" Beach Vacation" 11" X 24" watercolor

Beach Vacation by April M Rimpo

Beach Vacation

Watercolor, Varnished

11" X 24" painting

In 1.25” wide brushed silver frame, overall frame size is 13.25” X 26.25”

Beach Vacation brings back memories of many years of trips to the beach. My first beach trips were to the beautiful white sands on the Atlantic City Beach, way before the casinos moved there. The beaches in New England, where I grew up, had tan sand, while those in Oregon were slightly more rock and I found myself mesmerized by the Pacific Ocean, not paying much attention of the color of the sand.

Being the designer of this painting, I decided to give a rose colored cast to the sand, just for the fun of it, although I do believe I’ve seen coral colored beaches somewhere over the years.

I hope my painting takes you to a beach you enjoyed in your lifetime.

This painting was selected for the Georgia Watercolor Society National Show 2021 by John Salminen.

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

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.

"Village Connector" watercolor 12" X 24"

Village Connector, watercolor by April M. Rimpo

Village Connector

Watercolor

12" X 24"

in 12" X 24" black frame 

Available through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

The inspiration to paint this scene more than two decades ago occurred during a visit to Interlaken, Switzerland.  This view was across the road from the hotel where we stayed. Staying in the second-story room was lucky, providing this view. 

Sometimes it takes years to figure out how to paint a beautiful scene, such as this. I hope Village Connector brings back some wonderful memories for you.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

My Feature Online Show - Telling Stories - May/June 2020

Telling Stories - Feature Show by HorseSpirit Arts Gallery of art by April M Rimpo

May 17 - June 12, 2020

Click Here to see a Preview of my Online Show - under 3 minutes

Click Here for a Detailed Look at Each Painting (12.5 Minutes)

This feature show transitioned from HorseSpirit Art Gallery's physical gallery at Historic Savage Mills to an Online Show at the link provided above.  April reveals several new paintings in this show. You'll see some new themes in April's work but all with a story to share. She'd love to hear what story you see in her work as that enriches the work for all.

In April's art she uses Color and Light to Tell Stories of Life.  Some are stories that capture history, show reveal the effects of time, others are a quiet spot where you can get lost in a calm and dreamy world. She has also included some small work of clouds that return April to her childhood when she would lie in the grass with a friend and they'd tell each other what they saw in the clouds.  

These is a small series that portrays seasons of the year. Rather than just capture the iconic symbols of each season April included birds that she sees at the bird feeders her husband set up in the backyard of their home. In these paintings the birds are all placed on the same mailboxes but their setting changes in each, transporting you from garden, to lake, to farm country, and a snowing drift. 

Most of the work is watercolor that has been mounted, varnished, and either framed or gallery wrapped around stretcher bars.  A few of the pieces are fluid acrylics that are also painted on watercolor paper.  Six of the pieces were painting on Aquabord, a trademarked clay surface available from Ampersand Supplies. These too are varnished providing a very modern display with no glazing.  Two of the watercolors use traditional framing under Plexiglas and a white mat. 

If the 3 minute video peaks your interest, please consider joining Online sessions on the HorseSpirt Arts Gallery's Facebook Page

• Opening: May 17 2 PM EDT - Tune in to see Robin Holliday interview April
• Facebook Live Artist Talk: Friday, May 29 at 7 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

April will also present a Facebook Live demonstration -  painting Magnificent Skies 

• May 23, 2 - 4 PM EDT

Also feel free to comment on this post with any questions you may have about the art shown in the video.

Questions can also be directed to HorseSpirit Arts Gallery at:

301.490.2001        info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

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.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Music License:

Schubert - Piano Trio In B Flat (2nd Movement) performed by Apollo Symphony Orchestra 
License Agreement with SHUTTERSTOCK MUSIC CANADA ULC, doing business as PremiumBeat.com

Artwork 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.

The Weather Held Out for the Plein Air Event

Just Past Dawn, fluid acrylic on 9"x12" canvas board
by April M Rimpo

Once a year the Columbia Art Center holds a Plein Air Event (paint out) in the Fall.  I love that this event is NOT in the middle of the summer like so many others. I dislike the heat of summer, so I don't consider participating in those events.  We had a tiny sprinkle of rain, but not enough to slow us down.  

Although I arrived thinking I would only do one painting then go home, I did bring a second surface in case I caught the bug and had to do another. I painted this year at Lake Kittimaqundi. The first was fluid acrylic on canvas board. I started it shortly after sunrise and was successful at keeping in mind how it looked at that moment even as the sky, water, and reflections continued to change while I painted.

When I did a plein air painting on Wilde Lake in 2017 I kept falling in love with every change of the reflections in the water and was unsuccessful in sticking to my plan.  I was still happy with the result, but it took much longer to finish that painting since I kept changing it.  You can change the water and not change other aspects of the painting since the sky affects the water reflections, so there is a big ripple effect each time you change the plan.

