The night before she handed in her entry depicting a lone World War I veteran for the Veterans Art Show at the Bob Stump Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Betty Long found a photo of injured World War I veterans who moved in a line with their hands on each other's shoulders to get to where they needed to be.
Long, who served as a nurse in the Navy, said she had been working on her fine arts mixed media work "When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Flanders Field 2" for more than a year when she saw the photo.
"We lost so much of what we learned in World War I by the time we were in World War II," Long said. "After World War II, we heard about treatment for what's now called post traumatic stress. Back in World War I, we called it shell shock."
Long, who won Best of Show on Wednesday for her artwork, was one of 83 artists who submitted 167 entries in the Veterans Creative Arts Festival, said Paula Moran, supervisor of recreation therapy at the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
Kenny Wayne, who served on submarines in the Navy, said he used the Raku technique to make his Kopper Kiva Verde pottery that won third place in best in show and first place in pottery and that he modeled the top portion of it on Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.
"It amazes me the talent these men and women have," said Elaine Pohle, a volunteer at the VA as she walked through the show.
The Arts Festival is sponsored by Help Hospitalized Veterans, which has provided more than 27 million arts and crafts kits absolutely free of charge to VA and military medical facilities worldwide since 1971, and the American Legion Auxiliary, which donates thousands of volunteer hours to communities and veterans and raises millions of dollars to support its programs and well known charities.
"Each year we challenge the veterans to go out and tell another veteran about the show and get them involved in this program," Moran said.
John Huebner, who served in the Air Force during the Korean War era, won second place in oil painting for "The Old Prospector and Burro."
"That is absolutely wonderful," said Sukie Floriano, a VA employee, said as she looked at Lori Robinson's mosaic "Field of Flowers" which tied for third place in mosaic kits. "I love sunflowers."
Frank Hamilton, who won first place in pastels for his "Windmills in Amsterdam" and teachers a pastel class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College, said he saw a photo of the windmills then "put my own creative stamp on it."
"It's true, there are 40 shades of green in Ireland," said Ken Enright, who served in both the Army and Air Force, and put many of those shades of green into his watercolor painting "Slea Head" that earned second place in watercolors.
John Sheley, who served in the U.S. Navy, said he used to be an electrical lineman and he used 14 karat gold and sterling silver wire in his Wire Wrapped Bracelet and Sweetheart Pendant that won second place in the Jewelry not beads category.
"These people have such talent," said Lilly Miley, who viewed the exhibit with her husband Doug Miley, who won first place in oil painting for "Rocky Mountains." "I think it uplifts them, the same way my husband and I feel like we get taken to another place when we paint."
2012年2月19日星期日
Nature, nurture at Fountain Street Fine Arts
Two local artists reveal their views of the world through form and color in a new exhibit, “Painting, Sculpture: The Art of Michelle Lougee and Bob Grignaffini,” at the Fountain Street Fine Art Gallery in Framingham.
Using bright colors and defined shapes, sculptor Lougee of Cambridge and painter Grignaffini, originally from Wellesley, intend to depict the fragile relationship between humans and nature.
An environmental sculptor and artist, Lougee creates colorful, spiritual sculptures to capture the importance of humans’ responsibility to the earth and the controversial question of nature vs. technology. Her simple, cellular forms expose the reality of the world and relay a clear message to viewers: “What are we going to do?”
“We are in a dangerous place right now,” Lougee said, “The way we live affects us in the future.”
For example, “Plume” is a tubular structure of black, interwoven plastic bags inspired by last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The bags are not tightly woven, which gives the sculpture the appearance of netting.
Grignaffini’s oil paintings reflect his views on places around the world. Using bright colors within solid forms, he captures the movement and light that make a scene come to life. He said his paintings are a “celebration of color and form” within pastoral and small town landscapes.
“Everything has spirit in it,” he said, “I try to be honest with the way I’m laying the paint down.”
Not all of his subjects are real.
Created in Grignaffini’s mind, “Pathway Through a Garden” is meant to be an interactive piece for viewers. He invites us to step into the painting with a long staircase passing through a beautiful garden of bright greens, yellows and blues.
