Danny with Guinness

Danny Wallace with Guinness / oil on canvas / 24x18

My daughter is a Manager for Price Waterhouse Coopers in the San Jose, CA, office where Danny Wallace  is a Partner and is her boss and mentor. He has been so very supportive and kind to her that she wanted to do something very special and unforgettable for him. She had recently shown Danny my website where he spent a lot of time looking at the paintings and told her that he loved my work. So after discussing it with her staff, she asked me to paint his dog Guinness as a surprise gift for Danny. I was delighted and could not wait to do it. Of course, I did not know at the time that Guinness was a gigantic all black Newfoundland with volumes of thick, black fur!  During the time that I was working on this very joyful project,  Guinness was sadly diagnosed with osteosarcoma and quickly underwent surgery - amputation of a front leg. And so this portrait took on a very special significance in the middle of painting it. After it was completed, sealed and dry, I framed and shipped it off to California. Yesterday afternoon my daughter and her staff presented it to Danny. I am very happy to say that he just loves it and couldn't wait to call me on the phone to tell me.Guinness is doing well now and Danny is delighted to have the portrait. I was on absolute pins and needles awaiting his reaction and could not be happier. Now I can breath again!

Sakoto

Sakoto / oil on convas / 16x12

Sakoto posed for us at the Portrait Society session on June 11th and I painted her portrait that day. Once I got home and had a chance to evaluate it more critically, I took a rag and wiped it off. This full  figure rendering was done from a photo I took that day. I am infinitely more pleased with it than I was with her portrait!

Guinness

Guinness / oil on canvas panel / 24x18

What a challenge! Guinness is a 9 year old 180 lb black furry mountain of a Newfoundland dog. My daughter asked me to paint it as a surprise gift for her boss. I sure hope he likes it!

Nicole

Nicole / oil on canvas panel / 16x12

 A special treat at the Portrait Society today - Nicole, who is hearing impaired brought her helper dog, Coal, with her. He was so gorgeous and a perfect gentleman.In fact, when a deliveryman knocked at the door, he immediately jumped up and demanded to know exactly who it was that was interrupting us! I badly wanted to paint him but Nicole has such a beautiful and interesting face that I chose to do her portrait instead. If I had brought a larger canvas I think I would have attempted both Nicole and Cole.

Nicole and Coal, her Hearing Aid Dog 

Jaimie and an Art Show

Jaimie / 16x12, oil on canvas panel

 These past two weeks have produced lots and lots of starts for me and very few finished studies. I have been quite unhappy with the way I have been painting and so have wiped off miles and miles of canvas. I was feeling rather down about myself and almost decided not to go to the weekly portrait session this morning. But I set my alarm and forced myself to go, and, of course, had a wonderful time. In the car on the way to the studio, I talked myself into just relaxing and not thinking too much and, thankfully, it seemed to work. Our model was the lovely and serene Jaimie. She is a local college student and has experience modeling for photographers. I can see why! She was so beautiful, held her pose perfectly  and wore a garland of flowers in her hair!

Jaimie and her portrait in progress

 Reno is famous for the month of July being "Art Town" with numerous art related events celebrated throughout the month. As part of the festivities, the Reno Portrait Society is holding a show a of portraits painted by members. The subjects are all models who work at the Reno Food Co-op and that have posed for us over the course of the past year or so. There are so many wonderful portrait artists in this group so I was absolutely astounded to have 5 portraits juried in. Here they are, all framed and ready to go.

Juried selection for Art Town portrait show

The show is going to be held in the gallery space of the First United Methodist Church. It is the oldest church in Reno, being built in 1870 by Methodist missionaries. It was a meeting place for travelers on their way to California to join the Gold Rush - that was before silver was discovered on the Comstock and Reno became a destination in its own right.

First United Methodist Church at corner of First and Sierra Streets - its much more beautiful that the photo depicts.

A Glorious Sunday Afternoon!

Caleb / 16x20 / oil on canvas panel

What a great Sunday afternoon! The weather was warm and wonderful with a delicate breeze perfumed by flowering trees and bushes. It was intoxicating and I felt so peaceful, so happy as I headed over to the Museum for open studio. My panel today, at 16 x 20, is the largest size I have used in painting from life. I have been having trouble fitting the model on smaller panels and so wanted to try painting a little larger. As you can see, the figure still ended up barely fitting! It must be me and not the panel size at all! Caleb was the seasoned model as he has posed for many weekday open studio sessions but today was the first time I had an opportunity to paint him. I loved his relaxed pose and pale skin with shadows filled with wonderful color. I painted him in about 2 1/2 hours and may decide to work more on the background in my studio.

