Museum Day

08 Wednesday May 2013

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

Tags

Guggenheim Museum of Art, MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, oil paintings

One of my favorite ways to spend a leisurely morning is in an art museum. I miss living near a major metropolitan museum now, so whenever I get near a big city I take the time for a visit. And because it is rarer these days that I get the opportunity, I appreciate it even more.

The Guggenheim Museum, NYC. Photo by me

As much as I love the art, it is also the art lovers that I enjoy. As you may know from following this blog I have been painting gallery scenes again.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Photo by me

The Museum of Modern Art is one of my favorite places to visit in New York City. I grew up near here on Long Island, and even when I was young I escaped as often as possible to “The City”, and to MOMA.

The Lobby from above, MOMA in NYC. Photo by me

It only makes sense that these gallery scenes would show up in my “Cities” series. to see them all, you can visit my art website at www.patwhitehead.com.

Another painting in my “Cities” series that focuses on MOMA museum visitors.

My latest finished painting is a continuation of this theme…Gallery View II.

In the studio. Photo by me

It started as usual with a visit to MOMA

A summer visit to NYC and MOMA. Photo by me

..and a sketch on canvas after the visit.

Gallery View II begins

And just kept building from there.

You can’t imagine how long it took to get the shadowing just where I wanted it on the museum floor. You never know when you start just which area will prove the challenge and what parts will just flow.

One thing I have learned time and time again, though, is to let the “finished” painting sit for a week or so, and then go back in for those final touches.

I love this painting. It was like spending the day at MOMA all over again. I could be any one of these viewers.

The finished painting

Kensington Gardens and an afternoon stroll

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, England, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, parks

There is nothing quite like a stroll in a park with a couple of good friends, especially on a magically sunny day in London’s Kensington Gardens.

In to Kensington Gardens on a lovely fall day. Photo by me

When I was there last autumn, I couldn’t resist a cup of tea in the nearby Kensington Palace tea shop, and then out in to the park.

The entrance to Kensington Palace where there is a special little tea shop. Photo by me

There were people strolling and biking, but these three women caught my attention. They could just as easily be me and my friends in Central Park. There is something so universal about the scene.

Just outside the palace gates, friends move down the path. Photo by me

So when I started to paint the scene, I wanted the trees to become almost a halo around the three figures, setting them apart from the world around them. And I cropped it so that the women were the center of our attention.

The three figures become front and center with cropping.

As I layered the golden branches, the recollection of mood took over, and the painting definitely took on an aura that was true.

Tones are worked on.

And detail was added that I knew would actually be part of a underpainting. This is the tricky part.

Bolder strokes are added that I want to show through the haze.

It is always quite scary to then brush over the image to create a mood, and decide how much to cover in the haze and where to remove the overlay of color. This is why I love oils. They are forgiving in the layering process. If it doesn’t work out, you can always add more layers.

A soft layer of gold is added overall except over the figures.

Finally, detail is added, some of the haze is gently removed, and I have accomplished the mood I originally hoped for.

The final canvas.

The friends are lost in their own world but encased in the glow of the autumn leaves. The perfect day with friends.

The Studio Wall

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art studio, branches, photography, trees, Versailles

The wall in my studio is always plastered with images…sometimes mine, sometimes another artist’s, sometimes just a photo or image I have sketched and am thinking of working from.

I love The Wall…it is one of the most wonderful things of having a room that is strictly an art studio, and not a corner of the living room or bedroom or a dining table as in years past.

Trees at Versailles near Paris. Photo and photos by me

Sometimes it will stay the same for weeks. I may trade one or two images out here and there…

It all depends what I am working on and if I am nearing the completion of a painting and beginning to contemplate new works.

The Louvre in Paris, MOMA’s dining room and the courtyard in front of the Public Library in New York City. All photos by me.

If I am working on a particular piece I may put up other artists’ works that somehow relate in tone or feeling or content–just to see what others have done. Sometimes it will influence me but more often than not it just keeps me strong and focused and original with my own work.

I can sit and stare at the wall many times during my work day.

Central Park in New York…two very different images from the same afternoon.

