Artist Demonstration: 'Back to Back' Paint Off

Thank you to everyone who attended our 'Back to Back' Paint Off this past Saturday!  We were happy to see everyone after a long week and glad you came out to support local artists from the Boston Figurative Art Center -- Damon Lehrer, Jon Nix, & Jeremy Durling. 

​Jeremy Durling

​Damon Lehrer

Each artist has his own unique style -- which made for a great demo.  Damon and Jeremy painted in oil, but in two very different ways.  Jeremy paints on paper and uses a trowel/palette knife most of the time while Damon paints on linen and uses brushes.  As you can see in the images above, both artists produced two distinct pieces, even though they were painting the same model.  To throw in another element, Jon worked in pencil to produce a beautiful drawing of our model Dennis.

​Jon Nix & Damon Lehrer  start their pieces of model Dennis

​Jon Nix's drawing & Jeremy Durling's 'blueprint'

For those who were unable to attend we've compiled a list of some of the most commonly asked questions to each artist. 

Q -- Do you use your eraser as a tool in drawing?

Jon Nix -- I usually use a kneaded eraser but didn't have one so I was using a mechanical eraser.  It made for a delicate instrument but it worked well.

Q -- Why did you choose to do a drawing instead of a painting?

Jon Nix -- The reason I chose to draw rather then paint was that in a single session, my painting method results in a much less complete result.  I thought it would be more instructional and rewarding for the viewers to see a work come closer to fruition than for them to see the faint contours and bulky masses I typically produce in a single sitting.

 

Q -- What colors are on your palette and why?

Damon -- ypically the smallest number of colors I can get away with.  Today it's whites, two reds, two blues, and two yellows.

Q -- What is the base color you started with on your canvas?

Damon -- Burnt Sienna.

​Damon Lehrer's Burnt Sienna base color

Q -- How do you choose the colors on your palette?

Jeremy -- My palette right now consists of all primary colors.  I have three yellows, one red, three blues, and lead white.  This is a slightly modified version of the palette Cezanne used in his painting 'The House of the Hanged Man' in 1873.  I saw a Cezanne of peaches on a plate in the Barnes Foundation.  It's a simple painting, but the color had my heart pounding and I could feel the weight of the fruit in the pit of my stomach.  I wrote down the year it was painted and found out what colors he was using.  I've been fond of limited palettes for the past few years, and I'm never afraid to choose a strange color I love and build a palette around it.  I love the Cezanne palette for its versatility.  Fighting the temptation to make everything bright and high key when I'm mixing these powerful primaries makes for some beautiful neutral colors that I wouldn't arrive at if I were using earth tones.  I have to really meditate on each color to give my subject it's weight.

Q -- What is the story behind your blue base drawing?

Jeremy -- It is really just a series of lines with no clear subject.  I use it as a way of measuring angles and proportions -- a blueprint for the person sitting in front of me.  The simple drawing is easily and quickly adjusted until I find the truth of the thing.  George Nick once told me: "Drawing is really very simple.  It's only how far by how wide, at what angle."

​Jeremy Durling's palette

​Jeremy Durling's painting at the end of the session

Thank you to our talented painters -- Damon, Jeremy, & Jon -- and our patient model Dennis.  Look for us to do another Paint Off later in the year.

Back to Back: A Call for Artists

Sloane Merrill Gallery and the Boston Figurative Art Center (BFAC) announce their first collaboration in the form of a themed group exhibition titled 'Back to Back' opening Friday, April 12th at 75 Charles Street, Boston.  

Below is the call to artists to submit for the juried portion of the exhibition. 

​Please feel free to contact Sloane Merrill Gallery with any questions at 617.227.1775 or by email at info@sloanemerrillgallery.com

Artist Process: Scott Bartner -- Julia Finished!

Julia -- all finished!  

​Her skin is flawless, her lips are full, her hair encompasses several shades, and her eyes are beautifully piercing.  And her buttons!  Scott painted the pearls with the perfect sheen and opalescence. 

'Julia' -- Finished Painting

Julia came together beautifully -- bravo to Scott!  For more information on Scott, take a browse through his website: http://www.bartner.nl.

​For any portrait commission inquiries, please contact the gallery directly: info@sloanemerrillgallery.com.

​

Artist Process: Scott Bartner -- Part 2

Next step -- the first layers of color!  You can see the flesh tones bringing life to Julia's face, especially with the subtle rosiness to her cheeks.  Scott is a master of contrast and shadow, however slight, allowing her nose and chin to become much more dimensional.  Our favorite element of Scott's work is easily the draw of his eyes!  He creates figures with captivating eyes that bring the viewer right to the sitter or model.

Scott Bartner, 'Julia' -- First layer of colors.

Check back next week for Scott's progress on Julia!  For any portrait commission inquiries, please contact the gallery directly: info@sloanemerrillgallery.com.

