October 2020 Art Newsletter - Check Your Rearview

Painting is a lifelong journey, and while it's all about moving forward, it's also important to keep an eye on where you've been.

Read my latest newsletter to learn more about how to look back at your work in order to move forward as an artist.

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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 - "Self Portrait" by Abbott Handerson Thayer - Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Something a bit different for today's #MuseumTourTuesday. This is a self portrait by Abbott Handerson Thayer at the National Portrait Gallery.

"Self Portrait" • Abbott Handerson Thayer • 1920 • Oil on Plywood Panel • 29" x 22"

Most of you are probably familiar with Thayer's paintings of angels and roses, which are absolutely beautiful. What is not widely known is that Thayer was far more than the idealized reality depicted in his work. His first wife passed away in 1891 after being confined to an asylum. Thayer himself was described as eccentric, often utilizing unorthodox methods, such as adding dirt into his paint mixes, or using a broom instead of a brush to loosen up his paintings.

Thayer's paintings of women as angels were an effort to combat what he saw as the degradation of women in art and imagery that emphasized their sexuality rather than their moral attributes. Adding wings stressed the transcendent qualities he saw in the female subject.

Thayer was an environmentalist, and his studies heavily influenced his paintings. He even wrote one of the first books on camouflage within the natural world. Even though he was vigorously attacked by Theodore Roosevelt for his writings, his findings are still widely accepted to this day.

Suffering from bipolar disorder, the artist often suffered from panic attacks, nervous exhaustion and suicidal thoughts. This haunting portrait captures the depth of the artist's personality.

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.

"Pumpkins & Pothos" - Still LIfe Painting

I've always enjoyed painting pumpkins. They have such vibrant colors and come in so many slightly off-kilter yet somewhat predictable shapes. They are like the unofficial mascot of autumn and Halloween.

Pothos on the other hand, makes me nervous. It grows in unpredictable ways, and the leaves are wildly varied.

The two come together to perfectly compliment one another.
A very special thanks to my lovely wife for buying a beautiful selection of both, to get us into the holiday spirit, and to inspire me.

"Pumpkins & Pothos" • Oil on Linen • 12" x 16" • Available at www.PatrickSaunders.com

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.

"Day at the Point" - 2019 Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational

I'm missing our usual October visit to the West Coast this year. You couldn't ask for more perfect weather for painting outdoors.

Here's a painting of the sailboats lined up at Dana Point Harbor, one of my favorite spots to paint in Southern California.

"Day at the Point" • Oil on Linen • 12"x16" • Available at www.PatrickSaunders.com

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.

Art Review - "The Health of the Bride" by Stanhope Alexander Forbes, Tate Museum, London

For today's #MuseumTourTuesday, here is an amazing composition by artist Stanhope Alexander Forbes that Kimberly and I were able to view at the Tate Museum last August.

"The Health of the Bride" • Stanhope Alexander Forbes
 • 1889
 • Oil on canvas
 • 60" x 78.7"

It's interesting to note that the profits from the sale of this painting to Sir Henry Tate enabled Forbes to propose to artist Elizabeth Armstrong, and their marriage took place a few months after the painting was completed.

While the bride and the groom are near the center of the canvas, the action and interest clearly comes from all of the other guests encircling them. The bride and groom feel almost isolated and detached from the scene.

Notice the bride seems lost in her own thoughts, looking downward from all of the toasting guests. There is far more interest in the rendering of the elements on the table than the bride and groom.

"The Health of the Bride" Detail • Stanhope Alexander Forbes
 • 1889
 • Oil on canvas
 • 60" x 78.7"

The woman seated in the lower left foreground of the painting has also been given far more attention in the composition than the bride and groom. As she is the initial figure we are confronted with when viewing the piece, our eye naturally follows from her to the other guests surrounding the wedding couple.

"The Health of the Bride" Detail • Stanhope Alexander Forbes
 • 1889
 • Oil on canvas
 • 60" x 78.7"

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.

"Flowing Through Flowers" - Floral Art

There's this layering effect with azaleas that I find fascinating. It almost appears as if they're falling through the air like snowflakes. I found capturing that depth the challenge with this piece.

"Flowing Through Flowers" • Oil on Linen • 6" x 8" • Available at www.PatrickSaunders.com

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.

