Tag Archives: favorite artist

Munnings…a Sculptor?

June 15th, 2009 | Posted in Valarie Wolf

Not only could Sir Alfred Munnings create the most breathtaking horse paintings with seemingly few brushstrokes, gorgeous color and great accuracy, he was also a phenomenal sculptor, as seen in this image of Brown Jack (along with his Pekingese dog, Black Knight.)

Not only could Sir Alfred Munnings create the most breathtaking horse paintings with seemingly few brushstrokes, gorgeous color and great accuracy, he was also a phenomenal sculptor, as seen in this image of Brown Jack (along with his Pekingese dog, Black Knight.)

©Copyright 2009 by Valarie Wolf. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Kimberly Santini: Daily Painter

May 2nd, 2009 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Go
8″ x 16″ acrylic on canvasboard

Kimberly Santini is a fellow artist and a fellow Michigander.

She has been painting a Dog a Day for quite some time. But she takes a break every now and again to paint dog-related still lifes (she did a great series of dog tags last year), some cats and, on Derby Week, horses.

I’m taking a break from my usual posts today to post some comments from Kim on her daily painting project in honor of her Derby Week horses.

Kim says,

I am a daily painter, having been hooked since October 2006, practically 700 paintings ago. That’s a lot of paint, both well-spent and wasted. Well, really not entirely wasted, because every painting taught me something, even if the piece was tossed or rubbed out.

I also blog about each painting. This allows me the opportunity to rethink my choices and assess progress, which is a huge part of identifying growth and determining weaknesses. I think that’s the best part about daily work – the whole being in touch with my own progress, having my finger on the pulse of my own skill set at all times.

Carefully choosing daily subjects and attacking skill growth through a daily creation process has made a world of difference in my own studio operations. It’s increased my profitability, earned me press and other visibility opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and made me a better artist. After all these years, I am able to articulate about my work and vision, have a variety of pieces to share with galleries, exhibitions and clients, and am able to tackle a huge variety of subject matter within a small period of time.

However, daily painting isn’t for everyone. It takes diligence and will power, since life insists on getting in the way. The key to a successful daily (or regular) routine is structuring it so that it is not a chore. That can get complicated though, with things as basic as power outages or a sick child (like I am occasionally blessed with). It is of primary importance that you set up your daily routine so that you are not penalized when these sorts of things happen (because they will).

Daily Painting can drain your creativity. A daily painter must implement a means to keep their creative juices flowing and feed the process healthily. I supply myself with lots of imagery (utilizing online galleries and publications), a variety of music, regular exercise or meditation, and warm gooey brownies.

It is also key that the daily routine itself provides you with a reward, hence the positive reinforcement you need in order to maintain the pace. Just like Pavlov’s dog, you want to be salivating to get into the studio (and not just for the brownies!)

What is my reward? In addition to the perks I mentioned earlier, the sheer process of making art is my mental health time. If I go several days without time at the easel, my mood shifts. I also am the sort of person who thrives under pressure. Creating a painting while the world seemingly falls apart outside the studio door (or so my kids often think) builds great confidence. That snowballs into the next painting/the next tough day.

I’ll agree that the demand of a daily creation process is draining. Those considering the commitment should do some serious soul searching, and if they deem themselves ready, next build a program to fit their personality, their skill set, their work routine, and their lifestyle.

If you think you can hack it, dwell for a minute on the rewards:

1. A greater knowledge of your materials.
2. A greater number of opportunities to work out ideas, merited or not.
3. A greater number of pieces to market to your clients (and potentially a greater number of sales).
4. A greater number of topics to address in your blog (that is, if you blog).
5. A greater ability to intelligently discuss your work (that is, if you blog or write in some fashion about your daily works).
6. A greater number of examples to share with potential clients (if you do commission work).
7. A greater confidence when you stand at your easel (or sit at your desk/wherever you work).
8. A greater variety of experiences to draw upon when deciding ideas/compositions for future works.
9. A greater ability to recognize your strengths and weaknesses.
10. The perfect platform to address both strengths and weaknesses.

These are just a few thoughts that come to mind, but the list could go on and on.

I would love to hear your thoughts on daily work and how it has benefitted you personally or someone you know. Or if you have concerns prior to committing, what they might be. Feel free to comment or send an email to me (ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com). Perhaps Carrie will be kind enough to allow for a follow-up post should there be enough interest.