Both artists gain inspiration from nature. Grignaffini’s paintings attempt to show a sense of movement and life in otherwise stationary objects. Lougee loves the otherworldliness of the ocean and bases many of her sculptures on deep-sea life forms.
Grignaffini’s “Old Beech Tree” reveals an ancient Italian forest, in which he uses bright colors and profound shadows to capture the movement of light among the trees. It inspired many of his other paintings displayed in the exhibit.
“Saxonville” depicts a familiar landscape along the Sudbury River. This painting is particularly special to Grignaffini because it is near his former home, and both of his children were born there. It also represents his desire to share the shapes and colors within everyday scenery.
Ocean plankton in the “Eastern Garbage Patch” off the coast of Hawaii inspired Lougee’s “Dinoflagellate.” The sculpture, created with crocheted plastic bags, looks like a vortex of life forms meant to represent the effect of toxins on sea creatures within the patch.
Lougee’s panel pieces give an organic form to inorganic substances. Ironed and fused together, the beige plastic bags give an appearance like worn parchment. Yarn-like strands of plastic bags sewn into the panels create a wall sculpture and give life to the inorganic materials.
Gallery co-founder Cheryl Clinton said she loves the combination of paintings and sculptures. The shapes, composition and palette create a rhythm between the works, which visually connects them to one another and makes an appealing display.
Lougee uses repurposed materials to create her sculptures. Her current favorites are clay and plastic bags, which she began using four years ago. She turns the bags into yarn and crochets them into shapes. The ease and portability of the pieces make it easy to work on anywhere.
Grignaffini likes to use different styles when he paints, usually beginning the process with a charcoal sketch of a scene he wants to paint. He works primarily in his studio at the Fountain Street Gallery, but also enjoys working en plein air.
Using bright colors and defined shapes, sculptor Lougee of Cambridge and painter Grignaffini, originally from Wellesley, intend to depict the fragile relationship between humans and nature.
An environmental sculptor and artist, Lougee creates colorful, spiritual sculptures to capture the importance of humans’ responsibility to the earth and the controversial question of nature vs. technology. Her simple, cellular forms expose the reality of the world and relay a clear message to viewers: “What are we going to do?”
“We are in a dangerous place right now,” Lougee said, “The way we live affects us in the future.”
For example, “Plume” is a tubular structure of black, interwoven plastic bags inspired by last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The bags are not tightly woven, which gives the sculpture the appearance of netting.
Grignaffini’s oil paintings reflect his views on places around the world. Using bright colors within solid forms, he captures the movement and light that make a scene come to life. He said his paintings are a “celebration of color and form” within pastoral and small town landscapes.
“Everything has spirit in it,” he said, “I try to be honest with the way I’m laying the paint down.”
Not all of his subjects are real.
Created in Grignaffini’s mind, “Pathway Through a Garden” is meant to be an interactive piece for viewers. He invites us to step into the painting with a long staircase passing through a beautiful garden of bright greens, yellows and blues.
Both artists gain inspiration from nature. Grignaffini’s paintings attempt to show a sense of movement and life in otherwise stationary objects. Lougee loves the otherworldliness of the ocean and bases many of her sculptures on deep-sea life forms.
Grignaffini’s “Old Beech Tree” reveals an ancient Italian forest, in which he uses bright colors and profound shadows to capture the movement of light among the trees. It inspired many of his other paintings displayed in the exhibit.
“Saxonville” depicts a familiar landscape along the Sudbury River. This painting is particularly special to Grignaffini because it is near his former home, and both of his children were born there. It also represents his desire to share the shapes and colors within everyday scenery.
Ocean plankton in the “Eastern Garbage Patch” off the coast of Hawaii inspired Lougee’s “Dinoflagellate.” The sculpture, created with crocheted plastic bags, looks like a vortex of life forms meant to represent the effect of toxins on sea creatures within the patch.
Lougee’s panel pieces give an organic form to inorganic substances. Ironed and fused together, the beige plastic bags give an appearance like worn parchment. Yarn-like strands of plastic bags sewn into the panels create a wall sculpture and give life to the inorganic materials.
Gallery co-founder Cheryl Clinton said she loves the combination of paintings and sculptures. The shapes, composition and palette create a rhythm between the works, which visually connects them to one another and makes an appealing display.
