April M. Rimpo Art: April M Rimpo

Showing posts with label April M Rimpo. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

"Parade Play" watercolor by April M Rimpo

Parade Play by April M Rimpo

Parade Play

Watercolor

27" X 28" painting

42" x 42" mat and frame

Parades and New Orleans come hand-in-hand. We all know the crowds that come to watch these parades, but for me the painting is all about the musicians and local dignitaries who participate. I love the clothing and colors showcased in these parades: purple and orange always being prevalent. Wanting to represent the music and energy of these events without including the crowds led me to consider how to “show” the music and help you “hear” it in my painting, resulting in the burst of color and “confetti” shown. Although not a conscious decision to leave out people because of the pandemic I can’t help but wonder if that may have been in the back of my mind as a quiet undertone.

Knowing there were 466 images submitted for this exhibition, I am honored that Parade Play was selected by juror Anne Abgott for the Baltimore Watercolor Society's 2021 Mid-Atlantic Exhibition to be presented from June 12 - August 31.

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her weekly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art. Oh, and please be sure to click on the link in a second email to verify your interest in joining my newsletter. Without the verification you will be left in a limbo state where you will not receive my emails and I can't complete the verification on your behalf. If you receive a response that you are already subscribed, email me to confirm and I can send you a different link to update your profile and get the verification email resent to you.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Friday, September 25, 2020

"First Look" a 12" X 12" Watercolor on Aquabord

First Look © April M Rimpo

First Look

Watercolor on Aquabord™

12" X 12" Painting

in a 13.5" X 13.5" Black Wood Floater Frame

$500

This sweet little fawn was born in the tall grass in our yard. Who knew that negligence, due to a lot of rain, would result in a perfect hiding place for the doe to deliver her fawn. We were fortunate to have a view looking down into this spot from our living room. My husband and I both took pictures as we watched our new neighbor.

I believe this was its first time standing as it looked about on the world. Not long later the mother arrived to check on her fawn, who walked over to nurse. They sure get moving quickly. We were so honored to witness these early hours of the baby fawn's life.

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art. Oh, and please be sure to click on the link in a second email to verify your interest in joining my newsletter. Without the verification you will be left in a limbo state where you will not receive my emails and I can't complete the verification on your behalf. If you receive a response that you are already subscribed, email me to confirm and I can send you a different link to update your profile and get the verification email resent to you.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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Sunday, September 20, 2020

"The Love-Birds Boat", Watercolor, 24" X 36"

The Love-Birds Boat, watercolor © April M Rimpo

The Love-Birds Boat

Watercolor, mounted and varnished

24" X 36" painting

26" X 38" Brushed Silver Frame

Available for Purchase

I love watching birds flock to fishing boats when they return to port. I’m sure the pelican’s goal was a late afternoon snack, but from what I can tell the fisherman didn’t cooperate. As soon as he pulled into the dock and tied up the boat, two pelicans perched on the side. Their heads formed the shape of a heart and I couldn’t help but think they had love on their minds. Capturing the glow of the boat in the late afternoon sun emphasized by the cool lavender shaded side led me to create this painting in an orange, violet, and green palette. Pushing the colors of the brown pelicans to orange-brown helped them stand out against the multi-colored water, creating a romantic mood for the painting concept.

I used one of my favorite color schemes of orange-red, green, and violet. Emphasizing the violets brought the dreamy feel to this painting that I desired.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Note: You may be taken to an error page asking if you want to proceed to my https://..... .php site. This is my secure site created using a php format. It is safe to proceed.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

A Glint of the Sun, watercolor 14" X 11"

Artwork by Maryland Artist, April M Rimpo, landscape in watercolor on canvas

A Glint of the Sun © April M Rimpo

A Glint of the Sun

Watercolor on Canvas

14" X 11" in black frame

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

A Glint of the Sun shows a chicken coop on my neighbor's property. The chickens tend to stay in the back of the property so I seldom see them, except when they wander out onto our shared private road. I’ve been wanting to paint this barn since we moved here 23 years ago. I’ve taken dozens of photos but none showed the barn well. In March I went out for a morning walk, not my normal time, and there the barn stood in its glory with the sun shining on the roof. I finally got some long awaited photos of the barn. It was worth the wait. I hope you enjoy the painting as much as I rejoiced being able to finally share this view with others.