And then there is the space near my desk with images of friends’ work and more personal images, just because I love them.

At my desk, cards and photos of friends and fellow creatives…

Everyone should have a wall. It’s what you look at before you squeeze the first bit of paint on to the palette.

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

Central Park, New York City, Paris, St James's, The Tuileries

I have always loved large cities. And traveling has just increased that love and fascination. What is it about these magnificent cities that lure me back again and again?

A Paris street. Photo by me

I think there is something incredibly special about spending a day in a major city–visiting museums,

maybe a movie or a show…

Times Square in New York City, featuring a movie, a play or just people watching. Photo by me.

or a bit of leisurely window shopping…

Window shopping in Paris. Photo by me.

A shop windows near St. James Palace in London, photo by me

A shop windows near St. James’s Palace in London, photo by me.

And then when you have just about had enough (but never quite), and your feet cannot carry you another block, you find a corner of a cozy park to settle down in with a cup of coffee or a cold drink.

A quiet corner of Central Park, NYC, in summer. Photo by me.

Central Park in summer, with a jazz musician playing under the bridge. Photo by me.

I think it is part of what makes a great city, well, great. A green oasis in the center of the bustle and noise. They have their own excitement and energy…

Central Park in summer, photo by me.

But also moments of peace and tranquility.

Sailing boats in Central Park, NYC. Photo by me.

Of course, I grew up near New York City on Long Island, and spent many happy hours in Central Park. And in the decades I worked in Washington, DC as a graphic designer, I also had a small studio apartment in NYC right across the street from Central Park. I could walk out the door of the building, cross the heavy traffic of Central Park West and I was in that very special place…a city park.

One of Central Park’s Broad Avenues. Photo by me

I have many images of Central Park that I have been looking at and sketching as part of the “Cities” series of paintings I have been working on this year. One of the things I have noticed working on this series is how similar the great parks are. Although each region has its own personality, the parks also have common elements–the broad walking paths, gorgeous ancient trees, people playing games…socializing…walking, and cool swaths of rolling lawn. And of course a water feature.

St. James Park, London. Photo by me.

In London, I think my favorite park is St. James’s Park.

The London park’s incredible flowers. Is it the abundance of rain? Photo by me.

Right down the street from Buckingham Palace you can always find a garden or a group of ducks on the edge of the lake that help to rejuvenate you.

One of St. James’s noisiest residents. Photo by me.

Kensington Gardens, a Royal Park, is one of my new favorites in London, just between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. On my last trip to London in November it was golden, and I managed to take lots of pictures.

Kensington Park, London. Photo by me.

Luckily a painting was born. I look at this, and see any of the parks I have visited in large cities. This is just the beginning, but although it is Kensington, it could be a scene in New York or Paris.

The beginning of a painting of Kensington Park. Oil sketch by me

The three women are connecting with each other as they stroll through the lanes. You can hear children playing the background, maybe a dog barking, but mostly it is a quiet space where the women stroll in their own special world. The beauty of parks in a big city is it offers the residents a place to come together before retreating back to their small, or large, living spaces behind locked doors.

It reminds me of the painting I did of Bath, England a few years ago. The two women are alone under the trees walking and talking.

“The Voyeur”, painting by me.

In Paris, my favorite park is definitely, without a doubt, the Tuileries. It is a spectacular park. And is so “Parisian”.

The Tuileries in Paris. Photo by me.

All the elements of the other parks are there. The social games…

My version of the scene…

The water feature…

The edge of the Tuileries with the Louvre in the background. Photo by me.

The grand trees and broad avenues …

A lovely road through the park. Photo by me.

In Paris, everything is so neatly trimmed unlike the wild abandon of the English parks…

Kensington’s ducks being fed. Photo by me.

Or the naturally sculpted woods of Central Park…

Central Park’s rolling lawns. Photo by me.

But each has its own special magic. I can’t imagine if I really had to pick a favorite, which it would be.

Good night, dear cities. Sleep well. Your parks will wake up early in the morning.

Paris from my hotel window. Just beyond the rooftops, is The Tuileries. Photo by me.

Taxi, take two!

