bevsbites | Beverly Shipko, Artist

Day 21. Phoenix Sunset

September 22, 2015 by Beverly

Even though I have a whole table full of ideas, I wasn’t sure what to paint for Day 21. I decided to go with this uplifting Phoenix Sunset that brought back memories of a wonderful trip to Arizona, with its spectacular outdoor beauty.

“Phoenix Desert Sunset” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

The inspiration came from a visit to the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden to see the Dale Chihuly Exhibit with the family in 2009. Chihuly did a masterful job of integrating his glass sculptures into the desert environment, livening up the rugged terrain with splashes of vibrant color.

Jay and I had a mini-reunion with his two sisters, Leslie Dolin from Portland, Oregon (middle), and Pam Kanter, from Kansas City, Missouri (right). Look a little closer and you can see 3 Chihuily lime green glass cactus sculptures in the background.

Here’s the whole group with spouses (well, almost the whole group since I’m the photographer), starting on the left, with Leslie, Bill Kanter, Jay, Pam, and Leigh Dolin. With everyone in the family so geographically scattered, it’s always special when we get together.

We stayed until sunset when the cacti were silhouetted against the expansive Western sky. Late last night I started the painting and this is what greeted me in the morning.

As I put worked on capturing more of the drama of the sky and adding details of the brush on the ground, I felt like I was reliving my vacation. What a nice way to spend Day 21 of the Challenge!

Now I’m re-thinking my plan for tomorrow. See you then.

Day 12. Jay’s Spatulas

September 14, 2015 by Beverly

Here’s a typical scene that greets me in the kitchen when I come down for breakfast.

“Jay’s Spatulas” by Beverly Shipko, Pencil drawing on bristol board, 6 x 6 inches

You see, Jay and I have a deal. I load the dishwater at night and he unloads it in the morning. For many years, Jay has meticulously arranged the still wet utensils on paper towels to air dry, altering their positions (handle down, handle up) so they collectively take up the least amount of space on the counter (thereby using less paper towel). I think he picked this habit up during his early years working at Al Baker’s Restaurant in St. Louis and at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Certainly, my haphazard way of laying out utensils hasn’t rubbed off on him. Sometime he feels that I don’t appreciate how he clean and organized he keeps the kitchen.

I decided it was time to honor one of Jay’s temporary spatula installations in the above drawing of Jay’s Spatulas, based on the photo below from November, 2014.

As Day 12 approached, I wasn’t sure whether to do a pencil drawing or painting. If I went with the pencil drawing, would I go with graphite alone or add in touches of color, using my recently rediscovered pack of Prismacolor pencils hiding in the basement? I wasn’t sure how I felt about this as a painting, so I went with the drawing and decided to leave the colored pencils for another time.

As I started drawing, I soon found out that less was more. For whatever reason, I was drawn to the linear quality of the outlines, and started liking the drawing less when I used more shading. So I put my gum eraser to good use and took out much of the chiaroscuro representing the black color of the utensils. Along the way, I was tempted again to add touches of yellow and purple, but decided to save that for another time.

For the past few years, I have been photographing these morning compositions. Jay now says he keeps doing them because I like them (and admittedly I miss them when he is away playing bridge.) But I would prefer to think he executes these carefully thought out arrangements as a creative outlet. Certainly, Jay seems to be more conscious of his designs since I starting recording them, and has even upped his game over time by playing with more colors, different shaped kitchen tools and gadgets, and by including fruits and vegetables.

Previously, I have talked about creative family members – Bonnie, another food artist in the family, and Mom, the sports artist. While I could also refer to Jay as a food and sports artist, I would rather add Jay to this illustrious list as the more distinctive, unique Spatula Artist, a title that he alone absolutely owns.

Remember that you heard it here first: Jay Sloofman, Spatula Artist. Perhaps I should go out and make him business cards…

Maybe I’ll make some sort of photo book of his best creations, or maybe make it available as a free download. And I will dedicate it to all the under-appreciated husbands in America. So, do you think this has the potential to make the New York Times best seller list?

That’s a long way off for now. And Day 13 is fast approaching – way too fast. There aren’t enough hours in the day.