I chose a spring green, purple, and red/orange color scheme for this painting. I find this color scheme dramatic and cheerful at the same time. I find it very appealing and hope you too will find this to be a joyful and cheerful spot that you love to periodically visit.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Note: You may be taken to an error page asking if you want to proceed to my https://..... .php site. This is my secure site created using a php format. It is safe to proceed.

"Keeping Us Fed", Watercolor, 15" X 7" with black frame

Keeping Us Fed © April M Rimpo

Keeping Us Fed

Watercolor

15" X 7" with black frame

I’m grateful for the food industry: from the farmers, the food processors, those who deliver our food to market, and restaurants that prepare food for our consumption. It would be a very different life for most of us if these didn’t exist. This is my nod to those who toil and persevere to keep us fed.

The stacks of flour needed to constantly supply the kitchen drew me to this scene. Their subtle color shift from one bag to the next was gorgeous to my eye so my camera came out to capture the lovely variation. The wonder pastel shades somehow enforced the beauty of what these people do for all of us.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Note: You may be taken to an error page asking if you want to proceed to my https://..... .php site. This is my secure site created using a php format. It is safe to proceed.

Friday, June 26, 2020

"Let's Dance" 24" X 20" watercolor

Figures, April M Rimpo, dancers, musicians, watercolor, fine art, explore color and let, everypaintingisastory

Let's Dance, watercolor © April M Rimpo

Let's Dance

watercolor on watercolor paper

mounted, varnished and framed

24" X 40" painting in 26" X 42" frame

Available for Purchase on my Website

LMy My My inspiration for Let’s Dance came from a trip to New Orleans during the French Quarter Jazz Fest. A great festival with 21 stages from small ones like this stage set up next to the French Market to very large stadiums. A portable dance floor was in front of the stage encouraging everyone to dance. The central couple appeared to be professional dancers and their movements and energy motivated me to paint the scene. I had fun brightening it up with color to reflect the energy I felt while watching the dancers and listening to the lively music.

Whether you are a dancer or like me enjoy watching other’s dance I hope you enjoy this painting and the story of the day.

This painting was selected for the prestigious Baltimore Watercolor Society's 2020 Online Mid-Atlantic Regional Exhibition. Paintings are available through the artists and available upon completion of the purchase. No waiting for the end of the exhibition.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Monday, May 11, 2020

Moment to Relax, 15.5" X 15.5" watercolor on Aquabord

Guatemalan Girl by April M. Rimpo

Moment to Relax

watercolor

15.5" X 15.5" on varnished Aquabord™

$525

Available through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
info@horsespiritartsgallery.com
301-490-2001
www.HorseSpiritArtsGallery.com

Normally I paint on watercolor paper, but not so for Guatemalan Girl. Ampersand™ has a product called Aquabord™ that has a deep cradle made from 2" birch plywood strips that are attached flush with the back edge of the pane. They make a nice presentation, so framing is not required. The medium on the board is designed for use with aqueous media. I found it had some of the same properties as watercolor paper, but I did have to be careful about how long I worked on an area to keep it from getting too soft. When the painting was complete I varnished the surface so it can hang without glass.

I wanted to fragment the image so I chose 5" square aquabord and designed the piece so each segment would be an interesting painting in its own right. The exact placement of her body in each frame was carefully crafted to create interesting abstract in each panel.

I considered an exhibit where each segment could be purchased separately. If sold separately the girl would be shared among the various buyers. It would be interesting to bring the buyers together to meet and foster new relationships through my art.

The more I thought about the logistics I feared it would be very difficult to hang the segments so they remain properly aligned when hung as a whole. It seemed like aligning the segments might be a nightmare for me and the gallery, so in the end I attached the 9 panels to a sheet of Plexiglas™ and drill a slotted hole in the Plexiglas where it could be hung from a nail.

I still like the idea of displaying art so separate pieces form one image while the individual works are sold separately. Perhaps if I do this as a single line of paintings instead of a square of nine paintings the logistics of hanging would be reduced. Let me know what you think about this idea.

