&t Paintings in Oil

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Blocks No.5


18 x 18 oil on hardboard
When Jeff at Stricoff Fine Art, and I talked about new paintings for his gallery, he expressed an interest in the blocks, so I was happy to oblige. We communicated recently, and he was glad to have this, and Place Setting (see Dec. 10th post) as well. I'm always a little nervous when I send images to galleries for approval, so it was a relief when he reacted so enthusiastically to these two paintings. There was also some discussion about sending these to the L. A. ArtShow in January. I'm not sure why I'm so excited at the thought of having my work in Los Angeles. Whatever the reason, I hope they make it there.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 10:29 AM 3 comments

Monday, December 14, 2009

Seasons Greetings from CBS


One of my fondest televised recollections of Christmas, was this sixty second holiday greeting aired on CBS in the 6o's. It was such a poignant little animation, I was always surprised that it wasn't resurrected each year. Kudos to CBS at that time, for allotting a minute of airtime just to say "Seasons Greetings". I did a Google search, and found the video on YouTube. I wanted to post it here as my holiday greeting for 2009. For those of you who remember it, I hope it sparks happy memories, and for those who are seeing it for the first time, enjoy. Happy Holidays!

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 10:03 AM 10 comments

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Place Setting


16 x 20 oil on hardboard
I finally finished "Place Setting". I think it turned out pretty good. I hadn't painted glass in a long time, and it was fun to get back to it. Now I'm onto the next piece to be offered to Stricoff Fine Art, Ltd. It's another set of blocks. They have been getting a lot of positive response, they're a treat to paint, so it was a logical choice.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 10:13 AM 17 comments

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Karen's Solo Show at Dean Day


Karen and I headed out early Friday morning for Houston to attend the opening night reception of her show at Dean Day Gallery. As we dropped through the clouds into William P. Hobby Airport, we were greeted by the second great snow storm to hit Houston in the last ten years. Our drive from the airport to the hotel took place in nearly blizzard conditions. Karen had been working on her show for months, and it was a big decision to make the trip at all. Now it looked as though the whole thing could be a bust because of the weather.
We drove over to the gallery around midday, then spent the better part of the afternoon getting acquainted with the owner Cathy Albright (above left). It was a really nice visit. Later that evening Cathy took us out to a wonderful restaurant for dinner, providing a satisfying end to what could have been a pretty bad day.
By Saturday morning the front had completely moved through, and weather wise it was turning out to be a beautiful day. As tourists, the one thing we both wanted to do while we were there was visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. It's a great museum. If you ever find yourself in Houston, we highly recommend you add it to your list of must sees'.
After the museum we returned to the hotel to relax, and get cleaned up for the reception. We headed over to the gallery a little before six, and people had already begun to arrive. By six thirty the place was packed. It was a terrific turn out. Karen was a little overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection for her, and her paintings. By the time they closed the doors she had met a lot of nice people, and sold four paintings. The kind of show we all hope for.
To top off the night our Houston friends, and devoted collectors Lory Quist, and Judy Vandagriff along with their better halves Greg and Ross took us out to another amazing restaurant for dinner. These are four wonderful, and exceedingly generous people. It was a joy to spend time with them.
For me, I had the added benefit of spending time with Greg Quist, and talking aviation. If you've read the bio on my website, you know that I've had a long time interest in flying. Greg's a senior captain with Southwest Airlines, who prior to that was a Navy fighter pilot. F-14's, and aircraft carriers. Very, very cool!
When we got back to the hotel I checked our email on my phone, and to add a final cherry to the top a very successful show, there was a message from Kelly at Mason Murer Gallery saying that she had sold another of Karen's paintings that afternoon. How great is that?
We flew back to Atlanta early the next morning, and both agreed that it had been a wonderful trip. Karen and I would also like to thank Cathy at Dean Day, and Lory, Judy, Greg and Ross again for showing us such a great time. Thanks.
As for me, I've been working on a painting for a little over a week now, which should be complete in the next day or so. This one, and a second that's ready to start, will be offered to Stricoff Fine Art. If I'm lucky, they'll be accepted, then sent to the L.A. Art Show in January.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 9:04 PM 6 comments

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Flatware


6 x 12 oil on hardboard
The last few weeks had me occupied with a complete master bath remodel. We "hired" it done, but there were still enough peripheral chores to keep me out of the studio, and in construction mode. I did manage to squeeze in three small paintings during what little free time I could find. Anne Irwin asked if I could provide a few paintings for her upcoming Small Works show in December. I was pretty excited about the photography I had done of the silverware Karen's parents had brought over, so decided to try a triptych. Now I'm back at work painting for Stricoff Fine Art. I'm hoping they will like what I'm doing enough to send them out to the west coast for the Los Angeles Art Show in January.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 9:42 AM 9 comments

Friday, November 13, 2009

Black Grapes


black grapes
oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"
It's funny how one of the most common themes in still life paintings, down through the ages, has been the grape, and yet I have never painted them. I'm not sure why. Plenty of other fruits, and lots of cherries, but no grapes. When I recently came across these beautiful black grapes at COSTCO, I knew I would have to give them a try. Those wonderful frosty blues, and hints of alizarin crimson were irresistible. Can't wait to do another. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can participate in the auction by clicking here.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 6:26 PM 11 comments

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Crackers and Milk


crackers and milk
oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"
One of the new subjects explored in my recent photography sessions, was saltine crackers. In and out of their translucent wrappers. I paired them here with a glass of milk. Back in the old days when I still consumed white flour, I loved to eat saltines, and wash them down with a glass of milk. Now that's a faded memory, but I still think they go together pretty well in a painting. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

posted by James Neil Hollingsworth at 4:53 PM 1 comments