There's a New Figurative Arts Website

There is a new directory celebrating figurative arts. It's www.figurativeartist.org
and I'm thrilled to be included with such wonderful artists. The directory is the brain child of Canadian artist and figurative art lover Paula O'Brien.

Her words about the site. 

Figurative Artists Directory
"This free site showcases a talented figurative artists group with one common passion - the human form. Through many mediums and approaches, each artist offers their own unique style of figurative art for your discovery. There is something for everyone; from serene and sublime to gutsy and raw to quirky and surprising."

It is a great way to lose some time and explore some beautiful work!

Hyper Realism Show Opening, Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk, VA

 Here are pictures from the opening of the show April 10, 2010. My work is included with the work of Michael Fitts, Sharon Moody, and Reineke Leenders. The show will be up through June 13.

It is a well conceived show with quirky still life paintings and figurative work. We had a packed house on Saturday night and I got to meet some very interesting people. Afterward we went to Havana restaurant to continue the stimulating conversation with gallery owner Sheila Giolitti and other local artists.

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Hyper Realism Show, Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk, VA

I'll be participating the "Hyperrealism Show" at Mayer Fine Art in Norfolk, Virginia. The opening is Sat. April 10, 7:00-9:00pm. I'll have seven works in the show and am one of four artists included. The show is the brain child of Sheila Giolitti, artist, and gallery director/owner. The show will run through June 13, 2010.

Sheila has chosen the following works for  the show. Fresh off the easel, Don't Blink, 30x40, oil on panel.

A few details.

Oracle, 22x30,  charcoal on toned paper.

 Flight Plan, 23x32, oil
 On With the Show, 30x22, oil

 Near at Hand, 47x32, oil

Enlightenment, 24x24, oil on panel.

And lastly a small study for the Don't Blink painting, Strike Two, 3.5"x5.5", oil.

I'll be in good company with other artists Michael Fitts, Sharon Moody, Rieneke Leenders.

While I'm in town I've been invited to give a slide talk about my work for Mark Miltz's Painting 1 & 2 classes at Thomas Nelson Community College. Mark and I are long time friends. We met when we were both silk screen artists for the imprinted sportswear company "World Class" in Florida.
Mayer Fine Art 

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Contemporary Realism Workshop

I'll be teaching a six week oil painting workshop at

Forstall Art Center in Birmingham, AL.

"Evolution of a Teleportation Device" 10"x20"

This is a “back to basics” class for all skill levels, appropriate for any student searching for the right tools to paint in a realistic manner.

The class will emphasize core skills necessary to create convincing illusions in oil paint. Working from still life we’ll explore color theory and paint mixing. Students and I will explore the tried and true skills necessary to render 3-dimensional forms and capture light with oil paint. Class size is limited to 10 students.

The center is located at 402 Palisades Blvd, Birmingham, AL beginning May 4, 2010, Tuesdays 9:30-12:30, $195. To inquire or to register email me at terrystr@terrystricklandart.com

 

"Enlightenment" ponderings

 A quest for enlightenment must include a questioning of traditional thinking and a search for something deeper than what's apparent on the surface. That's a rather intangible idea to communicate in the visual world of paint. What better way than with the use of chiaroscuro and an expression of wonder?

 I love the symbolic nature of light and darkness; its near perfect analogy for opposites and its power to evoke the struggle between good and evil. The sheer drama of it is tantalizing and seductive!

 I tried several different boxes to house the light, finally choosing the open crate. It seemed to acknowledge the fact that this matter, symbolized by the light, is alive and to be shared.
It is appealing to me that light is a vague enough metaphor to be interpreted by the viewer as their own quest for enlightenment.

This painting is 24x24, oil on panel and part of my Building a Life Series.

Uniquely Louisiana Collectors-David and Nicole Holcombe

David and Nicole Holcombe have a selection of 24 pieces from their amazing collection on display at The Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College in Shreveport, LA. The work will be on display in the Focus Gallery through May 23, 2010.

Two of my paintings from this wonderful collection were selected to be included. "Fledgling Portal" and "Make-Way" are both from my Awakening Series.

The Holcombe's have been called "visual arts powerhouses" and have had a mission to passionately collect southern art for the past 25 years. This passion is evident in their choice of works as well as in the voice of the collection. David and Nicole have forged long-term relationships with many of the artists whose work they have acquired including me and my family.

David gave a talk at the museum highlighting 6 principles of collecting, principles that explain the "Hows" and "Whys" of their collecting.

1. Original art is always better than posters. Even bad original Art is better than a poster. (Yipee!)
2. You don't have to be rich to collect art. You just have to be attentive and interested. (Absolutely)
3. Never buy art as a financial investment. Art is a human investment. (I could not agree more)
4. Don't buy anything from dead artists. (I like this!)
5. There's no one gold standard for art. There are two common elements and they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. One is passion and the other is technique. (Two parts that make up the the whole in inspired art!)
6. When your house is full don't stop buying. (Yes! Yes! Yes!)