Day 9. Pomegranates

September 10, 2015 by Beverly

Pomegranates is my first fruit painting in years. Of course, I thoroughly enjoyed the remnants. To me, this fruit is as sweet as cake or candy!

“Pomegranates” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on wood panel, 5 x 7 inches.

I hadn’t been planning to paint this, but that changed when the mail came about two weeks ago.

It’s no secret that I am on a mission to get rid of 18 years of junk in the house. As soon as papers come into the house, I throw them out – a change from past behavior. So when I opened up a rather unremarkable, unsolicited package of Rosh Hashana cards, I found this one and stopped myself in the middle of tossing the cards out. I didn’t know why at the time, but I put this one on the dining room table (my work station for September).

With the rapidly approach Rosh Hashana holiday, I then started pondering pomegranates as a subject. They are colorful and have beautiful patterns when sliced open, both of which appeal to me. And I could use the painting as a holiday card or email. So I bought 2 pomegranates, sliced one open, and had a good time playing with compositions.

You would be surprised at how many photos (aka digital clutter) it takes to get one good one to paint. The pomegranate still life setups looked better in person than they did through the lens. When I realized they were too complicated to do in one day, I started taking pieces away until I ended up with simpler compositions, like this one.

My go-to color for the seeds was alizarin crimson, which I have never been able to mix. Fortunately, I had a new tube on hand. Ah, those seeds. It took me a while to get the hang of them, and I could still use some more practice capturing their translucent quality. The seeds were a change of pace from my typical dessert subjects, but I like to think of them as the crumbs that make the painting interesting. They were hard to paint, but not so hard that I got discouraged.

I liked watching this painting emerge today. At some point, I will do a square version of it to compare formats. Recently I have been thinking that the square format feels more contemporary. What do you think?

This is not the last pomegranate you’re going to see this month. I’m hooked in more ways than one.

Day 8. Eggs In-Sink

September 9, 2015 by Beverly

Sometimes you find paintings in the most unexpected places.

“Egg In-Sink” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

One day last winter, I came downstairs to eat breakfast after Bonnie was finished (on December 12, 2014 to be exact; isn’t digital photography wonderful?), and this egg shell greeted me in the In-sink-erator, not an abnormal occurrence. At that moment, the sun came out, lit up the egg shells, highlighting the white edge against the earthy shell tone, and I grabbed my camera. The rest is history.

I think of this as a precursor to my egg series. Egg In-Sink depicts the egg-cracking stage, before anything else in these paintings can happen. You can read the Story Behind the Eggs here.

Egg Series from the 30/30 Challenge, Oil paintings on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.

Eggs In-Sink is rather monochromatic in tone. However, although I only used 3 colors (Payne’s grey, titanium white, and burnt siena), I still managed to use 14 brushes. The point here is that a deceptively simple subject can require more subtle and careful color mixing, not to mention paint application. And any painting with concentric circles like this one requires a lot of concentration.

For about 2 seconds I thought about naming this painting Eggs N’Sync, but I quickly realized I must be watching too much Justin Timberlake on TV. Besides, cutesy is not my style.

If you have any egg ideas or interesting egg photos, I would love to hear from you. Until then, it’s time to move on to the Day 9.

Day 7 of 30 – Vending Machine

September 7, 2015 by Beverly

There are a lot of firsts in this painting.

This is my first vending machine painting, my first food related painting on a black background (a color I rarely), the first work where my subject is half-submerged in shadows – and my first unfinished painting for the Challenge.

“Vending Machine” by Beverly Shipko, Oil sketch on wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

Vending Machine is also the first wrapped candy painting of this Challenge, a potential series I have been thinking of about since I did a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup during the January Challenge. I’ve had a Twix Bar lying around since Halloween, which I intended to paint since it was my account at DMB&B Advertising in my previous life. You can read more about my sentimental attachment to the candy industry here.

The choice of subject was actually inspired by a detour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to a student show, where Jay and I saw a drawing of a whole vending machine. And that was the ahah! moment right before we moved on to the John Singer Sargent exhibit, our intended destination. Afterwards, the search for the right vending machine began. I never realized that all vending machines aren’t created equally. Jay found this one with the most iconic candy brands lined up all in a row, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Getting the initial sketch right was critical, so I studied many photos and actually packages, taking extra care setting up the structure and putting in the details.

