Spring & Things

Fine Art:

The next solo exhibit opportunity I have is quickly approaching! My artwork will be up for the entire month of July in the Elaine Biondi Gallery Space at the public library of Monroeville, PA, which is an East Hills suburb of Pittsburgh. July was not my choice, and is probably one of the worst months to have a solo exhibit at a library, of all places. But sometimes the best results come from unexpected circumstances. If it’s anything like the solo exhibits I’ve had at local libraries during better times of the year, I’ll be happy— a few sales and plenty of great feedback. Here is a view of my recent solo exhibit at a nice library in Mt. Lebanon, PA, along with a new oil painting from that exhibit that was quickly purchased by a collector who once lived in London.

I am delayed in my preparation for this latest solo exhibit however because I am waiting to hear if pieces I submitted to regional exhibits were accepted. Those exhibits take place in July as well. This happens every winter and spring— multiple exhibit opportunities on overlapping dates that force me to decide which originals to put into which exhibits.

History:

My thousands of...(okay, four) readers of this blog may know that I’m an Anglophile. Earlier in spring I bought and binged the first season of “Wolf Hall” (2015), in preparation for the second season, which is called “The Mirror and the Light”. It began airing in early April here in the U.S. After the first episode, I found a great U.K. website called “Den of Geek” which had clever and very engaging reviews of every episode. I enjoyed reading them each morning after the weekly episode. Afterward, I’d re-watch it on PBS.org.

Unfortunately, probably because of time constraints, I think we, here in the States, get slightly edited versions of shows like this. The U.K. website reviews mentioned some of the great lines Mark Rylance’s Cromwell had, but they weren’t in the U.S. versions of the episodes I watched. Believe me, I double and triple checked. Maybe it’s all the more reason to get the DVDs. Anyway, as of this writing, I am going through a bit of Wolf Hall withdrawal because season two (and the series) are now over, and it was fantastic.

I loved the feel of the dark, candlelit scenes against the old stone interiors with carved wooden furniture, and rich textures. And the costumes were amazing too. And or course the exterior of the tower played a big supporting role in some scenes. Hard to realize how ominous that structure was in those days when we see it dwarfed by all the modern buildings of today. Below are some of my shots of the final London residence of Cromwell, Thomas More, Anne Boleyn and so many others.

I didn’t read the historical fiction books Wolf Hall was based on, but the way Cromwell was portrayed and the endearing performance of Mark Rylance in the series almost made me forget what a rotten scoundrel Cromwell was, and how much I dislike him. It was also interesting to see what parts of the series were true to history. Historian Lucy Worsley mentioned on a PBS podcast during the series’ run that she didn’t understand why people ask her if films like Wolf Hall are historically accurate. She said we watch films like this for a good story and good performances, not historical facts. If you want to know what really happened, then watch a documentary or read a history book.

Speaking of docs and books, the end of Catholic England is a subject I find sad and fascinating at the same time. If you do too, I recommend you read the book “A Little History of the English Country Church” by Roy Strong. It tells the sad story of how the rural people (which was much of the population at the time) were affected by what Henry and Cromwell started. And they were just the start. What followed after H finally croaked was much much worse.

For a fine art perspective on the Tudor period watch Waldemar Januszczak’s film “Holbein: Eye of the Tudors”. Why are we so interested in Tudor England? Because of Holbein! His detailed portraits of all those people brings that period to life for us.

Below are two books I have of Holbein’s art. The reproductions in the one on the right are much better quality because the book is a catalogue to an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and the images were shot from the original drawings in the Royal Collection.

When you really look at Holbein’s drawings and paintings, you realize that his drawings give a deeper and perhaps more true look into what his subjects were really like. The drawings are a teeny tiny bit looser than the final finished oil paintings, so more of the sitters personality seems to come through.

Winter & Things

Fine Art:

As I try to decide what regional and national juried fine art exhibits to enter this year, I wanted to share a few little landscapes I recently completed. All depict the English Countryside, and all are from my photos which I shot while  on walking holidays there (Gloucestershire to be exact.)

Landscapes aren’t really my best subject matter, but I did these partially for fun, and partially for a permanent loan to a family member who wanted more pieces to accompany another larger landscape they have which I also painted. All of them are below in situ. The small one on the top left is actually a print on canvas of an original oil I did years back which sold shortly after I painted it. The large one is another I painted from my British photos and shows a scenic view of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

I had so much fun working on these landscapes, that I decided to start  another one from my archive of British holiday reference shots. This new one will feature a dramatic sky over Wiltshire.

