Eight New Art pieces have been added to the store for your viewing. The Artwork will be displayed in the luxurious “Nu Waves Salon & Day Spa located at 1301 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell Pa. So enjoy some culture while having your Cut & Color or Day at the Spa. The following are the new Artwork Titles added to the store:
Primary Friends
Triumphant Entry
BAH MAR Casino
Birch Bear
Autumn Rains
Snow Bird
Morning Snow
Blue Bell Autumn View
Various charcuterie boards made from black walnut, maple, and white oak. Plain black walnut boards $40 each. Striped board $65 each. Sizes range from 11x14 for plain, Stripped 11x17 and large serving platter is 11x28.
18x24 on Pastel Premier Paper
This Pastel Painting was developed using NuPastel hard pastels & a isopropyl alcohol solution for the under painting. The top layers are mostly Terry Ludwig Soft pastels which were blended on the pastel premier paper. This is the first time I used the Pastel Premier paper from Dakota Art and I was pleased with the bite this paper provided and the number of layers it easily accepted. This scene was designed to fulfill a clients special request. It required researching Texas Longhorns and discovering the horns can grow to 9 feet. I had to study a number of photographs to gain the perspective of this majestic animal. I did the same for the bluebonnet flowers that seemingly permeate the landscape and fields in early Spring with a beautiful spray of blue.
The below video provides a snapshot in time or demo of the painting development stages.
I was inspired to paint a bar scene after visiting a Hyatt casino in Nassau. Huge lights over the bar area caught my interest. The setting makes for a fun original art piece. I used both a realism & impressionism approach for this painting. I began applying hard Nupastel on a #6 Anthracite Pastelmat, 170 lb. I used a mix of various hard & soft pastels. Final strokes were applied using a palette of Mount Vision and Caran D’Ache. Believe I have better luck with art versus the casinos.
Baha Mar Bahamas
Art For Sale in Store
I captured this image last Sept while browsing the streets in Doylestown during their annual Art Festival. My wife is center, looking impatiently back at me taking the picture. This is the last painting in a series of three. The first two are water color (and can be viewed in the Gallery), while this is a pastel piece. I like the fresh colors and believe I captured the flow of the masses meandering on the historical streets and shopping by the tents.
I used both a realism & impressionism approach for this scene. I began with a underpainting applying hard Nupastel on a #6 Anthracite Pastelmat, 170 lb., dampened with 91% isopropyl alcohol using a flat brush. A mix of various hard & soft pastels were applied over the underpainting. Final strokes were applied using a palette of Terry Ludwig, Mount Vision and Caran D’Ache.
Ocean Impressionism using the Water Color Wet on Wet technique.
The Approach: Color is slowly added to a very wet and saturated surface. Paint flow is directed by turning the piece at 45 degrees from various angles. The flow can be further encouraged by a slight spray of water or by a clear wet brush providing a path for the paint to travel. This technique provides a smooth mix and blending of colors without hard edges, but often provides unexpected results. The Wet on Wet method takes on a style of its own. There is a freedom or letting go that is both exciting and nervy. The canvas paints itself, so you get what you get.
Additionally, I applied the deep dark purple and sea green using a palette knife. Water and pigment were added to vary the hue and gradient colors often seen during sunrise and sunset. After drying, I added the dark rocks on the beach, carving them out with the palette knife. This further diversified my approach to this piece but gave me some intentional outcome or control. The end result is a very colorful impressionistic Ocean view.
Materials used: Daniel Smith extra fine water color on Arches Cold Press, 300 lb. Block.
The Holidays are over and my brushes have lay dry & dormant like my lawn since late November. In an effort to relight the creative juices my first piece in 2020 is dedicated to the Winter gods. It’s a snow scene in Water Color using Daniel Smith on 11x14 Arches block, 300 lb. cold press paper. Basically, restarting feels like going back to the gym after a long absence. It takes a little more time & thought to get organized, mixing of colors and the feel of the brush flow. After finalizing the below piece today, I placed it in a black Mat to fit into a 16x20 frame.
