Resting Pear

oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 12"

Here is number four of the completed paintings for the show at Wynne/Falconer gallery in September. I've been tying to go for a slightly moodier look in some of my new paintings. Greying down the colors a bit, and producing a more somber piece. This is new for me, but it's kind of exciting. Here there is no direct sunlight, with its' stark shadows and brilliant highlights. Just a single pear on a soapstone table top lit by the diffuse light of an overcast day. I think I'll throw one of these in from time to time, and explore the potential of a more muted palette.

Karen Hollingsworth

STILLNESS
Oil on gallery wrap canvas
36'' x 36"

It's shameful how I've had this blog for nearly a year now, and as yet haven't devoted any space to the paintings of my wife Karen. Her work has an emotional quality that is hard to describe. Speaking for myself, and I've related this to her many times, I feel as though I can almost smell the salt air blowing in through the open window. I'm transported to these locations, which are very calming, with an occasional hint of melancholy. Her compositions are meticulously planned, and in my opinion her ability to portray light in oil, rivals any artist working today.

Karen knew at an early age that she wanted to be an artist, and twenty years ago she began to realize that dream. I don't know anyone whose enthusiasm for art is greater than hers. She told me when we first met that my paintings had inspired her. I can honestly say, that I probably wouldn't be painting for a living now, had it not been for her encouragement, and infectious drive to paint.

The painting above is one of the pieces she will have at the Wynne/Falconer show in September. We will be sharing the spotlight in a two-man show during that week on Cape Cod. Karen's been working hard preparing for this show, and will be presenting some of her best work to date. A number of these pieces will also be presented in the September issue of American Art Collector magazine.

She has also started to branch out into the high-end print market. Karen has developed a relationship with Gallery Street an art reproduction company here in town, to create MasterpieceTM giclees of specific paintings. The people at Gallery Street have worked very hard to match the subtle colors of Karen's paintings, and I have to say that the quality of these prints is quite amazing. Karen and I color proofed the reproductions along side the originals, and they are a spot-on match. Karen will be offering the prints from her website in these initial stages, with plans to offer them to select galleries around the country in the future.

If you're not familiar with Karen's work, you should take some time and visit her website. I think you'll find it time well spent.

Cherry Goblet

oil on gallery wrap canvas
9'' x 12"

This is number three of the completed paintings for the show at Wynne/Falconer gallery in September. Cherries are a popular theme for me, as is the reflective, so I thought I'd combine the two, and see what happens. I came across four of these little silver goblets at a flea market/antique store not long ago, and fell in love with their shape. I think they will be showing up regularly in future paintings. If you'd like to purchase this piece in a pre-show sale you can contact the gallery by clicking here. The gallery has asked me to state in these postings that any painting purchased prior to the show must remain in the gallery throughout the duration of the show.

Ice Water

oil on gallery wrap canvas
16'' x 20"

Here's another of the finished paintings for the show at Wynne/Falconer gallery in September. I hadn't painted glass in a while, and this water jug is a great subject. I especially like the way it fogs up when it's filled with ice water. This particular piece incorporates a number of favorite themes. One is the use of ice cubes. These are more like ice hemispheres, since they came from the ice maker in the frige, but I still enjoy trying to create that "ice" look.

Another object I've recently added to my repertoire is the aluminum drinking glass. I purchased a set of these colorful metal glasses sometime ago on ebay, placed them in the cabinet, and promptly forgot about them. They were recently re-discovered, and this is my second painting utilizing them. I hope they prove to be popular, because they're fun to paint. If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you can contact the gallery by clicking here. Wynne/Falconer has asked me to make it clear that any painting purchased prior to the show must remain in the gallery for the duration of the show.

I have some good news about the article in American Art Collector magazine. Karen and I were contacted yesterday by the editor for our interview. I have to say that talking about myself is not something that comes easily, but the editor was very nice, and said that he felt it went well. He stated that they were hoping to use seven images of our paintings in the article, and that it will be in the September issue. That means it should be in the newsstands in late August. Karen and I are, understandably very excited.

