December 2022 Art Newsletter - Stop Watching Paint Dry

Do you feel like you're waiting forever for a layer of paint to dry so that you can paint over it? Are you afraid you might end up with the dreaded "mud?" With a few key changes to your working method, you can create a painting from start to finish in one session, and you'll never have to watch paint dry again.

Sign up now for my latest art newsletter to get great tips on painting alla prima: http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

"Colliding" • Oil on Linen • 9” x 12” • 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 - "Lingering Snows" by Willard Leroy Metcalf

Here is my final #MuseumTourTuesday post for 2022, featuring another beautiful piece from the Telfair Museums collection by American artist Willard Metcalf.

In my opinion, Metcalf captures a true sense of light on the landscape better than all others. I've yet to see one of his pieces that doesn't give me the feeling of being there, in the scene. This one's a plein air painting as well, which is surprising for such a large canvas.

Notice those bands of warm and cool colors that create a vibration within the landscape. I feel that the artist makes the small patch of snow in the upper right the focal point, not just based on the title, but by linking it to the light patch of reflected cloud on the river, through both value and scale. He also surrounds this small area of snow with some of the warmest and most saturated colors in the hills, calling attention to it with color temperature contrast.

"Lingering Snows" • Willard Leroy Metcalf • Oil on Canvas • 40 1/8" x 45 1/4" • c. 1924

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.

Happy Holidays!

We wish you a wonderful holiday weekend, and a happy new year!

"Patterns In Blue & Green" • 12" x 16" • Oil on Linen • www.PatrickSaunders.com

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.

In Progress Detail - Cityscape Painting

Here's a detail of a new piece I'm working on. This is a scene from a trip abroad Kimberly and I took earlier this year to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

In Progress Detail • Oil on Linen • 12" x 12"

 

© 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 - "Le Domino Rose" by John Humphreys Johnston

It's always a treat to come across a painting or an artist that you are not yet familiar with. Today's #MuseumTourTuesday is a piece that I first encountered on a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This is an acquisition that happened since my last visit to the museum. I've done a bit of research online, and found only a handful of paintings by this artist, John Humphreys Johnston, all of which are beautiful.

This particular piece is all about the color of the robe, as evidenced by the title. The artist's handling of the fabric is impeccable, and the colors in the hair and the flower perfectly balance out the composition.

Born in 1857, Johnston worked as an apprentice to American painter John La Farge before heading to Paris to further his studies. 

"Le Domino Rose" • John Humphreys Johnston • Oil on Canvas • ca. 1895 • 64.5" x 52.5"

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.

First Place - Artists Network 39th Annual Art Competition

I was honored to learn that my painting "Strength In Numbers" won First Place in the Artists Network's 39th Annual Art Competition. The piece is featured in the January 2023 issue of Artists Magazine.

My thanks to judge Carol Marine for the award, and her gracious comments - "This is the one painting that I kept coming back to, again and again. It has everything – great color, compelling marks, depth – I could go on."

 

"Strength In Numbers" • Oil on Linen • 15" x 30" • 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.

rica #opasignaturemember #artistsnetwork #artistsmagazine

Art Review - "The Artist's Hand" and "Study of Two Hands" by Nicolai Fechin

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features some excellent charcoal drawings of hands by Nicolai Fechin. These were on display during our recent trip to the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House. I hadn't seen these before, and I found them inspiring. I just love the way Fechin combines both the hard lines from the point of the charcoal and the softer shading from the sides. The resulting loose strokes balanced by those sharp lines creates a feeling of movement similar to his paintings.

"The Artist's Hand" • Nicolai Fechin • Charcoal on paper • ca. 1934-1955

 

"Study of Two Hands" • Nicolai Fechin • Charcoal on paper • ca. 1940s

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.

SOLD - "School of F.I.S.H." Nocturne Cityscape Painting

So happy to learn that this painting I did for a Hindes Fine Art show celebrating the San Antonio River Walk has gone home with a new collector.

As I posted before, this piece was done as a bit of a love letter to our new hometown. It may look surreal at first glance, but if you live here or have visited, you've probably come across this scene.

Philadelphia artist Donald Lipski created 25 of these seven-foot-long hand-painted fiberglass resin sunfish. They are lit from within and hang over the river walk near the San Antonio Museum of Art.

I learned a lot from this painting, a particularly challenging one. Not only is it a busy scene with numerous lights and surface textures, but the form of the focal points, the fish sculptures, does not come from them being illuminated by a light source, as is usually the case with most subjects. Rather, the fish are the light source.

"School of F.I.S.H." • Oil on Linen • 18" x 24" • Private Collection

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.

Portrait Study - Coppini Academy of Fine Art

I haven't made it to a Coppini Academy of Fine Art open model session in a few months, so it was nice to be back last night. Dual lighting made this session particularly interesting. Extremely warm light from the left illuminates most of the head, and a cooler light from the right adds a nice contrasting rim.

“Josh” • Oil on Panel • 16" x 16” • 90 Minutes

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 - "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" by John Singer Sargent

It was a treat to view two oil sketches of the figures from John Singer Sargent's painting "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" recently at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Kimberly and I saw the final painting at the Tate during our 2019 trip to London, making the chance to see these sketches all the more interesting and informative.

The completed painting is a masterpiece, but the oil sketches are no less beautiful in their immediacy. Also interesting to note is the more extreme lighting, especially on the face of Polly Barnard, the figure on the right.

The final piece was painted at the home of fellow painter Francis Davis Millet, who incidentally perished with the sinking of the Titanic. The models, Dorothy and Polly Barnard, were the daughters of illustrator Frederick Barnard, chosen for their hair color. Sargent worked for a number of months on the painting, for only a short period each evening, when the light was just right.

“Sketch for ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’” • John Singer Sargent 

 • Oil on Canvas • 1885

“Study for ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose’” • John Singer Sargent • Oil on Canvas
• 1885 • 28.5” x 19.5”

“Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose” • John Singer Sargent • Oil on Canvas

• 1885-1886 • 5’9” x 5’1”

© 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 FOUR SPOTS LEFT - 2023 Booth Art Academy Painting Workshop

Artist friends, one of my two painting workshops at the Booth Art Academy next May is already sold out, and the other class only has four spots left, so sign up now to secure your spot.

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

Join me in Cartersville for my Painting Without Borders workshop May 1st - 3rd. No matter your favorite subject, my approach to painting is the same, so you are free to explore whatever moves 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.

“Paper Lantern” • Oil on Linen • 9"x12" • 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.

2023 Plein Air Painting Workshop - Summit Art Plein Air Festival

Missouri artist friends, I’m pleased to announce that I will be judging the 3rd Annual Summit Art Plein Air Festival next summer, and will teach a plein air painting workshop during the event.

Click here for more information:
https://bit.ly/patrick-saunders-workshop-kansas-city

Join me June 12th - 14th in Kansas City to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation, en plein air. 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.

Each day begins 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.

“Good Morning, Church Road” • Oil on Panel • 14”x18" • 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.