How Will You Celebrate Inspire Your Heart with Art Day?

It is very easy to celebrate Inspire Your Heart with Art Day here in Paso Robles. Artists abound here on the Central Coast, and there are many places where you can see their work. One way to inspire your heart with art is to visit a local gallery like Heritage Gallery West or one of the exhibits at Studios on the Park. You are sure to find some art that will inspire you at either place.

I visited Studios on the Park recently, and the first thing to catch my eye was the window display for the currently showing "Migrations" exhibit. The windows here always have two works of art. One is the collection of art pieces put in the windows  to be viewed by those passing by. The other is the reflection from the park across the street. On this visit it was nearing time for sunset. So you see the painting inside the gallery, and you see the reflection superimposed on it.

 I've never come away from Studios on the Park without amazement at how creative the artists are. On this visit I talked to two artists preparing for the Soundscapes Exhibit which opens on February 4, 2016. They are working in two completely different media.

The first one I talked to was Eve Chartrand. I was intrigued by the violin she was working on. She allowed me to let her explain how she was transforming it, in this video. See a previous post written after a visit to  Eve's studio, which she shares with Anna Meyrick, here. 

The other artist I talked to  was Anne Laddon. She was also  preparing work for the Soundscapes exhibit -- five paintings. We see her here at work on one of them in her studio. She is looking critically at something she wants to change in the color scheme in this painting and is pondering what color to substitute for the one she's not happy with.

She is working from this photograph as a model for her painting. 

This visit made it obvious to me that before I see art that inspires me, an artist's heart first has to be inspired to create it. If the artist isn't inspired first, the artwork will probably not inspire those who see it.

 I love going to Studios on the Park because I can see the creation process and learn what is in the mind of the artists as they create. I'm anxious to see the finished works I saw in the process of creation. I hope I'll be able to go to see the Soundscapes exhibit this weekend.

Susan von Borstel at Heritage Gallery West

"Green River Crossing" by Susan von Borstel, Oil on Granite

I'm always discovering new artists at Heritage Gallery West. Some have grown on me and become favorites. One of these is Susan von Borstel. I see her work on display almost every time I go in. Susan is a California  artist whose love of Western landscapes and horses show in her paintings. She now does most of her oil paintings on natural stone treated archivally. That is the case with her painting "Green River Crossing" pictured above. It was painted with oils on marble. You can enlarge the photo with a click.

Drop into Heritage Gallery West soon to see Susan's unique work. It's a great place to pick up a special gift for someone who loves western art.

If your budget doesn't allow for the paintings you see at the gallery, here are a few more affordable works of western art you can get at Amazon.

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More Sculpture from Heritage Gallery West

Click photo to enlarge

This bronze statue was created by Ken Rowe and is titled "Timberline Bull." Ken is from Sedona, Arizona. His introduction to  wildlife art was as a taxidermist. Find out more about him on the Ken Rowe Biography on the Heritage Gallery West website.  You can see some of his other work there, as well.

This will be short tonight because I had computer problems I spent hours trying to resolve unsuccessfully. Fortunately, the photos  I'm sharing this week are on this computer -- not the one I can't navigate. I will have to buy a new mouse for the iMac tomorrow.

Heritage Gallery West - Sheryl Knight on Display

Sheryl Knight's Plein Air Paintings

One thing I loved about my visits to Heritage Gallery West  (now only online) is that although I may have gone to see the work of one artist,  the exhibits were designed in such as way that I couldn't help but notice the work of others. On this visit, I went to see the work of Sheryl Knight, whom I had met once before at an exhibit of her plein air paintings at Studios on the Park years ago.  This painting is one I saw hanging in the Heritage Gallery West display. You can click to enlarge it for a better look. It was painted on the Central Coast. You will see a better photo of it on her Facebook Page.

"Evening Cypress" by Sheryl Knight

Of course, her work was spread throughout the gallery. Sheryl painted most of  the work in  this section while on a trip to the British Isles. Because of the way the display was set up, I also noticed the horse on the table, "Radiante," created by Tom Voiss in bronze. He has other sculptures on display here, as well, but I will have to  show them in future posts.

"Radiante" Horse Sculpture by Tom Voiss

Here's a close-up  of "Radiante." To see any of this artwork as it should be seen, you need to come into the gallery on 13th Street, right downtown in Paso Robles. The sculptures, especially, need to be seen from every angle to fully  appreciate them.

