NOAPS – An Alliance of Exceptional Artists Showcasing Outstanding Works of Art in Oil & Acrylic

  “In the Morning”, 16×12, Oil on Linen, from the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show at the Cathy Kline Gallery, Parkville, MO.

Delicate, soft brush strokes help to define the emotion seen in Catherine Marchand’s painting, “In the Morning”.  A sense of peace and quiet pleasure are found in the young girl’s expression, and if she were to look up at the viewer, she would undoubtedly smile.  This quiet beauty and happiness is a theme in Catherine’s paintings; her paintings tend to make one linger to enjoy the moment that she has captured in her work.

  “Sharing Secrets”, 30×40, Oil on Canvas, Private Collection

Catherine’s beginnings in art were from a young age, as with most artists. She started out with glass as her medium, and at age 16 she was already sculpting with it.  By her 20’s she was traveling across Ontario, Canada, demonstrating her glass blowing and sculpting, while selling her work.

Later, family life took center stage as Catherine home-schooled her children.  But a return to art came when she attended the Artra Academy of Realist Art (wwwartraart.com) where she studied drawing and acrylic painting in the classical tradition with Frank Haddock, the founder of the school.  Since then, Catherine has switched to oils, and studied with various artists throughout Canada and the US.

  “Morning Fragrance”, 24×28, Oil on Linen, Picture This Gallery, Alberta, Canada.

Catherine’s focus is mainly painting women and children.  She begins with an idea, such as a mood or feeling, something beautiful that “I am excited to paint”, and then develops the idea into a setting, paying attention to every detail.  She may have the model sit to capture the essence of the light and skin tones; then for the painting she works from one of her many photos taken during the modelling session.  In the studio, after her prayer, she begins with a toned canvas and a loose sketch done in paint. She wipes out the lights first and establishes the darks in sepia tones, and then works back and forth with the lights and darks to model the form.  Her choice of support is Odessa Linen, and her palette consists of Titanium white, Lemon yellow, Cadmium yellow medium, Indian yellow, Ochre, Sienna, Cadmium orange, Winsor red, Permanent alizarin crimson, Ultramarine blue, Turquoise, Sap green, Oxide brown and sometimes black.  She uses a variety of mongoose and bristle brushes.

  “Before”, 18×14, Oil on Linen.  Private Collection.

Aside from being a mother and a valued member of the NOAPS Board of Directors, Catherine recently completed a successful commission of Colonial era village, which included a setting completely done from her imagination.  In doing such a painting, she had moved out of her comfort zone; a good idea for all artists!

Though Catherine has enjoyed much success, she feels she is learning still.  In her words: “I think the best thing to do is practice from life as much as you can…it’s putting the miles on the brush that will take us farther down the road to our goals in painting.  What a joy and a privilege to be able to play in this field; it is a precious gift.”

Catherine Marchand is represented by Greenwich House Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio; Picture This Gallery, Alberta, Canada; and The Main Gallery, Alberta, Canada.  To see more of her work, visit her website at http://www.catherinemarchandart.com.

To view more of the NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show, visit http://www.noaps.org/events or follow on Facebook or Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety.

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

“Horizon” 36×33, Oil with Cold Wax Medium by Melinda Cootsona, Seager/Gray Gallery, Mill Valley CA. 

Oil paint mediums have come a long way since they were first used in the 18th century to assist in drying time.  Today the oil painter is faced with many choices when it comes to mediums, and the following article, written by Jerry McLaughlin and Rebecca Crowell, explain about cold wax medium.

Cold wax medium is a paste-like material that artists combine with oil paints or dry pigments.  It is made from a mixture of beeswax and solvent.  Although the solvent is usually odorless mineral spirits, some formulations use turpentine or d-limonene (citrus solvent).  Commercial products contain either damar or alkyd resin to facilitate curing and hardening.  Cold wax medium is used at room temperature, and should not be confused with encaustic medium, which requires melting and fusing with heat.

