Interview with Rick Buttari

Rick Buttari, Water Ice Factory, 10 X 14 inches, Oil on Linen

Rick Buttari will be showing new paintings for the month of September and F.A.N. Gallery.

We got the chance to ask him a few questions about his work.

Rick Buttari, Beach Scene With Orange And Yellow, 6 X 20, Oil on Linen

KM: What is your first creative memory?

RB:  I remember seeing photos of celebrities in magazines and wondering if I could draw them, or more specifically, what about that flat image on the page translated to a three-dimensional living thing when you transferred it to a sheet of paper.  I remember taking tracing paper and tracing the outline of a picture from McCall’s magazine, something my mother subscribed to.  It looked crude and mechanical but something made me want to try it again and figure out what kind of marks on the paper would make it seem like that person.  Then I started to draw pictures from my own Sport magazine, baseball and football players.  Somewhere on a sheet of paper inside a scrapbook I have a drawing of Sandy Koufax, probably the first freehand drawing I made.  I guess I was about 10 or 11.

 

Rick Buttari, Gawkers, 10 1/2 X 10 inches, Graphite on Paper

KM: How do you choose your subject matter?

RB: I don’t know if I choose subject matter as much as choose a sense of situation that feels right.  I’ve noticed, and been told, that a lot of my work has kind of an objective distance from the subject, like I’m sitting far away and observing, not part of the scene.

 

Rick Buttari, Shirt Corner, 13 X 20 inches, Oil on Canvas

KM: Your paintings are so realistic and detailed. How do you know when a painting is done?

RB: I was going to say that I listen for the singing of angels to let me know, but that hasn’t worked lately. I work at home upstairs in a very small studio.  When the painting’s in progress I bring it downstairs to the living room and lean it against the television cabinet and look at it from further away than I can get in my studio.  When I can look at it and take in the whole image in one gulp without my eye wandering restlessly, I assume it’s done.  

 

Rick Buttari, Lighthouse, 13 X 20 inches, Oil on Linen

KM: What inspires your work?

RB:  You know, you spend a lot of time looking and thinking.  You look at, say, the light that’s hitting the side of a building and you ask yourself if there’s something there for me, something I can make of it that might be a little different than what somebody else would make of it.  Or something that seems so important at the time that you can’t NOT paint it.That’s the whole ballgame isn’t it, trying to figure out what it is that you’re trying to figure out.

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Interview with David Bottini

David Bottini, May Meadow Breeze, 30 x 40 inches, acrylic on canvas

David Bottini will be showing his large landscape paintings at the gallery for the month of March. I feel like David’s paintings are a preview of spring and summer as we fill the gallery with his light infused landscapes.

KM: What is your first creative memory?

DB: It is toddler pre-memory, but my parents describe a naptime where I apparently woke-up and stood in my crib tearing off a wall collage that my mother had made – they discovered my “revision” when they checked-in on my nap … maybe I was exerting an emerging aesthetic?

I also remember loving crayons and paper – I am the youngest child, so I recall having crayons and piles of tractor-feed computer paper (my father was a computer programmer in the sixties) that I remember loving to fill with doodles and images. I spent considerable time with my grandfather (he lived with us) – so I always enjoyed the wanders into the woods and time spent in the garden with him … perhaps the seeds of my love of nature were established in those early years.

David Bottini, Summer Leaves, 24 x 12 inches, acrylic on canvas

KM:How long have you been painting?

DB: I had my first formal classes at 10 … worked at my art throughout high school. Really focused and engaged in the process during college and graduate school. So … 40 plus years of working to make paintings … perhaps the past 20 where I sense I am becoming a painter.

KM:Why do you paint?

DB: The reason has changed over the past 30 plus years. I originally painted because it allowed me to engage a fascination with paint, design, and color. As the years passed, and my technical prowess became more intuitive, I have come to see painting as the primary way I can share an articulate experience of the peace and contemplative solace that I find within nature.  Painting is now (excuse my cliché) a lifestyle … I  cannot imagine not working in the studio, and viewing my life experience through a painter’s eye. I sense that my reasons for painting will continue to evolve as I mature physically and creatively.

KM: Do you already have an image in your mind prior to painting or does it develop as you get started?

DB: Not a specific image so much as a sense of light, and the “feel” of a place. As I work from sketches and many photos for reference, I build a painting that conveys the experience I recall from that place.