01 Friday Feb 2013

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

MOMA, New York City, taxi

In early 2011, I did a small painting that is still one of my personal favorites…”NYC:Taxi (winter)”. The small 16″ x 12″ painting evoked the classic New York City street scene in winter, which I viewed from the window of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The woman I saw from my perch actually had the hat on that matched the color of the taxi she was trying to hail.

NYC:Taxi (winter), painting by me

When I returned to New York City this past summer, of course I went over to MOMA. And there I looked out the same window, and saw the same street scene in a totally different light.

From the window of MOMA. Photo by me

I began to sketch from the photos with the winter painting in mind. I wanted this small painting to echo the first.

The photo is referenced but the composition changed slightly.

The isolation of the small figure hailing the taxi is still there as in the first painting, but the surroundings have changed with the season.

The taxi is centered.

The middle of the work, where decisions about color and lightness are made. I can go back and forth for days deciding on contrast, brightness and emphasis.

And finally, it is complete.

NYC: Taxi (summer)

It has been a journey, but I love the story these two paintings tell.

My favorite spot, at the easel in my studio. photo by me.

Click on “workshop” at the top of the page for information on the September destination creativity workshop in Bath, England.

MOMA, Joan and New York City

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Joan Mitchell, MOMA, New York City, texting

When I was in high school, more years ago than I like to admit, I escaped to New York City to The Museum of Modern Art as often as possible. I grew up on Long Island, and “The City”, as we called Manhattan, was magnetic, always drawing me in.

A group of us would take the train in, and spend hours looking at the art at MOMA. We would then sit in the sculpture courtyard talking about what we saw, lingering forever over one cup of coffee or a cold drink, feeling very grown up, modern and inspired.

Matisse at MOMA. Photo by me

On my last visit to MOMA this past summer, so much seemed the same even after the huge remodeling of this important museum several years ago. The groups of young adults lingering in the museum seemed the same, although the cafe on the edge of the sculpture garden has gone. Instead these art lovers gather on benches near the lobby under the great paintings and soaring architecture.

MOMA’s admissions lobby. Photo by me

More often than not, however, they seem not to be talking, but rather texting. Every museum I visit around the world, there always seems to be this texting thing. Huddled in small groups, they hold these small objects, fingers moving furiously over the surface. Are they still “talking” about art? Do they feel grown up and modern with the new technology?

Underneath a stunning Joan Mitchell (Wood, Wind, No Tuba, 1980) at MOMA, everyone was lined up on the benches, tired from walking through the galleries…texting or tweeting. I must admit, I love the new technology, but do we still share experiences with those we are with, or are we always looking out to the “net” beyond?

A group of young adults relaxing after their day at the museum. Sketch by me

Fleshing out color. Photo by me

Joan Mitchell’s painting dominates the color palette and the scene. Does anyone notice?. Painting by me.

The process of adding detail, and balancing the figures with the art.

Finished! “MOMA and Joan”. Painting by me.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Photo by me

I just hope this new generation of museum goers finds as much joy in their memories as I have. I think they will find their own way to remember the moment.

By the way, Joan Mitchell often painted diptychs as we see here.

Joan Mitchell’s Wood, Wind, No Tuba. 2 panels 9′ 2 1/4″ x 13 1 1/8″. Brilliant!

I love that…how the two canvases would actually work as separate pieces but worked as a whole together. Hockney was another one who use this structure of multiple canvas, and at times I have been known to use this method.

Studio Days and Twombly

25 Friday Jan 2013

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

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

Tate Modern, Twombly

I have been working in the studio steadily this week, with just time in between to let a layer of color dry, or sketch a new idea, or just think of what I want to do next. It’s great when the rhythm of the studio takes over.

And often I keep the momentum going by reviewing my ideas from my travels. Things that I suspected were important in some way when I first sketched or photographed them on location, jump out at me again and again from the images I have taped to my studio wall.

A small part of “The Wall” in my studio.

I started on an image from my trip to England last summer…the Tate Modern and an exhibit on Cy Twombly’s later works, one of my favorite artists.

The Tate Modern in London on a rainy morning. The museum is in an old power station on the south bank, and is one of my favorites I return to again and again.

