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Monthly Archives: October 2013

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

31 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, Uncategorized

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Arkansas, Bentonville, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

I have been anxious to see the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in the heart of the Ozarks ever since it opened a couple of years ago.

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A magical tree in front of the drive/entrance to the museum

A magical tree in front of the drive/entrance to the museum

Not only is the art collection supposed to be magnificent, but the architecture and nature scape of the complex has been reported as stellar.

The entrance to the grounds of Crystal Bridges

The entrance to the grounds of Crystal Bridges

This week I got my chance.

The approach to Crystal Bridges

The approach to Crystal Bridges

On our way to Texas to see My Beloved Brit’s ex-pat niece play tennis, we detoured to Bentonville, Arkansas to see Crystal Bridges, founded by the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton. It was officially opened on the 11th of November 2011. It is the first major museum to open in the United States since 1974.  Over $317 million of the project’s cost has been donated by Alice Walton.

From the museum exhibition space, even in the rain it's magical.

From the museum exhibition space, even in the rain, it’s magical.

Nested into a natural ravine in the middle of a forest, the complex was designed by architect Moshe Safdie “…to both complement and counterpoint the surrounding landscape.”

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The springwater of the stream actually runs around and through the glass and copper bridges that stretch over the ponds. Lovely.

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The Crystal Bridges art collection spans the many decades of American art, offering an expansive overview of masters as well as lesser-known works from the Colonial era to contemporary work.

Mary Cassat was popular

Mary Cassatt “Summertime”

There were many wonderful surprises.  I really loved the balance and scope of the collection.

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Tom Uttech, “Enassamishhinjijweian”

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It really does have a nice range of some of the very best artists in America. Very impressive considering how new the museum is.

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Fairfield Porter’s “October Interior”

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Robert Henri’s “Jessica Penn in Black with White Plumes” dominates this room

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Quite a day and worth the detour.

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Neil G. Welliver “Snow on Alden Brook”. Someone visiting my studio once compared my branches series to Welliver. I was honored when I looked up his work.

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One of my heroes, Joan Mitchell

One of my heroes, Joan Mitchell

William Merritt Chase--an incredible layering of paint and texture

William Merritt Chase–an incredible layering of paint and texture

I saw pieces I had never seen before, yet felt so familiar, like Will Barnet’s…

IMG_0197There is sculpture both inside the museum and outdoors along the trails.

IMG_0182And the museum begins and ends at a charming restaurant/cafe with amazing views of the autumn landscape.

IMG_0241I knew that was just where I would find My Beloved Brit, relaxing with a coffee waiting patiently for me to return…I tend to take a bit more time walking through the galleries than he does.

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All photos by me.

 

Ship Shape

26 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by pat in England, Food, Travel, Uncategorized

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Ramsgate

Tucked away in a small corner of Ramsgate, a coastal town on the English Channel…

IMG_8883You might miss it and just walk by on your way down to the marina…

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But there is a sweet little cafe  almost like a cave in the seawall near the water.

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It has cakes and jacket potatoes with beans, and little sandwiches.  All the British staples.IMG_8878

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I love England.  There are these little hidden gems to be found in every old place.

MOMA, Newman and the Sublime

11 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching

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Barnett Newman, Heroic and Sublime, Man, MOMA, NYC, Vir Heroicus Sublimis

One of my absolute favorite spaces at MOMA is when you come around a corner and see Barnett Newman’s “Vir Heroicus Sublimiss” (Man, Heroic and Sublime).  It does feel sublime and lifts you out of whatever daily reverie you’re in to a higher plane.  My newest painting ” Sublime” addresses this mental levitation.

Image 4In an essay I read about the painting, the artist indicated that he really wants you to view the painting up close, even though the drama from afar is quite impressive.

Image 5I liked the two women in the background, nearest to the painting.  The one on the right has stopped to look at the huge canvas and motions to her friend to stop also.

Image 7The man on the far left, away from other people, is enthralled…

Image 1And the man on the bench is in the direct path of the painting’s reflection.  The deep red of the painting runs across the wooden floor.

ImageI love the highly polished floors at the Museum of Modern Art.  They reflect the art and connect it to the viewers. I probably spend as much time getting these reflections the way I want them as I do painting the figures.

Image 3I am pleased with this grouping.  It is warm and rich and involved.  Just like a day at MOMA. Sublime.