The day it comes out we will be buying multiple copies, and there will definitey be a post on this blog.

Balsamic

oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 12"

I've been under a bit of a crunch these last few weeks. Hence the lack of posts showing new work. Karen and I are scheduled to have a show at Wynne/Falconer gallery on Cape Cod in early September. Normally that would have given us around ten weeks to get paintings ready, but Kenny the owner altered the scenario a bit when he informed us that he had arranged to have an article about us in American Art Collector Magazine. When we were contacted by the magazine they let us know that they needed images of art, relating to the show, by the 23rd of July at the latest. Yikes!

So, we've been busy getting some pieces done for the show/article. I emailed my images this morning, and am hoping the files arrive at their office on time, and uncorrupted. I'm posting these images earlier than I would prefer, but it's been a long time since I've shown anything new, and decided, "what the hell".

The magazine is supposed to be contacting us for an interview soon. At this point, it still feels a bit, "iffy", but we're optomistic that it will actually happen. Hopefully, by the next post, we will have heard from them again, and know more about whether the article will be published, and in which issue. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you can contact the gallery by clicking here. Wynne/Falconer has asked me to make it clear that any painting purchased prior to the show must remain in the gallery for the duration of the show.

Karin Jurick

My friend Karin Jurick is having a show at her gallery 16 Patton in Asheville North Carolina this weekend. It's going to be an impressive collection of paintings. She's been working hard these last couple of months, and the body of work reflects that effort. I think this collection includes some of her best paintings to date.

I am so humbled by her talent. I am hoping that she will one day receive the national attention her paintings deserve. Her brush work, color sense, and compositions are unparalleled. As beautiful as these images are on screen, you have to see them in the flesh to appreciate them fully. They are like little jewels. There is no hesitation in her work. Each brush stroke, position of every element, and choice of each color is deliberate, and perfect. Karin knows exactly what she's doing. She's an awesome talent.



My wife Karen, and I bought a small painting of hers through an ebay auction a couple of years ago, and since we lived in the same town Karin delivered the painting to us at our home. We've been close friends since that day.

This show is predominantly figurative pieces, but includes a group of small paintings of dogs that are wonderful. Seventeen of her paintings have already been sold, illustrating how popular her work is, and righly so. It would not be surprising if the show is a sell-out. I'm proud to call her my friend. If you'd like to see more of her work you can visit her website and her painting blog by clicking here.

Cherry Pear

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

I've only got one new ebay piece this week. I'm working on a pear painting for the galleries, and I wanted to do a study of that particular pear for auction. The gallery piece won't have a cherry, but I thought the two went nicely together. The overall mood of the larger painting will be the same as this smaller version, and that was my intention. To attempt a more muted atmosphere than I usually portray. I think it works. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Jeff Cohen

I'm working on some new gallery paintings at the moment, but nothing is complete as yet. So, I thought it would be a good time to plug my friends again. Jeff Cohen has been working on these "fragmented" water towers for about a year now, and they have proven to be extremely popular. The painting above, entitled Like Candy, is one of his most recent towers, and my favorite to date. It looks good here, but to see it in person is a religious experience.



That piece was at Stricoff in New York, and sold immediately. Jeff has other water towers available at Stricoff, as well as at Twinhouse in Atlanta. He has also had great success with his bicycles like the one above, entitled 110 Degrees, and his still lifes. All done in this fragmented style. His large salt shakers, like the one below, entitled Big Salt, are my favorites.



It's extremely invigorating, and intimidating to visit Jeff, and walk amongst these paintings before they are shipped off. I'm inspired, and simultaneously deflated by his talent. The phrase, "I'm not worthy" creeps into my mind. In truth it makes me work harder.

