Art Review - "The Violin Maker" by William H.W. Bicknell

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday piece is one that I was unfamiliar with until a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Located in a busy corridor just past the museum's entrance, this is an easy one to miss, but I'm glad I didn't.

William Bicknell studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, and is known more for his etchings than his paintings, yet this piece is as masterfully done as any of his contemporaries. It feels more like an American master illustration from the 1940s than a piece from the 1880s.

The figure is beautifully painted, but it's the background which I find fascinating. This artist skillfully conveys all of the tools and clutter throughout the violinist's workshop without over-rendering a single item. There is so much going on to the right of the figure, and you can sense that Bicknell had fun painting it all, but it never takes away from the central focus of the figure. This is accomplished through the tight control of value contrast within the background and the color saturation in the red of the violin that the figure holds.

"The Violin Maker" • William H. W. Bicknell • Oil on Canvas
• 1888 • 40.25" x 50"

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.

November 2022 Art Newsletter - Oil and Paint

Oil paint is expensive, but that doesn't mean you want to be stingy with the amount you're willing to squeeze out onto your palette.

Sign up now for my latest art newsletter to learn how to save unused paint for days, weeks or even longer:   

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

© 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 - "Early Spring in Holland" by George Hitchcock

This week's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting from the Telfair Museums collection by American artist George Hitchcock.

The piece conveys the graphic beauty of the tulip gardens through its use of broad strips of color. What I appreciate most about the painting is that Hitchcock is not content to stop at simply large masses of color to represent the flowers. He takes the image further, breaking apart the masses in the foreground areas to clearly define the floral shapes, not in a simple stylized pattern, but in a much more natural and realistic depiction. This not only creates a more pronounced sense of depth in the image, but also gives the flowers individuality and variety.

 

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Hitchcock graduated from Harvard Law School in 1874 before moving to Europe five years later, and then turning his full attention to painting. He studied in London, Paris, and Düsseldorf before settling in Holland.

 

"Early Spring in Holland" • George Hitchcock • Oil on Canvas
• 37 7/8" x 51 1/4" • c. 1890 - 1905

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.

Saturday Caturday - "Opal"

This portrait of our cat Opal was created almost 20 years ago. One of the first pet portraits I ever painted, Opal went on to be the subject of a number of my paintings.

It's interesting to look back on the evolution of my work alongside the evolution of our lives in general, as the two are so closely intertwined. The room depicted in the painting was in our first home in a suburb of Kansas City. Opal decided that this back bedroom was her own private sanctuary. I have great memories of both the house and her adventures throughout.

As we've just moved into a new home in San Antonio, I look forward to building new memories and creating new paintings in a new studio alongside our new companion, Mellow, a dachshund/terrier mix. Paintings of her are sure to follow.

"Opal's Room" • Oil on Canvas • 16" x 24" • 2003 • 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.

SOLD - "Nest" Floral Painting

My thanks to the Peninsula Gallery for finding this floral painting a home with a new collector.

This piece means a lot to me, as it symbolizes the period Kimberly and I spent in lockdown during the pandemic. We hadn't stayed in one place for that long in almost a decade, and we actually enjoyed nesting for a bit, so to speak, in my temporary studio space. This painting is not only representative of that feeling of home, but also a kind of closure on our months of quarantine. Now that we're back to traveling and making art, we still get to have that feeling of home in beautiful San Antonio. 

"Nest" • Oil on Linen • 24" x 30" • Private Collection

Painting and reference 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 - "Eleanor" by Frank Weston Benson

 Last week, I shared a painting by John Singer Sargent that had a profound influence on my growth as a painter. This week's #MuseumTourTuesday piece had just as profound an impact. Frank Benson's work relies on an exaggerated balance of warm and cool colors to create not only a sense of light, but also form and composition.

In this piece, also from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the warm lights vibrating against the cool shadows in Eleanor's dress create a sense of volume. It would be natural to expect all of the shadow areas to be cool in temperature as well. Yet the face and hair are warmed by reflected light from the lower right, causing them to stand out and bring our attention directly to them. This masterful depiction of reflected light in order to control composition rivals the work of Benson's contemporary, Spanish artist Joaquín Sorrola.

"Eleanor" • Frank Weston Benson • Oil on Canvas • 1907 • 25.25" x 30.25"

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.

Pet Portrait Demonstration Painting - Day Two - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop II

My two-hour pet portrait demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on day three of my first painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

 

“Labrador Study” • Oil on Linen • 14” x 18” • 2 Hours • Available

© 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 Painting - Day Two - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop II

My two-hour floral demonstration from life this morning on day two of my second painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

“Sunflowers Study” • Oil on Linen • 9” x 12” • 2 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.

Landscape Demonstration Painting - Day One - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop II

My 90-minute landscape demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on day one of my second painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

 

“Aspens Study” • Oil on Linen • 12” x 16” • 90 Minutes • 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 - "An Artist in His Studio" by John Singer Sargent

It's always a treat to revisit paintings that inspired your journey as an artist. A few weeks back, Kimberly and I were able to get to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston again, where this piece by John Singer Sargent is part of the permanent collection. I first saw this painting decades ago during a Sargent retrospective in St. Louis.

I was immediately struck by the directness of the paint application. Sargent never blends paint on the canvas. He created the transitions within the folds of the sheets by subtle gradations of value in paint strokes. This was a breakthrough for me as a young student. The painting feels so much more deliberate and solid. Every stroke feels intentional.

The painting depicts Sargent's friend and fellow painter, Ambrogio Raffele, and it's far more interesting than a traditional portrait. With the figure pushed off to the side, and the painting and rumpled bed taking up the bulk of the image, it suggests to me how artists live with their art 24/7. This was the first oil painting by Sargent acquired by an American museum.

"An Artist in His Studio" • John Singer Sargent • Oil on Canvas
• 1904 • 22.12" x 28.37"

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.

Pet Portrait Demonstration Painting - Day Three - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop

My 90-minute pet portrait demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on day three of my first painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

“Boston Terrier Study” • Oil on Linen • 14” x 18” • 90 Minutes • Available

© 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 Painting - Day Two - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop

My 90-minute floral demonstration from life this morning on day two of my first painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

“Gerbera Daisies Study” • Oil on Linen • 9” x 12” • 90 Minutes • Available

© 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.

Landscape Demonstration Painting - Day One - Conroe Art League Painting Workshop

My two-hour demonstration painting from a photograph this morning on day one of my first painting workshop at the Conroe Art League.

“Marina Study” • Oil on Linen • 12” x 16” • 2 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.

Art Review - "Russian Sketch" by Nicolai Fechin

Last week, Kimberly and I returned to Taos, and once again visited the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. It was a nice surprise to view a number of Nicolai Fechin's paintings that we had never seen before.

This painting is so different in tone from his other works, but the execution is unmistakably Fechin. It's such a playful piece, and there are so many interesting small details to discover. Whimsical, and somewhat abstract, the bright reds lead our eyes through the work.

This painting is on loan to the museum from a private collection, and I can't find any background information on the subject or history of the work.

 

"Russian Sketch" • Nicolai Fechin • Oil on Canvas • ca. 1910s

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.