Take Part in our Collector Event Auction!

Santa Fe Seasons

It’s my 23rd year showing in Santa Fe so we are going to start our auction at just 23 cents! This is ONE auction for FOUR paintings.

Santa Fe Spring   6″ x 6″  Original Oil Painting EMBRYO

Santa Fe Summer   6″ x 6″  Original Oil Painting EMBRYO

Santa Fe Fall   6″ x 6″  Original Oil Painting EMBRYO

Santa Fe Winter   6″ x 6″  Original Oil Painting EMBRYO

Each 6″ x 6″ EMBRYO is on a cradled panel with finished sides, so you don’t have to worry about any framing! The auction is Saturday, August 31, at approximately 5 PM Mountain Time and we’ll be accepting phone bids. But, you must register to bid over the phone. Come join in the FUN! If you would like to participate in our auction call the Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery at 505.988.5545 to get on the bidding list and take part in all the festivity.

To see the complete catalog of the special paintings for my Annual Collector Event CLICK HERE. And….. if you’re in Santa Fe the gallery is located at 217 Galisteo Street. Please stop in, Jack and I would love to give you a big Texas HUG.

Mesmerizing Vista

Wine, grapes and cheese offer a romantic repast with a delightful view.

The Red blossoms of the Geraniums are blocked in first, #1. Then the green leaves are painted around the flowers, #2. By following this sequence Flowers First, Leaves Last, the color of the blooms remains crisp and clean. If the leaves were done first, my brush would pick up some of the green when painting the red flowers, muddying the color.

Adding flower buds and highlights on the petals finishes out the Geraniums. The mass of white Daisies is blocked in with lavenders and blues. This will be the shadow area of the flowers.

Mesmerizing Vista   24×30    Original Oil Painting

Pure White accentuates the blossoms touched by the sun, Nasturtiums fill the lower right corner and WE’RE DONE! The paintings for my show are finished. Whew, I’m ready to plop down, have a little sip of wine and enjoy the Mesmerizing Vista! To see the complete catalog of my special paintings for our 2013 Collector Event CLICK HERE.

Hope you can come join us in Santa Fe for our big event! It’s this Friday and Saturday at the Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery at 217 Galisteo Street. Hugs,

Pescallo

Our balcony in Bellagio overlooks the quaint, little harbor of Pescallo. I love the reflections of the old buildings dancing and shimmering on the calm water. Rustling palm fronds add to the ambience.

While the paint of the wall is wet I draw the heart shaped back of the chair into it. A mix of Alizarin Crimson + Pthalo Blue is used for the wrought iron.

The entire surface of the floor is painted first, establishing the sunlight streaming through the arch across the Terra Cotta pavers. Next the perspective lines of the tiles are drawn freehand into the floor’s surface with a fine liner brush.

Horizontal lines separating the pavers finish out the floor. Then the legs of the table and chairs are drawn into the wet paint. Periwinkle Blue seat cushions made of a mixture of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White provide a cushy place for the viewer to sit. That’s all for today. Hope you’ll come back tomorrow to help me garden. Hugs,

Distant Mountains

The soft, summer sky is painted first, setting the tone for the rest of the piece. Then I begin to “Paint Forward” on the distant mountains. The range farthest away is made bluer so it will recede. As each successive layer comes closer to the foreground it is made warmer. This follows a basic rule for adding depth to a painting: Cool Colors go Back, Warm Colors come Forward.

The water of Lake Como is muted in the background. Moving forward the color becomes brighter and more intense. This also helps to give depth to the painting. Varenna, the distant village, is known as the “Pearl of Lake Como”. The reflections of this beautiful little town are pulled straight down into the wet paint of the lake.

Adding the dark columns of the terrace makes the distant mountains drop back even more. If you would like to enlarge any of these images just click on the picture.

The bright pink Bougainvillea provides a burst of color cascading down over the arches. Thank you for visiting our studio today. Hope you’ll come back again soon. As I mentioned yesterday, this piece is for my annual Collector Event in Santa Fe August 30 and 31. For more information or if you would like to receive our email catalog of the show paintings please contact us at senkarik@senkarik.com. The catalog will go out as soon as I finish this piece 🙂 Hugs,

Lake Como for Santa Fe

Let’s go to Lake Como for the last of the larger paintings for our Collector Event. Jennifer Young, a dear artist friend of ours, shared her pictures of Lake Come with me to use for reference. I love this vista, what a great view to enjoy from a terrace in Bellagio.

