"Switching Point" a 11" X 14" watercolor

 

"Switching Point" © April M Rimpo

Switching Point

Watercolor on textured watercolor paper

11" X 14" Painting

$600 

includes a $50 framing budget, currently unframed.

The views along train tracks show a variety of subjects including cityscapes, rivers, mountains, and expansive fields. This painting looks at the workings of the railroad: the train light signals that keep trains on schedule avoiding collisions and the switches that move trains between tracks. The workers you see along the rails keep everything maintained. These are essential workers that keep this part of our infrastructure in order.

Switching Point is a watercolor on watercolor paper that was textured with a gesso and acrylic medium mixture. Working on a textured surface adds a lot of interest to the background. I textured this by using stamps to apply the gesso and acrylic mixture. The pattern was over most of the surface, shining through to different degrees depending on whether I subdued the pattern as I was painting.

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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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.

"Rush Hour" 36" X 24" Fluid Acrylic

Rush Hour by April M Rimpo

Rush Hour

Fluid Acrylic

36" X 24" gallery wrapped

$2075

April Rimpo is one of 63 artists selected for Maryland Federation of Art's

 American Landscapes Exhibition

by show juror Joann Moser. Joann Moser, Senior Curator Emerita, of Smithsonian American Art Museum was the Museum’s Senior Curator of Graphic  Arts from 1986- 2016.

Rush Hour will be on exhibit August 23rd through September 2, 2018 Reception and Awards: Sunday, September 9th, 3-5pm 

ABOUT THE PAINTING
Although the traffic was at a halt, the undulation of the rolling hills, making waves of city buildings appear before us, provides a different type of motion through the city. I can only hope the drivers, who are waiting to move, can see how lovely the city is laid out before them. Even the crane, that reveals the constant change in every city, seems to add to the rhythm of city life.

You can see more "Traffic Jam" paintings at these links:

• Traffic Jam at the Concert - Concert goes waiting on the ticket takers
• Traffic Jam - Sometimes it doesn't take much
• Traffic Jam III - Cyclists backed up at a crossing
• Full to the Limit - An overloaded canal
• Thoroughfare - Amsterdam: More bikes and trikes than you can believe
• Traffic Jam II - No spot at the port for the incoming boat
• Country Tour - Cars waiting on a bike race
• Trapped - Traffic congestion in a tunnel

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.

"Construction Rhythms" 12" X 20" Fluid Acrylic

Construction Rhythms I by April M Rimpo

Construction Rhythms

Fluid Acrylic

12" X 20" painting
18" X 27" bronze-tone metal frame

$960

Artist's Artwork Statement

Construction Rhythms was a fun painting to design. Whenever you have figures in scene they become an automatic focal point. Deciding where to place them was the challenge. I also loved the ladders and orange lifts, but didn't want them to take precedence over the men. After playing around with different croppings I decided to use this Cross layout, placing the standing man next to the crossing point. He is also between the two orange lifts, which are color spots that will automatically attract your eye. I'm hoping the man on the lower-right platform is a happy surprise.

I love the patterns of the construction platforms, the ladders, and the architectural lines; so I decided to incorporate additional subtle patterns in quieter passages of the building to repeat those shapes.

For the color scheme I decided on a triad of blue, orange, and yellow. Browns are considered part of the yellow family and can be mixed using combinations of blue and orange. The grays were combinations of all three elements of the triad.  

Construction Rhythms received the 3rd Place Award in the MFA 2018 National Online Exhibition "Working for a Living"

Construction Rhythms was also exhibited in the Illinois Watercolor Society's 34th National Exhibition, May 3 - May 24, 2019

Also see Digging a Hole - another painting of men at work

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.

"Digging a Hole" 12" X 12" Fluid Acrylic

Digging a Hole by April M Rimpo

Digging a Hole

Fluid Acrylic 

12" X 12" mounted on a board and varnished, ready to frame

$400, including shipping within the United States

Available for Purchase Here

I've been thinking about painting construction workers for a while. Generally I am amused by the fact that, if there are three workers at a site, it typically looks like one is working and the others are watching. The day I photographed these men, who were digging a hole related to the installation of new traffic signals, I saw both of them were working quite hard. The particular shot that resulted in this painting happened to be taken shortly after the standing man finished digging the hole and the other was now starting to work inside it.  No disrespect to either man. 

Anyone who works in the elements: in construction, landscaping, installations like the one shown here, deserve a thanks for braving whatever the weather may serve up on a given day.  They don't get to pick and choose which days they'll be working outdoors. Since I dislike both very hot and very cold weather I appreciate what these people do for us.

Also see Construction Rhythms I - another painting of men at work

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.

Exhibit at Children's National Medical Center

January 10 2018 - March 31, 2018

The Children's National Medical Center

West Wing corridor

A Taste of Touchstone

111 Michigan Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20010

Buyers are to contact directly with Greg Scott, Gallery & Exhibit Coordinator, at the Children National Hospital. 
25% OF SALES GOING TO CC&TAS/CNMC

This exhibit features a variety of artwork by members of Touchstone Gallery.  We each have a small sampling of our art intended to nurture wellness for the patients, their families, and the staff.