I painted from the inside out, starting with the vibrant colors that brought the iconic logos to life, minimizing the chance of colors bleeding into one another. Then I put in the black rings, followed by the black background, which changes everything so it’s important not to wait too long.

There were so many details in those logos and wrappers that by mid-afternoon I was thinking maybe I bit off more than I could chew, that this was at least a 2-3 day painting, and I must have been crazy not to practice on a simpler vending machine painting with just one bar, like the Twix photo I was using as a reference. I even considered just doing a Twix drawing (which I used to call dinner during those late office nights) and just calling it a day.

But the 4-bar composition intrigued me from the moment I took the photos of our old office vending machine. The repetition of the circular wires holding the candies add a rhythm with their cast shadows and provide a unifying pattern – so I kept going. I drew on some lessons learned from my first Challenge:

Stay calm
Simplify the details
Focus on the net impression; don’t look at every crooked line
Plan a strategy,
Be bold not timid
Just hunker down to pull the painting off
Put aside your skepticism

This was one of the pivotal decisions I faced: Do I paint the bars as if they completely lit in the foreground, or stick to my original vision and put in shadows so they recede and are dramatically lit, which seemed to be more difficult than I had time for? I decided to go for the drama – and it’s drama that I got for the next few hours as I experimented with one color after another… after another…. for the shadows (while secretly wishing I had bought that metallic oil paint for the Twix wrapper.)

The question for all you artists out there: What would you have done? In retrospect, I was in a pretty good place at this point, but maybe didn’t know it. Perhaps I should have skipped the shadows or changed the background and the bottom strip colors to charcoal grey. I would appreciate the feedback.

Here’s where I was when I got up the next morning. The Reese’s was still muddy and the Twix was just sitting there.

I spent a few more hours experimenting with the shadows, and decided to call it a day since I was jeopardizing my next painting. At this point, the paint was too thick and wet, and I wasn’t adding any value.

I wish I had more time on this painting so I could have let it dry before reworking it right away (so what else is new), and kept the painting surface smoother. But then I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did about what I’m capable of under pressure (self-imposed, I admit) – something to keep in mind when I get my next commission. Full disclosure: I plan on trying this one again as a 2-day painting with a less severe background after the Challenge is over.

I’m proud of how I moved ahead and didn’t give up – and then wondered what would have happened. Bonnie would call this a learning experience. That’s what I’ll remember when I look at Vending Icons.

What do you see you looking at this one?

Day 6 of 30 – Praline Cupcake

September 6, 2015 by Beverly

Jackson Pollock. That’s who I think about when I look at Crumbs Bake Shop Praline Cupcake.

I imagine someone going wild with the icing bag just like Pollock did with brushes and cans of house paint. The biggest difference is in the anger – there isn’t any this cupcake, whose purpose is to make us happy and come back for more.

Day 6. “Crumbs Praline Cupcake” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 6 x 6 inches

The bottom line is that this cupcake design becomes an abstract composition. Similar to Poloack, Day 6 was about the handling of paint, but without the intensity. This work is all about the texture of the nuts and the building up of oil paint to literally simulate the nut crumbs 3-dimentionally on the surface of the panel. It’s all about the crumbs.

As opposed to the vibrant Day 5 Crumbs M&M Mini Cupcake, this delicacy has a limited palette. On Day 6, I decided to skip the plastic container that it came in (though I must admit I miss it a bit, and may try this again sometime with it) and added a little green to the background (a risky move for me since I’m not a green fan).

What is a praline cupcake, you might ask? According to Wikipedia, the broad definition is that it’s a confection including nuts and sugar, with cream being a common third ingredient. In France, bakers use almonds, while in the US we tend to use a combination of pecans, hazelnuts and almonds with milk or cream to achieve something akin to fudge. Whatever the recipe is, I remember it was delicious!

