hebebrooks

It is always fun to attend the Grand Opening of exhibitions and when possible I make the effort to be there. Looking at the art is always a learning experience. It is a humbling experience confronted by the beautiful art produced by other artists but it is also a time of pride and joy at being selected to be part of an art show. Finally, winning an award is the epitome of the experience.

I want to share today the art exhibition experience, some old and some new:

The picture above shows my art at Hanna Art Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas during an exhibition.

Here to the left is the result of a painting demonstration at the same gallery. The landscape is a park area where people go boating and bicycling. It was a cloudy day and the sky and trees were reflecting in the water. The water was clear. The stones could be easily seen creating a bottom of soft lines and colors through the transparency of water.

The color palette was limited to greens and ochres. The title is “Ripple Effect” and here is the finished version.

Nashville, Tennessee
Great fun at this Grand Opening of the Best of America Small Works where over 150 paintings were displayed. The artwork was great, Nashville is always a fun city and we had some great activities such as three painting demonstrations and a Plein Air event. See the next picture of the Plein Air. It was art fun!

Nashville, Tennessee: Another fun experience is to paint en Plein Air and this was in Nashville, Tennessee during the opening of the Best of America Small Works Exhibition in that city. The day was beautiful, not warm not cold, just the right temperature to be outside enjoying the scenery. I picked a spot in the shade overlooking a creek and spent the day painting. Quite relaxing and something to do during exhibition openings.

The Texas & Neighbors Regional Annual Art Exhibition at the Irving Art Center, Irving, Texas is one I always try to attend. Grand Opening is great and a flower arrangement mimicking the theme or colors of the art is placed next to some of the art making this exhibit something unique and worth attending.

In this photo to the right, my artwork “The Vine Walkway” won the 1st place in the oil painting category. The flower arrangement next to it was beautiful and quite a floral creation. This painting is available for sale.

I have been fortunate to be accepted in this exhibition several times and thus achieving the Signature Artist Status with this organization.

Look at the flower arrangement made for this other painting below. The Chocolate Rose Company creates these gorgeous flower arrangements. This one below is exquisite:

This artwork is available for sale

Another artwork that exhibited at the Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition was “Fly Reflection” and it also won the First Place Award in the Oil Painting Category. Look at the flower arrangement placed next to the painting matching the colors and the composition. This 20×30 artwork has been sold.

“Fly Reflection actually sold at the 35th Hunting Art Prize in Houston, Texas. An extraordinary art exhibition that unfortunately does not show any longer. It was quite an honor to be accepted and to be part of this event. The venue, the art, the food, the flowers and the entire presentation was a truly amazing experience. Here below is just a peek at what it was.

International Guild of Realism: One of my favorite annual exhibitions is the gallery show organized by the International Guild of Realism. The art is outstanding and it is quite an honor just to be accepted. I was thrilled to be the recipient of the Best Still Life Award in their exhibition in Charleston, South Carolina.

It was also a great experience to visit Charleston for the first time. Its history, architecture, multitude of art galleries, its location on the coast, the restaurants and even the horse carriage tours are all engraved in my memory. It was not only fun… it was an honor.

The painting is 20 x 30 inches and it has be shown in three different exhibitions winning awards in all three. It is one of my favorite paintings and one I love to still have in my collection. The diagonal play of light creates energy and the depiction of the silver with its reflections gives it a richness in the change of values.

Another of my favorite paintings and still in my art collection is 5 pm Tea Time. A 20×30 oil painting that won a 3rd Place Award at the National Society of Artists exhibition in Texas, a 1st place award in oil paintings at the Texas & Neighbors Art Exhibition in Irving, Texas, and the People’s Choice Award at the Best of America Exhibition in Missouri.

A painting with a play of lights and darks puts the focus on the tea cup in the lower right side area. Reflections of the fabric, the flower and the tea cup can be seen in the silver which remains more subdued. In beautiful blues and grays with hard and soft edges that move around the canvas.

I love this artwork because it goes beyond what we see and it gave me room to break boundaries. It is not an abstract piece but it has abstract elements to it and it gives me freedom when painting. I titled it “Artist DNA” and there is a reason for that title. I felt it encompassed the two worlds in the mind of an artist: the real and the imaginative, the concrete and the creative. It won First Place at the Center for Contemporary Art Juried Exhibition in Abilene, Texas. This artwork has been SOLD.

I totally love this painting below

“Building a Home” is one of my favorite paintings. It was shown for the first time at the International Guild of Realism in Charleston, South Carolina in 2020 and it never came back from there. It was sold!

“Building a Home” even though the idea came from an actual flower arrangement, the leaves and flowers were changed to make a more pleasant composition. Under the green leaves two birds building a nest was painted. A diagonal line of flowers bring energy and move the eye through the canvas.

