"The Bakery" 24" X 24" Fluid Acrylic

The Bakery by April M Rimpo

The Bakery was the result of a trip to the Hudson River Valley. My husband and I wandered around though the towns of the valley for several days enjoying the sights, food and wine.  While there we had to stop at the Culinary Institute of America have lunch in one of their restaurants and wander around outside on a lovely fall day. We also stopped in their cafe which had this bakery that served wonderful snacks and coffees.  I was drawn to all the activity in the bakery and found I could take some nice reference photos through their bakery window. When working on such a busy scene you really have to pick and chose what you want to include to get a feel for the busy atmosphere but not have a painting that is so overwhelming that you don't know where to look. 

The Bakery

Fluid Acrylic

24" X 24" image

$1395
31.5" X 31.5" brushed silver frame

Selected for the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's
38th Annual International Juried Exhibition

Received an Honorable Mention Award
(All award recipients shown here)

I liked weaving lavender colors through the bakery to offset all the warm colors of the breads and wooden shelves. I think they also provided a nice way to include a sense of depth to the scene.

Generally I start most of my paintings working the full sheet as a unit and maybe toward the end I work final details one section at a time. However on some paintings I feel I need to work section by section from the start nearly to completion before moving on.  The Bakery was one of these paintings.  Perhaps because there was so much detail of the figures, bread, shiny reflective appliances in the bakery that I felt I have to pay attention to details nearly from the start.

When I work this way, I really have to pay attention to keeping a consistent feel throughout the painting and work so there are still restful areas that don't detract for the whole of the painting.  The images of some of the earlier steps of the painting are shown in earlier blog post to give you a sense of how it developed. I provided links to these other posts below.

At the end I needed to work around the whole painting to either subdue or enhance areas to make The Bakery hold together as one.

• Work in progress - Day 1
• Work in progress #2
• Work in progress #3

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.

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Des Colores: Movement III 18" X 24" Fluid Acrylic

Movement III by April M Rimpo

Movement III

Acrylic

18" X 24" image

I love color.  I still think the lights and darks (value range) of a painting are the most important design element to make a painting work, but the colors can really make a painting sing.

Last year I experimented with a number of color combinations described in a book by Stephen Quiller, Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out Of Color Theory. This painting shows one combination that really appealed to me and I have now used several times: Lime Green, Orange, and Purple. Yes, there are touches of Pthalo blue as well, but it was used to create the Lime Green, so leaving a little of it felt right in this painting. There is not enough to alter the primary color combination I chose to use. 

This painting was about the energy and speed of the cyclists who were competing in a triathlon. The abstracted background added not just a fascinating backdrop to the cyclists but helped communicate their speed since it would out of focus and really a blur of color as they moved through the world. I admire cyclists and love to share their energy with others as part of telling their story. 

This painting has exhibited in the following exhibitions:

• 26th Annual International Society of Experimental Artists (2017) Sanibel Island, Florida

• 2^nd Annual Online All-Member Juried Exhibition of the International Society of Acrylic Painters (2017)

Here are a couple other paintings where I used the same Lime Green, Orange, and Purple combination.

Cycling
Floral Wonderland
Sunset
Dancers
Shadows on the Path
Country II
Chicadee

Other paintings of cyclists
Movement Series
Cycling and Race

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.

25th Annual Colored Pencil Society of America International Exhibition

The Mansion at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland is hosting the Color Pencil Society of America International Exhibition through August 6, 2017. There are pieces by 119 artists on display throughout the mansion. The artists are from across the United States and from Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Spain. 

Side Street by Katherine Thomas

I went with a fellow artist who also wanted to see this exhibit.  While driving there, I mentioned a pencil artist who I hoped had a piece in the exhibit because I think her work is so magnificent. When we entered the first room of the exhibit, there was her piece, Side Street. I couldn't have been happier. Having only seen her work online, it was fantastic to see it in person.  I was so pleased to see that it was even nicer than I imagined. My image (at right) does not do it justice. 

I was happy to see that another artist friend, Deborah Maklowski, is also included in this exhibit. In fact, I had recently seen her demonstrate colored pencil at a gallery where we both have work for sale. I believe her piece is the only abstract in the exhibit. The form and colors were magnificent and can't wait to talk to her about it.

Adrenaline by Jesse Lane

We wandered through the exhibit for nearly two hours stopping and examining the wide variety of subjects and techniques used by these artists. Some are huge and we wondered how many months they took to complete. Others are much smaller gems, done with such a delicate touch - conveying a soft, quiet beauty. Some used techniques we have never seen before and left us guessing how they were created.  

These artists also provided us with smiles or outright laughter through their titles. One depicts a hummingbird, all fluffed up and perched below an icicle. It is titled, "Shoulda Listened to Rufous, Thought Anna." 

As you can see, we were not the only people stopping and discussing the amazing pencil drawings in this exhibition. Adrenaline may have been the largest piece on display. The water splashes surrounding the man were frozen in space and time. 

These boys were actively engaged in the exhibit, while they wandered through with their mother. It was great to see such a young audience as mesmerized as we were.

Having done colored pencil work in my twenties I was in awe of the talent shown here. Some used the type of pencil stroke that I learned but others used such a light touch and smooth drawing surface that you couldn't see any strokes at all. If someone had told me they were air brushed paintings I would have believed them.

Enjoy the images I've shared here, but these barely scratch the surface of what you will see at this exhibit. If you can, you should make your way to see it yourself.

TheBachelorPad by MarshaGilger

 


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.