All types of oil paints work well with CWM: traditional oils, water-solubles, and alkyds.  (CWM cannot be mixed with water-based paints like acrylics or gouache.)  A freeing aspect of CWM is that the ‘fat over lean’ rules of traditional oil painting can be ignored.  Paintings made with cold wax remain workable for several days to a week, but drying times are much faster than with other oil mediums.  Paintings made with CWM cure with a beautiful matte finish that requires no varnish or protective coating.

Though painting with wax has been around in various forms since about 1500 BCE, these solvent based mixtures of beeswax were almost unknown until the birth of the turpentine industry in the late 19th century.  It wasn’t until the early 20th century that they came into popular use.  American abstract painter Arthur Dove was probably the first well-known painter to work with modern-day CWM.

Artists who work with cold wax often use the words luminosity, translucency, impasto, texture, layers, and depth when they speak about what CWM brings to their work.  The versatility of CWM allows for thin translucent layers as well as thick impasto textures.  Dry pigments and other oil painting mediums (Galkyd, Liquin, etc.) can be added to change the color and handling of the medium.  Some artists use traditional brushes and palette knives while others work with less conventional tools like brayers or squeegees.  Because CWM can crack on flexible substrates like canvas, it is typically used on gessoed wood panels, Multimedia Artboard, or oil resistant papers.  Oil painting and acrylic paintings can both be used as underpaintings for cold wax works.

While CWM has recently gained popularity in abstract painting due to its ability to hold texture and its very workable surface, it has long been used in representational paintings as well.

  “Still Life with Push Broom, Purple Vase and Mug”, 32×28, Oil with Cold Wax Medium, by Anthony Ulinski, Private Collection.

Anthony Ulinski, a landscape and still life painter (as well as furniture maker) says, “I use cold wax because of its low solvent levels, the ease of clean-up, the beauty of the built-up layers, and the matte finish.  I like using a thick impasto of cold wax and oils.  I use a palette knife.  It keeps me from getting too fussy.”

  “Depot in Rocky Mount”, 20×30, Oil with Cold Wax Medium, by Anthony Ulinski, Private Collection

Figurative painter Melinda Cootsona says, “I use cold wax to give a translucency to my work.  Adding cold wax to my paint allows me to increase the layering I can do with oil painting and adds a textural quality I can’t get without it.  It also speeds the drying time, an added benefit for me….Using cold wax has helped me explore texture more in my work.  Smooth areas sit next to more textural ones.  This can also create interesting juxtapositions of more abstract qualities next to more realistic qualities.”

  “Girls in White Dresses IV”, 42×40, Oil with Cold Wax Medium, by Melinda Cootsona, Seager/Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA

Artists interested in cold wax medium now have a comprehensive resource available.  Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations (by Rebecca crowell and Jerry McLaughlin, Squeegee Press 2016) is a 320-page book covering everything artists need to know about cold wax medium.  In addition to technical information it contains the work of over 100 artists from around the world.  The link to the book is http://www.coldwaxbook.com.

Edited by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director.  NOAPS has no financial interest in promoting the book mentioned above.

“Lavander” 12×12 by Simon Winegar from the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show at the Cathy Kline Gallery, Parkville, MO.

Color is one of the favorite tools for the artist.  We use it liberally, or sparingly, splash it on or carefully subdue it.  However we choose to handle it, if the values are the framework, the colors are the music.  For example, the painting by Simon Winegar, above, illustrates the artist’s choices for bold versus subdued.  The violets in the foreground certainly grab attention as the boldest color, and as the scene recedes the artist has suppressed the colors in the background.  The main color scheme is that of complements, and the artist has chosen to vary the placement of the warm and the cool, the bright and the dull.

“Symphony in Roses” 8×10 by Stacy Barter from the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show

The color scheme of Stacy Barter’s painting plays bold against neutrals.  Her focal point is a bold yellow-orange, and the supporting colors of complementary red violets and yellow greens are subdued to let the lead color come forward.  The greys are strategically placed around the perimeter of the painting, to keep the viewer in the painting, with little or no color or detail.  The center of the main flower has been given warm clean color to direct the viewer deeper into the center of the blossom.

