Saturday, August 9, 2008

"Violin"

Feeling a little influence of my older paintings that I posted earlier in the week.

I posted this one a little larger, so when you click on it you can see detail better.


"Violin", 18" x 14" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2008
Private Collection

32 comments:

Susan Carlin said...

Oh YES! Woweee Frank. This is spectacular. Glad you're back!

Don Gray said...

What a masterful painting, Frank! That face is full of personality and concentration, and when seen enlarged it is pure suggestion. A great lesson in brush as drawing tool and the expressive joy of paint itself.

Barbara Pask said...

Wow Frank, this is exciting. I love the colors and the light on his hat is great, so glad you're back.

Christine Mercer-Vernon said...

ok, can i say wow! i'm glad you posted the larger image. i am in awe of how much you are able to convey with one brushstroke, the face, hands and violin are suggestions but truly masterful brushstrokes here give the impression of so much more detail. i really like the more expressive, 'drawing' style as you pull away from the face, it gives the feeling of the energy of him playing to the painting . very nice!

Dean H. said...

Truly terrific!! I like the neon blues against the hot colors...The swirling strokes suggest and imply a world of information!

David Lobenberg said...

Well painted, hot colors, and energetically loose. Ole!

David Lobenberg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

That violinist sounds good!

That painting: cantabile!!!

Eye music!

Ditto on all the WOWZARAMA of previous comments!!! Color. Heat. Strokes. Light. Movement. All.

Gotta get up and dance, now!
Solveg

: )

Anonymous said...

This piece warrants the 10 Habenero award!

Thanks so much for posting the large image to see the action of your brushwork and gestural approach to this painting.

It's freedom is so evident in the use of color. So much with so little.
It's just gorgeous.
You're back with fire.

Jack Riddle said...

Frank--fabulous painting. You know that I have a soft spot for musicians, but this also has terrific colors, energy and brushwork. I'm working on one about musicians now--completely differernt approach. If it turns out well, I'll post it in a couple of weeks. But huge thanks for this!

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Susan.

Hi Don, thanks. I'm glad you like the face. Like you said, it is pure suggestion. It is interesting how much your mind will fill in the blanks.

Thanks Barb.

Thanks Christine. I had it posted smaller, but was disappointed in the quality of the details, so I posted it again bigger.

Thanks Dean.

Hi David, thanks.

Thanks Solveg. I was hoping that you would like this one. I know you like music.
Do you play violin?

Ha ha, 10 habanero, good one! Thanks Bonnie.
I have a few others along these lines that I am working on while I am still fresh with energy.

Thanks Jack. Yes, I know. Music and painting just seem to go together sometimes.
Good luck with your musician piece.

Thanks again everyone for your comments on this one. I am glad that it was well received.
It is interesting to see how the old style can be fused with my present day skills, style and attitude.
Stay tuned for more along these lines.

Anonymous said...

Yep. Violin. Cello. (viola). Some piano. (I played violin first, switched to cello and stayed with it, though when I started teaching, I put violin on the list. My violin students were great, and as they progressed, I got to be a fairly good violinist, again, along with them. Cello, the nasty beast, is my main axe, but I have a tempestuous relationship with it - I had a principal cello job a few years ago, and when it came to an end, an iron curtain came down between me and the cello, causing what I whimsically referred to as, "a legal separation". It has lasted longer than I could have predicted. But, the cello is my voice, and I will get the wall down if it takes a rank of civil war cannons to blast it down. The violin is a perfect instrument, universal, absolutely versatile, and I love it, but my voice is in the cello, so I persist. More than you likely wanted to know, but there it is, all the same.)

Yes, I LOVE this painting!!!
SO excited for what's next!
Solveg

Frank Gardner said...

Not at all, I am glad to hear about it S.

We are in the middle of the Chamber Music Festival here in San Miguel.
Tomorrow night is the Catrina Quartet that you had talked about once. I took that as a recommendation, and we are thinking of trying to go.

Sheila Vaughan said...

Frank, don't know what to say, everyone has said it! That painting sings - have you no fear at all man?