Lougee uses repurposed materials to create her sculptures. Her current favorites are clay and plastic bags, which she began using four years ago. She turns the bags into yarn and crochets them into shapes. The ease and portability of the pieces make it easy to work on anywhere.
Grignaffini likes to use different styles when he paints, usually beginning the process with a charcoal sketch of a scene he wants to paint. He works primarily in his studio at the Fountain Street Gallery, but also enjoys working en plein air.
2012年2月16日星期四
Vail International Gallery hosts exhibit by oil painter
When people walk into Vail International Gallery in Vail, sometimes they stop mid-step to stare at one of Lu Cong's paintings, hanging on the wall.
“The eyes really grab them,” said Patrick Cassidy, gallery co-owner. “And people are also impressed by the near photographic quality of his work. Sometimes I have people ask if they are photographs, until they look close and see that it's done with a brush and oil paint. And they're even more impressed when they find out he's a self-taught artist.”
The gallery is hosting Cong's second large scale exhibit, with 11 paintings on display, through March 1; a reception with the artist will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Since Cong's last exhibit at the gallery, in 2010, the Denver artist has broken into the national art scene, with exhibits in New York City and Southampton, said Marc LeVarn, who owns the gallery along with Cassidy.
The painter, whose given name is actually Cong Lu, came to the United States from Shanghai China when he was 11 years old. He began working full time as a painter while in his early 20s after moving to Denver. Naturally gifted as both a draftsman and colorist, Cong's early works were “large and sensational, though they were painted with exaggerated melodrama and pathos, his keen insight and sensitivity towards his subjects were nonetheless evident,” LeVarn said.
Between 2003 and 2007, Lu was recognized by a number of art publications as a notable emerging artist.
“Since then, Lu has developed a distinctive look that many regard as an original approach to figurative realism,” LeVarn said. “His portraits do not simply capture the physical or emotional likeness of the subject, rather they beckon to establish an authentic engagement — interaction that ensues when one comes face to face with the sensual, the inexplicable and the unsettling.”
Cong is best known for his paintings of women and his compositions often depict females looking directly out from the painting toward the viewer. While Cong's work is realistic, its also fairly stylized, Cong said. For example, the women's eyes often look bigger than they might in real life.
“It's not that I go measure, and make them big, its just something that happens,” he said during a 2010 interview. “Whenever I try too hard to make something have a formula, they end up like caricatures,” Cong said. “But I like to just look at them like I'm just painting them like they're in front of me. If I do some funky things — eyes get bigger, certain things get streamlined — I just let that happen.”
And its those details that distinguish Cong's work from that of other portrait artists.
“I do have a sensibility and style that I feel is pretty unique and other people respond to,” he said. “But it's nothing I can tell you how it happens, it's just something that comes out in my work.”
The gallery has carried Cong's work since 2006. Over the years, Cassidy has watched Cong's style evolve.
“He has more of a classical Renaissance technique now, Cassidy said. “He stopped painting on canvas because no matter how tight the weave, it didn't provide him the ability to paint the detail he wanted. It's a very Renaissance style of painting to paint on a wood panel on a very flat plane with hardly any texture. He can get extreme levels of detail.”
“The eyes really grab them,” said Patrick Cassidy, gallery co-owner. “And people are also impressed by the near photographic quality of his work. Sometimes I have people ask if they are photographs, until they look close and see that it's done with a brush and oil paint. And they're even more impressed when they find out he's a self-taught artist.”
The gallery is hosting Cong's second large scale exhibit, with 11 paintings on display, through March 1; a reception with the artist will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Since Cong's last exhibit at the gallery, in 2010, the Denver artist has broken into the national art scene, with exhibits in New York City and Southampton, said Marc LeVarn, who owns the gallery along with Cassidy.
The painter, whose given name is actually Cong Lu, came to the United States from Shanghai China when he was 11 years old. He began working full time as a painter while in his early 20s after moving to Denver. Naturally gifted as both a draftsman and colorist, Cong's early works were “large and sensational, though they were painted with exaggerated melodrama and pathos, his keen insight and sensitivity towards his subjects were nonetheless evident,” LeVarn said.
