March Artist Identity #4 - A Visit to the SAM to Meet the Mountain!

Before I went trapesing off to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), I did some planning. I knew what piece I wanted to see, but I had to confirm it was on display. You see, a museum might have the piece you are seeking, BUT, that doesn't mean it's in an exhibit. It could be stored in their archives somewhere, underground, behind a trap door, in a far away attic..or?  Fortunately, at least one of two pieces by this artist was on display in the American Art Exhibit. I was super excited because the SAM is practically in my backyard! Just a little ferry trip to Seattle, a hair-raising ride through downtown, and multiple trips around several crowded blocks to secure my space in the lane to the parking garage - no problemo! Lucky for me, two very patient passengers tagged along that day to complete a job shadowing assignment from school. They kept me company, sane, and laughing. Thank you girls!

Inside the museum we were greeted by a stunning tumbling car display. Yes, real full-size cars suspended from the ceiling with flashing lights shooting out the doors and windows. Pretty incredible!

After paying our admission and holding my ticket carefully inside my pocket, I turned around and what in front of my eyes did appear? The most lovely sight; a sign indicating that it was okay to take photos INSIDE the exhibit in certain places. Ohhh g-l-o-r-y be!!

With that in mind, I made a bee-line to the American Art Exhibit, up the escalator and to the right..."Girls stay with me, ohh ummm - naked man statue ahead - don't look. Uhhh excuse me, excuse me - yes, we'll do the green man-eating bottle monster later, ahemm, over here to the right."

It only took a second to find what I came across the water for. Just a slight turn of the shoulder and there it was, a luminous snow capped mountain bursting forth from the hazy obscure cloud cover. There must be something unnerving about a lady taking notes and photos because after only minutes of finding the mountain, I could feel the security guards eyes boring holes in my direction. It turns out that I was standing a bit too close to the painting for his comfort, so I backed away. A conversation in my head went like this... "If I stand far enough away can I just lean in a little and crain my neck closer? You just don't understand...there are original guide lines left on the canvas by the artist that I HAVE to see..."

With our attention focused on "Mount Rainier, Bay of Tacoma" (oil on canvas circa 1875) the girls and I quickly went to work making observations and taking photos. Bear in mind, our quick camera shots do not do this painting justice. We were impressed with the myriad of soft details present. Loose carefree strokes of snow on the mountain, calm water, hazy atmosphere etc; all in sync producing a fine painting. I asked the girls if they could relate the painting to an instrument what would it be? One of the girls commented that it would be a flute; I couldn't agree more. Without actually pulling out a tape measure, my rudimentary guess is that the painting itself measured 2.5' tall by 3.5' wide. An interesting note... As I mentioned before, his original guidelines are left on the painting. Can you see them above the passengers in the boat?

The painting literally kept pulling me back because I was intriqued with all the softness that appeared so loose and carefree. Upon further examination, my perspective changed, I could see the calculation in his work. The strokes were small, not exacting. yet not impressionistic, but subtle. Calculated, soft subtle warm strokes. The painting had a matte sheen to it. Through my research, I have learned that the artist applied multiple layers of translucent varnish to his paintings, which played a part in producing that glowing luminous effect.....just lovely!

There is more to learn about this artist, so I challenge you to do some of your own investigation and plan a visit to see one of his sublime paintings. Some of his journals are also posted online to read. Please share with us your thoughts, comments are welcome! What's that you say? 
Ohhh yes, the BIG reveal... Have you heard of

Sanford Robinson Gifford?

American Artist 1823-1880

Unfortunately no guesses were correct, actually, there were no guesses.

So consequently no winner.

Is anyone out there in cyber-space???

I will carry on and hope for some quesses in April....

I hope, I hope, I hope.

Till next time....

March Artist Clue #3 - Luminism & the World Traveling Artist

This artist sought many opportunities for artistic adventure during his lifetime. He was one of the most widely traveled artists of his time, traveling both within the United States and abroad. He traveled with other notable artist friends to the American West, the Near East, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy etc. A trip out west brought him all the way over to my stomping ground, Washington State! I can't imagine what a camping trip that would've been! Another of his excursions in 1869, took him clear to Egypt, where he rode the Nile and then took the caravan route through the Libyan Desert to the Sudan. We know the details of his travels through the journals he kept; a wonderful treasure!

