July 2022 Art Newsletter - If the Sky Is Blue, Which Blue Is It?

If the sky is blue, which blue is it?

Sign up for my latest art newsletter on how to choose blues in order to maximize versatility: http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

"Cloudscape over St. Michaels" • 2019 Plein Air Easton • Oil on Linen  

• 18" x 24" • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Portrait Study - Open Model Session

Here is my last study at a Coppini Academy open model session until they resume this fall. This one is a good balance of thick and thin paint. The hair is a thin mix of cobalt blue and cadmium red, laid in during the first few minutes of the session. The face and background are thicker paint. 

“Kyle Portrait Study” • Oil on Linen • 15" x 14” • 1.5 Hours

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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 Governess Cart" by Joseph Crawhill

This week's #MuseumTourTuesday post is not about a painting that I have seen in person, but rather one that I find very inspiring. While very different mediums, I've always been intrigued by the crossover of effects between oil and water based paints. Working with watercolor and gouache for over a decade early on in my art career has greatly influenced my approach to painting with oils.

Joseph Crawhill, with this piece at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, is one of those artists who helped to solidify that connection between the mediums for me. My first assumption was that this piece was an oil painting, but it is actually gouache on linen. Many of the effects are similar to those achievable with oil on linen. I am particularly partial to the visible texture of the linen, and the way in which that texture interacts with the paint. This is another thing I strive for in my own work.

Unfortunately, Crawhill destroyed much of his own work because he was rarely satisfied with it. What remains shows his high level of talent and a love for animals, often working only from memory.

Joseph Crawhill • "The Governess Cart" • Gouache on Linen
• 05 mm x 369 mm • circa 1894-1900

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

2023 Painting Workshops - Booth Art Academy

Artist friends, all of my 2022 workshops are sold out, but if you would like to paint with me in 2023, you can sign up now for my classes at the Booth Museum’s Booth Art Academy next spring.

Join me in Cartersville, Georgia for my Painting Without Borders workshop on May 1st - 3rd, or my Painting Dynamic Animal Portraits class on May 4th - 6th.

https://bit.ly/patrick-saunders-booth-museum-workshop-2023

https://bit.ly/patrick-saunders-booth-museum-pet-portraits-workshop

No matter your favorite subject, my approach to painting is the same. Choose a class and paint what excites you. Beginners as well as advanced artists are welcome, as my workshops are highly tailored to each participant. I can meet you where you are and help you get where you want to go as a painter.

“Dining at the Swan” • Oil on Linen • 18” x 24" • Private Collection

“Kobe” • Oil on Linen • 12” x 16" • Private Collection

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Portrait Study - Open Model Session

I really worked at trying to capture the subtle variations of last night's model at a Coppini Academy open session. The number of colors within human skin, or in anything for that matter, never ceases to amaze me. The more you look, the more you see.

“Dustin Portrait Study” • Oil on Linen • 14" x 18” • 1.5 Hours

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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 Sir William Orpen

For today's #MuseumTourTuesday, here is a self portrait by Irish artist Sir William Orpen at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

I love the bold choice of yellow as a background color, similar to a piece I featured earlier this year by František Kupka. Orpen portrays himself in front of one of his own works, "Sowing New Seed," a political observation on the state of the arts in Ireland. He is known for a series of self portraits in which he often depicts himself in the act of painting or in costume.

 

Orpen was a very successful portrait painter, promoted by the likes of John Singer Sargent. In 1915, he was commissioned into the British Army Service Corps and painted throughout the battlefields of WWI. In 1952, some 20 years after the artist's death, the director of the Tate Gallery criticized every aspect of Orpen's work, causing most of his paintings to be pulled from display. The artist was largely forgotten in the UK until a major retrospective in 2005 reestablished his place in British and Irish culture. The ebb and flow of popular painting never ceases to amaze me.

