Don Elliot Franklin Barry Gallery Indianapolis

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Happy birthday to Don Elliott!  Recently one of my long-time art newsletter readers asked me how I have built my art career.  Hmmm, I thought my art newsletter was a large part of sharing this journey.  Hahha, oops!  But, nonetheless, one of the things that I do is exhibit my art and do it in a place that permits me to meet new people.  Such was the case when I invested a whole lot of money to exhibit in New York City in 2005 (when I lived in central Texas).  

That event cost me around $10,000 (all on credit cards, I may add, a scary risk for me).  However, before that exhibit weekend was over, I had met Don.  He became one of my collectors then, as well as my new gallerist.  I remember clearly when he said to me, “Kelly, I love your work, but I must admit that it is going to take some time to develop a market for nudes in Indianapolis.” 

Not only do I appreciate his honesty, but I also feel really grateful that he has stuck by me all of these years when another gallerist might not have taken on the challenge of the Midwest.  Don has placed my artworks in collections in the USA and in Canada.  When I need advice on selling, I call him. When I need a frame that compliments my art, I give the project to Don.

 

So, “Cheers!” to a great guy.  Here are just a few of my artworks that he currently has on exhibit at the Franklin Barry Gallery… go on, visit.  Indianapolis has a lot to see!  [Don even has some notecards of images I took of the city during one of my many visits there.]

Franklin Barry Gallery / The Frame Shop
617 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Tel. 317.822.8455
Contact: Don Elliott Web site: www.franklinbarrygallery.com

“Lei” and “Lui” sold together or separately.  36” x 10” oil on canvas

“Towards Siena” 24 x 16 inches, oil on board

“Il Dono” (“The Gift”), 25 x 18 inches, charcoal and pastel on brown Italian paper

“Daydreaming of Yesterday,”  18 x 25 inches, charcoal with pastel

“L’Inverno” (“Winter”), 18 x 25 inches, pastel with charcoal

One of my functional bronze artworks: 

“Oh Boy!” (5 male figures in relief, wall hung), 15 x 9 inches, bronze mirror

And these artworks that are not on my Web site, a charcoal drawing “After Prud’hon” and a small acrylic painting from Fiesole, Italy, titled, “Buon Appetito!”:

Franklin Barry Gallery / The Frame Shop
617 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Tel. 317.822.8455
Contact: Don Elliott Web site: www.franklinbarrygallery.com

Happy Birthday, Don, and thank you!

Goat’s Beard Still Life Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Each time I begin a new piece of art, I set out to learn something.  In my new flat here in Florence, Italy, I have set up a still life.  I was inspired when I found a blank linen canvas left by my friends Milixa and Elkin, painters who lived in this flat before me.  The canvas is long and narrow, my favorite proportion for paintings.

Over a year ago a sweet Florentine friend of mine for many years and I were taking a walk outside near her home.  As we talked and walked past a vacant lot, Hafiza gathered what most people would have considered weeds.  I know something of her eye and her heart, though, and I knew that I would soon ooh and ahh, as many others have, over her natural treasures.  She gave me a handful of goodies, including three stalks with elongated pale green buds on one end.  I took them home that day in May, and the next morning, I awoke to spherical GIANT wish makers!  No, not dandelions, so much larger:  The flower is called “Goat’s Beard,” but apparently there are many varieties of this.

I gave one to my Florentine flatmate  that day.  One of the other two was damaged in transit to my new home earlier this summer.  Thus, I decided to create a painting sonner than planned, before I lost these gifts from a cherished friend.  Looking around the flat, I found a few object of interest and ultimately decided to try painting a still life composition on this long rectangular canvas.

I wanted to paint with very little color to see how many different tones I could create.  I was also curious as to whether or not I could paint some objects without actually copying the forms I saw in front of me.  In addition, I wanted to work more with paint layers.  This means that in general, I will wait several days before adding something to a part of the canvas, giving the paint underneath a chance to dry as much as I could.

I include an image here of my setup.  It is modeled upon the Sight-Size Method, but obviously I am not following it very rigorously.  I like the color and texture of the ceramic bowl, but I did not want to repeat the round shape that is in the flower.  So, I put a candle under it for height.  The paper towel roll is there so I can see how much the light fades on a cylinder as it nears the bottom.  My canvas is not aligned horizontally simply because I was working on the boards when I took this image and it is better for my back if I do not bend over as I paint.  Also, you may see that the camera was much lower than my eye when viewing the setup.  This gives the painting a different perspective, looking down upon the scene.

So, let us see how this movie ends!  It is back to the drawing board for me.

Happy Labor Day, USA!

If you like the things you are reading and can appreciate the time it takes to take and edit the images and write something that I try to make worthwhile for you, please consider making a donation.  $5, $50, $500, or any amount at all is truly helpful.  Thank you for your support and interest.  Kelly

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