Beginning the dialogue, however, is the first step towards discovering a program that could change your work all for the better.

It has mine.

Visit Kim’s Dog a Day Blog at http://paintingadogaday.blogspot.com/.

©Copyright 2009 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Monday Guest Artist ~ Karen Baker Thumm

April 27th, 2009 | Posted in Linda Shantz

We’re getting some interesting weather right now in Southern Ontario. On Saturday, summer decided to pay us a visit, but by 5pm a powerful storm system moved in and made bringing-in time at the barn a bit wild! The temperature dropped a good 20 degrees for Sunday…and today it’s supposed to be like summer again. The bad news for me is I really need to get on my taxes (no kidding), so my “day off” this time around will be spent crunching numbers instead of enjoying the weather. I know…that’s what procrastination gets me!

Today’s guest artist is another Equine Art Guild member I’ve “known” for years. Karen is an Associate Member of the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art, and has always been very generous in sharing her knowledge and experience with aspiring equine artists. There is a wealth of information, as well as a number of examples of her beautiful work, on her website. You can also see some of these paintings develop on her blog. Thanks Karen!

.
Growing Pains
Karen Baker Thumm


I’d like to start off by thanking Linda for inviting me to be a guest
blogger on her blog this month. It is an honor to be chosen by an
artist whom I greatly admire.

In sticking with this month’s theme of growth, I decided to address
a subject that many of us traditional realist artists face at some
point in our development as artists, and that is the need to wean
ourselves from too much dependence on photographs. As equine artists,
it’s almost a necessity to rely on photographs to produce our art
since our subjects are not the kind to sit still for hours (or even
seconds!) while we capture their likenesses.The trick is to move
beyond the photograph at some point to make a more unique work of
art, and that is where the growth part of our development as artists
comes to the fore.

One of my recent paintings is a perfect example of moving beyond the
photograph. “Meet The Green Team” is its title, and so we shall. The
first image is my reference photo for this painting. I very much
liked the expressions of these two gentle giants, their connectedness
to each other and their mild interest in the viewer who has
interrupted their quiet moments together. In order to convert this
photograph into a work of art that was more of my own concept, I made
a number of changes.

The first choice I made was to change the left hand horse’s coat and
mane colors since I wanted the painting to be of a pair of Belgians.

Next I decided to eliminate the sweat on the horses in order to go
along with a theme of quiet relaxation.

Thirdly, I decided to pretty up the trailer by eliminating the rust
and broken railing and giving it back some shine.

Since I’m not fond of wide blazes that go over the nostrils, the
right hand horse got a blaze adjustment which worked out very well.
You can see that he actually has a very fine muzzle which was
disguised by that wide blaze.

The two ears almost touching in the center created a weird tangent,
so I changed one ear to a more forward position and eliminated that
problem.

But, the changes didn’t stop there. The wheel fender was eliminated
since it added nothing to the compositon. I changed the far side of
the trailer to show more openings and make better sense of it. And,
finally, I played around with different crops until I found one which
worked well and which allowed the image to fit onto a standard size
canvas.

It’s a good thing that I like to challenge myself because, Boy! did
this painting challenge me! The first thing I did was to make a color
study in pastel to use as a guide for the oil painting. Other
reference photos were used for the highlights and shadows on the
horses and for reflections on the trailer. A couple of Breyer horses
and a mirror also helped show me where the reflections should go.
Using all of these tools helped me to create a painting that was both
challenging and very rewarding.


I’m so glad that I took the risk and created a painting that I can be
very proud of. Whether it wins any show awards or not, it’s already a
winner for me. Growing pains and all, it helped to build confidence
in myself and was one more step in my growth as an artist.

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Monday Guest Artist ~ Donna Ridgway

April 13th, 2009 | Posted in Linda Shantz


Donna Ridgway is multi-talented, to say the least. Not only is she a great artist, she’s an amazing photographer and a renowned storyteller! She and her husband Robert live in Montana, and I love reading about their adventures as they travel around photographing the animals and the landscape. It’s definitely worth the visit to her Travel the Gravel blog to read about some of these excursions! She also has a photo site of reference photos for artists which are available for very reasonable prices. You can see the artwork she’s currently working on, on her studio blog. All right, who’s up for planning a trip to Montana?