IInterested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Thursday, April 18, 2019

"Making Tortillas" fluid acrylic & watercolor 30" X 19"

Making Tortilla by April M Rimpo

Making Tortillas

acrylic & watercolor

30" X 19" image
Mounted and varnished this painting arrives in a 33" X 22" frame

Available for Purchase on my Website

Provenance:

One of 115 paintings selectd for the Missouri Watercolor Society's 2019 International Exhibition. - See Mike Bailey's Juror's Statement at the end of the post.
One of 59 paintings selected for the Illinois Watercolor Society's 33rd National Exhibition 2017.
Selected for the Laurel Art Guild Open 2016
First Place Award in the Artist's Gallery of Columbia "Color Columbia" exhibition 2015

I have wanted to paint Making Tortillas ever since I returned from Guatemala in 2008. I have considered different color schemes; different focal points; different cropping of my source photographs, but none of the designs satisfied me. Recently I decided to try a different approach to the scene, cropped in closer and using a much more limited color palette. It was the happiness of this woman and the gesture of her hands as she went about making her tortillas that I decided was the focus. The beautiful reflected colors in the table top, which had been a distraction in earlier designs, were really not important. It was the sense of joy she communicated with her expression that really mattered, so what more did I need? Sometimes finding that quality that drew you to take the photograph is harder to find than you would expect. Details that you may not have noticed when you took the photograph start to get in the way of that original inspiration.

For the artists in my audience, I started this painting by masking off much of the woman, the white areas, all the orange and red areas, and the light blue fabrics in the baskets. Then I poured on very wet washes of DaVinci fluid acrylic paint, tilted the paper to let the colors run and mix, added some granular light colored watercolor pigments to add interesting swirls and granular patterns, then let the paint dry. I almost never use a heat gun or drier since I feel the colors are not as vibrant when I use these.

Most of the painting was done using fluid acrylic and small amounts of granular watercolors. Exceptions were the red flower on her shirt and the orange/red corn in the basket. I wanted these to be very vibrant. I find when I use straight acrylic pigments for reds they seem a bit dull, while watercolor reds seem to almost glow. So after establishing some blues where the dark shadows would be, I applied an orange watercolor pigment to create the underlying color. When the watercolor was nearly dry I added some Alizarin crimson acrylic to create darker red passages. A number of thin washes of Alizarin and some Quinacridone burnt orange were layered over the orange watercolor to create a variety of red shades. Blues and purples were used in the shadow areas and an Alizarin layer was added on top to add definition to the corn. Throughout the piece I repeated the same colors in different combinations and strengths so the painting holds together.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Making Tortillas and your experience with finding and expressing the essence of a photograph that seemed so right at the time, but continue to elude you when you want to express it in your art.

Mike Bailey's Juror's statement:
Missouri Watercolor Society 2019 International Exhibition I offer greetings and congratulations to all the artists who entered this prestigious exhibition. It is indeed an honor to have been chosen to select and judge this show! I must say, however, that it was a daunting task to select the best pieces from such a large body of outstanding paintings. It truly was, at times, a ‘hair pulling’ decision making process! Most everyone asks about selection criteria and the reasoning behind the choices. I am a design “nerd !” Design is always the driving first thing which presses me to include or exclude any painting into, or out of, an exhibition. Content, or message, or story in a painting will set me thinking in ways that a simply “beautiful” painting would not. The message is very important. There is an overriding condition, which appears in a few paintings, which holds enormous power . . .and that is creativity. This aspect shows how the artist thinks and exposes the artist’s audacity, authenticity and freedom. It, therefore, carries a lot of weight. . . .at times as much, or more, than content. Lastly, expert technique counts for little. That is to say that a well designed painting that exhibits strong content and / or exemplary creativity will win out over poor technique. As an aside, I must admit to sometimes allowing personal taste to enter into the above reasons for judgment. While I try to prevent taste from entering the decision making, my humanness may, at times, unexplainably enter into the final reasoning. To those artists who did not make the cut, you have my sincere empathy while I encourage you to continue reaching for higher levels of artistic achievement. I know rejection can be painful. It can also be the stimulus needed to advance aesthetically. So, press onward and continue entering; it is very much worth your efforts!

Sincerely, M.E. “Mike” Bailey, AWS / NWS

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

More of my paintings of Guatemala can be found by clicking on the titles listed below:

Thursday, February 28, 2019

"Student Brushes" 15" X 21" watercolor

Student Brushes by April M. Rimpo

Student Brushes

Watercolor
15" X 21" image
21" X 27" brushed silver frame

$1100

Sold by HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

Recently my family visited to help celebrate my son's graduation from college. While they were here they browsed through some of my paintings and my ever astute brother, commented that it seemed like I had two styles to my work; some are loose and others are very detailed. Student Brushes falls into the latter category. I was aware I did this in my work. I find that after finishing a detailed painting like this one I feel like I need to do something more fluid. The shift makes me relax and focus more on responding to what is happening with the paint and less about the details. What you might find interesting, however, is that those "loose" paintings require so much concentration to pay attention to the paint and respond that they can be exhausting.

