"Sunflower" - about editing my reference info

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

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

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

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"

"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

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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.