Artist Process: Scott Bartner -- Part 1

The artist's process: exciting, agonizing, exhausting, and fulfilling. 

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be showing you an exclusive look at how Netherlands-based portrait painter Scott Bartner constructs one of his astonishing pieces.  Meet Julia, she's currently an underpainting or grisaille.  

Scott Bartner, 'Julia' - Underpainting

We love seeing the inner workings of Scott's process and know you will as well! 

Next image soon enough...

Beacon Hill Seminars: Object, Manner, and Means: The Rebirth of Representational Painting

For seven Wednesdays, starting February 6, 2013, Ali will be orchestrating a lecture series through Beacon Hill Seminars.  To quote the Beacon Hill Seminars website, this is a great organization composed of people 

“who have a vigorous interest in continuing their intellectual growth. It is dedicated to a concept of learning with and from peers. Members of Beacon Hill Seminars create, participate in, or lead a diverse group of courses designed to follow a seminar format of small group discussions and learning.”
— Beacon Hill Seminars

Gregory Prestegord, 'Green Door', 35.5 x 37, Oil on Panel.

Here's the rundown on the course:

Aristotle used three terms to delve into the meaning of representation: object, manner, and means. Applying these terms to the twenty-first century painter, one might have a vibrant, pulsating city as the object, the desire to capture this vantage in a distinctive realist style as the manner, and a fresh palette of Winsor and Newton oils as the means. Through representational painting, the artist conjures the electricity and power of a city.

In seven sessions we will share our visual experiences with representational paintings, discuss the current reengagement with realism taking place in the art world, and hear from experts whose passions range from the techniques of the Dutch Masters to the camera obscura and from John Singer Sargent to the use of the iPhone 5 in capturing images for painting.

Expect several prominent guest lecturers and at least one excursion as the seminar advances. Open minds and spirited conversationalists desired.

James Welu, Director Emeritus of the Worcester Art Museum, has the unique perspective of someone who trained as a studio artist before entering the world of art history and eventually specializing in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art. With many con-temporary representational painters focusing on the aesthetics and skills of the Dutch Masters, Jim will share his knowledge of the period and its immortal marks on the production of art. 

David H. Lowrey, 'Vermeer's Studio c. 1667', Oil on Canvas.

David Lowrey, Fenway Studios artist, preserves the tradition of Boston’s finest realists – Benson, Paxton and Tarbell – through traditional painting. David has built working models for the camera obscura, which he employs in his creative process and we will experience during his guest lecture focused on the enduring techniques of artists past. 

Joseph McGurl, a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art, has been referred to as one of the acknowledged leaders in the current American landscape school.  Joseph's paintings are often seen in relationship to the great 19th century luminist painters but with a thoroughly modern approach to style and subject.  For him, the process, rather than the product is the most important part of a painting.  Rather than relying on photography, this method gives him the freedom to create paintings based on his imagination, memory, and his sketches. 

Joseph McGurl, 'Last Light, Winter', 19 x 33, Oil on Canvas.

Gregory Prestegord, a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and youngest artist featured at Sloane Merrill Gallery, will discuss his desire to paint real visual experiences and his elaborate use of the iPhone camera as a tool. Be prepared for a studio demonstration in the gallery.

Gregory Prestegord, 'Spring Garden Ridge', 16.5 x 24, Oil on Panel.

Ali Ringenburg has a strong commitment to the tradition of representational work and the artistic profession. Before opening her gallery, she worked with Nashville-based interdisciplinary artist Adrienne Outlaw, at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, and most recently was the director at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. She holds a BA in art and art history and English literature from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

For more information on how to get involved with Beacon Hill Seminars, please visit their website.  Seminars are open to all Beacon Hill Seminars members.  Registration closes Wednesday, January 16th.  We are so looking forward to hosting the seminar!

Our Newest Artist: Mary Sauer!

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the gallery: Mary Sauer!  Mary graduated from BYU, has taken classes at the Art Student's League in New York and The Grand Central Academy of Art, and apprenticed with William Whitaker.  Mary had a big 2012 -- she won "Best of Show" at The Portrait Society of America's International Portrait Competition, was featured on the cover of the August Issue of American Art Collector Magazine, and was named one of Southwest Art Magazine's "21 Under 31" Artists.  Expect to see Mary's work in the gallery before Christmas!

Here's what Mary has to say about her work:

"I believe there is beauty in every form which can be translated to the canvas by showing it as it appears naturally.  This pushes me to achieve representational color harmony, proportion, and value relationships via a traditional approach to oil painting."

A Wonderful Addition: Justin Hess!

We are excited to announce the addition of Justin Hess to our roster of artists at SMG! Justin studied and then taught at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy and recently relocated back to his home state of California after six years abroad. We are captivated by his paintings -- they will be arriving in the gallery in the next two weeks!

Take a look at Justin's work and background on our website: Justin Hess.