“I’m so Pretty!”
By Donna Ridgway

When Linda asked if I’d like to be a guest blogger on her site, I
searched through my photos for a reference. This mare caught my
attention and became my choice for today’s post. I liked her long mane
and the way she was standing. A reference photo to me, is a loose
starting point, I need to look at something to begin a painting, and I
like working directly from my computer screen, so I opened the file and
enlarged it to fit the screen.

This painting is on a hardboard support which I’ve gessoed several
times, it’s 12X16″ in size. I’m working from a primary palette of
French Ultramarine Blue, Lemon Yellow, and Grumbacher Red. I like using
these three colors-I can get any range I want from adding more yellow or
blue to a basic mixture of red and blue. I’m pretending my horse is
standing where she’s bathed in late evening light.


I like to begin a painting by toning the complete board. I choose any
old color, dip my brush in turpentine, and smear color all over the
board. I began to work on this painting late at night, and took this
photo in the house, so it’s got a glare of reflection from the camera
flash, but you can see here, how I begin…


Once I’ve colored the board with paint, I like to draw my horse in the
paint. I use an old sock for drawing. I can get fine lines, or broad
lines, or texture by the way I hold the sock! You can see the sock in
the beginning drawing, I draped it over the top of the painting!


If I make a mistake, it’s easy to wipe it out at this point and make a
correction.


You can see my progression here, I added the darker colors first, placed
the mane, then began to add midtones, and lights.


I’ll throw in a little tip here along the way. If you think your eyes
are fooling you, think again! You’re absolutely correct. That is a
hoof pick you see on the palette! I use it to get the dried and semi
dried paint off the palette, it works like a charm because it’s stiff
enough to do the job.


Here’s my finished painting. Isn’t she pretty? In my mind, she and her
owner, a young, horse crazy girl, just returned from a day ride, and the
girl brushed the horse out to a great shine. The girl stepped back to
see her handiwork, and the horse is looking at the girl with love in her
eyes! I have a vivid imagination…

Hope you enjoyed this post, and Linda, I thank you for having me here!
Donna Ridgway

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Friday Guest Artist ~ Carrie Lewis

April 10th, 2009 | Posted in Linda Shantz

I know I said Monday was guest blogger day, but I lined up five guests for the month, knowing there would likely be a day that I was grateful for doing so. Today is that day! Carrie Lewis is another friend and EAG member with whom I have a lot in common. Though we’ve yet to meet, we’ve known each other for years, and I’ve no doubt one day we will meet! Please be sure to visit Carrie’s website. There, in addition to galleries of her equine and landscape paintings, you’ll find links to her blogs. Not only does Carrie paint, she also writes.

Carrie is working in oil, in a style that is quite similar to how I paint in oils. I’ll let her explain! Thanks, Carrie!
“Buckles and Belts”
A Work in Progress using The Flemish Technique

by Carrie Lewis


Buckles & Belts (above, with reference photo at top) is the first ’still life’ I am attempting using the Flemish painting technique. The focus is the combination of buckles, straps and shadows where a bridle and halter meet. The horse was a pony horse I photographed years ago at Mt. Pleasant Meadows in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. It is 6×8 inches in size and is on prepped 1/4-inch masonite panel. The panel was prepped with half acrylic modeling paste and half acrylic gesso applied with a large confectioner’s knife and spread over the panel until it became too stiff to work with. After it had dried, each layer was scraped with a razor blade and the result was a surface that has the texture of an egg shell and is almost as smooth.

#1
Once the drawing is worked out in detail, it is transferred to the panel with graphite. Drawings are transferred to the painting surface using graphite, but the first layer of paint will completely wash away graphite. To preserve the drawing, it is redrawn in ink.

#2
With this painting technique, the imprimatura stage is not the first painting stage. It’s the final prep stage. The painting surface is being toned in preparation for painting, but it is toned after the drawing is in place instead of before.

I used two base colors for this layer: Lamp Black and Yellow Ochre. Prussian Blue can be added to create a cooler imprimatura layer and white can be added to create a lighter value imprimatura.

The imprimatura is usually applied thinned with painting medium of 2 parts solvent to 1 part walnut oil (I exclusively use M. Graham Oils ground with walnut oil). With this painting, however, I rubbed the imprimatura layer onto the panel and smoothed out the color with a clean cloth and using no medium.

