At Home with Art

"Nympheas en fleur"
Claude Monet, 1915

In case you haven't heard, Christie's auction of David Rockefeller's magnificent art collection just broke all records as the biggest single-owner sale ever held at auction.  On May 8, 2018, a collection of forty four sculptures and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries went for a whopping $646 Million (and the entire proceeds will go to charity).  And this was just the first group to be auctioned! The Monet waterlillies pictured above triggered a fourteen minute bidding war, and brought $84.7 Million. The winner was a telephone bidder--I can't stop wondering who it was.

Monet and Juan Gris in hallway at Hudson Pines

But more intriguing to me than the auction prices is the thought of these masterpieces hanging in the Rockefeller's homes over the years. The waterlillies hung over the staircase at Hudson Pines, the Rockefeller home in Westchester County, NY. Can you imagine walking by this painting every day on your way up and down the stairs??!

Picasso's "Young Girl with a Flower Basket", 1905
Photo courtesy of Christie's

Another masterpiece, Picasso's "Young Girl with a Flower Basket", used to hang in David Rockefeller's library, in his Manhattan townhouse. This one has a fascinating history. It was in the collection of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein--major figures in avant-garde Paris of the early 20th century--who often hosted the likes of Hemingway, Matisse and Picasso in their home. When the collection became available

Across the Ages

Rodin with his collection of ancient sculpture, c. 1910

In "Combining Two Loves", I wrote about Auguste Rodin's affinity for ancient Greek sculpture. Visiting the Rodin Museum in Paris, one can see clearly the influence of the ancients on Rodin's own work. Rodin assembled his own collection of Greco Roman forms and fragments, which he kept close at hand for inspiration. In fact, the way that Rodin drew from the  ancients to create a completely modern genre was one of my strongest impressions from the museum. I can't articulate my reaction with perfect clarity, but I can say that my heart and mind leapt up when I saw how a creative genius like Rodin was able to grasp the souls of great work by early masters, and embody them in a revolutionary new work that is entirely his own. 

Left: Parthenon
Right: Rodin

When I visited the Rodin Museum, I scribbled down this quote from Rodin: "I have built a collection of mutilated gods and ancient sculptures. I spend time with them and they

Announcing Maggie Siner Master Class 2018

13 x 10, oil on linen
(c) Maggie Siner 2016

Exciting news--the calendar is set for Maggie Siner's painting workshop in France this summer! We will be painting in Provence from July 21 to July 28, 2018.  You can check out the details here. 

Farm with Black Hedge
11 x 17, Oil on Linen
(c) Maggie Siner 2016

We will be staying in the tiny hamlet of Les Bassacs, nestled in the heart of the Luberon. Far from the tourist crowds, we will explore sweeping countryside vistas, ancient perched villages, agricultural fields, and even Roman ruins. Maggie used to live in this area, and she has a native's grasp of the landscape. She has scouted out the painting locations that are

Driveritis

"Sloop Chapel"
12 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

Are you familiar with the ailment "driver-itis"? It's a very common affliction among plein air painters. It is characterized by an incessant driving around, looking for the perfect spot to paint. If you have a severe case of driver-itis, you might drive for hours, constantly thinking the the "right" spot is just around the corner. In the end, you don't get any painting done, and you spend the whole day in your car.

You may think this is funny, but it's true! I recently traveled to the North Carolina mountains to participate in a Paint Out to benefit The Crossnore School & Children's Home. Unlike some of the painters, I do not have a home in the mountains, and I am not very familiar with

Preview the "Small Gems"!

A patient supported by Arts for Life

Thursday's the big day: the official start of my Sixth Annual SMALL GEMS benefit sale. I am very excited about this year's collection, and wanted to offer my blog readers a sneak preview. The Gems are my favorite small paintings, specially selected and priced for holiday gift-giving. You can see all of the Gems on my website here. To purchase, just click the "Contact the Artist" link at the bottom of the artwork page, and I will respond. Prices start at $150. Nothing makes a house a home like original art--and the Gems benefit a special cause. See details in italics at end of post.

This year's beneficiary will once again be Arts for Life. I have considered many options, but honestly none touch my heart the way that Arts for Life does. My personal experience working on art projects with a young cancer patient has left a lasting mark on me, and I am thrilled to have found an organization whose mission is to bring the arts to kids in the hospital. I could not say it better than their logo does: "Inspiring Courage through Creativity"!

Half the price of every Gem sold before December 25 will go to Arts for Life. We know that arts projects help make long days in the hospital seem shorter, and give young patients something to look forward to. In addition, evidence suggests that art actually exerts a healing power, Arts for Life is positioned to bring that power to thousands of young patients. Please join me by participating in the Small Gems sale and bringing a bright spot into the lives of these kids and their families.