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Sheila!
".. let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself .." FDR

Anonymous said...

Excellent! The figure's pose is so right. Love the crisp, clean colors in the shadowy sleeve. You've communicated so much with such economy. Impressive.

Alicia PadrĂ³n said...

OMG!! The fire, expression, feeling and movement in this painting is truly something Frank!!

I am in awe to see how you can make such perfect details and features in the musician's face with just a few strokes.

The way you divided the painting diagonally with the cold and then warm colors work so wonderfully.. as if to say, that the instrument before is being held and played is cold.. but when played then is evident how the hot and almost steaming out of the painting colors are there.. making me almost hear the music Frank.

WONDERFUL my friend. You should continue with this experiment of old mixed with new.. I like it :o)

A Reason to Paint said...

Wow! Love your loose brushwork. One day I am going to learn how to loosen up - it looks so invigorating!

Anonymous said...

Lovely capture of this musician with his violin in mid play. Love it!

Paz

FCP said...

I love the energy and emotion in this one, Frank! Love seeing the larger image.
Faye
P.S..vacations are so great, huh? they allow us to step into a new space mentally, and sometimes that is just the best.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Silvina.

Hola Alicia. Some of that was not a conscious decision, it just kind of worked that way.

Thanks Triecia. It's not as hard as it might seem.

Thanks Paz.

Hi Faye, thanks. Yes, vacations are good to charge the batteries. Although a vacation with a 5 year old left me more tired than when I started out.
I don't usually leave the paint box home, in fact I had it in the trunk, I just restrained from pulling it out.
I think that being away from my painting routine and habits for three plus weeks allowed me to be able to ease into this painting. Also, visiting a lot of my old work helps to move me out of the place I am now just a bit.
I am not planning on changing my style or anything, it is just good to keep the pendulum moving, right?

Anonymous said...

Brilliant! Lively! Passionate! Wonderful!

Cooper Dragonette said...

Fantastic! Capturing movement is one thing, but you've captured time as well! Dynamite!

Anonymous said...

Did you go to La Catrina? Miami String Quartet is also there, and I recall that there is a joint concert - perhaps they are doing the Mendelssohn Octet all together? I will check it out, again.
I haven't heard either group in person, but we have a festival, here, and are considering both of those quartets for the upcoming season. La Catrina was under consideration for this past year, too. That's how I learned about them. Their promotional material sounds fabulous. I'd be interested to read your thoughts.......

How fun to read all the wild enthusiasm for your Violin/Violinist painting. I agree wholeheartedly!!!
: )
: )
: )
Solveg

Anonymous said...

They ARE doing the Mendelssohn Octet!!! On the 17th.
And several other great pieces are ahead, still, in the remaining days. Shostakovich, Debussy, Haydn.
The concert on the 17th looks brilliant. I hope you can make it to that one, especially!!!
Solveg

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Takeyce!

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Cooper! I really appreciate that one. Capturing time!

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Solveg. No, we could not make it tonight. We'll try and get to the finale on Sunday. Monday is the first day of school though.
I appreciated all of the kind enthusiasm for "Violin" too.
I should print some of those comments out to hang below the painting at the gallery.

I hope the new one goes over well too.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Frank, this is wonderful. I can almost see the confident flick of the wrist on the brim of the hat and then leading across the painting. All your hard work is evident.
Thanks for your comments on my P'Town kite store and Sagamore Bridge works. Last night, driving home from Dennis, I had to stop,for gas at the 'Rotary', which, of course, no longer exists after what, 50 years or so? It's a convoluted route to get to there and back and I even made a mistake I feel your roots when you talk about the Cape.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Mary. I appreciate that.

You were in Dennis? I show my New England stuff there at Jerome Greene's Gallery.

Oh, I would never try and get gas there now. That new intersection works best if you are just trying to blast through. They should lose the rotary on the south end now. I head down that way. We sat in traffic for almost an hour in July. Reminded me of the old days.

Unknown said...

Fantastic! Love this energy.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Eric!