CHRIS KLING
cbkling@bellsouth.net www.chrisklingartist.com
The Florida landscape provides an endless source of subject matter for Chris Kling, who moved to the state in 2005. The artist, who began as a portrait painter, primarily paints in plein air but does larger studio works based on her outdoor studies. She adds, “With my many years as a portrait artist, most often doing full figures, it shouldn’t be surprising that I insert impressionistic figures in a lot of my paintings.”
With the lockdown because of COVID-19, Kling took the opportunity to expand to new subjects. “I completed a series of fish paintings that were great fun, and these can be seen on my website. I love to paint water, boats, urban scenes,” she says. “As I have progressed in years, I have noticed that my painting style is getting looser and looser. I am reveling in the freshness and energy of painterly brushstrokes, and have also introducing more palette knife. I compete in plein air competitions and prefer to keep them in Florida, ones I can easily throw my equipment into the back of my car!”
Her painting Breaker was recently juried into the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society’s Best of America exhibition, hosted by Cutter & Cutter Fine Art in St. Augustine, Florida.
New Advertiser Lands Commission The September issue of American Art Collector marked artist John Pompeo’s first time advertising in an art magazine. “Being that all my shows had been cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, I decided to go for it and try something new,” he explains. “I chose to feature one of my larger oil paintings that was a panoramic of an Amish farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about an hour from my studio. It was based on a plein air study that I did last summer.”
The work featured was a triptych measuring 30 by 90 inches across three different-sized panels. His advertisement included a black background, which made the lushly colored painting pop. “Not long after the ad was published I received an email from a new potential customer who was interested in that painting, but wanted to know if I could paint a larger version of the same scene or one similar to it,” Pompeo says. “They saw it in the magazine ad and were in the process of buying original artwork for a new house.”
The artist agreed to the commission and is currently working on the larger painting for the buyer’s home. Shortly after, he sold the original painting to one of his previous collectors. “My advice to collectors is to feel free to ask an artist if there are other options or if they do commissions,” Pompeo shares. “Most working artists I know are happy to offer commissions and work with a collector to bring their vision to life.”
Nature’s Bounty
In the July issue of American Art Collector, Chicago-based Lotton Gallery advertised Yana Movchan’s painting Splendor of Nature. The beautiful still life painting featured a variety of glassware, china and metal teapots, as well as birds, a cat and fresh fruit and cheeses. It was a bountiful table setting against a fabric backdrop and highlighted Movchan’s penchant for detail.
When the magazine arrived to subscribers, Lotton Gallery received a call from New Jersey collectors who have purchased artwork from the gallery before. “They are twin brother collectors from New Jersey…and the story is they have to agree on the pieces that they buy,” says gallery director Christina Franzoso. After coming across this new work by Movchan, it was easy for them to add to their shared collection.
Lifting Spirits
This year has been a challenge for many around the world, but Canyon Road Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has interacted with a number of collectors whose motivation for buying art has been uplifting. According to gallery owner Nancy Ouimet, one story surrounding the acquisition of Lorri Acott’s sculpture Good Enough has stood out. The work, depicting two people, is accompanied by a poem by Britany Josephina that reads:
The most important day is the day you decide you’re good enough for you.
It’s the day you set yourself free.
“Two partnered shoppers came in not expecting to purchase anything. The older of the two was quite chatty, while the younger of the two gazed silently toward the sculpture as we discussed the artist’s intentions with her work,” recalls Ouimet. “It seemed conversation was exhausted, when the quiet partner spoke at last, squeezing his partner’s hand, and said, ‘I never felt I could live up to anybody, ever. But I realize that is not true. I’m good enough for somebody. And I’m good enough for me.’”
Despite challenging times, the Oil Painters of America will be moving forward with their annual Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition, from November 20 through December 10. This year continues to uphold its excellence in representing the eastern region with traditional, representational oil painters. The juried event will be hosted at Reinert Fine Art in Charleston, South Carolina, among its inspiring, historic downtown area of cobblestone streets and riverside scenery.
Kathie Odom will be this year’s juror of awards of more than 130 juried works from the associate and signature members and 21 paintings from the Master Signature artists including Daud Akhriev, Kathy Anderson, Nikolo Balkanski, Cindy Baron, Roger Dale Brown, John Michael Carter, Nancy S. Crookston, Howard Friedland, Marc Hanson, David Hettinger, Jeff Legg, Calvin Liang, Sherrie McGraw, CW Mundy,
Neil Patterson, Mary Qian, Scott Royston, William A. Schneider, Michael Situ, Zhiwei Tu and Christopher Zhang.
Participating artists are located out of the eastern U.S. and provinces of Canada, with subject matter ranging from figurative and still life paintings, to landscape and wildlife. While the event focuses on representational work in oil, viewers will see work that varies in style, including realism, impressionism and even small, abstracted components.
Examples of astonishing works included in the show are Alexander Masyk’s painting Winter Sunny Day, depicting a snowy Central Park in New York City; another city street scene by Elaine Lisle titled Under the Elevated; still lifes by Eileen Eder and Jane Manco; the landscape painting Orange Glow by Jen Spaker; and wildlife imagery by Joni Jurek and Patricia McMahon Rice.
Beginning with an opening reception on Friday, November 20, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition offers an abundance of excitement. Awards will be announced virtually at 7:30 p.m.