David Bottini, March Snow, 40 x 40 inches, acrylic on canvas

KM: Can you tell me a little about your studio practice?

DB: I work in a traditional process that begins in direct experience. I take walks or go out for hikes 3 to 5 times each week. There are always places that attract me – I am drawn to a sense of both enclosure/embrace and some path that is implied or physical that leads outside of the area of embrace.
I generally take many (typically 45- 70 images) from any given location as reference. I will usually return for some very loose sketches.
In the studio, I generally begin with loose paint sketches on paper and then, if the subject/place engages my design interest I will move to a canvas study. I often work a 5 x 7 up to 11 x 14 inch range as my first iteration. If my interest is piqued, I return to a larger (and always revised) larger scale iteration. It is not unusual for my work building a larger canvas to involve weeks of engagement as I build 30 to 40 layers of glazes.

I see a similarity between developing a friendship and building a painting, if the subject is nourishing and continues to engage my art and design interest, I will pursue and maintain a dialogue with the subject. There are places that feel almost archetypal and have had me returning to the visual theme for years of paintings.

David Bottini, Sparkling Summer Morning, 24 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas

KM: What artists do you admire?

DB: I have a wide range of artists who inspire and instruct my work in the studio. I love Andrew Wyeth’s rich low-key palette and evocative handling of a familiar Pennsylvania landscape. I continue to be moved by Mark Rothko’s luminous color and still compositional space. I am awed by the luxury and vibrant energy of Maxfield Parrish’s compositional clarity and saturated palette. Corot pulls me into his deep environmental space and carries my eye through his composition with rhythmic brushstrokes and his use of a dark and subdued palette. The American Luminists and 20th Century graphic design represent bodies of work that offer me endless hours of visual study and inspiration. There are many others – including work done over the years by my students, who often make marks that are fresh, raw, and without analytical baggage.

David Bottini, Autumn Arrives 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas

KM: What do you do fun or to recharge yourself?

DB: I enjoy taking long walks and hikes into the woods whenever possible. I also enjoy any reason to take a train trip as well as reading food columns to find a bartender using small batch liquors and creative cocktail recipes. Eating small plates at wonderful bars is one of my favorite luxuries.

Recap: Gregory Prestegord, young working artist — NewsWorks

Gregory ran into Shai Ben-Yaacov on the train one day and invited him to his show at F.A.N.. Later Shai called Gregory and asked him about his work.  Recap: Gregory Prestegord, young working artist — NewsWorks.

Gregory Prestegord, “Impressions”, 12 X 12 inches, oil on panel

January Group Show

January Group Exhibition
Works by Gregory Prestegord

We are excited to show the work of so many of our wonderful artists this month. The show includes works by Gregory Prestegord, Serge Zhukov, Jesse J. Gardner, Charles Newman and Joshua Koffman. Also new paintings by Claire Haik, Kate Kern Mundie, Neil Berger, and David Bottini.

January Group Exhibition
Painting by Gregory Prestegord

The show features figurative sculpture by Joshua Koffman. Urban landscapes by Neil Berger, Kate Kern Mundie, Jesse J. Gardner, and Gregory Prestegord. Winter landscape by Serge Zhukov. Still life and landscape paintings by Charles Newman. Rural landscapes by David Bottini and Claire Haik.

January Group Exhibition
Works by Serge Zhukov, Jesse J. Gardner, Charles Newman and Joshua Koffman.

Fred and Greg in front of one of Greg’s paintings.

F.A.N.’s Newest Painter: Evan Harrington

Evan Harrington, “Pears With Atomizer,” 8 X 12 inches, oil on canvas

For June 2012 we welcome a new artist to F.A.N. Gallery.  Evan Harrington is a Bucks County native. He received his fine art training at various ateliers here and abroad, and is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

I wanted to find out a bit more about F.A.N.’s newest painter.

What advice has influenced you?

I am particularly interested in the advice given by musicians and athletes. They seem to experience the same situations and hurdles as a working artist, but from a different perspective. Two things stand out in my mind: practice and vision. Every time I pick up a brush or a pencil, I feel it is working towards improving my ease with the mediums. Each drawing and painting I work on, no matter how simple or complex, is working towards improving my hand-eye or hand-mind coordination. “Visual calisthenics” is what one of my friends calls it. Vision is the other major influence on my studio practice. It is important to be relaying some thought or visual idea through each piece of art. Some songwriters circle one theme their entire careers while others change it up with each piece they produce. Either way, vision is the backbone to the art I create.

