Art Review - "Mary" by Gertrude Fiske - The Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

It's #museumtourtuesday, and here's a painting from a collection that I have yet to visit in person, the Davis Museum at Wellesley College.

Gertrude Fiske studied with another favorite painter of mine, Frank W. Benson, but her work stands strong on its own. She went on to co-found The Guild of Boston Artists in 1914.

I love the overlapping patterns in this painting. The contrast between the rigid check pattern of the dress and the more organic pattern of the wallpaper adds a lot of movement and interest to the piece. And then, there's the simplicity with which the hands are rendered. Notice how the darks all run together into a single shape, and it is the light areas which support the form.

 

"Mary" • Gertrude Fiske • Oil on canvas • 40 1/8" x 30 1/4" • ca. 1920

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

ONLY THREE SPOTS LEFT - Painting Workshop - The Galleries at Heartland Art Club, Saint Louis, Missouri

Midwestern artist friends, my spring painting workshop at The Galleries at Heartland Art Club only has three spots left, so register now to secure your spot.

Click here for more information, and to register:
https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-St-Louis-Painting-Workshop

Join me May 20th - 22nd in Saint Louis, Missouri to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. Learn to paint any subject, from the most simple to complex, with one approach. I will demonstrate the process of simplifying the subject and moving to finish as rapidly as possible in order to add more energy and excitement to your painting.

Each day will begin with a short lecture and full demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction with students. My class is highly tailored for each participant, and beginners as well as advanced artists are welcome.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

March 2021 Art Newsletter - Break It To Make It - Using Broken Color

One way to add more energy and vibration into your paintings is through the use of broken color.

Sign up for my latest newsletter to learn more about ways to achieve this effect:

http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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 - "Dorothea in the Woods" by Cecilia Beaux - Whitney Museum of Art, New York

For this #museumtourtuesday, I'm featuring a painting that I haven't seen in person yet, but I'll get the chance to soon.

I'm a big fan of Cecilia Beaux's work, and this piece is not only a great composition, but has a wonderful subtlety of value control. While Kimberly and I have been to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York numerous times, this piece was not on display during our visits. 

 

I was excited to learn recently that it will be part of an upcoming exhibition at the San Antonio Museum of Art this summer.

 

"Dorothea in the Woods" • Cecilia Beaux • Oil on canvas • 53 1/4" x 40 1/4" • 1897

• Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Plein Air Painting Workshop - Driggs Digs Plein Air, Driggs, Idaho

West Coast artist friends, my painting workshop this July at Driggs Digs Plein Air, which I'm honored to be judging again this year, is sold out.

Click on the link below if you would like to join the wait list for this plein air workshop.

 

http://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Driggs-Plein-Air-Workshop-2021

 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Floral Painting - Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival

Sometimes your subject just seems like it's staring right back at you. I must admit that I blinked first. This one is a plein air piece, painted on a warm, sunny tail of a winter day.

 

"Keeping An Eye On Things" • Oil on linen • 9" x 12" • JUST SOLD at Lighthouse ArtCenter

 

Check out all of my work at the 8th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival. Since the event is virtual as well as in person this year, Lighthouse has a virtual catalog and online store (link below) where collectors can learn more about all of the art for sale at the festival.

https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Lighthouse-Plein-Air-Paintings

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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 - "Bad Housekeeping" by Eve Mansdorf

Here is another one of my favorite contemporary painters for today's #museumtourtuesday, Eve Mansdorf.

 

Mansdorf's observational approach to painting produces compositions that I find incredibly compelling. The work has a wonderful dimensional depth, and while every element is solidly painted, nothing feels overwrought or separate from the whole. There is a richness of detail, without any careful rendering.

 

Eve Mansdorf is currently an Associate Professor of Painting at Indiana University. You can find many more excellent examples of her paintings online.

 

"Bad Housekeeping" • Eve Mansdorf • Oil on linen • 58" x 72"

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Plein Air Floral Study - 8th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival

My latest plein air floral study is now available at the 8th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival.

