Oil Painting

August 5, 1926 – May 26, 2019

How can it be possible, that one of the greatest painters of our time, dropped out of high school at age 15 to take a job as a comic book inker? Within a year he was drawing stories and illustrating pulp magazines. Soon after that, he was routinely painting commissioned portraits of powerful and glamorous people. Everett Raymond Kinstler would continue to make his living as an artist for more than 75 years. I never have known anyone who worked harder at his craft or loved painting more.

A few years ago he stated that he had painted more than 2,500 commissioned portraits. Seven of the subjects that posed for him, were U.S. Presidents.  Kinstler painted more U.S. Presidents by commission than any other artist. No less than 100 of his paintings and drawings are in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He was finishing up one of his commissioned portraits at age 92, just two days before he went into the hospital. His death a few weeks later was a shock and a devastating loss.

A full listing of Kinstler’s honors, awards, and notable portraits is covered in his OPA guest author page. More biographical details can be found in this article by The Washington Post.

I am writing about some of the many other attributes of this remarkable man.  I met Ray in the mid-eighties, at his workshop in Maine.  I was just starting to paint portraits seriously and was constantly reading his book, “Painting Portraits”. He was the teacher I needed to become a portrait painter. Since the time of that first workshop, he has been a major part of my journey as a painter. I cannot put into words what I owe this man as a painter, teacher and mentor, and a person.  Because of him, I paint plein air landscapes, teach and mentor, as well as paint portraits. The best I can do to honor him is to teach and mentor others as he did for me.

It was only this past October, that Sandra Murzyn and I were at the Kinstlers’ Connecticut home, plein air painting, listening to stories and getting critiques of our work. The highlight of these trips was the privilege of seeing what he was working on in his studio. He would show the studies, the process, and describe the character of his subject in great detail.  He was so passionate about each painting that he was working on.

In his Connecticut studio, there is an older drafting table loaded with sketchbooks, notes and open books related to the commission on the easel. Kinstler said, that he always did his homework, and he most certainly did.

Over the years, I have been amazed with Ray’s vast knowledge. He was one of the best-read, best-educated and curious people I have ever known. Ray could converse intelligently with anyone, from the president of a university to the man who came to repair something at his studio. The author, Tom Wolfe, once said that, if Ray couldn’t talk, he wouldn’t be able to paint.

He often joked that he might not remember what he had for dinner last night but could remember everything about all the people he had ever painted. He explained this recall due to the fact that; “The people I have painted have meant more in my life than I have in theirs.  I spend maybe 80 hours on their portrait, much of it by myself.”  Case in point, I ran across an older Kinstler painting here in Nashville. When I asked him about it, he told me the man’s name, when he painted it and many other details.  In talking to him about one of his workshops in Maine from 20 years ago, he remembered the model’s name and several of the students in that class. He could also remember critiques he had given you in the past. At times, this was embarrassing.

You simply cannot write about Everett Raymond Kinstler without telling one of his many stories. If you want to hear a good sampling of these iconic stories, watch the 2018 YouTube interview with Michael Shane Neal, “A Conversation with Everett Raymond Kinstler”. A favorite story concerns one of his most famous paintings. He received a commission to paint the actor John Wayne for the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Wayne posed for sketches and studies and photographs. John Wayne was truly a hero of Kinstler, who was an avid movie fan.  When Kinstler finished the painting, he checked it against his photographs and was in a bit of a panic.  He said “The eyes were too small and nose was too big, but someone was watching over me and told me not to touch the painting.  After I delivered it, Wayne’s son Michael told me that I had captured the quintessential image of his father.”

His portraits went beyond the photographic image. He often said that the camera may record a moment, but the painter makes a statement. His acute powers of observation worked in partnership with his technical skills to create paintings filled with light, energy, and imagination.  He worked primarily in oil but was also proficient in watercolor, pastel, acrylic, casein and pen and ink.

It is important to keep in mind that Ray Kinstler was our most direct link to the teachings of both Sargent and Sorolla.  Kinstler studied under Frank DuMond, who knew Sargent personally.  As a young man, Ray was also mentored by Gordon Stevenson, who had studied with Sargent in London and Sorolla in Spain. Sculptor, Paul Manship was one of Sargent’s closest friends. In Manship’s later years he became a good friend of Kinstler. Kinstler’s commitment to teaching can be summed up in this quote from Michael Shane Neal’s book. “He (Kinstler) has remained devoted to passing on the things he learned from his teachers. In fact, Ray often said that the only thing he asks in return from those of us who have studied from him is to pass the information along just as his teachers did before him”

Kinstler, having been a great admirer of the actor James Cagney, liked to repeat the advice that Cagney once gave him. “Kid, learn your lines, be honest, plant your feet on the ground, and when you say something, mean it”. Kinstler followed that advice his whole career. I think it is good advice to all of us as well. 

