March 3, 2008
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Nogente - 1883
Maxime Lalanne, (Bordeaux 1827 - 1886), Nogente (1883), 6-1/4″ x 4-1/8″, Etching on thin laid paper.
This delicate and sensitive rendering of the small French town of Nogent-sur-Marne was executed by Lalanne just three years before his death in that ancient commune situated in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The walkway on the left invites the viewer to tag along on a leisurely stroll around a quiet waterway hedged by charming old guinguettes and lush vegetation basking under a voluminous sky filled with expansive clouds. Read more
Posted in Etchings 
9 Comments »
February 22, 2008
Early Morning at OVC - 1980
Emigdio Vasquez, (Arizona and California 1939 - Present), Early Morning at OVC (1980), 24-1/2″ x 30-1/2″, Oil on canvas.
I first became acquainted with Emigdio Vasquez some 20 years ago during one of my visits to Rita Chemer’s Gallery in Tustin, California. When entering the gallery that day I was confronted with an assortment of colorful and realistically rendered scenes of Chicano life and historical figures from the past and present. These reflective depictions of everyday, ordinary people struck a chord with me as I had always thought a missing study in modern art to be that of ordinary man. Read more
Posted in Oil Paintings 6 Comments »
February 21, 2008
Domestic Composition No. 1 - 1998
Rick Wedel, (Michigan 1968 - Present), Domestic Composition No. 1 (1998), 28″ x 22″, Oil on Masonite.
“Choosing a predominantly cool palette, Wedel has produced a view of silent everyday life, beneath which tension and anxiety lie.”
That brief artist’s description accurately and elegantly describes this thought provoking abstract-figurative work by Michigan artist Rick Wedel. Executed in oil on the rough side of a Masonite canvas, Wedel depicts the underlying tension and daily monotony that can erode and eventually destroy a relationship if we so carelessly allow it to happen. Read more
Posted in Oil Paintings 2 Comments »
February 4, 2008
Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret - 1893
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, (France 1864 - 1901), Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret (1893), 8-7/8″ x 12″, 4-color lithograph.
I found this delightful little lithograph while browsing around the bottom floor in one of our favorite haunts - King Richards Antique Mall in Whittier, California, hanging by a nail on a solitary old ceiling support post in the middle of the most glorious pile of rusty 1950’s appliances you’ve ever seen. Read more
Posted in Lithographs 9 Comments »
January 31, 2008
The Couple - 2000
Milford Zornes, (Oklahoma and California 1908 - 2008), The Couple (2000), Watercolor, 8-1/2″ x 11″, on clay paper.
One cannot collect art in Southern California without owning a Milford Zornes–and that’s the law! A true local icon who, along with Millard Sheets and other pioneering artists, lead the California Style watercolor movement in the 1920’s. Read more
Posted in Watercolors 5 Comments »
October 28, 2007
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| Return of the Prodigal Son - 1636 |
Two Men, One Standing - 1646 |
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, (the Netherlands 1606-1669), Return of the Prodigal Son (1636) (6-1/4″ x 5-7/16″) and Two Men, One Standing (1646) (7-21/32″ x 5-1/8″), etching on heavy laid paper. Amand-Durand, after Rembrandt.
I imagine everyone would like to own a Rembrandt, and this is as close to one (or two) as I may ever get (other than at a museum). But these restrikes serve as an example of how NOT to collect fine art.
Sure, the images are finely and beautifully detailed as I expected, and I realize they are not lifetime works, but because of a mis-understanding by the seller and my blind desire to own them, I ended up with an enormous case of buyer’s remorse. Read more
Posted in Etchings 8 Comments »
October 21, 2007
Tomasini Ranch - c. 1950’s
George Gibson, (Scotland and California 1904-2001), Tomasini Ranch (c. 1950’s), charcoal, 12-1/2″ x 9-1/2″, on smooth, ivory paper.
I’ve always been a sucker for a good pencil or charcoal drawing. This one is by California artist George Gibson who was the director of the scene department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios for such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “Brigadoon” and “Oklahoma.” This is another one of those works you discover when you aren’t looking for anything in particular. Or one of those media types or genres that you said you weren’t going to invest any more money into but you end up buying anyway. Surprisingly, those kind of finds can be some of the most enjoyable in your collection. Read more
Posted in Charcoal Drawings 3 Comments »
October 14, 2007
Two Warriors (1656-1657)
Salvator Rosa, (Naples and Rome 1615-1673), Two Warriors (1656-1657), etching with drypoint, 5 1/2″ x 3 3/4″, on medium laid paper, margins as shown, third state of three (with Rosa’s rework of the left foot of the seated soldier), a relatively early 17th century impression, the drypoint still strong and bold [Wallace 44].
That’s what the description said about this etching on the dealer’s site where I purchased it several years ago. Read more
Posted in Etchings 3 Comments »
October 7, 2007
Studio Corner - circa 1960’s
Alice Beamish, (New York and California ? - 1989?), Studio Corner (late 1960’s), oil painting on canvas, 9″ x 9″ (11″ x 11″ framed).
Here’s a wonderful little find from a small antique store in Orange, California. It measures only 9″ x 9″ and is painted on canvas. I love the simplicity of the composition and her choice of coloring. The frame sets it off perfectly. Her rendering of the chair in the foreground reminds me of the old colonial dining room set we had when I was a kid and that may have been the subliminal message it sent just before I picked it up. Read more
Posted in Oil Paintings 3 Comments »
October 3, 2007
Sheltered Cove - 1989
Raymond Sipos, (Michigan and California 1939 - ), Sheltered Cove (1989), Acrylic on Plexiglas, 20″ x 30″.
Yeah, I know. Wallpaper. I always thank my parents for exposing me to art by the occasional purchase of an oil painting by a local artist and the presence of all kinds of art books around the house when I was growing up, but I swore I’d never invest my time and money on the same mundane landscape scenes and wrought iron rooster sculptures that decorated our wood-paneled 1950’s living room walls. But there comes a time when, after cultivating a great interest in abstract art and its many incarnations through museums, art galleries, books and documentaries, the return to a sublime landscape now and then to relax our senses and prepare them to once again embark on that strange and wonderful genre is a welcome repose. Read more
Posted in Oil Paintings 4 Comments »
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