I make a couple of quick sketches. The larger one is my initial idea. As I was drawing I wondered what the composition would look like with the table on the right so I did a smaller thumbnail. I like my first impression, the balance is better. I’ll go with the table on the left.

After establishing the horizon and perspective lines I start drawing up the arches and columns in a thin oil wash.

The table and chairs issue an invitation for the viewer to “Take Part” in the painting. Then the distant mountains surrounding the large lake in northern Italy are sketched in.

We’re all sketched up and ready to begin painting. Hope you’ll come back tomorrow and watch. If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!

Jesse James by Jack White on eBay

Before I tell you about this special offering I want to share a wonderful YouTube one of our readers made of Jack’s work. Thought you’d enjoy seeing it, just CLICK HERE.  Make sure to turn on the sound, it will have you dancing! After you’ve stopped doing the Texas Two Step you can read Jack’s latest article on Fine Art Studio Online. CLICK HERE to read “Offsides”.

Jesse James    Jack White Giclee on Canvas   16″ tall by 20″ wide

Jesse James is one of the most famous Cutting Horses in the history of the event. Jack White’s original oil painting was done for the wife of the man who hauled Jesse James in a horse trailer from rodeo to rodeo.

To go to the auction CLICK HERE.

The Limited Original Giclee on Canvas is signed on the front just like Jack’s original oil painting.

The Limited Original is unframed with plenty of canvas for stretching. Not only is the piece titled and numbered with the edition at the top border, it bears Jack’s unique reverse signature. This was how he had to sign his trademark gold leaf “Echruseos” because they were done on the back of glass. The signature appeared in the correct direction on the front of the gold leaf. When the Limited Original is stretched in a traditional manner the labeling will be upright on the back of the piece at the top.

A Certificate of Authenticity is also provided. The Limited Original of Jesse James is on canvas, ready to be stretched and framed. The image size is 16 inches tall by 20 inches wide. This Limited Original retails for $1,000. On my eBay auction the bidding begins at a penny! That’s right, 1 cent! HURRY, the auction ends Sunday, August 25 at 8 PM in Texas (Central Time).

CLICK HERE to go to the auction

Have Fun! HUGS,

Caressed by Spring

A lot of Texans visit our Santa Fe gallery so we thought it would be fun for me to do a bluebonnet painting for our Annual Collector Event. The little arrow at the top is so I will get the painting in the same orientation as the labeling on the back. Since I attach these EMBRYOS to cardboard to make it easier to paint the sides the title and all the information on the back is covered. Believe me, I learned this the hard way!

What’s a field of bluebonnets without an old red barn?  We have pictures of so many we’ve taken over the years driving through the Texas hill country. Sadly, many of them no longer exist. But we can bring this one back to life on the canvas.

Jack and I love yuccas, they are planted in various beds around our yard. Unfortunately the deer love the blooms as much as we do. I have to spray the blossoms with a mixture of a bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce in a gallon of water to keep the natives away. We’ve discovered deer don’t like HOT LIPS!

Bloomin’ yuccas make this Red, White and Bluebonnets.

Caressed by Spring   10″ x 10″   Original Oil EMBRYO

The landscape flows over the sides of the canvas. You can click the images to see the pictures larger. AND…. we certainly hope you’ll come see us in Santa Fe. We’d love to give you a big Texas HUG! Jack and I will be in the Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery all day Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31. They are located at 217 Galisteo Street.  If you would like more information or want to receive our email catalog of paintings for the event please contact us at:   senkarik@senkarik.com.

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!

Take a Moment to Enjoy

Another Show Painting! A nice little spot to sit, surrounded by colorful flowers. The painting is attached to a cardboard backing to make it easier to handle as I paint the sides.

The flowers of the Trumpet Vine cascading over the adobe wall are blocked in with mixtures of Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange + Magenta. Then the leaves are painted around the blossoms following my usual sequence of Flowers First, Leaves Last.

The Hollyhocks are continued on to the sides. You can see the cardboard backing a bit better in this picture. Screw eyes are put into the stretcher bars on two sides in the back and then pushed through the cardboard. The screw eyes poke out of the cardboard; nails are inserted through the openings to hold the canvas tight to the backing.

