My Paint Box

"20 Representational Painters to be Inspired by in 2012" My personal list of paint that inspires me.

2011-12-30T14:44:00.059-06:00

To welcome in the New Year I've put together my personal list of 20 painters to watch in 2012.

I am not an art critic and don't pretend to be up on everything that's going on out there in the art world. These are painters that inspire me personally. Painters that I will be following in 2012 in my quest to become a better painter. They inspire me to push myself artistically and experiment with new things. I chose them from a huge list of favorites as painters who have developed a personal style.

I'm inspired by so many painters that my list was very hard to narrow down to just 20. I had to leave out many others or maybe I just forgot to include some. This is just my personal list. I in no way mean to slight anyone else or give the illusion that these painters deserve more than the rest. I'd like to add students in the Academies in Russia. to the list of inspiration. Holy Guacamole!

"To Watch" lists are often about the up an coming "new" thing. However, I believe that representational painters evolve into their own style over time, as they become more fluent with the language of paint. So my list is made up of painters from all levels of their artistic careers, not really "newbies". I chose them for a variety of reasons. I can't go into everything I like about each of these, but I'll try and add a sentence or two about each one. Please visit their personal web sites to check out more of their work.

The images below are © of the artist and the rights are theirs. I just borrowed for this post. I hope none of them mind.

I hope you enjoy MY list of 20 Representational Painters to be Inspired by in 2012.
Listed in no particular order.

1- Susan Lyon.
Sue is amazing. Her drawing is impeccable. I was totally blown away be her little figure sketches on velum that she did this year. She has some downloadable instructional videos on her web site and you can check out a link to promo for video here.
Inspiration: draw well, keep experimenting.

Susan Lyon, Figure in charcoal.

Susan Lyon, figure sketch on velum.

2- Ignat Ignatov.
I love Ignat's work. He is also one of the happiest upbeat guys I know. I love his portraits, but watching him paint one is the best treat. He starts with a loose sketch of light and shadow and pulls the likeness out bit by bit. His paint handling and color inspire me. Inspiration: Paint better portraits.

Ignat Ignatov 2 hr demo

Ignat Ignatov, portrait of Alexey Steele

3- Paul Oxborough.
Paul is just a kick ass painter. I love his seemingly effortless brushwork. Reminds me of Sargent, but with a twist that I really enjoy. There are a bunch of great images on the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery web site. Check out the night scenes. Inspiration: Paint better.

Paul Oxborough, "First One Up" 34x44"

Paul Oxborough, "Dinner by Lamplight" 5x7"

Paul Oxborough, "Sailors" 36x48"

4-Eric Merrell.
Eric has a great eye for color, it really blows me away. He has developed a totally unique style. You really need to see his stuff in person to get the full impact of his brushwork. Not sure how he does it. He has kind of a light handed, very textural, short stroke that enhances his style. Inspiration: Get a better eye for color.

Eric Merrell

Eric Merrell
"Weight of the World" (Temple Crag and Third Lake, Sierra Nevadas) 30" x 40"

Eric Merrell

5-Vadim Zanginian.
I love the controlled chaos of Vadim's work. I'm into the way the images just seem to appear and fade back into nothing. It's something that I have been trying to incorporate into my work, so when I came across his paintings I was instantly drawn to that aspect of his stuff. Inspiration: Loosen up.

Vadim Zanginian, "Duet with Teacher" 24x24"

Vadim Zanginian, "Last Rose" 14x11"

6-Rose Frantzen.
Such a great painter. I'm really drawn to her designs and subject. I've seen some step by steps on line and I think that is the reason she made my list. She starts with what seems like a chaotic mess and pulls the image from that. You may see a pattern in my choices for that approach. Inspiration: Push myself to be a better painter.

Rose Frantzen, "Mrs. Krogman"

Rose Frantzen

7- David Gluck.
I've just recently come across David's work. The painting below, "The Trapper" won an award in the ACOPAL open competition this year. The I saw this still life on his web site. Dang! love the mad skills as well as the color harmony and the choice of objects. He and his wife Kate Stone, ( who is also amazing, so there is an extra fav thrown in there ), have a cool blog: Painting Stuff to Look Like Stuff. Check it out. Their combined sense of humor guaranteed David's spot on my list. Inspiration: Master my skills in order to become a better painter.

David Gluck

David Gluck, "The Trapper"

8- Scott Burdick.
OK, Scott is on my list of usual suspects. He has inspired me for years. For this list it is his brushwork and unusual color combos that get me inspired. I've chosen two details of larger paintings below to show what I mean. Scott and Sue are two of the nicest most generous people I know. Inspiration: Don't be afraid to make bold color choices. Want brushwork? Then make some.

Scott Burdick, "Tent with a View" 11x14"

Scott Burdick, detail

Scott Burdick, "Colors of Africa" detail

9- Colin Page.
Colin has a unique style, but the way he can pick any subject and make it sing is one of the things I admire about his work. I'll be watching his progress in 2012 because I know some of the things he is working on. Our work and thoughts on painting and things we are trying to experiment with are very similar right now. I enjoy getting together to paint with Colin or discussing our work in emails. Inspiration: Anything is paintable.

Colin Page

Colin Page

Colin Page

10- Randall Sexton.
I'm really attracted to Randy's brushwork in his plain air landscapes. When I saw his still lives on his web site it showed me a totally different side of his work. Again, I've selected a painter for his combination of realism with loose paint for paint's sake brushwork.
Check out the size of the still life too... 60x48" !
Inspiration: Mix of abstract/ loose paint and realism, just become a better painter.

Randall Sexton, "Delta Chevy" 12x16"

Randall Sexton, "Hootenanny" 60x48"

11- Tibor Nagy.
Brushwork. Love it. Check out the two demos I linked to below his work.
Inspiration: Brushwork!

Tibor Nagy, "The Last Winter Day"

Tibor Nagy, "An Ancient Luck"

video demo

another video demo

12- William Wray.
His color and paint handling is killer. He can pick any old subject and make it rock. I don't know how he gets these color combinations. Inspires me to try and bring some of that into my own work somehow. Inspiration: Paint anything, don't be afraid of color.

William Wray, "Banister" 20x20"

William Wray, "Backdoor" 24x24"

William Wray, "Square D" 24x24"

13-Marc Hanson.
Marc is another favorite of mine. Great skills, but also they way he can take a simple subject like one tree and make it worthy of a piece of art. Reminds me to simplify. Inspiration: Paint more on the spot and simplify.

Marc Hanson, "Hex River Valley" 30x40"

Marc Hanson, Sunset on the Hills" 9x12"

Marc Hanson, "Corner Light" 8x10

14- Logan Hagege.
If there is one guy I know who has his own style it's Logan. He has really been doing some nice stuff lately, so I know he has some good surprises for 2012. Just take a look at the huge canvas he is stretching up. Inspires me to keep it real and to go big. Inspiration: Keep it real, be true to yourself. Go big.

Logan Hagege, "Unveiling the Clouds" 80x52"

Logan Hagege, "The Sun and the Clouds" oil/linen 40x40

Logan Hagege, big ass canvas, sweet studio space.

15- Aaron Westerburg.
More mad skills. I think the reason I chose him for this list is his color palette and subject choices. Love the self portrait. Unique design, great color, brushwork. He has it all. And who can't love the painting of his dog Stella? Inspiration: Color, Design, Brushwork.

Aaron Westerburg

Aaron Westerburg, "Stella" 10x6"

Aaron Westerburg, Large Version "Transition in Rose" 36x18

16- Ken DeWaard.
Love his plein air work. He has great designs. He really tackles some big stuff on the spot and does not mess around. My inspiration: Go big, keep clean simple designs.

Ken DeWaard, "Port Clyde" 6x8"

Ken DeWaard

Ken DeWaard

17- Tom Balderas.
Crazy brushwork and color. Tom just puts down the important stuff and leaves it. Inspiration: Put it down and leave it alone.

Tom Balderas, "Figure in Red on a Dock"

Tom Balderas

18- Stank Kordic.
I really like the direction of her work. She has a style all her own. Realism mixed with a bit of abstraction. She really seems to be going all out lately, so keep an eye on her in 2012. Look for the video of her talking about her work. Sorry I can't put all the links myself. I have faith in you to be able to find info on your own. Inspiration: Explore my feelings and the "why" behind my work more.

Stank Kordic

Stanka Kordic

19- Quang Ho.
Quang is just a great painter. Love his work and the poetry of the paint handling. Hard to pick just a few examples of his work. Inspiration: find the "poetry" of what I'm painting and don't get caught up in detail.

Quang Ho, "In the Kitchen" 20x20"

Quang Ho, "Dark Slumber" 12x12

20- Dan Beck. Just love Dan's paint handling. Lost and found edges. Inspiration: I need to soften some of my edges even more this year.

Dan Beck, "Lemon and Grapes" 8x10"

Dan Beck, "Zeke" 14x11"

"Dusty Ride" step by step

2011-11-21T17:36:00.013-06:00

This is a new 6x6" oil and I wanted to share a few step by step pictures and a brief description. I'm putting together a powerpoint presentation for my workshop in March where I will use lots of these step by step progressions and talk about my thought process in more detail. There are just 3 spots left in that class if you are interested.

In step one I used a limited palette of Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red and white. I was just concerned with getting the drawing accurately sketched in and varied my color and values a bit to suggest the depth of the painting. Everything in this stage is pretty much just the shadow shapes.

In step two I began to introduce a little bit of yellow to the palette. I began to paint the shapes in direct light, and continued to adjust some reflected light and local colors in the shadow shapes.

Step three is the finished painting. The reference pic had a bright blue sky, but I went with a dusty pink to accentuate the color harmony and effect that I wanted. There are a few spots of slightly stronger color in just a few areas. I let a little of that green tone
of the board show through in the final piece. I think it is a nice subtle compliment to the reddish pinks and goes well with the "rough" look I was after.

"Dusty Ride" 6x6" oil on board
Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. framed available at Randy Higbee Gallery
SOLD

This pieces is part of the 6" Squared Show at the Randy Higbee Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA. The reception is Dec. 3rd if you are in the area. All of the work is available for pre sale.

I have 6 other pieces in the show that I will post soon.

September 28

2011-09-28T18:37:00.004-05:00

I have a lot going on in October:

I'll be getting some new stuff together for a group show at Addison Art Gallery called "The Perfect Season". This show offers a glimpse into the more meditative and contemplative moods invoked by autumn on Cape Cod.

“I lingered on, and as the year lengthened into autumn, the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed and held me that I could not go.”
— Henry Beston, The Outermost House

Opening Reception
Saturday, October 29
5:30 to 7:30

There is also the Grand Opening Reception for the RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX.

I'm proud to be part of this new gallery that opened last month. Shannon and Thad Hanna have put together a great set of artists. It's been a while since I've shown in Texas, but I have a lot of great collectors there that I am really looking forward to catching up with. We will be heading up to Austin later in Oct. and will be attending Grand Opening on Saturday Oct. 22nd.
If you are in the area I hope you'll try and make it out there for the show. A lot of their artists will be in town and it's sure to be a fun weekend.

I'm also starting work on a few major pieces that I'll be sending up to M Gallery in Charleston, SC. They will be heading into their busy season soon and it's a great time of year to visit Charleston.

I'll keep you posted as new work heads out to these galleries. As always, you can check their web sites or mine to see what is available there.

September 26 - mini series paintings

2011-09-26T19:45:00.008-05:00

"View of San Miguel" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"A Chicken and Goats" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

September 24 - mini series paintings

2011-09-24T19:48:00.008-05:00

These two are studies for a larger piece that I am going to start working on. A small group of people carrying a few "santos", figures of different saints. These pieces will help me decide on a design I'd like to use. It helps me to visualize how it will look in paint and think about it before committing to a large piece of linen. The detail is suggested, it's the value relationships that I'm interested in with these little guys. I may even end up painting something similar to both of these. They each have such a different feel.