After the American Civil War erupted, he enlisted in the seventh regiment of the New York State National Guard in 1861, and served as a soldier in the Union Army. There he painted many peaceful scenes of soldiers camping and taking care of the basics, rather than scenes of blood and carnage. In looking at his paintings during this time, it is evident that he must have yearned a great deal for peaceful times ahead...

This artist became well-known for his ability to bring the effects of soft light into his paintings. He concentrated more on creating a sense of atmosphere and serenity. His work touched the American writer and critic Henry Tuckerman, who said, "they appeal to our calm and thoughtful appreciation; they minister to our gentle and gracious sympathies." The term Luminism, which was created by art historians in the 20th century, is now used to describe this type of artwork. You can say that his tranquil landscape paintings, with soft hazy skies and calm waters, have the ability to calm the stripes right off a tiger...

March Artist Clue #2 - Anatomy to Landscapes and BEYOND!

Yikes! This is coming just a bitsy late... where did the month go?? Well here goes, better late than never? I still have a little time to reel this one in....I hope! So to start on this second clue, I have to say this artist is quite interesting. His life was full of adventure which is very fitting for this blog since we are on an Artful Adventure right? I can't wait to get to the nitty-gritty and tell all, my fingers want to type it in right now but I have to do it in i-n-c-r-e-m-e-n-t-s and try ohhh try to be patient....

One thing is for sure - not all artists are so blessed to have family that encourage and support them in their artwork. This artist had both, which gave him the ability to excell in his artistic yearnings. Although this artist later devoted himself to landscape painting, his beginnings in art began with drawing, perspective, and the study of the human figure in anatomy classes. He had really planned to become a portrait painter. He even studied at the Crosby Street Medical College and the National Academy of Design in New York. But the artwork of Thomas Cole caught his eye and put a fork in the road. This proved to be a wonderful thing because it influenced him to change his path into the world of landscape painting...

By 1847, around the age of 24, he was ready to exhibit his first landscape. This experience coupled with the honors that followed, catapulted him into a life of travel and adventure (more on that to come...). He also became a leading member of the Hudson River School. This "school" was actually not a school like we may imagine, but rather a movement brought on by a group of artists whose inspiration was influenced by romanticism. The Hudson River Valley was their inspiration where they painted the valley and surrounding areas including the Catskill Mountains. Hmmmm you have a big batch of clues here...a slam dunk for any cool art cats out there!

March Artist Clue #1 - An Artist Born Where Inspiration Surrounds

Ohhh the agony! There are just too many talented artists to choose from for my March Featured Artist. Well, time's a wastin', I'll have to nail it down and pick one - no, not that one yet... how about this one? No that should be in May. Yes, I should do this one this month because I can visit that museum... this month... Okay I got it - here we go!

I'm taking you back to the early 1800's to a place in New York state (hehe - I'm not gonna make it too easy for you to google up in a jiffy - all you smartie pants out there!) This artist was born somewhere in New York in a town that was first settled around 37 years prior to his birth. But time was short lived there because he moved to another town in New York. There he spent the greater part of his childhood growing up. He must have frolicked and played along the large river and beautiful rolling hills where inspiration was born. A slice of one of his paintings is shown above. That's all I'm going to give you for now - until next week!

Feb Artist Identity #4 - A Museum Visit & The BIG Reveal

        After all my time researching I had great anticipation as I headed to Salt Lake for an Artful Adventure side trip. I was super ready to see this artists artwork in person. The long awaited day finally arrived to visit the BYU Museum of Art, BUT, it also happened to be the same day, same time, that the BYU Cougars were playing a big basketball game against New Mexico. Finding a parking spot was just about futile! The museum was only open till 5pm and here it was already 2pm! Okay let me explain...I am one of those people that has to see EVERYTHING in a museum and I knew I had to spend at least a hour with the portrait I had come so far to see.... What if something dreadful happened like they had to close the museum early or I passed out from all the fast walking to get there? With only 3 hrs left, time was ticking by waaay to fast. When we finally found a spot about 3 miles away, well maybe not that far, I was sure wishing I had on my tennies and work-out gear after lugging my bootie up that big ol' hill (all you BYU alumni - you know what I'm talkin' about).