Between 2003 and 2007, Lu was recognized by a number of art publications as a notable emerging artist.
“Since then, Lu has developed a distinctive look that many regard as an original approach to figurative realism,” LeVarn said. “His portraits do not simply capture the physical or emotional likeness of the subject, rather they beckon to establish an authentic engagement — interaction that ensues when one comes face to face with the sensual, the inexplicable and the unsettling.”
Cong is best known for his paintings of women and his compositions often depict females looking directly out from the painting toward the viewer. While Cong's work is realistic, its also fairly stylized, Cong said. For example, the women's eyes often look bigger than they might in real life.
“It's not that I go measure, and make them big, its just something that happens,” he said during a 2010 interview. “Whenever I try too hard to make something have a formula, they end up like caricatures,” Cong said. “But I like to just look at them like I'm just painting them like they're in front of me. If I do some funky things — eyes get bigger, certain things get streamlined — I just let that happen.”
And its those details that distinguish Cong's work from that of other portrait artists.
“I do have a sensibility and style that I feel is pretty unique and other people respond to,” he said. “But it's nothing I can tell you how it happens, it's just something that comes out in my work.”
The gallery has carried Cong's work since 2006. Over the years, Cassidy has watched Cong's style evolve.
“He has more of a classical Renaissance technique now, Cassidy said. “He stopped painting on canvas because no matter how tight the weave, it didn't provide him the ability to paint the detail he wanted. It's a very Renaissance style of painting to paint on a wood panel on a very flat plane with hardly any texture. He can get extreme levels of detail.”
2012年2月15日星期三
Through oil paints, Hall depicts live figures
Moorea Hall '15 is an oil painter, taught to embrace learning through creativity at a young age. Her talent for the arts flourished, and Hall took art classes every year in public school.
There in high school, Hall met who she dubbed her most influential mentor—her art teacher, Tom Holland. "My art teacher, Tom Holland, really pushed me to try new methods," Hall said. "He taught himself how to use glaze first, which is an old master skill that Renaissance painters used to use. He later on taught this skill to me."
Her work began with direct painting, when the paint is transferred directly on to the canvas with brushes. Hall switched her paintbrush for a palette knife, to further manipulate the paints. "Pallete knife painting allows more free expression for the artist," Hall said. "A lot of the stress from painting comes from the need to follow the drawing lines."
Direct painting creates a blurrier image; palette a sharper, well-blended image. Hall often thought about Holland's teachings to help inspire her work, appreciating his outlook on life. "He was funny, a little wry, but very encouraging without being flattering," Hall said. "He always pushed me to be better."
Hall noted the qualities of painting with glazes specifically as a medium. "Glaze is very translucent, so you just layer and layer and layer to get this luminescent glow," Hall explained. "Unlike normal oil paint, painting with glaze is extremely time consuming, so you can only work for an hour a day. You paint a layer, then wait until it dries and layer on top. Otherwise, you would just be pushing paint off the surface each time."
One of Hall's favorite subjects is live figures. "For a while I was interested in doing backs and shoulders. I liked how the muscles catch the light and how the skin's color changes with the light," Hall said. "I'm also interested in painting ballerinas because after taking figure drawing class I want to catch the best part of the figure in action."
Hall enjoys the grace and elegance of ballet, and its accompanying ballerina dancers. "Like me, ballerinas are very detail oriented. I like how they are so dedicated to perfection. Every move they make is calculated, and it's hard to catch one of those moves and immortalize it," Hall said. "So if can capture it through a painting, that one second of perfection from months of training is captured."
Her favorite piece from among her works is Ballerina I. Its subject was based on "Swan Lake." To create the final image, she used stock photos and live models as sources. This was the first time Hall had to create the background from imagination.
"I definitely worked hardest on this piece. It took a total of two months, four hours a week," Hall said. "I was really trying to find my own style, which is difficult when you are using models. The background came out straight out of my mind, and this was a big step, definitely." Hall has used photographs before to compose her images, sometimes taking multiple photos to inspire painted, unique composites.
Hall isn't enrolled in any art classes currently, but still has made time for her passion. "I would love to take a painting class. I don't agree with the drawing requirements. I already had to take three Intro Drawing classes in the past six years because I moved around so much," Hall said.