The drawing can be transferred, inked in and brought to the finished imprimatura stage in the same day. Fast out of the gate! That’s what I like!

#3
One Week Later….

The Umber Layer is only the first step in the actual painting process and to date, all of the paintings I have in progress have required more than one day to complete this stage. Buckles & Belts is no different.

At this stage, I have used painting medium (2 parts solvent and 1 part walnut oil) to create a wash using only Burnt Umber. The idea is to use oil paints like watercolor and to apply the first layer of color in confident strokes. I’m afraid I’m not as confident as I should be, but this is both a new technique and a unique subject, so I proceeded more carefully.

All of the darker shadows were blocked in along with some of the shadows in the lighter range.

#4
The Next Day….
A little bit more work. I have been putting in 30 minutes or less each day on this piece, gradually developing values as much as possible, then setting the painting aside to dry over night. The paint is about the same consistency each day and about the same value (darkness). The darker darks you see here simply have more layers than the lighter darks.

#5
This is the finished Umber Layer. It took three sessions spread over the space of about five days to complete this work. I am very happy with this painting in spite of the complex design and the non-traditional subject treatment.

The painting will no dry for at least two weeks and probably closer to three. I will check it at the two week mark, which will be April 13, but so far, the paintings I’ve checked at two weeks have not been ready, so it will probably be April 20 before I get back to this one.

The next step will be the dead layer, the results of which give paintings the look of being seen in the light of a full moon. I’m looking forward to this stage with much anticipation.

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Monday Guest Aritst ~ Kim Ratigan

April 7th, 2009 | Posted in Linda Shantz

What a perfect day to have a guest blogger – winter decided to pay us another visit and dump some nice wet snow on us here in Southern Ontario, so having someone lined up to fill in today lets me take care of a slightly altered schedule at the barn without the stress of trying to fit in a painting! It’s sheer coincidence that I chose Mondays to feature another artist, even though tonight is the only real night I care about TV, because 24 is on.
Kim Ratigan is a watercolour and coloured pencil artist who lives not far from me in Burlington, Ontario. I’ve known Kim for a long time now, as we used to do art shows together. We’re both into horses and dogs, so we’ve never had trouble finding things to talk about! One of Kim’s watercolour paintings was an award-winner at this year’s Art Show at the Dog Show. Please take a moment and visit her website and blog to see more of her work! We’re going to post two of Kim’s paintings today, as I couldn’t decide on just one! Thanks, Kim!


“A Word in Your Ear”
19 x 13″ watercolour/coloured pencil

This coloured pencil painting portrays a quiet moment between a Thoroughbred going to post and his groom…commnunicating without saying anything…

The painting is on acid free rag board, measuring 19″ wide by 13″ high, and is double-matted in cream and grey-green, and shrink-wrapped in heavy plastic for protection. It is available for purchase at a special price for the duration of April’s “Thirty Horses, Thirty Days.” “A Word in Your Ear” is priced at $250.00 US (plus shipping, and 50% of the purchase price will be donated to Linda’s favourited charity, LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement, an adoption and placement program for retired racehorses in Ontario, Canada.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact Kim directly!

“Baby Bling”
5 x 7″ Coloured Pencil/Watercolour

This is a small painting of an Arabian foal in all his baby “finery.” Done in coloured pencil and watercolour, this piece was accepted into the Pyramid Society’s Annual Art Auction, and was sold for $500.00 US.

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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Fresh Bread

January 11th, 2009 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

I’m going to give some time to Loren Entz again today in order to announce that the Carriage Factory Gallery is once again hosting a Loren Entz original.

Fresh Bread, shown here.

Fresh Bread spent the summer at the prestigious 2008 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. An online catalog of the 2008 Prix de West is available here.

Fresh Bread is a 40×32 original oil on linen by Cowboy Artist of America member Loren Entz. Loren has very graciously provided the painting for exhibit at the Carriage Factory Gallery for the next few months.

This painting is the best I’ve seen (in person and as an original … we still have a great canvas reproduction of a resting foal that is a personal favorite). Full of detail, color and light, anyone who has been in a kitchen where bread is being baked can stand in front of the painting and smell the smells of freshly baked bread. For those of us fortunate enough to also have experience with wood stoves, there is the added pleasure of smelling the wood fire and feeling that very unique heat from a wood fire.