My husband and I use these same ideas when we add to our own art collection!

This was taken when we delivered the second painting to the Holcombe's at their beautiful Alexandria, LA home where we were treated to their wonderful overnight hospitality last fall.

This is what David had to say about "Make-Way":

“Make Way (Portrait of their son, Kyle Strickland).” We saw this work in a Masur Museum of Art Annual Competition (in Monroe, LA). The work was a stunning combination of feeling and technique. After much thought, we decided to purchase it. Terry Strickland and her husband, Dan, were delighted…the acquisition took on the character of an adoption more than a purchase. They insisted on delivering the painting in person, seeing where it was to be placed in our home, and revealing lots of details about their son. It captures that moment when young people pass through the portal of childhood into adulthood.The marbles represent the dangers of the world and the Christmas light symbolize the reassuring warmth of family.

And about "Fledgling Portal":

“Fledgling Portal (Portrait of Shannon).” This was another in Terry’s coming of age series. We so enjoyed “Kyle” that we decided to add this companion piece many years later. Originally, we thought it was Kyle’s sister, but Shannon proved to be a close family friend. It has the same attention to detail as the portrait of Kyle.  Unlike Kyle, the lighting comes from below and creates a more ominous effect.  Shannon, her wings attached, stands with her arms crossed, as if resentful and undecided about going through the “Fledgling Portal.” 

Becoming friends with my collectors has been an amazing aspect of this profession that I had not anticipated before I became a full-time painter. To be able to hear a family's story and know why they relate to a piece is such a privilege.

When David and Nicole say that buying a piece of artwork is an investment in relationships they are so right. Our lives are enriched on so many levels by all of our collectors and patrons of the arts...I hope they know they are appreciated!

Here is part of David's gallery talk about their collecting practices. 
 Thanks to David and Nicole for use of their photography!

Life in Shades of Gray

Fog is fascinating and contradictory. It's clearly there yet intangible. It feels claustrophobic because we can't see our path but calming as a kiss in its stillness. It plays havoc with our senses obscuring our vision and magnifying sound. It is life in shades of gray.

I usually paint the figure or still life but felt compelled to do these two small studies. They are 8"x10" and oil on panel. Both are views from our home. The first is "Fog on Heather Ridge" and a detail below.

The next is "Suburbia Obscured".

"Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us." ~ Henri Matisse

  This is a subject I will revisit.

"Strike Two" - New Painting

This is a tiny painting all about a few things on my mind these days. It's 3.5 x 5.5 inches and oil on canvas.

"Enlightenment"-New Painting

Here's a new painting, it's 24x24 and is oil on panel. I wanted to do a painting about the elusive quality of knowledge or spiritual enlightenment as part of my Building a Life Series. Light is the perfect instrument to communicate this concept. I thought my model did a great job expressing this idea of wonderment.

International Artist Magazine-People and Figures Competition

My painting "Like Breath on Glass" is a finalist in the International Artist Magazine's People and Figures Competition-2009 in the Dec/Jan 2010 issue.

I posted this painting on facebook and a few days later there was a beautiful poem in my inbox. The painting had inspired friend and Birmingham AL poet Scott Gordon to write "Transparent Hearts". It is eerily intuitive  and I'm in awe! I've been inspired many times by literature, art and music but this is the first time that I've known one of my paintings to inspire another artist to create. Thank you Scott!

Transparent Hearts

By: Scott Gordon

bleak patterns and shade
she watches the lightning
and fears the coming rumble
this perforated horizon
will soon tear itself apart
with or without him, she decides
her fingers trace transparent hearts
on the window pane
they can sense the dancing pressure
and the condensation scramble

between the blur of buses
she sees him across the street
waiting for the light to change
hands in his pockets, eyes on the ground
framed within a tiny heart
he seems small, a universe away
who are his heroes, she wonders
and where does he keep them hidden?

The painting is 16x20, oil on panel. Here are a few details.

Thanks to my daughter for modeling on a cool winter afternoon at the outdoor Train Museum in Savannah, GA. This painting is currently at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

"Like Breath on Glass" is in this issue along with excerpts about my inspiration, design strategy and working process. The magazine is in bookstores now.

The Artist's Magazine, 26th Annual Competition

"The Ascent" has won Honorable Mention in The Artist's Magazine's 26th Annual competition in the Portrait/Figure category putting it in the top six of the competition! This is the cover and it's in bookstores now.

The painting and excerpts from an interview are on page 56 of the Dec 09 issue. I'm honored the piece was chosen by Nelson Shanks, the juror for this category. He is esteemed portrait artist to Princess Diana, Bill Clinton, The Pope, Pavarotti and founder of Studio Incamminati a school for studies in realist art.

"The Ascent" is part of my Building a Life Series and is 55x32. The painting is on display at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

 Also finalists in this year's competition were my paintings "Carpe Diem" 48x36

 and "Angle of Repose" 36x27, also part of the Building a Life Series.

More work from this series and others can be seen on the website www.terrystricklandart.com. Here are a few details of "The Ascent".