I "fly south" for winter every year to spend time with my parents in South Carolina. While neither of them are artists, they both love art thankfully haha. My dad's mother was a painter and my mom studied art history. And my mom's mom collected art. So I walk into a home that is filled with pretty phenomenal work. I walked around this morning and took photos of some of my favorite paintings that I enjoy looking at every time I visit them. There is something about the color choices, whimsical brushstrokes, and cropping in each that inspire me.
The first two are watercolors done by an art professor my mom had in college. As an art history major, she was required to take one studio art class that she said she barely passed haha (I'm sure that's not entirely true). His name is Theodore Turner and these are beach scenes in Virginia Beach.
I love the way he paints. Yellow clouds? And Choosing to paint some figures and not fill in the others he drew? There is a mood to each one accomplished by a harmonious color palette...the first being a more moody day, the other a warmer day. Also, he doesn't care to make figure proportions accurate (love that) and he places a tiny figure next to a larger figure, how hilarious. Also, having two heads in the foreground is quite fun. I'm try to invest in cropping my scenes in a more unconventional way...less "cliche kodak moment"; he truly made it his own world, in both paintings.
This second piece is a painting by Joseph Cave (my grandmother bought it years ago). I really enjoy the highly saturated colors, loose and stylistic brushstrokes, and I loved learning that he works from life. I feel a deep sense of emotion looking at his work. I love seeing his instinctive painter's eye and hand dance across the canvas. I also appreciate his unique cropping as well.
One of my favorite Christmas songs I listen to every year. Dave Matthews is an amazing story teller. Merry Christmas everyone!