Who taught you the most about art?

My father taught me how to paint and draw from an early age. My mother was instrumental in getting me to lessons and encouraging me. I had quite a few influential instructors along the way that helped me reach some of my own goals. I have always spent a good deal of time looking through books on various artists, which has expanded my knowledge and perspective of art. Of course, there is a huge component of self-discovery, which is also essential to a healthy growing artist.

Evan Harrington, “Abdul Holding A Toad,” 24 X 18 inches, oil on canvas

Your father is an artist.  Do you discuss art or your work with him? How is your work similar or different from his?

My dad, Glenn Harrington, has been working as a professional artist for over 30 years. We discuss art quite frequently. Most of the time, we bounce ideas off of each other.

It is hard for me to keep my work free and spontaneous while creating a large body of work for shows so it really helps that my father is constantly pushing me to branch out and try new ideas.

Many people do see our work as similar and some as entirely separate. I am so familiar with his work and so closely connected to mine, that I have no perspective in being able to see the differences or similarities. I rarely see him paint a still-life, and that is my main subject, so I suppose that is a considerable distinction. I can also sometimes detect our differences in brush work. One thing that I know we both share our interests in the same painters and paintings. Whenever we go to a museum or flip through a catalogue, we frequently agree on our favorite artwork.

When you are in need of inspiration are there particular things you read, listen to, or look at to fuel your work?

Every avenue of my life inspires painting. Seeing new places, meeting up with friends, a wonderful painting, all encourage me to get back to the easel. I thrive off of absorbing beauty and history while in the studio. A lot of times, this comes in the form of books. Sorolla, Degas, Kline, Sargent, Garber, and Velazquez are among my most frequently visited artists. I listen to every type of music available, it helps keep the energy and focus level up. My hobbies, which include tennis and aviation, help bring balance to my life and naturally inspire.

How did you get into aviation? 

As a kid, I spent several Saturdays going to the local regional airport to watch planes depart and land with my family. Also, I was fortunate to travel a good deal when I was young, so airports have always been an exciting place for me. A year ago I went up for my first lesson and have loved it ever since. It’s a great way to get out of the studio and gain perspective. It truly feels like another world when you are 5,000 feet above the ground. I have always loved looking at maps, so the visuals of aerial perspectives fascinate me. One flight early on in my training I remember seeing New York City and Philadelphia clearly at the same time, and only 3,000 feet above the earth’s surface. This was an eye opener for me; it was probably a similar feeling for those astronauts who were able to see the earth as round for the first time.

Do you have a pilot’s license?

I do not have my license quite yet. Painting is priority, then flying. My goal is to have it done by the end of summer so I can move onto getting my instrument rating. I have quite a few friends who are pilots,  so I fly with them frequently. I am unable to log flight hours with them, but I still gain the experience.

Evan Harrington, “Morning Flower,” 20 X 20 inches, oil on canvas

How do you hope your work will grow? Are there any other themes you wish to explore with your work? 

I am not sure what direction my work will take this next year. Often I look through my latest body of work, select the pieces that I think are strongest, figure out why they are particularly successful, and then replicate those principles in my next body of work. I have practiced painting everything while I was in school and up to now, so I have prepared myself to be technically ready for whatever lies ahead. My goal is to dig deeper than the surface classifications of subject and theme and perhaps explore things like texture or pattern. The unknown is what keeps the process really exciting.

Broad Street Review: Carlo Russo at F.A.N. Gallery

We always love good reviews of our artists. You can read about Carlo Russo’s work here:

Broad Street Review: Carlo Russo at F.A.N. Gallery.

Charles Newman- Plein Air Painter

Charles Newman, “Sunday Morning,” 36 x 30 inches, oil on linen

Charles Newman will have nearly new 40 oil paintings on display this month at F. A. N  Gallery. Newman’s paintings are atmospheric – giving the viewer just enough information to connect to the painting and infer one’s own meaning into the interior spaces, still lives or landscape. The paintings’ sketchy and layered paint or scraped down textures allows the viewer to discover more about the painting with each investigation.