"Santos" study. 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

"Devotion" study. 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

September 22 - mini series paintings

2011-09-22T18:40:00.010-05:00

Today's subject matter is pretty different than my usual preference. I felt like I needed to break away from those photo references for a while and push my subject matter way out of my comfort zone. I don't paint many still lifes, so I thought that would be a good choice. A little girl's stuffed animals seemed an unlikely subject for me, so it was perfect. I wanted to still use some of the rougher scratchy strokes that I have been working with, but painting from life. I set up in our dining room today to paint these.

The first piece is a stuffed animal that Erin sleeps with. It is quite special to her.

"Brown Horse" 7x5" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

This second one is another favorite stuffed animal of hers.

"Yellow Horse" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

Here is one for the guys.

"Toy Train" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

September 21 - mini series painting

2011-09-21T19:52:00.006-05:00

Had a fun time painting this one. It took a lot longer to paint than it probably looks. I'm happy with the results though. That is the important thing.

"Méxican Cowboy" 7x5" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 20 - mini series paintings

2011-09-20T20:40:00.011-05:00

It's been a few days since I've been able to paint anything.
Sorry about that if you've been looking.
I had a chance to do these two today.

"Woman with Sheep" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

"Charro de Negro" 7x5" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

September 15 - mini series painting

2011-09-15T19:21:00.005-05:00

"Viva México"!
In honor of Méxican Independence Day that officially starts tonight at 11PM.

"Viva México" 7x5" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 14 - mini series painting

2011-09-14T18:59:00.006-05:00

"Cabalgata" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 13 - mini series painting

2011-09-13T20:34:00.009-05:00

One mini painting for today.
This is a procesion that passed by up the street from our house. Lots of people walking and on horseback. All in celebration of the Dia de Guadalupe on Dec. 12th.

"Procesion de Guadalupe" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 12

2011-09-12T19:30:00.005-05:00

Sorry, no mini paintings today. I'll try and get some posted tomorrow.

I'd like to share a few available paintings that I don't think I've posted here on the blog.

Below is a painting I recently shipped up to Addison Art Gallery on Cape Cod.
I was really drawn to the sparkle of light on this cottage.

"Provincetown Sparkle" 11x14" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

These other two paintings are now available at RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX.
They just opened and are having a Grand Opening Celebration on Sat. Oct 22nd. I hope that if you are in the area you'll stop by and see their wonderful gallery. I think we will be heading up for the celebration in Oct. so maybe I'll see you there.
You can find links to both of these galleries in the sidebar of the blog.

"Charro" 24x18" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$2,500. framed.
Available at RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX.

"Charro" is based on one of my mini paintings from last September that I thought had a particularly strong design.

"Going Home in the Rain" 14x18" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500. framed.
Available at RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX.

September 10th - mini series paintings

2011-09-10T19:40:00.011-05:00

"Goat" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

"Home from the Market" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

This third one I started last month as a sketch for "Serene Provincetown" 16x12" that is available at Addison Art Gallery. I kind of abandoned it once I had my design and started the larger piece. Finished it up today.

"Sketch for Serene Provincetown" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 9th mini series

2011-09-09T19:42:00.006-05:00

Today I painted the same little girl from the side. I like the playing with the same subject in different designs like this.

"Charrita II" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

September 8th mini painting

2011-09-08T19:58:00.005-05:00

"Charrita" 7x5" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

A little help for an artist friend Carol Marine

2011-09-08T12:35:00.011-05:00

"Tea for One" 20x20" oil Carol Marine ©
$1,400. USD framed
Available at Galeria Gardner in San Miguel
Contact me to purchase

One of the artists that I represent in my San Miguel gallery has lost her home and studio to wildfires in Bastrop, TX.
Carol Marine and her family were able to get out safely, but had no time to save much of anything. Her house is a total loss.

They will get back on their feet, but now would be a great time to add one of her terrific paintings to your collection.

Her sense of design, confident brushwork and her eye for painting reflections are just some of the things that draw me to her work. We have a couple of her pieces in our private collection at home and really love her work.
As always, we would be happy to arrange shipping anywhere.

"Peppers and Apples" 20x28" oil Carol marine ©
$1,600. USD framed
Available at Galeria Gardner in San Miguel
Contact me to purchase

"Pig, Peppers and Plate" 20x20" oil Carol Marine ©
$1,400 USD framed.
Available at Galeria Gardner in San Miguel
Contact me to purchase

Carol Marine ©

September 7th mini paintings

2011-09-07T20:32:00.013-05:00

"Horse Loaded with Cornstalks" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Colorful México" 5x7" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Trees Above the Canyon" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

September 6th mini

2011-09-06T21:00:00.006-05:00

"Saddle Up" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

September 5th mini series

2011-09-05T20:10:00.006-05:00

I met this guy when I was painting with Pete Kalill on Cape Cod last June. I want to do a larger painting of him in one of these poses. I like the strong back lighting.

"Oyster Picker I" 6x6 oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

"Oyster Picker II" 6x6 oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed

Sept 3rd mini series

2011-09-03T19:21:00.006-05:00

"Young Girl and her Burro" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner ©2011
SOLD

"Catch of the Day" 6x6

2011-09-02T19:41:00.007-05:00

This is day 2 of my September mini painting series.

"Catch of the Day" seems fitting for this one. The other painting I was working on got away.

The colors and paint application really capture the feeling of the type of day. This is a friend Al, in Provincetown, walking in from his boat with his catch of the day. I am real happy with how this one came out.

"Catch of the Day" 6x6" oil on board. Frank Gardner ©2011
SOLD

Sketches, studies, minis and gems.

2011-09-01T19:29:00.007-05:00

"Juan and the Gang" 5x7" oil on linen. Frank Gardner ©2011
SOLD

"Pancho and Margarita" 5x7" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
$475. Framed
SOLD

Frank Gardner Painting Workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. March 2012

2011-08-17T12:44:00.019-05:00

Evening view over San Miguel.
Image Frank Gardner ©

Dates are set for my 2012 plein air painting workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
March 10-16
Class size 8 -12 people

Being a resident of San Miguel for over 20 years I'm always excited to offer my Mexico workshops each winter.
This one is going to be my best yet.
March is one of the best months for visiting. The weather is almost always perfect for painting. Warm sunny days of around 75F and cool nights about 50F. Located in the mountains of Central Mexico, San Miguel de Allende is rich in history and colonial architecture.

One of my classes painting a landscape.
Image Frank Gardner ©

For this years class I am arranging a very special week. Approximately half of the week will be spent painting on the streets of San Miguel, or around the mansio where the group will be based. The rest of the time we will head out of town, to nearby private ranches, where we'll paint landscape and or rustic old chapels and buildings. As special guests we'll paint comfortably all day and be treated to full gourmet lunches by our hosts. We'll return to town around 5:30 on those days. There will be plenty of time in the evenings for exploring the historic center of San Miguel or relaxing on the rooftop terrace of the mansion where you'll be staying.

Lodging will be provided at a luxurious historic mansion in the center of San Miguel de Allende. Located less than two blocks from the Jardin on Calle San Francisco, its ideal location puts you exactly where you want to be to experience the most San Miguel has to offer.

With 4 bedroom suites with full baths, two standard bedrooms, a grand dining room featuring 20 foot vaulted ceilings, and a full colonial library, it is the pinnacle of colonial luxury.

Built in 1752, it has been home to many prominent people including President Santa Ana during his fifth presidency in 1833, during the fated Alamo. In 1985, it was beautifully renovated to its past splendor, and has since been a frequent stop on the Homes and Gardens tours, and featured in magazines such as Vogue for its artful interior design.

One of the interior walkways around this magnificent mansion.

Courtyard where you'll stay.

Class description:

We will paint from around 9:00 or 9:30 until about 1:00. There will be about an hour for lunch then we will paint until about 5:00.

This workshop is for oil painters only. All levels are welcome, but you SHOULD HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE PAINTING ON LOCATION. I have a materials list that I will email to all participants.

- In the workshop, my emphasis is on helping everyone advance to their next level.

Some of the topics we will concentrate on are:

- Values: A strong and simple value pattern is key to a successful painting, we will work on seeing and mixing values correctly from the start and keeping them clear throughout the painting process.

- Color: We will work on seeing color and value then mixing desired color using a limited palette.
Premixing colors on your palette to get proper relationships is one of the topics I'll discuss.
Accurate color mixing is key to capturing the mood of a location.

- Strong Starts/ Block In: An emphasis will be on getting a strong start to your painting so you don't need to waste time reworking the design later. I feel that a strong start is the key a successful plein air painting and we will focus a lot on "starts" as well as how to bring a good start to the desired finish.

- Demos: I will do several demos, but there will be plenty of time for painting and I will walk around and give individual guidance. There will be some quick painting exercises as well as some longer painting sessions.

A typical street in San Miguel.
Image Frank Gardner ©

An old chapel where we might paint.
Image Frank Gardner ©

One of the bedroom suites.

The following rooms are available.
Includes:
- 5 full days painting instruction: painting demos, group and one on one instruction. Powerpoint discussion on painting influences, composition and design, plus other possible topics.
- 7 nights lodging at one of the most historic homes in San Miguel.
- Welcome cocktail and dinner, to be determined by when participants will be arriving.
- Light breakfast each morning.
- 1 Special Group Dinner at the house.
- 2 Gourmet Lunches at Private Ranches
- Transportation to and from painting locations outside of town.
- Satellite TV and WiFi
- Lodging taxes and tips for house staff.
- Odorless Turpentine will be provided to those traveling by plane.

$1,650.USD (4)
-Rooftop bedroom with Queen bed. Amazing views on 3 sides overlooking rooftops and the church spires of town. Wake up with a view of the Parroquia each morning. 1/2 bath.

-Master Suite with King bed. Walk in closet. Full bath with oversized tub.

-Suite #2 Queen size bed. Oversized tub. Plenty of closet space. Window view of street. Room connects to library with fireplace and comfortable leather furniture.

- Suite #3 Four poster queen sized bed. Sitting area, walk in closet. Full bath.

$1,550. USD (1)
-Suite #4 Cheerfully decorated double bed. Connects to library. Street view. Full bath- shower only.

$1,450. USD (1)
-Ground floor room. Single bed, 1/2 bath.

The 2 rooms with 1/2 baths will need to share showers in one of the other bedrooms.

Non painter sharing a bed is an additional $500. We'll be glad to arrange activities for any non painting partners. Spanish classes, spa/massage, horseback riding, cooking classes. San Miguel is a very safe town for anyone who just wants to wander around and explore.

Email me at frank@frankgardner.com with any questions or to see if there are available spots.
Occupancy is limited. If more lodging is requested I can arrange a similar option close by.

There will be a few spots available for people who don't need lodging.
Non Lodging Tuition only for the 5 days is $680. includes 5 days painting, the welcome cocktail and dinner at the house, the special group dinner, 2 gourmet lunches and transport to and from the private ranches, plus any extra discussions or critiques in the evenings.

A deposit of 50% is needed to hold your spot. There are limited rooms available at the main house that we'll be based. Room selection is on a first come first serve basis. I'll give you a mailing address to send the deposit check. Or you can pay with Paypal (additional 3% for Paypal transaction fee)
The remaining 50% is required 60 days prior to the start of the class.

Not included:
Airfare to and from Mexico: The closest airport is in Leon, (airport code BJX), about and hour and a half ride from town.
Mexico City is about four hours from San Miguel by bus and a private driver can also be arranged.
Transportation to and from Airport: I'll be glad to recommend and arrange round trip transport from the airport. There are several different options and costs.
Other meals not listed in description above: Grocery shopping can be arranged upon arrival. There are many good restaurants nearby. I'll provide a list of some of our favorites.