If you have friends who may be interested in supporting the cause, please forward this post to them--thanks for sharing!

Design by Barbara Heath

Should you need inspiration for using Small Gems in your home, check out the photos  in this post (one of these is from my own house!). I love the small paintings grouped on the left in the photo above--they play so well with the large abstract piece. It doesn't matter whether your style is traditional or contemporary, elegant or rustic--a Small Gem is a way to make your space sing, and to help bring joy to kids facing serious illness!

Photo from Vogue

This one in my own house!

Decor by Phoebe Howard

Photo from New York Social Diary

Decor by Phoebe Howard

DETAILS: Each sale is "Satisfaction Guaranteed"--if the painting doesn't work in your home, you can return it within 10 days, no problem. Purchasers outside NC--no sales tax, but you pay UPS shipping. Check preferred, but credit card possible. Sizes and prices are on my website, in the description of each painting. Gems are priced with and without frames. I will gift wrap too! Click the "Contact the Artist" link on the artwork page to make a purchase. Thanks!

The Jury's In

Awarded "Best in Show"
(c) Greg Siler

This spring I submitted an entry to "Carolina's Got Art!" (CGA for short)--a juried art show. For the uninitiated, a "juried" show is one in which artists compete to have their work included in the show. There is typically a single juror, who reviews all of the entries and decides which ones make the cut. Because of the dynamics of the process for high profile shows, only a small percentage of entries are selected. 

This year, CGA landed Eliza Rathbone as its juror. Ms. Rathbone is well know in art circles, having been

Backsides

"Artisan Station, Backside"
12 x 9, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell, 2014

Time for a little levity. My painting of the Dilworth Artisan Station (above) was just juried into the "Carolina's Got Art!" salon show. I am thrilled and honored to have a painting accepted into the show. But I know all too well that with thousands of entries to parse through, the juror's decisions can be somewhat random, so I remind myself that it could just have easily gone the other way.

One of the richest comments on my painting came from a colleague with a great sense of humor. (I hesitate to disclose his name, but his initials are Paul Hastings). He said, "Congratulations! You not only got in to the Show---you got in with a painting

Sneak Preview: 2014 "SMALL GEMS"

SMALL GEM: "San Giorgio II"
8 x 16, oil on linen, (c) Lesley Powell 2014

I can't believe that another year has gone by, and I am announcing my Fifth Annual "Small Gems" sale!  I am very thankful for my blog readers, and especially for those of you who take the time to let me know that an occasional post has had a special meaning for you. As a way of saying thanks, I'm giving you this sneak preview of the 2014 Small Gems.

Faithful readers know that I will donate half the sale price of every Small Gem to a favorite charity. This year, the donation will go to

Tree Party

"Tree Amidst the Lavender Fields"
7.5 x 11, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014

Good News! My painting "Tree Amidst the Lavender Fields" has been chosen to be part of the Tree Party juried exhibition, to be held at Ciel Gallery in Charlotte, NC. Many thanks to the juror, Andy Braitman, for selecting my painting for the show! 

It's always a roll of the dice to enter work in a juried competition like this. The juror typically has hundreds or even thousands of images to review in a very short time. As a result, the decisions must be quick and are often arbitrary. I have had far more entries declined over the years than accepted. I always remember the story of a famous artist who had his painting declined

Sorolla

"Maria dressed as Valencian Peasant Girl" (detail)
(c) Sorolla 1906

Meet the greatest Impressionist painter you have never heard of---Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. Sorolla, for short.

"Bathtime, Valencia"
(c) Sorolla, 1909

Sorolla was born in Spain in 1863. His talent was evident early on, and by age 30 his paintings had been in international exhibitions in Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin and Chicago. He won a medal of honor at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900, and was nominated as Knight of the Legion of Honor. Interestingly, though he achieved such great recognition during his lifetime, he is largely lost in obscurity today. I hope that exhiibts such as the current one described below will change that.

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas has mounted a large exhibition of Sorolla's paintings, on view until April. (After that it will travel to San Diego, then to Madrid, Spain). How I wish I could see these paintings! Not only does the show feature a number of Sorolla's masterpieces, it also includes his studies for some of the larger paintings. Now this is what a fellow painter really wants to see--the process behind the masterworks! I quote Rick Bettell, art critic for the Dallas News:

Another canvas, from 1908, Running Along the Beach, is shown alone in a small gallery surrounded by six preparatory drawings, which show how Sorolla rehearsed his gestures and poses before commencing to paint them with such confident élan. These drawings are as fine as any figure drawings of the late 19th century and add a new dimension to our understanding of the artist.

