ArtExpertOnLine

 This week I am waiting for a friend to send me one of her paintings so I am posting an old collage of mine. It is one of my favorites.   I have done collage for many years and have collected a large variety of papers and images.  It is a fun, but difficult process.  I find it a great way to express myself, but it is time consuming.     I probably spent three to four months on this image.  It is not large, but complex.  I love looking over it and rediscovering designs, and mini images.  After looking small, look at the whole and see the flow of one paper into another, the rhymn from top to bottom, left to right, and diagonally down.    This is one of the few monochromatic works I have ever done.  My memory is that I saw this as a challenge and I wanted to tell a little story with it.  So, if you want to, scan the image and imagine.    I used a large variety of paper.  Some photo paper, some tissue, magazine images, as well as a large number of simple lined, pattern paper.  All of the p

     I first saw this last week in my favorite art calendar.  Isn't she beautiful! I had read about the artist before, but knew little about him, however just by looking at this painting I knew it was a commissioned portrait.   We often forget that most career painters need to make money, a living.  And, portraits of society people (who could afford it) was often an artist's choice.   Looking at this beautiful image, it almost makes me wish I was a society lady in France, 1870.  I would want James Tissot to make me look this wonderful!      Looking closely at this painting poses a few practical questions.  First, James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902) was French and generally knew and accepted with the Impressionists, but he never exhibited with them, or the Post-Impressionists.  A year after this painting was completed, in 1871 he moved to London where he continued an active portrait business.  I will note here, that Tissot painted a variety of other subjects throughout his c

We haven't looked at a still life in a long time so when Sandra sent me a series of paintings to use, I selected this one. Isn't it beautiful!      Sandra is one of those people who you know young, send many years apart and reconnect later in life.  She had a great career as a junior high art teacher and since has taken many painting classes perfecting her craft.           I like this work for many reasons.  One is the background. Without a division line she has created space and light.  We don't know what is in the rear, for she insists we focus on the flowers and vase.  Pay attention to the transition of color in the foreground.  We can tell immediately light is coming from the upper left.  Notice the beautiful transition from white/pink to soft blues.  Skillfully done!     As I have written before knowing when to stop is often a difficult dilemna.  Here Sandra has done a perfect job with the flowers.  They have a soft, quick quality allowing us to identify them, but

     Watercolor painting is a great skill often achieved after years of practice.  This week we have a friend of mine whose work I have long admired.  Just like Char two weeks ago, Grace has a definite style and way of working that gives her paintings a unique appearance.     Here is what Grace says about this painting:       I painted this watercolor from a reference photo taken from outside my hometown in Indiana.  I just completed an art exhibit there that was in conjunction with the Bicentennial of the county.  I painted 30, 8 x 10 inch watercolors of historic homes and buildings in the area, and this was my favorite of the paintings.     The subject is an old abandoned one-room school house.  I like the composition and the feeling of loneliness of a building that once held a lot of life and happiness.  The old tree in the foreground adds to the drama.     Working from a photograph is often an essential tool and most artists have used photos, especially for reference. The dange