Ruth Pastine is an American artist renown for her abstract style. Ruth Pastine was born in New York City in the year 1964.
Pastine attended the State College of New York and Cooper Union College earning a B.F.A. The artist went on to earn a M.F.A. from Hunter College located in New York City. She also studied briefly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Ruth Pastine is married to artist Gary Lang.
Price range information: Sorry none available.
Below a great interview with Ruth Pastine including many works by the artist:
Although the artist works often in oils, she reminds me of artist Freddy Chandra. Chandra uses acrylic, resin, and varnish but I find the two artists end up with similar colors in their paintings.
František or Frank Kupka was an painter renown for his abstract style. Athough he is best known for his abstract style, Kupka also painted in a realist style. Frank Kupka was born in Bohemia in the year 1871. This area is now the Czech Republic.
Kupka attended the Academy of Fine Arts located in Prague. Kupka also attended the Academy of Fine Arts located in Vienna, Austria. In addition the artist also lived in Paris and briefly attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academy Julien.
Kupka began his art career as an illustrator of books and a poster artist. Around 1910 the artist began working in an abstract style.
The artist helped to found a movement of abstract artists in Paris called the Abstract-Creation group.
The artist served in World War One and this surprised many people as he was nearly three decades older than most of his teammates.
Below a montage of works by Frantisek Kupka. Realist works are in the beginning of the clip and abstract works towards the latter:
Frank Kupka passed away in 1957 at the age of 85 years of age.
Price range information: Works range from $10,000 to $900,000. The artist worked in many mediums including ink, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, pastels, crayons, and oils. No pricing available for posters or etchings.
Sally Michel was born in 1902 in Brooklyn, New York. She would go on to be the wife of renown Modernist painter Milton Avery. Sally Avery Michel was earning a good living when she married Milton Avery in 1926.
Price range information: Sally Michel painted in both watercolors and oils ranging from $3,000 to $20,000.
Another key aspect in her her development was her classes at the Art Students League of New York and then would travel to Gloucester, MA to paint her wonderful landscapes. It was during one of these summers she met Milton, in 1924. In 1926 the couple married. She was earning a good living as an illustrator, so Milton was able to concentrate on improving his own artwork.
The couple would have a daughter named March Avery, who would go on to become a professional artist and I promise she will be the next post.
The couple would often pose for each other. The work below is of the artist’s husband Milton, painted by Sally Michel.
Sally Avery Michel passed away in 2003, surpassing the century mark! Awesome!
Sally Michel is part of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in New York City.
What an artistic family with most having a similar style of seeing things. If I were to compare them to contemporary family it would be the McCaw family based out of California.
Milton Avery was born in Altmar, New York in the year 1885. His father tanned animal hides and Avery found his first job at age sixteen working in a factory.
Avery began to attend classes at the Connecticut Art Students League. Avery would win some regional awards. He would get married to an illustrator and the income she earned from her illustration career allowed him to concentrate on his artwork.
The couple would move to New York City and Avery attendwd classes at the Art Student’s League of New York. A major collector saw his work, bought 100 or so pieces of Avery’s work, and donated them to museums all around the globe.
The couple had one child, March Avery, who is a professional artist. March Avery will be the next entry.
Avery was seen as the American version Matisse. Avery enjoyed working with flat planes of color. Even in his portraits the viewer is shown the relationships of color that exist rathet than an exact likeness.
Milton Avery passed away in 1965, at the age of 79 years old.
Price range information: Avery’s works at auction have broken the $3 million dollar barrier.
In this clip we view many works by Milton Avery:
Next up will be his daughter, March Avery. Both paint in a similar style/ manner.
John Nieto is a contemporary American artist born in Denver, Colorado in the year 1936. Nieto works with the western genre. Rather than use subdued greys as you might find with Frederick Remington or Charlie Russell, Nieto employs bold color painting with acrylics.
In this clip we visit the Nieto art gallery. Its surely a family business and we meet many members of the Nieto family.
For his collegiate education Nieto attended Southern Methodist University located in Dallas, Texas.
Nieto has works in the collection of the Presidential Library.
