And now for something completely different! Lo and behold the first abstract piece I’ve done in years. Why, you ask? It was a gift for my niece, who had seen something similar on eBay but she didn’t win the auction. Arty farty uncle to the rescue! Well, truth be told, my wife was the one who asked if I could help out and create something similar.
Of course! I love the challenge of making a copy of an existing painting. On the occasion that my imitation successfully mimics the original, I get quite the painterly adrenaline rush!
There were two primary enhancements I made to this abstract piece, one a brilliant suggestion from my wife, the other a need to play with impasto mediums. First, my wife noted that our niece is a big Cowboys football fan, so why not substitute the metallic gold of the original with silver. For the uninitiated to the cult of Jerry Jones, the team colors are blue and silver, thus the resulting palette. The other detour was the introduction of thick impasto elements, which I felt would add further interest to an otherwise limited composition.
I was quite happy with the outcome, although I think the use of gold per the original piece is a better look… for me. Customizing for my niece gave it more meaning, and makes for a better art story when there’s something personal driving the trajectory.
I’m inclined to dabble with more abstract compositions from time to time. It’s a nice pivot from the more exacting nature of landscapes and still life works. I can also experiment with palettes that deviate from my standard setup. Should prove interesting!
Original Reference ArtworkImpasto ElementsFinished Piece
What makes something iconic? “Widely recognized and well-established” is the Merriam-Webster technical definition. For me, it’s something that is instantly recognizable and evokes a sense of place, which means that one person’s “iconic” is another person’s “what the…?”
As an artist, creating an artwork based on an iconic place can be a tall order, something that the voice in your head quips “you better get this right”. There’s also a category of artists, the ones with more ego than talent or sense, who consider many subjects beneath them and not worth the flex of their brush. For these nimrods, the most egregious waste of their precious time is painting something iconic, cataloging the entirety of these subjects as passé, predictable and pedestrian.
What the aforementioned dolts don’t seem to understand is that most people gravitate to artwork that’s relatable, and there’s no better way to make something relatable than to make it recognizable! When it comes to leveraging the power of an iconic subject for a painting, I think its important to “get it right”, whatever that really means, but also put it in a setting or context that grabs the viewer’s attention. One way to pull this off is to present the icon in the evening, known as a “nocturne” in fancy art vernacular, whereby the setting is atypical yet still recognizable.
ONE NIGHT ONLY is, hopefully, instantly recognizable by any resident, past or present, of Austin, Texas. The Paramount Theater, and arguably to a lesser degree, the State Theater, epitomize the Old Guard that is downtown Austin. The Austin skyline has transformed over the past 15 years at an insane pace, but it’s hard to wax nostalgia over skyscrapers, in large part because, in my humble opinion, none are iconic, with two possible exceptions. First is the State Capitol, the original skyscraper of Austin, which held the crown of the tallest building in Austin for more than 70 years! Second, the Frost Tower Building (full disclosure, it’ one of, if not my wife’s favorite downtown building), which while it held the crown for a meager 4 years (2004 – 2008), was such a beautiful piece of architecture, residents readily recognized it in pictures and movies… by name! In other words, it was iconic.
Finally, there are a few technical details you might find of interest, and perhaps elicit some additional joy from the painting. Or not.
First, there was a lot of simplification, which was driven by equal parts fear and intent. As chance would have it, the very basic, loose structure of the dark buildings in the background turned out to be a happy accident. Initially, these were a simple dark value block-in that were necessary to contrast the very bright elements of the signs. I never bothered to go back and refine this area, frankly forgot about it, and then realized it did a fantastic job of directing viewers to the focal points. The second bit of artistic license was the exclusion of pretty much all of the Paramount building details. This is the fear factor, whereby I didn’t want to tank the composition with the distraction of what would have certainly been mediocre windows and brick detail. The cast shadows on the roof paired with the glowing orange wall is meant to anchor the right side of the work, which would have been difficult to do with architectural details.