“Montana Gold” 10×8 by Linda Massey from the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show

The color scheme for Linda Massey’s painting is at once visible.  She has used blue and orange as her color strategy.  Compliments can be tricky, though, due to the fact that they at once invigorate and conflict when placed in their purest chroma side by side.  So the artist must decide which color will dominate, and which to subdue; where to put notes of pure color and where to keep it neutralized.  The blue in this painting clearly dominates, and the orange has been dulled to prevent discord.  The colors are also varied in their temperature, creating a mostly cool painting that actually reads as warm.

So the artist will always play with the color.  Having the color strategy in mind prior to touching the canvas can free us to employ the even the slightest shifts in value, chroma and temperature to create a painting that engages the viewer, and invites them to investigate these colors that speak both loudly and softly, gently and resoundingly.

To view all of the paintings in the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show visit http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions.  Visit us on Facebook and Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

  “White Scarf” 7×5, by Zimou Tan, winner of the Best of Show Award at the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show and Sale

The impressionistic brush strokes are only part of the “impression” on the face of this portrait by Zimou Tan…the glance of the model is giving the viewer the feeling that she is pensive, perhaps wistful as she gazes out from the bonds of paint.  The artist has captured with few passes of the brush the full effect of her mood.

Panoramic View of the NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show and Sale at the Cathy Kline Gallery, Parkville, MO. 

What an amazing display of artwork!  The Cathy Kline Art Gallery has done an outstanding job of hanging a show of nearly 200 paintings orchestrated to provide the viewer with a comprehensive look at the work by NOAPS artists.  As always, the work seen in person far exceeds the view that one sees via the internet, and if our reader has the opportunity, a look at the show in person would certainly be worth the trip.  NOAPS extends a huge thank you to Cathy!

View of the Cathy Kline Gallery with new landscaping and decorated for the Holidays.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday, November 16th with a workshop with Hebe Brooks, NOAPS Master Artist and Awards Judge.  The following day Hebe led a tour of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, which houses over 35,000 works.  She led the attendees in “a chronological way and we were able to see the development of mediums and painting throughout western civilization.”  A highlights tour with a museum docent included a stop at the Gates of Paradise, a replica of those found in the baptistery in Florence.

Friday evening the gallery hosted a VIP reception, with nearly 100 attending including 4 mayors from Parkville and surrounding cities.  Saturday was a busy day with demonstrations by Adam Clague and Andrea Orr-Clague, Cheng Lian, and  Ryan Delgado.  That evening the Grand Opening was a huge success, with the presentation of awards.

  Demonstrator Cheng Lian, NOAPS Master Artist with the model and the demonstration piece.

  Demonstrator Adam Clague, portrait in oil demonstration.

Award winners include:

Best of Show: “White Scarf” by Zimou Tan

Master/Signature Category:

First Place: “Blue Note” by Jerry Smith

Second Place: “Little Angel” by Donald Curran

Third Place: “Blue Throated Macaw” by Tom Altenburg

Honorable Mentions:

“Pals” by Del-Bourree Bach; “Timber Island” by Roger Leonard; “City Mist” by Miguel Malagon; “Main Street” by Barbara Nuss; “Snow Day” by Jason Sacran; “Time in a Bottle” by John Schisler; and “Rain in the Loop” by William Schneider.

Artist Member Category:

First Place: “Beach Path” by Terry Nybo

Second Place: “Balancing Act” by Alex Zonis

Third Place: “A Study of Colored Glass” by Blair Atherholt

Honorable Mentions:

“Braids and Bows” by Linda Eades Blackburn; “M is for Marbles” by Karen Budan; “First Brush of Spring” by Dan Bulleit; “A Little Still Life for Mrs. W” by Berry Fritz; “Dashing Dexter” by Carol Devereaux; “June Sky” by Tom Heflin; “Cherries on Pedestal” by Gerald Vendetti; “Wild Winter Waves at the Jetty” by Maureen Vezina; “Spring is Here” by Karla Mann; “Kauai Falls” by Nancy McTigue; “Fresh Tomatoes” by Rosa Montante; “Beginning of a Journey” by Manon Sander; “Old Barn and Pond” by James Swanson and “Sheep” by Andrea Orr-Clague.

Congratulations to all the award winners, and to all the artists!  Well done!