Early in his career the artist also produced sculptures in bronze. Now he paints and also is a printmaker.
John Nieto is part of the Marine Corps Museum located in Washington D.C., and the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art.
Price range information: Prints range from $700 to $5,000. Originals in oils can reach as high as $20,000.
Johannes Sveinsson Kjarval was born in 1885 in Iceland. His is a great story of triumph! Kjarval was born into poverty and adopted as a child. As a teenager he found work as a fisherman. At this time he also befriended a professional artist named Asgrimur Jonsson. Kjarval was a prolific painter and made thousands of drawings and paintings of the rugged landscapes of the Icelandic region.
Whilst still working as fisherman he was able to gain entry into the Danish Royal Academy of Art located in Copenhagen, Denmark. With some financial help from his fellow fisherman, he was able to go to this fine art institution.
Johannes Kjarval passed away in 1972.
Kjarval appeared on the 2000 krona currency note.
What a great story of the life and struggle of an artist to overcome!
Johannes Kjarval is included in the Reykjavik Art Museum and below we visit some works at this museum. Kjarval’s work appears at 1:30 into the clip.
Price range information: Most works are in oils and range from $10,000 to $250,000. Kjarval occasionally worked in watercolor.
Kazuyuki Ohtsu was born in the year 1935 in Izesaki City, Gunma Prefrecture, Japan. For many years he worked in the shadow of the master artist Kiyoshi Saito, profiled here already. Once Saito passed away in 1998, Ohtsu jumped into his long awaited spotlight. But in the Asian culture it is very important to be loyal to your master and give him your service.
The artist learned about printing at the Umera Hanga studio in Tokyo, Japan.
Price range information: Works range from $250 to $2,000.
Ohtsu has a calender out for 2014. Very encouraging work.
Stephen Westfall is an American painter born in Schenectady, New York in the year 1953. For his artistic education he attended the University of California at Santa Barbara earning a bachelors and masters degree from the institution.
In his art he takes influence froma variety of places for his grids including cityscapes of New York City and even Native American Indian rugs and pottery from the New Mexico area. Westfall started working with a symmetrical grid, but then took his grid one further twisting and turning it so the shapes were uneven.
The artist works in a variety of mediums including gouache, oils, alkyds.
price range information: Sorry none available.
Winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007.
Westfall is based out of New York City.
The artist has worked as a critic and a professor. He was a teacher at Bard College and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Westfall works in a grid pattern that he was inspired to create after seeing the work of Agnes Martin. Below an example of Martin’s style. She worked in a grid format and also more colorful compositions.
In this clip we visit our dear friend James Kalm and go to a show curated by Stephen Westfall. Westfall is also included in the exhibition and his work appears at 4:30 in to the clip:
Meelia Kelly was born in Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory, in the year 1940. She developed into an artist rather late in her life, similar to American folk artist Grandma Moses. Meelia Kelly was only in the print collection from 2001 to 2006 when she passed away. Her favorite subject was birds.
Kelly was first included in the annual print collection in 2001 at the age of 61!
I love the way the artist uses a variety of abstract shapes alongside very bold color statements. The color is outstanding for a print work!
Meelia Kelly passed away in 2006.
Had a sister named Sheojuk Etidlooie who was in the annual print collection beginning in the 1990s.
price range information: Most works range $500 to $1,000.
Ira Barkoff is a contemporary American artist who works with the landscape in a very colorful fashion. According to his artistic statement Barkoff was ten years old when he realized he wanted to capture images and emotions thru painting. His favorite subjects are the land and sky. As a child his parents took him to the Catskill Mountains. This was the same place where the Hudson River School got its start.
For his artistic education Barkoff attended Pratt University. In addition he was to study at the Art Students League of New York City under such legends as Robert Beverly Hale.
The artist is based out of Cornwall, Connecticut.
I love what the artist says in his artistic statement. “Each work is a muli-layered statement of how I feel about nature.
price range information: Sorry none available.
In this clip we see a wonderful landscape work by Ira Barkoff:
What a great artist who captures the land in a very emotional manner and loaded with atmospheric effects.
If you enjoy looking at the landscape with vibrant color also check out the work of artist Gail Morris.
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