Carmen Gillis Studios

Artists

 

Installation by Tokujin-Yoshioka for Hermes

 

Artists

The world contains many an artist,
Who knows not the technique of art;
Who knows not the tricks of the rhymer,
And yet is a poet at heart;
Who knows not the use of the chisel,
Nor the deftness of eye or of hand,
But whose spirit is filled with a longing
He never can quite understand.

There are painters who never touch canvas,
Musicians who ever are still,
Who have not the gift of expression,
Lack adequate training and skill.
There are men with the dreams of the masters
Who never are known unto fame,
Whose spirits are filled with a music
And beauty they never can name.

There are orators doomed to be silent,
And singers who never are heard;
There are actors untried and unnoted,
Who with grand passions are stirred;
There are millions who struggle, unconscious
Of wonderful gifts they possess,
Whose spirits are ravished by glimpses
Of thoughts they can never express.

There are poems unsung and unspoken,
Transcending the limits of art;
There are visions unpainted that linger
In the innermost realms of the heart;
There are writers who never have written
And sculptors who delve not in stone;
There are spirits who thrill with a message,
Yet strive on in silence alone.

Mayhap there's fruition and answer
Somewhere in the regions of bliss,
In worlds that are yet undiscovered,
For unfulfilled longings in this.
At last they may find their lost visions,
At last they may reach to the goal,
The ones who fall short of expression
And yet who are artists in soul.
                                                J.A. Edgerton

 

David Ligare

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.  I spent time reading poetry while thinking of two dear friends.  One who was very talented and met life with success while expressing his passion for art  - and one who is young and yet unaware of her gifts, but with many moments ahead to find
her creative delight inside. 

With Love to you both my dear friends.

All of Tokujin Yoshioka's Installations and Designs are incredible.

The Wonderful painting above is a favorite artist: 
David Ligare
Current Exhibition
"REDUX," Plus One Gallery, London, UK, May 2010

 

Greetings
Carmen

More Summer daydreaming with Carole Feuerman

Another of the great artists featured in this years "San Francisco Fine Art Fair" was Carole A. Feuerman.  It is an awesome experience to walk through aisles and aisles of fabulous canvas and bronze pieces and then - - -there you are - - - in front of a full scale, technicolor swimmer laying in an inter-tube!  It takes a moment to realize that the person in front of you is not breathing and that the water dripping down her arm is frozen in time forever.  Once you make it past that point you realize that all of the textures from fabrics to rubber to glass are as close to real as they can be - but not.  If you touch the resin inter-tube, you won't shift the air or make the rubber squeak.  If you touch the resin towel, it won't be soft or dry her skin and somehow you still can't believe that they are not real.  It is an amazing experience.

Summer, Oil and Resin, 2009, 57" x 35" x 40"

It is such an amazing experience, that Carole's works have become a part of private collections all over the world, from Washington DC to the royalty of Japan, these happy owners can stop for a moment in their busy days and enjoy the flight of imagination that Carole has created.

Summer, Oil and Resin, 2009, 57" x 35" x 40"

Feuerman says that her "work inspires the viewer to look closely at what stands before them."  She wants the viewer to "complete the story, to reflect and feel touched," and writes that she "explores universal feeling and emotions" and this is "all captured in a single, fragmented moment of time."

Brooke With Beach ball, Oil and Resin, 1984, 29" x 25" x 19"

Brooke With Beach ball, Oil and Resin, 1984, 29" x 25" x 19"

Carole Feuerman is widely acknowledged as one of the world's most prominent hyper-realist sculptors.  She has had many museum retrospectives, has been included in many prestigious exhibitions throughout the world and has won numerous awards. 

Richard Shack of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles has said of Carole:  "Carole Feuerman knows there is gloom in the world, but she wants the viewer to share her celebration of life.  It is the life that she breathes into the pieces after months of work that make them exist.  And exist they do, as important contemporary sculptures that will prove themselves over the years."

KC, Oil and Resin, 1997, 26" x 15" x 11"

 

Carole lives and Works in New York City, while she creates fantasy and contributes wonder to the world.

Greetings
Carmen

Summer Days

It is summer somewhere, not in San Francisco, but somewhere!   It has been overcast big time this summer and so I am inspired to look at every spectacular piece of art reminiscent of what a summer should be.  This is for those of us swimming in the fog and all of my friends in the heat of New York, may they feel the fantasy of cooler days just by seeing the clear, vivid waters created by Eric Zener.

When I attended the "San Francisco Art Fair" this year, the Hespe Gallery of San Francisco had many fantastic pieces featured, but since I love everything about the water, the large scale paintings by Eric Zener were captivating and they are a summers .............carefree daydream.