To view all the paintings in the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show and Sale visit http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions. Visit us on Facebook and Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

“The Morning after the Snowstorm”, Acrylic on Canvas, 12×16, Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Winner of the Best Use of Light and Color at the 2017 NOAPS Best of America Exhibit.

Making a snow scene look warm is a daunting task for an artist, but one look at Ray Hassard’s painting, and the warmth emanates from the scene.  He has taken an ordinary scene, and found in it the simple, striking beauty.  He has masterfully taken the complimentary colors and let the snow cover the warmth of the orange earth.  He has taken the light that we all savor, and put it in paint.  It is a painting that causes us to pause and actually feel the sun on the house; that makes us want to be a part of the scene.  As Ray describes his inspiration for this painting: “Snow fell all day on my father’s 91st birthday celebration on Long Island.  Looking out early the next morning, I remembered vividly the childhood excitement of a snow day so clear, so bright, such intense light!  I took photos from my stepsister’s kitchen, planning to paint a personal connection across time between my father and my childhood self…”

“Ground Fog at Dawn, Florida” Acrylic on Canvas, 12×36, Collection of the Artist

Ray Hassard has loved art and drawing since he was a child.  His family supported his passion, and as a boy he would visit the fascinating animation studio of his great-uncle, Bill Sturm.  Hassard attended two years of art school at the Pratt Institute in New York, but found that the museums offered a wealth of the type of education he was seeking.  He has studied with various artists during his career, including David Mueller in Cincinnati, where he learned the classical atelier methods.

  “Dirt #2”, Oil on Canvas, 24×48, Collection of the Artist

Today most of Ray’s paintings are of landscapes, though he has done some figurative and still life work.  It is the everyday scenes that inspire him most, scenes that are overlooked or taken as ordinary.  He is able to take these scenes and create paintings that help the viewer see the beauty, the significance of that which is always around us.

Ray’s paintings are done in a variety of media; pastel, oil, acrylic and gouache.  He works both in the studio and en plein air, and participates in plein air competitions throughout the United States, including Plein Air Easton, Cape Ann Plein Air and En Plein Air Texas in San Angelo.  When painting outside, he always starts with a thumbnail sketch to work out the composition and discover possible problem areas.  In the studio he works from photos viewed on the computer, which he views from a distance of 10 feet to minimize the details.

  “Closing the Gap”, 30×40, Oil on Canvas, Collection of the Artist

Ray is currently working on paintings for a show to open in February at the Richmond Art Museum in Richmond, Indiana.  The title of the show is “Concrete Dreams” and features paintings based on the changes occurring in the inner city.  The show will feature both Hassard and artist Marlene Steele.  Ray’s paintings will focus on “a construction project involving the demolition and replacement of an old automobile viaduct at the edge of the city.  The primary colors and stark shapes of the machines and the constantly changing scene was beyond inspiration for me and became compulsion.”

  “Guiding the Beam”, 18×24, Oil on Canvas, Collection of the Artist

Hassard cites his success on the plein air circuit as a bright spot in his career; he was also asked to be the awards judge for the first Cape Ann Plein Air competition in 2016.

As most artists will tell you, the best words of wisdom that Ray has to offer is to paint.  “Even if it is only 15 minutes a day and feels useless, keep going.”

To see more of Ray Hassard’s work visit http://www.rayhassard.com.   Galleries which represent his work inlcude the Oxford Gallery, Rochester, NY; Patricia Hutton Galleries, Doylestown, PA, and Cincinnati Art Galleries, Cincinnati, OH.

To view more paintings from the 2017 NOAPS Best of America Exhibit, visit http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions.  Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

Farm Scene demonstration painting, acrylic, by Joseph Orr from the NOAPS Opening Weekend at the Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne Indiana, October 21, 2017.

This serene scene of an American Farm was painted by Joseph Orr at the recent opening weekend of the Best Of America Exhibit at the Castle Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Joseph, in his unassuming and humble way, began and completed this painting during the roughly two-hour demo.  He began with a watercolor pencil sketch, and then deftly worked in his first layer, confidently continuing with layers to the finish.  Joseph is not only a skilled and impressive artist, he is an open and generous individual with his knowledge and kindness.  All who attended the demonstration were touched and inspired by him.