Hall added, "Art is more of a hobby for me. I plan to major in Art History and want to be an art conservator, particularly for Renaissance and Baroque art."
There in high school, Hall met who she dubbed her most influential mentor—her art teacher, Tom Holland. "My art teacher, Tom Holland, really pushed me to try new methods," Hall said. "He taught himself how to use glaze first, which is an old master skill that Renaissance painters used to use. He later on taught this skill to me."
Her work began with direct painting, when the paint is transferred directly on to the canvas with brushes. Hall switched her paintbrush for a palette knife, to further manipulate the paints. "Pallete knife painting allows more free expression for the artist," Hall said. "A lot of the stress from painting comes from the need to follow the drawing lines."
Direct painting creates a blurrier image; palette a sharper, well-blended image. Hall often thought about Holland's teachings to help inspire her work, appreciating his outlook on life. "He was funny, a little wry, but very encouraging without being flattering," Hall said. "He always pushed me to be better."
Hall noted the qualities of painting with glazes specifically as a medium. "Glaze is very translucent, so you just layer and layer and layer to get this luminescent glow," Hall explained. "Unlike normal oil paint, painting with glaze is extremely time consuming, so you can only work for an hour a day. You paint a layer, then wait until it dries and layer on top. Otherwise, you would just be pushing paint off the surface each time."
One of Hall's favorite subjects is live figures. "For a while I was interested in doing backs and shoulders. I liked how the muscles catch the light and how the skin's color changes with the light," Hall said. "I'm also interested in painting ballerinas because after taking figure drawing class I want to catch the best part of the figure in action."
Hall enjoys the grace and elegance of ballet, and its accompanying ballerina dancers. "Like me, ballerinas are very detail oriented. I like how they are so dedicated to perfection. Every move they make is calculated, and it's hard to catch one of those moves and immortalize it," Hall said. "So if can capture it through a painting, that one second of perfection from months of training is captured."
Her favorite piece from among her works is Ballerina I. Its subject was based on "Swan Lake." To create the final image, she used stock photos and live models as sources. This was the first time Hall had to create the background from imagination.
"I definitely worked hardest on this piece. It took a total of two months, four hours a week," Hall said. "I was really trying to find my own style, which is difficult when you are using models. The background came out straight out of my mind, and this was a big step, definitely." Hall has used photographs before to compose her images, sometimes taking multiple photos to inspire painted, unique composites.
Hall isn't enrolled in any art classes currently, but still has made time for her passion. "I would love to take a painting class. I don't agree with the drawing requirements. I already had to take three Intro Drawing classes in the past six years because I moved around so much," Hall said.
Hall added, "Art is more of a hobby for me. I plan to major in Art History and want to be an art conservator, particularly for Renaissance and Baroque art."
2012年2月14日星期二
Framing business a labour of love
Kathy Manzo walks into the framing store in downtown Kitchener carrying an oil painting that she wants to get framed.
She picks up another painting she had custom framed at King Framing, located on Ontario Street North.
“That is beautiful. I am thrilled to death,” Manzo says, as store owner Nick Sokolovic holds up the reframed painting she inherited from her mother.
Manzo is one of many customers who have been coming to the store regularly since it opened in 1978 at 322 King St. E. in downtown Kitchener.
“This store is an institution,” she says.
“I have second and third generations of families coming,” Sokolovic says. “I have a good reputation.”
Sokolovic got into the business through family ties.
His brother-in-law, Ibro Suljovic, owned the store when it opened in 1978. It was then called Universal Art Shop. The name later changed to King Framing because another business in Toronto operated as Universal Art Shop.
Sokolovic, now 61, emigrated from Yugoslavia when he was 16. He worked at a number of jobs locally, including a stint at automotive frame manufacturer Budd Automotive, and helped his brother-in-law when he was busy at the store.
He then took a course in custom framing at Conestoga College and worked part-time at the store.
“I enjoyed the work and I still do,” Sokolovic says. “It is not just for the money. It is for the pleasure of it.”
In 1987, his brother-in-law bought a motel in Collingwood and put the framing shop up for sale.
