the canvas and continuing into the distance at the top. Such tracks are a recurrent theme in Wyeth’s work. The lengthening shadows of late afternoon suggest the boy’s persistence as he waits for customers, alone but not lonely. His worn army jacket and frayed knit cap convey the physical discomfort of a sunny yet cold winter’s day."

 

"Roasted Chestnuts" Detail
 • Andrew Wyeth
 • 1956 
• Tempera on panel 
• 48" x 33”

So many areas of the painting could easily stand alone as almost abstract textural paintings, including this detail of the ruts in the road.

"Roasted Chestnuts"
 • Andrew Wyeth
 • 1956 
• Tempera on panel 
• 48" x 33”

Painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Entry - Oil Painters of America 2020 Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition - Reinert Fine Art, Charleston, S.C.

I'm pleased to announce that my painting "Tapestry" has been accepted to the Oil Painters of America's 2020 Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition at Reinert Fine Art in Charleston, South Carolina. The show will run from November 20th through December 19th.

This painting was inspired by the rich floral works of Maria Oakey Dewing and by a Jules Bastien-Lepage piece, "Joan of Arc", at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

While my subject matter is completely disconnected from that of Bastien-Lepage, which was not a floral, I found something fascinating in the tapestry like richness to his work, featuring varied textures and patterns throughout the painting.

Sometimes an inspiration leads to something completely different.

"Tapestry" • Oil on Linen • 12"x16"

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Royal Talens North America Oil Paints

A wonderful surprise package arrived in the mail today.

Thank you to Jeffrey Olson at Royal Talens North America! I'll put these to good use!

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Artist Talk - Mid America Pastel Society

My thanks to Vicki Thompson and Karen Johnson of the Mid America Pastel Society for inviting me speak to their membership last night on Facebook Live.

Thanks also to everyone who participated. I really appreciated all of your thoughtful questions. I love every opportunity to talk about art. 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Art Review - "Stable at Cuenca" by John Singer Sargent, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

Here is a John Singer Sargent piece at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery featuring a bold composition.

All of the major elements exist at the extreme edges of the painting. Sargent is unafraid to crop the foreground donkey as well as the figure on the far left. This creates a circular movement around the outer sections of the painting, leaving the center of the image as an area of relief.

"Stable at Cuenca" • John Singer Sargent • 1903 • Oil on Canvas • 22.5" x 28.375"

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

SOLD - "War Dancer"

I was thrilled to learn this weekend that “War Dancer” is off to a good home with a new collector.

This is a very special portrait for me that came from a great experience Kimberly and I had in Arizona, and I’m glad its new owner is moved by it as much as we are.

"War Dancer" • Oil on Linen • 20"x24" • Private Collection

 

Winner, Certificate of Excellence
Portrait Society of America
21st Annual International Portrait Competition

Featured
Oil Painters of America
28th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils

Reference and painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

"Barney" - Pet Portrait Painting

This was Barney. I've painted him a number of times in the past, but I never really felt like I captured him. There was just something that was missing.

Barney was the kind of dog that loved everything about life. He would run until he was ready to collapse. This painting is from a photograph that Kimberly took at the beach at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

I feel like this time I finally found what had been lacking in my past paintings of Barney - that pure sense of joy.

 

"Barney" • Oil on Linen • 9" x 12" • Available at www.PatrickSaunders.com

Reference and painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Art Review - "The Spinet" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

This piece at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery may be my favorite painting by Thomas Wilmer Dewing.

It's not because of the figure, something that Dewing is well known for in his work, but rather the background. The piece is uncharacteristic for the artist, as his backgrounds are normally more simplistic or amorphous. For me, it's the wallpaper that brings life to the painting, seeming to move and twist more than the figure.

I have to wonder if the wallpaper is actually the work of Dewing's wife, Maria Oakey Dewing, as it is known that she often collaborated with her husband, painting the floral portions of his work.

"The Spinet" • Thomas Wilmer Dewing • ca. 1902 • Oil on Wood • 15.5" x 20"

   

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Pet Portrait Commission - "Ruby & Reese"

I'm honored to have been commissioned to paint the portraits of these two beautiful shepherds, both with very unique personalities.

I realize that I have been posting a lot of pet portraits lately, but I have to say that in these crazy times, the calming effect of animals comes through in images just as much as it does in person. I find painting animals to be a particularly soothing experience.

"Ruby & Reese" • Oil on Linen • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Throwback Thursday - "Opal" Pet Portrait Painting

Yesterday's startling photos of an orange sky in San Francisco were disturbing to see. Kimberly and I have so many fond memories of our time spent living in that beautiful city.

Here's a painting from 2011 of our cat, Opal, in her favorite spot in our SoMa apartment. She loved to sit in the bright light streaming through the window and watch the world go by. The city is often portrayed as a foggy place, but the eastern portion was almost always sunny.

"Opal" • Oil on Canvas • 19" x 28" • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Art Review - "A Chief of Abyssinia" by Henri Regnault - National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

For #museumtourtuesday, here is a powerful portrait by Henri Regnault from the National Gallery of Art that captures personality, intensity and movement.

The use of the intense yellow and red colors gives the suggestion of royalty, but the true suggestion of strength comes from the powerful gaze in the man's eyes and the way he holds his head high.

I love the way the piece is thinly painted throughout, but especially around the eyes. Here, the glow from this translucency of the light passing through the thin glaze of paint and off of the canvas beneath gives him an incredible sense of life.

Regnault, who died at the 2nd Battle of Buzenval in 1871, would have only been 27 years old when he created this beautiful painting.

"A Chief of Abyssinia" • Henri Regnault • c. 1870 • Oil on Canvas • 16 5/8" x 12 5/8"

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Pet Portrait Commission - Detail

Here's a detail of my current pet portrait commission in progress. Always so much fun to paint dogs. They each have their own unique personality.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Throwback Thursday - "Barbie" Pet Portrait

This was Barbie. Barbie was the sweetest cat ever ... but only to those she cared about. If you crossed her, you would get an earful of obscenities. You might not understand the language, but the intent was always clear.

She was also really good at stealing food, breaking things, knocking stuff down for attention, banging on closed doors, randomly terrorizing other pets, and nipping unsuspecting human noses, just to show you who's boss.

Barbie passed away five years ago this month. We miss everything about her.

"Barbie" • Oil on Panel • 19" x 19" • Private Collection

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Art Review - "The Ox-Driver, an Old-Time Figure of the West" by Harvey T. Dunn - Brandywine River Museum of Art

For #MuseumTourTuesday, here's a painting we were able to view at the Brandywine River Museum of Art by American illustrator Harvey Dunn. A student of the great Howard Pyle, Dunn would later become a great teacher in his own right, mentoring other well known illustrators such as Dean Cornwell.

One of the things I find fascinating about this painting is the way in which Dunn crops the Ox. By pushing its head off the left edge of the canvas, the artist gives us a greater sense of its power and massiveness. Also interesting is that the ox and driver become one shape, suggesting their important relationship to each other.

"The Ox-Driver, an Old-Time Figure of the West" • Harvey T. Dunn • 1909 • Oil on Canvas
• 34 7/8 × 26 in

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.