I have been corresponding with Charles while he prepared for Charles Newman: New Paintings, March 2 to 31, 2012.

What do you think about when you paint?

The thought of painting stays with me whether I am painting or not.  When painting, I try to keep my thoughts simple.  Degas said he didn’t think much when he’s painting and I can relate with that.  Overall, things work out better for me in the end when I keep it simple.

[When painting] I break down what I see to the basic shapes and forms.  I think about the properties of the paint itself.  The way one color reacts next to another color.  That’s what painting is about.  I imagine having a mentor looking over my shoulder constantly reminding me about these things.

Charles Newman, “Looking Up,” 16 x 12 oil on panel

Sometimes I have an imaginary dialogue with students when I’m painting, explaining how to find color tonal relationships and good paint application. However, painting is spontaneous.

When doing plein air painting, it’s a race against time.  I simplify things to get the overall moment and feeling from the motif.  I ask myself what’s important to include and what’s not.  I usually go wrong when I think too much and too objectively about things and try to include every window or every downspout in the painting.  I’m making a painting, not doing carpentry.  For me, that exhausts the painting, but it happens sometimes and I have to remind myself not to worry about stuff like that.  Painting is design.  I recognize certain passages within the motif and if I like the way a passage looks, I let it be.  If I don’t like the way it looks, I’ll scrape it back and repaint it.  I heard someone say a while ago to “think slow and paint fast”, and I always keep that in mind.

Charles works for City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and I wondered if his mural work influenced his personal painting work?

Not really, I feel they are two separate practices. Working on a mural is so different for me, in fabrication, paint application, subject, etc.  But one thing that influences me when working on murals is the exploration of various neighborhoods, which have elements that I’m interested in when doing my own painting.  Sometimes while painting a mural outside, I look across and see light hitting the side of a house a certain way, and I think to myself, I’d rather be painting.

Charles Newman, “Victorian Home,” 18x 11, oil on panel

Who are your influences, artistic or otherwise?

I have many influences.  Many are painters from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and early 20^th century.  My wife (who is very influential and supportive) recently got me a couple of art books.  One is Edouard Vuillard, who is a great influence.  I relate to his work because of the direction my own work has been going in.  He did a lot of homely, domestic scenes with a spontaneity and honesty within them – something I try to do in my paintings.  I also love his use of composition.

Corot has been an influence of mine for a while.  I used to take a book of his work, In the Light of Italy, out of the library all the time when I was going to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.  I may have had a few late charges on it.  This book focuses on a group of painters who painted the land and elements of Italy during the 18^th and 19^th century and the importance of the oil study.  In my opinion, I see Corot as one of the fathers of en plein air painting.

Two other influences include Charles Hawthorne and Robert Henri.  Not only am I influenced by their work, I am influenced by their writings on teaching.  Charles Hawthorne has a book Hawthorne on Painting and Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit.  I feel that these are the “helping friendly books” on painting.  These are books I can always go back to during my practice.  So when I feel my painting is getting stale, these writings help me refresh my painting.

Some of my present day painting influences include Scott Noel, Al Gury, Dan Miller, Jon Redmond, former classmates and family.

Do you prefer to work in the studio or plein air?

I prefer working en plein air and on location because my paintings are representational. I strive to capture the actuality and simplicity of things.  I consider my French easel being a portable version of my studio that I can take on the road.   It has adjustable clips to prop my painting at a comfortable height, and it has a little table with a little drawer for me to store and use my supplies, which is great.  At home, the detached garage that I converted into a studio is primarily used as a workshop to prepare surfaces, frames and rocking out to music.  I rarely paint in the studio.

Charles Newman, “Under the Weeping Willow,” 9 x 12 oil on panel

You talk about “filters” in your statement. What kind of filters do you mean?

When I mention filters in my artist’s statement I mean direct observation of the type of light, the filtering of light through atmosphere.  If I’m painting on a humid day, I’ll treat my palette differently than if I was painting on a cold day.

On a cold day with no humidity, the light and shadow is crisp and on a humid day where there is more water in the air, the light feels softer and hazier, and I’ll mix accordingly.

The other thing I mean by “filter” is the ability to simplify through seeing.  Squinting my eyes helps to eliminate details and distinguishes the tonal comparisons, so I have a better idea about shapes and edge quality.  It also helps me distinguish the local colors and the true spots of color.