“The two of us went out for a drink, and I bought the business,” Sokolovic says. “He offered me a partnership. I refused the partnership. I said it is either yours or mine. I said I didn’t like partnerships. A partnership is a good way to lose a friend.”
In 1998, after 20 years of being located on King Street East., Sokolovic moved the business to its current location on Ontario Street, between King and Duke streets, because he needed more space.
He prides himself on providing quality work at a competitive price.
“My price is the best in the area. I don’t sacrifice quality. I buy in bulk so I can offer the savings. I make the money in volumes of sales, not in markups.”
Manzo says she keeps coming back because of the quality of the workmanship, the price is “great” and the personal service she receives from Sokolovic and his wife, Hanna, who has been working at the store for the past 15 years.
“My customers are like my friends,” says Sokolovic.
Grainne Aitken, a professional photographer who owns Art and Soul in Waterloo, says she brings a lot of family and wedding portraits to Sokolovic to frame.
“He works with us to create something unique,” she says. “The service and quality of work is just amazing.”
She picks up another painting she had custom framed at King Framing, located on Ontario Street North.
“That is beautiful. I am thrilled to death,” Manzo says, as store owner Nick Sokolovic holds up the reframed painting she inherited from her mother.
Manzo is one of many customers who have been coming to the store regularly since it opened in 1978 at 322 King St. E. in downtown Kitchener.
“This store is an institution,” she says.
“I have second and third generations of families coming,” Sokolovic says. “I have a good reputation.”
Sokolovic got into the business through family ties.
His brother-in-law, Ibro Suljovic, owned the store when it opened in 1978. It was then called Universal Art Shop. The name later changed to King Framing because another business in Toronto operated as Universal Art Shop.
Sokolovic, now 61, emigrated from Yugoslavia when he was 16. He worked at a number of jobs locally, including a stint at automotive frame manufacturer Budd Automotive, and helped his brother-in-law when he was busy at the store.
He then took a course in custom framing at Conestoga College and worked part-time at the store.
“I enjoyed the work and I still do,” Sokolovic says. “It is not just for the money. It is for the pleasure of it.”
In 1987, his brother-in-law bought a motel in Collingwood and put the framing shop up for sale.
“The two of us went out for a drink, and I bought the business,” Sokolovic says. “He offered me a partnership. I refused the partnership. I said it is either yours or mine. I said I didn’t like partnerships. A partnership is a good way to lose a friend.”
In 1998, after 20 years of being located on King Street East., Sokolovic moved the business to its current location on Ontario Street, between King and Duke streets, because he needed more space.
He prides himself on providing quality work at a competitive price.
“My price is the best in the area. I don’t sacrifice quality. I buy in bulk so I can offer the savings. I make the money in volumes of sales, not in markups.”
Manzo says she keeps coming back because of the quality of the workmanship, the price is “great” and the personal service she receives from Sokolovic and his wife, Hanna, who has been working at the store for the past 15 years.
“My customers are like my friends,” says Sokolovic.
Grainne Aitken, a professional photographer who owns Art and Soul in Waterloo, says she brings a lot of family and wedding portraits to Sokolovic to frame.
“He works with us to create something unique,” she says. “The service and quality of work is just amazing.”
2012年2月13日星期一
Artist with Maine ties honored at White House
Painter and printmaker Will Barnet received one of the country’s highest honors Monday, when President Obama presented him with a National Medal of Arts.
Barnet, 100, has deep Maine ties. Much of the inspiration for his artistic vision derives from his time in Maine, particularly in and around the midcoast area of Phippsburg.
Barnet, who lives in New York most of the year, received his medal in an East Room ceremony at the White House.
The White House cited Barnet “for his contributions as an American painter, printmaker and teacher. His nuanced and graceful depictions of family and personal scenes, for which he is best known, are meticulously constructed of flat planes that reveal a lifelong exploration of abstraction, expressionism and geometry. For more than 80 years, Mr. Barnet has been a constant force in the visual arts world, marrying sophistication and emotion with beauty and form.”
Among others who received honors Monday were Al Pacino, Mel Tillis and Andre Watts.
In remarks prior to conferring the medals, Obama praised artists for their contributions to society, and characterized those honored as “icons” for their courage to “dwell in possibilities.”