Over a 43 year career as an artist, Joseph has accomplished a great deal.  Aside from his ability to make a living at his art, Joseph and his wife Rita, also an accomplished artist, were two of the founders of our organization.  This group of six artists recognized the need for an outlet for artists working in oil and acrylic to exhibit their work, and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society was born.

Joseph is mainly a self-taught artist; he began working as a machine operator in major greeting card company during a break from college as a young man, and was inspired by all the art he saw.  He enrolled in college art courses, but found he had a different vision and so began private lessons with artist Tony Allison.  The lessons were short-lived, but Joseph was able to learn the basics of drawing and watercolor painting.

Landscapes are the main genre for Joseph’s paintings; he has been inspired by 19th and early 20th century artists such as Winslow Homer, Alma-Tadema, Edgar Payne, Jack Wilkerson Smith and John Francis Murphy.  Contemporary artists Richard Schmid, Eric Michaels, Eric Sloane and his wife Rita continue to inspire him.

Currently the main medium for Joseph is acrylic, though he does do sketching in watercolor, and occasionally works in pastel or oil.  In the field his palette consists of Cadmium Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue Cadmium Red Medium, Mars Black and Titanium White.  In the studio he adds Unbleached Titanium, Yellow Oxide, Raw Sienna Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Orange, Magenta, Dioxazine Purple, Cobalt Blue, Phthalocyanine Blue, and Viridian Hue Permanent.  He works on cotton or linen canvas or a gessoed masonite panel.  His brush collection consists of brights, flats, rounds, scripts and riggers of no particular brand.

A day in the studio starts with a self-critique of the previous days’ work.  If starting a new painting, he studies his field sketches and photos to ascertain his composition and the all important mood of the painting.  He blocks in the dark colors first, working throughout the painting, in order to “see the direction of light on the canvas.”  He continues working darks and lights until the painting is finished.

    Painting process for “An Audience with Nature”

  “An Audience with Nature”, 30×40, Acrylic on Canvas, Highlands Gallery, Lambertville, New Jersey.

For all of us artists, Joseph’s contribution to the art world has been significant.  Along with his wife and fellow artists, he has given so many of us the opportunity to exhibit, learn and grow as artists through the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society.  We can’t thank him enough.

His closing words for us as artists: “Keep painting, painting and more painting.  No matter what is popular, keep to your beliefs and values.  The world will eventually come around to what you are doing”

Joseph Orr and his wife Rita work and exhibit out of their studio/gallery in Osage Beach, MO.  He is also represented by American Legacy Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Kodner Gallery, St. Louis, MO; Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN; Highlands Art Gallery, Lambertville, NJ; and the Red Piano Gallery, Hilton Head Island, SC.  To view more of his work visit his website at http://www.josephorr.com.

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

  “On Location – Tuscany Chapel Garden”, 12×9, Oil, Juried into the 2017 NOAPS Best of America Exhibit

The warm Italian sunshine is shining through to the viewer in Karolyn Farrell’s plein air painting.  The rich, bold colors and textural brushwork bring life to the painting, while the story tells of a quiet village.  This contrast is what engages the viewer; we are thrilled by the artist’s hand, yet comfortable with the quiet.

  “Red Hibiscus”, 9×12, Oil on Canvas, Collection of the Artist

Karolyn Farrell has been an artist all her life.  Like many artists, she began drawing and painting at an early age, but chose a career path in education for her vocation.  She holds a degree in art, and her post-graduate work includes a Master’s Degree and Education Specialist in adult education, with an emphasis on creativity in the Older Adult.  She taught art at Indian Head, MD and in Kansas City, MO, and was a middle school consultant in science and art.  Most recently she has retired as Director of the Fayetteville School District’s Adult and Community Education Program.  Karolyn always continued her artwork, however, and can now devote more time to the pursuit of catching the light in paint.