In front of the one of San Miguel's Many beautiful churches.
Image Frank Gardner ©

On the main square, just a block and a half from where you'll stay.
Image Frank Gardner ©

At one of the ranches we'll visit.
Image Frank Gardner ©

Nearby landscape at one of the ranches we'll visit.
Image Frank Gardner ©

Notes from Door County Plein Air Festival. July 2011

2011-08-02T11:25:00.014-05:00

"Shapes of Door County" 12x16" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

I was invited to participate in the Door County Plein Air Festival this July in Wisconsin. It was my first time that I've done one of these events where artists are invited to paint for 4 or 5 days then have an exhibit of their best works painted during the week. You must create all of the artwork from life during the indicated days and within Door County, WI.
The event is hosted by the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek. It is also part of their biggest fundraiser of the year. The staff and volunteers do an exceptional job of planning and organizing the whole thing. I can't convey how smoothly it is run. They also make it exciting for collectors by having certain events each day where people can go to find at least some of the artists painting. It restricts us a bit during the little time that we have to get solid work completed, but it is really a great way to chat with collectors and that is kind of why we are there.

My friends Colin Page and Marc Hanson were invited back this year and it was great to meet all of the other artists involved as well. The artists are provided lodging with host families. I stayed in a little boat house in Sister Bay with Colin, and therefore spent a lot of the time painting with him. It is always inspirational to hang out with other artists that I admire and we definitely pushed ourselves a little harder that week. Not in a competitive way, but just to take advantage of the time we had to concentrate on painting and nothing else. We painted all day, and almost every night until 11pm at least. One night Colin and I painted, chatted and joked about art and prepared frames for our pieces until about 3:30. It's great to paint so much and talk about all kinds of art stuff. I always work out a few issues and grow a little bit after intense painting with friends like this. There are usually some frustrating times when I seem to wipe off everything I start, but that is all just part of pushing myself to create stronger pieces.

The week winds up with a gala event at the school where each artist chooses their best 4 pieces to hang for the show. Special patrons are allowed to preview the works and purchase at 15% premium above the retail price. Then the gallery is closed for about 20 minutes while the sold works are replaced with more pieces that each artist had in reserve. Then the gallery is re-opened again to the collectors who have purchased tickets for the evening's events and the work is sold at silent auction starting at the original retail price. Remember, this is also a fundraising event for the school and there is no shortage of supporters willing to pay a little extra to get first choice for the paintings they like.

About halfway through the night awards are announced by the invited judge. Here are the results as copied from the newsletter sent out by the Peninsula School. I was extremely honored and humbled and more than a bit surprised when Kathy from the school read my name as the winner of the coveted Artist's Choice Award.

"Brian Sindler, of Northbrook, IL, claimed the Best in Show prize at the 2011 Door County Plein Air Festival, hosted by the Peninsula School of Art, 3900 County Road F in Fish Creek, for his oil painting entitled, "Nocturne, Sister Bay." Sindler's painting was chosen from a field of 41 other artists by internationally-recognized artist and judge, Brian Stewart, of Minneapolis, MN, during the festival's Gala held at the School on Friday, July 22. The four top award winners also received cash in recognition of their works.

Other top prize winners include: First Place, "After Hours" by Colin Page of Camden, ME; Second Place, "The American Dream" by James Richards of Athens, GA and Third Place, "Ice Cream and Shade" by Tom Nachreiner of Elm Grove, WI.

The following artists received Honorable Mention and art supplies for their works: Marc Hanson, of Taylor Falls, MN for "Backyard View;" Stuart Fullerton, of Chicago, IL, for "High Summer;" Joshua Been, of Salida, CO, for "Lake Shore Patterns;" Colin Page for "Wednesday Afternoon in the Park" and Mark Boedges of South Burlington, VT for "The Heather J."

Frank Gardner of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico received the prestigious Artists' Choice Award for the body of artwork he created during the Festival. The award winner is selected by a ballot of the participating festival artists."

There is also a quick paint event on Saturday where each artist has just two hours to complete a finished work. The Featured Artists quickly get their pieces down to the tent for a live auction. There are about 40 other artists who compete for people's choice awards and the chance to be invited back for next years event as a featured artist.

Below are the rest of the my pieces that I completed during the event. Unfortunately, in the rush, I didn't snap an image of the quick paint piece.

"The Blue Ox" 16x12" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500.

"Horseshoe Bay Farms" 12x16" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500.

"View of Ephraim" 9x12" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$950.

"Model Boat" 8x10" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
Private Collection

"Ice Cream Factory at Night" 9x12" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$950.

"Fish Creek Market Nocturne" Frank Gardner © 2011
Private Collection.

"Old Pick-Up in Door County" 8x10" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$800.

"Land Cruiser" 9x12" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$950.

"Sit, Stay" 12x9" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$950.

"The Red Putter" 12x9" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

Show at Addison Art Gallery - Sat. June 11

2011-06-08T22:35:00.038-05:00

My show at Addison Art Gallery tonight. There is a reception from 5:30 to 7:30.

Here are my paintings for that show. There are also 47 Mudheads from my 100 Mudheads Collection. I was hoping to get closer to the 100 number, but they have been taking longer to paint than I had anticipated. I'll keep going with the project after the show.

There is also another reception this Wed. night, the 15th, from 5:30 to 7:30. It will be a group show with several artists that are in town painting next week and some of the locals. Paul Schulenburg, Marc Hanson, Jim Coe, me and one or two others I think.

"Boats by the Wharf" 20x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$2,800. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Foggy" 16x20" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,800. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Boat Meadow" 11x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$1.050. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"View of Pond Road" 11x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Penniman House" 6x8" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Little House in Wellfleet" 6x8" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$550. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"A Day's Work" 14x18" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Spring Launch" 8x10" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Bank Street" 8x10" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$780. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Red, White and Blue" 18x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Commercial Street" 10x8" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Colin's Landing" 14x18" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"A Bucket Full" 16x20" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,800. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Day's End in Chatham" 14x18" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Coast Guard Station" 8x10" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"Street to the Harbor" 8x10" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

"A Touch of Summer" 18x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$2,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Dyer Street" 18x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
SOLD

View my new work at 100 Mudheads

2011-05-13T14:35:00.005-05:00

I'm posting a lot new work on my 100 Mudheads blog.

100 Mudheads Collection #13
Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

New Blog 100 Mudheads

2011-05-07T22:17:00.002-05:00

I'm working on a special painting project called 100 Mudheads. I started a separate blog to journal my efforts. Please check it out and follow my progress there.

I've challenged myself to a one month painting marathon. My goal is to paint 100 Mudheads in just one month. They will show as a group alongside my exhibit of recent work at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
My Mudhead Marathon will start on May 11 and my goal is to have 100 of these classic works completed by the opening of the reception at 5:30 on June 11th.

Top Prize at the 6" Squared April Show

2011-04-22T09:19:00.004-05:00

My painting "Fast Asleep" was awarded a top prize at the 6" Squared Show this week.
The show is currently at the Randy Higbee Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA.
I was totally surprised to get this honor out of so many great paintings in this show. Did not expect this at all and real excited about it.

"Fast Asleep" 6x6" oil/board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD - Shown in Plein Air #2 Float mount frame.

"Fast Asleep" 6x6" oil/board. Frank Gardner © 2011
SOLD

The judges were Jean Stern, Director of the Irvine Museum, Jeff Horn, artist, and gallery owner and art connoisseur, Randy Higbee.

There were three artists that all three judges gave the maximum points and I was one of them.

They had 297 artists enter this show. 1174 paintings entered and they accepted 523. There were 500 pieces hung for Opening Night.

New oil paintings for M Gallery in Charleston

2011-04-22T08:41:00.006-05:00

These 3 new paintings have just arrived at the M Gallery in Charleston.
"Storybook" is a painting of our daughter and is for an invitational group show called "Private Spaces". The show opens with a reception on Friday May 6th.
Each invited artist was asked to paint something that represented a private space for them. I decided that a little girl, hidden away on a canopy bed, reading a big storybook was a good choice.
We were each asked to write a short description of our painting to hang next to it in the show.
Below the painting is what I wrote to accompany it.

"Storybook" 14x18" oil/linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,500. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art. Charleston, SC

"Story Book" is about a little girl's private time with a story book and her imagination. A private space on a soft bed with a canopy pulled. Separating her from the outside world and allowing her to escape into her inner space. This is a painting of our daughter, but I think everyone can relate to a little child and that special age. The time when the printed word becomes real, if just for a moment, and a world of endless possibilities and promise expands a child's world.

I also sent them a 6x8" that I painted when I was working out the design for "Storybook". This one is from a slightly different angle and Erin is reading a larger book. This one is called "Big Stories".

"Big Stories" 6x8" oil/linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
$550. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art. Charleston, SC

A third new painting that I sent to M is a landscape with a full moon coming up over the hills here in Mexico. The serene feel to this view and the colors really inspired me to paint it. This one is not for the "Private Spaces" show, but it will be hanging at the gallery.

"Rising Moon" 16x20" oil/linen. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,800. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art. Charleston, SC

Plein Air Oil Painting workshop on Cape Cod- June 6-10

2011-04-07T19:07:00.016-05:00

I am excited to announce that I'll be teaching a 5 day plein air oil painting workshop on Cape Cod. The dates are June 6th through June 10th, 2011.

A Typical Provincetown Street in June. Frank Gardner © 2010

Cape Cod is a favorite destination for outdoor painters and June is one of the best months for painting there. The light is perfect and the weather is pleasant and not too humid yet. It's my favorite time of year to paint on the Cape.
The cost of the workshop is $500 for five full days of painting (Individuals are responsible for accommodations, food, supplies, etc.) I am offering a discounted rate of $450. for anyone that signs up and sends their deposit by April 30. Reserve your spot today by sending me an email. frank@frankgardner.com

The painting locations will be on the Outer Cape. Let's plan on painting from Chatham on out to Provincetown. Transportation is a must, but we can work out carpooling to the daily painting spots. The Eastham to Wellfleet area is the best and most central place to look for accommodations. I can give you a list of lodging suggestions when you sign up for the class. There are lots of great cottages for rent too if there is a small group coming together. Please email me for more information, the materials list or to set aside your spot. The class size will be limited. I require a $200. deposit and the balance paid at the beginning of the class.

Email me to reserve your spot and I'll give you my mailing address to send your deposit.

Wharf in PTown. Frank Gardner © 2010

Commercial Street in PTown. Frank Gardner © 2010

This workshop is for oil painters. All levels are welcome. However, whining is frowned upon and you must be able to carry and set up your own gear.

In the workshop my emphasis is on helping everyone advance to their next level.

Some of the topics we will concentrate on are:

Values: A strong and simple value pattern is key to a successful painting, we will work on getting values correct from the start and keeping them clear throughout the painting process.

Color: We will work on seeing color and value then mixing color using a limited palette.
Premixing colors on your palette, and choosing the best design for your composition are a few of the things that we will focus on in this workshop.

Strong Starts/ Block In: An emphasis will be on getting a strong start to your painting so you don't need to waste time reworking the design later. Accurate color mixing is key to capturing the mood of a location. I feel that a strong start is the key a successful plein air painting and we will focus a lot on "starts" as well as how to bring a good start to the desired finish.

Demos: I will do several demos, but there will be plenty of the time will be for painting and I will walk around and give individual guidance. There will be some quick painting exercises as well as some longer painting sessions.