To see more of Everett Raymond Kinstler’s artwork please visit his website

Growing up I was always outside exploring the woods and loving the changing light but never thought about painting it. It wasn’t until after a career as an illustrator that I began taking my easel outside to paint. When I paint outside and spend two hours capturing the light it is a spiritual experience. During that time, you get to see, hear, and feel the changing world around you.

I created a natural setting in my own backyard where I started planting trees and bushes. One of the great joys of my life is watching the plants grow. You buy a $2 plant and it turns into a $20 one.

It’s my oasis where I’ve taught painting workshops and gathered with family and friends. It is literally a living room. Everyone loves to be in this environment whether it’s my backyard or in their own.

Artists throughout history have documented the outdoors and through this empathy for the landscape, they became conservationists.

Thomas Moran created a stunning painting of what is now Yellowstone Park. Congress was able to see the beauty and the National Parks were born. J. Alden Weir turned his estate into a park and Ding Darling left a preserve in Sanibel.

My artist friend Mary Erickson has preserved 30 acres for a bird sanctuary in North Carolina. This past summer I painted on the property of the famous Indiana artist TC Steele. It is now a park for all to enjoy.

Every time an artist paints on location they are preserving our world. It will never look the same.

Hurricane Michael hit the Forgotten Coast and leveled the area of Mexico Beach where Mom and Pop shops and restaurants once stood. Quaint family beach cottages gone forever.

Over $117K was raised by Operation Fund Storm started by artist friend Larry Moore. Artists donated paintings for the auction and some pieces were of this devastated area.

We have painted the area for many years and those paintings have preserved what has vanished faster than we ever thought possible.

About two years ago I was approached by Greg Vine, who had this idea of turning 50 acres of prime real-estate in Venice Fl. into an Urban Forest under the umbrella of VABI. Venice Area Beautification.

He needed an artist to create a forest with paint and canvas to show Sarasota County what could be done with a raw piece of land along the intercoastal that borders an industrial area.

I first photographed the area and began painting directly over the photographs to eliminate scrub and add trees of various shapes and sizes with smaller bushes underneath.

When we approached the Sarasota County commissioners with our proposal and my paintings as a visual guide, they finally approved the Urban Forest.

But this had taken almost two years from the time Greg asked me to come on board. There is an enormous amount of red tape that an organization must go through in order the achieve any endeavor when dealing with City, County, and State officials. As volunteers, we had countless meetings to set up promotion, funding and planning committees. Once the word got out about our plan’s, volunteers came to help clear brush and plant new trees. Without volunteers, a project like this cannot happen. This a totally funded by donations.

Venice was designed by architect John Nolan back in the ’20s. Nolan was inspired by the amount of green space in cities and introduced that in Venice and Mariemont Ohio.

Our Urban Forest catch line is; “In the spirit of the John Nolan Plan, VABI resolves to create the Urban Forest, an oasis for all generations to enjoy”.

As this project finishes phase 1, we are having artists come out to document what has been done and create sort of a “Baby Album” of this young project.

Many people can see what a derelict piece of land looks like now, but an artist can see what it could be in the future through a small rendering.

Beyond the initial decoration, a painting may have had a big role in how people feel and their empathy toward the world we live in.

A moment in time means a couple of things to me. I think each of our lives is defined by moments in time. Decisions we make along the way in our journey through life that define our lives. Some favorable and others maybe not so much.

It can also mean to me, capturing that moment in time which is the premise behind every portrait I paint. For each portrait represents the time in that person(s) life depicted forever on canvas.

I’ve always had an affinity for the Victorian Era. Specifically between the mid 19th century and turn of the 20th century. Whether it be the gorgeous outfits the women wore or the beautiful decor and craftsmanship of the homes. What seems to resonate with me most are the works of Art created at that time. Frank Benson, Edmund Tarbell, Cecilia Beaux, and William McGregor Paxton are just a few artists whose paintings strike a chord within. Of course, John Singer Sargent is my favorite portrait painter, but the aforementioned artists gave us a glimpse of their family life and surroundings. The oil paintings of Frank Benson, one of the pioneers of Impressionism in our country, are still considered among the most beautiful paintings ever created by an American artist, and for good reason.