 

Sir William Orpen • "Self-Portrait" • Oil on Canvas • 48 3/8" x 35 3/8" • 1913

 

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Bosque Arts Center 2022 Bosque Art Classic

What a great way to close out the week. I was honored to learn yesterday that four of my paintings have been accepted into the Bosque Arts Center's 2022 Bosque Art Classic juried art show and sale.

This will be my fourth year at this great event, which celebrates its 37th year this September.

“Dama De Rojo” • Oil on Linen • 15”x30"

“Gift of the Great Spirit” • Oil on Linen • 12”x16"

 

“Orange Tabby Cat Study” • Oil on Linen • 12”x16”

“Barney” • Oil on Linen • 9”x12"

Painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Portrait Study - Open Model Session

We had some dramatic lighting at last night's open model session at the Coppini Academy. I could just barely make out the model's eyes, but it gave the head some great form.

“Caesar Portrait Study” • Oil on Linen • 14" x 18” • 2 Hours

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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 - "Vespers" by Gari Melchers

I love revisiting favorite paintings at museums, so this week's #MuseumTourTuesday post is about a piece I'm looking forward to seeing again this fall at the Telfair Museums while I'm in Savannah to teach a workshop at the Jepson Center.

I've always found Gari Melchers' paintings fascinating, and this one in particular. There's just so much going on in this piece, with six portraits and multiple overlapping fabric patterns, and yet the composition works perfectly. Melchers groups most of the portraits around the head of the central figure, as if they are captured by her gravitational pull. She also features that warm rim light along the edge of her face, contrasting perfectly with the coolness of the majority of her head. We're drawn directly to her, and yet the eyes of every figure within the painting remind us that there is more to the scene, pushing us out of this orbit and inviting us to wonder what lies just out of frame.

"Vespers" • Gari Melchers • Oil on Canvas • 47.5" x 38.25" • c. 1892

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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 - Jepson Center for the Arts Still Life Painting Workshop

UPDATE: SOLD OUT as of 7/12/22

 

SEND AN E-MAIL TO CONTACT@PATRICKSAUNDERS.COM IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE WAIT LIST FOR THIS WORKSHOP.

 

Georgia artist friends, there are only three spots left in my September still life painting workshop at the Telfair Museums Jepson Center, so sign up now to grab one of the last spots.

Click here for more information, and to register:

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

 

Join me September 16th - 18th in Savannah to learn about choosing a subject, composition, values, color temperature, simplification, how to start, and when to stop. The painted still life tells a story through the composition and the elements represented, requiring a balance of spontaneity as well as accuracy, making it a perfect subject to practice adding energy and excitement to all of your work.

 

Each day will include a full demonstration, followed by opportunities to create multiple paintings, with frequent one-on-one instruction. We will work from both photos and still life set-ups in the studio. My classes are highly tailored for each individual, so beginners as well as advanced artists are welcome.

 

“The Sun On The Sill” • Oil on Linen • 10” x 10” • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Portrait Study - Open Model Session

Last night's portrait sketch at a Coppini Academy open model session. I had to stop myself from letting the model’s hair overwhelm her face.

“Raven Portrait Study” • Oil on Linen • 11" x 14” • 1.5 Hours

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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 - "Chance of Rain" by Grant Redden

 Here is one more painting at the Briscoe Western Art Museum's "Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America" exhibit for this week's #MuseumTourTuesday. The show is on view through Sept. 5th.

Grant Redden does a beautiful job of capturing the action in this piece. What I personally love most about it is the way the reflected warm color in the belly of the horse connects it to both the ground and the shirt of the rider. These colors also make the entire subject leap forward from the intense complimentary blue of the sky. That thick paint texture in the chaps of the cowboy is reminiscent of Frederic Remington's work. 

"Chance of Rain" • Grant Redden • Oil on Canvas • 26" x 14" • 2019

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.

Interview - Voyage San Antonio

My thanks to Voyage San Antonio magazine for the write-up this week. I'm proud to now call myself a San Antonian.

https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Voyage-San-Antonio

"Weathered" • Oil on Linen • 18" x 24" • Private Collection

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2022. 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.