"Summer Rose" 10 x 8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

"A Touch of Summer" 18x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$2,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

View at Rock Harbor. Frank Gardner © 2010

A garden in Provincetown. Frank Gardner © 2010

Beach view toward wharf. Frank Gardner © 2010

Another Recent Painting

2011-02-21T12:21:00.002-06:00

Here is another recent painting that I just brought down to the gallery. I really like the shape of the bridge and all of the reflected color bouncing around in the shadows.
Over 20 years painting in San Miguel and I've never painted this view before. Guess it was about time.

"Bridge over Canal St." 18x14" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,430. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

Recent Painting

2011-02-16T11:05:00.009-06:00

This is a piece I started on the spot last fall and recently finished up in the studio. It's one of my favorite scenes to paint. On this afternoon I was painting out there with Scott, Sue and Sarah. Sue really liked a little painting I had of this spot at my gallery, so I took them out there to paint.
I often mention that I started a piece on the spot and later finished it in the studio. I actually have a picture of how it came home before any adjustments in the studio, so I thought I'd share that here so you can see a little of my working process. I suppose I could have left the piece as it was and it would have been fine, but I wanted to take this one a little further than the loose look it had. One of the choices we have to make as artists is when to stop. Since I had painted this same scene many times before I wanted to bring it to a little more detailed finish this time around.
In the on location photo you can see that I was working on a neutral toned canvas, a product of an earlier failed painting. I started with my shadow shapes and then added the shapes that were in the light. At this point I had yet to cut in the sky shape. The light was changing pretty quickly at this time of day so I was working fast. Trying to get color/ value notes as accurately as I could.

"A Special Time" 14x11" oil. Frank Gardner © 2011
$1,050. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

As it came home from painting on the spot. Frank Gardner © 2011

Painting with friends Sue and Sarah. Frank Gardner © 2011

Another piece in the show at Addison Art Gallery

2011-01-10T12:01:00.004-06:00

"The Richard and Arnold" is another Eastern-rig in Provincetown. This painting is also in the Creative Convergence show at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
Most of the paintings from all of the artists are at the gallery now and will hang from this weekend through Feb.
The reception at the gallery is on Feb 19th., but get over there now to check it all out before too many of them sell and are taken down.

I started this painting on location and finished it in the studio.
It was a fun morning with lots of laughs. Part of the fun on these painting trips is just getting to hang out with a bunch of good friends who paint. Jerome, Peter, Colin and I set up pretty close together on this morning, mostly so we could talk about art and crack jokes. Logan came over after a while too as I remember. A good time was had even though it was a pretty chilly morning out there on the wharf with the wind blowing and we were in the shade.

I concentrated on getting my design locked in first, then worked on painting the boat, pier and light and shadow while I could. The morning light falling on the green net and along the lines of the cabin and bow of the boat was what attracted me, so I wanted to make sure I got all of that down first. There was even a guy on deck working, so I added him in for a sense of scale and interest. I left most of the water, sky and background for later. I mixed up a few color notes for those areas while on the spot. Then used those reminders plus a photo reference to finish this one up after I got home.

"The Richard and Arnold" 11x14" oil on board. Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,050. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

Convergence Show at Addison Art Gallery

2011-01-04T13:28:00.004-06:00

These are two more of my pieces that are in the Creative Convergence show at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA. Jan 15 through Feb 28, 2011.
"The Blue Skies" and "The Blue Ocean" are two of the Eastern-rig boats that still fish the waters off the Cape. They are great looking boats.
Stop by the gallery in Orleans, MA and the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, MA if you have a chance. The guys have turned out a bunch of good looking art for the shows. It will all be up on the gallery web site soon. Some of the guys wait till the last minute to send in their images.

The crew of the Blue Ocean were working on the boat on this particular morning and I was hoping they would be motoring out soon. I aligned myself so I could get a good reference photo of them leaving the dock. I thought it would be a good way to make the design a little different than the paintings I have done of her before. The Pilgrim Monument and the masts of the Razor's Edge on the right give a nice balance to the Blue Ocean and it's a classic Provincetown view.

"Blue Ocean" 20x24" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
$2,800. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery. Orleans, MA

I started "Last Light on the Blue Skies" on the spot. I was really attracted to the late afternoon light on the side of the boat. It was painted on a very shaky pier with Dan Corey and Colin Page. Each time one of us moved the whole pier rocked. Not to mention every time someone came out to look and see what we were doing. It was like painting standing up in a row boat. Great golden light hitting the side of that boat though. Glad the start was good enough to bring it to completion once I got back home.

"Last Light on the Blue Skies" 8x10" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery. Orleans, MA

"Sunflower" - about editing my reference info

2010-12-30T12:09:00.011-06:00

This painting is in the Creative Convergence show at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA. Jan 15 through Feb 28, 2011.
It is a group show of paintings by 18 artists that painted in Provincetown, MA for two weeks in October.
All but two of my pieces in this years show were painted entirely on location or at least a good part done on the spot and then later finished in the studio. I'd like to talk about one of my studio pieces in this post.

I'd like to share a little about how I took an OK reference photo and turned it into a painting that I could be really excited about.

One day while looking for a painting spot in Wellfleet, I came across a scene of a bike parked under a large sunflower. I didn't set up to paint it, but I felt like there was something very interesting about it, so I snapped a picture for later reference.

Once in a while I'll get a photo reference that has everything I need for a complete painting. Usually I don't and need to edit or combine images. This is a good example of the latter.

The first picture shows the scene as it was. Taken from across a parking lot.

"Sunflower" reference photo. Frank Gardner © 2010

I still thought it had great subject potential for a painting. So I opened it in photoshop and played around with cropping it into a better design, featuring the sunflower and bike. (below)

"Sunflower" reference photo cropped. Frank Gardner © 2010

I came up with a basic design that I thought looked pretty good. However, after zooming in, I realized that it was just a boring looking bike and it was facing left. I wanted it to face right, leading into the painting more. I decided to swap it out for a much cooler looking bike. The one I chose was a women's bike by Nirve called "Sunflower" of all things. The colors were just right for the painting and I really like the style of these "cruiser" bikes. There is a shop in PTown that sells them and it's where I first saw these awesome bikes.
It was all starting to fall into place for me. Provincetown is a great town for getting around on bikes and I think that was a big part of the inspiration for me with this painting. I wanted to capture that getting around by bike spirit that I was feeling during our stay. Maybe that is why this scene was calling to me.

Now it was just a matter of getting the painting to come together. I edited out a bunch of clutter to make the focus be on the large sunflower and bike. Everything else took on a supporting role or was eliminated. I also added some red into all the colors in this piece to warm it up a bit and neutralize all the green just a little. "smuggling red" as Stapleton Kearns, one of the painters on this trip, was fond of saying.

I really like how this one came out. I hope that you do too.

"Sunflower" 11x14" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,050. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery. Orleans, MA

6" Squared exhibit at Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA

2010-11-28T17:20:00.016-06:00

I'm proud to be part of the 6" Squared Exhibit at the Randy Higbee Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA.
The show opens Sat. Dec. 4th, but works are available for pre sale right now.
1-800-506-7624

There are a lot of quality artists that have submitted work to this show. Each piece measures 6x6".
If you are in the area it would be a great reception to attend.
Here is the invitation. I am real happy to have one of my paintings included on it.

I have 6 works included, but only 4 will be shown at the reception and for judging. The other two are replacements if works are sold. All of them are for sale.
I've included pictures two of them with the frame as well so you can see how nice the float mount frames look. None of the image is covered up with this type of frame which is nice on such a small scale where every brushstroke right out to the edge is important.

"Mexican Horseman" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
SOLD

"Mexican Horseman" SOLD. Frank Gardner © 2010

"The Gate" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$475. framed.

"The Gate" framed $475. Frank Gardner © 2010

"Giving the Dog a Ride" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$475. framed. SOLD

"Give Me Your Hand" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$475. framed. SOLD

"San Martin de los Terreros" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$475. framed. SOLD

"Preparing Tacos" 6x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$475. framed. SOLD

"No Hurry" at M Gallery in Chareston

2010-11-23T12:31:00.005-06:00

This is another of my favorite paintings at my one person show currently on display at M Gallery in Charleston.
It's based on one of my 5x7 mini paintings from the Bicentennial Collection called "Evening Light".
I was able to take it so much further on the larger scale.
The painting has a beautiful dark frame on it and is still available.

"No Hurry" 30x40" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2010
$6,000. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston,SC

Riding into the evening light, these two boys lead the family's cows home at the end of a day of grazing in the fields. The trees and vines along the fence on the right block the sun. The feeling of coming out of the shadow as they round the corner into the bright sunlight is what I was trying to capture in this painting. The closeness of the animals on the narrow road group them together into one mass of shadow while the legs against the sun on the road and a few highlights on their backs define them just enough.

"Evening Light" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Private Collection

One more new piece for Charleston Show

2010-11-02T21:40:00.003-06:00

Taking one more piece up with me for my solo show at M Gallery in Charleston.

R.S.V.P. for the Preview Showing of "Magical San Miguel" featuring 30+ new works.
Latin Guitar, Mexican Hors d'Oeuvres, Champagne Sangria and a Live Painting Demonstration.
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, 5 - 7 p.m. M Gallery of Fine Art, 11 Broad Street, Charleston, SC.
Contact Janice Rossmann, jrossmann@mgalleryoffineart.com, (843)727-4500

"Goyo's Burro" 16x20" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,800. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston,SC

An Inspiration for "Peregrinos"

2010-10-26T13:30:00.010-05:00

"Peregrinos" is a painting featured in my one man show at M Gallery in Charleston, SC on Nov. 4th and 5th.

Peregrinos translates as pilgrims. The women in this painting are arriving at the Sanctuary of Atotonilco and are making their way over to the church. People come from different parts of México all throughout the year to spend a week in this well known sanctuary. I lived in this town for a few years so this is a very familiar scene to me. One of the ladies is ringing a brass bell and the rest are singing. The town was also celebrating it's yearly festival on this day and that is why they are setting up the large fireworks tower to the right. It fit in with my design and feeling of México, so I used it.

This design in particular painting was influenced by an "Orientalist" painting titled "Pilgrims Going to Mecca" by Léon Belly. The obvious similarity is that both paintings feature a pilgrimage. The design I used is very similar to the way Belly grouped the procession of pilgrims into one large mass. In his painting, several of the pilgrims were on camels, which gave the design some height. The banners that these ladies were carrying reminded me of that design shape. The setting is different, but the overall feeling of this composition and subject is rooted in what I loved about the Belly painting of 1861.

"Perigrinos" 30x40" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
Private Collection

"Pilgrims Going to Mecca" 1861 oil on canvas 63 1/2 x 95 1/4" by L éon Belly ( French, 1827-1877) Musée D'Orsay. Paris, France.

A few years ago I bought a book called "The Orientalists, Western artists in Arabia, The Sahara, Persia and India". It is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. I believe it's out of print, looked it up on Amazon and they are starting at around $740. Ouch.

Below is a 6x8 painting "Peregrinos" that I used as a color study and composition sketch when I was planning out the larger version. I've also included two details from the larger painting.

"Peregrinos", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

Detail of "Peregrinos" 30x40, Frank Gardner © 2010

Detail of "Peregrinos" 30x40, Frank Gardner © 2010

Painting Trip and Fresh Paint at Addison Art Gallery

2010-10-22T20:38:00.010-05:00

I'm just back from a two week painting trip with a group of good friends. You may remember our travels to Port Clyde, Maine two years ago and here in Mexico last year. This time we converged on Provincetown, MA.
This year there were a few guys that I had not painted with before. Always nice to make new friends.
The cast of characters, besides myself, was: Paul Schulenberg, Jerome Greene, Ignat Ignatov, Peter Kalill, Colin Page, Logan Hagege, Jeremy Lipking, Eric Merrell, Ernesto Nemesio, Jeff Bonasia, Marc Hanson, Dan Corey, Rick Casali, Stapleton Kearns, Ian Factor, James Coe, and Michael Klein. Some were there for the full two weeks, others could only stay for part of the trip.