Now I need to decide to either revisit a few unfinished pieces or tackle a new scene. Next week, I’ll be joining fellow Artists at GN Art League on Thursday mornings for 10 weeks. This will be our Winter/Spring session. It’s always inspiring to work with other artists and view the different mediums and interpretative approach. Below is entitled Winter Walk.
Wishing You Good Health & Happiness in the new Decade
Family Time … Wishing You Peace, Love & Joy.
I just finished the Pastel Painting of Blue Bell’s Hole 3, a Par 3 over water. This is the final hole and/or composition I wanted to complete in 2019. The painting can also be viewed in both the Golf Art and Online Store (see Menu). This is the fifth golf painting in a series showing various scenes of Blue Bell Country Club golf course. Holes 9, 12, 14 & 15 were previously painted and are currently exhibited at BBCC Pro Shop. Since all these holes have water, it might be safe to say that both my golf shots and paint brush are attracted to these picturesque and potentialy wet views. Where’s my ball retriever when I need it? For this painting, I used my favorite Nupastel & Terry Ludwig brands on 12x18 UArt 600 grade. I extended my palette with a few Rembrandt and Mount Vision pastels.
Below are holes 9, 12, 14 & 15 painted in Watercolor or Pastel mediums.
On Sunday Dec 8th, we attended the GNAL Open House at 800 W Germantown Pike in East Norriton, Pa. After partaking in the wide array of finger foods & refreshments, we viewed the exhibits from both the Evening Classes and Children’s program. The event afforded us an opportunity to talk with emerging artist and discuss their preferred medium and works. The children and young adults were especially pleased by peoples positive reaction and encouragement to further develop their talents. Later, we were all serenaded by the Independence String Ensemble, comprised of Cellist Steve Kramer and Violinist Michael Shingo Crawford. Their music filled the room and thoroughly delighted the audience. A few snapshots help document this Art event.
This Autumn I had a few art pieces entered in shows and/or accepted for display. After the holidays, I intend to be more active in entering into formal Art Shows. Recent & upcoming Shows/Displays include:
The GNAL Fall Art Show, 27-29 September 2019
Chestnut Hill’s Center on the Hill Art Show, 4-27 November 2019
Golf Art Display at Blue Bell Country Club beginning 10 December 2019. If your in the neighborhood stop by the Pro Shop for a look. You can also view the below pieces online at the Gallery or purchase at the Store.
Original Watercolor, 11x14 of BBCC hole #9. Daniel Smith extra fine colors on Arches 300 lb block, Cold Press paper. Framed
Original Pastel painting. Terry Ludwig Pastel on Art 800 grit, 12x18. View of 2nd shot on this horse shoe par 5 with a down hill lie. This calls for a 150-180 yard shot to carry the environmental area and creek to land on the far side fairway.
Original Watercolor painting. Daniel Smith extra fine watercolors on 11x14 Arches 300 lb Cold press. Framed
Original Watercolor painting. View for 2nd shot on this difficult par 4. Daniel Smith extra fine watercolor on Arches block 300 lb, cold press. Framed
Watercolor Golf Interpretation, Windsor Newton watercolor on 11x14 Arches 140 lb., Cold Press.
I attended an event today, celebrating the recent opening of the relocated Country Bride & Gent store. The new space located on Broad St, Lansdale, Pa is over 7,000 sq feet and is eloquently designed to accommodate their Bridal, Tux, Prom & Formal client needs. We wish our Blue Bell CC friend and owner of CB&G, Trish Burkholder continued success in her new business location. Below are a few images to simply give you a inside peek. Perhaps I’ll get inspired to create some Wedding Art in 2020. Our visit reminded me of this fun watercolor dancing sketch I did for a friend.
33 Years Experience
1537 N. Broad St. Lansdale, Pa.
Last week I finally got back to developing my Art website which was published using Square Space. It seems that in todays world you can no longer simply be just an artist and hope that a gallery will do all your publicity and shows. Now, you must be a Jack of all trades, which includes websites, photography, framing etc. I want my site to be a clean, professional customer focused platform to depict my art style. I hope to avoid this website becoming a personal place like a photo album that includes everything. Requesting honest feedback concerning the content of this site will hopefully assist me in reaching this goal. Your feedback matters.