"Yellow Daisies" • Oil on Linen • 9"x12"

• https://lighthouse-artcenter.myshopify.com/products/yellow-daisies

 

Since the event is virtual as well as in person this year, Lighthouse has a virtual catalog and online store (link above) where collectors can learn more about this piece, and all of the art for sale at the festival.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Floral Painting Workshop - Booth Western Art Museum's Booth Art Academy, Cartersville, Georgia

Georgia artist friends, my floral painting workshop at the Booth Western Art Museum's Booth Art Academy May 5th - 7th has sold out, but if you would like to sign up for the wait list, click on the link below:

http://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Booth-Museum-Floral-Workshop-2021

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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 - 30 Years of Painting

I was asked this week how long I've been painting professionally, and I realized that this is my 30th year. Time sure flies.

For #throwbackthursday, here is a painting I did way back in 1994 of my nephews Andrew and Alex. Both are now married with children of their own. That makes me feel old, but looking back on my early work, like this piece, also makes me appreciate how much I've grown as a painter over the years.

 

"Andrew & Alex" • Oil on Canvas • 24" x 30" • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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 - "Vera" by Hope Gangloff - Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri

For today's #museumtourtuesday, I'd like to feature one of my favorite contemporary American painters, Hope Gangloff.

I was first introduced to her work in 2013 as part of an exhibition at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri. 

 

The piece below inspired me to seek out more of her paintings.

 

She creates portraits of friends and family in bright, vibrant colors. The line work in her paintings is both graphic and expressive, and she fills the spaces of these large works with a dramatic collection of patterns. I find her work reminiscent of both Egon Schiele and Edouard Vuillard.

You can read a bit more about Hope Gangloff in this 2017 Vogue article: https://www.vogue.com/article/hope-gangloff-stanford-cantor-arts-center

 

"Vera" • Hope Gangloff • Acrylic on Canvas • 81" x 54" 

• Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Painting Workshop - Coppini Academy of Fine Art, San Antonio, Texas

Texas artist friends, I am happy to be returning to the Coppini Academy of Fine Art for a painting workshop next fall.

Click here for more information, and to register:

http://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-San-Antonio-Workshop

 

Join me November 5th - 7th in San Antonio, Texas, to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. I can teach you to paint any subject, from the most simple to complex, with one approach. I will show you how to simplify your subject and move to finish as rapidly as possible in order to add energy and excitement to your painting.

 

Each day starts with a short lecture and a full demonstration painting, followed by one-on-one instruction with each artist. My class is highly tailored for each participant, and beginners as well as advanced artists are welcome.

 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.

Floral Painting - 8th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival

The act of working on this painting felt very similar to getting lost in a forest, and repeatedly working to find my way through it. There’s a pattern to nature, but it’s so complicated that it can be hard to make sense of. Without a clear path, you can only follow where the light leads.

A virtual gold star to anyone who understands the literary reference of the painting’s title.

 

“Bombadil” • Oil on linen • 12” x 16” 

• Available at the 8th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter Plein Air Festival

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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 Convalescent" by Helene Schjerfbeck - Ateneum Museum, Helsinki, Finland

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a beautiful piece by Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck at the Ateneum Museum.

Helene painted a wide variety of subjects, and her approach changed dramatically over the course of her career, beginning with French-influenced realism and evolving into more modern expressionistic work reminiscent of Edvard Munch.

 

This piece won the bronze medal at the 1889 Paris World Fair. While the subject matter of a sick child was common at the time, Helene's painting is all about recovery and was originally titled "First Greenery." It conveys a wonderful sense of hope.

 

Technically, the painting is a masterful exploration of varying textures and surfaces, from the slightly reflected surface of the table, the soft folds of the sheet and pillow, and of course the amazing rendering of the wicker chair. The artist's handling of color is also particularly striking, with a warm light illuminating the scene from the right, while cool light from the window on the left adds a contrasting color vibration. Just look at those lavender highlights on the back of the child's hair and hand. A truly great piece.

 

"The Convalescent" • Helene Schjerfbeck • Oil • 1888 • 92 cm x 107 cm

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. 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.