"Running Along the Beach"

(c) Sorolla 1908

Sorolla may be what we call "a painter's painter". If you thumb through any recent issue of Plein Air Magazine, you are likely to find several of today's featured painters who cite Sorolla among their key influences. Such talents as Kevin Macpherson, Richard Oversmith, West Fraser and Marc Hanson all name Sorolla as an influence.

"Garden Grotto, Alcazar de Seville"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

I love the fact that Sorolla painted all sorts of subjects with equal ease and élan. From landscapes to portraits, from peasants to aristocracy, it seems as if he could do anything. And like all greats, he made it look so effortless! But we know from his studies (see above) that much behind the scenes work was done to lay the ground for the bravura strokes that would make the finished painting.

"The Old Man of the Cigarette"
(c) Sorolla 

Perhaps one reason Sorolla has influenced so many of today's plein air painters is his insistence on painting outdoors, from life. I will leave you with a Sorolla quote: "As far as outdoor work is concerned, a studio is only a garage; a place in which to store paintings and repair them, never a place in which to paint them."

"A Street in Granada"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

Special Preview: SMALL GEMS

"Olive Shadows"
8 x 6, Oil on Linen

As a special reward to my faithful blog followers, I am giving you this sneak preview of my 2013 Small Gems sale. Every year I select some of my favorite small works (such as the one above), price them especially for holiday giving, and donate half the proceeds to a charity. This year the donation will go to Levine Children's Hospital, in Charlotte, NC. The contribution will help launch an arts program at the hospital---bringing the power of art to young people who are facing serious illnesses.

Here is a link to the Small Gems collection on my website. I will officially announce the sale later this week.  This post is just a little head start for you, as a way of saying thank you for reading my blog.

While you browse the Gems, remember all the great ways you can use small paintings. Prop them in a bookshelf or on a kitchen counter, incorporate them into a grouping, or put them on easels as tabletop accessories. I especially love to see a little painting hanging low over a table or chest (as in the first photo below). Take a look at these shots for some inspiration! Please see the sale details in italics below.

Photo credit: House Beautiful

Photo Credit: Phoebe Howard

Photo credit: Things that Inspire

Photo Credit: Cote de Texas

Photo credit: Phoebe Howard

DETAILS: Each purchase is "Satisfaction Guaranteed"--if it doesn't work when you see it in person, you can return it within 10 days, no problem. Purchasers outside of NC--no sales tax, but you pay actual UPS shipping. Check preferred, but credit card possible. I will deliver to you upon receipt of your check, and hold the check until you are satisfied. Most (but not all) of the paintings are offered either framed, or unframed, your choice. Sizes and prices are listed on my website in the description of each painting.  A red dot indicates that a painting is SOLD. 

Showcase Invitation

"La Source Cafe"
Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12

"Pont Julien"
Oil on Linen, 7.25 x 15

Just a note for those of you in Charlotte, to let you know that I am participating in the "Sustainer Showcase", sponsored by The Junior League of Charlotte. It's a one day event, to be held Tuesday, November 12. I will be offering a selection of small paintings (including the ones above, fresh off the easel!), as well as some works on paper. Details below. Part of the proceeds will go to A Child's Place, helping homeless children. The Showcase will feature a wide array of enticing items. It promises to be a great way to start your holiday shopping, and help a worthy cause at the same time. Hope you can drop by!

Van Gogh "Repetitions"

"The Postman Joseph Roulin"
Vincent van Gogh, 1889

"The Postman Joseph Roulin"
VIncent van Gogh, 1889

Vincent van Gogh seems to have been a recurring theme in my thoughts over the past few months. Ipreviously posted about several "breaking news" items concerning Van Gogh, including the exhibit at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. Here is link to a review of the exhibit from Fine Art Connoisseur, which I wanted to share with you.

The exhibit is focused on Van Gogh's "Repeitions"--scenes that he painted multiple times, each time with subtle variations. I love the idea of studying these repetitions, and I always wonder what makes us revisit the same subject over and over. Is it a desire to explore the subject more deeply? A wish to make a better painting of it than the time before? The realization that the subject is entirely different in a different season, a different light, or different time of day?

I like to paint in series, and yet I often like my very first painting of the series better than the ones that follow. Perhaps it is something about the freshness of the discovery that makes the first painting sing. The excitement of discovery can be an elusive quality for me to recapture in subsequent paintings of the same subject. That's why I like to vary the composition or point of view.

I appreciated what the review said about this. It noted that the degree of spontaneity helped the curators identify which were the first paintings in the series, and which were the repetitions: "The spontaneity found in the [first] painting pointed to its being the first rendition, while the more controlled execution in the Phillip's street scene designates it as the repetition." I hope to visit the exhibition and see for myself.