His portraits of family and friends have stood the test of time because Benson captured, in loving detail, both the splendors of nature and the fleeting innocence of childhood. I’ve tried to continue that tradition through my Portraiture and Fine Art. Many of my commissions are what I call Informal Portraits. My clients want to hold onto those precious years of childhood which seem to fly by in a flash. I endeavor to create a likeness that captures my subjects’ spirit and essence. In selecting the settings for the Informal Portraits, my clients might opt for a location that rekindles special memories of their own childhood. Maybe growing up going to one of the many beautiful beaches Long Island has to offer or perhaps they were married at one of the magnificent parks with its lush gardens. Sometimes their backyard serves as the backdrop for the painting.

If a beach scene is desired, the children, mother and I set off for the photo shoot. I bring bags of props which the children are so excited to start playing with in the sand. These photo shoots are so much fun. Once the children get going, they forget I’m there and before you know it, I’ve taken around 250 pictures. I try to do at least 4 different poses with the children. Observing what props they respond to is exciting for me as well.

These photographs, which I take either in the early morning light or the late afternoon, capture the ambiance of a fun-filled, sunny day while allowing me to create an endearing likeness. Most of the time the painting is a result of a composite of the best picture of each child. I never put pressure on myself to get that one “perfect” shot so this way I have the freedom to pick and choose what pictures will be my reference for the final painting. To ensure complete satisfaction for my client, I paint a very detailed color study to show the client a “visual” before I start the final painting. This study will show color arrangement, composition and expression. Once the study is approved, I can proceed with the final painting. Even though these studies take a while to do, they give me the assurance that my client and I are on the same page. They also serve as my guide while working on the final painting.

This painting was given as a gift this past Christmas to the grandmother from her children. 

In terms of my Formal Portrait commissions, which are sometimes painted from life, similar care is taken to explore every detail. I meet with the client to discuss the pose, clothing and lighting. After the photo shoot, I like to do several color studies before starting the painting to figure out my composition, value and color arrangement.

I truly enjoy painting these types of portraits as well. I can really delve into the personality and essence of the sitter. A portrait to me is not just capturing a good likeness, it’s also about speaking to the viewer and conveying who this person is and what they are like. Those are the portraits I am drawn towards the most. When they stop me in my tracks and make me wonder, who is this person?

I’ve always been interested in art. From the time I was a little girl, I can remember always having a crayon or pencil in my hand. Mickey Mouse and his friends were my constant companions. I practiced drawing them so much I eventually could create them from memory. I continued with my love for art through junior high and high school. I graduated with honors from The Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. After graduating from RISD, I was an illustrator for the NY Times, Doubleday Books, Harlequin Books, Avon Books and many other publishing companies. It was a very unfulfilling time in my life. I didn’t enjoy illustrating, plus I didn’t get the necessary background at school in painting and color theory so I was limited to black and white work. I tried reading books and copying artists I admired but frustration with my lack of skill set was a huge roadblock.

Around 3 years after graduating from college, I had 1 of those defining moments in time. I saw an ad a teacher was running in the paper and decided to give him a call. I remember walking into his studio and felt as though I was transported back in time to the Renaissance Era. The drawings and paintings that lined the walls of his studio were magnificent. Only in museums had I seen such work. At that moment I said to myself, I don’t care how long it takes, this is what I aspire to create.

I took classes with John Frederick Murray for several years. I can honestly say, Mr. Murray changed the course of my life. Under Mr. Murray’s tutelage, I had extensive training in the classical and traditional style of drawing and painting from the model. We also painted and drew from casts and focused on how clothing drapes over the human form. Design and Composition were also diligently studied. I owe the success I’ve achieved in my career to the love and support of my parents and to Mr. Murray’s unsurpassed knowledge, patience and guidance.

When I was studying with Mr. Murray for a few years and felt more confident with my painting skills I  tried illustrating once again. I was able to acquire some freelance work painting book jackets for different publishing companies. Once again, that unfulfilled cloud hung over my head. At a crossroads, my teacher suggested I try my hand at portraiture. After redirecting my focus from Illustrating, I spent several months building up a portfolio of different portrait samples.