As you can tell from the progression gallery below, the lettering of the signs was done by hand, no stencil and it evolved quite a bit over painting sessions. I practiced the lettering on separate paper canvas, experimenting with different brush shapes and sizes, as well as variations in paint load.
Regarding the Paramount marquis, the ultimate focal point of the work, it has virtually no paint! I washed the underpainting off of that area early on, and like the simplified background buildings, I never went back to it until the very end, and that was only to add “ONE NIGHT ONLY” lettering.
Lastly, note the lack of people on the street. This was intentional, but I struggled with the decision. I like adding people to urban scenes like this, in large part because they add interest, motion, and a sense of place. However, without them, the scene has that feel of a theater that has a full house and nobody is lingering outside. Hopefully that intent translates to you, too.
ONE NIGHT ONLY will be making its public debut this week at my solo show at Kerbey Lane Cafe (Westlake), “Paintings and Pancakes”. Come by and check out the 25+ pieces of artwork while enjoying the sweet nectar of pancakes and syrup!
ENVY | 4 @ 5 x 7”, Grouping 16 x 20” | Oil on Canvas Boards
Finally, the Birkins are done and assembled as the ultimate quadriptych, ENVY! Hopefully it’s readily apparent that this composition is inspired by Andy Warhol, which is somewhat ironic because Warhol’s work never resonated with me. That said, I can’t deny he had some uniquely creative compositions that piqued one’s interest.
The Hermès Birkin Bags (Sotheby’s has an Interesting article about the origin of the Birkin name) make for excellent still life models, I guess… given they cost $15,000 and beyond, I didn’t have one handy for modeling in the studio. However, between my wife’s distractingly pink knockoff “Firkin”, and the internet’s infinite library of images, I was able to cobble together plenty of reference material.
I really enjoy doing still life pieces, but things like purses and clothing have very tricky shape and textural challenges that are, quite frankly, intimidating to translate on canvas. To help me temper the difficulty level, I allowed myself the flexibility to NOT create 4 identical purses, but rather focus on the design elements that are common across a given Birkin release and really blow up the interest level with colors. The end result was 4 Birkins that have very similar handles, hardware and shape, but none are identical.
In terms of focal point and compositional strategy, the quadriptych lends itself to some interesting options. Ultimately, my intention was to allow the viewer to pick the focal point, which was done by looking around the composition and evaluating for themselves which bag they liked the most, thus the focal point… for them. My wife, who has a real eye for framing, had the bright idea of using a black background and black frame to ensure the panels really pop for the viewer. Given the high key value of each panel, the use of black readily achieves the goal of pushing the paintings at the viewer.
One last note regarding ENVY, notably the custom framing. I used a matt board cutter to replace the white background that was original to the frame. The panels themselves are “stuck” to the matting using Command Picture Hanging Strips, which are essentially heavy duty Velcro that “clip” together. This makes the panels float above the matting a little – I had to paint the extremely skinny, almost non-existent edges of the panels black so the white of the canvas board wasn’t visible in the raised structure.
ENVY will be added to my solo show, “Paintings and Pancakes” at Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin (Westlake location), Texas. Swing by and check out the 25 pieces currently on display and available for purchase!
KERBEY LANE CAFE, SAN MARCOS | 9 x 12” | Oil on Canvas Board
As a nod of thanks and appreciation, I recently completed a landscape of the Kerbey Lane Cafe in San Marcos, where I recently wrapped up a solo show, “Something for Everyone”. The restaurant is located in a historical building on the San Marcos River. The view of the river from the patio is amazing, but the sight of the restaurant from the river itself is arguably the better perspective.
Now the first time you look at this painting, you might actually need the reference photo to know what you’re looking at. It’s not every day that one comes across a restaurant with “river AND a waterfall” as a seating option AND $7 local brewery pints!