The artwork can be seen displaying at the Principle Art Gallery in Charleston during the opening. I hope the owners enjoy this painting as much as I did when creating it and painting it.

The Best of America Exhibits have been around for over 30 years and their openings showcase some of the best artwork in North America. I am honored my paintings have been accepted into these prestigious exhibitions and even more honored by several awards received. The picture above shows “Coffee in the Serengeti” recipient of the Best Still Life Award at the Best of America in Bolivar, Missouri. This painting was SOLD and it is now in the permanent art collection of the beautiful Dunnegan Gallery of Art.

I want to thank Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor: Plein Air Today, Fine Art Today, and Realism Today for posting my article in Outdoor Painter

Check it out:

Painting Techniques: Glazing Basics

Last Friday, October 5, 2017 was First Friday Art Walk at RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas.

RS Hanna Gallery located at 208 South Llano Street is hosting the NOAPS Fall Showcasing.  The Fall is a great time to visit Fredericksburg and to stop at the RS Hanna Gallery. You can see six of my paintings there.

I actually was at RS Hanna for the First Friday Art Walk doing a painting demonstration but it was so much fun and so many people stopped and asked about my painting process that I did not have the chance to finish the landscape in the two hours before I had to return back to Houston.

In addition, my painting process is a layering process that requires patience and drying in between the layers; therefore, I decided to share with you the step by step process I am taking to complete the artwork started last Friday at RS Hanna.

The landscape is from a park in Houston where I frequently take my bicycle and enjoy the views of a very small lake. Quite often, I stop and enjoy the reflections of the exuberant vegetation on the surface of the water. In certain areas one can see the stones and rocks at the bottom. Since I am always looking at details beyond the general glance, I aim to capture everything that my eyes are recording as to transmit the totality of my experience into the canvas not just the “fleeting moment” but the wholesome expression of the beauty of each individual creation.

I will add to this article as I complete this painting. My goal is to attend the next First Friday Art Walk at RS Hanna Gallery on November 3 and hopefully show an almost complete work.

Here we go:

Step 1:

The first step in my paintings is the drawing. In the case of a landscape, more than a drawing, it is “the blocking” of the different areas with a monochrome color. I accomplish this step with a very thin layer of paint mixed with turpentine. This step is merely defining the areas. You can see a rough definition of the sky and the illuminated area of the water using mainly white. The trees and the shaded part of the water was defined with a diluted transparent Green Earth color. There will be a ripple effect in the water so I am already kind of defining that with a few lines.

Step 2:

The skies are usually the easiest part to paint and there is not that much drawing to do. I usually complete it pretty fast using Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, white and in this case a tiny amount of Quinacridone Red to bring some purples. Once the first coat of sky was complete , I proceeded to the vegetation. I basically looked for darks and lights to build the vegetation. It is a lot of observation but again I am not looking for the exact detail in each section. The details will come in successive layers. At this stage I just roughly form the vegetation through darks and lights and magically the trees and bushes come alive. Again, I am working with very thin paints as to not totally commit to anything.

Step 3:

I am still working with very thin paints at this stage because I want to be able to change any errors that I might have had in the original design (step 1). There is, as a matter of fact, an error in the design. The tree line goes down from right to left and it creates an instability in the composition. I want this painting to transmit a peaceful feeling which is the feeling I felt looking at the landscape. Harmony and stability is created with the use of horizontal and vertical lines. A slight diagonal line such as the tree line in this horizon throws the viewer a little off from that sense of peacefulness. I will need to correct it!

Step 4:

Today, I worked with the reflections of the vegetation on the water incorporating some of the stones and small rocks at the bottom of the lake.  These stones are not finished! This is sort of a painted sketch of forms, a first attempt to the changes in value which will be further defined in future layers. I am still using mainly Green Earth and Burnt Umber which are both transparent pigments, a little Yellow Ochre and very little white which will opaque pigments if used in big quantities. The use of the transparent pigments is done on purpose since I am dealing with water. The goal is for the light to be able to go through the layers of paints and come back to the viewer to gives us the experience of looking through water to the bottom of the lake.

OK, I have finished with the preliminary steps and I have corrected the tree line. It might need further correction. I also see that I will need a smooth transition with the rocks specially in the right side but overall I am happy with how it is developing. The stones and rocks were a challenge but what is painting without a challenge!

Now I will let it dry for a few days while I work on a different painting. Once it is totally dried to the touch, I will come back for what would be the third layer.

Stay tune!

