October 2021 Art Newsletter - The Shape of Flowers

Some artists find floral painting intimidating because flowers are relatively complex subjects. You can easily get lost, and end up with something that, in the immortal words of one of my painting mentors, looks like "wadded up toilet paper."

Sign up for my latest art newsletter on how nailing the overall shape of a floral first can really help you find your way through a complicated subject.

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.

Painting Workshop - Ellis County Art Association

Texas artist friends, my January painting workshop at the Ellis County Art Association is filling fast, so sign up now to secure your spot.

Click here for more information, and to register:

https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Waxahachie-Workshop

 

Join me January 27th - 29th to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. Each day will begin with a short lecture and full painting demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction. My class is highly tailored for each individual artist, so beginners as well as advanced painters 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.

Art Review - "The Red Kimono" by George Hendrik Breitner

This piece from the Stedelijk Museum is one of a series of 14 works that Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner painted for his "Girl In Kimono" series from 1893 to 1896. The model is sixteen-year-old Geesje Kwak, who posed for almost all of the compositions in either a red, white or gray kimono.

It's a beautiful painting, striking in its use of rich reds and luscious overlapping patterns. The graphic design of these Japanese fabrics clearly fascinated the artist.

Today the painting is considered an icon of "Japonisme," the influence of Japanese art on western art following the forced reopening of trade with Japan in 1858. In its day, the series was not as popular as the artist's landscape work, created both en plein air and through the use of reference photos, which Breitner was already known for. You can view some of these works, which I wrote about in a previous #MuseumTourTuesday post, here:
https://bit.ly/patrick-saunders-art-review-breitner

I find the change in the critical acceptance of these works interesting. While Breitner's landscapes document the contemporary conditions of the streets and harbors of Amsterdam through direct observation, the kimono series is far more trendy and staged. At the time, the paintings may have been seen as a sort of pop culture response, whereas today they are more of a historical record of the influence of Japanese culture on European painting.

"The Red Kimono" • George Hendrik Breitner • Oil on Canvas
• 77 x 101.5cm  • 1894

© 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.

Spring 2022 Painting Workshops - Booth Western Art Museum

Georgia artist friends, I will be returning to the Booth Western Art Museum’s Booth Art Academy next spring for two painting workshops.

On May 1st - 3rd, 2022, I will teach my Painting Without Borders class, and on May 4th - 6th, I will teach another Dynamic Floral In Oils workshop.

Registration is now open, so click on either link below for more information, or to sign up:

 

https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Booth-Museum-Workshop-2022
https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Booth-Museum-Floral-Workshop-2022 

© 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 - Sky Ranch Studio - Petaluma, California

West Coast artist friends, I’m pleased to announce that I will be teaching a painting workshop in Sonoma County next spring.

Class size is limited, so click here for more information, and to sign up: https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Petaluma-Workshop

Join me March 4th - 6th at the Sky Ranch Studio in Petaluma, California to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation. I can teach you 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. Artists will learn about composition, value, texture, color temperature and accuracy in paint application.

Each day will begin with a short lecture and full demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction. My class is highly tailored for each individual, so beginners as well as experienced painters are welcome. I will demonstrate in oil paint, but artists are welcome to use acrylic and pastels.

© 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 Artist's Studio" by Henrik Nordenberg

I have a beautifully rendered painting to share for #MuseumTourTuesday by Swedish artist Henrik Nordenberg. Much of the artist's work is in private collections, but numerous pieces can be viewed online.

Nordenberg is known for his interiors, but this one is by far my favorite. What intrigues me most are the overlapping patterns throughout the composition. All of the man-made patterns, such as the carpets, the umbrella and the lantern, move the viewer's focus around the brightest pattern of all - the window to the outdoors.

Knowing that this is the artist's studio, I have to wonder if it is an ode to his sources of inspiration, with the most important being the natural world featured at the center of the composition.

 

"The Artist's Studio" • Henrik Nordenberg • Oil on Canvas 

• 22" x 15.6" • 1891 • 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 Supplies - Golden Artists Colors Sealant & Williamsburg Oils and Ground

I've got some new products to try out!