  “Blue Vase with Oranges”, 16×20, Oil on Canvas, Collection of the Artist

Karolyn’s upbeat personality shines through in all her paintings; she mainly works en plein air, and enjoys viewing the sunrises, sunsets, light and shadow,  the changing seasons and buildings from past eras.  Museums and work by other artists inspire her; Old Master favorites include Rembrandt, Henri, Zorn, Sorolla, Degas and Sargent.  Her contemporary favorites are works by Schmid, Handell, McGraw, Sacran, Schneider, T. Williams, Legg, and R.A. Johnson.

  “Peonies in Glass”, 16×20, Oil on Board, Private Collection

A day in the studio starts with “quiet mindfulness; maybe prayer and observing the changing scenes of the flora, fauna and sky outside the windows.” She mainly works from life, often starting with thumbnails and visualization of the design and composition.  She first applies a wash of turpenoid or gamsol with transparent oxide red and viridian or ultramarine blue and umber, using a paper towel to create the texture and then wiping out the highlights.  She starts with thin layers of paint and builds up the center of interest and design using progressively thicker applications of paint.  Her palette for studio work includes Naples Yellow Light, Yellow Ochre, Terra Rosa, Cadmium Yellow deep, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Light, Phalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Ivory black, Alizarin Crimson, Transparent Oxide Red, and Titanium White.  She paints on linen canvas or panels, birch panels and Inner Glow panels (made of specially treated wood).  Brushes include sable, and synthetic and natural bristle brushes.

  “Chinese Vase with Fruit”, 14×16, Oil on Canvas, Collection of the Artist

Karolyn has enjoyed much success with her art; she was featured in a volume of Professional artists, “Artists as World Changers” 2011 and the book “Vision, Passion, and Purpose” for her work with art groups, teaching, grant writing and fundraising for needy juvenile groups.  She was also included in a documentary “Bridging the Gap” which focused on her work with intergenerational art activities.

Karolyn encourages emerging artists to “paint for yourself, for your own development; do not care about approval of others  Standards set within ourselves may be extremely liberating and energizing.”

Karolyn Farrell is represented by DB Gallery and Design, Springfield, MO; Scott’s Images, Lowell, AR; Art Ventures, Fayetteville, AR; Farrell Studio & Gallery, Fayetteville, AR.  To view more of her work, visit her website at http://www.karolynfarrellart.com.

To view more work in the NOAPS Best of America Exhibit visit http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions or visit Facebook or Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

“Smith and Copper” 11×11 by Blair Atherholt.  This piece was juried into the NOAPS 2017 Holiday Small Works Show at the Cathy Kline Art Gallery in Parkville, MO.  Collection of the Artist.

Small is a big deal, especially during the month of December.  Galleries across the country are featuring small works shows, presumably in an effort to encourage sales for holiday gifting.  What better gift than an original work of art?

In “Smith and Copper”, Atherholt has created a composition with a secondary triad of color, using line to take us around the painting.  The contrast of light and dark and texture holds our interest while we admire the beauty of the fine draftsmanship of the artist.  And the firefly adds a touch of Vanitas to the painting as well…

Small works are not a new thing by any means, of course.  True miniatures date back to the scribes in medieval ages where the small paintings served to illustrate religious texts.  Later, miniature portraits, which could be held in one’s hand and carried, became popular as well.  Today, there are numerous miniature painting societies, with shows across the United States and elsewhere.  Most of these shows adhere to guidelines of size; for example, less than 25 square inches, and 1/6 the actual size of the object or scene depicted.  Miniatures are collected by museums and individual collectors as well.

  “U-Turn”, 11×14, by Laurie Stevens. Collection of the Artist, juried into the Holiday Small Works Show.

Historically speaking, another type of small work is the “cabinet painting”.  These paintings are larger in size than true miniature paintings, and gained popularity in the 17th century, particularly in Holland.  With the middle classes becoming more affluent, collectors began to acquire small paintings, placing them in small rooms or “cabinets”, designated especially for their collections.  Often these small paintings depicted full length figures on a small-scale and were very finely painted.  The National Gallery in Washington, D.C. holds a very nice collection of cabinet paintings.

  “In The Morning”, 12×12, by Catherine Marchand.  Collection of the Artist, juried into the Holiday Small Works Show.