We had a blast. Lots of painting, laughing and talking shop. On the rainy days ( and there were a few) we had access to a great empty space for painting the nude model. That is something I had not done since my RISD days. Some of these guys paint the figure all the time, so I was at the bottom of the ladder on this one. It was a good chance to practice though and I picked up a few pointers. I won't be showing those here and most of them were wiped off and painted over.

I think one of my favorite parts of the trip this year though was hanging out at night in a private secret location. It was dark and funky and looked like a pirate ship in there and often full of pirate type guys. We prepared many of our nightly meals in there and continued into the night with revelry, some guitar and banjo playing, usually accompanied by portrait painting sessions with some local pirate types or between ourselves, taking turns posing. I'm more of a landscape painter than head and shoulder portrait painter, but I kept at it and by the end of the trip I could see a big improvement. I got some real helpful tips from Ignat Ignatov and some of the other guys.

One of the late night portrait sessions on the Pirate Ship around the end of the first week.
Yes, that was the only lighting we had to work with, and sometimes we had to settle for a dark corner to paint in.

On the last night of the trip, with just a few of us left we decided to do a marathon Pirate portrait session with each of the willing taking turns posing for a timed 40 minutes while the others painted him. Then we switched fast and painted the next guy for 40.
We started at 10:30 pm with 7 painters and ended around 2:30 with 5 left standing. I painted 4 and sat for my turn. Here is my effort from the night. A 20x16" panel divided into 4 parts. Not bad for me and with a time limit of 40 min. I think this will be one of my pieces for the Cape Cod Museum of Art show in Feb.
To me, it represents a lot of what we had going on this year.

40 minute marathon poses
20x16" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,800. Framed. Available through Addison Art Gallery
Clockwise from top left: Ian Factor, Colin Page, Logan Hagege, Stapleton Kearns.

There will be a big show of our paintings from this trip at Addison Art Gallery and at the Cape Cod Museum of Art this Feb.
This year we also had a fresh paint show at Addison, with a few pieces from most of us. Below are the 4 paintings that I framed up for the show.

"Provincetown Street" 10x8" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Eastern-rig" 6x8" oil on board, Frank Gardner © 2010
SOLD

"Bradford Street" 8x10" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"First House" 8x10" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

Sept 28th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-28T19:56:00.006-05:00

Muchas Gracias to everyone for their support and encouragement on these.

Today is the LAST day of the mini painting challenge celebrating the Mexican Bicentennial.
I have two today. Wish I had time for more, as I know there are still people trying to get these.

Eventually I will have some free time to make a blog post or two on my thoughts about doing this mini painting challenge.
One thing is that it's tiring getting the paintings done, photographing and posting them each day.
I wish that I could have dedicated all of my time this month to painting these, but there were just too many other commitments this month. Did the best I could.

Will ship most of the dry ones tomorrow. Thursday I leave on a paint trip for a few weeks. I'll see if I can post a few pictures of the gang painting. The wet paintings will need to be shipped when I get back in October. I'll let everyone know if their paintings were shipped tomorrow or not.

Don't forget that there will be an opening reception at Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA on Sat. Oct 16th, 5-7pm.
It will be a select group of paintings from our trip and a lot of the artists will be present. Stay tuned for more info on how the trip is going and any other related events.

Also, the M Gallery show in Charleston on Nov. 5th, is now a One Person Show. Please tell all of your friends about that one as it is my first introduction to the Charleston art scene. I hope it goes well.

"Walking to Town" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Busy Road" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 27th mini paintings

2010-09-27T19:36:00.008-05:00

Well, finished boxing and shipped 20 paintings for my show at M Gallery.
Shipped another box with two others that had sold.
Have most of the minis signed, varnished and painted out on the sides so they can be float mounted. On the back of each they are signed, dated, and I numbered all of them in the order that they were painted for this special series.
Example: Bicentennial Collection #25.
Will start to ship them tomorrow.

I'll try and post some info on frame suggestions for the minis before I leave on my trip Thursday.

I'm going to be painting with about 15 guys for two weeks. Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA will be hosting a fresh paint show of some of the work. Please stop by Saturday Oct. 16th between 5 and 7 if you are in the area. There is a link in the sidebar on the left hand side of this blog or on my web site for directions. A lot of us will still be around at attending.
There will be another show of all of the finished work in Feb, 2011 at Addison and at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

I'm bringing a lot of large canvases on the trip. 16x20s, 20x24s, and a few 24x30s.
That's a big size for me to paint on location. After all of these mini paintings I need to swing the brush from the shoulder again and paint BIG.

Three minis for today. Remember, tomorrow is the LAST day of this Bicentennial Celebration of mini paintings.

"Man and Cows" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Fresh Fruit" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Man on Burro" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

"Silent Shadows Across the Road"

2010-09-26T20:43:00.004-05:00

Today was sent wrapping up and boxing the paintings for my Nov. show at M Gallery in Charleston, SC.
I didn't even finish it all, but my studio looks a whole lot cleaner and emptier without those 20 paintings. I can almost see one part of the floor all the way up the wall. It was getting crowded in there. Since I recycle my packing materials there are a few less big boxes in the way too.

Tonight I'll be signing and titling the backs of all of the mini paintings. I'm also painting out the sides of the panels black so they will look real nice if you float mount them in a frame. That is what I suggest so you can see every little bit of the painting. I'll explain all of that later in a post. I'll also email all of that info the people who purchased minis.

Since there are no mini paintings for today I'll post another of my favorites for the show.

"Silent Shadows Across the Road" 24x30" oil on canvas, Frank Gardner © 2010
$3,600. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston, SC

Sept 25th mini painting - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-25T18:17:00.005-05:00

Very busy today with other business, so I only had time for one mini painting.
It is of a horse sharing some alfalfa with some chickens and a rooster.

I am also re posting two mini paintings that have not sold yet.
Maybe they got lost among all the others, so here they are again if you scroll below the info on purchasing.

Tomorrow is making boxes and packing paintings day. I'll try and have at least one mini for the evening.

"Eating Together" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Below are the two minis that are still available from other days.

"Detail of Atotonilco Church" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Tornado de Noche" 6x6" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Sept 24th Minis

2010-09-24T20:22:00.007-05:00

Three mini paintings today.

I wanted to paint loosely on these three. Part of this project that I am enjoying is painting a little looser than I have been on the larger paintings.

I haven't painted any minis of down by San Miguel Viejo, so I wanted to get in a few before this project is over. The first two are from down there.

I am kind of rushed for time by having to post these each night. So I'll come back after the Bicentennial Collection project is over and talk about some of what I've learned by doing This painting challenge.

Tuesday will be my last post of these minis. I'll be leaving on a painting trip early Thursday, so I'll need to wrap it up. Some of the paintings that are not dry enough to ship before I leave will be shipped after I'm back in San Miguel, around the 20th of Oct.

For those that are interested, there will be an opening reception at Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA on Sat. Oct 16th.
I'll be part of a Fresh Paint exhibit of some select work that me and the guys will be doing on our painting trip, and a lot of us will be around for the show. I'll post more info on that trip and exhibit later.

The third painting, "Time to Go Home" was photographed after the sun was going down, so the color may be a little off. I'll change the image tomorrow. You'll like it more with the better color.

"San Miguel Viejo" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Last Bit of Green" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Time to Go Home" 5x7" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 23rd mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-23T19:50:00.007-05:00

Got two minis in today besides all of the other painting and finishing I was doing.

"La Parroquia de San Miguel" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"A Perfect Fit" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Show Preview

2010-09-22T19:27:00.003-05:00

I just didn't have time to paint minis today. Tomorrow is my last painting day before I have to ship paintings for my Nov 5th show at M Gallery in Charleston.
I wanted to have something for you to see tonight. So here is a peek at one more painting for that show.

"Conchero Dancer" 18x14" oil on board, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,430. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston, SC

Sept. 21st mini painting - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-21T19:41:00.003-05:00

Just this one mini today. The rest of the day I spent working on the bigger paintings.
I'm pretty much in the final week of the mini paintings. I'll be heading to the US for a painting trip on the 30th, so I'll be ending this Bicentennial Celebration around the 28th.
I know there are still a lot of people interested in purchasing a few of these, so I'll do my best to get as many done between now and then as I can.
Thanks for all of the great response to these!

"Caballo Blanco" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 20th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-20T16:38:00.009-05:00

"Colores del Campo" ( Colors of the Countryside) is a real loose one. I'd like to try and get this look in a 30x40.

The second is a horse named Tornado. I worked two sessions on it to get the look I was after.

I'll try and paint at least one mini tomorrow, but I'll mostly be working on paintings for the M Gallery show. It's my last week for getting things ready for that show.

"Colores del Campo" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Tornado de Noche" 6x6" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 19th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-19T16:49:00.008-05:00

Three mini paintings today. I enjoyed the loose look of that last set, so I tried to carry that on with these.

"Caballo y Capilla" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"A Snack in the Cornfield" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Yellow Dress" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 14th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-14T17:13:00.009-05:00

Felt like I was in a good groove painting today, no frustrations.
Really tried to keep the brushwork loose and simple. Just the important stuff.
One of the things I am enjoying about this challenge to paint as many mini paintings as I can this month is that it is keeping me moving. Forcing me to move on and not overwork.

"Rosario and his Horses" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Descanso" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Hidalgo" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 13th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-13T20:14:00.007-05:00

I still have a lot of work to finish in the next two weeks for my show in Charleston, plus, I started 30x40" yesterday that I hope to include in the show. It is inspired by one of these minis.
But, as promised, I have a few mini paintings from today to post.

The first is a view of San Miguel, early in the morning, when the sun is just starting to light up the buildings in the center of town. This was a really hard subject to fit onto a 5x7" board. It had me frustrated for a while, but I like how it ended up.

"Early Morning" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

I wanted to switch the subject matter up a little, so I painted this hen and chicks walking along a wall. The bougainvillea adds a little brightness in contrast of the subtle colors of the chicks against the wall.

"Pollitos" 6x6" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

The last one for tonight is of a mariachi group playing in front of the church in the main square. The color is off a bit since the sun was going down when I photographed it. I'll switch this photo out for a better one tomorrow. I think the color in the painting is a little stronger and the green mariachi suits are a bit darker than it shows here in the pic. There was some cool reflection from the sky that I could not get rid of in the photo.

"Mariachi" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Preview of Nov. 5th show at M Gallery, Charleston

2010-09-11T10:07:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to be posting any mini Bicentennial Collection paintings this weekend.
Taking some time to wrap up work on my pieces for my show at M Gallery in Charleston, SC.
It is a two person show with me and Gladys Roldan de Moras. We will both have a selection of paintings with Méxican themes and assorted other goodies. I've been working all summer on my paintings for this show. It's going to be good.
M Gallery just relocated to Charleston from Sarasota, FL. so Gladys and I are not well known there yet.
Please help spread the word to any family or friends that live in the area or enjoy visiting Charleston. There are going to be a lot of great paintings.
Below are two of my favorites that I'll be including. Contact M Gallery of me if you're interested in setting one of these aside for your collection.

"Goats and Mountain Stream" 32x38" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
$6,000. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston, SC

"Perigrinos" 30x40" oil on linen. Frank Gardner © 2010
$6,000. Framed. Available at M Gallery, Charleston, SC

Sept. 10th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-10T19:27:00.009-05:00

Painted one still life last night, so there are 6 pieces tonight.

