Go Figure
Contemporary colorful paintings of fun and figures.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
6"x6" oil Oh Irene! SOLD
This is from the hurricane Irene which devastated Vermont a few years ago. It was pouring down rain and the river was a raging mass of mud, rocks, logs and other debris from bridges and structures it had swept away. This is not far from where I live. The barn has been converted into a home. The river-side balcony is on the second floor and the water was washing over it. Scary...exciting and sad all at once.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
6"x10" oil
This was a fast painting as the sun was beating down. It is a farm in the hills of north western Vermont. The good thing about painting fast is that you focus on the main shapes. Painting slowly has its advantages as well, but I am not as well versed in those. Maybe I will be soon. We'll see.
My husband describes Vermont as a state park with lots of villages. This was painted plein air in Jericho. I am dedicating the next couple of weeks to mostly posting plein air pieces with a few other ones thrown in. The great thing about painting on the scene is that the painting, good or not so, is a reminder of the feeling of the day...the smells and sounds and how the air felt to the artist. It is even more of a meditation than painting in the studio, which also is meditative....except of course for those frustrating moments.
Monday, June 13, 2016
12"x12" oil SOLD
This is a painting of Carol and her cousin Heidi. Today Carol and Heidi are undergoing surgery to remove one of Carol's kidneys to give to Heidi. What a brave and generous act of love! This painting was commissioned in part to honor that event. My main concern was to capture the posture and attitude of the ladies in an environment that suggests their family summer home. Carol is a dynamic and very talented woman who is capable of enviable yoga poses! I do not know Heidi, but I am sure she is as beautiful as she looks. This painting is a compilation of many photo references. It was probably my most challenging commission so far.
If you would like to commission a painting please email me at chrisholzsch@hotmail.com.
I have been busy painting...really I have, but I just haven't been good about posting. This is something I promise myself I am going to be better at. The above painting was done plein air with Peter Huntoon, who is an inspiring plein air painter. He is equally adept in water colors and oils, and amazingly, approaches them with the same technique. I am so grateful that he was generous enough to spend an afternoon at this lovely spot painting with me. He gave me 2 tips, which aren't new but so good to relearn them. I seldom paint plein air but love doing it. It does overwhelm me though at first. I actually had to come back the next day to finish it up. The water was so calm and the light was so lovely. Peter reminded me to block in the big shapes like I am cutting them out of paper (great tip) and upon finishing it he said to soften the bright colors I had put in on the trees to the left of the island (which I did) because they drew too much attention from my focal point. It really helps to have a second pair of eyes looking at your work. I am heading to Cape Cod this week to practice plein air painting with two good buddies, so I am glad I had this warm-up. Please check out Peter's work by clicking on his name. He is the quintessential Vermont landscape painter. He has an auction for a painting once a week on his website/blog. I love how professional he is with everything he does.
3"x9" oil For sale by auction on Dailypaintworks.com
True story: on a sailboat in the Bahamas enjoying the sun, breeze and beautiful water. See a puny little island off in the distance. As we get closer, there is a car and a lone palm tree on it. So, I am thinking that the only way that car could get on that island is by helicopter. What? Why? I have no definitive answer, but a good theory. What do you think?
Sloan, dressed for her recital, caught her first glimpse of herself in a mirror. This was a fun painting to do, especially the tutu. I hope I was able to capture her surprise and amazement at herself, and I hope she never forgets that feeling that she is special.