Taking Flight - 38" X 48"

Pool Diver - 41" X 34"

Portal - 48" X 60"

Ascending - 44" X 41"

Splash Portrait 5 Julie

Safety Net - 50" X 60"

Rising in Red - 41" X 47"

Kaboom - 36" X 41"

 
Plume - 70" X 60"

Gliding - 36" X 70"


Surfacing

Drifting Upstream - 30" X 12"

Vanishing Point

Blue Gaze

Into the Clear - 41" X 41"

Anonymous Happy People - 60" X 78"

Happy People - 31" X 41"

Eric Zener in his studio

"Water offers risk and discovery and transformation, it's something we can all connect to."  Eric Zener

Thank you Eric
Greetings

Polo - The Sport of Kings

 
Whistlejacket by George Stubbs
National Gallery, London

The Horse
Our first lesson in perfect proportion 

As a child my drawings went directly from stick people to horses and I know I am not alone.  These hoofed creatures enthrall us all, and at a very early age their gallop and trot, whinny and neigh, captured our imaginations - and our hearts.  I wonder how many 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade teachers have displayed various childlike versions of these proud animals on their bulletin boards - the art of young admirers; my guess would be in the thousands.  They are magnificent creatures even in crayon.

This weekend is the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Governor's Island.  Macho Figueras and Prince Harry will be there.  And so in honor of Sean, our own Cal Poly Polo Player I wanted to feature a few pieces of Polo Art and a shot or two of Sean in action. 

Oops - No Sean - A Horse, not a camel -
Well I suppose if they play on elephants in India - a camel will work.

  



 
There - That's Better

 

Horses are said to have done more to change human history than any other domestic animal.  They have been our close companions in work and in play and their beauty has been the subject of artists since the beginning of civilization. 

Ceramic female polo player from Northern China, Tang Dynasty


"Polo players at their game", detail on the west wall of a tomb pathway of Prince Zhang Huai's tomb, 706AD

Maria E. Wellborn painted this fine oil painting featuring three Polo players in 1994.  It is an exceptionally powerful polo piece as the players are presented riding towards the artist - a very difficult composition to capture with convincing movement, depth and perspective.  The detail is excellent, the colors are brilliant and the light quality is strong.  Maria lives and works in America and is an Associate Member of The American Academy of Equine Art.

 
Maria E. Wellborn, Untitled

Gabriela Marini is a talented up-and-coming Argentinian polo artist.  She captures the energy and motion of the sport with feeling. 

Gabriela Marini, Untitled 1

Gabriela Marini, Untitled 2

Gabriela Marini, Untitled

Horses have appeared in works of art throughout history as horses in battle, in nostalgic rural scenes, as the bearer of burdens drawing carts, as race horses, mounts for cowboys and indians, fox hunting and as the glorious poetry in motion on the polo field. They are graceful and stately creatures.  No wonder Polo is the "Sport of Kings", horses are a there!

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Winston Churchill

Library:


Polo: The Nomadic Tribe
By: Aline Coquelle

Post Script:  If you have never attended an auction, I recommend it highly.  It is exhilarating to get into the action of bidding on a great find.  If you live in the San Francisco area look up Bonhams & Butterfields.  They have auctions specific to every personal taste.  You will have a great day.  This beautiful painting will be at auction July 18, I am thinking of taking him home with me.  It is by Edwin Frederick Holt (British, active from 1864 through 1897),  Oil on Canvas  20 X 30in.  Hope to see you there.

"King Cosy" 

Greetings,
Carmen

Robert Bechtle - Happy Father's Day

I'm sending a Happy Father's Day to all of you great Dad's with a few very valuable paintings from San Francisco's own Robert Bechtle.

"I am interested in how things look; I am also interested in a painting that is based upon how things look. I like to see things the way they are rather than thinking of how they can be changed. The richness and range of the visual world constantly thrills and amazes me. I am most particularly interested in using the part of our world which we seem to notice least...that is, our everyday surroundings as we live day to day. Thus, I have painted friends and family, familiar houses, streets and neighborhoods. The paintings are on one level, about middle class American life as experienced in California. On another level, they are about reconciling the subject matter with concerns about formal painting issues (the use of color and light, design, and the kinds of marks one must make to replicate appearances). They are, in that sense, a part of a long tradition of European and American painting which has sought to find significance in the details of the commonplace."

- - Robert Bechtle

46 Chevy, 1965

Alameda Gran Torino, 1974


68 Cadillac


58 Rambler

56 Chrysler

Agua Caliente Nova, 1975

Robert Bechtle

 
Zenith

LaJolla Chairs

I hope you were able to sit back and relax and even watch a little Golf on TV.