"Heart of a Home" - Plein Air Texas 2018

With rapidly changing weather, plein air painting in late October can be tricky. In 2018, the rules for Plein Air Texas changed, allowing artists to work indoors for the first time due to severe storms.

I painted this kitchen scene in the home of our wonderful host that year. Despite the weather, we were warm and cozy.

"Heart of a Home" • Oil on Linen • 18" x 24" • 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 - Spring. "Song" by N.C. Wyeth, Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

For today's #MuseumTourTuesday, I'd like to share a painting by American artist N.C. Wyeth that Kimberly and I viewed last summer at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

Wyeth felt that this painting was a breakthrough in his artistic development, and it was not created as a commercial illustration.

While Wyeth considered this piece a "painting" rather than an "illustration," there is a solid design to the image. The elements are broken down to simplified, almost flat shapes, yet the subtle paint textures and color variations within those shapes add a sense of depth to the painting.

 

Spring. "Song"
 • N.C. Wyeth • 1909
 • Oil on canvas 
• 33 3/4" x 30 1/4"

Notice the simplicity in the painting of the face. A slight darkening of value for the eye sockets and a hint of highlight on the nose. Nothing more is necessary.

 

Spring. "Song" Detail
 • N.C. Wyeth • 1909
 • Oil on canvas 
• 33 3/4" x 30 1/4"

 

What really excites me about this piece is the subtle buildup of textures within the individual shapes of the image. Here, you can see the small strokes of light cool greens atop a warmer color beneath. The values are so close, that the colors combine to create one solid shape.

 

Spring. "Song" Detail
 • N.C. Wyeth • 1909
 • Oil on canvas 
• 33 3/4" x 30 1/4"

 

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.

Azaleas Painting Detail

Painting some azaleas. Here's just a little 2" x 2" in progress detail of a 6" x 8." It's so easy to get lost in these with all of the tiny bits of color.

© 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.

"Roses" Floral Painting

For #ThrowBackThursday, here is a floral I painted over 25 years ago.

Everyone has those paintings that they consider a breakthrough in their journey as an artist. This is one of those paintings for me. I had been working in watercolor under the direction of the great painter Gail Flores at Hallmark Cards. This was the first painting I did after switching back to oils. My experience in watercolor had completely altered my approach to oil paints for the better.

"Roses" • Oil on Board • 10.5" x 16.5" • 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 - "Simplon Pass" by John Singer Sargent - National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

"Simplon Pass" • John Singer Sargent • 1911 • Oil on Canvas • 28 1/4" x 36 7/16”

This is one of the most famous landscapes ever painted by John Singer Sargent. For #MuseumTourTuesday, I'd like to share some of the closeup images Kimberly was able to capture during our visit to the National Gallery of Art last summer.

If you're curious about how texture can impact a painting, this piece by Sargent is a masterclass. Scroll through the images to see just how varied brushwork can be.

The painting is a stunning depiction of an Alpine pass in Switzerland near the border of Italy. Sargent masterfully captures the atmospheric quality of the scene, cooling the colors as they move back in space. The varied paint textures add to this sense of depth with thicker passages in the foreground and smoother larger masses in the background.
 

Notice in this detail of the foreground rocks just how thick the paint has been laid on in the highlights.

 

"Simplon Pass" Detail • John Singer Sargent • 1911 • Oil on Canvas • 28 1/4" x 36 7/16”

 

Further up the slope of the hill, the brushwork becomes more consistent in its application, yet still very dynamic.

 

"Simplon Pass" Detail • John Singer Sargent • 1911 • Oil on Canvas • 28 1/4" x 36 7/16”

 

The splashing water especially captures this play between the thick and thin paint. Notice the passages of cool blue pigment beneath the much thicker and stiffer warm white that sits on top, suggesting a beautiful sense of dimension.

 

"Simplon Pass" Detail • John Singer Sargent • 1911 • Oil on Canvas • 28 1/4" x 36 7/16”

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.

Artistic Excellence Art Competition Award - Southwest Art Magazine

I am so pleased to announce that my painting "War Dancer" is one of only 13 paintings awarded by Southwest Art Magazine's Artistic Excellence Art Competition this year.

This painting, along with the other winners, will be featured in the December/January issue of the magazine.

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

 

Prints are now available at http://bit.ly/PatrickSaundersWarDancer

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.