Marketing became my biggest obstacle. How do I get my name out there? Social media was non-existent then so it was quite a challenge. I knew I had a high-end item and needed to market my portraits to a certain clientele. I thought of calling private schools on Long Island and in the city to see if they had fundraisers where I could display my work. Also, the country clubs around Long Island had Christmas Luncheons and other events where I was able to get exposure.  Certain charity events would allow me to set up a table with my portraits to display at their fundraisers as well.  At these events, I would pay a table fee and in some cases, as in the charity events, donate a portion back. Commissions were trickling in but not with consistency.

One summer day, around 20 years ago, was another pivotal moment in my career and life. I thought, well, perhaps not everyone wants a formal, traditional type portrait. Inspired by Frank Benson’s sunlit paintings of his daughters by the shore, I decided to take my girlfriend’s daughters to the beach and take pictures of them in pretty dresses walking along the shore and playing in the sand. They were great little models and I completed a painting as soon as I could. I couldn’t wait to take the painting to my next show. The response was overwhelming. So many people came up to my table and asked if I could paint a portrait of their children in this more relaxed and endearing way.  Since that time the two girls in the painting are all grown up. One is married and one just got engaged. My friend has this painting hanging in her home of that magical moment in time to cherish forever. I have since painted over 200 paintings in this timeless genre.

I’m not going to say the road has been an easy one but I don’t know many artists whose careers have been smooth sailing form the start. Being the sole representative for my career has been challenging and daunting at times. Participating in the shows, ( I try to book around 15 shows a year), getting potential clients’ names, follow up phone calls, securing photo shoots and doing the work can be overwhelming but the rewards have been 10 fold. I wake up each day and do what I love to do for a living. When I deliver a painting and see the happiness I have brought to my clients through my work, it fills my heart with joy. How blessed am I! 

It was often said that Benson’s paintings radiated with the warmth that existed between the artist and his subject. I work closely with each client to ensure that the completed portrait is one that speaks to their heart. An heirloom that captures a moment in time to treasure forever.

www.denisefranzino.com

“The object isn’t to make art, but be in that wonderful state that makes art inevitable”

– Robert Henri

For many years now this quote by Robert Henri has tickled my core self. It resonates with me, heart and soul.  But why?  Henri just put to words what is basic to the human experience.  Put a single crayon and one single white sheet of paper before a four-year-old… and what happens?  You will see the inevitability of art (if only we could maintain that complete sincerity to process as we get older:) But with experience comes a greater degree of receptivity perhaps, embodiment, or empathy even, to the world around us. 

To transform the mundane into the profound, to see color where before were only shadows? To be shaken out of the ordinary and experience the extraordinary.  Being in that mental state that makes art inevitable is not about happiness. It is not about tomorrows pressures or yesterday’s regrets. It is about being present to your creative moments. Doing what you enjoy doing. Learning to lose yourself in the process.

At the very heart of making art inevitable, I have found three fundamental overlapping themes: flow, creativity, & mastery. Peeling back the layers in my process these are the core engines of my growth.  In your personal discovery, you may find different engines…

But whatever your engines of growth may be, identify them, peel back the layers and go deep, tease out even the smallest details.  Here are some of the layers I’ve uncovered, some philosophical, some technical, all a subject of study in themselves:

• Sincerity to process over product.
• Drawing on internal motivations over external concerns.
• The habit of hard work.
• Deep concentration on a limited field.
• Developing intuition in your process.
• Drawing with your eyes first.

Enjoying the moment, immersing oneself fulling in the present, fully experiencing the now. Master pianists who revel in perfecting their scales. Athletes who enjoy losing themselves in the process of practice and drills. Let alone the joys of exceptional performance. The future is heavy, that past burdensome. Putting our mental time travel aside to enjoy making our art inevitable… seems a thing worth doing.

To misquote Scott Adams, always remember:

“The day you became a better artist”

Mr. Adams original quote is about writing, his thrust technical, ours philosophical.  But makes a profound point for any creative. In merely swapping tenses, the statement draws our attention to the now. You want to be a better artist? Great. Start. Now. More flow? More creativity? Perfect. Start now. Tomorrows too late.

www.chadhoutz.com

I think every artist has them. Paintings that for some reason just do not work out. They are usually fun and exciting while the artist is in the process of creating them, be they plein air or studio pieces, but when viewed once the novelty wears off, there is that sinking realization that the painting is not really working.  Sometimes there is an easy fix. Other times the only answer is to scrape the painting. But occasionally the painting that does not really work hangs out in the studio because for some strange reason the artist cannot part with it. I think artists often instinctively realize there is something that is actually working in these paintings, but it is often hard to put a finger on it.