Charles Newman, “Lake at Croft Farm,” 18×24, oil on panel

One example [of filtering] is the painting “Lake at Croft Farms”. I am facing slightly west, where the sun is receding.  With the brightness of the sunlight radiating from the background of my subject matter, the light has diffused a cool bluish glow or filter within my field of view.  This enables me to block in a very large mass and easily know my local color.  Local color is the overall average of the color range within my field of view.  Or the color that is mostly seen within the field of view.   Squinting or blurring our eyes help to find the local color because everything gets simplified and we see spots of color.  The local color is usually a mid tone color within the range.

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Charles Newman’s work will be on display March 2 through March 31, 2012 at F. A. N. Gallery

Opening Reception is Friday, March 2, 2012, 5 to 9 PM.

Kate Kern Mundie is F.A.N.’s June Artist

Kate Kern Mundie is F.A.N.’s June 2011 artist… oh wait, that’s me!

I am excited about my third solo exhibition with F. A. N.  Gallery.  Fred, the man behind the initials, has nurtured me as an artist over the last three years — offering me valuable critiques, insight and encouragement. He challenges me to grow as an artist and to become a better painter.

For this exhibition, I have 34 new paintings.  These are mostly rural and urban landscapes from in and around Philadelphia and Ireland, but there are also a few intimate interiors. In these pieces, I focused on instances of  dramatic light on the landscape, or the controlled and atmospheric illumination indoors.

Here is a preview of some of Fred’s favorite paintings in the show.  I have added a little description for each one.

I have done two paintings of the Delaware Water Gap. For this painting, I looked to Cézanne for inspiration, especially at how Cézanne painted Montagne Sainte-Victoire. Cézanne used warmer colors like green in the sky, as if the sky reflected the earth instead of the other way around. I tried to bring some warmer blues and greens into the sky and use a lot of purple in the vegetation the way Cézanne did.

Now, all I need to do is go to the south of France and actually paint Montagne Sainte-Victoire for myself.

Kate Kern Mundie, 30th Street Station, oil on masonite, 6 x 8 inches, 2010

In the fall, my husband and kids and I went to Schuylkill Banks Park to see Light Drift. The installation of lighted orbs floating in the river was glorious.

I had not been in that part of the city at that time of day since my college days biking back and forth to Penn and the city has changed quite a bit since then. It is cleaner, there are bike lanes, and beautiful architecture is well lit so its features can be enjoyed.

Kate Kern Mundie, French Room No. 2, oil on masonite, 24 x 16 inches, 2011

French Room No. 2  was developed from drawings I did of one of the historic rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Back in the studio, I did a drawing in charcoal on the painting surface and then blocked in the color in oil. After that it was just a matter of putting in a few details.

I am a fast painter.  If the painting is not coming together in the first hour, I might stop and start a new painting. I usually do a quick sketch to figure out my composition. If I am painting an interior, I will use a T-square to lock down the perspective since I have a tendency to tilt to the right as I am a left-handed.

I completed the painting over the course of an afternoon while listing to NPR. After it was finished, I would refer to the painting as “the mob painting” because I was listing to a Fresh Air interview with mob informant Frank Calabrese, Jr.  Now the painting is completely associated in my mind with that interview. It seems a strange juxtaposition.

When I am painting on site, I do not want any music or distractions. I want to hear what is going on around me; it enhances the experience. When I am in the studio, I listen to music or the radio to help me keep track of time, but I may have to stop so I don’t end up with weird associations.

Kate Kern Mundie, Martha’s Room, oil on masonite, 20 x 16 inches, 2011

I recently confessed to my neighbors, Chris and Martha, that I had done a painting of their living room. I did a few drawings and took some photos in their house while I was cat sitting for them.

Chris is a sculptor and Martha is a writer and picture researcher. Their home is warm and inviting and filled with rich textures, objects, and art. I did some drawings of a few views in their living room, focusing on a chair or table. For this painting, I chose to edit out some of the objects in the room and focus on the warm colors in the carpet and the deep shadow cast by the ottoman. At some point I want to do a painting of their kitchen, which has a Vermeer-like feel.

To see more images from this show, please visit fanartgallery.com and mundieart.com.

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June 1-26, 2011

New Paintings by  Kate Kern Mundie

opening reception: Friday, June 3rd, 5-9 PM