This is one of those times when I pull out some special colors that I just can’t mix with our Double Primary Palette. Pthalo Turquoise Blue + Sevres Green + White are combined for this Southwest style bench. To see any of the pictures larger just click on the image.

Take a Moment to Enjoy       10″ x 10″    Original Oil EMBRYO

Hope you’ll come see us in Santa Fe. We’d love to give you a big Texas HUG! Jack and I will be in the Santa Fe Art Collector Gallery Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31. They are located at 217 Galisteo Street.  If you would like more information or want to receive our email catalog of paintings for the event please contact us at:   senkarik@senkarik.com.

Have a wonderful day,

Spirit of Santa Fe

Here’s another piece for our Annual Collector Event. These 10″ x 10″ EMBRYOS are new for our galleries. Jack came up with the idea to have small, reasonably priced, original oil paintings that will provide a spot of color to a collector’s home or office. As he said, “They’re Suitcase paintings. The collector can tuck the baby piece under their arm and carry it home, no shipping is necessary!”

After drawing up the basic plan with a thin oil wash, the adobe wall is blocked in. The bright door is then painted with mixtures of Pthalo Blue + White. While it’s still wet the lines indicating the edges of the boards are drawn with a fine liner brush.

The design of the EMBRYO is continued around the sides of the canvas. I have a collector to thank for asking me to do a commission in this style. CLICK HERE to see Cathy’s painting. We decided to offer this new look for our galleries, we really like it! What do you think?

Now let’s get to planting. Spanish Jasmine cascades down over the ancient adobe. Next I begin blocking in the Purple Salvia. The area where the Petunias will be has been covered with a thin underwash of Magenta + Liquin.

Spirit of Santa Fe     10″ x 10″     Original OIl Painting EMBRYO

Daylilies, Coreopsis and Red Petunias complete the happy entry garden. Spirit of Santa Fe is ready to head out to the ‘City Different’. I’ve included a few pictures of the sides. Just click on the images to see them larger. Let me know what you think! Hugs,

Shimmering Santorini

Santorini, Greece, what a beautiful place. Looking out from the high vantage point it seems like you can see forever. My eBay auctions this week feature a pair of EMBRYOS portraying the unique beauty of this delightful Mediterranean village. The basic plan is sketched up on the two pieces at the same time in an oil wash of Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson + LIquin.

 CLICK HERE to go directly to the two auctions

I start painting with the sky and then “Paint Forward” through the distant mountains. The water is blocked in next. The ocean farthest away is made more muted, I make it brighter and more intense as we come closer to the foreground. This follows a simple rule that helps give the impression of depth in a piece of art: Muted Colors go back, Bright Colors come Forward.

Cobalt Blue is used for the dome.

Various mixtures of Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + Permanent Rose + White are used for the Bouganvillea draping over the white wall in the foreground. I love how the irregular walls, interrupted with blue gates, curve and snake along the contours of the hillside.

Perched on tall bluffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea Santorini shimmers in the sun. The white buildings are so crisp and clean, accented with exclamation points of brilliant bougainvilleas. The domes, gates and doors echo the color of the distant ocean. Let Shimmering Santorini take your heart on a quick trip to Greece.

      Endless View                               Shimmering Santorini

Endless View and Shimmering Santorini are designed to hang individually or as a pair. Bring the Magic of Santorini to your home. These original oil paintings retail in our galleries for $300 each but to make it more fun we are starting the bidding on both auctions at 1 cent. That’s right, ONLY A PENNY! The auctions are staggered 7 minutes apart so you can win the two Original Oil Paintings to hang on your wall. AND…..If you win both pieces we will give you FREE SHIPPING!

Having earned a Master’s degree in Medical Illustration from the Medical College of Georgia, I’ve illustrated 47 major Medical, Anatomy and Surgical Textbooks. In honor of my Medical background these charming 6 inch by 6 inch baby oil paintings are called EMBRYOS. They are new, fresh ideas that have yet to be “birthed” into a larger gallery piece. Add a spot of color on your wall with one or several, these collectible EMBRYOS hang nicely in groups. Do you have a gift giving occasion coming up? EMBRYOS make wonderful gifts that will bring smiles for years to come.

CLICK HERE to go directly to both auctions.

Happy Bidding,