Showing posts with label Connie Townsend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connie Townsend. Show all posts

Tucson Rocks, Wilde Meyer Too!!

"Bad Boy Jacket: Cool"  mixed media on canvas 46"x46"
by Melinda Hall

"Seranade" oil on canvas 12"x12"
by Linda Carter Holman
Wilde Meyer Gallery presents our “Tucson Rocks” event, “Wilde Interpretations of Rock and Roll: The ‘50s to the Present,” a group art exhibition featuring art that captures the mood and feeling brought about by music and Rock showing October 6, 2011 through October 28, 2011.

"Tucson Rocks" is community-wide programming that celebrates "Who Shot Rock and Roll, A Photographic History" an exhibition opening at the Tucson Museum of Art on October 23, 2011.This exhibition originated at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and has traveled to several museums  across the country including Akron Art Museum in Ohio, Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama, Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee and others.  It's the first major museum exhibition to focus on the photographers who captured and portrayed Rock and Roll in photographs.



"Unplugged"  oil on canvas 20"x16"
by Connie Townsend
Just as Rock and Roll means different things to different people, artists at Wilde Meyer visualize their ideas through paintings.

Linda Carter Holman captures the festive mood as a singing guitarist travels with an audience of animal companions. 

For those who like art with humor, Trevor Mikula and Connie Townsend portray animals bearing musical instruments or wearing punk-rock outfits.  

Energetic paintings of people absorbed in a concert can be seen in the expressive scenes by Monika Rossa. 

Rock music’s effect on the body is shown in the beauty of dance, seen in stylized figure paintings by Sherri Belassen. 

Ryan Hale and Melinda Hall create paintings of paraphernalia and iconic objects of Rock in their still lives of guitars or leather jackets. 

Paintings by Bill Colt and Robert Ransom recall the early years of the rock and roll spirit in vintage caddies and hot rod roadsters.
 
“Wilde Interpretations of Rock and Roll: The ‘50s to the Present” opens on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at our gallery in Tucson and continues through October 29, 2011.

"Be There Or" reverse glass painting with vintage window 28"x30"
by Melinda Curtin
 

The 19th Dog Days

"Cabana Dog" oil on canvas 12"x16"
by Judy Feldman
Wilde Meyer is getting ready for its annual “Dog Days of Summer” show entitled, "The 19th Dog Days," which opens August 4th, 2011 7-9p.m. That got me thinking, “Why are there so many artists at the gallery who show dogs in their paintings?”

Most of my paintings include a dog. It started with Cleo, my loveable Wheaten terrier. I was painting an interior setting and I thought that she would enjoy living in a place like that!

Cleo's Fantasy 20"x16"
by Judy Feldman, 2005

Once she was in the painting, I realized that the scene came alive, and the viewer would know that people lived there with their lovely dog.
Over the years, I’ve painted many other dogs - some belong to friends of mine; others I find from images that are irresistible to me. Cleo has been everywhere (in paintings): France, Morocco and in homes of my imagination. For this dog show, I painted a beagle in a summer fantasy: at the beach, in a cabana, with treats nearby.

But what about the other artists? I contacted a few, and here are their remarks:
Joseph E. Young
Long Eared Dog 12"x12"
by Joseph E. Young
 Joseph E. Young, who paints dogs in beautiful patterned settings inspired by 18th century wallpaper, feels a spiritual connection with these creatures.

Red and White Cat with Puppy 36"x36"
by Joseph E. Young
“Each dog has its own personality that emerges from the painting,” he says. “Dogs bring movement to a painting (notice their tails), and they imply the presence of a human nearby.” Joseph also likes the decorative element a dog brings to a painting.

Like me, he tries to create a world where a dog can live in harmony with its surroundings.
"Really" oil on canvas  8"x8"
by Sheridan Brown
Sheridan Brown
A wallpapered room also figures in the background of a painting by Sheridan Brown entitled “Anticipation.” We don’t see what the dog is looking at, but we can surely guess it’s a person holding something to eat!
Red Irish 5"x5"
by Sheridan Brown

I love the dangling tongue, just waiting to taste the treat. The wondrous looks in the two dogs’ eyes in her painting “Really?” have such a human expression, you can imagine them saying just that! Here are a few of Sheridan's newest paintings where she captures excitement in playful imagery.
"Dont Fence Me In" oil on canvas 30"x36"
by Connie Townsend
Connie Townsend
Connie's dogs live in quite different surroundings –in old cars or trucks!

They all like to drive and hang out of the windows with their tongues and ears flapping. She claims that if you leave a dog in a car, they will inevitably go to the driver’s seat.

I tried that with Cleo, and, yep, she’s right. Connie says that her dog Maggie has been her inspiration in more than 100 paintings, even if she’s painting another breed.
Beagle Scout 30"x30"
by Connie Townsend
According to Connie, “A dog brings a painting to life and a smile to your face. Everytime.” That certainly happens when I look at “Beagle Scout.” The two dogs driving the green pick-up with the RUFF license plate have a crazed look in their eyes, like they’re on the adventure of their lives!

In “Don’t Fence Me In,” Connie uses another vehicle – a motorcycle – to take her dog on a wild ride, with a cat on its head. How could you not smile at that?

