Monday, May 28, 2012

Michael and Inessa Garmash Originals & Limited Editions--Russian Impressionist Artists

State of Grace by Michael and Inessa Garmash
Local Color by Michael and Inessa Garmash



Fair Beauty by Michel and Inessa Garmash
Light Dreamer by Michael and Inessa Garmash
We are fortunate to have some wonderful Michael and Inessa Garmash original paintings and limited editions available at J Watson Fine Art, and we can also arrange a commissioned painting by these talented Russian artists.

There is a unique story behind these paintings. Michael and Inessa are husband and wife artists who paint together.

"Our love has been the inspiration for our work.  It is with the paint brush that we express our true emotions.”   -Michael & Inessa 

excerpted from the artist biographies:

"An award winning artist from the onset, Mr. Garmash received first prizes at several juried exhibitions, including the Lugansk Regional Juried Exhibition—1977 (Best Poster), the Czechoslovakian International Youth Competition—1978, and the Hungarian International Art Competition of Circus Related Art—1978. 

After graduating, valedictorian from the Lugansk State Fine Art College in 1987, Mr. Garmash began teaching there the following year.  From 1989 to 1991, he served in the army (when he met his wife and partner, Inessa) and in 1992 began studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art.  Prior to graduating at the top of his prestigious school’s class, Mr. Garmash exhibited in France at galleries in cities such as Paris, St. Etienne, Avignon, Lion and Marcel.  Mr. Garmash also took part in the annual Exhibitions in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Today, Mr. and Mrs. Garmash are considered two of the finest Romantic Impressionists of our day.  Their incredible talent is only matched by their love and career stories.  In similar fashion to the determination of his artwork, Mr. Garmash courted his future wife, after seeing her for but a moment, by painting her image all over her hometown while she slept.  She immediately recognized the passion with which this man cared so dearly and married him shortly thereafter.  

The Garmashs began their artistic collaboration in much the same way.  Several years after their marriage, Mr. Garmash began a painting of their two-year old daughter, Polina, for a project at school.  However, Polina found the painting during her father’s absence and decided to embark upon her own artistic career.  Ms. Garmash, after seeing what her daughter had done and not wanting her husband to be upset, fixed the painting using her own training, packed it up and gave it to him for submission.  Mr. Garmash submitted the painting for review and was praised for completing his best work ever.  He was surprised to see the "new" painting and immediately recognized his wife's hand.  They have painted together ever since"

Contact J Watson Fine Art for more information on Garmash original paintings or limited editions or to arrange a commissioned painting by the Garmashes at 661 476-7558 or e-mail info@jwatsonfineart.com. You can also view more artwork by Michael & Inessa Garmash on our website.

Art Lighting Without Wires--Battery Powered Art Light

Halcyon Times Cordless Dimmable Remote Control LED Art Light
One solution for fine art lighting in situations where there are no outlets nearby or there is a desire to have lighting without wires is the cordless battery powered art light from Halcyon Times. I like the upgraded remote control feature and when a painting is high on the wall that can make the use of this light much more convenient.

Halcyon Times says this LED light is safe for artwork with  no UV/heat.  Shown as being for artwork up to 3 feet.  This is fairly modestly priced lighting currently at $86 with the remote control and $56 without it from www.lightinguniverse.com with free shipping. Custom sizes and art lights with adjustable lighting areas can be found as well.

Of course, if you don't have a power outlet near the place you want to display your artwork, and you don't want to have visible wires, you can always hire an electrician to install a recessed power box in the wall behind the place you will display your painting, but purchasing a battery powered art light is an alternative you may want to consider.

Western Art at 2012 Prix de West at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Last But Not Least 36 x 48 by Bill Anton
If you are a Western Art Collector,  be sure to check out the annual Prix de West exhibition and sale at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum coming up very soon (June 8th--August 5th, 2012). In addition to seminars and art demonstrations, and an awards banquet, there will be some great paintings by top contemporary Western artists for sale on "draw" and collectors can put their names in for a chance to purchase at favorable prices if their names are drawn.