"Radiante" by Tom Voiss, photo © B. Radisavljevic

Since this gallery focuses on Western Art, horses seem to be everywhere. It kind of makes me see where this photographer is coming from.

Through the Eyes of a Horse Poster

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Heritage Gallery West - Judy Larson's Scratchboard Art

My First View of Scratchboard Art

My visit to Heritage Gallery West Monday opened my eyes to art techniques I didn't know existed. One of these was scratchboard art. Lisa Vrciuoli guided me through the gallery exhibits, and she was quick to pick up on what I didn't know, supplying the details that would help me fully appreciate what I was seeing. You couldn't ask for a better guide. I'm glad I went into the gallery shortly before closing on a Monday when I could have all her attention. The scratchboard painting to the right is called "Stars and Stripes" and was created by Judy Larson.

"Stars and Stripes," a Scratchboard Painting by Judy Larson, photo © B. Radisavljevic

I will not try to  tell you everything about scratchboard art I learned from Lisa. There is a very good explanation of how Judy Larson creates these time-consuming masterpieces on her website. The short version is that Judy begins her work on a clay-coated, Masonite backed art board. She then paints a large silhouette of black India ink on the board. She uses X-Acto® blades to scratch away the ink to create her image. So it is like the opposite of painting where you apply color to create your image. Instead, you scratch away the ink to reveal the image in white underneath. When she is happy, she then uses paint to add some color, still scratching the paint away when necessary. As you might imagine, this takes more time than the average painting would. These paintings can take months to complete. I have tried to show you a closer look at the horse's tail below so you can see some of the detail. Remember, you can click to enlarge it.

Part of "Stars and Stripes," a Scratchboard Painting by Judy Larson, photo © B. Radisavljevic

Judy prefers to paint wildlife subjects, especially horses and wolves. You will find more samples of her work on her website, linked to above. You should try to see the painting at Heritage Gallery West while it is still there. No photo of the painting can show you what your eye can see in person. It's hard to believe such detail is possible to obtain by scratching ink.

Learn How to Make Your Own Scratchboard Art

 Starting From Scratch: A plethora of information for creating scratchboard art in black & white and color
After seeing the work of Judy Larson, you might be tempted to try your own hand at scratchboard art. These are some of the how-to books with the highest reviews. I've also included some basic materials for beginners.
If you have an artistic child on your gift list, you might consider the the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set below. It can be used safely by children as young as five. I think that's just about my speed.

 Melissa & Doug Deluxe Combo Scratch Art Set Melissa & Doug Scratchboard, 11 The Red Fox: Learn How to Scratch! The Art of Fine Lines (Volume 1) Ampersand Scratchbord Tool Kit each

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Daddy's Home

Daddy's Home Painting by Alfredo Rodriguez

I will be sharing this week some of the art I saw today at Heritage Gallery West in Paso Robles. Since I'm tired tonight, I will just share the one painting that captured my attention as I walked in the door. I could not keep my eyes off it because of the faces. The painting is entitled "Daddy's Home," and it was painted by Alfredo Rodriguez. He is originally from Mexico and is now living in California.

You cannot fully appreciate this  painting unless you  see it in person. The faces are expressive, expectant, and full of light. I can see why Rodriguez has won so many  awards.  I'll be showing you more of what's there this week in future posts. One post cannot do  justice to what I saw today. Unfortunately, since I wrote this, Heritage Gallery West has closed its physical location here in Paso Robles, but you can still access them online.

Alfredo Rodriguez: Book Illustrator

 Western painting today
Alfredo Rodriguez has illustrations appearing in many books and periodicals. Two of the art books that contain his work are Western Painting Today by Royal B. Hassick and Contemporary Western Artists by Peggy and Harold Samuels. I was also surprised to see that he has illustrations appearing in a series of children's book by Bobbie Kalman that I've been selling for years. This series for those in grades four to six will interest those all the way up to adult age because of the illustrations and descriptions of life in Native American Nations. They are perfect to supplement any elementary American history curriculum and children love the visual experience that is described in the text. You can see the whole Native Nations of North America series here. Only five of the books, including the two shown below, contain art by Rodriguez. The others are Nations of the Plains, Nations of the Southwest, and Life in a Plains Camp.

 Contemporary Western Artists The Life of the Navajo (Native Nations of North America) Native Homes (Native Nations of North America)

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