Tag: painting

Matt Story

I was first introduced to Matt Story’s paintings on a visit to Samuel Owen Gallery.

I was first introduced to Matt Story‘s paintings on a visit to Samuel Owen Gallery.  He paints beautiful landscapes, but his water series is what really caught my eye.

Pacific Dream Floating
Pacific Dream Floating
Green Velvet Rising
Green Velvet Rising
Red Bubble Down
Red Bubble Down

To create these paintings, Story first captures dozens of images during a photoshoot in a pool with a model.  He then goes through the photos to develop a concept for a painting.  This process may involve cropping the image in the photo, determining a the width to height ratio, and carefully choosing references among thousands of photos of bubbles.  After blocking the painting and transferring a scaled-up drawing to the canvas, he begins to add colors, tweaking the image and adding layer after layer of colors.  The final touch involves a complicated glazing of each bubble to achieve a perfect reflective look.

A Bubble in Hand
A Bubble in Hand
Blue Twist Black
Blue Twist Black
Blue Bubble Cruise
Blue Bubble Cruise

I find these paintings so bold and graphic.  They are both sensual and playful.  In person, Matt Story’s paintings are just so energetic, I could stare at them forever.

To see more of Story’s paintings, visit his website.  You can also find him on Facebook.

Robert Motherwell at the MET

New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will be showcasing an exhibit to mark the one hundredth anniversary of American artist Robert Motherwell’s birth.

New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will be showcasing an exhibit to mark the one hundredth anniversary of American artist Robert Motherwell’s birth.  He founded the New York School, an art movement that included Jackson Pollack and Mark Rothko, and was a teacher, writer, scholar, and champion of fellow artists.   I have been so into art lately, and this is one collection of work that I don’t want to miss.

Robert Motherwell. Photo via PBS.
Robert Motherwell. Photo via PBS.
Lyric Suite, 1965
Lyric Suite, 1965
The Little Spanish Prison, 1941-44
The Little Spanish Prison, 1941-44
Mexican Sketchbook Page 3, 1941
Mexican Sketchbook Page 3, 1941

Motherwell traveled through Europe and spent time in Mexico, experiences that not only influenced his art but allowed him to create lasting relationships with other artists.  He was, in fact, a crucial link between the American art world and its European contemporaries.  His work is an important part of the Abstract Expressionism movement, featuring bold brushstrokes, dynamic movement, and simple shapes.

Fishes with Red Stripe, 1952-54
Fishes with Red Stripe, 1952-54
Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1958-61
Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1958-61
Collage in Yellow and White, with Torn Elements, 1949
Collage in Yellow and White, with Torn Elements, 1949
Cyclops Cave, 1986
Cyclops Cave, 1986
The Blue Guitar, 1990-91
The Blue Guitar, 1990-91

Robert Motherwell’s work will be on exhibit at the MET through July 26.  To plan a visit, see the MET website.  You can also learn more about Robert Motherwell and see more examples of his paintings at The Dedalus Foundation.  His work can also be viewed in the Robert Motherwell Paintings and Collages trio of books from Yale Press.  I absolutely love this set — they make great coffee table books.