You won’t see this cupcake on the Crumbs website since it was a special cupcake that they made before filing bankruptcy. In the good old days, there was a wider variety of cupcakes on any given day and more rotating flavors. I wish I had taken more photos back then since Crumbs cupcakes look better than most, at least from an artist’s perspective. While competitors like Sprinkles offer great tasting cupcakes, how many can you paint with their signature circles on top?

This was a good break from yesterday, a relatively relaxing day (not as relaxing as going to the beach though).

Now it’s time to plan tomorrow’s treat. I feel a sugar craving coming on…

Day 4 of the 30/30 Challenge – Cake from The Boss

September 4, 2015 by Beverly

Over a year ago January, Bonnie and I went to Ridgewood, NJ for a used book fair, and had to stop by Carlo’s Bake Shop after watching the Grand Opening on Cake Boss.

And there it was – this pristine, luscious Oreo Cookie cake just crying out to be painted. And so I did today.

“Cake Boss Oreo Cookie Painting” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

This Cake Boss Oreo Cookie Cake looked much neater and artistic than similar cakes I had seen, which tended to be too crumbly looking to paint (not in a positive way).

One of the reasons it took so long to paint was that this cake needed a square format canvas (not a typical shape), which I didn’t have and rarely used until this year. I was trying to make a square subject work on a horizontal canvas, and it never did quite look right. The preliminary sketches were so unsatisfactory that I put this Oreo cake back on the shelf.

Now that I am using square 6 x 6 wood panels, I thought I would try again. I’m glad I did.

Here’s what the painting looked like when I first started. It was slow going, but I made steady progress all day. I had to be patient as I painted in the details, and was rewarded when the painting gradually came to life. I focused on the interplay of light and shadows, the contrast of black and white, and the addition subtle color tones to liven things up a bit. Not surprisingly, the most difficult part was the whipped cream.

Cake Boss Oreo Cookie Cake is deceptively complex. Like many paintings, the devil is in the details. Only during a Challenge, there comes a time when you have to stop. I already spent a day and a half painting this, and have to put my brushes down. When you’re a perfectionist as I am, some days this is incredibly difficult, and has resulted in overworked paintings. This won’t be one of them – a good thing.

While Bonnie and I never did meet any of the Valastro family in Ridgewood that day, Day 4 of the Challenge brought me back to to the time we did Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro at the local Dobbs Ferry train station. We raced over after Bonnie read a Facebook post saying Buddy was filming a show featuring Lidia’s Bakeshop & Cafe for a new TLC series, where The Cake Boss came to the rescue of floundering bakeries and resuscited them.

I remember what Buddy said when I showed him postcards of my cake paintings. He was thrown for a minute since he thought I was a baker, not a painter, but then he looked me straight in the eye and said: “You and me, we’re both artists. We just do it differently.” What a complement! Maybe I should send an image of the Cake Boss Oreo Cookie Cake painting to him. (Note: After seeing Buddy’s puzzled look, I made new postcards that clearly say paintings under the images.)

Time to switch gears and start planning for tomorrow. Who knows what it will bring? As always, suggestions and photos are welcome.

Day 2 of the 30/30 Challenge – Oreo in 3 Pieces

September 2, 2015 by Beverly

Don’t you just love the icing on Oreo Cookies?

That’s what inspired me to paint this Oreo, creatively bitten by my friend Eva Suchow. The white icing is just begging to be licked off!

“Eva’s Oreo Cookie in 3 Pieces” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 6 x 6 inches.

Compositionally, the icing provides a strong contrast to the broken pieces of the cookie. I wonder how Eva bit the top part of the cookie and not the bottom. Certainly there was no other entry quite like it.

Here is Eva just a few moments before participating in my Oreo Cookie Contest, and earning her spot as a finalist. Eva is the lady on the far right in the black sweater, with her husband Steve on the far left, and their friends, Gerri and Stan, from Australia (winning my award for traveling the farthest to attend my Open Studio!).

Yesterday’s Oreo Cookie painting came so easily that I expected the same things to happen today – but somehow it didn’t. That’s why painting is an art and not a science.

Today I started with the same size 6 x 6 wood panel, sketched in the cookie, and used a similar light pink acrylic ground to dull the white primer.