It is a delight and honor to now have it at the Carriage Factory Gallery and on exhibit.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Carole Andreen-Harris

January 4th, 2009 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Today’s artist is Carole Andreen-Harris.

I first met Carole through the Equine Art Guild and was immediately fascinated by her work. She was doing the same thing I was attempting to achieve, but was several steps ahead of me on that journey.

That was over six years ago and she’s still way ahead of me.

Carole works primarily in acrylics (with some work in oil, as well) and her advice on using the medium was invaluable when I tried it out in 2007. Unlike me, however, she has been able to not only become familiar with acrylic, but comfortable with it.

As you can see from Rosie, shown here, her paintings are full of natural light and color and a sense of place. Her portrait work and horse racing paintings are also inspiring, but take a look at her still life and landscape paintings.

A collection of Carole’s equine work is available at Old Pueblo Frameworks Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. The gallery is located at 1825 E. River Road. St. 101 in Tucson.

For those who can’t make it to Tucson, take a look at Carole’s web site. Time spent browsing galleries of equine, pet, still life and landscape paintings will be time well spent and a treat for the eyes and the spirit, especially in these cold days of winter.

As always, thanks for stopping by and best wishes!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Carol Biering Hendrix

December 28th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Today’s artist is someone whose work I have admired for quite some time. She does excellent equine paintings, including horse racing subjects (among my personal favorite painting subject), but she does equally well with other animals.

She also does excellent still life and floral work, including Hell’s Angels, at left. I ordinarily choose an equine image if that’s what I know an artist for, but this one jumped out at me when I was looking at Carol’s website. The title brought a chuckle, too, so here it is!

Carol specializes in commissioned oil portraits of horses, other animals, florals and landscapes and has been involved in various art activities for many years. Her work has been included in many private collections, galleries and shows through out the Southwest.

Carol has also become a distinguished photographer as well. She utilizes her photographic skills for client advertisement purposes, commissioned photo portraits as well as an aid in developing her paintings and as an art form.

Many other images can be seen at Carol’s web site or through either of two online stores (Cafe Press: Painted Memories and Yessy.com).

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Johannes Vermeer

December 14th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

My favorite artist for today is not one of my contemporaries and, to the best of my knowledge, he never painted horses.

But his work has been a major influence on my work and I have adopted much of his painting techniques to my own use over the last couple of years. He is Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer.

Vermeer lived from 1632 to 1675. He did not leave very many paintings behind, but the collection of 36 paintings is quite impressive. It includes such well known favorites as The Milkmaid, Girl With a Red Hat, and The Girl With a Pearl Earring.

The Carriage Factory Gallery has a reproduction of The Lacemaker in it’s permanent collection.

I can’t pinpoint a specific painting as a favorite. There is a lot to see and a lot to learn in each and every one of them. The interiors are especially full of delightful detail, but his View of Delft, where he lived, is also a treat for the eyes.

Vermeer’s technique is of great interest. His methods of painting a detailed under painting over which color is glazed is an intricate and challenging technique. Some of it has been adapted to my own subjects and painting styles, with varying degrees of success. It is a never ending challenge!

For more information about Johannes Vermeer, visit the Essential Vermeer web site.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Rembrandt’s drawings and sketches: powerful strokes.

November 30th, 2008 | Posted in Sheona Hamilton-Grant

“Elephant”.
Albertina, Vienna. Black Chalk, 230×340 mm by Rembrandt in 1637.

“A woman Sleeping”.
Brush and Wash in Bistre, 245×203 mm by Rembrandt in about 1655.

Have you ever wondered who this lady actually is and (now) what the link could be with the elephant?

Both are rendered by Rembrandt back in the 17th century, and through pure coincidence, I discovered who Rembrandt sketched sleeping back in 1655.

This beautiful figure is very likely Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt’s second wife and mother to his daughter Cornelia (born in 1654). The original can be seen in the British Museum in London.

Last week, a nasty virus (our youngest was its victim) kept me away from crossing my studio’s threshold but luckily not from catching up on some long overdue reading. One of the books I picked up and couldn’t put down was: “Rembrandt Drawings – 116 Masterpieces in Original Color”. 2007, Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola, New York.