July 1, 2010 Post Script:  This evening I attended a First Thursday event at the John Berggruen Gallery to see the current Exhibition: "They Knew What they Wanted", One Exhibition Curated Across Four Galleries by Robert Bechtle, Shannon Ebner, Katy Grannan, Jordan Kantor.  Robert Bechtle was there.  It was a pleasure to meet and speak with such a talented artist.

Greetings,
Carmen

Liz Fracchia - An Artist's Studio

Few artists of unusual ability could remain undiscovered for long, Liz Fracchia is one of those artists.  I had an incredible experience when Liz invited me for a visit to her private San Francisco studio.  The moment I stepped into her sunny space filled with canvases, brushes and paint, I could feel the energy of an artist who is willing to take risks with her subject and ready to try new techniques to achieve an emotional response.

Every artist is on their own individual journey.  Liz's journey reveals an elegant quest to touch viewers through the limitless possibilities of color, the surface qualities articulated by the texture of paint and a devotion to human expression.  Liz places an emphasis on the attitude of human form suspended in space or of a solitary figure emerging from an atmospheric and undefined background. 

Liz Fracchia's Studio

  

Liz uses the strength of vibrant color much like a writer moves us with his words.  I Love this piece!

Her paintings are created by an "Impasto Technique" whereby paint is laid thickly enough that the brush or paint-knife strokes are visible.  Impasto makes the light reflect from the canvas giving the artist control over the play of light on the painting.  Liz's Impasto adds expressiveness to her paintings by dramatically recording the "action" of painting itself, therefore increasing the emotional intensity of her work. 

Liz begins each painting with figurative studies of live models and then allows the imagination to move her tools while translating to paint.

Liz's Recycle People

"Recycle People." "I create them on small canvases, using only the paint that is left on my palette at the end of the day, beyond those two constraints, it's an exercise in pure creative freedom. I paint the faces from my imagination. They reflect my inner life and state of mind, as well as the psychological echoes of literal moments in my life."

 

The return from Abstract Expressionism to the figure in American painting originated in the California Bay Area in the 1950s.  It is therefore fitting that Liz enjoys experimenting with figurative expression and creating strong and vibrant statements of art here in her beautiful San Francisco studio. 

If the invitation to visit a studio crosses your path - accept - it is an experience of a lifetime: especially Liz's.  Thank you for a wonderful morning amongst your inspirational art. 

Greetings,
Carmen

John DiPaolo

I have client's who own several Di Paolo paintings and whether we place them in their contemporary office settings or within their beautifully appointed traditional home, the Di Paolo paintings complement each and every room with strength and presence.  As John Di Paolo has said: "Painting is about the soul and that's what people see in it more then anything" 

 
Hanging Garden 31, Oil on Canvas, 68" X 84", 2008

John must paint with the same soulful depth that one feels when playing great jazz.  When you view his large canvases in person, you can feel the energetic and explosive confidence of an artist who is balancing masterful control over paint and texture with a willingness to allow the essence of the painting to emerge on its own terms. 

Inca #7, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 63" X 70", 2008-2009

For me his works represent the color of light itself, as if to reproduce "light" in an abstract array of white, blue, gold, umber and gray.  Areas of richly colored, densely applied paints are balanced by strokes of more muted hues.  DiPaolo works and reworks layers of paint and enamel using a palette knife.  Thick surfaces coupled with thin veils of paint combine to offer the viewer an intensified sense of space, light, and movement.  

Pierce, Oil on Canvas, 70" X 63", 2010

John DiPaolo was originally a realist artist who abandoned representational painting early on to embrace the abstract.  He now articulates a dramatic and varied topography of densely applied paints and rich color in order to express the power of paint. 

  
Free Fall, Oil on Canvas, 70" X 63", 2009

Needles Eye Drifter, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 70" X 63", 2008

Sentinel #3, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 70" X 63", 2008

Equinox Hanging Garden #32, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 70" X 126", 2008

John DiPaolo was born in New York in 1946. He earned a B.F.A. from San Francisco Art Institute in 1974 followed by a M.A. in 1977 from San Francisco State University.  Along with numerous private and corporate collections, DiPaolo’s work is also in the permanent collection of the San Jose Museum of Art.