Jump now to the present day, and we have small works shows appealing to both seasoned collectors and new collectors alike.  Artists paint small across the genres, as can be seen in the upcoming NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show at the Cathy Kline Art Gallery in Parkville, Missouri.  The exhibit will feature 197 small works from 153 talented members of the National Oil & Acrylic Society in a wide range of subject matter.  The gallery is housed in an historically significant building, which at one time served as the passenger train station in this riverside town.  Built in 1840, the building draws visitors both for the fine art and the rich history.

Views of the Cathy Kline Gallery, Parkville, MO.

The NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show and Sale will be on exhibit at the Cathy Kline Art Gallery, 8701 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, Missouri, 64152.  The show will run from November 18-December 31, 2017.  The Cathy Kline Art Gallery is generously donating a portion of the proceeds from sales to Feed Northland Kids, a charity that helps feed needy children.

To view the artwork included in this show, visit http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions, visit us on Facebook or Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).

Thank you to Debra Keirce for her information on Miniatures.  To see miniatures by Debra, visit her website at http://www.debkart.com.

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Director

“Catching Stars 2”, Oil on Panel, 12×16, by John Schisler has been juried into the 2017 NOAPS Best of America Exhibit at the Castle Gallery of Fine Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

If you had to pick an all-American theme, surely the flag and baseball fit.  For the artist, John Schisler, it recalls memories from boyhood of playing little league, neighborhood games, and movies like “The Sandlot”.  Even if baseball wasn’t your game, these finely rendered paintings surely draw us in.  The artist has created a composition with an expertly placed focal point, and remarkable care has been taken to represent the image truthfully.  The dark background could represent many ideas, but the force of the flag has won, and brings not just nostalgia, but a sense of our history and our hope.

  “My Home Sweet Home”, 24×36, Oil on Panel, available through the Artist

John Schisler is surely living the American dream with his art.  Having always had an interest in art, he first took a painting class at the Conrad Miller Studio in Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland.  After several years of classes there, a move took him to Delaware, where he decided to pursue his art full-time.

  “Guts and Glory”, 10×8, Oil on Panel, Collection of Dave Matthews

Schisler’s technique for oil painting, which he learned at Conrad Miller, is based on the Maroger process of starting with an underpainting, then using thin transparent darks to heavy opaque lights.  He sets up his still lifes in a shadow box, and works dark to light, using blending techniques for edge control.  His palette is quite simple, consisting of Ivory Black, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson and Flake White, with other colors added as needed.  Schisler uses Black Oil, which is used as a basis for the Maroger medium.  Black oil is made from cold-pressed linseed oil and litharge (a drying agent, safe to handle, toxic to ingest) and it’s characteristics prevent darkening of the paint film, improves paint flow, increases transparency, and is relatively easy to use.  The painting technique used by Schisler is undoubtedly successful, for his paintings have both strength and luminosity.

  “Popped Corn” in Progress

  “Popped Corn” 12×9, Oil on Panel, Available through the Artist

Schisler’s approach to success was borne of good advice from a gallery owner: the gallery owner suggested that Schisler join art groups, start selling his work, gain a following, and then he would be ready for a gallery.  Though the rejection stung, Schisler heeded the advice, and is now represented by several prestigious galleries.  The key here, however, is dedication to one’s art, and a determination to improve.  As John states: “My work has gotten so much better since that first meeting, and now I strive to make every painting better than the last.”

  “Box of Baseballs”, 16×16, Oil on Panel, Available through the Artist.

John Schisler is represented by the Peninsula Gallery, Lewes, Delaware; the Trippe-Hilderbrandt Gallery, Easton, Maryland; the Eisele Gallery of Fine Art, Cincinnati, Ohio; and the William Ris Gallery, Jamesport, NY.

To view more work by John Schisler, go to http://www.johnschisler.com.

To view more work in the 2017 NOAPS Best of America Exhibit, go to http://www.noaps.org/exhibitions, visit us on Facebook or Instagram (Natoilandacrylicsociety).  The Exhibit will be at the Castle Gallery of Fine Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana from October 16-November 11, 2017.

Written by Patricia Tribastone, NOAPS Blog Author