Art Review - "Lavabo y Espejo (Sink and Mirror)" by Antonio Lopez Garcia

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting by Spanish contemporary realist artist Antonio López García from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. On first glance, it's a representation of the mundane, a beautifully rendered studio sink, but I prefer to consider it a kind of self-portrait. Featuring a collection of his own everyday items, the painting is all about the artist, despite the lack of his own reflection in the mirror. We are more than our own image.

The painting is actually two views in one. Notice the change in perspective at midpoint in the painting. While the view of the shelf and mirror is just below eye level, the view of the sink is much more of a birds-eye view. This would be almost imperceptible if not for the break in the lines of the tiles.

 

"Lavabo y Espejo (Sink and Mirror)" • Antonio López García • Oil on Wood 

• 38 1/2" × 33" • 1967

© 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.

Pet Portrait Demonstration - Day Three - Ziegler Art + Frame Painting Workshop

My pet portrait demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on the last day of my painting workshop at Ziegler Art & Frame.

Kimberly and I met Quincy, this sweet senior red golden retriever, during my painting workshop in Indiana in 2019. Kimberly took photos of this gentle, friendly boy while playing with him and his dog sibling, because who could resist those white eye circles, and this face?

 

“Quincy Study” • Pet Portrait Demo • 14" x 18" • Oil on Linen • 2 Hours

© 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.

Floral Demonstration - Day Two - Ziegler Art + Frame Painting Workshop

My floral demonstration painting from life this morning on day two of my painting workshop at Ziegler Art & Frame.

 

“Gerbera Daisies Study" • 12" x 12" • Oil on Linen • 1.5 Hours • SOLD

© 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.

Painting Demonstration - Day One - Ziegler Art + Frame Painting Workshop

My one hour demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on the first day of my painting workshop at Ziegler Art & Frame.

 

"Cows Study" • 12" x 16" • Oil on Linen • 1 Hour • SOLD

 

© 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 - "Woodland Idyll" by John Fabian Carlson

This week's #MuseumTourTuesday features a piece by Swedish-born American painter, John Fabian Carlson. Studying Carlson's work was one of the ways I learned to better understand painting trees.

Notice in this piece how he never renders any of the trees as singular objects, and more importantly, he rarely follows the form of the trees with his brushwork. Rather than painting long vertical strokes for the trunks, they are composed of a number of smaller horizontal marks. Also notice that the branches are rarely a single, winding stroke. This would give them a noodle-like appearance. Instead, they are made up of a series of short straight lines that together create a curved tree limb. This gives the branches more strength and weight. 

 

Born in 1875, Carlson's family emigrated to the United States in 1884, settling in Buffalo, New York. Carlson published his own instructional painting book in 1928, entitled "Elementary Principles of Landscape Paintings." This popular book has been reprinted a number of times since, and is still available today under the title "Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting."

John Fabian Carlson "Woodland Idyll" • Oil on Canvas • 40 1/4 x 52 5/16" • 1917

 

© 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.

In Progress - Olmsted 200 Project Landscape Painting

Here’s a detail of a piece I’m working on of the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain in Central Park for the National Association for Olmsted Parks Olmsted200 project, a bicentennial celebration of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted.

It’s an absolute pleasure to be a small part of celebrating Olmsted’s legacy of parks for all people, because Kimberly and I are two of those people who have derived so much joy over the years from spending time in Olmsted parks throughout the country.

This painting will be part of an online exhibition of work by Olmsted Plein Air Invitational alumni that is available for sale at www.olmstedpleinair.com through the end of the year. 

In Progress • Oil on Linen • Detail of an 18" x 24”

© 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.

Floral Painting Demonstration - Day Two - Ziegler Art + Frame Painting Workshop

My floral demonstration painting from life this morning on day two of my painting workshop at Ziegler Art & Frame.

 

“Gerbera Daisies Study" • 12" x 12" • Oil on Linen • 1.5 Hours • SOLD

 

© 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.

August Art Newsletter - Seeing (More) Green

Last month's newsletter on blues generated a lot of questions and requests for me to write something similar about greens. The first rule of greens is to move past our perceptions and "see" the reality of greens around us.

Sign up for my latest art newsletter on how to evaluate and mix greens: http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

 

“Fronds of Paradise” • Oil on Linen • 16”x20” • 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.

Art Review - "Woman Reading" by Edouard Manet

This week's #MuseumTourTuesday features a piece that changed many of my own ideas about what a painting could be, and inspired me to seek out as many works in person as I could, rather than relying on reproductions alone.

Growing up in the Midwest, I saw this painting by Édouard Manet at the Art Institute of Chicago early on in my development as a painter. Having drawn much of my initial inspiration from illustrations and images in books, I tended to create more rendered and tight works, as this is how most paintings appear when reproduced on a reduced scale. Upon seeing this painting in person, I was immediately struck by the simplicity of mark making. Much of the woman's face is raw canvas. I had no idea that was even an option. The cover of the magazine only suggests an image, without actually depicting anything. This painting broke rules for me, and encouraged me to seek out other works that didn't adhere to my understanding of what a painting should be.