I scoped out where I wanted to paint a couple days before the event.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and I arrived at noon.  The light was quite different from the day of the event where we started with some blue sky in the east but gradually clouded over to a variety of gray clouds as the day progressed.  Because of the difference in time of day and light, the place I wanted to paint looked quite different, but the view across the lake was wonderful.

By the Foot Bridge, 8"x8" watercolor & fluid acrylic
 on Aquabord by April M Rimpo

The second spot I scoped out for a painting was just to the right of where I stood for the morning painting. All I did was pivot to my right and do the second painting.  It was a fantastic spot. 

For the first hour or so I was alone in that area, with the exception of a few walkers and runners who were enjoying the walking trail. I heard a few people talking who noticed me and recalled the plein air event was that day, but no one came over and talked to me.  Although I enjoyed chatting while painting in 2017, that morning had me so drawn into painting that I was glad to be left in peace to paint.

A couple other artists arrived later but they too were busy creating. It was a fantastic day to be outside, granted with a few extra layers of clothes since mid-October can be cool.  I surprised myself and really considered going out to paint again on Sunday when the day started out with bright sun.  It did turn to rain so I was glad I had not ventured out, but I definitely understand why so many artists do love painting outdoors rather than in the studio. 

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. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

"Protectors" 24" X 12" Watercolor

Protectors Watercolor 24" X 12"
by April M Rimpo

Available on my website

Not far from Buckingham Palace in London, we saw these two on horseback. I assume they were part of the palace guards. It was after the celebration of the Queen's birthday, so it could have been some of those riding in the parade. This was the calm after the parade that contained lots of regalia. It must be the humidity in the air that made all the flowers and trees feel fresh and soft. It was a lovely place.

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. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

11 days into a 30 day challenge

I found out about this challenge after the first 2 days were compete, so I've got 9 images for the first 11 days. Unlike painting a day challenges where you are supposed to finish a painting per day, in this the goal is simply to do something artistic each day.  No requirement to complete anything.  However, I've used this as an opportunity to complete a variety of small works with only two requiring two days. One had been started before the challenge, but wasn't very far along. I hope you enjoy the variety. I certainly have enjoyed bouncing around on subject matter. 

September 2019 - First 9 days of 28 day Creativity Challenge

• Day 1 (for me) - Day's Journey - Watercolor - 14" X 11" 
• Day 2 -  Beginning of Village by the Sea, started as a demo piece in a Fluid Acrylic workshop - 21" X 15" 
• Day 3 - Village by the Sea, completed - Fluid Acrylic - 21" X 15"
• Day 4 - Beginning of Family Ties - Watercolor - 7" X 5"
• Day 5 - Mounted 3 watercolor paintings in preparation for varnishing
• Day 6 - Sketch of Willow trees and swans - concept drawing for painting
• Day 7 - Finished Family Ties - Watercolor - 7" X 5"
• Day 8 - Flowers of Fall - Watercolor - 24" X 6"
• Day 9 - Heading North - Watercolor - 4" X 4" X 2" block

I think my next painting will be a more typical larger painting that I might submit to an exhibition, if it comes out well enough.  We'll see what happens.

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. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

"Serenity Found" 20" X 60" watercolor

Serenity Found
Watercolor

20" X 60" painting
23" X 63" frame

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
Contact Info:m301.490.2001 info@horsespiritartsgallery.com

In Serenity Found my goal was to create a painting that could provide a great place to relax at the end of the day.  Taking inspiration from a photograph I took mid-morning and shifting it to sunset allowed me to contrast the distant mountains with the near desert plain using complementary colors and cool versus warm colors.  I decided to make it an early sunset so the horses wouldn't be entirely backlit, allowing me to show some of their details. 

I hope you enjoy viewing this painting and that it has a healing effect on you, removing any stresses from your day.

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. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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.

"Dream Scape" 10" X 13" fluid acrylic

- What Color is Your Dream? ...
...when the dreamweaver sees it is time to be through, she whispers a dream known only to you ... (Kittie N. Beletic)

Dream Scape by April M Rimpo

Dream Scape

10" X 10" X 1" Fluid Acrylic 

Available for purchase here 

I remember staring at the clouds to see what images I could find. As a child the images were often animals, but now I tend to see faces of people or shapes of people walking. I find this very relaxing and a way to get away from the stresses of the world. The sky can be a place to be removed and happy.

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? Interested in her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

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.

"A Cheery Place" 10" X 8" Acrylic

A Cheery Place by April M Rimpo

A Cheery Place

10" X 8" painting

11" X 9" Silver Wood Frame

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery
8600 Foundry Road, Savage, Maryland
in Historic Savage Mill 

Amsterdam is one of the few places outside the United States that my husband and I have traveled to more than once and would love to visit again. It is not just the city we love but The Netherlands in general. One of the places that really delighted me on our last trip was Volendam. This little town is traveled to by tourists mostly to visit the dock, to explore all the shops, and to try great food. We were lucky enough to wander through the town itself.  Among the wonderful sights was this little village.
Likely the first thing you noticed were the Minion trash cans outside these homes. You may have also noticed the bicycles lined up in the little alley behind the Minions. But one detail I didn't notice until I was painting this scene was that each home had a painting by the front door. I have never seen anything like this. How could you not fall in love with this village?