I loved it. This hardcover has been earmarked more than I’ve earmarked a book in a very long time.

I was mesmerized.

“Woman carrying a child downstairs”. Morgan Library Museum, NY. Pen& Bistre wash. 185×133 mm by Rembrandt in about 1636.


“The Screaming Boy”. Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin. Pen&Bistre, wash, white body colour, black chalk. 206×143 mm by Rembrandt in about
1635.

“Old Woman holding a Child in Leading Strings”. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Pen & Bistre. 160×165 mm by Rembrandt in 1645.


Why?

So much of the work struck a cord…(see above!) and the feeling of entering a great Master’s world through another door thrilling.

The artist who left us immense masterworks such as the Night Watch, “The Anatomy lesson of Dr Tulp” or “Bathing woman” is portrayed in this book in a different light, with a focus being brought to lines, lined texture to the bone structure and knowledge needed for achieving full blown master piece.

(Illustrated above are: The Night Watch,1642 Rijkmuseum Amsterdam. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp, 1632, Mauritshuis, The Hague. Bathing Woman, 1654, National Gallery, London.)

I was enthralled, drawings and etchings had taken center stage and were sitting proudly in the spotlight (yeah!). Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijns’ drawings were of an amazing caliber and power.

“

Self-Portrait”.

Red Crayon, 129×119 mmby Rembrandt van Rijn in about 1637


Studying the work featured, one is taken back into Rembrandts’ world, a world of strong religious imagery, of real people, of 17th century scenery. A world studied by a man grounded in his time, by a man wanting to learn and understand the human condition, by a man who spoke through his work.

Each stroke beautiful.

“A Mounted Officer“, British Museum, London. Pen&Wash in bistre, red chalk, yellow water colour, heightened with white and some oil colour. 210×164 mm by Rembrandt in about 1638.

Each stroke studied, understood.

“Saskia seated in an Armchair“. Le Louvre, Paris. Red& white chalk. 147×110 mm by Rembrandt in about 1635.

Each stroke meaningful.

“Woman wearing costume, seen from Back”, Teyler Museum. Pen&wash in bistre. 220×150 mm by Rembrandt in about 1642.

A book I highly recommend to anyone wanting to see and understand a little more about who Rembrandt was and … the power of his strokes.

©Copyright 2008 by Sheona Hamilton Grant. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Sheona Hamilton Grant’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Loren Entz

November 30th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

On this Sunday, I want to share an artist whose work I have had the opportunity to study at some length at the Carriage Factory Gallery. Loren Entz.

Loren grew up in Kansas, just a few miles from where I sit typing. His interest in painting was fired by visits to Kansas galleries, but according to Loren, it wasn’t until he spent a summer on a Montana ranch and met a western artist that he began to realize artists could make a living on their talents. He now lives in Billings, Montana, where he has ready access to the land and events he paints most often.

I first met Loren in 2007 when his brother brought him to the gallery for a visit. A featured exhibit followed with a small but wonderful collection of originals (including The Empty Saddle, above), reproductions and a sculpture.

I have always heard artists and art experts comment on the need for paintings to have a narrative quality, but it wasn’t until I stood in front of The Empty Saddle with Loren and heard him tell about the event that inspired the image that I began to understand what storytelling with a painting means. I still don’t have a firm grasp of the idea, but it is taking shape.

Unlike a lot of western artists, Loren tends to paint the more tranquil side of the west and of the lifestyle that goes with it. A lot of his paintings depict close family ties, contemplative moments in the wilderness and even horses in their more peaceful times.

He has been a member of the Cowboy Artists of America since 1992 and is represented by several galleries in the west and southwest.

To see more of his work, including my current favorites, New Grass and The New Colt, take a few minutes to visit his web site.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Gemma Gylling

November 23rd, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Today’s artist is Tracy, California artist, Gemma Gylling.

Gemma works in oils and colored pencils. It is with her colored pencil work that I am most familiar so although she has some wonderful landscapes and seascapes in oils (and some landscapes in colored pencil, as well), I’ll be sharing her colored pencil work today.

For me, Gemma’s signature piece is Gulliver (shown here), which I had the pleasure in person at the Carriage Factory Gallery’s Man’s Best Friend Show in May, 2006. Gulliver is a 13.5 inch by 9 inch colored pencil painting with a lot of character.