Taking a breather here under the BYU "Y" that is covered with snow. Can you see it above our heads on the mountain - betcha can't : ) An interesting note...over one hundred years ago, a line of volunteers passed up buckets of rocks one-by-one to create the "Y". Now it is re-painted every five years by helicopter!

Here I am pictured at the museum entrance. Take a look at the packed parking lot!

Once inside I was pleasantly surprised that the museum was FREE; I do soo like that word! Unfortunately there is a museum rule that you cannot take pictures of the artwork - ugh! So I did the next best thing and had my picture taken by the wall poster to the exhibit. I'm pointing to the portrait of Patience Cole...

          My mission was to see with my own eyes, the portrait of Patience Cole c1840 painted by Februarys featured artist. Inside the "American Dreams" exhibit I turned the corner and there she was looking at me as if to say, "Welcome, so nice to meet you!" My first impression was that this was realism at its best!! Out of the eight other paintings in the room, Patience Cole stood out beaming with contrast and realism. With no barriers, I went right up and eyed it in about every direction possible (I'm sure security had all cameras closely zoomed on me). Painted sitting at an angle with her head tilted slightly, the words warm, gentle, and friendly spoke from the canvas as if Patience was greeting her best friend. Looking closer, I noticed how incredibly soft her features were with peachy skin and rosy cheeks, yet with each detail the clearly defined lines created contrast against the dark background. Detail work is abundant throughout this painting, from the wood grain on the arm of the chair to the intricate and delicate strokes of the lacework. Soft yet defined, it tells something about the artist.... Eyeing the painting at an angle I noticed the only texture came from the lacework, the rest was very smooth and glossy. Lovely and mesmerizing was my time with the portrait of Patience Cole.

          I left the exhibit satisfied and grateful for the new insight I now had that I didn't before. No picture even comes close to actually seeing the artwork in person. In my reading, I found that at the age of eighteen this artist painted a self-portrait, a tradition in her artistic family (see below). Through this painting she had high hopes that her father and uncle would approve of her skills and deem her ready to advance from student to full-fledged artist. Unfortunately her father did not approve and rumor has it that he felt her painting was inappropriate and distasteful for her to be smiling as if she was a flirt. My, times were different then! I would instead like to call her the friendly happy painter. From every portrait she's painted you will see each subject has a slightly upturned smile. I have gained a deep admiration for this artist who, in breaking from the tradition of the day, which was all too much about seriousness, was able to add her own feminine presence to the world.

Drum roll please.... The February 2010 artist is
Sarah Miriam Peale!
May 19, 1800 Philadelphia ~ Feb. 4, 1885 Philadelphia.
Peggy Jones from Ojai, CA guessed the artist!
She is the winner of a brush and my latest pattern!
Congratulations Peggy - Wahooo!
If you are interested in seeing more of Sarah's paintings or reading about her, check out the links below.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Peale
http://monet.byu.edu/
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/
http://www.nmwa.org/collection/portfolio.asp?LinkID=665
http://www.sdmart.org/Image1/Index.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Miriam_Peale

Feb Artist Clue #3 - Prolific & Amazing for Her Time

          In 1824, this artist and her sister Anna where accepted into the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. This was quite an honor for their time because they were the first women to achieve this distinction. As you probably have already noted, this month's featured artist is a woman. She was not only an incredible painter, but also a pioneer for women in the field of art. She is actually dubbed the first successful woman artist in America! Her prolific art career lasted almost sixty years where she competitively out painted the well-known male artists of her time. Her contemporaries included artists like Thomas Sully, Jacob Eichholtz, and John Wesley Jarvis. During a time when women had limited opportunities and choices, this artist was successful enough to support herself financially though she never married.