This painting introduced new challenges and the according hard lessons along the way. Two of particular note dealt with architectural elements:
Window Reflections: I’ve done reflective surfaces numerous times, so I understand the foundational techniques. However, the windows on the back of the restaurant had a coating that effectively made them massive mirrors. This meant the sky reflections needed to be more precise, yet despite numerous wipes and re-paints of the windows, I couldn’t get it just right… something just looked artificial about it. On a whim I put the vertical window seams into the composition and “voila!”, suddenly it translated as mirrored windows!
Screen Windows: There is a real nuance to getting this right, and something I’d never tackled before. I’ll be honest, luck had more to do with the final result than anything – my artistic creativity isn’t the best of friends with architectural features of the world. If you look closely at the screened-in patio, you’ll notice the most prominent part is in the sunlight, and that area is nothing more than the original underpainting of burnt sienna. The very thick, toothy nature of the canvas board also contributed ideally to the aesthetic without much need for artistic technique. That said, I’ll remember this bit of serendipity the next time I run into a screened porch.
Ultimately, I’m very happy with the final result. The staff at this location were fantastic supporters of my artwork and an absolute pleasure. I’ll have to do another show at that location in the future.
Getting more Kerbey Lane love this Summer with a new solo show, “PAINTINGS & PANCAKES,” at the Westlake location! As of July 2nd, more than 20 pieces of artwork adorn the walls of the restaurant. I’ll be swapping in at least 6 new pieces this month, so the show will always have wet canvases joining the sweet smell of syrup and pancakes!
A huge thank you to @kerbeylanecafe for another opportunity to work together on what’s likely the greatest collaboration concept of all time – art and food!
Check back later this week to see pictures from the show!
OLD MAIN – TEXAS STATE | 9 x 12” | Oil on Canvas Board
I’m a fan of wandering university campuses, both in the US and abroad, in large part because they’re often home to intriguing architecture, beautiful grounds, and chock full of history. Some do it better than others. For example, the University of Texas is by many measures a great school, but let’s be honest, people don’t go there for campus aesthetics. Alternatively, wander onto the stunning grounds of the University of Colorado and you may never leave.
However, there are also a long list of wonderful colleges and universities – no, I don’t know the difference -hidden between neighborhoods and history, more notable for their pride than their size, and arguably constitute the backbone of “usable” degrees. While I’ve never spent a day as a student at Texas State University, I can say with assurity that the San Marcos campus has enough beautiful open space and intriguing buildings to make for a nice afternoon wander.
In this piece I wanted to capture the university using an iconic building… say hello to OLD MAIN at Texas State. I assume this is one of, if not the site of the original building on campus, which is a beautiful piece of architecture. I used a reference photo from the University website, but it was pretty flat in terms of lighting, yet the perspective of the composition was excellent. I opted to “wing it” with the lighting, incorporating strong sunlight that lit up the facade and cast dark shadows downstream.
Ideally this piece finds a home with a Texas State alumni, but failing that it would be well suited for a fan of architecture. I’ve been pushing my painting style to be more impressionistic, but I had to tamp that back a little with OLD MAIN so as to include the necessary details of this beautiful building.
OLD MAIN will be added to the “Something for Everyone” show at Kerbey Lane Cafe in San Marcos. Drop by for a beer, some pancakes and art!
More European inspiration, this time from a little city called Cuenca, Spain, which is located about 100 miles east of Madrid. Cuenca is magnificent and thankfully not on the itinerary of the selfie-taking, speaker phone talking, culturally ignorant hordes. This city is in the mountains, founded by the Moors (like most everything in central Spain), and best known for their hanging houses, called “casas colgadas”. In my view, they’re the original “room with a view” architecture, and it’s frankly amazing they’re still clinging to the cliffs.
We were visiting in late May and did a lot of strolling as we explored the old town. This particular scene is from the Plaza Mayor, looking north towards the Cathedral of Santa Maria and San Julian of Cuenca. Even during this morning hour, there was a lot of activity and the city had a sense of energy and vitality, which I’ve tried to capture with this piece.