Creative & Therapeutic Arts Services Coordinates the Gallery & Exhibit Space

Children’s National has provided artistic programming to patients, families and staff since 1978. Our Creative & Therapeutic Arts Services team of professionals brings the cultural and healing arts to over 10,000 patients annually regardless of condition. Our mission is to integrate the expressive arts, therapeutic animal visitation, the performing arts and healing space design with traditional medical practices to foster a holistic health experience where patients may continue their learning and growth development process during their hospital stay. Our goals are to foster an atmosphere of cultural tolerance, promote wellness through self-expression, support patients and their families during a difficult time, offer patients choice and variety, and create an aesthetically pleasing environment…all through the power of the arts.

Bumblebee
Watercolor
22" X 15", available framed in a 27" X 20" brushed silver frame.
$500

Lakeside

Acrylic on Canvas

9" X 12" painting in a 14" X 17"  frame

$325

The Conservatory

Watercolor

18" X 12" 

in 24"X18" brushed silver frame with white mat

$600

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.

"Fanciful" 20" X 16" fluid acrylic

Fanciful by April M Rimpo 

Fanciful

Fluid Acrylic

20" X 16" painting

27.5" X 23.5" framed with white mat

Available at HorseSpirit Arts Gallery

Phone: 410-461-4505
Email: info@HorseSpiritArtsGallery.com 
Open: Open 6 days a week, check their website for hours

Everywhere you turn in the center of Brussels, Belgium are pinnacles, spires, amazing carvings and building facades. This particular set of spires makes me think of the castle in Disneyland and wonder what was the inspiration for that castle when it was designed. 

There was something about the juxtaposition of these apparently older buildings with more modern structures with nothing but squared or corners and deep-set windows. Perhaps if all of the buildings brandished spires they would become less special and the fantasy will diminish.  All I know is they were dreamy to me and just needed to be recreated for you through my eyes. 

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.

"Tenement" 14" X 29" watercolor

Tenement by April M Rimpo

Tenement

watercolor

14" X 29" image

20" X 35" brushed silver frame

$975 within the United States*

Available in Touchstone Gallery's Online Store

In Tenement I played with darks and lights making what was shadow areas in my photograph light and bright areas dark.  I call this an "inverse" painting. I also played with colors using vibrant colors in the now lit areas of the brick wall and rich, dark blues and purples for the now dark areas.  The fire-escape stairs and railings were done in light neutral colors to separate them from the wall. When I compare this with the original photograph I feel looking at this painting is much more exciting.  See my source photo below.

At left is the Analog color scheme I selected for the painting. The color charts from Color Scheme Designer provide various strengths of each color and some blends of the colors.  I use two blues, burnt orange, and a purple to create this painting, so I stayed fairly true to the plan, shifting the rose color more to the purple end of the spectrum and adding some a lighter blue.

My source photo

I think my inverse approach has led to interesting paintings that is fun for the viewer to take in and figure out.  One of my other paintings done using the same approach is described in my blog post Fire Escape.

I'd love to hear whether you find this approach draws you into the painting or if something closer to the source photo would have been closer to what you like.  

* Contact April regarding purchase outside the United States

Paintings at New Masters Art Gallery

New Masters Art Gallery is an exciting new gallery in Rockville, Maryland located in Artists & Makers 2 Studios at 12276 Wilkins Ave, Rockville, Maryland.  It is located on the top floor of Artists & Makers 2, with a beautifully lit, spacious gallery that supports 36 artists in the Metro DC area.  

During May 2017, April M Rimpo's paintings will be featured  along with four other artists in an exhibition called "Visual Envelopes."  Each artist brings their own view of the world to this exhibit. Below are images of April's paintings included in this exhibition; each with a link to assist you with your purchase if you see that piece that just calls out your name.

Just in time for #BikeMonth, April has several paintings with bicycles and cyclists in them.  In addition to loving to paint bicycles, April loves to share moments in time, often expressed through dramatic lighting. Madison Square Fountain is an example, as is Aglow, and Street in Sololá,                                                                        Enjoy!

Madison Square Fountain

Madison Square Fountain - $615 - Watercolor framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here

Morning in Provence

On Duty

On Duty - $450 - Fluid Acrylic gallery wrapped
Available for purchase by clicking here



Morning in Provence - $795 - Watercolor framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here

City

Plant Your Bike Here

City- $250 - Mixed Media gallery wrapped
Available for purchase by clicking here





Plant Your Bike Here - $195 - Fluid Acrylic mounted on deep wood panel
Available for purchase by clicking here

Cycling

Race

Cycling - $375 - Fluid Acrylic gallery wrapped
Available for purchase by clicking here


Race - $540 - Fluid Acrylic varnished and framed
Available for purchase by clicking here

Aglow

Ready to Roll

Ready to Roll - $995 - Watercolor and Gouache framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here

Aglow - $375 - Fluid Acrylic and Watercolor framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here

Street in Sololá

Fruit Vendors

Fruit Vendors - $975 - Watercolor framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here


Street in Sololá - $790 - Watercolor framed with a white mat
Available for purchase by clicking here

Full to the Limit

Full to the Limit - $650 - Fluid Acrylic varnished and framed
Available for purchase by clicking here



The other artists included in "Visual Envelopes" are Catherine Nickle, Brian Fisher, Jennifer Rutherford, and Galina Kolosovskaya. 

The Opening reception is on Friday, May 5, from 6 - 9 PM. 
Video of the exhibit

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.