So what do I do next? I start a detailed painting which I have well planned and the cycle begins over again. At the beginning of a painting like Student Brushes I find I get very relaxed, just chipping away to create the image. I often have to work out how to accomplish the look of something in the painting. For example, the brushes with lots of old dry paint were a bit of a challenge when I started, as was keeping the metal ferrules looking shiny, yet dotted with paint. Once I have figured out how to render the subject I repeat it until the painting is done. I am nearly always really happy with the final result on these detailed paintings since I have done a lot of planning and design before I touch brush to paper.

I am happy to report that not only I liked this one, but so did the juror of the San Diego Watercolor Society 33rd International Exhibition and more recently Sterling Edwards, the juror for the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 35th Anniversary International Juried Show.

More thrilling is that the painting found someone who loved it and wanted it for their home. As always, thanks to HorseSpirit Arts Gallery for their wonderful caring staff who help find homes for my work and that of 40+ other artists.

It is fascinating to me that I like both approaches to watercolor and that I actually need both to keep me happy. Do you find you have any interesting quirks in your approach to painting? I'd love to hear about them.

Contact April here

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.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

"Aglow" 14" X 10" fluid acrylic and watercolor

Aglow by April M. Rimpo

Aglow

fluid acrylic and watercolor

14" X 10" varnished and framed

$375 within the United States*

Available through Xanadu Gallery's Online Artist Studio Store

* Contact April regarding purchase outside USA or if interested in the painting without the frame

When sitting in a park (Madison Square Park in NYC) a woman appeared in the distance carrying a parasol to block the bright sun. As she passed in and out of shaded spots the umbrella would light up like a spotlight. She was wearing light colors and her hair was blond so she appeared to almost glow against the backdrop of the park. With my camera at the ready I started taking photographs as she walked in hopes of catching a moment when she was lit up by the sun. I wanted to feature the stark contrast between the glowing woman and the dark textured foliage and fence rails that she passed. My painting, Aglow, was the result.

I decided I wanted to make the background very colorful to add a lot of interest since I planned to make the colors of the woman very light and simple. The contrast of light against dark augmented with simple versus complex color blends felt right.

I chose to use fluid acrylics for the background which I first applied in a few areas and let partially dry before washing off most of the color. This approach leaves a ragged edge "batik-like" appearance that added texture to the background. While the background was very wet, I flowed in a wide variety of colors: blues to make the orange parasol pop, reds, greens, golden, and purple hues that blended and swirled to make wonderful variety in the dark background. The balance of the painting was done with watercolor. I saved some spots of white which I later tinted with pale colors to add a bit of sparkle throughout the painting.

Follow this link to see other paintings where I combine fluid acrylic and watercolor

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

Thursday, July 26, 2018

"Harvest Time", 29" X 34" watercolor and fluid acrylic

"You can't use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou

Harvest Time, fluid acrylic and watercolor, by April M. Rimpo

Some paintings require time to pass before you come back to them and decide to finally finish them. This is one of those, but I think it was worth the wait.

Harvest Time

Fluid Acrylic and Watercolor

28" X 32" painting
$2200

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
Located at Savage Mill in
Savage, Maryland

When out walking near my home in Maryland I got an inspiration for this painting. I had noticed earlier in the day that a tractor was in a neighbor’s field. Some of the wheat had been plowed, but most was still in the field. I decided it was a good opportunity to get some tractor pictures so I took my camera with me. I had gotten a new zoom lens that went to 300 and thought I would try it out. After I photographed the tractor I walked past another field where the wheat was right next to the road. I noticed the beautiful range of gold, blue and green colors in the wheat and took some photos. While photographing the wheat I thought it would be fun to play with overlaying the tractor on the close-up of the wheat. This would result in an interesting texture under the tractor. When I got home I tried it and the design for Harvest Time was born.

I painted the wheat first using fluid acrylic so the wheat pattern would not diffuse when I paint the tractor over the wheat. The tractor was done in watercolor. Since the wheat is primarily golden I wanted a blue and purple tractor to create a nice complement to the wheat. The tractor I had photographed was blue and green, so I replaced the green parts of the tractor with purple. Not a color that would be typical in a tractor but I believe combining the purple with the blue made it believable and provided an exciting contrast with the surrounding wheat.

Below are two photographs of the work in progress. The first shows only the acrylic painting of the close up wheat (Masking fluid still on the painting), the second shows the painting after the tractor was added and the masking fluid removed, but before I have painted on the masked areas to integrate these lighter passages.