Last Wednesday at the open portrait studio session, Kay modeled for us and this was my attempt. I want to call it a feeble attempt as I am not happy with it. She looks too tentative to me, too forced. and, not surprisingly, that is how I felt as I painted.

Kay / 12 x 12 / oil on canvas panel

Roux & Cyr Gallery Grand Opening and Art Mash 8

Having just returned from a trip to California to help my daughter move into her new apartment in San Mateo, I was delighted to find so many nice comments on my previous post. Thank you to all who follow my blog and for so many generous and encouraging comments - they help keep me going for sure!

Today is a very exciting day for me as it is the grand opening of the new gallery in Portland, Maine. Susan Roux and her business partner Paul Cyr have worked so hard to make this venture a success and I have no doubt that it will exceed their expectations! All are invited to the opening festivities - please do stop by if you are in the area!

Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery / 48 Free Street / Portland, ME 04101

The gallery was recently featured in a wonderful blog post on the Portland Old Port blog site: http://www.portlandoldport.com/france-texas-roux-cyr-finds-fine-art-portland/

Lissa / oil on linen panel  / 18 x 14

This portrait of Lissa was painted from life last Sunday during open studio at the art museum. The model was Lissa who was costumed as a fairy with a garland of ribbons and pearls in her hair. During the sitting, she was reading a book about fairies so her eyes were downcast. I had great fun painting her brilliant red hair and all those white ribbons!

Daryan at the Portrait Society

Daryan / 18 x 14 / oil on linen panel

Feeling very free with both brush and paint, this alla prima figure study was done from a photo taken of model Daryan at the Reno Portrait Society. I loved her clothing and tall black boots, I loved the way the light caught her features and her hair - and well, I just loved painting her!
And, by the way, congratulations to California Chrome! What a magnificent horse!

Ballerina #32 and Happy Mother's Day

Ballerina #32 / oil on canvas panel / 24 x 18

 A lovely, quiet day spent in the studio today working on Ballerina #32. At one point the sky clouded over, thunder rolled and the next moment it began to snow heavily - on the 10th day of May! What a surprise! It snowed for about 20 minutes then the sun came out and all the snow melted!

My daughter also surprised me by sending this little book as a gift for Mother's Day. I have yet to look through it but I know I am going to be delighted as I was so captivated by his paintings that I recently saw in Washington.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's - may it be filled with love and joy!

Life Portrait and Toulouse Lautrec

Meghan / oil on linen / 12 x 12

Meghan, with her rosy cheeks, strong chin, silver earrings and dimpled smile, posed for our portrait session. I painted her on a linen panel as I have all but abandoned working on corrugated cardboard during the life sessions. I am dismayed by the ridges that are apparent in cardboard due to the underlying corrugation. Even with several coats of gesso on the surface, these ridge lines remain prominent. For  quick practice, I may still use cardboard, but now that I am gaining more confidence in painting from life, I want a more professional looking surface - just in case the painting turns out decently! I wish I could find a stiff cardboard support that is non corrugated but have not been able to after multiple internet searches.  Both Degas and Lautrec used cardboard supports - often unprimed - for oil painting. I do love how the surface grabs the paint and is absorbent and  wish I could find the kind of flat, smooth cardboard that they used.

Toulouse Lautrec / Alfred la Guigne  / oil on cardboard

This painting, at the National Gallery of Art, is done on cardboard and Lautrec left the entire jacket of Alfred unpainted, using the pre-exisiting color of the support as the color of the suit.

Toulouse Lautrec/ Rue des Moulins

 Another Lautrec masterpiece painted in thin oil paint on cardboard. And close ups of the extraordinary faces on the women. I fell in love with these faces.

 After seeing a room full of Toulouse Lautrec paintings, he remains one of my favorite artists. I am in awe at the honesty with which he painted.

Lautrec gallery at the National Gallery  of Art in Washington DC

Life is a Whirlwind - Art Mash and an Award!

