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.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Art Review - "Night Herd" by Frank Tenney Johnson

One more #MuseumTourTuesday post featuring art from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Today it's a painting by Frank Tenney Johnson.

Johnson was trained as an illustrator and became known for his moonlight technique. Even though most of his paintings appear to be night scenes, my guess is that he painted them from models lit by daylight, altering color temperature and saturation to make the scene appear to be a nocturne.

In this particular piece, what strikes me most is the relaxed pose of the rider, clearly in a moment of respite as he drapes both legs over one side of the horse. While he is most likely rolling a cigarette, he could just as easily be checking his phone if this were a modern day scene. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Night Herd" • Frank Tenney Johnson • Oil on Canvas • 1936

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 Pet Portrait Commission - Leche The Pit Bull Terrier

Here is my latest pet portrait commission.

Leche came right up to greet Kimberly and I when we first met her. It was as if her eyes were filled with questions and love for her new visitors. After that, it was all belly rubs. She even came to say goodbye when we left, despite us putting her through a photo shoot that she wasn't quite sure what to make of.

One of the sweetest dogs we have ever met. Those soulful eyes just grab your heart right away. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Leche" • 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, 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 - August 2021 Art Newsletter - The Art Industrial Complex

Watching the ‘Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed’ documentary yesterday inspired this month’s newsletter topic, because if anyone is going to make money off of your art, it should be you, and your inheritors. - 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 - Throwback Thursday - "Along the Seine, Pont Alexandre III"

For #ThrowbackThursday, here's a painting I did almost a decade ago.

The reference for it came from my first trip to Paris, and this is the first piece I completed after leaving my career in advertising in order to focus exclusively on painting. In many respects it's a celebratory painting for me, representing the beginning of a new chapter in life. 

"Along the Seine, Pont Alexandre III" • 2013 • Oil on Canvas 

• 36" x 24" • 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 - "Father and Daughter at the Crow Fair" by Bettina Steinke

Last week, Kimberly and I visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to view the current Prix de West exhibition. While there are a number of wonderful paintings throughout the museum, one piece stood out for me above all the others, so I wanted to share it for this week's #MuseumTourTuesday.

Bettina Steinke was once the resident artist at NBC, creating portraits of stars. In 1939, she left the studio and painted portraits of notable Americans, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. After traveling the world for a decade with her photo-journalist husband, Don Blair, the couple settled in Taos, New Mexico in 1956. In 1995, she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Cowboy Museum, and in 1996 received the John Singer Sargent Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society of Portrait Artists.

This piece below won the Prix de West Purchase Award in 1978. I was immediately struck by the simplification of shapes throughout the painting - notice the lack of eyes on the father in the upper right. This simplification reaches an almost graphic quality in the blanket at the bottom of the painting. The forms are all solid, without any unnecessary rendering. Also notice the thinness of the background in comparison to the thicker paint within the figures, adding depth and bringing the figures forward.

Also of note is the bold cropping. The painting is all about the young girl, and the horse is suggested only by the small portion of the head and ear visible to the lower right. The father is pushed to the upper right, his headdress breaking the bounds of the picture and acting more as a frame for the daughter's face than his own. A truly wonderful composition. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Father and Daughter at the Crow Fair" • Bettina Steinke • Oil on Canvas • 1978

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.

Bosque Arts Center 2021 Bosque Art Classic

I am honored to learn that three of my paintings have been accepted into the Bosque Arts Center's 2021 Bosque Art Classic juried art show and sale.

This will be my third time at this great event, which celebrates its 36th year this September. - Patrick Saunders

Painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

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

"Awaiting" • Oil on Linen • 24” x 30" • Available at the Bosque Art Classic

"Betty" • Oil on Panel • 9" x 12" • 2 hours • Available at the Bosque Art Classic

© 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 - Wildlife Artist Robert Kuhn

Today's #museumtourtuesday features works by the late Bob Kuhn at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. These were part of a larger group of the artist's paintings that Kimberly and I were able to view during our visit to the museum last week.

The first thing that strikes me is the excellent drawing skill. Although 2D, the animals in Kuhn's paintings have a sculptural quality due to his solid understanding of animal anatomy. Each one of them jumps off the canvas. His rich color brings a sense of life and vibrancy to his subjects.

Kuhn worked as an illustrator for 30 years before becoming a full-time painter in 1970. He traveled the world for inspiration, which accounts for his accuracy in depicting these animals. - Patrick Saunders

Photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

"Elephant" • Part of the African Suite • Robert F. Kuhn • Acrylic on Board • 1996-2000

"Buffalo Bulls Emerging from Papyrus" • Robert F. Kuhn 

• Acrylic and Pencil on Board • 1984

"Lions" Part of the African Suite • Robert F. Kuhn • Acrylic on Board • 1996-2000

© 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.

SOLD - "Bombadil" - Driggs Digs Plein Air Festival

I'm so pleased that this floral painting is off to a good home with a new collector tonight after selling at the Driggs Digs Plein Air Festival.

It was a pleasure to teach a workshop in this beautiful part of the country, and an honor to judge Driggs Plein Air again this year. 

 

Congratulations to all of the award winners, and to every artist who participated. It was a hot, smoky week for outdoor painting, and all of you persevered and did amazing work. - Patrick Saunders

 

“Bombadil” • Oil on Linen • 12” x 16”  • Private Collection

Reference and painting photos 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 July 2021 Art Newsletter - Prioritizing Color Over Value

When the values are too close to provide the drama you need in your painting, color takes the spotlight.

If you haven’t already, sign up now for my latest art newsletter to find out how color saturation and color temperature can provide both form and depth in your paintings. - 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.