Then I struggled for a few hours applying oil paint – except when I brought out my old bristle brushes for the background, which gave the paint more texture. Maybe I’m simply more tired today. In this photo, I’m working on one of the parts that I labored over – the grooves going around the entire edge of the cookie.

While I’m happy with today’s Oreo painting, I wonder what the day will be like tomorrow. Perhaps Marli’s Oreo Cookie in 4 Pieces from Day 1 came together rather effortlessly because of the graphic quality of the four pieces, all of which conveniently broke into equal sized triangles. It’s something to consider as I move forward and choose subjects for the rest of the Challenge.

Any thoughts? Maybe there’s something I’m missing here. Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us.

Thanks for your help and see you tomorrow!

Day 1 of the 30/30 Challenge – Oreo in 4 Pieces

September 1, 2015 by Beverly

I am addicted to Oreo Cookies. Painting them, that is, rather than devouring them like I did when I was younger.

And so I couldn’t resist returning again to one of my favorite subjects to kick off Day 1 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge.

In fact, this isn’t any Oreo. This is one of the many entries I received in my annual Oreo Cookie Contest which I sponsor during the RiverArts Open Studio Tour in April. You are all invited to come over and simply take a bite to enter. I pick the best entries, paint them, and name the paintings after the biters. Marli’s Oreo Cookie in 4 Pieces is one of the 2015 finalists.

“Marli’s Oreo Cookie in 4 Pieces” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on wood cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

This painting is essentially Marli’s portrait, albeit a non-traditional one, showing her unique bite.

Let me introduce you to Marli herself in the red shirt, who happens to be my next door neighbor. She and her friends Tess, Sydney and Dylan, all came to the Studio Tour (several times, I might add) and participated in the Oreo Cookie Contest (fellow chocoholics?). A good time was had by all, as you can see.

This particular Oreo is unusual since it broke into 4 parts, instead of the typical 2 or 3 pieces. I haven’t seen that for a number of years, and so this distinctive configuration stood out from the many other entries.

There are still a lot of potential paintings left on this table. But despite the best of intentions to plan, I still don’t know what tomorrow’s painting will be. Stay tuned.

If you get a craving for Oreos, be sure and stop by both here and my studio, where I always keep a spare pack of Oreos handy – and a camera nearby.

My September Challenge: Pure Joy

September 1, 2015 by Beverly

For the last three days, I have been preparing in earnest for my second 30/30 Challenge – that’s 30 paintings in 30 days – which officially begins tomorrow on September 1st.

As you may know, my first 30/30 Challenge was a New Year’s Challenge – which I rather cautiously announced on New Year’s Day. To read the story behind each work, click here to go to the blog summary page from January (actually 31 since I was inspired to paint an extra day), where each image links to a daily blog.

It’s so fascinating to have a blog now and go back to read about how I felt at the time. That’s probably why people keep diaries. Certainly that January 1st kickoff post does such a great job of explaining why I decided to do that first challenge, much of which still applies, that I encourage you to read it.

The bottom line: I feel that doing the January Challenge did make me a better artist in so many ways, and I gained confidence in my abilities. I am doing this September Challenge to recapture that exuberant feeling and artistic momentum I had by the end, and to get back into the swing of painting on a daily basis after being away quite a bit the last few months.

The Challenge is my version of a staycation. I’m excited about the prospect of focusing on my art once again – not to mention an excuse to put aside all my other responsibilities.

This time around, I can enjoy the Challenge more since I already proved to myself that I can do. I’ve developed better strategies to manage my time and get everything done (there’s always room for improvement). Hopefully I’ll get more sleep than last time.

For me, one of the most time consuming parts is deciding what to paint each day. Since my camera is essentially my sketchbook with iPhoto at 102,000 digital photos and still counting (I’ll be testing the upper limits of this program), this can be a daunting task. So today I sorted the ideas the old fashioned way, and tried to group them into themes on my dining room table.

Here’s a little preview of possible things to come.

I also spent some time sketching the first few paintings on wood panel to get adjusted again to the surface after painting on linen and canvas, which are much more forgiving of pencil corrections. As you can see, I would rather sit and sketch, unlike when I paint standing at the easel.

