Suchitra Bhosle
Oleg, oil, 12 x 9.
“Painting men has always been fascinating to me because of the immense freedom with which one can wield the brush and express the planes of the face in the most organic way, compared to painting a woman’s face. Oleg is one of those Ukrainian faces that can inspire any artist to put down the paint on the canvas in many ways. I met him on a hike one winter evening with my husband and my almost-human Irish setter named Guinness, and I just had to ask him to model for me. He was dressed in this burly coat and armed with his rugged jaw. I have yet to capture him in that warm, burnished light that I first saw him in. Maybe that will be my next painting.”
Representation
Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Saks Galleries, Denver, CO; The Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA; www.suchitrabhosle.com.
Michelle Dunaway
Jeremy with Mandolin, oil, 12 x 16.
“Capturing authenticity is always the most important aspect of painting to me—a genuine moment experienced and translated visually into paint. It was fun to paint my good friend Jeremy Lipking playing the mandolin. He’s quite an accomplished musician, so to be able to incorporate that part of his personality into a portrait lent an authenticity. There was also a timeless quality that I was drawn to. He posed without his glasses at the request of Richard Schmid, who was setting up the pose for several of us in a group painting session. Jeremy sat beneath a skylight, and the cool light cascading down added nuances of color notes to the subtle tonal aspects, which also fascinated my eye.”
Representation
Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson, WY; Sage Creek Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; www.dunawayfineart.com.
Upcoming show
Group show, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, February 17-24.
Susan Blackwood
Southpaw, oil, 24 x 18.
“I have always been drawn to the intimate, common, yet touching landscapes, still lifes, animals, or figures. Top on my list of favorite subjects are people of all races and ages. Though I have done many paintings of little girls and women, I especially like to paint males—little boys, old wrinkled men, and all the ages in between. I like the strength of their energy and the power of their minds. This painting captures those two worlds. He is rugged on the outside, yet thinking and feeling on the inside. What is this rough cowboy writing? Is it a poem, or maybe a letter? A quiet moment in his day that is perfect for my painting.”
Representation
Highlands Art Gallery, Chester, NJ; Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA; Montana Trails Gallery, Bozeman, MT; The Master’s Fine Art of Loveland Gallery, Loveland, CO; Walt Horton Fine Art, Beaver Creek, CO; Betsy Swartz Fine Art Consulting, Bozeman, MT; www.susanblackwood.com.
Upcoming show
Western Masters Art Show & Sale, Great Falls, MT, March 16-19.
Earl B. Lewis
The Charlestonian, watercolor, 32 x 26.
“This painting is from a series I’m doing on a section of town in Charleston, SC, called Crosstown, which has over 65,000 people who have been displaced because of gentrification. The town is changing because there are new families moving into the area and raising the prices of the property. Many of the people who have grown up there can no longer afford the taxes and are being forced out. This painting is of a male figure who lives in that area. I’m trying to make a commentary about what’s happening all over the country. My work is making statements about society, people, and places. I see myself as having a visual language in which I can express things I feel strongly about.”
Representation
Deloney/Newkirk Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; Wells Gallery, Charleston, SC; The Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; R. Michelson Galleries, Northampton, MA.
Upcoming show
One-man show, Wells Gallery, August.
Bill Schneider
Studied at the Repin, oil, 16 x 11.
“Once I asked Bill Parks, my life drawing teacher, how to find my style. He told me to just paint as honestly as I could and my style would find itself. My friend Dan Gerhartz echoes the same advice. So I try to observe and paint accurate shapes, values, color temperature, and edges. More importantly, as the model’s mood and appearance fluctuates throughout the sitting, I try to capture his most characteristic expression. In this piece, I think I caught Misha, an artist who was trained in the Russian academic tradition before World War II. Misha emigrated here after the fall of the Soviet empire and paints with me at the Palette & Chisel in Chicago.”
Representation
Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT; Hueys Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; Lee Youngman Galleries, Calistoga, CA; Walt Horton Fine Art, Beaver Creek, CO; Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg, TX; Trees Place Gallery, Orleans, MA; Joan Champeau Pioneer Gallery, Sister Bay, WI; www.schneiderart.com.
Upcoming show
One-man show, Lee Youngman Galleries, April 1-30.
Cindy Long
Grit ‘n’ Gristle, graphite, 15 x 12.
“In my drawings, I want to reflect a mood or emotion, or catch a moment with the subject that engages the viewer’s imagination in some way. There should also be a variety of textures, patterns, light, and values in a strong composition to entertain the eye. The subject in Grit ‘n’ Gristle looks alert and wary, which sets a tense mood and sparks the imagination. His heavily lined face and full whiskers add to the interest, as do the textures and patterns of his clothing. The bright sunlight divides his face into shadow and light. All of these elements enhance the feel of the piece and made for an interesting and challenging subject to draw.”
Representation
Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson Hole, WY; www.draw4it.com.
Upcoming show
Group show, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, February 17-24.
Featured in January 2011.