Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2021 i Artists Magazine

Andrea Palladio (1508–80) was an architect based in the Veneto, the region in Northern Italy of which Venice was the capital. The peak of this powerful mercantile and seafaring republic coincided with Palladio’s career. From a young age he became the favorite architect of the rich and influential merchants and politicians, designing their palaces, churches and civic institutions in the cities of Venice, Vicenza and Padua, the three principal cities of the region. THE WEALTH Palladio, however, is most famous for the design of some 20 villas that dot the countryside surrounding the cities. There, the rich patrons had extensive landholdings put to use as farms. Hardly a mere farmhouse, the villa, as a building type, emerged as a symbol of a landowner’s power and an embodiment of the leisurely…

In our age of animated signs and digital menu boards, it’s refreshing to see the survival and even the prevalence of hand-drawn blackboard advertising. While electronic signage is relatively new to the culture, chalkboard graphics have been part of the commercial arts since its inception in the early 1800s. Today, despite high-tech advances in point-of-sale marketing, major restaurants, national grocery chains and local shopkeepers continue to incorporate low-tech chalkboard art with their in-store promotions. A NOSTALGIC ART FORM Large slate blackboards originated in Scotland in 1801, and by 1815 they were in classrooms all over the world. By the 1840s schoolroom blackboards were being praised as the most groundbreaking scholastic invention of its time. Black was the traditional color until the 1930s, when green “blackboards” were manufactured to reduce surface…

After a 25-year career in journalism and publishing, Louise B. Hafesh began studying oil painting, in 2001, with a number of well-known artists, including Frank Arcuri, John P. Osborne, David Leffel and others at The Art Student’s League, the Grand Central Academy of Art, the Frank Arcuri Atelier and the Ridgewood Art Institute. Her award-winning work is represented by several galleries and has been featured in many one-woman and group exhibitions, as well as in national and international publications. Hafesh is also the author of the blog Painter’s Portal. Self-Portrait (oil on linen, 14x11) by Louise B. Hasesh VISIT HAFESH’S WEBSITE AND AT FOLLOW HER BLOG AT LOUISEBHAFESH.COM.…

After many years working in the insurance industry, Michelle Jung decided to recommit to her love of fine art and entered an MFA program in painting at the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco, which she completed in 2013. The artist serves as an adjunct professor for The American Academy of Landscape Painting, part of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, Conn. She’s a Signature Member of the California Art Club, an Elected Artist Member of the Guild of Boston Artists and an Artist Member of the Salmagundi Club. Her work has been featured in numerous juried group exhibitions, including the California Art Club’s 110th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition, in 2021, and is currently on view in a solo show at the Santa Paula Art Museum…

For the “Crossover” exhibition, Kacena invited 12 artists to trade one of their original works with one of his own works. The artwork from each invited artist became the base of a work by Kacena, and vice versa. The new works are a “conversation in paint” between the two artists.…

according to an early biographer of Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), when the portrait Juan de Pareja was first exhibited, “it received such universal acclaim that, in the opinion of all the painters of different nations, everything else looked like painting but this alone like truth.” That was the feeling in 1650, and critical opinion hasn’t changed. Velázquez painted the portrait during a lengthy visit to Italy; he was there to buy paintings for the Spanish king but managed to complete a number of portraits while in Rome. The story is that the Pareja canvas was painted as a warm-up for a portrait of Pope Innocent X. Pareja traveled with Velázquez as the artist’s enslaved assistant. Despite the abolition of slavery in Spain the previous century, the practice was still common, especially…

I don’t recall exactly when or how I first came across Bodegón de Guineos, Jarra y Pajuiles (left) by Francisco Oller (1833–1917), but I clearly recall my astonishment at its understated yet vibrant clarity. How had I never come across this artist’s work before? I considered how I might treat such a straightforward subject. Could I endow it with Oller’s subtle narrative quality? A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oller led an eventful life. By age 12 he was in art school, and scholarships allowed him to further his studies at Madrid’s San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts. In 1858 he moved to Paris, where he lived for eight years, training under Thomas Couture. Among his intimates were Camille Pissarro and Paul Cézanne; the latter is said to have…

1. Hand over control Ask a friend to pick a surface or color or even a subject. You take it from there. 2. Creative kit swap Choose five to seven items from your studio, such as paints, tools, brushes or surfaces, and ask a fellow artist to do the same. Trade the supplies and use the ones you receive for your next painting. Compare your results. 3. Style • Color • Object Make lists of art styles, colors and objects and then select one from each category. Embrace the combination and the challenges that come with painting a Cubist blue rose or Impressionist gray cat. 4. The worst idea Is there a painting idea you would never consider pursuing? Do it anyway. (When you’re finished you’ll know that your creativity will…

English artist Sally Muir is based in Bath. She has had dogs all her life, and has enjoyed drawing and painting them for as long as she can remember. The artist started posting daily dog paintings on social media, which eventually led to the book, A Dog A Day (Harper Design, 2019), featuring 365 of her canine artworks. Her follow-up book, Old Dogs (Pavilion Books), was just released this year. Although best known for her dog portraits, she also paints people and landscapes, as well as the occasional rodent and bird. Muir’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and is represented by Cricket Fine Art, in London.…

The artist utilizes limited accent colors in her projects, a practice that reduces clutter and emphasizes readability. On close study one can detect an underlying precision in Aylward’s works. Her carefully planned designs are intentionally rendered in a spontaneous and free style that puts customers at ease and translates as an open invitation for them to enjoy their visit. One doesn’t just read a Joan Aylward menu—one experiences it. Salt Lake City’s Jasmine Jones (jasminenorajones.com) is a skilled artist who excels at chalkboard composition. Her superb food illustrations introduce a playfulness to her projects (page 56). The drawings unify the panels and create self-contained worlds. Even the headlines in Jones’ graphics seem as if they are joining in with the celebrations taking place in her designs, and they do double-duty…

