Epstein's Zoological Exposition

After an expedition lasting more than a year, exploring the byways of her neighborhood - with a few excursions further a field, Linda M Epstein is pleased to present an exhibition of small paintings resulting from her observations of the fauna within a mile of her home, including noted exceptions. At the North End Gallery in beautiful (of course!) downtown Leonardtown!


Coming in October: Epstein's Zoological Exposition - After an expedition lasting more than a year, exploring the byways of her neighborhood - with a few excursions further afield, Linda M Epstein is pleased to present an exhibition of small paintings resulting from her observations of the fauna within a mile of her home, including noted exceptions. At the North End Gallery in beautiful (of course!) downtown Leonardtown!

Show runs from October 1st until November 2nd. Artist reception on October 3rd from 5 to 8 pm.

North End Gallery, 41652 Fenwick Street, Leonardtown, MD 20650,  301-475-3130

Partly, the idea for this show came from my respect for the great nineteenth century painters like Thomas Moran, Frederic Edwin Church and Albert Bierstadt, who were some of the first to carry their equipment west to paint the marvelous beauty they found there. Then, having brought the often very large canvases back east, they displayed these in expositions that let the public have their first viewings of the grandeur of the West. The expositions were important in the creation of our National Parks. I have admired the work of these painters for a long time. Their style has been called ‘luminism’, known for its soft light and emphasizing tranquility and reflectiveness.

With a river directly west of me, I turned east to observe who was near, and certainly did not go far from home, mostly within a mile of the front door, to find most of the images for this show.  With some of the tenets of the luminists always in mind, I applied them to this series of small portraits rather than traditional landscapes.

Sometimes twelve months seems to stretch incessantly away; at other, times a year ago feels close enough to touch. Either sentiment is valid but balance is not always simple to achieve.  During a January snowstorm, I realized I could use a spell of time for contemplating my purlieu. Winter is a season with an air of somberness and reflection. It allows for respite and rejuvenation but also carries reminders of death and privation. Out of such a hard winter arose the idea to give a year to the observation of this locality where I live, to give a year to an expedition, a field study, a safari of the denizens of my locale.

So, after considering the seasonal aspects of habit required, donning boots and hat, grabbing paint-box and camera, I sallied forth to begin a surveillance of who and what live near by. With occasional excursions further a field, as there really are no tigers in Pocomoke, this was accomplished through a series of small paintings done: a winter, spring, summer, fall; a year of portraits of only some of the many creatures near me. 

Sometimes, a year isn’t long enough!  

Nothing exists until or unless it is observed.

An artist is making something exist by observing it.

And his hope for other people is that they will also make it exist

by observing it. 

William S Burroughs

A new venue.

Actually two, one brick & mortar: the Main Street Gallery in Cambridge Md. This is a co-op, fairly new and still figuring things out. The space is beautiful, the town transitional, and the outcome, well the town is going through a growth stage.

The second is a facebook page dedicated just to my paintings and drawings. This is a place you can come see what I am doing., so please, come check it out: Linda M Epstein, Paintings & Drawings

Meanwhile here's a second go at a bethany wave, standing on the beach where the skies and surf and sounds not only meet but tower above you is just so good.

I'll work it some more soon, because for sure, seeing the pic, I see places that need attention!

Cooper

Painting Arlo was such fun that I set up Cooper to do another. Same dark background, sam slanty light, sam palette. Burnt umber, a rublev's  red earth, yellow ochre, naples, ultramarine blue and all my whites, leads and titanium.

Arlo

This is not very big, 8 x 10", but I went to Rembrandt to look at the darks to light and to play with a whites and small palette. So this was was fun to do and I enjoyed seeing how the different whites worked. The rublev lead 2 was beautifully ropey.

Late December

How to restart a blog....well?.....just post something.

Looking at this year on this blog, one might assume I slipped off this side of reality to who knows where. Actually, have been just busy and some of that has even been painting, a fair bit actually. Did two great workshops in the late summer and early fall. One in Alexandria with Rob Liberace centered around the figure. This was titled Velazquez to Sorolla, looking at their techniques and also encouraging us to try "historical" colors like true naples yellow, tin yellows, lead whites etc. I already do use some of these colors on my palette having found them useful.

The other was on Madeline Island given by Marc Hanson with the emphasis on taking field sketches and brining them back to do a large studio work. This was useful as  had already done a few of these. Only I had done only one small sketch and with memory and a reference pic, did the larger studio piece. Marc had us consider several sketches, pencil, paint, whatever, for composition, details, color as well as photo ref and notes, to consider returning to a spot, if possible, for more info if needed. To do what it takes to get the painting. Can't say the workshop painting was particularly successful, actually not so surprising but have done a few since that are better. The concepts are broad enough to take to any painting.

Either side of those events were a couple of plein air events at Snow Hill and Chincoteague Island. Both were fun and the turn out for the wet paint sales great. In the fall I was part of a three man show at the North End Gallery, something I enjoy doing every other year as it does give a chance to show a body of work.

But best has been the continued get-togethers with several artist friends. We meet at each other's homes, which gives us a diverse range from ocean to bay, fields to marshes, to enjoy painting and company and support each other. Also important is the ongoing contact through the internet that started to share the results of morning exercises but has grown to include any artwork, opinions, comments we wish to share. As the year ends, I am grateful for these friends and look forward to the coming year. Paint on!

Time for friends

One of the best things is having friends visit. The go-go's, of course think everyone comes to visit them and that is fine! This week fellow painter, Karen Quam Russell is here taking a workshop in Snow HIll. I am enjoying the morning and evening talks.

Late March

After a week or so of beautiful, warm weather met three friends in Bethany Beach for a weekend of painting and camaraderie. Good food, good talk and the weather? Turned cold and gray, which was actually not so bad for painting....the gray part. The cold, well, I wore most everything I'd brought all at once!

The view just from the cottage was wonderful. Sunday morning was looking at some sketches that Whistler had done that I always admired for their economy of effort but not bravura. With those in mind, not too tough a model to follow, I set up. This little sketch was of two who braved the blustery weather, I opted to paint out the window, out of the wind and near coffee.