The International Guild of Realism’s annual Fall Salon Online Exhibition will feature a massive variety of artwork in the realm of contemporary and classical realism—an astounding 204 juried artworks from more than 195 IGOR artists from around the globe. Many of these paintings will be for sale, and the entire show will available for viewing on the American Art Collectorwebsite, as well as IGOR’s website. Styles range from Trompe l’oeil and magic realism to contemporary realism and photorealism.
Christopher Forrest, Seahawk Ascending, oil on Raymar panel, 24 x 18"; Chamindra de Silva Abeyewickreme, Julius, acrylic on primed/stretched cotton canvas, 48 x 36"
At times, still life props might gather dust for years before inspiration strikes. This was the case for IGOR artist Ann Kraft Walker’s oil on linen still life, Coon Hunt. “[This painting] came together with some meaningful objects,” says Walker. “My son found the skull in the woods 20 years ago. My parents brought the moonshine jug to me from Appalachia 40 years ago. I purchased the coon skin from an old guy who lived deep in the backwoods. The horn belonged to my husband’s grandfather who used it to call his dogs when on coon hunts.”
Chamindra de Silva Abeyewickreme brings to the show a closely cropped portrait of a Sri Lankan leopard. “Juliusis an acrylic painting inspired to pay homage to the endangered king of the jungle and the most famous Sri Lankan male leopard,” says the artist. “They are the biggest cat subspecies endemic to the island. As disappearing treasures in my homeland, I strived to capture this majestic creature’s intricate beauty and character.”
Ann Kraft Walker, Coon Hunt, oil on linen, 20 x 20"
“Inspiration is not always present when you need it,” says Canada-based artist Francois Chartier. He deals with the problem by writing anything and everything of interest in an inspiration notebook, all throughout the year. “Then once a year I surround myself with objects and flowers, and during a few weeks I will transform all my ideas into photographs that will be my guide for [my] next paintings,” he says. This is precisely how his floral still life ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE was created, featuring three stark white peonies in a clean, simplistic vase.
Seahawk Descending by Christopher Forrest captures a bird of prey in mid-flight, presumably swooping in for the kill. “The osprey is one of my absolute favorite birds, and the upper west United States coastline sea stacks (rock formations with foliage) are likewise a favorite terrain feature,” he says. “For easily a year I’ve been mulling the concept of a dynamic osprey with a golden hour sea stack backdrop. I finally had enough ‘mulling’ and got to work. Easily one of my most enjoyable paintings to work on, and [I’m] frankly sorry it’s done.”
The inspiration behind Edi Matsumoto’s oil Tough Decisionwas born of a desire to capture the increasing distress and burnout clinicians face. “Like many others, my husband struggled to practice medicine in the modern clinical system. This painting shows a slice of clinicians’ lives, making many tough decisions while balancing patients’ well-being, financial/insurance issues, organizational regulations, electronic medical records, time pressure and more,” the artist reflects. “Most of us can relate to the situation when we feel pressure from multiple sources and feel forced to make a tough decision.”
Edi Matsumoto, Tough Decision, oil, 20 x 16"; José H. Alvarenga, Night Scene, oil on panel, 12 x 9"; Jette van der Lende, The Marsh Queen and her Minuscule King, oil on panel, 16 x 16"
Norway-based artist Jette van der Lende’s 16-by-16-inch The Marsh Queen and her Minuscule King is a play on words—and size. “The bird is our national bird,” says the artist, “and [he] got his name because the golden eagle flew higher than all the others and was absolutely certain that it would become king. But it did not work out that way, because the smallest of them all, the King of Birds, had hid between the feathers on the eagle’s back and thus came the highest. He became King, got an orange crown on his head and was called Bird King.” Describing the bright orange plant (a cloudberry rubus chamaemorus), van der Lende says, “In Norway we call [it] the Queen of Marshes. Not sure how they got the name, perhaps because they shine like gold over the marshes and are found in the whole country.”
Francois Chartier, ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE, oil on canvas, 48 x 60"
For his oil on panel Night Scene, José H. Alvarenga wanted to paint a candlelight scene. “I later had the idea of adding a sphere with a reflection of the artist (myself) painting this scene, and to make it really unusual and magical…[I painted] a firefly on the edge of the table,” he says. The artist explains that he created the composition to form a triangle connecting the primary source of light (the candle flame), the secondary light source (the firefly emitting its own light) and the highlight (the candle’s flame reflected on the sphere). “On a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum, my good friend and fellow artist Jeff Neumann and I were enthralled with his painting entitled The Art Critic,” says painter Kenneth Young. Inspired by that piece, he created his own version of that painting. “The double play of critiquing Rockwell’s work while he himself critiques the Dutch Masters was irresistible,” Young adds. “So I asked Jeff if he would stand in front of the painting for a closer look.”