I have been so preoccupied this entire week with helping my son move into his new apartment, wrapping up our month long anniversary celebration and getting ready for a trip to San Jose next week, that I completely forgot about the Women Artists of the West show in San Diego until my friend sent me this photo! Ballerina #3 won the President's Award! That was a big surprise and only a minute or so after seeing the photo, I received a personal call from Christine Drewyer, President of the WAOW organization, and she had such wonderful things to say about my painting - things like beautiful handling of paint, exciting subject matter, setting the bar higher - so many things that my brain was in a whirl and I can hardly remember anything from the conversation!  I am just thrilled and delighted to know that my large ballerinas are being appreciated - and I will no doubt have time to seriously consider this series once my excitement settles down.

Yesterday was Art Mash day at the museum and we were fortunate enough to have Kimberly once again as our model.

Kimberly / oil on linen / 16 x 12

The Phillips Collection and a New Steeplechase

18 x 24 / Untitled / oil on linen panel

After a harrowing Sunday at Art Mash - trying to paint a Viking - I gave up and wiped off my attempt. I don't know why I had such a hard time painting him but after returning home it struck me that I was not in love with this Viking. He was dressed all in brown and raw siena against a dark background, sitting on a dark brown furry throw and holding a black sword. He just did not excite my senses and, try as I might, I could not paint him.  And so I show you my slightly unfinished current steeplechase painting instead.

And now for The Phillips Collection!

 Located near Dupont Circle in Washington DC, the Phillips family collected over 600 paintings in their private residence before turning it into an art gallery open to the public in 1921. Today The Phillips Collection is home to an extraordinary collection of more than 3,000 works ranging from masterpieces of French impressionism and American modernism to contemporary art. By displaying superb works in an intimate setting, founder Duncan Phillips hoped to encourage visitors to appreciate new, challenging forms of artistic expression. Art from different eras and places is often juxtaposed to suggest visual "conversations." And the art itself nothing less than extraordinary!

Pierrre Bonnard / The Circus Rider / 1894

 Such a powerful small painting! I could have spent an hour musing over this small piece. The horse and rider are one in intent and emotion -  and the joy and tension evident in their union is masterful to behold. I felt like the magic of this moment eluded the somber faced participants watching from the stands and is truly an intimate dialogue between the painter and the viewer. If only I had gotten a better photo.

And then I turned a corner and entered a small dining room and surprisingly, above the fireplace, most likely where it has hung for over 100 years, was this intense and familiar self portrait that I have seen time and again in books on Cezanne. Looking closely at the brushwork was like having a lesson from the painter himself!

Paul Cezanne / Self Portrait / 1878-1880

 And a lovely, serene Cezanne landscape...

Cezanne / Mont Sainte Victoire / 1886-1887

I was completely captivated by this stunning portrait - and  look at that fantastic frame! I don't know much about Chaim Soutine, but after seeing this work, I am motivated to research him and his work.

Chaim Soutine / Woman in Profile / 1937

Gustave Courbet / The Mediterranean / 1857

 A magnificent seascape by Courbet - the color is unlike any sea or landscape that I have seen. It is a complete wonder.

And upon turning another corner, I had my breath taken away by this incredible Degas masterpiece! It is very large - 51 x 38 inches and vibrates with color and brushwork that delights the eye from corner to corner. The ballerinas skirts, skin, bodices are all fused together with color and brushwork while the languid tension of the ballerinas as they stretch and turn at the barre is overpowering.

Edgar Degas / Dancers at the Barre / 1900

 And in this close up shot below, you can notice the strong sketchy dark blue lines curving around the limbs and here and there on the bodices. And just look at her face! There is a lesson here for me as a painter in boldness and freedom from fear. I wanted to take this painting home with me!

Close up - Dancers at the Barre

 And an earlier Degas - so different from the dancers - it is small and very somber with sorrow etched in her face and throughout the composition.

Edgar Degas / Melancholy / 1860

 A graphite sketch by Renoir of Rodin!

Pierre August Renoir / Portrait of Rodin / undated

 And lastly, this very beautiful, very decorative interior scene of a woman reading by Vuillard. There is so much to see in this painting - each stroke of paint is like a little surprising gift!

Edouard Vuillard / The Newspaper / 1896

There is so much more to see and marvel at in this gem of a museum - including a Van Gogh, works by Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins,  Chardin, Goya and El Greco! I could go on and on..... However, I will end with the work that this museum is most well known for  and one I would suppose every art loving person on earth is familiar with. This work by Renoir -

Pierre Auguste Renoir / Luncheon of the Boating Party / 1880

It is so large ( 51 x 69 inches) that it takes up an entire wall and is so much more fascinating in real life than can be captured in any photo. It gave me a new found appreciation of Renoir! I hope that all who read about this wonderful collection of art will have a chance some day to visit the Phillips Collection. It is well worth the trip and the wonder of it all lingers in my mind.