Thank you to Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors and Golden Artist Colors for sponsoring my award win at the 30th Annual Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition.

I'm particularly excited about the Titanium Oil Ground, as I've heard great things. 

© 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 - "Pumpkins & Pothos" Still Life Painting

For #throwbackthursday, here's a painting that gets me into the spirit of fall.

This piece is now available at the Olmsted Gallery. My thanks to Lillian Kirbo Ansley and Mary Ferguson for inviting me to be in their new online gallery.

"Pumpkins & Pothos" • Oil on Linen • 12" x 16"
• Available at https://www.olmstedgallery.com/paintings/patrick-saunders

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 - "Mrs. Fechin and Daughter" by Nicolai Fechin

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting in a private collection, and I consider it such an amazing piece that I feel the need to share my admiration. It's a painting by Nicolai Fechin. Yes, I know, I post a lot of Fechin's work, but it's always for good reason.

This piece is so intriguing to me, first and foremost for its cross-genre appeal. Is it a portrait, or a still life? By its title, it's a portrait, but nothing stands out more in this painting than the foreground still life. The figures are subdued in value contrast, and the child especially recedes into the background. The foreground still life is sharp and dominant in both value contrast and color saturation. 

 

My own take is that it is definitely a portrait. Despite the title, it is not simply a dual portrait of Fechin's wife and child, but a family portrait. The artist himself is included in the reflected metal of the tea urn, although abstracted to the point of illegibility. I see the still life as representative of Nicolai himself. A way to include himself in the family composition and still be the one capturing the scene. 

 

Regardless of my own read on the image, the painting is an undeniably bold composition. I love it when a painting transcends the categories we so often attempt to push art into.

"Mrs. Fechin and Daughter" • Nicolai Fechin • Oil on Canvas • 1925 • 34 1/2" x 31 1/2"

 

 

© 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.

 

In Progress - Floral Painting

Here's a detail of a larger piece currently on the easel. I'm slowly finding my way through all of these shapes.


In Progress • Oil on Linen • Crop of a 24"x30"

© 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.

Pet Portrait Commission - "Jilly"

Jilly just couldn't wait to pose. Every time we turned around, she had positioned herself for a perfectly composed photo. What a smile she has. She's a natural model.

We particularly loved the way she lounged on the welcome mat of her home. Everything about Jilly conveys the warmth that we felt during this visit. She and her sister Leche, whose portrait I previously shared, were excited to meet us, and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived.

Kimberly and I were actually only there to photograph Leche for a portrait commission, but Jilly was not about to let us leave without getting in on the action and attention. So, her humans decided they better get a portrait of Jilly too.

"Jilly" • Oil on Linen • 9" x 12" • Private Collection

Reference and painting photos by Kimberly at 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 "La Blanchisseuse" by Henri de Toulouse-Latrec

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting that I have not seen in person, as it is part of a private collection. It's one of those pieces that I watch for, hoping to find that one day it will be part of a retrospective, so that I might view the original.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted this image at the age of 22. The subject is Carmen Gaudin, a prostitute and one of his favorite models. Gaudin was very supportive of the artist's work, and she appears in a number of his paintings, but this one is my favorite.

While the subject matter conveys the hard life of the laundress, there is also a sense of strength and determination. Her hand grips the table, suggesting that she is aware and in control of her current life, while her gaze out the window shows a longing for something more.

 

"La Blanchisseuse" (The Laundress) • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 

• Oil on Canvas • 37" x 30" • 1886

 

© 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 - Lighthouse ArtCenter

Florida artist friends, I’m honored to be judging the 9th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter plein air festival next spring, and I will be teaching a painting workshop after the event as well.

Join me April 4th - 6th in Tequesta, Florida to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. You will 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. Artists will also learn about composition, value, texture, color temperature and accuracy in paint application.

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

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 individual student, so beginners as well as advanced painters are welcome. I will be demonstrating in oil paint, but students are welcome to use acrylic and pastels.

© 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.