His work is minimal, but rich in its texture of layers. Line is everything. As he grew older, the lines grew bolder and thicker.

Cy Twombly at the Tate Modern in London. Photo by me.

These bold, red scars on canvas are some of his last works. But the movement and drips are reminiscent of his early works.

The negative space is as important as the stroke, which is energized and rhythmic

There is nothing like his line.

When I started my painting, I wanted the Twombly to dominate, but it is the viewer on the right, the woman in the trench coat, that I most identify with.

Step 1–the composition and color is blocked in.

A lot of the time it is not until you actually start sketching a painting that you know if it is going in the right direction or not.

In to the middle

The Twombly needed to take over the image, but not lose the viewer.

It’s when you get in to the middle of the piece that it gets rough. The beginning is exciting and somehow at the end, fine-tuning the details is rewarding and peaceful.

But especially in the middle of the work, decisions need to be made that will alter the outcome dramatically. The mind works on high-speed making trying to understand what the story is. And often it means going in and taking a chance of wrecking the whole thing to make it go beyond the expected.

Twombly at the Tate. Painting by me.

When it is finished you somehow just know. When I was less experienced, I think I often stopped too early…didn’t take the chance of going too far. Now I seem to know just how far to push.

For information on the creative workshop in Bath, England next September, click on “Workshop” at the top of the page.

Painting in to the New Year

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Musee D'Orsay, Paris

I have been back in the studio on a regular basis, and am absolutely loving my time there. I must confess though, it is exhausting. Such concentration on a regular basis for long stretches is a challenge, but so satisfying when something good comes of it.

The Cities series begins in the studio.

I spend an hour or so each morning working on the Creativity Workshop we are planning for next September in Bath. Can’t wait. Art and England and My Beloved Brit. Heaven on earth.

The River Avon at Bath

The workshop will focus on the artist traveler and how to use their precious time in an unfamiliar environment to best advantage. When we get back to work on our art at home, we will have an immense reservoir of ideas and reference.

If you click on the “Workshops” link at the top of this page, you can see all the details.

The Crescent, Bath England

The “Cities” series of paintings I am working on now is a direct result of my years of travel. And it is the true satisfaction and increasing interest I find in the subject of using travel for inspiration that led me to put together the workshop.

Musee d’Orsay, Paris. My photo.

If you remember, back in August I began the “Cities” series, sketching a painting of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, a direct result of my visit last spring to the magical city.

The first sketch on canvas

Musee d’Orsay is one of my favorite museums in the world.

The Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Photo by me after a long happy visit inside.

And of course, Paris….need I say more.

Starting to choose a color palette

As always, one of the most difficult things when you get home from travel is what to choose to paint. Even though I have a pretty good idea of my choices before I leave the foreign location thanks to editing my photos and sketches on the road, I looked at this image as well as a few others for months before I decided I had to try to interpret this particular idea. The multiple perspectives were daunting, and the arches and architectural details could be a nightmare. But I decided to tackle it.

What I wanted to come out in the final painting was the art lovers, the museum visitors, who were dwarfed and stunned by the gorgeous museum, carved from an old train station in the center of Paris. (I love how cities have re-purposed old buildings for art–think Tate Modern in London which used an old power station)

The last stage of the painting. Art lovers embraced by architecture.

This Parisian landmark is reminiscent of an ancient tomb. And yet it is so light and bright with the arched skylights overhead, perhaps it seems more like a cathedral. I am always awestruck by this museum…the building as well as the content.

Paris: Musee d’orsay, painting and photo by me

I think the painting is where I want it. Such satisfaction to finish the last stroke. Now it sits drying in a corner of the studio while I get to work on other ideas from other travels.

New beginnings. Photo by me, the studio

I have about 5 different pieces in almost finished stages. Unusual for me. In the past, I have worked on one or two pieces at a time. But this series is so interesting to me, I keep rushing on with it. There are at least 5 more ideas that I have not even started sketching yet. Such fun, and I get to relive each travel adventure as I paint.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

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

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Constable, fashion, Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert has been on my list for years of places that I wanted to visit. Finally, on my last trip to London, I made it. It was worth the wait.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, down the road from Harrods in London. Photo by me

I loved the fashion wing with the different era’s beautiful clothes lovingly displayed.