          Stay tuned to my next blog where I will reveal the identity of this awesome artist. I have to explain that I have had a little artful adventure delay because of an adventure of a different kind....the Grandmotherly kind! I became a new Grandma last week to a sweet little baby girl. What an amazing and fun experience; each day has been joyfully satisfying! Sadly, I will soon have to say a temporary goodbye to the new little family and move from one adventure to another. As I head back home, I will make a special stop in Salt Lake City to visit a particular museum.... This museum, which is located on the campus of BYU, houses the work of February's featured artist. I can't wait to see her painting up close and personal (maybe I can even touch it - jk!) So my next blog entry will include my refections of this artist and how she has affected and influenced me personally. I'm really looking forward to reporting on my experience and hearing your thoughts in return. As a result of researching this artist, a newly inspired pattern will be available mid March.

Feb Artist Clue #2 - From Philadelphia Still-Life to Baltimore Portraitures

        This gifted artist served as a studio assistant to his/her father who was a miniaturist and still-life painter with the first name of James. This artist received training from his/her father and an uncle. The first paintings by this artist were made public in 1816 in which most of the subjects were flowers and still-life. Later this artist spent many months on several different occasions with another artistic relative, a cousin from Baltimore. This cousin strongly influenced his/her painting style and subject matter which changed to an emphasis on portraiture. Most of the subjects were politicians and military figures from Washington D.C. Also many wealthy Baltimore residents sat for portraitures. Layfayette actually sat four times for this artist....

Feb Artist Clue #1 - Carrying on a Legacy...

          Our first Artful Adventure takes us to Philadelphia, the year is 1800. At this time Philadelphia was the intel­lectual centre of the nation with a large amount of wealth, fashion, culture, and politics. A wonderful artist was born amid this influence on May 19th, 1800. The life of this artist is just beginning and will eventually blossom to carry on an artistic legacy that has been passed down from a family of notable artists. A few examples of the remarkable talent this gifted artist possessed, is shown in the paintings below.

Introduction to an Artful Adventure!

Welcome to Erika Joanne's Artful Adventure!
          To start let me introduce myself... My name is Erika Joanne and I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and family. A few years back, we did a little remodeling to transform a bedroom into a studio to house all my needed art stash (I'm sure the art folk out there need no further explanation). Okay, okay, I admit it doesn't all fit in the studio, my studio is like the main art base leading to the other mini stashes, you could say. Anyway, this room is where my art begins; it's my residence of creativity where I can fully emerse myself in the joy of art.
          Years ago a good friend introduced me to the art of Decorative Painting. From that beginning one goal led to another. Today I enjoy designing, teaching, and producing instructional art patterns and books. The process of creating new designs brings me a great deal of satisfaction (almost as good as toffee and chocolate). Currently my focus is mainly on the use of Acrylics and Colored Pencils. You can take a peek at my design work at: http://www.erikajoanne.com/. While you're there, sign-up for my FREE monthly Newsletter that includes all kinds of hints, tips, and updates on sales, and my designing endeavors.
          Along with the joy of being an artist, I also really, really, really love history, particularly Early American art history. One day I thought,"Why not combine the two silly?" So that's what this Blog is all about; my Artful Adventure into Early American art with an emphasis on the artists of that time. To explain further... Each month a new artist will be featured with weekly clues leading to the identity of that artist. Along with revealing the identity, I'll also have a newly inspired pattern available.
          ATTENTION - CONTEST!!! You don't want to miss this, it's gonna be FUN! Be sure to come back often because there will be a contest each month to guess the featured artist before I reveal the identity. Send your guesses to me via email at erika@erikajoanne.com. All the correct answers will be put in a pot and one will be randomly chosen and then announced in the last blog of the month. The winner will be the recipient of my latest Early American art pattern AND a brush to boot - yahooo!


Now ya'll come back, ya hear!
Painting Smiles,
Erika Joanne