Harvest Time WIP: Acrylic background of
close-up wheat

Harvest Time WIP: After adding watercolor
combine and
removing much of the masking fluid

Click here to Contact April

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.

Monday, January 29, 2018

How to Protect Your Art During Shipping

I recently found out my painting "Department Store" was accepted into the 31st Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors. Since I live in the Baltimore-Washington area and the exhibition is in Old Forge, NY I have to ship my art out of state for the first time. When you ship your art you want it to arrive safe and sound at your customer’s location or at the gallery. You have invested yourself into your art and you want others to enjoy it, so you want to make sure that can happen. So I asked some friends their experience and recommendations for shipping to exhibitions and I spoke to my insurance provider about insurance during transit. Here is the process I plan to follow. If you have anything to add, please comment on this blog.

Every care must be taken to ensure the art is properly packed. Since accidents can happen during shipping you may also want to have documentation to ensure you get reimbursed if it gets damaged in shipping. You’ve paid for shipping insurance, so you need documentation to ensure you can prove you properly packaged your art. You also don't want your packing materials misplaced at the destination so the art is properly packed at the end of the exhibition. Here are the steps I will use when shipping framed art.

Department Story by April M Rimpo in shipping box

Make sure your art is clean and ready to ship (properly labeled, your bio on the back of the painting with a summary of your inspiration for the buyer).
Photograph the art (have the date turned on in your camera so you can prove it was immediately before shipping). One shot of the full painting and frame. One close up of each corner showing a segment of the art with a 2^nd close-up of each corner showing the frame corner is free of mars or dents (show a little of the painting so it can be correlated with the artwork).
Prepare the foam insert so your art fits snugly.
If shipping to a gallery or exhibition, label all packing materials with your name so none of the packing foam gets lost by the gallery or handling agent.
Photograph the outside of the box to show the condition of the shipping container on the outside.
Place your art in the shipping container and photograph it with the cover open to show the painting is secure within the box (insurance won’t cover your art if they can claim the art was not securely packaged.).
Place a copy of shipping address labels inside your package in case the outside gets damaged. This will allow the carrier to still deliver the art.
Insert the Return Shipping Label in the carton per the exhibit shipping instructions. Most shipping companies (FedEx, UPS) allow you to create a return shipping label. If you don't know how to create the return shipping label, take the art to the shipper without taping the box. They can make the Return Shipping Label for you to place in the package before shipping.
Close and tape the box and photograph one last time to show the final condition of the box.

RedDotBlog has a great post on the packing process for 2-D art. They show you how to create a shipping box and double boxing the artwork. See it here

Interested in April's classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who include a selection of General Interest you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Thank you for your interest.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Thursday, October 19, 2017

New Series: How do you feel?

Bubbling with Joy by April M Rimpo

Bubbling with Joy

Watercolor on Yupo

Varnished

12" X 12" Brushed Silver Frame

$375

Effervescent by April M Rimpo

Available for Purchase

Effervescent

Watercolor on Yupo

Varnished

12" X 12" Brushed Silver Frame

$375

Available for Purchase

United (diptych)

Watercolor on Yupo

Two 18" X 12" paintings in

24" X 18" Gold Metal Frames

$1125 for diptych

Available for Purchase Now

Contact April if you are interested in purchasing separately ($625 each)

Shop my Online Store

Copyright April M Rimpo

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

"Parade Play" watercolor by April M Rimpo

Friday, September 25, 2020

"First Look" a 12" X 12" Watercolor on Aquabord

Sunday, September 20, 2020

"The Love-Birds Boat", Watercolor, 24" X 36"

Saturday, July 18, 2020

A Glint of the Sun, watercolor 14" X 11"

"Keeping Us Fed", Watercolor, 15" X 7" with black frame

Friday, June 26, 2020

"Let's Dance" 24" X 20" watercolor

Monday, May 11, 2020

Moment to Relax, 15.5" X 15.5" watercolor on Aquabord

Thursday, April 18, 2019

"Making Tortillas" fluid acrylic & watercolor 30" X 19"

Thursday, February 28, 2019

"Student Brushes" 15" X 21" watercolor

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

"Aglow" 14" X 10" fluid acrylic and watercolor

Thursday, July 26, 2018

"Harvest Time", 29" X 34" watercolor and fluid acrylic

Monday, January 29, 2018

How to Protect Your Art During Shipping

Thursday, October 19, 2017

New Series: How do you feel?

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