Gallery 1261, Hovering Autumn Leaves, oil, 30 x 50", by David Grossmann.
In her novel Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery wrote, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” In Outlander, Diana Gabaldon wrote, “It was a beautiful, bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.” Vivaldi wrote his concerto Autumn based on his own poem which begins, “The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in. The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber.”
Principle Gallery, Fortuna, oil on linen, 12 × 14", by Gilbert Gorski
Jerald Melberg Gallery, Autumn Backlighting, oil on canvas, 40 x 50", by Thomas McNickle.
Gail Severn Gallery, North Fork Cascade, watercolor on paper, 30 x 22¼", by George Harkins
Erik Koeppel, Autumn in the White Mountains, oil on panel, 21 x 36"
Autumn inspired the architect and painter Gilbert Gorski, who lives in Western Pennsylvania, to paint Fortuna, a scene near his home. His familiarity with the local landscape allows him to experience its special moments in all seasons, weather and light conditions. He says. “I look for the extraordinary in the ordinary.” An architect who designed the headquarters of the McDonald’s Corporation, Gorski interprets the subtleties of the landscapes in thousands of dots of paint that meld together in the brain of the viewer to create an ethereal experience. Unlike photographs, Gorski says, “paintings by contrast remain special because they are singular works. They are communications with the artist.”
Erik Koeppel, Autumn in Jackson, oil on panel, 21 x 18"
Edgewater Gallery, Roadside Retrievers, oil on canvas, 24 x 36", by William Hoyt
Marianna Foster, In Autumn Colors, oil on canvas, 8 x 10"
In Hovering Autumn Leaves David Grossmann paints what he refers to as experiencing a “profound sense of beauty and peace.” The light coming through an aspen grove in the fall creates a magical atmosphere. He echoes Vivaldi when he writes, “I like to think of my paintings as visual poems. On the surface they are quiet whispers, but I hope they convey a depth of emotion to anyone who takes the time to stop and listen.”
Thomas McNickle also lives in Western Pennsylvania. In Autumn Backlighting, he opens the scene to portray the depth of light and shadow with the sunlit trees in the foreground against the distant, shadowed hills. He says, “I want my work to be evocative of the initial experience not descriptive of it. Ultimately, it must be of the experience not about it. I want the scene to take precedence over what I do and what I think I know.”
Monique Carr, Beyond Reach, oil, 24 x 24"
Monique Carr, Quiet Moment, oil, 20 x 20"
George Harkins’ paintings evoke the colors, textures and changing light of the woods by breaking up its material structure. In Susan E. Meyer’s book 40 Watercolorists and How They Work, Harkins explains, “I seek to build an image from the juxtaposition of color shapes, as in a mosaic. I attempt to see natural forms as color shapes rather than merely as objects in space. This facilitates translation from the three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional surface. A puzzle effect happens in watercolor as a result of the crisp edges of color absorbed by the paper and overlapping of brushstrokes.
I like this effect and don’t try to paint it out by blending.” In North Fork Cascade, his painted, adjacent color shapes combine to create an experience of the vitality of a forest stream in a moment of time.
Randy Honerlah, Come Together, acrylic, 48 x 60"
Randy Honerlah, Shades of Autumn, acrylic, 48 x 72"
Throughout this special collector’s focus, readers will find landscapes and nature scenes depicting the hues of harvest season from prominent artists and galleries throughout the country.
Colorful canvases by Noah Desmond that capture the essence of autumn can be seen at Canyon Road Contemporary Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Inspired by nature, Noah Desmond has an impressionistic style that seems to reside on borders on the of abstraction,” says gallery owner Nancy Ouimet. “He creates landscapes and florals with bold colors and a sense of movement that draws you deep into the work. His energetic compositions are rendered with visceral blocks of contrasting color, vitality, and spontaneity.”
Sally Ruddy, Green Door, oil on canvas, 48 x 72"
Randy Honerlah, Sierra Song, acrylic, 60 x 48"
Sally Ruddy, Hurbert’s Peach Trees, oil on canvas, 16 x 20"
Alex Tolstoy’s works often feature a germ of reality, but then deteriorate into something blurry abstract, leaving space for the viewer to fill in the blanks. “Color is a path into the imagination—setting a mood, a feeling, a moment,” she says. “Autumn colors such as browns, oranges and the occasional red, prepare one for winter and the feasts to come”
French artist Louis Basset paints his beloved Paris in the jewel tones of autumn. His works, on view at Chicago’s Lotton Gallery, beckon to a time when Paris was in its golden age, also referred to as “La Belle Époque.” A period when the arts flourished and many artists, writers, actors and musicians were at a creative peak and a time of joie de vivre. “Autumn’s splendor is a time of magic and changing colors, alive and vivid, collecting artwork of this genre, brings enchantment into your everyday,” shares Christina Franzoso, director of Lotton Gallery. 