Portrait Painting and New Gallery

Tuna / 14x11 / oil on canvas

Life is slowly returning to a more normal routine now that I have returned from vacation, recovered from jet lag, shipped my two entries off to the Women Artists of the West exhibition in San Diego and attended the portrait society session this week. Tuna (yes that is his name - apparently it was a nickname that stuck) was our model and he did a great job for his first time modeling. He will be running for public office in Reno in November and spoke a lot about the real estate market as we painted him. Interestingly, I was so focused on the painting that I can't remember any of the details of the conversation or the office that he aspires to.  All I remember is that it is not Mayor!

Susan Roux of the Roux and Cyr International Gallery of Fine Art in Portland, Maine was kind enough to send me some photos of the gallery in the final stages of renovation. It will be ready and open for business in May. The gallery has new paint, new carpeting, refinished hardwood flooring and wonderful art from around the world waiting to be hung. In addition to being a beautiful, light filled space to display art, the gallery will have weekly classes and host workshops. It promises to be a dynamic and exciting venture and I am happy to be part of it!

The Mayor of Portland will be participating in an official ribbon cutting ceremony on May 2 at 5:00 PM. It marks the soft opening of the gallery and the commencement of  First Friday Art Walks and will be open to the public. Then the Grand Opening celebration will be on Saturday May 24 from 5:30 - 8:00. I wish I could be there! I heartily invite any of my blog readers who are in the Portland area to stop by and enjoy the celebrations and the international fine art that will be displayed.

Washington DC - an Overview

Checking in to the JW Marriott Hotel, just 2 blocks from the White House!

View from hotel room overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue and the Washington Monument

3,800 cherry trees were at peak bloom!

  
         Thomas Jefferson Memorial and view back toward the White House

The Capital - so magnificent and grand. We were lucky enough to tour the original Supreme Court which is located inside the Capital.

Interior of the Library of Congress - Wow!

Thomas Jefferson sold 27,000 volumes of his personal library to begin the Library of Congress. They are kept all together in this room. The topics ranged from art to zoology and most books were digitized so you could flip through the pages on the computer screens located around the room. I do believe Jefferson probably read every single book and it was awe inspiring to stand in this room.

The statue of Lincoln, designed by Daniel Chester French and carved by the Piccirilli  brothers, is extremely beautiful. Some say his hands rest in the American Sign Language symbols for his initials A and L.

WW II Memorial looking down the Reflecting Pool toward the Lincoln Memorial - its very grand and a fitting tribute to our soldiers and to our victory.

Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot. We were surprised to come upon this while just walking down a regular Washington street.

We had a wonderful dinner in this tiny French restaurant directly across from Ford's Theater.

The weather was so warm and lovely, we wandered the streets at night to get a feel for the city.

The lobby of the Willard Hotel where Presidents-elect spend the night before their inauguration. It was next door to our hotel!

It was raining as we packed to come home. 

As a place to visit and steep yourself in American history, I absolutely loved Washington. The architecture is glorious, the monuments are overwhelming in that they inspire such a feeling of awe for what our founding fathers accomplished. They were great intellectuals, great men, and that feeling stayed with me throughout our trip. I was overcome with emotion when I stepped into a small room in the National Gallery of Art that contained only 5 portraits, all by Gilbert Stuart, of five Presidents of  the US. The portraits are so wonderfully done, so soft and life like that I almost felt as if I was in their presence - it was a moment I will not forget. We had a few disappointments. We were unable to get into the National Archives to see the Constitution and Declaration of Independence as the lines were wrapped around the block. And I wish we had not wasted time at the Museum of American History - it was dark and dirty and not well done. The one saving grace was standing next to George Washington's uniform - he was very tall and slender with long arms! When we planned this anniversary trip we had no idea it would be at the same time as the Cherry Blossom Festival and we would be part of the 1.5 million visitors in DC at his time! We managed to escape the worst of the crowds but, I do admit, I have never seen so many people in one place at one time! For me, as an artist, the highlights of the trip were the time we spent viewing the Phillips Collection, a gem of a museum with a collection of extraordinary art, and at the National Gallery. I will share some of those photos with you in my next posts as it is in those places that my artistic soul was stirred.