Patrick Saunders - Art Review - "Night Herd" by Frank Tenney Johnson

One more #MuseumTourTuesday post featuring art from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Today it's a painting by Frank Tenney Johnson.

Johnson was trained as an illustrator and became known for his moonlight technique. Even though most of his paintings appear to be night scenes, my guess is that he painted them from models lit by daylight, altering color temperature and saturation to make the scene appear to be a nocturne.

In this particular piece, what strikes me most is the relaxed pose of the rider, clearly in a moment of respite as he drapes both legs over one side of the horse. While he is most likely rolling a cigarette, he could just as easily be checking his phone if this were a modern day scene. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Night Herd" • Frank Tenney Johnson • Oil on Canvas • 1936

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts Pet Portrait Commission - Leche The Pit Bull Terrier

Here is my latest pet portrait commission.

Leche came right up to greet Kimberly and I when we first met her. It was as if her eyes were filled with questions and love for her new visitors. After that, it was all belly rubs. She even came to say goodbye when we left, despite us putting her through a photo shoot that she wasn't quite sure what to make of.

One of the sweetest dogs we have ever met. Those soulful eyes just grab your heart right away. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Leche" • Oil on Linen • 9" x 12" • Private Collection

 

Reference and painting photos by Kimberly at Saunders Fine Arts.

 

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - August 2021 Art Newsletter - The Art Industrial Complex

Watching the ‘Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed’ documentary yesterday inspired this month’s newsletter topic, because if anyone is going to make money off of your art, it should be you, and your inheritors. - Patrick Saunders

http://bit.ly/PSFA-Newsletter-Sign-up

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Patrick Saunders Fine Arts - Art Review - "Father and Daughter at the Crow Fair" by Bettina Steinke

Last week, Kimberly and I visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to view the current Prix de West exhibition. While there are a number of wonderful paintings throughout the museum, one piece stood out for me above all the others, so I wanted to share it for this week's #MuseumTourTuesday.

Bettina Steinke was once the resident artist at NBC, creating portraits of stars. In 1939, she left the studio and painted portraits of notable Americans, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower. After traveling the world for a decade with her photo-journalist husband, Don Blair, the couple settled in Taos, New Mexico in 1956. In 1995, she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Cowboy Museum, and in 1996 received the John Singer Sargent Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society of Portrait Artists.

This piece below won the Prix de West Purchase Award in 1978. I was immediately struck by the simplification of shapes throughout the painting - notice the lack of eyes on the father in the upper right. This simplification reaches an almost graphic quality in the blanket at the bottom of the painting. The forms are all solid, without any unnecessary rendering. Also notice the thinness of the background in comparison to the thicker paint within the figures, adding depth and bringing the figures forward.

Also of note is the bold cropping. The painting is all about the young girl, and the horse is suggested only by the small portion of the head and ear visible to the lower right. The father is pushed to the upper right, his headdress breaking the bounds of the picture and acting more as a frame for the daughter's face than his own. A truly wonderful composition. - Patrick Saunders

 

"Father and Daughter at the Crow Fair" • Bettina Steinke • Oil on Canvas • 1978

Painting photo by Saunders Fine Arts.

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Bosque Art Center's 2021 Bosque Art Classic

I am honored to learn that three of my paintings have been accepted into the Bosque Arts Center's 2021 Bosque Art Classic juried art show and sale.

This will be my third time at this great event, which celebrates its 36th year this September. - Patrick Saunders

Painting photos by Saunders Fine Arts.

“Tom” • Oil on Linen • 11” x 14” • Available at the Bosque Art Classic

"Awaiting" • Oil on Linen • 24” x 30" • Available at the Bosque Art Classic

"Betty" • Oil on Panel • 9" x 12" • 2 hours • Available at the Bosque Art Classic

© Patrick and Kimberly Saunders, Saunders Fine Arts, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors/owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Patrick Saunders for painted works, or to Kimberly Saunders for photographs and/or videos, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.