Monthly Archives: July 2017

Sunday Afternoon

24 Monday Jul 2017

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

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I have always loved the intimate setting of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC.  I have visited it for decades. I had an hour to kill when I was downtown near Dupont Circle recently, so I popped in.

It was hot and busy out on the surrounding streets, with people getting coffee, visiting the street markets…hustle and bustle.

When I entered the Phillips, it was cool and golden.  The art is purposely juxtaposed to present different styles and eras in close proximity.  It gives a richness to the experience of wandering through the rooms, just as this couple was doing.

The red chair, the bright stairwell, and the soft glow around the painting they have focused on is a magnificent play of light, shadow and color surrounding a superb collection.

“Sunday Afternoon at the Phillips”, 30 x 24″, oil on linen.

Divided

17 Monday Jul 2017

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

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The Kreeger Museum is a hidden gem in Washington DC.  Hidden in plain sight on Foxhall Road NW, it is just a few minutes from Georgetown and Key Bridge. The private, non-profit museum is set on 5 acres of sculpture-filled, tranquil gardens.  The museum is the former residence of David & Carmen Kreeger, and focuses on 19th & 20th Century art, as well as prominent Washington artists.

It’s truly a lovely setting to view art. I’ve always particularly loved homes that have been turned in to museums. These rooms in the Kreeger are conducive to contemplation, as seen by these two women.

Separated by William Christenberry’s “Dream Building II” and surrounded by Clifford Still’s “Untitled”, Sam Gilliam’s “Cape”, and Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square:Wet and Dry” the two women are each lost in their personal worlds.

I especially loved the play of sculpted shadows set against the color of the paintings.  The women become part of that neutral palette, allowing the art to really define the space.

Divided, 24 x 36″, oil on linen

Hidden Away

15 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by in Art, Bath, England, paintings, sketching, Travel

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My newest painting “Behind The Hedge” came about a few seasons after I visited a charming village near Bath, England, called Castle Comb. This often happens.  I will re-visit images from past travels.  Certain ones always seem to leap out again and again, and finally I find the time to paint them.

A special place stays amazingly fresh in my memory. This particular morning, after a stroll through the idyllic village, I walked past a hedge that was still changing color in early November.  The colors, the hidden cottage and the water rushing nearby all made for a very fairytale like scene. It was one of many hidden gems throughout the small historic village that seems to have escaped changing times.

It took me a few years, but I have re-visited the images of Castle Combe in the heat of a Washington DC summer, and can almost feel the cool, damp air and smell the fire smoke coming from chimneys.

I have been thinking more and more recently of re-visiting some of these English landscapes that I love.

They are so joyfully simple and beautiful. And the foliage and trees, especially for this late fall visit, offer an incredible palette of soothing color.

A magical escape.

“Behind the Hedge”, 14 x 11″, oil on linen