“As much as we need engineers and scientists,” the president said, “we also need artists and scholars ... to disrupt our views and challenge our assumptions.”
Susan Danly, senior curator at the Portland Museum of Art, said the museum has 13 Barnet images in its collection, though none is currently on view.
“We are very proud of him,” Danly said. “This is a top honor bestowed on an artist in the country, and certainly Will Barnet is one of the pre-eminent painters in Maine today. He has a long-standing love of New England and of Maine.”
In an interview with the Maine Sunday Telegram in 2002, Barnet said that painting has been a way of life for as long as he could remember.
“It’s just a pattern of living that has been a part of me that began very early,” he said. “I had a studio in my father’s basement when I was 12 years old. By the time I was 14, I read every book on the history of art that was available. Today ... it’s a continuation of my whole life, of my whole being. It is something that is a natural pattern that flows every day. It’s just a part of me. Every day, I have ideas, thoughts or feelings that I like to express.”
He was born in Beverly, Mass., in May 1911 and first came to Maine in 1953.
He has received many awards in his life, including the first Artist’s Lifetime Achievement Award Medal given on the National Academy of Design’s 175th anniversary; the College Art Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award; the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art’s Lippincott Prize; and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters’ Childe Hassam Prize.
His paintings and prints are included in most major public collection in the United States, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Barnet, 100, has deep Maine ties. Much of the inspiration for his artistic vision derives from his time in Maine, particularly in and around the midcoast area of Phippsburg.
Barnet, who lives in New York most of the year, received his medal in an East Room ceremony at the White House.
The White House cited Barnet “for his contributions as an American painter, printmaker and teacher. His nuanced and graceful depictions of family and personal scenes, for which he is best known, are meticulously constructed of flat planes that reveal a lifelong exploration of abstraction, expressionism and geometry. For more than 80 years, Mr. Barnet has been a constant force in the visual arts world, marrying sophistication and emotion with beauty and form.”
Among others who received honors Monday were Al Pacino, Mel Tillis and Andre Watts.
In remarks prior to conferring the medals, Obama praised artists for their contributions to society, and characterized those honored as “icons” for their courage to “dwell in possibilities.”
“As much as we need engineers and scientists,” the president said, “we also need artists and scholars ... to disrupt our views and challenge our assumptions.”
Susan Danly, senior curator at the Portland Museum of Art, said the museum has 13 Barnet images in its collection, though none is currently on view.
“We are very proud of him,” Danly said. “This is a top honor bestowed on an artist in the country, and certainly Will Barnet is one of the pre-eminent painters in Maine today. He has a long-standing love of New England and of Maine.”
In an interview with the Maine Sunday Telegram in 2002, Barnet said that painting has been a way of life for as long as he could remember.
“It’s just a pattern of living that has been a part of me that began very early,” he said. “I had a studio in my father’s basement when I was 12 years old. By the time I was 14, I read every book on the history of art that was available. Today ... it’s a continuation of my whole life, of my whole being. It is something that is a natural pattern that flows every day. It’s just a part of me. Every day, I have ideas, thoughts or feelings that I like to express.”
He was born in Beverly, Mass., in May 1911 and first came to Maine in 1953.
He has received many awards in his life, including the first Artist’s Lifetime Achievement Award Medal given on the National Academy of Design’s 175th anniversary; the College Art Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award; the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art’s Lippincott Prize; and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters’ Childe Hassam Prize.
His paintings and prints are included in most major public collection in the United States, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
2012年2月12日星期日
You could buy Picassos, Dalis and Van Goghs in India
I now have some statistics from the India Art Fair that I can share with you. While individual sales figures have not been made public, Chemold Presscott Road and Chatterjee & Lal located in Mumbai were among the first galleries to make a sale at the fair. The work by the internationally acclaimed Rashid Rana, who is known for his installations of stainless steel combined with UV prints on aluminium, was sold.
