still life masters

I could study these paintings every day for the rest of my life yet still see something new to appreciate and discover. They are a masterclass in composition, color, texture and beauty. How a few simple objects can transform into a masterpiece.

still life with self portrait ~ emil carlsen

still life of cooking utensils, cauldron, casserole and eggs ~ jean baptiste simeon chardin, 1733-1734

still life with pepper and carrot ~ william merritt chase, 1900

still life ~ henri matisse

still life with teapot and fruit ~ henri rousseau

still life ~ julian alden weir, 1902-1905

still life with apples ~ paul cezanne, 1879

still life with apples and pears ~ gustave courbet, 1871

still life ~ giorgio morandi, 1925

still life with pears ~ vincent van gogh, 1888

still life in green ~ helene schjerfbeck, 1930

still life ~ camille pissarro, 1867

still life with nautilus cup (detail) ~ willem kalf, 1662

still life glass, silver goblet and cup of champagne ~ henri fantin latour, 1871

still life with china vase, copper pot, an apple and a bunch of grapes ~ william merritt chase

kitchen still life ~ william scott, 1948

brass kettle with porcelain coffe pot ~ emi carlsen, 1910

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reawaken

“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden

William Merritt Chase, 1893

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november

Sixty Years Later I Notice, Inside A Flock Of Blackbirds,

the Venetian blinds
I dusted off

for my mother on
Saturday mornings,

closing, opening them
with the pull cord a few

times just to watch the outside
universe keep blinking,

as the flock suddenly
rises from November stubble,

hovers a few seconds,
closing, opening,

blinking, before it tilts,
then vanishes over a hill.

by David Allan Evans

 Two Birds by M.C. Escher, 1938

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autumnal brushstrokes

A glorious mosaic of gold, orange, and red carpets the green grass of summer…brilliant colors, shapes, and textures only nature could provide…somehow, with each passing year, the transition becomes more beautiful…may these brilliant paintings, with their autumnal brushstrokes, offer you a vibrant echo of the season

Orange, Red, Black ~ Esteban Vicente, 1962

Fruit sur la Tapis Rouge ~ Pierre Bonnard, 1943

Three Red Apples ~ Gustave Courbet, 1871

Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red ~ Mark Rothko, 1949

Red Ridge ~ Wolf Kahn, 2013

Bouquet de Roses D’Inde ~ Bernard Cathelin

Red Across ~ Esteban Vicente, 1996

La Jatte de Citrons ~ Guy Bardone

Bold Color ~ Wolf Kahn, 2011

Orange Downpour ~ Helen Frankenthaier, 1970

Gray, Orange, Black and Red ~ Wolf Kahn, 2013

Bright Orange with Green ~ Peter Joseph, 1988

In the Red Room ~ Edouard Vuillard, 1905

Ochre and Red on Red ~ Mark Rothko, 1954

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painted skies

Expressive skies as seen through the eyes of some of my favorite artists…

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Detail from The Roofs of Paris ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Wind Swept Sands, Shinnecock, Long Island ~ William Merritt Chase, 1894

Le Havre, Stormy Skies over the Estuary ~ Eugene Boudin, 1894

Wooded Plateau, Fontainebleau ~ Camille Corot, 1835-1840

French Coastal Scene ~ Charles-Francois Daubigny, 1868

Clouds ~ Fyodor Vasilyev

Cabasson Landscape (study) ~ Henri-Edmond Cross, 1896-1899

Above the Clouds ~ Georgia O’Keeffe, 1962-1963

In the Patio VIII ~ Georgia O’Keeffe, 1950

Hanging the Laundry out to Dry ~ Berthe Morisot, 1875

Mountain Mist ~ Albert Bierstadt

Fontainebleau, Storm over the Plains ~ Camille Corot, 1822

Seascape Near Trouville ~ Gustave Courbet

Sky Study ~ Edgar Degas, 1869

Farm Scene ~ John Henry Twatchman, 1888-1891

The Roofs of Paris ~ Vincent Van Gogh, 1886

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Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with love, joy and beauty!

A village in winter ~ Marc Chagall, 1930

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the sea

“Long before we saw the sea, its spray was on our lips, and showered salt rain upon us.” ~ Charles Dickens

The Beach at Trouville at Low Tide ~ Gustave Courbet, 1865

Seascape ~ John Singer Sargent, 1875

Note in Blue and Opal ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1884

Sailing boats ~ Mikalojus Ciurlionis, 1906

The Beach at Trouville at Low Tide ~ Gustave Courbet, 1865

The Coast of Bellangenay ~ Paul Gauguin

The Coast of Brittany, Fishing Boats ~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1878

A Fishing Boat at Sea ~ Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Shoreham Bay near Brighton ~ John Constable, 1824

The Porte d’Amont, Etretat ~ Eugene Delacroix, 1849

Seascape near Fecamp ~ Claude Monet, 1881

Great Sea ~ Maxime Maufra

Bathing Posts ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1893

Symphony in Grey and Green: The Ocean ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1866-1872

The sea at the Mouth of the Ebro ~ M.C. Escher, 1922

Low Tide at Grandcamp ~ Georges Seurat, 1885

Violet and Silver – The Deep Sea ~ James McNeill Whistler, 1893

Standing off Deauville ~ Eugene Boudin, 1886

Coastal landscape ~ Paul Gauguin, 1886

The Gulf of Marseille seen from L’Estaque ~ Paul Cezanne, 1885

The Wave ~ Gustave Courbet, 1871

Cliffs of Etretat ~ Gustave Loiseau, 1902

The Sea ~ Eflm Volkov

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art in bloom

Let’s celebrate the summer solstice with art in bloom!