Step 5:

I had to take a week break from painting to attend the Best of America Exhibit 2017 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is a great exhibition at Castle Gallery Fine Art that will last until November 11, 2017. There are 124 beautiful paintings in this exhibit and I am honor to say that my painting “Orchids Tray” received the Best Still Life Award. Thank you goes to the Awards Judge, Jason Sacran, to the gallery staff members and the organizers.
Upon returning to my studio, it was catch up time and finally today I had the chance to give a third coat to most of the landscape in progress.
It was good that during my absent the paint has dried. Today I was able to go over the sky, the vegetation in the horizon, the reflections and part of the water. The only part that I left untouched were the stones and rocks. One thing that is different about this painting is that I chose a hard panel as the surface. I usually paint on linen but I tried the panel this time. While the surface of the panel is smoother than the linen, I feel I can handle the paint much better on the linen surface. I kept working with the same paint colors, just adding another coat. As one advances with the coats, it is easier and easier to visualize the different shapes and changes in values that make the details of the landscape.

So honored to be one of the 13 Finalists in the International Artist Magazine Floral & Botanical Challenge.

This competition accepts submissions from artists from around the world. The 13 Finalists include artists from France, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland and different parts of the United States.

My selected painting, “A Taste of Luxury”, is my latest creation and it has never been shown in an exhibit or anywhere else. I would say the oil paint is still fresh on the canvas. It is a large 40×30 painting with a myriad of flowers, two hummingbirds and a snail. The bouquet did not exist as depicted. It was just put together as a creative ensemble, products of imagination and feelings.

Page 14 of the October/November 2017 issue describes the inspiration and design strategy for this composition.

Thank you International Artist Magazine! Best magazine for artists!

When judging art, I never judge the artwork by its style because the style is the reflection of the inner self of the artist.

I am honored to be the judge for this upcoming exhibition for the Richardson Civic Art Society.

This will be the 51st Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition open to Texas Artists. Last year I had the honor to be the Best of Show for the 50th Exhibition and this year the Society invited me to be their judge. Thank you!

The deadline to enter is February 28 and the prospectus can be found at: http://richardson-art.org/PDF/51stRegional/2017-51stRegionalProspectus.pdf

It was a real honor for my painting to be recognized as a Finalist in the International Artist Magazine Seascapes, Rivers & Lakes Competition. “Between Shadows and Light” is charged with an inside light emanating  from the myriad reflections on the water.

Thank you!

Hundreds and hundreds of artists from around the world enter the International Artist magazine competitions; therefore, I am very pleased to have been selected one of the 13 award winners in this competition.

I am thrilled that my painting “Midday Mirror” received the Best of Show Award at the 50th Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition showing at the Charles M. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas.

I want to thank the event organizers from the Richardson Civic Art Society and the judge Michael Holter. It is an honor to receive this award and it is an even greater honor that Midday Mirror will be part of the Richardson Civic Art Society and the City of Richardson Art Collection to be displayed permanently at the Library Complex. It will also become the poster for next year event. Thank you! What a great honor!

“Midday Mirror” is part of my landscape series depicting reflections. Reflections are a common element in Hebe’s compositions, whether they are gracing a gleaming silver teapot in a still-life painting or a crystal clear lake in a landscape. My mission in depicting reflections is to engage viewers and cause them to question where the real object starts, where it ends, and what part of it is actually a reflection of something else. As the word goes… to reflect is to think deeply about something… it is the “to use or to exercise the mind or one’s power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments”. We reflect all through our lives!

The International Artist Magazine is without a doubt my favorite artist magazine. No wonder! It has been voted “The Best Artist Magazine in the World”. The bi-monthly magazine with international distribution shows the work of artists from around the world, their technique, workshops, and of course their beautiful art.

I am honored and humbled that an eight page article about my art has been published in the October/November 2015 issue of this truly international magazine with the unique opportunity to see my work exposed to a worldwide audience.

Thank you International Artist Magazine! It is a true amazing magazine.

Here is the article currently published in the October/November 2015 International Artist Magazine

To see how to purchase the magazine or its distribution go to: https://www.internationalartist.com/

MASTERWORKS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF REALISM
Tour Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.
This great exhibit will tour for almost one year around galleries and museums in the United States.

It opened at the beautiful RW Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport, LA on May 19, 2015 and it will remain there until July 26,2015

It will then move to The Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, Florida and to The Albany Museum of Art in Albany, Georgia.

My painting ‘Patriotic Bell’ is in this exhibit. If you have a chance, stop to see this fantastic exhibit of Contemporary Realism.
SEE ALL THE INSTALLATION PHOTOS. CLICK THIS LINK

http://davidjwagnerllc.com/International_Guild_of_Realism1.html

Part of The RW. Norton Art Gallery

And here is where my painting ‘Patriotic Bell’ is hanging. Great painting for the upcoming 4th of July

‘Patriotic Bell’, oil 30×20

To purchase ‘Patriotic Bell’, please contact the gallery or send an email to hebebrooks@gmail.com