 
Heat Rises, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 70" X 63", 2003

  
Hot Spell, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 74" X 58", 2001

   
Revolver

John approaches his work with unfettered creativity.  He describes this experience in this way: "I'll be painting for several hours - I'm not even sure how I got there - I couldn't tell you how I made that, I just have to show up , and get back to that place where it was happening.  It's never really the same.  That's where I can make it happen..........it's wonderful.  Sometimes I stop at the end of the day and say 'Thank you'."

John DiPaolo represented by:
Dolby Chadwick Gallery
210 Post Street, Suite 205
San Francisco, California  94108

Creative Greetings,
Carmen Gillis

Crayons & Colored Pencils

"Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." 

Pablo Picasso

Caterpillar by Kimberly

You have not heard from me for awhile.  The rain came and a bad cold along with it, so I want to take a minute between sneezes to write a short note.  I've decided that it would make me feel better to write about my very favorite Artists of all: Children.  Actually, since they are so wonderfully spontaneous and creative I will have to write more about them again when I am feeling better. 

One of my clients has always impressed me with her playful spirit and devotion to her children's art.  She has framed their pieces in formal gold frames and given them places of prominence throughout their beautiful home.  Really, It doesn't get any better then that.  These pieces have added a sense of freshness and whimsy to a formal residence.  Children can magically stimulate the unrestrained imagination in all of us with a simple wisp of a brush.

 

Here are a couple of images to enjoy.  Until next time.................................

Doc - Bridge, age 7

I found one - an image of our beautiful bridge.  I think we have a future engineer in the making!!

 
 

Toucans - Elijah age 8

Kristina - Desert Sunset, Age 10

OOps!!!  How did this one get in there?
Woman with a Flower, Pablo Picasso
This artist has held in reserve that wonderful part of childhood.

Creative Greetings
Carmen Gillis

Flowers in a glass

I am going to share flowers with you once again, but I must, it is Mothers Day.  And aren't flowers the most delicately beautiful gift of all.  Artists must believe this, because many artists at some moment in their creative life have been captivated by the majesty of a single flower in a glass.  From Monet to
Van Gogh, the fascination with the elegance of a flower and the sparkle of a glass has been a creative essential.  Happy Mothers Day!

David Ligare

Amy Weiskopf

Mark Adams

 

Guy Diehl

Guy Diehl

 

  
Jeffrey Ripple

 
Dona Phipps

 
Dona Phipps

 

Manet created an amazing series of sixteen small floral paintings at the end of his life.  In his last few months with limited strength he painted exquisite still life's of the floral bouquets that were the gifts from his friends.  Though he was fragile, these delicate paintings possess all of the painterly skills, rich color and ambition that Manet portrayed throughout his life's work.

Manet

Manet


Manet

Greetings,
Carmen

May Day

I am one day late for May Day, but we will celebrate anyway with a basket full of beautiful flowers from Sandra Sallin.  

While May Day means a celebration of Labor in some countries, it evokes a meaning of spring's passion in others:  In France, it became a tradition started by Charles IX for the Ladies of court to receive a gift of Lilies of the Valley and it was also tradition for the Lady who received the spray of flowers to give a kiss in return. 

In America, May Baskets filled with flowers and treats are left on someone special's doorstep.  The Basket giver rings the bell and runs away.  The person receiving the basket may try to catch the fleeing giver in exchange for a kiss. 

In Hawaii May Day is known as Lei Day and celebrates the Island culture, it's people and the coming of spring.

Chartwell, Oil on Canvas, 40 X 60, 2005

As one who loves roses, I could look at this painting by Sandra Sallin every day of the year.  Sandra's illuminated paintings and drawings are inspired by and emulate the beauty of Eastern and Western cultures, therefore it is especially nice to focus on her work on a day celebrated around the World in memory of spring and passion.

"Sandra Sallin wants her flowers to appear as if they gently fell untouched into a vase.  She arranges her flowers by "keeping a keen eye open for happy accidents".  She explains; "Each petal is a world unto itself, examining one singly is like delving into an abstract painting."  Using angled light directed from behind, Sandra paints each petal with intense intricacy.

Sandra's Hollywood Studio

Sissinghurst, Oil on Canvas, 40 X 60, 2008

Discovery, Oil on Canvas, 24 X 24, 1998

Sandra's imagery of roses symbolize earthly passion, the tulip is the symbol of love, and lilies represent purity and peace.  

Lilies II, Oil on Canvas, 32 X 24, 1993

White Shadows, Oil on Canvas, 36 X 36, 1995

Sandra Sallin is a first-generation American whose parents left Russia to settle in Southern California.  She didn't start painting until after trying many majors.  She found her passion in the art department at UCLA where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree and then set up her first studio in Venice, California.  Her work is featured in public and corporate collections nationwide.

Greetings,
Carmen