Happy weekend!

Nude gathering Flowers ~ Pablo Picasso, 1958

Gaspe Pink Sky ~ Milton Avery, 1940

Tulips and Statuettes ~ Edouard Vuillard, 1919

Peonies ~ William Merritt Chase, 1897

Dutch Tulips ~ Karen Tusinski

The Park on the Caillebotte Property at Yerres ~ Gustave Caillebotte, 1875

A Vase of Roses ~ Vincent van Gogh, 1890

The Flower Picker ~ John William Waterhouse, 1895

Too Blue ~ Karen Tusinski

Roses under the Trees ~ Gustav Klimt, 1905

Woman in a Blue Apron and Straw Hat, Picking a Spray of Flowers ~ Henri Martin, 1919

Flowers in front of a Window ~ Henri Matisse, 1922

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spring cleaning

For a few mornings now, I’ve been serenaded by the sweet sound of baby Robins…their masterful nest sits just outside my bedroom window, atop a sturdy old branch in the Magnolia tree…what a priceless gift to be given! This miraculous event has inspired me to re-read the one and only Walden by Henry David Thoreau…as I slowly savor his words, filled with infinite wisdom and unparalleled insights, I find myself sharing my new found discovery with him…a timeless companion if you will, elevating my experience with his ever-present eyes and ears…

It is with his voice in the forefront of my mind that I’d like to share with you one of my favorite excerpts from Walden…it’s quite possibly the most profound description of spring cleaning and outdoor living I’ve ever come across! Wishing you a wonderful spring weekend!

“Housework was a pleasant pastime. When my floor was dirty, I rose early, and, setting all my furniture out of doors on the grass, bed and bedstead making but one budget, dashed water on the floor, and sprinkled white sand from the pond on it, and then with a broom scrubbed it clean and white; and by the time the villagers had broken their fast the morning sun had dried my house sufficiently to allow me to move in again, and my meditations were almost uninterrupted. It was pleasant to see my whole household effects out on the grass, making a little pile like a gypsy’s pack, and my three-legged table, from which I did not remove the books and pen and ink, standing amid the pines and hickories. They seemed glad to get out themselves, and as if unwilling to be brought in. I was sometimes tempted to stretch an awning over them and take my seat there. It was worth the while to see the sun shine on these things, and hear the free wind blow on them; so much more interesting most familiar objects look out of doors than in the house. A bird sits on the next bough, life-everlasting grows under the table, and the blackberry vines run round its legs; pine cones, chestnut burs, and strawberry leaves are strewn about. It looked as if this was the way these forms came to be transferred to our furniture, to tables, chairs and bedsteads, – because they once stood in their midst.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, excerpt from Walden

Top ~ In the Woods by Paul Cezanne, 1900

Bottom ~ In the Woods by Paul Cezanne, 1898

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a spring day

Henry David Thoreau

1855

April 15, 9 A.M. – To Atkin’s boat-house.

No sun till setting. Another still, moist, overcast day, without sun, but all day a crescent of light, as if breaking away in the north. The waters smooth and full of reflections. A still cloudy day like this is perhaps the best to be on the water. To the clouds, perhaps, we owe both the stillness and the reflections, for the light is in great measure reflected from the water. Robins sing now at 10 A.M. as in the morning, and the phoebe; and pigeon woodpecker’s cackle is heard, and many martins (with white-bellied swallows) are skimming and twittering above the water, perhaps catching the small fuzzy gnats with which the air is filled. The sounds of church bells, at various distances, in Concord and the neighboring towns, sounds very sweet to us on the water this still day. It is the song of the villages heard with the song of the birds.

Three Trees in Spring ~ Claude Monet, 1891

Spring ~ Pablo Picasso, 1956

The Cascade in Spring ~ John Henry Twachtman, 1890-1899

Pasture in Bloom ~ Vincent van Gogh, 1887

The first flowers ~ Paul Gauguin, 1888

“Cool” Series No. 80, Impatient Spring ~ Perle Fine, 1963

Spring at Catou ~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1872-1873

Melikhovo at spring ~ Isaac Levitan

Dark and Deep ~ Wolf Kahn

Trees by the Water ~ Paul Cezanne, 1900

Lake, Spring ~ Isaac Levitan, 1898

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