Karen and I love to visit Jeff, and his wife Leslie (also an artist - I'll post some of her work later) and talk art. It really gets the creative juices flowing. You can see these paintings, plus Jeffs' "Magic Pictures" on his website, which you can access by clicking here.

Jadeite & Cherries

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

Here is number four of this weeks ebay listings. Continuing the red theme. Tonight, it's a bowl of cherries. I've been wanting to work this small Jadeite bowl into some paintings, and I thought it would look good with cherries. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Aluminium Drinking Glasses

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

This is number three of this weeks ebay listings. Continuing a red week. Tonight, it's the vintage drinking glasses. We've had this set of aluminium glasses for a long time, and I've often thought of using them as a subject for a painting. Finally got around to it, an it was really fun. I've got a number of other compositions ready to go. Most of them composed in a larger format intended for the galleries. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Tomato Sill No.2

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

This is number two of this weeks ebay listings. It's going to be a red week. Tonight, it's a little tomato. The next three days will have a couple of cherries, and what I'm hoping will be a pretty cool painting of some vintage aluminium drinking glasses. The predominant glass will be . . . red. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Oil & Vinegar

oil on hardboard panel
4'' x 8"

sold

Starting off this second week of ebay paintings with some salad dressing. We just got these two bottles for dispensing our olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I knew right away I'd be doing at least a couple of paintings of these bottles. I've already got a number of other compositions ready to go that I really like. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Four in a Row

oil on hardboard panel
4'' x 8"

sold

Finishing off the week with a hint of red. Cherries are back in season, and this is the first of a new batch of compositions. No bowls, no linen, just the fruit on a stone table top. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Ice Cube

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

This is number four of this weeks ebay listings. It seems to be a week of single objects. I've got a few compositions involving ice in the works, so this is a study, of sorts, of ice. Suffice it to say you may see this particular cube again in the future - if one of those compositions gets the go. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Glass Sphere No.3

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

I'm back to the little glass sphere. I never seem to tire of painting this subject. It was lit from above in this composition. I wanted to see, with more direct lighting, if I could draw out the depth of the object. Portray a sense of the "glass". I've just begun a search for an actual crystal ball. One with less impurites, and more refractive capabilities than these particular glass spheres. Utilize it in a manner similar to, but not a direct "rip-off" of, artist Steve Mills. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Goblet

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

I found four of these small goblets at one of our local antique shops. They had a really great shape, and three of the four shined up nicely. They've rekindled my enthusiasm for painting reflective objects, and will probably be seen frequently on this site for a while. If you're interested in bidding on this painting you can do so by clicking here.

Pear

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

sold

I'm back on ebay this week. This is the first of five new six by sixers'. A single pear on a soapstone table top, lit from above by incandescent light. I had a good week, and was pretty happy with all of my new pieces. If you're interested in this one, you may bid on it by clicking here.

Sliced Bread No. 3

oil on canvas
12'' x 12"

Here is another for the upcoming group I'll be sending to Twinhouse. Love the bread. These will be delivered to the gallery in the next couple of days. Early next week I'll be posting some new six by sixer's for ebay. If you're interested in the purchase of this piece, you can contact Tiffany at Twinhouse Gallery by clicking here.

Sliced Bread No.2

oil on canvas
12'' x 12"

Here is another for the upcoming group I'll be sending to Twinhouse. Something for the peanut butter and jelly to go on. These will be delivered together when the group is complete. If you're interested in the purchase of this piece, you can contact Tiffany at Twinhouse Gallery by clicking here.

PB&J No. 4

oil on canvas
10'' x 10"

Here is another of the upcoming group I'll be sending to Twinhouse. PB&J No. 4. I first became aware of this subject through the work of artist Duane Keiser. I discovered his peanut butter paintings listed on ebay by chance, and was inspired to pursue this theme myself. It's a subject I enjoy, and plan to visit often in the future. I'm going to wait, and deliver these paintings together when the group is complete. If you're interested in the purchase of this piece, you can contact Tiffany at Twinhouse Gallery by clicking here.