Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Still Life Painting - "Pumpkins & Pothos"

For #throwbackthursday, here's a painting that gets me into the spirit of fall.

This piece is now available at the Olmsted Gallery. My thanks to Lillian Kirbo Ansley and Mary Ferguson for inviting me to be in their new online gallery. - Patrick Saunders

"Pumpkins & Pothos" • Oil on Linen • 12" x 16"
• Available at https://www.olmstedgallery.com/paintings/patrick-saunders

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Patrick Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - Art Review - "Mrs. Fechin and Daughter" by Nicolai Fechin

Today's #MuseumTourTuesday features a painting in a private collection, and I consider it such an amazing piece that I feel the need to share my admiration. It's a painting by Nicolai Fechin. Yes, I know, I post a lot of Fechin's work, but it's always for good reason.

This piece is so intriguing to me, first and foremost for its cross-genre appeal. Is it a portrait, or a still life? By its title, it's a portrait, but nothing stands out more in this painting than the foreground still life. The figures are subdued in value contrast, and the child especially recedes into the background. The foreground still life is sharp and dominant in both value contrast and color saturation. 

 

My own take is that it is definitely a portrait. Despite the title, it is not simply a dual portrait of Fechin's wife and child, but a family portrait. The artist himself is included in the reflected metal of the tea urn, although abstracted to the point of illegibility. I see the still life as representative of Nicolai himself. A way to include himself in the family composition and still be the one capturing the scene. 

 

Regardless of my own read on the image, the painting is an undeniably bold composition. I love it when a painting transcends the categories we so often attempt to push art into. - Patrick Saunders

"Mrs. Fechin and Daughter" • Nicolai Fechin • Oil on Canvas • 1925 • 34 1/2" x 31 1/2"

 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Floral Painting - In Progress

Here's a detail of a larger piece currently on the easel. I'm slowly finding my way through all of these shapes. - Patrick Saunders


In Progress • Oil on Linen • Crop of a 24"x30"

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Pet Portrait Commission - "Jilly"

 

Jilly just couldn't wait to pose. Every time we turned around, she had positioned herself for a perfectly composed photo. What a smile she has. She's a natural model.

We particularly loved the way she lounged on the welcome mat of her home. Everything about Jilly conveys the warmth that we felt during this visit. She and her sister Leche, whose portrait I previously shared, were excited to meet us, and made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived.

Kimberly and I were actually only there to photograph Leche for a portrait commission, but Jilly was not about to let us leave without getting in on the action and attention. So, her humans decided they better get a portrait of Jilly too. - Patrick Saunders

"Jilly" • Oil on Linen • 9" x 12" • Private Collection

Reference and painting photos by Kimberly at Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Painting Workshop - Lighthouse ArtCenter

Florida artist friends, I’m honored to have been asked to judge the 9th Annual Lighthouse ArtCenter plein air festival next spring, and I will be teaching a painting workshop after the event as well.

Join me April 4th - 6th in Tequesta, Florida to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. You will learn to paint any subject, from the most simple to complex, with one approach. I will demonstrate the process of simplifying the subject and moving to finish as rapidly as possible in order to add more energy and excitement to your painting. Artists will also learn about composition, value, texture, color temperature and accuracy in paint application.

Click here for more information, and to register:
https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Lighthouse-Workshop

Each day will begin with a short lecture and full demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction with students. My class is highly tailored for each individual student, so beginners as well as advanced painters are welcome. I will be demonstrating in oil paint, but students are welcome to use acrylic and pastels. - Patrick Saunders

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - Floral Art - "Daffodils"

Something simple for #throwbackthursday. This one's from 2018. I didn't plan for it to be so loosely painted, it just developed that way. When I reached this point in the painting, I felt that anything more would make the flower feel too heavy. - Patrick Saunders

 

                            "Daffodils" • Oil on Board • 5" x 7" • Private Collection

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - Art Review - "Lime Tree Shade" by Amy Katherine Browning

Today's #museumtourtuesday features a work by British impressionist Amy Katherine Browning. This painting resides in the collection of the Ipswich Museum in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

The piece is simplistic in its approach, with thick impasto dabs of paint and almost no attention to detail. It's the color temperatures and values which make it appear so striking to me. The skin tones of the girl's face perfectly capture the sense of light coming through the leaves of the tree. Adding vibrancy to the scene are the cool areas of blue shade in the far background, as well as her dress. It's an excellent study in dappled light, especially on the back of the dog.

Born in 1881, Amy Katherine Browning was a favorite student of Gerald Moira, who often asked her to teach his male student painters. She went on to win a number of medals from the Paris Salon, including a gold medal for the painting featured here. Her portrait commissions included Sir Winston Churchill, as well as his wife, Clementine. She would sign her work "A.K. Browning" to avoid any gender discrimination. - Patrick Saunders

"Lime Tree Shade" • Amy Katherine Browning • Oil on Canvas • 114 x 107 cm • 1913

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - September 2021 Art Newsletter - Mistakes, Measurements & Movement

Art is rarely created without error, or editing. Not even Mozart wrote music perfectly straight from his head.

Sign up for my latest art newsletter on how to embrace the unexpected, including your mistakes, when painting. - Patrick Saunders

http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

 

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Painting Workshop - Ellis County Art Association

Texas artist friends, I’m pleased to announce that the Ellis County Art Association has asked me to teach another painting workshop this winter.

 

Join me January 27th - 29th in Waxahachie to explore the essential techniques for painting from direct observation and photography. You will learn to paint any subject, from the most simple to complex, with one approach. I will demonstrate the process of simplifying the subject and moving to finish as rapidly as possible in order to add more energy and excitement to your painting. Artists will also learn about composition, value, texture, color temperature and accuracy in paint application.

 

Each day will begin with a short lecture and full demonstration, followed by one-on-one instruction with students. My class is highly tailored for each individual student, so beginners as well as advanced painters are welcome. I will be demonstrating in oil paint, but students are welcome to use acrylic and pastels. - Patrick Saunders

 

Click here for more information and to register:

https://bit.ly/Patrick-Saunders-Waxahachie-Workshop

 

PLEASE NOTE: Proof of vaccination is required in order to register for this class.

 

“Amor a la Vida” • Oil on Linen • 48”x38” • Private Collection

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - 2021 Bosque Art Classic

I am so pleased that two of my three entries into the Bosque Arts Center's 2021 Bosque Art Classic juried art show and sale were sold at the opening ceremony last weekend.

The 36th Annual BAC show will be on display and free to the public through Saturday, September 25th. Their online sale also continues through the 25th, so collectors can still purchase work by accepted artists, like the portrait below, my only piece left in the show that is still available. 

 

Visit www.BosqueArtsCenter.org for more information. 

 

Painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

 

“Tom” • Oil on Linen • 11” x 14”
• Available at the 2021 Bosque Art Classic

"Awaiting" • Oil on Linen • 24” x 30" • SOLD

"Betty" • Oil on Panel • 9" x 12" • SOLD

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Plein Air Streaming, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.