awareness post

The artist I would like to make an awareness post about is Philip Eustace Stretton. He is no longer alive, but passed in the 1900s, and I could not find a living artist that I haven't yet researched with work that I like as much as his. There is not much information out there on him. I searched him on YouTube and no videos about him came up, so he is a less well-known artist and therefore I feel an awareness post is still fit. He is British and most often painted animals. I am not British, but I do most often paint animals! Additionally, he paints a lot of nature, which is another topic of interest for me. He was greatly inspired by Sir Edwin Landseer (another artist I will research when I get time) who was also a painter of animals. I guess you could say we are the three musketeers.

I attached my favorite pieces of his in a gallery below, which are titled (from left to right) Terrier fishing, Cranbrook, Goldfish pond, A surrey farmstead after rain, A collie at a window, Companions, and A corner of Robert Ferrer's dining room.

You can view more of his work here: http://www.artnet.com/artists/philip-eustace-stretton/

Going from left to right again, here are my reactions to the pieces

1. I really love the grass to the left of the terrier's head, and I like the green pail behind the terrier. Additionally, I like the little pop of red in the bobber. What I most like about this painting is the feeling it gives me. I think the direction I want to go in with my work is showcasing the things in life that make me feel at peace, and this painting does exactly that. I want to be in the piece. I want to hear the bugs buzzing and hang my feet off the dock. I want to hear the water splash as a fish creates a ruckus. Though I also don't think I want all my work to be about tranquility, so umm, I have a long way to go in regard to deciding a theme for my portfolio. Additionally, the blues in the black fur of the terrier serve as a nice reminder as to how to paint black fur. The green tones throughout the dog are also very nice and help keep the piece balanced.

2. I love the blues in this piece and again, the peace makes me feel at peace. While this piece isn't of nature, it is still a scene I wish to be in. I want to see the blue flowers climbing the house and feel the cool breeze as it blows pink petals into my hair. I want to feel the coolness of the stone ground.

3. WOAH! I WANT TO BE HERE! It feels very whimsical. I would love to walk through this little alley in a nice outfit and hear my shoes against the stone. I really like the vines that stretch over the walkway too. The coloring around the metal doors on the bottom and left and right edges of the paper also feels very comforting and warm. This piece is of nature, but interacts with man. So do the other two I guess. I would like to be in this piece!

4. Yes. Another piece I can feel. I want to hear the buzzing of warm air and rest in the cool shaded grass. I want to jump in the puddles of water and listen to the dry dirt spots under my shoes. I like what looks like huge hay bales at the right side of the horizon.

5. THIS PIECE IS VERY CUTE! I love the colors. I am emotional looking at this little dog watching the world out of a window. I love the colors on the opened window on the left, and love the reds and greens dispersed throughout. The small paw with flexed toes on the sill is very cute and the falling petals are just so awww! The vine on the right is also very cute and brings me peace.

6. I like this piece because of the title. It is sweet to see dogs as companions. The quality of the photo worsened when I uploaded it for some reason, but you can still see the aspects that I want to talk about. The fur is done very nicely as well, where it is not necessarily realistic, but captures form really well. There is a lot of contrast between warm and cool tones in this piece that creates balance. For example, there are patches of cool grey within the background of warm oranges, browns, and yellows. The tufts of fur on the edges of the dogs are also done very nicely, and the dogs look soft. It is a cute piece.

7. I like this piece because of the colors and something else that I can't quite pick up on. It is a room that would be nice to be in. It has the weird comfort of a historical building. The cherry desk, vases, and clock are done especially well. You can hear the tick of the clock and feel that weird silence and coolness that older rooms seem to possess.

As you can see the work of Philip Eustace Stretton is pretty thought provoking for me. I am hoping with further thinking I can use his work to help me decide on a portfolio theme. Regardless, his work inspires me with techniques and color combinations that can help me elevate and sophisticate the art style that I currently have.