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

I really like the color and light in this one. It's going to end up being a larger painting. Feels like a lazy evening walking slowly into the setting sun.

"Evening Light" 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

I'm starting to feel more comfortable with arranging and painting still lifes.

"Jalapeños and Tequila" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

I did a painting similar to this about 12 years ago. Never sold it and I'm kind of glad. It was way too dark. I think I did better this time. Love this old truck.

"Truck" 6x6" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Tried to say as much as I could with as few strokes as possible in this one. Same thing In "Evening Light" above.

"Camino Largo" 5x7" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

A bit of a different view of the church in Atotonilco that I paint a lot.

"Detail of Atotonilco Church" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping

One more Charro painting. This little girl is getting an early start with the horseback riding.

"Little Charro" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Sept. 9th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-09T20:10:00.005-05:00

Two for tonight.
I've gotten quite a few emails from people saying that by the time they look at my blog the pieces are sold. I try and post around the same general time each night as I can. I really can't show preference or pre sell these. There is no fun in that, and it's not fair to everyone else. Still only in the second week.

The top one is another Charro. So to make it a little different for myself today I used a limited palette of colors. Just red, yellow ochre, ivory black and white in this one. I'm happy with how it came out. There is a little glare in the photo, but you can see the real subtle color notes in this one better, so it's the one I went with.

"Charro II" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Canelo again, from the other side. I like the looseness in this one.
I painted this guy with my friend Scott Powers last summer. He just kept moving around and around that tree looking to eat the scraps of cornstalks. Much easier to paint from a photo.

"Canelo II" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 8th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-08T18:59:00.009-05:00

Last night I painted two still lifes, so today I am posting 5 paintings.

I rigged something up in my studio that is a pretty good still life base. Now I just need access to Carol Marine's fancy colored paper and fabric stash to use as backgrounds. I borrowed her idea of putting a sheet of glass under the set up to get nice reflections.

"Charro" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Niña" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Alberto" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Almost Salsa" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Shot of Tequila" 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

Sept. 7th mini paintings - Bicentennial Collection

2010-09-07T20:28:00.007-05:00

Today completes the first week of the mini marathon.
I'm feeling like I should have more than 13 completed.
That's more like a 10K than a marathon.
I'll call it pacing myself, and will try and pick it up a bit the second week.

These have all been painted from reference so far. I'll keep doing those, but want to try and move on this week to include some done on the spot and some still lifes. I tried to set up a still life last night but got frustrated at my lack of experience with those and decided to go to bed instead. I'm going to give it another shot tonight after posting these. Maybe I'll actually get some paint on the board this time.

"Cactus and Capilla" 6x6" oil on linen panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Charros" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

September 6th mini painting

2010-09-06T19:03:00.009-05:00

Just one for now, spent a big part of the day at the gallery taking care of business. If I paint something tonight I'll put it up with tomorrow's paintings.

Tried to not do excessive blending on this one. Put it on and leave it alone.

"Canelo", 6x6" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

September 5th mini paintings

2010-09-05T19:49:00.008-05:00

Had time for two of the mini paintings today.

Danza del Venado translates to Deer Dance. The Yaqui from Sonora perform this dance, but I believe it is performed in other places too, down into Guatemala. Yes, that's a deer head on his head.
I embedded a video of this dance at the end of this post.

"Danza del Venado" 7x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

It's pretty common to see young kids out taking care of the family animals instead of going to school.

"Boy and Cows" &x5" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

September 4th mini painting

2010-09-04T20:40:00.005-05:00

Had some other things to do today and a family get together this evening, so only one painting today.
But it's a nice one.

You may have noticed that I am trying to get some red, white and green into some of these. The colors of the Méxican flag.
I moved things around and came up with his clothes, the red blanket behind his saddle and the nopal cactus in the background.

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

"Waiting", 6x6" oil on panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

September 3rd mini paintings

2010-09-03T20:41:00.013-05:00

This top painting was from yesterday but it was too dark to get a good photo.
Today I finished two pieces.

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx. You may ship several in one package for the $35.

"Charro's Gear", 6x6" oil on linen panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Charro hat, rope and vest hanging on an old adobe and rock wall.

"Méxican Goat", 5x7" oil on panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

I call this one "Méxican Goat" because of the red, white and green, colors of the Méxican flag.

"Calle de Recreo", 7x5" oil on panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

A street here in San Miguel de Allende with the San Francisco Church in the distance.

Had a hard time getting good color in this photo. I may try and re post the image tomorrow.
Taking good photos of artwork is hard. Any artist will tell you that having to rush is not the best way to get good pics. I shoot in the sun, so I'm relying a bit on the weather and time of day. Wet paintings give glare, and if I shoot in the shade I don't get the color and texture I like. Doing my best to get a good representation of these.

Hasta Mañana.

September 2nd mini paintings

2010-09-02T20:37:00.011-05:00

Starting to get into the groove on these. The first one is the one from last night that I did not post.

"Trusty Ride", 6x6" oil on panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Insurgentes II" 6x6" oil on linen panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

"Red, White and Green", 5x7" oil on linen panel. Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx for up to 5 kilos, so you may ship several in one package for the $35.

First Day of mini painting series.

2010-09-01T22:51:00.002-05:00

Today was the first day of my September mini paintings.
The small size was hard to get a grip on at first. I've been working on some larger things lately and I really felt like I was painting with my feet for a while on these. Today was my warmup day.
I completed two paintings today, but only had time to photograph one before it was dark.
I'll post the other painting with tomorrow's pieces.

I should mention that some of these paintings will be landscapes or cityscapes done on the spot, some from references, some may be still lifes. I have no set plan and will go where the series leads me as far as subject matter and freedom to experiment a bit with style and design.

"Insurgentes", 5x7" oil on panel, Frank Gardner © 2010
Unframed $110. USD + shipping
SOLD

Shipping from México to the US costs $35. USD via FedEx for up to 5 kilos, so you may ship several in one package for the $35.

I have not had time to send out an newsletter promoting this special or even organize a purchase instruction page. I'll get to that soon and get these paintings on my web site too. For now, here is what to do if you are interested in a painting.

To purchase any of these mini paintings, email me: frank at frankgardner.com
The first email in my box stating intent to purchase a painting by title gets it. Please write preferred method of payment: personal check or by Paypal. I will return your email with instructions and where to mail a check or send you a payment request through Paypal.
I will return the other emails advising that the desired painting has been sold.

This seems like the best way to avoid multiple buyers with Paypal buttons and will make it so I don't have to keep checking the computer etc.

Mini Painting challenge for the month of September. Celebrating the Mexican Bicentennial.

2010-08-31T23:30:00.002-05:00

To commemorate the Mexican Bicentennial, during the month of September, I'll be challenging myself to a painting marathon.

My goal is to paint as many mini paintings in the month of September that I can squeeze into my schedule. I have a lot of other things going on this month, so it won't be a blitz of mini paintings all day long.

The mini marathon paintings will be in two sizes, either 6x6 inches or 5x7 inches. I will offer them on a first come first serve basis at a special price of $110. USD, unframed, plus shipping.
I don't paint this small for galleries, but some of my favorites may end up being studies for larger paintings.

Each evening I will try and post that days paintings on my blog and web site.
Anything painted at night will be posted with the following day's paintings.

The first paintings of the series will be posted here on the evening of Sept. 1st.

"Exploring the Bay"

2010-08-03T20:28:00.003-05:00

One more Cape painting that I just completed. This is my daughter and our good friend Peter Kalill walking along the beach in Brewster, MA. They are exploring the tidal pools and looking for minnows. I've always loved this photo and have wanted to paint it for a long time.

"Exploring the Bay". 18x24" oil. Frank Gardner © 2010

"Provincetown Blues"

2010-07-28T11:37:00.004-05:00

This is a piece from May that I had not posted here yet. Another view of a working boat tied up on the wharf in PTown. All of the subtle shifts in the shadow colors really attracted me to this scene.

I've been busy painting things for my show at M Gallery in November, but I'm not ready to start posting those on the blog just yet.

"Provincetown Blues", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,430. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

Two new Cape Cod paintings

2010-07-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just sent these two new paintings of Provincetown off to the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.

I'm normally drawn to the grittier weathered look of the fishing boats when I'm in Provincetown. In my last few paintings of the town I wanted to explore the quainter street scenes a bit more.

"A Touch of Summer" 18x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$2,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Dyer Street" 18x24" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$2,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

Portrait Commission

2010-07-05T11:05:00.000-05:00

This is the finished portrait commission. It was my first portrait commission ever and pretty much one of my first portraits period. I don't have much experience with this, but am pretty happy with how it turned out.
Sitting on the spot over several sessions was not an option, so we had a photo shoot at the clients home. It seemed like the best way to approach this was to do a few small color studies to work out a few ideas and present them to my clients so they could visualize what I thought would look good. We ended up taking a few things they liked best from two of the studies and combining them for the main pose with Buddy and the dog, Chico. The final painting is assembled from four or five reference photos plus the studies.

"Buddy and Chico" 40x30" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
Private Collection

It is now the main painting above the mantel in a room with 10 other large paintings of mine that these clients have purchased over the past 14 years. It is the first time all of them have been assembled in one room and it's kind of cool to view them all together. I enjoyed seeing how my work and style has evolved over the years in the context of what these clients have selected for their home.
I'll try and take a few photos of the other paintings in the room next time I am out there.

"Summer Rose" and a new gallery

2010-06-21T22:45:00.000-05:00

Back from a two week painting trip. First I was painting in Sarasota, FL with Marc Hanson for a few days and visiting with the great folks from M Gallery where I'll be having a show in Nov. followed by a 5 day painting workshop. I came back with some a bunch of small paintings. Some of them will be for my show or used as starting points for larger pieces. More on FL later.

Then, after visiting my Dad and family for a few days I headed over to Cape Cod to paint with a group of friends. The usual suspects, Peter Kalill, Paul Schulenburg, Jerome Greene, Logan Hagege, Dan Corey, Jeff Bonasia and Marc Hanson again.

I had a blast, painted a lot and am proud to announce that I am now represented by the Addison Art Gallery, in Orleans, MA. A lot of those guys I paint with show there, so I am glad to be pert of that team. I've been part of a few group shows there before.

Below is one of the pieces I painted in Provincetown. This house had some of the best looking roses in town.
I'll post a few more paintings soon.
Until then.

"Summer Rose" 10 x 8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$780. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Terra Nova" - I'm back

2010-05-22T15:50:00.002-05:00

Have not posted in a long time. I'm still around. Painting, and taking a break from just posting stuff as soon as I finish it here on the blog. I'll eventually get it all up here for you to see.

Some of what I have been painting is for a two person show that I will be in with Gladys Roldan de Moras. The show will be at the M Gallery of Fine Art in Sarasota, FL on Nov. 5th. I will also be teaching a 5 day plain air painting workshop in Sarasota Nov. 8th through 12th. The cost is $600. and you can now sign up by contacting Crystal at the M Gallery. cwagner@mgalleryoffineart.com

I am heading to Sarasota Florida at the end of this month to paint with Marc Hanson for a few days. He is going to teach me how to be gator bait. I have never painted in Florida before and I'm looking forward to the challenge of some new scenery.

This painting is a painting I just finished of a boat in Provincetown harbor.

"Terra Nova", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,430. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Adelita"

2010-04-07T17:10:00.001-05:00

Just finished this painting of a horse out at Rancho del Sol Dorado. Most of the details are concentrated around the horse. The rest is painted pretty loosely, but with careful consideration to the relationships between the values.