The idea was to get out in front of the Challenge so I’m not always trying to play catchup, especially since there’s so much going on in September, unlike the dead of winter with its zero degree temperatures.

There are many more distractions this September starting with Labor Day, followed by several major holidays, some concerts, together with a wedding and a weeklong visit from my webmaster daughter, Laura, the maid of honor. It’s her last year studying computational biology at the University of Illinois in Urbana, and she somehow makes time to help me out.

Thank you, Laura, for putting up the website and handling all the technical glitches that go along with it on an ongoing basis. You and I have come a long way since last year. Any future employer will be glad to have you.

And thank you Chef Bonnie, the other food artist in the family who you can read about here, for preparing some of my favorite meals for the week – without me even asking – despite the fact it is your first day back at school as an elementary special education teacher (or maybe it’s because of that? Otherwise you wouldn’t have had any home cooked-food.)

And lastly, I want to thank my husband, Jay.

Thanks for running out to Staples when my printer broke on Saturday (as I was printing all these photos!), for going to the AI Friedman art supply store when I discovered I didn’t have enough wood panels (and unfortunately still don’t) – and for just being supportive every day in so many ways while I dedicate myself to painting this month. (BTW, don’t forget enjoy all those extra bridge games. I know you won’t be suffering to much…)

Here’s the team. And it is a team effort. We all contribute in our own way. Without you, I couldn’t possibly finish 30 paintings in 30 days, let alone blog about it.

If I do nothing else, the Challenge is already a success in my mind. It has forced me to set priorities in the rest of my life so I can focus on creating art with laser-like attention, always a good thing. Along the way, I’m feeling that spark of joy that Marie Kondo talks about in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. Well, there won’t be much tidying going on this month, but there will be plenty of joy to go around.

Those of you who read the book can appreciate my new nickname for the Challenge, The Life-Changing Magic of Doing a Painting-A-Day for 30 Days. I feel another blog coming on… Stay tuned in October.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me here every day in September for this excellent adventure, where I’ll be posting my new work. I always look forward to hearing from you. Together we can spark even more joy!

John Singer Sargent: An Artist’s Artist

August 29, 2015 by Beverly

Can you imagine John Singer Sargent doing a painting a day? The answer is yes, without breaking a sweat.

As I prepare for my second 30-day painting-a-day challenge starting shortly on September 1st, I can’t help but wonder what Sargent would choose to paint each day.

Would it be a watercolor? Sargent’s dazzles us with his use of bright light and shadow playing over surfaces – with such fluidity and ease in this medium that he never ceases to amaze me.

An Arab Woman by John Singer Sargent, Watercolor.

“Escutcheon of Charles V of Spain” by John Singer Sargent, 1912, Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper

A pencil drawing? Sargent has an uncanny ability to represent people with an economy of strokes. He did more sketches of the infamous Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) than he did for any other portrait. Here she’s sitting down, unlike in the final full-length portrait that almost derailed his career.

“Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)”. 1883-84, Graphite on off-white wove paper

A charcoal? Like this elegant depiction of American actor Mary Anderson. I love how he set the smooth skin again a dark background, and used an eraser to delineate the folds of the scarf.

“Mary Anderson” by John Singer Sargent, 1913, Charcoal on paper.

Or, how about an oil painting? Maybe he would set the scene outdoors, as he does here. Sargent’s light-filled oil sketches are brilliantly painted, demonstrating his uncanny ability to depict the most important elements with loose but telling brushstrokes that makes this work look effortless.

“A Gust of Wind” by John Singer Sargent, 1883, Oil on canvas.

These are just a few of the delightful works at the Metropolitan Museums of Art’s impressive portrait show, John Singer Sergeant: Artists and Friends (open through October 4th, 2015).

The exhibit includes a variety of work from the freer works above, to many more tightly rendered and traditional commissioned paintings – but nonetheless impressive works. Admittedly the selection you see here is more slanted towards light-filling paintings full of exuberance, and feature more women.

Here we see an early self-portrait, Sargent’s first double portrait (Jay’s favorite painting of the entire show), and his tribute to his art teacher, which was so accomplished that some people commented that the student already surpassed the teacher.