It is always a special delight to see art work online and enjoy it, then to have the opportunity to study it in person. Not even the best digital images can compare to the originals. It was certainly no different with Gulliver or with any of the other artists whose work I have seen both online and in person.

In addition to selling originals, reproductions and wearable art, Gemma conducts workshops on her highly detailed techniques. We all just missed a seven-day cruise on Carnival in which Gemma was one of three nationally known artists teaching colored pencil (that would have been fun!), but Gemma has a teaching kit available for those of us who are not quite up to ‘cruising levels’.

Take some time to visit Gemma’s web site. Whether you enjoy dog art, wildlife art, landscapes or seascapes, you will certainly find something to like!

Best wishes!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Arlene Steinberg

November 16th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Today’s artist is Arlene Steinberg.

Arlene uses colored pencils and a classical painting technique to create still life paintings, and what she classifies as ‘illusion of reality’ paintings.

I first encountered Arlene’s work through the Wet Canvas forum and later through ScribbleTalk. When I first saw her work, I couldn’t believe it was colored pencil. I had been dabbling with colored pencil periodically for several years and had always liked the fact that colored pencils are clean, easy to use and very portable.

But I had never been satisfied with the degree of finish and always went back to my first love, oil painting after doing just a couple of colored pencil pieces.

Arlene’s paintings opened my eyes to the possibilities.

Arlene ‘paints’ using a variation of classical painting techniques in which her under paintings are in complementary colors, rather than a single color half-tone. I Thought I Lost Them (shown above) is one of the first paintings I followed as a work in progress.

In 2005, Arlene was hosted for a three-day workshop at the Carriage Factory Gallery and seeing her work in person was even more eye opening. And very instructive.

Arlene’s specialties are florals, still life images and images that she categorizes as “The Illusion of Reality” (see Oops!, at left).

She has also recently published a book describing her technique. Titled Masterful Color, it is available through her web site and everywhere fine art books are sold.

Her current exhibit calendar includes shows and exhibitions in many different parts of the country. If you have the chance to see her work in person, it is well worth the effort.

If you cannot, her web site is also well worth the visit.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Leslie Harrison

November 9th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

Today’s artist is Leslie Harrison.

I have been a admirer of Leslie’s exquisite pastels for many years. So long, in fact, that I can’t remember the first time I saw one.

I do remember my response to it, though. Wow!

Being a lover of detail myself, I was immediately attracted by the high realism in Leslie’s paintings of horses.

It was quite a surprise to realize that she works in pastel, a medium that I have never had any success with at all.

Leslie often combines the power and majesty of the horse with the power and majesty of nature, putting horses together with rolling seas (Wave Racers, above; Beauty and the Sea, below), falling snow and even towering cloud formations.

She also seems to enjoy painting flowing manes and tails. I confess, I find special delight in that aspect of her work because those very things draw my eye and imagination, as well.

A wide selection of equine and wildlife artwork is available in a variety of formats, including art prints, giclees and posters, through Leslie’s web site. Her 2009 calendars are also now available and include a calendar featuring wolf art and two focusing on equine images, one with scripture and one without. All three are beautiful.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Favorite Artists – Michelle Grant

November 2nd, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

This Sunday, I want to introduce you to an artist whose work I have admired for a long, long time. Canadian Artist Michelle Grant.

Michelle lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and her chuck wagon racing images are well known to visitors to and participants in the Calgary Stampede.

The first painting I remember seeing was Working Class (at right). We were both members of an organization known as the Canadian Association of Equine Artists and Supporters (CAEAS for short). It had been reproduced in the newsletter gallery, if I remember correctly, and even though it was black-and-white, it was impressive.

Many years later, after getting married and moving to Kansas, I became a member of the Equine Art Guild. Through that membership, I was able to not only see Michelle’s work in living color, but read about and learn something of her working methods.

It was through Michelle’s work with oils and acrylics and the work of another artist, Arlene Steinberg, in colored pencils that I began to piece together the techniques used by the Old Masters. Both artists use similar techniques of creating a half tone, then glazing color over it, but each had developed the technique in different directions to suit their individual purposes. I had to work with both variations before a light went on upstairs and I was able to say “Oh! I get it!”