While this piece appears to be painted outdoors at a Parisian cafe, the scene was most likely staged in Manet's studio. The park-like landscape beyond the woman is in reality one of the artist's own paintings used as a backdrop.

Édouard Manet • ”Woman Reading” • Oil on Canvas • 24 1/16" × 19 7/8” • 1880-1881

© 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.

ONE SPOT LEFT - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop

 UPDATE: SOLD OUT

Artist friends, only one spot is left in my second painting workshop at the Conroe Art League this November. 

Get it here: https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Conroe-Workshop-II

"Diamond Back Cove Road" • Oil on Linen • 20" 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.

Cityscape Painting - "The View From Guenther House"

Here's my favorite view along the San Antonio River Walk. This painting is for an exhibition celebrating the River Walk that will open this fall. It's a much less commercial scene than the often photographed downtown area, but one that many have experienced. This is just across the river from the Guenther House in the King William Historic District. This beautiful home has such a warm and inviting feel. I love the palm trees and the way it lights up at night.

On our first visit to San Antonio almost a decade ago, we rode the River Walk on our bikes to have breakfast at Guenther House. This scene was our daytime view as we brunched outdoors on a sunny morning right before Christmas, and it becomes even more magical at night. The whole experience really put us in a festive mood, and is one of our first great memories of San Antonio, a city that grabbed our hearts right away and kept us coming back, and that we are so happy to finally call home. We’ve walked and biked this area many times now, and day or night, this is still one of our favorite parts of the River Walk.

"The View From Guenther House" • Oil on Linen • 16" x 20"

Reference and 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.

Art Review - "In the Restaurant" by Charles Hoffbauer

This week's #MuseumTourTuesday features a stunning painting by French-born artist Charles Hoffbauer at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

The most striking aspect of the piece is the silvery sheen of the woman's dress. The textural and reflective qualities of the dress alone make this piece worth studying, but there's so much more to the painting. For me, it's a piece about excess, and this is evident thanks to multiple elements - the dress of course, the abundance of food in the left foreground, the stained glass, the cigar smoking gentleman who has the air of a tycoon, the secondary male figure waiting to push in the woman’s chair, and the other patrons all looking directly at her. It's somewhat unnerving the way the central figure stares directly at us, with a challenging look. She is the center of attention, and she knows it. Even the light which lands like a spotlight on the woman's table suggests that she is the star of the evening.

Born in Paris in 1875, Hoffbauer attended the École des Beaux-Arts, where Henri Matisse was one of his classmates. The artist first came to the United States in 1909, where Charles Dana Gibson helped to establish him in the New York Art community. He returned to France in 1914 to fight in WWI, and in 1939 he moved to Hollywood, inspired to work in animation after viewing the Walt Disney film, "The Three Little Pigs". After more than a decade in the film industry, Hoffbauer and his wife relocated to Rockport, Massachusetts, where he continued painting until his death in 1957.

Charles Hoffbauer "In the Restaurant" • Oil on Canvas
• 115 cm x 167 cm • 1907

© 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.

Oil Painters of America - 2022 Western Regional Juried Exhibition

I'm honored that one of my paintings was accepted into the Oil Painters of America 2022 Western Regional Juried Exhibition.

The Southwest Gallery in Dallas will host the exhibition, which opens September 10th with a reception at the gallery, and runs through October 1st. Congratulations to all the artists accepted into the exhibition!

"Mosaic" • Oil on Linen • 15" x 30"

© 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.

Second Painting Workshop - Conroe Art League

Artist friends, the wait list for my sold out painting workshop at the Conroe Art League this November got long enough that we decided to add a second class.

This second workshop is already half full, so click here to secure your spot: https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Conroe-Workshop-II

Join me November 11th - 13th in Conroe, Texas 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. 

“Of Earth And Sky” • Oil on Linen • 30” x 60” • 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.

Art Review - "Contemplation" by Hovsep Pushman

As I prepare for my still life workshop next month at the Telfair Museums Jepson Center, I'm thinking about some of the still life paintings that have greatly inspired me. This week's #MuseumTourTuesday features one of my favorite still life painters, Armenian artist Hovsep Pushman.

Pushman's paintings fascinate me with the way in which he depicts a combination of three-dimensional and two-dimensional elements. Notice in this piece how he uses a wider value scale and sharper edges to differentiate the foreground objects from the flat artwork behind them. While the solid objects become the focal point of the painting, the artist adds enough interest and rich color into the painting beyond that the foreground and background are intricately linked, inviting us to explore the entire painting and suggesting that there is more beyond the frame.

Born in 1877, Pushman's family emigrated from to Chicago in 1896. Pushman then moved to Paris where he studied at the Académie Julian, returning to the U.S. in 1914. After moving to California in 1916, Pushman co-founded the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1918. After another brief stint in Paris, Pushman relocated to New York City in 1923. In 1940, he sued the New York Graphic Society for reproducing one of his paintings without permission. While the court initially decided against the artist, upon his death in 1966 the decision was reversed, and the law now states that the artist retains all rights. This ruling still protects us today. Thank you Hovsep Pushman.

Hovsep Pushman • "Contemplation" • Oil on Masonite • 27.25" x 20.75" • circa 1940

© 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.