John Singer Sargent Self-Portrait

“Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron” by John Singer Sargent, 1881, Oil on canvas

“Carolus-Duran” by John Singer Sargent, 1879, Oil on canvas

Even in large formal commissioned portraits, Sargent’s brilliant bravura brushwork shines through. In this vibrant painting of Mrs. Hugh Hammersley, a patron of the arts and notable hostess, Sargent masterfully juxtaposed a variety of fabric textures in this strikingly energetic pose that showcases her engaging personality. Closer scrutiny of the pink velvet shows that he describes the essence of the rich fabric and her satin shoes with a minimum of detail.

“Mrs. Hugh Hammersley” by John Singer Sargent, 1892, Oil on canvas

Detail from “Mrs. Hugh Hammersley” by John Singer Sargent

Sargent: Artists and Friends is a fascinating compendium of Sargent’s large circle of talented contemporaries, including friends, acquaintances and patrons, and is a reflection of the rarified world in which he moved – from France, England, Germany, and Italy to America.

Sargent seemed to thrive on hanging out with other artists, some more famous than others, and documented his visits with them in many informal compositions. Some of Sargent’s freshest works are more spontaneous paintings of his artistic friends, including author Robert Louis Stephenson (who he painted 3 times), Claude Monet (who needs no description!), and a close friend and fellow painter, Paul Helleau, with his wife leaning against the boat. (I know this last painting well since it’s on the cover of my first book on American Impressionism, the subject of my master’s thesis.)

"Robert Louis Stephenso" by John Singer Sergent, 1887, Oil on canvas.

“Robert Louis Stephenso” by John Singer Sargent, 1887, Oil on canvas.

Claude Monet By John Singer Sargent

An Out-of-Doors Stud by John Singer Sargent, 1889, Oil on canvas

One of the most striking aspects of Sargent’s career is his ability to switch seamlessly from one medium to another, and from tightly rendered commissions of patrons and champions, like Isabella Stewart Gardener, to free and spontaneous depictions of his peers, such as Monet, Rodin and Faure.

Painting portraits is a gift, as anyone who paints and has tried their hand at portraiture knows. You either have it or you don’t. And Sargent had it. And boy, did he have it! That’s why I call Sargent an artist’s artist and would highly recommend this show, along with the audio guide to learn more about all the people involved.

And so the 30 Day Challenge probably wouldn’t have been much of a challenge for Sargent, would it? What do you think he would have done?

Whatever he chose, I’m sure Sargent would have relished the opportunity, and I’m pretty confident he would be painting on a much larger scale than I plan to do. Sargent has inspired me to try a bigger panel for the Challenge (at least once) and see what happens, and to experiment more with watercolor, charcoal and pencil. And just maybe, one day, if I do enough Challenges, I can evolve my own personal painting style to record the essence of a subject using a similar economy of strokes and a equally compelling bravura… 🙂

A painting a day? Done.

To the sweetest mother I know.

May 11, 2014 by Laura

Happy Mother’s Day!

Beverly Shipko, Digital Photograph.
Mike Kelley at MOMA PS1. December 28, 2013.
Photo Credit: Laura G. Sloofman

Sincerely,

The IT department at www.beverlyshipko.com

Oreo Cookie Contest

May 8, 2014 by Beverly

To all of you who came to my Open Studio and enthusiastically “took a bite” to enter my Oreo Cookie Contest, I want to thank you for your participation and wish you good luck!

Now the process begins to select the top Oreo Cookies finalists. It will be particularly challenging this year since there were so many contestants with creative ideas on how to bite an Oreo. There are almost too many great choices – if such a thing is possible.

The first step is to perfect the lighting across the Oreos. My favorite paintings usually have dramatic interplay of lights and darks along cracked surfaces – and lots of extra crumbs! Then I photograph each cookie for safe keeping.

After many years of painting Oreos, I have found that having a visual record of the initial concept is important. The light in my studio changes dramatically from morning to afternoon, shifting the highlights and shadows, which is not optimal. I have new empathy for the French Impressionists who started their outdoor paintings in a particular place at a specific time of day, and then went back daily at the same time to the same spot until they finished.