The historic costume wing Photo by me

Boas and embroideries from the 20s. Photo by me

Ball gowns. Photo by me

Women who lunch Photo by me

Color. Photo by me

Modern times. Photo by me

Ending with an ethereal figure floating above the space. Photo by me

After such fashionable beauty, I tackled the museum, exploring the vast halls. It is massive.

The VA from the inner courtyard. Photo by me

The entry hall. Photo by me

The entrance to the gift shop. Photo by me

It was incredibly large, and the hallways went on forever. Even with my map I had to stop to ask the guards directions several times. I was looking for a room filled with Constable water-color sketches. It was a maze.

Down dark hallways…Photo by me

…past huge storerooms of great treasures. Photo by me

…past the guardians. Photo by me

…no time to rest. Photo by me

…an angel trumpeted the way. Photo by me

Finally I found them in a very dim room under glass. I couldn’t use any flash and it was hard to photograph them, but take my word…they were exquisite.

And finally I was there. Photo by me

A room filled with small Constable gems. Photo by me

My day was complete. Back out on the wet streets of London, I was totally at peace. Constable can do that for you.

The walk back home. Photo by me

Art Basel in Miami

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Art Basel, Art Miami, Miami

‘Tis the season to be overwhelmed with art. December is Art Basel time in Miami. It certainly has become one of the largest art fairs in the world…and that’s good and bad.

On entering the tent, the room stared back at us. Photo by me

I always have mixed feelings about this massive art fair that has spread from Miami Beach web-like to art fairs all through the Miami Midtown/Wynwood Design District area.

A view from above…a happy perspective for me. Photo by me.

Actually the word on the streets this year is that the major focus has shifted from South Beach to Wynwood and midtown, the up and coming design and art district.

Art Miami in the Midtown near the Wynwood Design District. Photo by me.

I love seeing the new art all smashed in to one small area.

Big girl little girl. Photo by me.

It’s the only way I know to see such a broad slice of what artists are currently doing outside the magazine pages of the popular arts magazines. And art is always better up close and personal.

Art Miami. Photo by me

Miami is within driving distance for us. We love Miami’s energy even in the off times, so it doesn’t take much incentive for us to jump in the car and travel down I-95 to the Beach.

Into the wilderness. Photo by me

Bunny wedding. Photo by me.

The gentler side of nature. Photo by me.

Much of the massive art fair can seem so hyped and frantic. So this year I decided to select a few of the relatively smaller venues and just try to let it wash over me gently.

Viewers young and old. And the art looks back. Photo by me.

It helped that I had my good friend from Virginia with me. When we walked into the Art Miami tent, husbands in tow, it’s all there. And it is magic. Just like Willy Wonka for art fanatics.

One of my best friends from college days joined me in Miami. Our beloveds followed close behind us. Photo by me.

The crowds swarmed through the streets, taxis honking, palm trees swaying. And the warm tropical sun made My Beloved Brit a truly happy man. He still seemed happy even inside the art tent and managed not to complain once.

Imagery. Photo by me.

There is so much art, it is difficult to see everything and keep it all in perspective. But it is thrilling.

Reflections in art. Photo by me.

The variety this year was interesting. But what I noticed after winding through the maze of gallery exhibitions was how much of it revolved around personal, human images.

Alex Katz, one of my favorite artists. Photo by me.

No matter which way we turned, the eyes seemed to follow you. And the interpretation of the human face was as varied as the materials.

This was done as embroidery, and the artist showed the “back side” of the work. Fascinating. Photo by me.

Heads Up! Photo by me.

Some was calming, but much was frantic. Is this the current human condition of uncertainty?

Wild art. Photo by me.

I’ll have to think about that.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Category Archives: sketching

Museum Day

Kensington Gardens and an afternoon stroll

The Studio Wall

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

Taxi, take two!

MOMA, Joan and New York City

Studio Days and Twombly

Painting in to the New Year

The Victoria and Albert Museum

Art Basel in Miami