Lotton Gallery, Autumn Sunset in Paris, oil on canvas, 12 x 16", by Louis Basset.
Lotton Gallery, Early Autumn Paris, oil on canvas, 12 x 16", by Louis Basset.
Lotton Gallery, Autumn Day Paris, oil on canvas, 16 x 20", by Louis Basset.
Alex Tolstoy, Light Through the Trees, watercolor, 14 x 12"
Of his painting Roadside Retrievers, William Hoyt wrote, “Out prospecting for images one fall day I stopped across the street from this handsome group of farm buildings. I’m not keen on having people watch me paint but these well behaved retrievers never said a word and posed at the end of their driveway and politely watched me.” His autumnal work can be found at Edgewater Gallery, which has locations in Vermont, Boston and Montana.
California-based artist Randy Honerlah finds inspiration from the trees that surround his home in the Sierra Foothills. He explains, “Trees lend themselves to be the perfect subject for abstraction as their branches meet the sky and the colors create a beautiful mosaic.”
Sally Ruddy prefers to depict wide-open spaces in her artwork. “Most of my views are open fields, orchards or barren hills,” she says. “I require a stillness to respond to nature as she whispers her mysteries.”
“My inspiration centers on figures: people and animals,” says Marianna Foster. “During my six years studying at the [National Institute of Fine Arts and Architecture], we started each morning with drawing and painting live models. Young and old, men or women, each had not only different body, face, clothes and accessories, but also different stories of their life. For me it was interesting to study how these things connected together.”
Alex Tolstoy, Autumn Colors, watercolor, 14 x 10"
Canyon Road Contemporary Art, Along the Bosque, oil on canvas, 36 x 36", by Noah Desmond.
Canyon Road Contemporary Art, Fall Sonata, oil on canvas, 48 x 60", by Noah Desmond.
Oil painter Monique Carr says that her “imaginative landscapes are a fusion of experience, experiment and emotion.” She elaborates, “Instead of painting what I see with my eyes, I want to depict my own interpretation of a scene with my soul. My desire is to capture the mystery and the beauty of nature. Simultaneously, I’m thinking about composition, harmony, colors, movement and texture. Atmospheric effects are another wonderful way to create a sense of drama with calm and mystery, which appeals to me.”
As a traditional New England-based painter, Erik Koeppel has become a leader in the revival of the techniques and philosophy of the Hudson River School. “I am inspired by the beauty of nature and the American masters of the Hudson River School,” he shares.
“I believe that representing nature with a deep human poetry is a much-needed voice in contemporary culture.” —
Featured Artists & Galleries
Alex Tolstoy
McLean, VA, (703) 760-0881
atolstoy@gmail.com
www.atolstoyart.com
Canyon Road Contemporary Art
622 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501
www.canyoncontemporary.com
Edgewater Gallery
6 Merchants Row, Middlebury, VT 05753
Info@edgewatergallery-vt.com
www.edgewatergallery.co
Erik Koeppel
Jackson, NH 03846. (201) 705-8210
www.erikkoeppel.com
Gail Severn Gallery
400 First Avenue North, Ketchum,
ID 83340, (208) 726-5079
www.gailseverngallery.com
Gallery 1261
1412 Wazee Street. Denver, CO 80202
(303) 571-1261, www.gallery1261.com
Jerald Melberg Gallery
625 S Sharon Amity Road,
Charlotte, NC, (704) 365-3000,
www.jeraldmelberg.com
Lotton Gallery
900 N. Michigan Avenue, 6th Level,
Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 664-6203
www.lottongallery.com
Marianna Foster
(602) 633-5719
mariannaqueen@gmail.com
www.mariannafoster.com
Monique Carr
moniquecarrfineart@gmail.com
www.moniquecarr.com
Principle Gallery
208 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
www.principlegallery.com
Randy Honerlah
(530) 903-1961
randy@honerlahfineart.com
www.honerlahfineart.com
Sally Ruddy
www.sallyruddy.com
info@sallyruddy.com
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