ARTIST’S TOOLBOX Surface: oil-primed stretched linen Brushes: Mostly synthetic filberts and flats, Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 Palette: • titanium white (Winsor & Newton: W&N) • nickel yellow light (Rembrandt: R) • Naples yellow (Michael Harding: MH) • yellow ochre (W&N) • Indian yellow (Gamblin: G) • cadmium orange (G) • cadmiun red light (G) • alizarin crimson (G) • cobalt blue (G) • ultramarine blue (G) • sap green (G) • manganese blue (W&N) • viridian (R) • Indian red (MH) • terra rosa (MH) • trans oxide red (R) • raw umber (W&N) • ivory black (W&N) “Because I paint flowers—and the chroma values in petals are so close—it helps to have a short string of pre-mixed neutrals on hand. I use a triad of…

New Jersey’s Historic Smithville Park “Plants” Easels for Plein Air Artists. The Burlington County New Jersey Parks Department has found a unique way to assist artists as well as call attention to idyllic park vistas that offer a pleasant contrast to nearby industrial or commercial environments. Near the end of 2020, the staff installed easels at three of the most popular viewing spots in Historic Smithville Park. Each site offers the kind of richly varied landscapes favored by plein air painters. Implementing an idea born partially in response to pandemic restrictions on indoor gatherings, the Parks Department hoped that residents as well as visiting artists would take advantage of these conveniently placed outdoor easels and share their artwork with the general public. Rutgers University professor Maurice Mahler, who has been…

ART OF THE OBJECT For many artists, the appeal of the still life genre is it’s accessibility. Anyone can gather a few objects to paint—from fruits, flowers or vegetables to typewriters, teapots or beer cans—yet, the possibilities of selection, setup and style are endless. Still Life: Contemporary Painters (Thames & Hudson) by writer and curator Amber Creswell Bell reveals the richness of these possibilities with the works of more than 40 of today’s top still life artists. Bell’s write-ups on the artists offer insight into their work as representative of the creative potential of the genre. Paint the Walls “Today, murals are experiencing a renaissance,” says Morgan Bricca, a muralist with 20-plus years of experience and the author of The Mural Artist’s Handbook. She packs a lot of friendly,…

Artists never stop learning. Each new painting or drawing can bring another revelation, but when you want to learn more about a specific technique, medium or style, you can’t do better than to take a workshop. Start planning now. On the following pages, you’re sure to find one or many workshops just right for you. Workshops Art in the Mountains July 27–31, 2021, Zoom 10am-5pm Amanda Hawkin “Abstract Landscape Painting:, acrylic Beginning to Advanced students. Cost $495 September 14–18, 2021. Maine Extravaganza Mary Whyte “Discovering Old Maine with Mary Whyte” It is an inclusive workshop at $2400 for painters and $1800 for companions. September 20–22, 2021, Rockland, Maine 9am-4pm each day Alvara Castagnet “The Pillars of Watercolor!”, Intermediate to Advanced students. Cost $655 October 5–25, 2021, WhatsApp time TBA David…

“My favorite draftsman of all time is Adolph Menzel [German, 1815–1905] who was always prepared to draw. One of his overcoats had eight pockets for sketchbooks of different sizes. An especially large pocket held a leather case with a big sketchbook, pencils, shading stumps and a gum eraser. His personal motto was ‘Nulla dies sine linea’ (Not a day without a line). JAMES GURNEY ARTIST AND AUTHOR OF THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK SERIES DINOTOPIA “Albrecht Dürer [German, 1471–1528] is one of the most technically gifted draftsman. His engravings allow no room for error as each line is meticulous and purpose driven.” MICHAEL SKALKA CHAIRMAN, ASTM D01.57, ARTISTS’ MATERIALS STANDARDS “I’d have to say the ‘holy trinity’ of the High Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci [1452–1519] for his inventiveness and creativity, Michelangelo [1475-1564]…

British artist Sally Muir’s art-making journey is one that involves many auspicious encounters. In her 20s, she happened to come upon a knitting machine for sale in Camden Lock, a neighborhood in London located on a former wharf on the Thames. “I think the machine cost five pounds or so—incredibly cheap—so I bought it. It was a really noisy, very old knitting machine,” she says. She used it to make scarves “just for fun.” Muir had always enjoyed knitting, and even knit her own clothes as a teen, including a full-length rainbow-colored coat. “They were terrible hippie clothes, really,” she says. The knitting machine was all part of the natural progression of this interest. FROM MARKET STALL TO ART MUSEUM It was Muir’s brother who introduced her to Joanna Osborne.…

7 Fall Trees to Welcome Autumn Get in the spirit for capturing fall landscapes with color-rich paintings of trees in a variety of styles. artistsnetwork.com/go/fall-trees From Potential to Prizewinning Art Albert Handell shows how a little distance and a new perspective can take a work to a new level. artistsnetwork.com/go/potential-prizewinning 8 Habits of Highly Satisfied Artists Learn what the most contented artists do—and don’t do—every day to enjoy creative fulfillment. artistsnetwork.com/go/satisfied-artists…

“Although many of his paintings contain lush landscape settings, Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863) has long been revered as the last painter of the grand tradition rather than as a painter of nature. In fact, the artist produced many studies of the natural world, in oils and watercolor, throughout his career—works that are striking in the depth of feeling and in the loose and free execution. This watercolor of an asymmetrically foliated oak tree on a hillside with a crystalline blue sky beyond reveals this private, exploratory part of his oeuvre and his affinity for the colors of the forest.”JENNIFER TONKOVICH Eugene and Clare Thaw Curator The Morgan Library & Museum…