Initially, the intent was to do a quick study in preparation for a larger piece. While I still intend to do a larger, more composed painting, I kept getting sucked into the details of CUENCA. There are two focal points – I know, I know, that’s not how the rules work – but I’ve developed the opinion that multi-focal point perspective in a composition can work really well. In this case, focal point 1 is the Cathedral, which anchors the background as it captures the morning light before the rest of the buildings. Focal point 2 is the guy in the foreground walking right at you, also touched by the light, contrasted by the shaded patio immediately behind.
Lastly, there are various bits of sky blue incorporated through the piece. It’s an experiment to see if it gives the viewer the sense of having a relatively blue sky overhead, adding to the depth of the painting. Not sure if it works because I was actually in Cuenca to take this photo, therefore I always have that sense of a sky overhead when I think about this scene.
If you haven’t been to Cuenca, Spain… go! The setting, sights, food and people are wonderful.
Inspired by past trips to Europe while enjoying a mid-afternoon lunch on a beautiful day, LATE LUNCH is meant to capture the slow pace of catching up with friends in an idyllic setting.
There were numerous challenges with this one, most of them self-inflicted as I really wanted to capture the presence of people doing their thing at the restaurant. I have a fair bit of experience incorporating people in landscapes, but not many have been seated. To my surprise, managing proportions of someone seated is particularly tricky and takes some practice. But even more arduous were the chairs, which have shapes that are all over the place and best done in an impressionistic style… which I will do next time.
Ultimately, though, LATE LUNCH is anchored on dappled sunlight and starkly contrasting values from tree shade. The dappled effect is designed to frame the scene between the umbrellas and the foreground, with the expansive green tree limbs putting the viewer in the cool shade of the afternoon.
AVOCADO | 6×8” | Oil on PanelMIMOSA | 12×16” | Oil on Canvas Board
Two more paintings have found their forever home! AVOCADO and MIMOSA caught the eye of a customer while having breakfast tacos at Kerbey Lane Cafe last week. The stories of why people buy a given painting is a very rewarding part of the experience for me. In this case, the buyer was planning to gift the paintings to an Aunt she was visiting while in the San Marcos area. I guess she’s a fan of brunch.
This sale also provided me the opportunity to conduct my first “virtual” sale of the “Something For Everyone” show, which went seamlessly and worked well for everyone involved. As someone who spent the majority of their career in high tech, the logistics of a virtual sale make for a fun intersection between art and tech. Each piece of art at the show has a label detailing the name, size, medium, and price, as well as a QR code. The QR code allows a diner at the cafe to simply scan with their phone, which brings them to my website, www.artbern.art, from which they can readily find my contact information.
After a few email and text exchanges, she sent me payment via Venmo and I notified the restaurant that the paintings could be removed from the wall and left in the office for customer pickup. Aside from taking the paintings off the wall, the restaurant staff didn’t have to deal with any logistics. Everyone was happy with the process and the final outcome!
Stay tuned to find out about the new artwork that will replace AVOCADO and MIMOSA!
A great day of painting en plein air in Colorado with my mom. The weather and setting were perfect, so the fact that the paintings turned out nice put our day in the bonus.
The location is just off highway 36 north of Lyons, a couple miles up the canyon towards Estes Park. The compositional options were wide-ranging and, in all honesty, a little overwhelming. Upstream or downstream? Canyon walls or creek… or both? Wide focus or narrow? Ultimately, I opted to highlight the creek while leveraging the canyon walls for perspective.
I haven’t done a lot of plein air this year, but it continues to be preferred over painting in the studio, in large part because it makes me paint smarter. The quick pace forces one to make instinctive decisions without overthinking things, which can fail sometimes, but on this day it proved effective.
This piece will need some refinement in the studio, but I’d say it’s 80% complete, which is pretty good for me in terms of getting it done outside in one session. My mom did a bang-up job on her piece, too, opting for the wider view of the canyon to include the water and the tops of the canyon walls. And, like I said, painting with my mom on a perfect afternoon was pretty awesome!
Art Bern 