Patsy Lindamood brings to this year’s show a graphite on cradled Ampersand Claybord titled Cathedral de la Madeleine. The drawing depicts a bottom-up view of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, a Roman Catholic church in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
Camille Engel’s Grand Entrancefeatures a beautiful and vibrant bird perched amidst twigs and little berries. “I love to paint birds! My painting depicts America’s most colorful bird, the male painted bunting,” she says. The artist uses the techniques of the 17th-century Dutch masters, using high quality oils and museum-grade surfaces. “My many layered glazes and precise perspectives give my paintings an illusion of depth and three-dimensionality on the flat surface when viewed in person. I’ve been honored to be a member of the prestigious IGOR since it’s founding year,” Engel adds.
Camille Engel, Grand Entrance, oil, 16 x 20"
“What I strive to impart in my work is an appreciation for beauty in all things, and a feeling of peace and tranquility,” says artist Jeanne Crain Leemon, who brings a striking floral still life to the show. “My paintings usually originate with something that I connect with and find beautiful, which I am compelled to express in paint. When I choose objects for my still life paintings, I am looking for an interesting combination of colors, shapes, textures or reflections. In the end, it is the use of the light that creates the mood.”
Camille Barnes loves nostalgia and the beauty of nature, fervently infusing these passions into her painting Sun-Kissed Morning. “The canvas becomes a storyteller, narrating the intricate waltz of light and shadow. The delicate lace and antique cup stand as elegant reflections of days long past,” says Barnes. “Sun-Kissed Morningextends an invitation to the beholder, urging them to contemplate life’s purest pleasures, imparting a tranquil embrace, a serene gift of life.”
Top: Camille Barnes, Sun-Kissed Morning, oil on linen canvas, 12 x 12"; Dimitrina Stamboldjiev Kutriansky, Whispers of Summer, oil on panel, 18 x 24". Bottom: Robert West, Jerome, oil on canvas, 18 x 24"; Cynthia Kinard, Jo and Barney, oil on canvas, 20 x 16"
When artist Robert West saw this old Diamond T truck, he knew it was a painting waiting to happen. “The history that turned up in my research was…unique,” he says. “The Diamond T Motor Car Co. was founded in Chicago 1905, by CA Tilt. Tilt’s shoemaking father created the name by fashioning a logo featuring T (for Tilt) framed by a diamond, which signified high quality. The company’s hood emblem on trucks was a sled dog in a gold harness. The truck has been used by many companies and its ownership history can be found on the internet.”
Dimitrina Stamboldjiev Kutriansky’s style can best be characterized as “lyrical realism,” an expression of her desire to capture and convey the inherent beauty that can be found within the seemingly ordinary corners of the natural world, while also creating a strong sense of place and atmosphere for the viewer. In her work, Kutriansky draws upon her continual interactions with and studies of nature, as well as upon her extensive study of the landscape paintings from two iconic representational art movements: the Hudson River School and the Peredvizhniki (the historic Russian realist art movement known as “The Itinerants”).
Tom Mewborn, Red Cadillac #1, oil on board, 21½ x 34"; Denice Peters, No One Wants To Play, soft pastel, 18 x 24"
Rocks in a Box Orange by Lara Restelli is part of a series of five paintings that tell a story about different kinds of stones of various sizes, colors, shapes and forms that live together in a contained space. “This wooden box may represent a diversity of things, depending on the conditioning of the viewer’s mind,” Restelli points out. “However, this painting aims to make the spectator feel soothed and balanced. This warm pallet, from yellows to orange-reds, awakens optimism, enthusiasm, creativity and friendliness.”
Denice Peters’ artwork is inspired by strong light and shadow and the contrast between them. She says, “I paint many different subjects in my still life works because my work is about the light and the mood it creates. I use my self-honed style I call ‘blended reality’ for realistic art with realistic feelings, using just pastel sticks and my fingers. My goal is to not only create beauty, a bit of nostalgia and a sense of peace, but also to help others see that too.” Her pastel No One Wants To Playdepicts a Raggedy Ann doll sitting amongst toy blocks and a Peter Rabbit children’s book.
Kenneth Young, The Art Critic, oil on canvas, 36 x 24";Patsy Lindamood, Cathedral de la Madeleine, graphite on cradled Ampersand Claybord, 36 x 24"; Jeanne Crain Leemon, Red, White, and Blueberries, oil on linen, 16 x 14"
“I’ve loved cars and painting all my life,” says Tom Mewborn. “The chrome, the bright, vivid colors, reflections and specular highlights have all fascinated me about vehicles in general and cars in particular.” So it was no wonder that his piece in the show, depicting a classic red Cadillac, was an obvious subject for the artist. “I find myself drawn to these old American luxury cars which are so grand with their huge, sculptural chrome details and sinuous lines. They demand attention, and representing them in paint is a treat.”
Lara Restelli, Rocks in a Box Orange, oil on canvas, 18 x 24"
“From the beginning of choosing painting as my career (age 8 with terminal cancer), I have had a keen desire to capture special moments in time with my brushstrokes,” says artist Cynthia Cochran Kinard. “I learned, way back then, that the time we’ve been given is precious. Most children on my hospital wing never lived long enough to have many moments at all. Therefore, I have sought to document these special times as legacies to honor the precious life we have been given.”
International Guild of Realism’s Fall Salon Online Exhibition will be available for viewing from October 20 to December 20. —
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