"Pugly Pirate" oil on canvas 12"x12"
by Andrea Peterson
Frida Learns to Fly14"x11"
by Andrea Peterson
Andrea Peterson agrees with Connie that paintings with dogs elicit happy feelings, and she says that their posture and expressions “make the painting more dynamic and interesting.”

Andrea has an adopted Chihuahua named Frida. She says that when she saw her at the animal shelter, “since Frida Kahlo is one of my favorite artists, I took that as a sign that she was meant to be my little art buddy!” Frida sometimes sits on Andrea’s lap while she is painting, and I’m wondering if the two friends are both featured in her painting entitled “Lullaby.”

Here is one of Andrea's newest paintings "Pugly Pirate".
Lori Faye Bock on her farm.

Lori Faye Bock

Animals are a big part of Lori Faye Bock’s life. She lives on a farm with many sheep, dogs and cats.

"Wishful Thinking" acrylic on panel 12"x12"
by Lori Faye Bock
No Trick...No Treat  12"x12"
by Lori Faye Bock
Lori says that “every dog I see makes its way into a painting somehow, at some point.”
Occasionally, she paints her own dogs, but she notes that their personalities always shine through the other animals she paints. In her portrait entitled "Wishful thinking," the dog's expression suggests a strong request for a treat (with a hint from the bone image over its head)! Lori doesn’t limit her subjects to dogs.

In “Protecting the Shy One,” she portrays a cow and its calf in such a sweet way – it looks like a mother and child.

"Pink Pantherette" Colorado Alabaster Stone 18"x9"x14"
by Merlin Cohen
Not all Wilde Meyer artists are painters, and not all favor dogs. When you come to visit the upcoming dog show, you’ll see gallery’s guard cat: Merlin Cohen’s stone sculpture entitled “Pink Pantherette.”

But I think it’s safe to say that many of us have a fondness for four-legged creatures, be they dogs, cats, cows or horses. They often are the muses for the art we love to make!

To see more dog days art, click here or contact us.

Father's Day: It's Art not Electronics

"A Quick Cup O' Joe"
by Paul Sheldon
giclee on canvas 19" x 13.5"


I’ve been thinking about Father’s Day, which is on June 19. I know most men would love to have an iPAD, but that would be so expected (or wished for). This year, why not do the unexpected and purchase some artwork for your husband/dad? Men enjoy seeing something attractive on their wall, and a gift of a painting can be enjoyed by the whole family.  Here at Wilde Meyer Gallery and at our online shop, ColoresAz.com, there are many selections, from giclee prints to original oils.

I definitely don’t want to be sexist about some recommendations, but since it’s for Father’s Day, I’ll go for the more “masculine” works. If your gift recipient likes cowboy art with a contemporary flair, check out prints by Thom Ross, such as “Running Gunmen,” or “The Clanton Gang Crossing Allen Street.”
"The Clanton Gang Crossing Allen Street"
by Thom Ross
Giclee on canvas 18" x 18"


Paul Sheldon also paints “manly” style, and offers several prints of his colorful cowboy work including “A Quick Cup o’ Joe,” (as seen at the top of the post) or a beautifully rendered painting of three horses called “Breakfast Bunch.”  If your guy likes cars better than horses, Paul also does a great painting called “Flatbed Ford.”
"Flatbed Ford"
by Paul Sheldon
giclee on canvas 16" x 27"

And, there are several other Wilde Meyer artists who find cars a favorite subject . . . 

Bill Colt uses mixed media on canvas to depict colorful images of old power cars, such as this one, called “Desert Caddy.” His painting “Roadmaster,” takes us back to a time when big grillwork was all the rage – that might evoke some fond memories for your Dad!

"Roadmaster"
by Bill Colt
mixed media on canvas 24" x 48"
Michael Baum is another artist who favors Western imagery, and his paintings depict  small mining towns and isolated ranches as well as urban street scenes. Some of Michael's paintings are lighthearted and playful, such as this giclee print on canvas called “Hide N’ Seek.” Others express the loneliness and solitude of the Western landscape.
"Sunrise on an Arizona Backroad"
by Michael Baum
oil on canvas panel in frame  16.5" x 19.5"


A vintage car also appears in Stephen Morath’s high color serigraph entitled “Arizona Noche.” It’s a fantasy road trip in the southwest, where all the fun themes of the desert come together.

"Arizona Noche"
by Stephen Morath
serigraph print on paper 25" x 31"

Women artists paint cars, too! Connie Townsend’s beefy cars are usually on a wild ride, and, as in “Beagle Scout”, they are driven by some crazy dogs.

"Beagle Scout"
by Connie Townsend
oil on canvas 30" x 30"

Brian Boner’s huge oil called “Tractor 1707” would be great for a guy who has a big wall space and likes looking at cool farm machinery.
"Tractor 1707"
by Brian Boner
oil on canvas 65" x 68"


Well, actually, I think I have been sexist in my suggestions! But since you know your Father’s Day guy the best, just go back to the Wilde Meyer Gallery website and check out the other artists’ work to find the one that he’ll like.