"Adelita", 11x14" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010

"Into the Valley II"

2010-04-05T09:40:00.001-05:00

This is a recent 24x30" that I had been working on for quite a while. I shot a few progress shots along the way, but those images are still on my crashed computer, so I'll just post this as is. I made a few major compositional changes along the way.
Below this one I've posted two small paintings that I did of the scene in 2008 and links to where they first appeared on my blog if you are interested in reading what I wrote about when I painted them.

"Into the Valley II", 24x30" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$3,600. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art, Charleston, SC

"Into the Valley II" is one of my pieces now available at M Gallery of Fine Art, in Charleston, SC. I'll be having a one person show there on November 5th.

"Into the Valley", 11" x 14" oil on linen , Frank Gardner © 2008
$1,050. Framed, Available at Galeria Gardner

"Into the Valley"

"Valley View", 8" x 16" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2008
$990. Framed, Available at Galeria Gardner

"Valley View"

"A Moment Together"

2010-03-19T11:40:00.000-06:00

The workshop last week went really well. There were 6 dedicated students and I had a good time working with them. The food provided by our hosts at the ranch was over the top... again. I think I'll work on setting dates for another class just to get some more of the food and wonderful hospitality.
Here is a new painting that I just finished. It is of a corner on the main square here in San Miguel. I decided to add two figures in the shadow of the trees for a little balance and scale.

"A Moment Together", 14x11" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,050. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

"The Old Mesquite" Step by Step pictures

2010-02-25T12:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went out to Sol Dorado to paint an old mesquite tree that my friend Mario had pointed out to me. He thinks it is about 300 years old and it looks every bit of that with all the twists, turns, burls, cracks and stubs where branches have broken or been cut off. Every inch of this old tree has a story to tell about its life.
This painting is 18x24" done mostly on the spot. I stopped after about 2 hrs because the light had changed so much on the branches. Then, back in the studio I worked on it for another couple of hours making a few adjustments and giving it a bit more "finish".
I took some step by step shots along the way. Here I will show them without commentary so you can just scroll down and see the process with one image next to the other for comparison. I'll work up some ideas on my thoughts as I was painting this and then re post the whole thing separately later on.
My apologies for the few sun spots that are in the first couple of pictures. I just snapped away quickly as I painted. My mind was on the painting aspect, not making professional looking photos.
There are 8 painting steps shown. The sixth is how it looked when I packed up. The eighth is how it looks now. I still may go back into it and make a few adjustments. For now I am just letting it sit while I think about it.
Below is the scene, and then then the step by step for "The Old Mesquite" 18x24 oil, Frank Gardner © 2010

A Place to Rest

2010-01-25T19:30:00.003-06:00

There are a lot of paintings spread around my studio right now.
Some are just sketched in and others are just about finished.
Some are looking good, others, not so good.

I think these two make a nice pair.
The colors are similar, and the shadows are an integral part of the design in both of paintings.
They both have a peaceful mood.

"A Place to Rest" 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,430. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art
Sarasota, FL

"Santuario" 18x14" oil, Frank Gardner © 2010
$1,430. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art
Sarasota, FL

"Assorted Provisions"

2010-01-08T13:25:00.002-06:00

This is another painting that is currently in the "Creative Convergence" show at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
This woman had all kinds of stuff loaded on her burro and was kind enough to let me snap a few pics as she passed by.
There are some flowers pulled from her cornfield, a few leaves from the cornstalks and some mesquite branches for doing her cooking on.

"Assorted Provisions", 18x24" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$2,500. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

This painting is full of opposing diagonal lines. All of them help to give the feel of action and movement to the painting. Some were ready made for me and others I added or adjusted to suit my needs. The long shadows oppose the direction of the road, the woman's rope, and the base of the cornfield in the background. Her stick repeats the line of one of the burro's legs and even the tilt of his head and oppose the other leg, leaves of corn on the bundle, and even the right side of the mesquite tree behind the woman. There are more, but you get the idea.
If I was going for a quieter feel I would try and include lots of horizontal lines in my design and not so many strongly opposing diagonals.

Three more paintings of Atotonilco

2009-12-31T16:40:00.002-06:00

Before 2009 gets chased out the door I thought that I would sneak in one last post for the year.
These are three recent paintings of Atotonilco, Mexico. It's one of the places in Mexico that has been very inspiring to me over the past 20 years.

The first painting is a side view of the Sanctuary in Atotonilco. I've painted a few on this quiet street before. It always has a calming effect on me so I titled this one "Serenity".

"Serenity", 8x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$550. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

This next one is part of the "Creative Convergence" show starting next month on Cape Cod.
The menacing sky really made the church stand out.

"El Santuario de Atotonilco", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,430. Framed. Available at Addison Art Gallery

The bottom piece is from a few months ago, but I never posted an image of it. It shows a group of women pausing in front of the church before they go inside.

"A Pause in Front of the Church", 8x6" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

"In for the Night"

2009-12-18T12:56:00.003-06:00

This is the type of local subject matter here in Mexico that I love so much. People and their animals in the landscape. In this painting Felix and Francisco are bringing their cows back to the coral for the night. This painting is a composite of several photos and the small studies. It took me quite a while to get just the way I wanted it, but I'm happy with the results.

A few months ago I posted a small plein air piece titled "The Open Gate" and another small painting "Open Gate II" both of which I used as reference for this piece. I reposted both of those paintings below.

"In for the Night", 18x24" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$2,500. Framed. Available at M Gallery of Fine Art
Sarasota, FL

"Open Gate", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$550. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

"Open Gate II", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

Plein Air landscape Workshop, San Miguel de Allende. March 8-12, 2010

2009-12-11T09:15:00.003-06:00

Dates are set for my 2010 plein air landscape painting workshop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
March 8-12 from 9:30-5:00 PM
The cost of the 5 day class is $550.USD and includes Painting Instruction, full gourmet lunches each day and transportation to and from the painting locations. A deposit of $200.USD is needed to hold your spot. Email me to see if there are available spots and I'll give you the mailing address to send the deposit.

In the workshop my emphasis is on helping everyone advance to their next level.

This year we will be spending our painting time at Rancho del Sol Dorado, a beautiful horse ranch 15 minutes from San Miguel. Holly and Mario Ortiz are great hosts and each day they will treat us to delicious meals in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

Some of the topics we will concentrate on are:

Values: A strong and simple value pattern is key to a successful painting, we will work on getting values correct from the start and keeping them clear throughout the painting process.

Color: We will work on seeing color and value then mixing color using a limited palette.
Premixing colors on your palette, and choosing the best design for your composition are a few of the things that we will focus on in this workshop.

Strong Starts/ Block In: An emphasis will be on getting a strong start to your painting so you don't need to waste time reworking the design later. Accurate color mixing is key to capturing the mood of a location. I feel that a strong start is the key a successful plein air painting and we will focus a lot on "starts" as well as how to bring a good start to the desired finish.

Finish: I will have you chose your strongest block in and use that as a start for a larger, more finished painting done on location.

Demos: I will do several demos, but the majority of the time will be for painting and individual guidance. There will be some quick painting exercises as well as time for longer painting sessions.

The painting day generally works out like this:
Meet for pick up around 9:30 A.M. for transportation to Rancho del Sol Dorado.
There is either a quick demonstration or talk about the days goals and then everyone gets painting while I give one on one attention.
Break for lunch is usually around 1:30 or 2:00 P.M. depending on our painting progress.
The break for lunch lasts about 1 hour.
Then everyone gets back to painting for the rest of the afternoon until around 5:00 P.M. when we will be transported back to town.

This workshop focuses on landscape painting. However there are lots of painting opportunities in town as well, and you might want to consider spending a few extra days in San Miguel to explore what the town has to offer.
San Miguel has many lodging possibilities. There are many fine hotels, B&B's, apartments or houses to rent. Everyone will be responsible for their own lodging and transportation to and from San Miguel de Allende. The closest airport is in Leon, (airport code BJX), about and hour and a half ride from town. I can recommend a transportation service to shuttle you to and from the airport. Mexico City is about four hours from San Miguel by bus.

This workshop is for oil painters only. All levels are welcome, but you SHOULD HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE PAINTING ON LOCATION.
If you are interested, email me at frank@frankgardner.com with any questions or to receive the materials list.

For info on San Miguel and lodging visit portalsanmiguel.com
Or TripAdvisor.com

If you would like other lodging options or have any questions, email me at frank@frankgardner.com.

Please do not finalize any travel plans or lodging until you have confirmed with me that there is space available in the class.
The deposit is fully refundable up to one month before the start of the workshop.

"Rosario"

2009-12-07T22:35:00.002-06:00

This is another painting that I will be including in the group show of Mexico paintings at the Addison Art Gallery On Cape Cod starting Jan. 7th. 2010.

Rosario is a quite a character. He is always smiling or laughing and loves to pose for a picture. Especially if he can show off his ranch or animals. He tied this burro up under a tree for Paul, Colin and me to paint. My painting from the day with Paul and Colin was not that successful and is still in that limbo stage of me wondering wether I can pull something out of it or if I will throw it in the stack of clunkers. I don't think that any of us liked our paintings of that donkey that day. It started to rain off and on and the light was real flat. Besides, I've told you how much burros like to move around while you paint them right? We did not have an apple or anything this time to keep him in line. Below this painting are two pictures from that session. Paul and Colin painting, and one of Colin painting. Check out his version of an umbrella. Paul and I both had EasyL umbrellas to keep us dry (ish) but Colin made due with what he had.

This painting is from a different day.

"Rosario", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,430. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

Paul and Colin

Colin and his ingenious umbrella system.

New Paintings and painting with friends.

2009-12-03T20:30:00.002-06:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted something. Sorry about that.
Last month I had 14 friends down visiting and painting in San Miguel. We had a blast, and I can't even begin to write about how much fun I had with them here. I took them all horseback riding one day and I think they all really enjoyed themselves. Here is a lineup of 13 of us about to race across a dry lake bed.

left to right: Felix (his ranch), Ignat Ignatov, Ernesto Nemesio, Peter Kalill, Scott Burdick, Frank Gardner, Logan Hagege, Jerome Greene, Jeremy Lipking, Kevin McNamara, Paul Schulenburg, Jeff Bonasia, Marc Hanson, Colin Page, and a few more guys from the ranch.
Not in this photo are Dan Corey and Alexey Steele.

Below are three of the pieces that I painted around town with my buddies. They will be part of the group shows that we are doing in Jan and Feb, 2010.
I'll post a few more paintings and some info about our upcoming shows. There will also be an article in American Art Collector. I'll let you know when that comes out.

"Looking Over San Miguel", 14x11" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,050. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

"San Miguel Morning", 14x11" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,050. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

"Resting by the Church", 11x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,050. Framed, Available at Addison Art Gallery

Painting on location over several sessions

2009-10-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

Larger works painted on location often require multiple trips to the same spot, over a period of days, to achieve an adequate level of completion. I've always thought that was not my style. Because, surely, my mood would be different on the following session and mess everything up. Stifling my true art spirit.

Well, I decided to give it a try. Last week I spent the day starting two 18x24" paintings. Put in about three or three and a half hours on this first one and about two on the second, which is not posted here yet. I went back another morning about two days later when the weather was similar. Same start time, eleven a.m.
There was a bad little head cold that beat my butt for a few days. Then yesterday I worked for two hours on this one in the studio. Today I took it back out to the same spot where I had left rocks to mark the positions of my easel legs and had another three hours painting session with it.

The above photo is how things looked this morning at eleven when I had things set up and was ready to go.
I really love these pink-red-white-light yellow grasses this time of year that catch the light just right and have different colors depending how you look at them. They can really light up a hillside or field at the right time of day.

This picture is how it looked this afternoon when I got it back home. I can see a few things that I still want to tweak, but I won't need the actual scene in front of me to work it out.