Michelle does commissioned portrait work, chuckwagon and harness racing artwork and pet portraits, as well, but my favorite works these days are the paintings of horses at liberty. They are usually up close and personal, like Golden Child (at left). They are almost always full of action and, quite often, the kind of tension that results from lots of animals in close contact.

Michelle works primarily in oil paints and acrylic paints, sometimes combining acrylic under paintings with oil glazes. She also does graphite work.

Subjects include figurative works, livestock and pets in addition to the ever popular (with me, anyway!) equine paintings.

Her work is available as originals, reproductions and art cards.

Take a moment to browse her web site. There are a lot of beautiful images there, so be ready to spend some time!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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Frederic Edwin Church THE 19th Century American landscape artist.

October 28th, 2008 | Posted in Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Mid-term has set in and my drawing board has been cleared away until Monday next week.

The time for drawing and creating seriously diminished.

The time for discovering and relishing in what others have done with a mastery strangely enough increased.

I’m not one for landscapes…well not until I  (virtually) saw Churches’ 7 foot wide Aurora Borealis. This masterpiece is anchoring the To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape at the Peabody Essex Museum. (Runs from 8 November through 1 March, 2009.)

I had to dig further.

I did

and… found a master.

The purpose of this post is not to bore you with my interpretation of his work, or the impact it has on me, or even to tell you that he was born in Connecticut on May 4th 1826 and died 74 years later in New York his reputation  firmly established and incredibly well respected.

The purpose is rather to let you enjoy in silence the magnificence of his work.

However, before I bring on this silence, let me just throw in a few jumbled (loud) words so descriptive of his grand legacy.

Ephemeral, extraordinary, meticulous, topographically exact, greying greens, “Wagnerian Weather” (Adrian Searle, The Guardian), romantic, phenomenal, grandeur, dramatical, substancial, technical genius, immense, magnificent…

Enough said… Here is the jaw dropping painting for your own special viewing followed by a selection of the Master’s work.

“Niagara”, 1867

“Iceberg Flotante”,  1859, Frederic Church.

“Cotopaxi”, 1862

“Vale of St Thomas”, 1865

“Icebergs and Wreck in Sunset”, 1860

“Mount Katahdin from Millinocket Camp”

“Niagara from Canadian side”, 1857

“View from Olana in the Snow”, 1873

“Heart of the Andes”

Brilliant stuff!

Hope you enjoyed your virtual”getaway” as much as I did.

Back soon,

cheerio until then.

All images are from Wikimedia and Museum Syndicate.

©Copyright 2008 by Sheona Hamilton Grant. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Sheona Hamilton Grant’s website.

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Favorite Artist – Donna Ridgway

October 26th, 2008 | Posted in Carrie Lewis

The artist I would like to introduce to you today is a long-time fellow member of the Equine Art Guild, where I first made her ‘acquaintance’ about six years ago.

I have also had the pleasure of enjoying Donna’s work in person through her participation in a couple of art shows at the Carriage Factory Gallery, where I am the director.

In fact, one of her ACEO paintings, Montana Moon, earned a Second Place Award in the 2006 World of Small & Miniature Art show.

Donna’s work is varied and exciting. Among her favorite things to paint are carousel horses (Veneeta, above right), cows, wildlife and, of course, horses, donkeys and mules. She has a series of halftone paintings in sienna hues that are as striking and full of life as her full color work.

Donna has two web sites. Her equine paintings and aceos can be seen at Montana Horse Gallery. Visitors to this website can browse Donna’s ACEO paintings, paintings of horses, cattle, wildlife and more, and browse a selection of reproductions.

She also enjoys photography immensely and now has a web site featuring that work. The Nature of Montana includes photographs of Montana landscapes, wildlife, horses and many other subjects. One of the unique features of this web site is that Donna has made many of her photographs available to artists, who may purchase the image and the rights to use it as reference for their own artwork.

For those of us who love the rugged outdoors, its wildlife citizens and horses, but have neither the time nor the means to make those travels, Donna’s photography presents some exciting and interesting opportunities. In writing this post, I looked through only two albums and found a couple of ideas that looked interesting and two or three series that provoked ‘out loud’ laughs and paintings with titles! How often does that happen? Not very!

Take some time today and visit Donna’s web sites. Just make sure you’re comfortable because there’s lots to look at.

Come to think of it, something to drink while you’re browsing is a good idea, too. Personally, I like hot chocolate.

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.

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