'52 Chevy Truck Commission

 

"Wall of Wheels" with April Rimpo's Paintings

 I'm delighted to have three of my paintings hanging in this beautiful home in Arizona. These three paintings were collected starting in 2012 with the center painting titled Department Store. Cycles came along second and the latest addition is '52 Chevy Truck, a commission of their truck resurrected from old family photos.

"Wall of Wheels" in situ

The set is displayed in their dining room which is visible from the front door due to the open floor plan of their beautiful Arizona home. I love that they decided to name their display The Wall of Wheels.  

The new '52 Chevrolet Truck painting started when these friends asked if I would be interested in painting the old family truck. They had been inspired when they saw an image of my painting More Beautiful with Age, which is shown below.

Since I really love painting old rusted cars I thought this project would be right up my alley so I asked them to provide some images of the truck. I received several photos of the truck plus an image of the family brand for me to add to the truck. 

I like to create "sketches" by modifying the images in Photoshop® to create a plan for the painting. It also helps with communications when the client does not live near me, as was the case here.  

There were some features of the truck that were not quite as clear as I like when I am painting, so I searched for 1952 Chevrolet trucks on the Internet. I used the images I found to get a clearer image of the Chevrolet logo on the side, to see the headlights (since they were broken in the family's photos), and to research the mirror which was lying on the hood. I also located a 1952 Chevrolet Truck color chart and asked which was the original color and whether they would like a bit of that color added back into the painting. 

All this research resulted in a few more discussions and images from the family of the truck with the mirror in its upright position and other views that better showed the front grill. I created a sketch with the mirror in place, but the family felt it was distracting and I agreed. Additional adjustments were made to the surroundings; for example, one less silo and the removal of some farming equipment that they thought might also be distracting.

Wyoming license plates were the last thing I researched to see some of the details. Although I found the version of license plate shown in their photos, I also found a 1952 vintage Wyoming truck plate. I shared my discovery and the family liked the idea of using the vintage plate. So I integrated this longer and narrower plate on the truck using Photoshop to position it properly on the grill and change the numbers to match those in the original photograph. With these revisions the family was happy and I was authorized to proceed. 

More Beautiful with Age by April M Rimpo

With a completed design I could then relax and enjoy the painting. I did add back into the truck some of the original Cherry Red paint which really helped make the image pop. This commission was a real joy to create and I'm happy to report their reaction to the delivered painting could not have made me happier. And here's what they said about the commission process, "You made this process so easy for us and we knew we could trust you with the details. Perfect is the word that describes the whole process."

Contact April and see more of her art on her website  

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her bi-weekly email.

"Rain in Montmartre" 26" X 20" acrylic

Rain in Montmartre by April M Rimpo

Rain in Montmartre

Fluid Acrylic, gallery wrapped and varnished

26" X 20"

SOLD by HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

410-461-3505 

Rain in Montmartre was inspired by our visit to Paris included three days of rain, so on the last full day my husband and I decided to take a morning stroll up to the top of Montmartre. Our hotel was in the 18^th Arrondissement.  The walk was not a great distance, but it was a bit vertically challenging. Umbrellas in hand we wove our way up the cobblestone streets to the top where we explored The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and attempted to locate landmarks across Paris. However since the clouds were quite low and thick our views were limited and we could barely make out the Eiffel Tower.

This rain did not stop me from taking many photographs of Montmartre, including the images that inspired Rain in Montmartre. The lights from the shops and a bit of sunlight created great reflected color on the wet cobblestones. Several others were exploring Montmartre from under their umbrellas. Shopkeepers were setting out artwork and other wares for the day as we strolled through the streets. All and all a wonderful memory and we enjoyed our exploration. 

I started the painting with a little bit of soft acrylic intended to capture the lightest reflections in the cobblestones and add a little bit of texture. The balance of the painting was done with fluid acrylic so I could layer washes of color and build up to the dark values. Using a lot of sprayed water to create rivulets and allowing the water and paint to run vertically I captured the look of rain, while letting them run horizontally I created more texture in the cobble stoned street and brick sidewalks. Retaining the colors shining from inside the shops at the same time communicating the rainy outside was the greatest challenge of this painting.

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

Featured Art - "Rolling Hills"

Rolling Hills by April M Rimpo

Rolling Hills

44" X 58" Fluid Acrylic
Framed - $4500
Giclee prints also available

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE

April's largest painting to date, Rolling Hills was partially inspired by her travels and partially her creative invention. Using predominantly cool colors this piece creates a soothing and relaxing atmosphere in any setting. Below you can see this painting hung at RE/MAX Advantage in Baltimore, Maryland. 

If you would like to see the painting, you can stop by RE/MAX Advantage Realty, 729 East Pratt Street, Suite 100, Baltimore MD 21202, and say you are there to see April Rimpo's artwork. All purchases are made through April, so contact her if you have questions or would like to meet at RE/MAX. 

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2014 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

April M Rimpo Video of "Summer in the City" Exhibit

I'm to happy with my exhibit at Artists & Makers Studios. The work really came together nicely as a tribute to cities across the United States. For those who have not been able to see the exhibit in person, here are all the paintings in the exhibit.  

If you have an opportunity to visit Artists & Makers at 11810 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland you will love them in person. The lighting is perfect and really makes them pop.

You should also visit my Urban Gallery on my website to see some of these and additional urban paintings.

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

April's Solo Exhibit "Summer in the City" Installation & Reception on July 8th

Reception photos are now here! We had great fun at the reception last night. Several friends came to share in the fun and I was able to meet lots of other artists from Artists & Makers Studios plus guest out to see some wonderful art. I also had the pleasure of meeting Page & Zephren Turner who's exhibit "Contemporary Appalachia", which was also on exhibit.  (several of these photos are courtesy of Artists & Makers Studio)

     

  

My husband and I are quite the team when it comes to installing exhibits. We've gotten so good at it that yesterday's installation of my exhibit "Summer in the City" was up before I knew it.  Here are a few images of the installation to whet your appetite for more. Come join us at the Opening Reception on July 8 from 6-9PM.

11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210

Rockville, MD 20852

Open: 9AM - 4PM Monday - Friday

Saturday 10AM - 4PM

Sunday by Chance or Appointment
Office: 240-437-9573 or Cell: 240-481-5034

The exhibit runs from July 6 - 28. 

  

  

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"On Duty" 12" X 12" Fluid Acrylic

On Duty by April M Rimpo

On Duty

Fluid Acrylic Gallery Wrapped and Varnished*

$550 includes shipping within the United States

Now Available for Purchase

Those of you who know my art shouldn't be surprised that the first painting I did based on my inspiring European vacation is about cyclists. The setting has changed but my subject matter continues to come back to bicycles.

April with her painting when it was on exhibit at the
Maryland Federation of Art's Celebration Exhibit for 50 Years
at Circle Gallery, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland

Inspired by some photographs I took in Brussels, "On Duty" depicts some men who looked very official wearing their reflective vests as they walked across the center square in Brussels.  So here I was surrounded by these magnificent buildings and I'm photographing these men.  Yes I photographed the buildings too, but these were the guys I had to paint first.

Once I got home I looked up afdc - the logo on their vests - and found out it is a German Cycling Club.  With the auto translation of the site, there appeared to be some official business associated with sponsoring cyclist initiatives and getting things approved like "right turn on red for cyclists," but it also indicated it was a bicycling club.  You might wonder why a German club would be in Brussels; well the first King of Brussels was German so there are still remnants of German intermixed with their original French and Flemish heritage. 

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.