Hey, what do you know. I like taking the same painting back for several sessions. I feel like Sam I am after finally eating some Green Eggs and Ham.

It won't work for certain fleeting light effects or other similar situations where "capturing the unique moment, raw feeling, light affect thing" is what I'm after. There is some sort of freshness that I love about alla prima paintings done all in one go. But, I'll be exploring working larger outdoors for sure. 30x40 here I come.

This is a picture I snapped while painting this morning. It is the same two trees that are in the left side of the painting. Shows how tall those grasses are. That has been one of the toughest parts in this and I'm not sure it's quite there just yet. They would be a great device for letting you know just how tall that grass really is. Glad they did not pass by while I was blocking this one in or I would have tried to paint them in. Too late now because it would change everything. Maybe in another painting.

Marc Hanson has been doing some great large paintings over several sessions lately. If you have not seen them you should check out his blog. There is a link in my blogroll to the side if you're not familiar with his blog.

Two Landscapes

2009-09-25T12:22:00.005-05:00

These two landscapes are from earlier in the summer. Both were done mostly on location and then fine tuned back in my studio after I had a chance to live with them for a while. They are framed up now and at my gallery.

The first one captures the beauty of a gray morning after a night of rain. There was a break in the clouds that kept appearing as I painted this one.

"Break in the Clouds", 11x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$950. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

The second painting is a morning view looking toward the sun. Everything is bursting to life with fresh green at this time of year. The grasses and flowers are still low to the ground.

"Summer Morning", 11x14" Oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$950. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

"Don Goyo and Canelo"

2009-09-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

Well, you met Canelo in a recent plein air piece that I did.
Goyo is the man who owns him and was nice enough to let us paint in his back yard. He is adjusting the ropes on the wooden rack that is used for tying on loads to the burro.
The day was overcast. Cool light is something I don't have a chance to paint much so it was a fun piece.

"Don Goyo and Canelo", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009

"Casa de Don Rosario"

2009-09-07T12:25:00.001-05:00

This is one of the paintings that I started when Scott was here. I worked on it for about two hours on location. It's a complex scene, so that was only enough time to get the drawing and a rough block in of the color and value relationships. I added Don Rosario later from a photo I shot while we were painting. Rosario has been riding a horse most of his life and you can tell from his walk. I tried to catch that little detail about him in the painting. Back in the studio I had time to make little adjustments to refine the composition and color.

"Casa de Don Rosario", 14x18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,300. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

Write up on "One Ambition" Blog

2009-09-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

John Kelley gave me a nice little write up on his One Ambition Blog this weekend. He said some very nice things and what made it even better is that he chose a painting that I am very happy with.
Thanks for the kind words John.
There are many other good posts on One Ambition, and it's worth visiting often to see what's new.

"Curious"

2009-09-07T11:19:00.004-05:00

This is a little studio painting that I just finished up. I wanted to keep this one loose and let it be more about the color and design than the details.

"Curious", 8x10" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$720. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

Open Gate II

2009-09-01T19:44:00.001-05:00

I painted this little 6x8 today to work out some ideas for a large painting. This one is based on the plein air piece "Open Gate" from my previous post. Sometimes I like to do a few little paintings like this to play with the design and work out how I want to translate my idea in paint before committing to a large canvas. I am using a few different photo references plus the painting done on location, and this helps get me one step away from the photos.

"Open Gate II", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009

A few from last week.

2009-08-31T22:22:00.002-05:00

These are three of my paintings from when Scott was here. There are a few others that I am making some adjustments on.
We had a lot of fun painting together. We also did some horseback riding and camped out one night too.

"Open Gate", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$500. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

The open gate leads to a cattle corral. I'm going to use this one as reference for a larger painting.

"Canelo", 8x10" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009

Canelo means cinnamon in Spanish. He was tied up, but moved around constantly. We used bits of apple to lure him back into place every so often so we could paint him. The rest of the time we painted the background.

"Nopal and Tree", 8x10" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$720. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

The light hitting the cactus spines really attracted me to paint "Nopal and Tree".

"Girl on Burro"

2009-08-19T22:35:00.008-05:00

I've been a little slow about getting paintings posted here. Thanks for sticking with me. It will probably be a week or so before I get another blog post up.

I'm going to be doing some painting with Scott Tallman Powers. We'll be painting in some very small villages around San Miguel for the next week. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun.

Here is another painting from about a week ago.I used a two different photos of this girl on her burro for reference and changed things around a bit to get the design I wanted.
I'm real happy with the way it came out.

"Girl on Burro", 8x10" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

"Market Color"

2009-08-18T11:37:00.001-05:00

Here is a recent painting. I like the look of this one with all the reds, oranges and yellows.
There are a few detail shots below so you can see the paint marks better. I hate putting up a large file of the whole painting, sorry. You'll need to come by the gallery to see it in person.

"Market Color" 18x14" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,300. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

"Market Color" detail 1, Frank Gardner © 2009
I'm real happy with how the light pants and shoes came out.

"Market Color" detail 2, Frank Gardner © 2009
Frank Gardner © 2009

"Peregrinos", a color and composition study.

2009-07-22T23:10:00.000-05:00

There was a fiesta in Atotonilco this past weekend that we spent some time at. The combination of smells, sounds, colors and action was just amazing. The splash of colorful tarps and umbrellas. Vendors selling. Smells of mesquite smoke, roasting corn and carnitas. Banda music and the drums of traditional danzantes and the rattling metal on their costumes. Small bells ringing and women singing as their procession of pilgrims arrives at the church. Men on horseback. Costumed locos dancing. And all of this going on at once. What a sensory rush.
I am going to work on some smaller paintings as studies for larger pieces of the fiesta. This one is a color and composition study. I will probably try at least one other variation on this scene before I work up a larger painting.
These ladies are heading to the church upon arrival in Atotonilco. They were singing and one of the women was ringing a small bell. They traveled by bus from their home state and will spend a week on a religious retreat in this town before returning back home.

"Peregrinos", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
the enlarged image is about actual size.

Detail of "Peregrinos". Frank Gardner © 2009
The enlarged image is larger than actual size.

"Ben"

2009-07-20T19:21:00.001-05:00

I spent the morning painting at Rancho del Sol Dorado the other day. I worked on two paintings. A landscape that I am doing some adjustment on in the studio and this painting of a horse that was tied up down at the stables. His name is Ben. Even though he was tied up I knew that he would be moving around on me and the background would stay the same. So as soon as I had my composition drawn in lightly I sketched in Ben while he was in the position that I wanted. He backed out into the sun and never went back to the original spot. Glad I sketched him in first. I had taken a photo that I later used to check my drawing of the horse. I only had to adjust the spacing between his front and back legs just a bit.

"Ben", 6x8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$500. Framed. Available at Windrush Gallery, Sedona, AZ

"Out and About"

2009-07-15T20:55:00.005-05:00

Thought that I would lower my vantage point on this one. I really like how the hen's head breaks the horizon line in this one instead of looking down on her.

"Out and About", 14x18" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

"Little Burro"

2009-06-24T21:55:00.002-05:00

I changed my palette a bit on this painting and used mostly French Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna and White. Just a touch of Cad. Red and Cad. Yellow to push the mixes here and there but not very much.

"Little Burro", 11 x 14" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

"Coconut Stand"

2009-06-17T21:50:00.002-05:00

Another painting of a roadside stand near the beach here in Mexico. This woman was selling cold coconuts that she keeps in a refrigerator. When you ask for one she gets it out and cuts it open with her machete like she is doing here. Then she sticks a straw in it and you drink the cold coconut milk. It is really refreshing. We bought a couple from her.
The sunlight coming through the palm frond wall and all of the colors really attracted me to paint this scene.

"Coconut Stand", 18 x 24" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

I wanted to layer small brushstrokes of color to build up the light effect around my center of interest, like in detail 1.
Compared to the looser approach in the other areas of the painting such as detail 2.

Detail 1 "Coconut Stand". Frank Gardner © 2009

Detail 2 "Coconut Stand", Frank Gardner © 2009

It's been a while

2009-06-12T11:34:00.001-05:00

Have not finished any new paintings since my last post. I am doing a little renovation at Galeria Gardner, so I have been down there most mornings plus some afternoons. My painting space at the gallery is occupied by a big pile of sand and gravel and some bags of cement.
Here is a painting I did in March during one of the workshops. Some of the painters were having trouble with their paintings and asked about how to tackle such a complex scene in a short period of time.
My feeling is that you need to remain focused on what attracted you to paint the scene. Simplify, and avoid trying to paint every single detail that is not important to your reason for painting that particular piece. In a different painting of the same scene you may find that a different set of details are needed.

"The Corral", 11 x 14" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$950. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

I was drawn to the groupings of tall straight cactus and their relationship to the more organic shapes of the tree, the yellow bundle of rope hanging from the tree, and the hose. The upper branches of the tree and the stable were not my focus of this piece, so I painted those with a looser approach.
You can really get into trouble if you lose track of what your focal point is when painting a scene where there is so much going on and so many little pieces of light and shadow. I worked the whole painting at once, but I kept coming back to the area roughly between the hose and the yellow rope. I wanted to make sure I got those relationships accurate. Little details here and there in other areas of the painting keep the eye moving around and add secondary interest.
There were too many cactus for me to try and paint each one exactly as it was on a painting this size, so I tried to simplify the design into a pleasing pattern of light and shadow. I moved things around slightly to get the design to work on my canvas.
This painting required a session of about 2 hours on location and then I cleaned it up a bit later in the studio.

Studio Paintings from Plein Air Sketches

2009-05-27T12:20:00.002-05:00

I took two of my beach paintings from this post and used them as inspiration for these larger studio pieces.

In "Evening Mist" I changed the spacing between the palms a bit and lowered everything just a little so I could include more mountain in the distance. The larger painting size gave me more room to play around with color and include a few more elements to add to the sense of depth. I really enjoyed painting the effect of the ocean moisture in these pieces.

"Evening Mist", 14 x 18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,300. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

"Evening Mist", 6 x 8" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$720. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

The obvious compositional change in the "Hammock, Playa Buena Vista" painting is the removal of the stick coming out of the sand. On site, I decided to use what I saw at the beach in order to have a darker element up close. Something that would help show how the mist off the ocean was affecting the values of everything and setting it all back in space. In the studio painting I wanted to see how the design, and sense of depth, would work without it. Instead, I put some dark brushstrokes and some grasses in the foreground to get some darker notes up front. I am still toying with the idea of maybe laying a small stick on the ground in the lower right foreground. Similar to the one in the plein air piece, but not sticking up in the air.
I had a heck of a time trying to getting accurate subtle color in the photos of the studio pieces. They look better in person and are visually pleasing hanging together.

"Hammock, Playa Buena Vista", 14 x 18" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$1,300. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

"Hammock, Playa Buena Vista", 8 x 10" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$500. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

Two recent street scenes

2009-05-25T11:55:00.001-05:00

These are two recent paintings of streets here in San Miguel.
I have been working on some other paintings that are not ready to photograph yet, so I thought I would put these up.
The top one is a studio painting from a few weeks ago and the bottom one was done on location back in March.

"View from Top of Correo", 18 x 24" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
$2,300. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner

"Aldama View, March '09", 14 x 11" oil, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

New painting of a roadside stand

2009-05-17T20:05:00.004-05:00

I have been working on this painting for a few days. This is one of the many roadside stands near the coast that sell fruit, cold cocos, tamarind and other tropical treats. The yellow posts in this one with the coconuts hanging really attracted me to this one. Getting the value and the intensity of the yellow in light and in shadow just right was tough. I ended up printing the painting in progress out in black and white just so I could see the value correctly.
I'm working on a title for this one still.

18" x 24", oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2009
Private Collection

Below are a few details.