It has been further stated that there were “strong sales of Indian and international contemporary art” and unlike other years, “photography, video and installation art works sold well”. The prices of individual art works are said to range from Rs 55,000 to over Rs 60 lakh. Despite the strong representation of buyers from all over the world — the USA, China, South Africa, Israel, Greece, France, Italy, Australia and West Asia — it is also learnt that the majority of buyers were Indian collectors. Corporate houses were also seen as keen buyers. Twenty six world famous museums such as the Tate, Guggenheim, New Museum, Pompidou Centre, San Jose Museum of Art, MoMA and the Singapore Art Museum visited the fair — a sure sign of how successful this art fair has been.
We can now move on to another important art happening that also adds to India’s staure in global art. Coming up on February 15 and 16, 2012, is the first–ever online auction of international art by Indian art auctioneers, Saffronart. The works were previewed at the Saffronart Gallery in Delhi last week and then moved to the Saffronart Gallery in Mumbai. The works that are included in the list being put up for sale includes some of the biggest names from the international art world, such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Leger, Dufy, Miro and acclaimed sculptor Henry Moore, whose preliminary drawings leading to the final sculpture, gives a rare glimpse into the artist’s style and approach to his work. Also included are works by another famous sculptor, Lynn Chadwick.
The press note clears all doubts when it states “With a total of 73 lots, the sale includes a wide variety of paintings, works on paper and sculptures of exceptional provenance and quality by leading Western artists”. Among the impressionist works we have Van Gogh’s oil L’Allee aux deux promeneurs (Lane with two figures), was painted in the Dutch village Neunen, in 1885. This work has been estimated at $1 million. Camille Pissarro’s Lisière du bois (Edge of the Wood), painted with sweeping strokes with the help of a palette knife may be considered an important work by one of the “grand masters of impressionism”
The modern section includes several works by Pablo Picasso, including a 1953 vibrant oil painting titled Le Transformateur, estimated between $400,000 and $450,000. Picasso is represented with the widest range of artworks, including paintings drawings and ceramics.
There is an impressive watercolour by Marc Chagall titled, L’Echelle au ciel (Ladder to the Sky), estimated at US$ 280,000-350,000. There are also works by the immensely popular artists such as Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein.
It has been further stated that there were “strong sales of Indian and international contemporary art” and unlike other years, “photography, video and installation art works sold well”. The prices of individual art works are said to range from Rs 55,000 to over Rs 60 lakh. Despite the strong representation of buyers from all over the world — the USA, China, South Africa, Israel, Greece, France, Italy, Australia and West Asia — it is also learnt that the majority of buyers were Indian collectors. Corporate houses were also seen as keen buyers. Twenty six world famous museums such as the Tate, Guggenheim, New Museum, Pompidou Centre, San Jose Museum of Art, MoMA and the Singapore Art Museum visited the fair — a sure sign of how successful this art fair has been.
We can now move on to another important art happening that also adds to India’s staure in global art. Coming up on February 15 and 16, 2012, is the first–ever online auction of international art by Indian art auctioneers, Saffronart. The works were previewed at the Saffronart Gallery in Delhi last week and then moved to the Saffronart Gallery in Mumbai. The works that are included in the list being put up for sale includes some of the biggest names from the international art world, such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Leger, Dufy, Miro and acclaimed sculptor Henry Moore, whose preliminary drawings leading to the final sculpture, gives a rare glimpse into the artist’s style and approach to his work. Also included are works by another famous sculptor, Lynn Chadwick.
The press note clears all doubts when it states “With a total of 73 lots, the sale includes a wide variety of paintings, works on paper and sculptures of exceptional provenance and quality by leading Western artists”. Among the impressionist works we have Van Gogh’s oil L’Allee aux deux promeneurs (Lane with two figures), was painted in the Dutch village Neunen, in 1885. This work has been estimated at $1 million. Camille Pissarro’s Lisière du bois (Edge of the Wood), painted with sweeping strokes with the help of a palette knife may be considered an important work by one of the “grand masters of impressionism”
The modern section includes several works by Pablo Picasso, including a 1953 vibrant oil painting titled Le Transformateur, estimated between $400,000 and $450,000. Picasso is represented with the widest range of artworks, including paintings drawings and ceramics.
There is an impressive watercolour by Marc Chagall titled, L’Echelle au ciel (Ladder to the Sky), estimated at US$ 280,000-350,000. There are also works by the immensely popular artists such as Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein.
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