Click here to Contact April or visit her website to explore her paintings on the Art page.

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

Student Work from Night Landscape Workshop

Last Saturday I taught a "Night Landscape" workshop for a watercolor group that meets monthly for a one-day workshop.  When their normal instructor was not available they invited me to teach. It was great interacting with the eleven artists who came out on a rainy day to enjoy a day of art. 

I was definitely stretching their comfort zone by having them work with saturated paint (where there is a much more paint and less water) and stressing to put down the paint and don't touch it, let the paint do the work. Several commented that they wanted to loosen up and they found this process liberating. Other struggled with not working back into wet areas.


I wanted to show some of their results here. When I took these photos the skies were done but most still needed to add one more layer to the lower portion of the landscape to shift the grassy area from daylight to night.  

Some had incorporated the house, barn and figures and others had not. 

 As you can see most have a mask over the moon, allowing them to paint the sky without having to work around the moon.  Once the mask is gone they'll have a bright moon that they can subdue with a gray wash to create a few indications where the craters are on the surface.

Some even finished the trees.

It is always fascinating to see the results when a group of artists work from the same reference photo to see how they interpret the scene. 

I'll be teaching another session of this workshop for the Baltimore Watercolor Society on Saturday, October 27th. 

You can learn more and sign up for the workshop here.

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.

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.

Night Scenes by April Rimpo

Nighttime Stroll 30" X 24" Fluid Acrylic
by April M Rimpo

I've started a series of night scenes and wanted to share not only the paintings but a little bit about the pigments I used to accomplish these.

Nighttime Stroll

Fluid Acrylic

30" X 24" *

Quiet Times 11" X 14" Watercolor by April  Rimpo

Quiet Times

Watercolor

11" X 14" *

I often find it is best to experiment with color before starting a painting where I want something different.  In this case, the colors that work best for nighttime scenes are still luminous and not what artists call muddy.  Muddy colors are dull and lifeless.

In the fluid acrylic painting, Nighttime Stroll, I started with pale pastel color in the underpainting that I know would work well for the pale blossoms on the trees and also lend a glow to the rest of the surroundings.  The dark sky was worked second to get an idea of the value range from the lightest areas by the street lights to the darkest areas of the sky. At the very end I wet the entire surface and applied one final coat of the grayed blend of blue I was using in the sky over the entire surface (except by tree near the light) to add continuity and to shroud it all in night. The blend was primarily Indigo with touches of Permanent Alizarin Red, and Yellow Ochre to gray it.  These three colors have recently found there way into several of my fluid acrylic paintings, a new favorite triad of color for me.

Quite Time is watercolor and required a different set of pigments. This time a different triad of Daniel Smith Indanthrone Blue, Permanent Orange, and Hansa Yellow Medium. These were a new combination for me that I found through some research in a blog by Jane Blundell (https://janeblundellart.blogspot.com/search?q=mixing), where she presents complements that make a good "black" and perfect neutral blends.  I chose this particular triad also because it supports not only the dark sky but also a great set of greens that I knew I needed for the foreground. I love how three pigments can be used to create such a wide variety of colors.

I added a fourth color for the light sky areas (Daniel Smith Magnesium Blue). How I decided to use this particular color is a story for another blog post. 

* Both paintings will be varnished and framed. 

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.

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.

"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.

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.

Feature Exhibit at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

After a little over a year with HorseSpirit Arts Gallery, I am delighted to be featured in the gallery, from May 6 through May 27, 2018, along with Alice St. Germain-Gray. 

Alice St. Germain-Gray’s creative expressions merge both art & science to produce delicate and evocative pieces born of fire and glass. Her art has been featured in numerous publications, and she is a sought after contributor in workshops and conferences with national and international artists.

I share stories of places I've visited through my paintings. Some pieces are an amalgamation of various places, bringing the essence of each together to create an emotional expression, rather than a representation of just one.  It is important to me to use color to express my feelings about a place, so

my color palette varies with my emotions. Here are a few of the 24 paintings you will see at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery during May. HorseSpirit is located at 8090 Main Street, Ellicott City, Maryland.

Glacial River by April M Rimpo

Paddling by Aprl M Rimpo

The Dugouts by April M Rimpo

Dinner Line by April M Rimpo

Snack Time by April M Rimpo

Caboose by April M Rimpo

I'd love to see you at the gallery. If you can't attend on May 6th, let me know when you plan to visit and I'll try to meet you there.

Purchase through HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

410.461.3505 info@horsespiritartsgallery.com 

Open 6 days a week (Closed Tuesdays)

April’s paintings can be found in several editions of Arylicworks: The Best of Acrylic Painting and in the 2018 edition of Splash19: Illusion of Light, Best of Watercolor.

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.

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.