There is an old saying that “you can’t make a purse out of a sow’s ear”. Sometimes I believe an artist can and with those very paintings, one has been reluctant to toss. Usually, it involves cropping and considering the idea of “what is this painting about”. Occasionally, it is some weird, totally out of left field realization when you start exploring different cropping formats. I feel that I have had some real success rethinking paintings and changing the format of my images.

This painting was a plein air piece done several years ago at Rancho de Las Golondrinas near Santa Fe. I was initially attracted to the roots of the tree and the blowing branches. I got excited and, with the easel threatening to blow over, launched into the painting.  I was thrilled to pull something off and it was not until later that I realized there was a major flaw in this work. I put the tree right in the center of the painting.  While that can work sometimes, here it just made the piece stagnant.

The painting lived in a flat file for a year or so. Finally, I started exploring cropping the painting trying to focus on what attracted me to the image initially. Once I started this process using two cardboard pieces cut in an “L” shape, I realized that I could make the painting about everything that I had wanted to say by just cutting it down and thinking about putting the trunk on the golden mean. I was much happier with the new version and it did not involve any re-painting.

Of course, in this case, a little preliminary planning would have helped avoid the need to reformat, but sometimes the excitement and less than perfect conditions that are part of plein air painting can lead one astray.

The next painting was inspired by a sailing trip on the San Francisco Bay.

This very impressive ship with red sails came alongside and I was able to get a decent photo for reference. The enormity of the bay was something that also felt important to capture in the painting.

However, it never seemed to work for me when it was completed…I finally decided that the point of the painting really was the ship and I had made it far too small in relation to the rest of the painting. After cropping it down, I was much happier with the piece and it did not really change the feeling that the bay is a big body of water.

Cropping also eliminated the other problem I created when I divided the original painting into two equal sections with the horizon line.

This was a studio painting of the Chama River based on a small plein air painting and several photographs. The weather was constantly changing when I was on site and it was all quite dramatic with billowing clouds, rain, and the sun illuminating the cliffs in constantly changing patterns. While working on this piece I tried to capture all that excitement and I really enjoyed the process.  But in the end, I had way too much excitement and no one thing to focus on. Five focal points really do not work in a painting. This painting sat around for months as I considered if it could somehow be salvaged. Cropping seemed to be one possible solution, but how much to crop was constantly being evaluated. It came down to two possibilities.

In the end, I chose to go with the tight crop. Of course, I had to change the title as the Chama River had been eliminated, but for me, the excitement of the day could still be summed up in a far smaller painting. I got in trouble in the beginning because I really did not think through what I wanted to focus on. The new painting is probably just going to stay in the studio as a reminder to me to think a bit deeper about what I want to say in a painting before jumping in and the importance of a focal point. However, in one of those out of left field realizations, I ended up with a cut up section of the painting with the clouds from the left side of the original 18”x24”. The realization was that I really liked those clouds and they deserved better. I think they were always the “something good” that was happening in the painting. It just took forever to figure it out. With the addition of a new foreground a new painting was created, one I really liked. The new foreground was out of my head, but I had recently spent a week in Borrego Springs, CA painting on location and I had become quite familiar with the general idea of the mountains and landscape there.

I started the above painting with high hopes. It is more or less the view south from my studio in Santa Fe. I was particularly interested in creating a dramatic evening sky. Unfortunately, I was not at all thrilled with the final painting especially the foreground. The colors were insipid. Several times I contemplated consigning it to the proverbial circular file and each time I ended up putting it back in the flat file. One afternoon it came out again. I had a lot of unused paint on my pallet and I resolved to use it to change this painting into something that did not put my teeth on edge. The only thing I liked at all was a chunk of the sky, so that remained. I cut it down and repainted the foreground and I think something good came of it. I was suddenly very happy that I had not given up on it and felt that I had made good use of what was actually working in the original piece. Again the foreground is made up, but I have been painting arroyos in New Mexico for ten years and am pretty comfortable faking those.

So there you have it, think I got the purse from the sow’s ear and it is a good reason to keep some paintings around that are not working.  Discovering what is working is the first step and cropping alone can often resolve the problem. Cropping and some radical reinterpretation can also produce a successful painting. The fact that prior to attempting to possibly save a painting, you are confronting something that is not working and therefore not precious, allows for a lot of freedom.  Fortunately, I do not have to go through all of this every time. I actually do produce work that has a decent design, a point of focus and some color harmony.  However, when I don’t it is nice to think that something good might arise from my initial failure.

Lee MacLeod –leemacleodfineart.com