Other than that I am always coming up with ideas for the next few Christmas-themed images I can create. I will use those on future printed Christmas cards I design for my wife and I to send out. Below on the left is the one from Christmas 2024. I did this one in pastel. As usual I had a better idea for it after it went to print, so I created the one on the right in conte and watercolor pencil, then used it for social media.

History:

Sometimes people will ask me if I listen to music while I paint. I always tell them it depends on how the work is going and what stage I am on in the process. But most often, what I listen to are podcasts. History podcasts. Right now my favorites are The History Extra podcast (from BBC History magazine) and one called Not Just the Tudors. I learn all kind of stuff listening to the likes of Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Dan Snow, Tracy Borman, and others. I get so interested in some of the subjects of these podcasts that I buy the books they sometimes discuss. Below are some great books I’ve been enjoying as a result of listening to the podcasts. A couple of them are catalogs to exhibitions which I never had the chance to see in person. Those are the ones I value the most!

Graphic Design:

I continue to be busy this new year with all of my graphic design clients asking me for work. At this writing, I am in the second of a three month long project for the largest of them. This is the next phase of a project I successfully completed for them last summer. Thankful for them and every opportunity I get to expand on my recent years of ad agency experience. I like to say, I offer clients ad agency experience minus the ad agency attitudes! I’m always doing graphic design stuff on my own too. Below is a poster I created for fun that is a tip of the cap to those old British travel posters you come across sometimes.

I designed and created this using one of my shots while on holiday over there. Are you sensing a pattern here??

Postcard From Britain - Blenheim Palace

There is only one thing better than spending vacation time in an art museum, and that is visiting a great country house in England. Natural beauty, history, architectural delights, and fine art abound in those places and Blenheim Palace certainty has all of those features. To me, locations like this, not a tropical beach, are paradise. 

Some background first: from roughly the 13th through the 19th centuries, Britain was at odds with France and its allies. In the first years of the 1700s, the two countries were at war yet again. A decisive battle was fought that went in favor of the British — the battle of Blenheim, fought on German soil. Leading that battle was British General John Churchill. His service to his country won him the thanks of a grateful monarch in the form of a huge piece of land and the subsidies to have a grand house built on it. Today we know it as Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire — home to the Dukes of Marlborough, of which John Churchill was the first.

Blenheim was created as, and remains to this day, both an enormous war memorial and a private home.

When you enter the Blenheim Palace grounds from the streets of Woodstock you go through a triumphal arch gateway that was commissioned by John Churchill’s wife, first Duchess, Sarah Churchill. The gateway is a memorial to her husband and was built about 20 or so years after his all too early death. She really wanted us to remember him, so she commissioned memorials for future generations of visitors.

The inscription on the top (of the side facing the town of Woodstock) reads: “This gate was built the year after the death of the most illustrious John, Duke of Marlborough, by order of Sarah his most beloved wife, to whom he left the sole direction of the many things that remained unfinished of this fabric. The services of this great man to his country the pillar will tell you which the Duchess has erected for a lasting monument of his glory and her affection to him. 1723”.

The “pillar” Sarah referenced in the gate inscription is a large triumphal column she had built a good distance away from, but directly in line with the front entrance of Blenheim Palace itself. It resembles Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square. It too serves notice of the great service to England done by the first Duke. He stands on top, clad in classic Roman garb (all the rage in memorials to deceased leaders of the time). Here are a few of my shots of the pillar...

In walking back from the pillar to the palace there are many beautiful scenes. Below is my very raw shot (taken late the second day we spent there) on a walk back from the pillar. This became my reference for my oil painting of the great bridge with the palace off in the distance. The design and construction of the great bridge, and how it dovetailed with the rest of Blenheim park is a story for another post but, one can find many pleasing compositions to capture in this particular part of the grounds. I could almost not wait to get back home to paint it!

European politics and foreign relations being what they were, it was a big deal for the English to defeat the French. The British monarchy were great for pounding their chests in the wake of their victories, and Blenheim Palace is somewhat about that too. The image below shows an example - a sculptural detail on top of a double column in the main courtyard at Blenheim. A close look shows that the Lion, (symbol of England) is mauling and about to devour a cockerel bird (symbol of France at the time).

From this position, if you turn to your right, you see the main body of Blenheim Palace. It is similar to standing in front of the Vatican, in that the main structure sits in front of you, and you are hugged by two wings on each side.

Blenheim continues to be used as a backdrop for many films and television series. My favorites being an episode of Lewis, and of course the very last scene in the series finale of Endeavour (on PBS and Prime here in the states). A fantastic and fitting final scene to that great series!