 

The Pompidou and Francis Bacon

08 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Center Pompidou, Female Nude Standing in a Doorway, Francis Bacon, Paris

This past summer I spent a relatively long time when I was on holiday in London looking at art.  I love being near the great museums, wherever they are, and I had just finished a painting at home that reflected this obsession of looking at art.  I can so easily get lost into a particular work and find a new world.  That was the focus of “Through the Doorway”, a painting I had finished just before I had gone on holiday.

ImageWhen I was in Paris in 2012, I had observed a young woman intensely looking at Francis Bacon’s “Female Nude Standing in a Doorway”.  Headset on, she was listening, but it was the twist of her pose on the bench that caught my attention

Image 1The scene was at the Center Pompidou, the museum of contemporary art in the center of Paris.

The view from the museum rooftop in Paris. Photo by me.

The view from the museum rooftop in Paris. Photo by me.

And the Bacon work dominated the room in content if not in size.

Image 2I wanted the pink of the art lover’s scarf to connect with the hints of pink in Bacon’s nude, so I under painted the wall on the canvas with the same pink undertone. When it was fairly dry, I worked on top of this dominating color. My hope was its essence would peek through.

Image 4The diagonal on the wall to the left of the painting was added to complete the connection. The warm colors reflected the reality of the Center Pompidou, especially the predominant golden floor, but also enhanced the warmth I perceived the viewer felt from the art.

Image 5My dear friend in LA, who is also an artist and art teacher, noticed my subject’s leg in the forefront didn’t look correctly weighted. I was happy I had sent her a jpeg of the work in progress. After much consideration, I adjusted the leg and foot and added shadowing.  A fresh eye in this case was very welcome. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the scene, you miss the obvious.

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I spent weeks with the figure making sure she was comfortable. I added an edge of wall on the right and a bit of light on the floor so she didn’t seem so boxed in.

Art is all about connection and taking us to a world beyond the day-to-day. Bacon certainly succeeds.

Image 3I hope my “Through the Doorway” accomplishes this, also.

 

 

 

Cambridge

03 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by pat in England, Travel, United Kingdom

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Cambridge, The River Cam, University of Cambridge

This is the first year we got around to visiting Cambridge, and I fell in love with it.

Cambridge is surrounded by green fields and parkland. Photo by me

Cambridge is surrounded by green fields, rivers and parkland. Photo by me

As we drove into the area, we saw parks and fields and cows right up to the city center.

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And then it is all there, a great big university town located in Cambridgeshire, England 50 miles north of London on the River Cam.

The River Cam flows right through the middle of Cambridge. Photo by me.

The River Cam flows right through the middle of Cambridge. Photo by me.

Within a relatively small area, there are these beautiful classic buildings of the various colleges and churches and shops.

The main streets of Cambridge lined with scholastic buildings of the various colleges. Photo by me.

The main streets of Cambridge lined with scholastic buildings of the various colleges. Photo by me.

We came in early after flying all night from the states, so to stay awake we wandered the streets.

Red and gold brick and stone everywhere.  The city is stunning. Photo by me.

Red and gold brick and stone everywhere. The city is stunning. Photo by me.

I couldn’t think of a better place to get over jet lag than Cambridge.

Even the tea shops look astoundingly grand. Photo by me.

Even the tea shops look astoundingly grand. Photo by me.

Around each corner there was something else to see, and the shops were attention grabbing.

A book shop in Cambridge. Photo by me.

A book shop in Cambridge. Photo by me.

Many of the university and college grounds were admissible by ticket only, but we were just as happy this day to wander and look in from the main streets.

Photo by me.

King’s College Chapel. Photo by me.

There was plenty to see just wandering around aimlessly.

Photo by me.

Photo by me.

Word has it that Cambridge was founded by disgruntled scholars from Oxford who didn’t get along with the educators there.  I think they founded a mighty fine alternative. And the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209 is consistently ranked as one of the top five universities in the world.  The city is flooded with tourists and students (there are over 24,000 students in Cambridge), even in August.

Bicycles everywhere.  The center is closed to b=vehicular traffic. Photo by me.

Bicycles everywhere. The center is closed to b=vehicular traffic. Photo by me.

We ended the day perfectly for a first day in Britain…dinner in a Cambridge pub.

The Miter was perfect for a light meal before bed. Photo by me.

The Miter was perfect for a light meal before bed. Photo by me.

We decided then and there to return towards the end of our trip, and explore this magnificent city in more detail.

 

 

 

 

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