Hit or Miss

By Tony Bianco
Professional Visual Artist
Medium: Oil
Orillia, Ontario
Canada
Tony Bianco Fine Art
Bianco Red Easel Gallery

Cape Breton Highlands National Park had been in my mind for weeks before our arrival.  The rugged coast and mountainous terrain beckoned me to paint them.  Our arrival on a sunny afternoon had me sure that this place would be all that I hoped it would be.  We set up our camp and explored a bit, and then retired for the evening.

The next morning dawned wet and cold.  No matter, I thought and set out anyway.  As the rain intensified, I began to look for locations where I could paint under the hatch of my van.  After an hour of searching, I finally settled on working next to a fish plant where I could park and paint protected from the deluge that was now pouring out of the sky. 

As I set up my palette, I watched the fishermen coming in and out of the small harbour.  Thinking myself akin to them, I could identify -  especially today - with a life of hit or miss, and being dependant on the forces of nature.  I continued to ponder the similarities between the fishermen and myself while I painted for a good part of the morning.  Boats began to fill the harbor as the morning’s catch was brought in.  The once quiet dock became a bustle of activity, with trucks backing in and out, forklifts loading and unloading and hordes of gulls feeding on the bits and pieces leftover.  Gull droppings interspersed the rains.  Occasionally they landed with an annoying splat! onto the hatch of the van and the wharf around me, sometimes dangerously close.   The painting hadn’t been going particularly well, and I began to become distracted by the activity, not to mention the fishermen who began to notice me and watch over my shoulder.  Some came back several times to check my progress.  As the piece got worse and worse, I began to ignore it and spent more time talking to the fishermen.  I decided to try my theory about how similar we were.

World Tour of Contemporary Landscape Artists

TWO INTERNATIONALLY-KNOWN ARTISTS' ORGANIZATIONS have joined resources and talents to bring you a new kind of art exhibition. Landscape Artists International and International Plein Air Painters are both dedicated to promoting the art and careers of landscape painters around the globe. Now, possibly for the first time, artists themselves have organized a world tour that will exist simultaneously on the World Wide Web and in a series of international brick-and-mortar venues. We are excited about this new undertaking. We invite you to learn more about the tour and the participating artists on these pages, and then make plans to see the works in person at a venue near you.

About the World Tour
Exhibition Artists 

NOTE:  We want to CONGRATULATE Red Easel Artist KARL ERIC LEITZEL who is participating in this World Tour Exhibition:

Karl Eric Leitzel
Founder, LAI
Professional Visual Artist
Published & Award Winning
Medium: Oil, Acrylic
Spring Mills, Pennsylvania
USA
Karl Eric Leitzel Fine Art Gallery
Leitzel Red Easel Gallery

Leitzel, is founder and director of Landscape Artists International, has been painting for most of his fifty years. After concentrating on the wildlife art genre during the 1990s, he now focuses mostly on the landscape, working both in the studio and en plein air. He works primarily in oils. "My style varies from impressionistic to highly detailed. While I usually have a clear concept in mind when I begin a piece, I try to let the developing painting guide me toward its final outcome. The interactive process between painter and painting is always a fascinating one."

Click on the image above of the "Upcoming Exhibitions" to see the schedule of the 2008-2009 Tour. 

Finding Your Mark

By Christopher Schink
THE PALETTE MAGAZINE #25
March/April 2008

"I'd like to do one of those" is the natural response of most painters when they first feel the urge to learn to paint.  Early in our careers, all of us have come upon a painting that we wished we had done and that we hoped we could someday duplicate.  We find ourselves attracted to a particular artist with an appealing style that inspires us to take up the pursuit of painting.

In time we usually distance ourselves (or outgrow) these early influences.  we find new inspiration and discover other ways to work.  We explore and experiment, and eventually, if we're lucky or work hard (or both), we develop a way to think and paint that is identifiably our own.

Nevada artist Valerie Cohen has taken that journey, progressing from enthusiastic beginner to a skilled and knowledgeable artist with a mature, distinctive style.  Although the early influences on her painting style are still visible, the results are uniquely her own.  In this article, she describes her journey with humor, insight, and candor.

(The above painting is "Topo Map #3 - Blue Sage" by Valerie Cohen, 30x22 Mixed Media)

Gallery Show for Susan Vaughn

Join Susan Vaughn, Editor of Red Easel, for a one-artist gallery show at Chasen Galleries in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, May 17th from 1-5 pm.   Susan, a professional visual artist in oils will be exhibiting her available works and will be at the show to meet and greet collectors and fine art enthusiasts.  Join her this Saturday in Charlotte.

Juried Art Services - Get to Know Them!

Have you heard about Juried Art Services?  It is a great place for visual artists to go and find current juried competitions and shows, and most are prize worthy.  A bit about Juried Art Services:

They created the world's first and most advanced Digital Jurying TM and application system, beginning in 2000 with the Smithsonian Craft Show. Now when jurors view the work they have all the accompanying descriptions and dimensions always available to them. Because they are self-paced, jurors have the time they need to properly review each application. The artist controls the layout of the works and sees exactly what the jurors see. The process is the most efficient and proven method available for the artists, shows, and jurors to perform this important work. Their goal at Juried Art Services is to provide the artist applicants and the show directors with the utmost in care and support.

Current Open Registrations:

Metal Inclinations 2008
Apply Now! Jan 1, 2008 TO Jun 30, 2008
Event Dates: October 31, 2008 To October 31, 2009
Online

Estero Fine Art Show November
Apply Now! Mar 5, 2008 TO Jun 1, 2008
Event Dates: November 8 To November 9, 2008
Estero, FL (halfway between Naples and Fort Myers)

Oil Painters of America
2008 Western Regional Juried Exhibition
Apply Now! Mar 24, 2008 TO Jun 17, 2008
Event Dates: September 12 To October 11, 2008
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

2009 NCECA Regional Student Juried Exhibition
Apply Now! Apr 18, 2008 TO Oct 1, 2008
Event Dates: January 24 To April 11, 2009
Tempe, AZ

2009 NCECA Clay National Biennial Exhibition
Apply Now! Apr 19, 2008 TO Aug 30, 2008
Event Dates: March 22 To May 30, 2009
Phoenix, Arizona

The 27th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show 2009
Apply Now! May 1, 2008 TO Sep 29, 2008
Event Dates: April 23 To April 26, 2009
National Building Museum, Washington, DC

The Guild:The Artful Home Catalogs and Website
(artfulhome.com) May
Apply Now! May 1, 2008 TO May 31, 2008
Event Dates: May 1, 2008
Online

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