When you go into the main entrance of Blenheim Palace you find yourself in a beautiful open space which establishes the awesome surroundings and splendor of the interior. Original and reproduced, captured French battle standards of the vanquished French armies are displayed in various rooms.

Aside from marveling at the fact that for centuries this entire place was a private residence, the great thing about seeing the interior of a place like Blenheim Palace is the ability to see a private collection of fine art. Pieces that you will almost never see in public museums. Art that has been in a family for many generations and remains in situ always seems extra special to me.

In a section off to the right of the main hall hangs an impressively huge oil painting of the first Duke, John Churchill and his family. Sitting on a table in front of the painting is a beautiful silver sculpture.

The sculpture is actually a dining table centerpiece that was used in many formal dinners hosted by the various Marlboroughs throughout the centuries. It depicts the moment a victorious General John Churchill sends what is known as his “Blenheim dispatch”. Basically after leading the British to victory in the battle of Blenheim, in Germany, he takes a moment to write to his wife Sarah, saying something like “… tell the Queen she has had a great victory at Blenheim.” Below are a couple details of the sculpture. This scene is immortalized throughout Blenheim Palace in paintings, sculptures, and tapestries.

The interior of Blenheim palace is as beautiful as the countryside surrounding it. One of my favorite rooms is the red drawing room.

In this opulent room hangs a portrait by one of my favorite artists of all time, John Singer Sargent. It depicts the dour 9th Duke of Marlborough and his not so loving bride, the multi-million dollar American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, along with their children (the heir and the spare).

John Singer Sargent was such a sublime talent that his gentrified sitters allowed him to depict them however he pleased. In this painting Sargent cunningly puts the 9th Duke a step down giving us the impression that if he were to step up, he would be the same height as the lovely Duchess.

In reality, she was much taller than he was. It was probably fairly radical in those days to depict the lady above the gentleman in a formal portrait like this, but Sargent was given the freedom to do it. He was a master of composition along with every other aspect painting.

By the way, many people think that the popular Downton Abbey series was based on the real life family at Highclere castle. While Highclere was the location used (and has been cashing in on that), the actual characters and story Julian Fellowes created were inspired by the late 19th century families at Blenheim, especially Consuelo Vanderbilt. Anyway, the red drawing room is just one of many amazing rooms holding treasures to marvel at while on a visit to Blenheim. I’ll share other locations in a future post.

Historic sites like Blenheim are just one reason I love to visit the U.K. If you geek out on British history and enjoy exploring great British houses as much as I do, maybe check out Julie Montagu’s YouTube channel “American Viscountess”. I recently saw on her Instagram that she will be doing an episode on Blenheim Palace very soon. Cheers!

Postcards From Summer Exhibit

Here are a few postcards from the CrossCurrents regional fine art exhibit a few months back. This was before my recent shoulder surgery that made everything in general a little more complicated.

The Stifel Fine Arts Center was a former private home built in 1910 and sits just south of Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia. The center is part of Oglebay Institute and engages more than 13,000 people each year with a full calendar of fun events.

This was the 43rd year for the CrossCurrents fine art exhibit and my first time displaying oil paintings there. Both pieces I entered were accepted. Pretty nice considering one of them was my first landscape painting in over a decade.

The next stop for both of my paintings will be my solo exhibit in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania in October.

Lorenzo De Medici drawing

Here is a recent drawing I did from one of the many reference photos of busts and sculptures I shot on trips to the National Gallery in Washington D.C. This is Lorenzo De Medici (Magnifico).

I Used Generals 2B charcoal pencil on this crazy paper that looks like canvas, but feels like plastic. I got the paper at the ad agency I used to work for. It was on a pile of sample pieces of paper that a sales rep had dropped off years before. It was going to be thrown in the trash, so I salvaged it. Really tough to get a wide variety of values with it, but sometimes that can be good since all you need is three values for an effective drawing.

Sometime I will draw directly from sculptures while in a museum, but I always shoot reference anyway. When shooting reference like this in a museum, never get up close, and preferably don’t use your phone. The image gets skewed too much I feel. The right way to shoot sculpture busts is by doing what good portrait photographers do— stand back as far as you can and use a long zoom lens to bring your subject in close.

The lens I use is 210mm, but you don't need to be that far away. Another tip is to try to include something in the frame that you know to be true, like the edge of a wall or doorway to the next gallery. That way you have a plumb line of sorts to guide you when processing and straightening the image as needed before drawing it.

Lorenzo De Medici was loved by some, hated by many, and ruled late 14th century Florence like a mafioso at time when the city was losing influence to Rome. But dammit he kept bread prices low for the working class! His family home is now a police station, which is probably why our tour guide wouldn’t take us inside.