You can get more information on the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum website , and then click on On-line Catalog link  to preview the art that will be available. If a painting wins an award at the exhibition, it will become part of the museum's permanent collection,  and will not be available for purchase, but there will still be many great works of art to try for.

If you can't attend in person, arrangements can be made to put in for the draw by proxy, or our gallery can assist you with the process. Contact J Watson Fine Art at 661 476-7558 or e-mail us at info@jwatsonfineart.com. Tickets are required to participate. $75 for members and & $85 for non-members, which helps the museum.

From the museum website:

June 8th--August 5th, 2012.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum hosts its prestigious invitational art exhibit of over 300 Western paintings and sculpture by the finest contemporary Western artists in the nation with art seminars, receptions and awards banquet. The exhibiting artists bring a diversity of styles to this prestigious art exhibition. Works range from historical pieces that reflect the early days of the West, to more contemporary and impressionist works of art. Landscapes, wildlife and illustrative scenes are always highlighted in the exhibition.

Reservations are required for opening activities. This annual exhibition kicks off with two days of seminars on art-related topics and art demonstrations. The weekend culminates with a fixed-price sale of all the exhibition pieces.

Exhibition and Sale continue through August 5, 2012.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rare Pino Original Painting Available from J Watson Fine Art

Pino Original Painting "Solace"
Pino Original Painting "Silent Reflection"
Pino Original Patinting " The Black Fan"

For those lucky collectors who are able to purchase an original Pino painting, there is a rare opportunity to own one of the Pino original paintings that was also issued as a limited edition canvas, which is "Solace" 30 x 24. These beautiful Pino originals shown above are now available.

Pino D'angelico AKA Pino Daeni (1939-2010) was a wonderfully talented artist. He combined qualities of realism in the faces and expressions of the subjects in his figure paintings, with the qualities of impressionism in the looser backgrounds and brushstrokes. He had a true gift for communicating the beauty of women and the innocence of children and the love of family.

In his early career Pino was a book cover artist for top publishing companies whose work was in great demand. He then went on to create beautiful fine art paintings that are loved by collectors. Many of them have become classics, such as Tuscan Stroll, Evening Thoughts, Dancing in Barcelona, The Dancer (featured on the cover of Southwest Art magazine), and Sensuality among others.

Some Pino original paintings were made into limited edition canvases, which are very popular with collectors world-wide. There are also some hand-embellished limited edition canvases of Pino artwork that have texture that gives them an appearance closer to an original painting.

Whether you acquire a Pino original or a Pino limited edition, Pino art will bring joy and beauty to your fine art collection.

J Watson Fine Art is an authorized Pino dealer. Contact us for assistance in adding a Pino original painting or Pino limited editions to your art collection to your art collection at 661 476-7558 or e-mail info@jwatsonfineart.com. View more Pino art. and watch the official Pino video.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Antoine Blanchard Painting Prices Up at Auction--Authenticate Antoine Blanchard Paintings

There has been a nice increase in auction prices realized on Antoine Blanchard paintings recently. At first I wasn't sure if this was just an International trend with auctions in the UK, but the recent US auction prices for Blanchard paintings have been markedly higher, too.

Personally I think it is well deserved, as Antoine Blanchard's impressionist Paris street scenes are beautiful and would make an excellent addition to a fine art collection, and they are some of my favorite works of art.

It is very important, however, to authenticate an Antoine Blanchard painting especially in light of the recent increase in prices. There have been quite a few "copies" on the market. I have seen some dubious "Blanchard" paintings being offered on ebay recently, for example.

A true Antoine Blanchard was painted by artist Marcel Masson--Antoine Blanchard being the pseudonym he used.

If you are considering an acquisition of an Antoine Blanchard painting, make sure that the painting has a strong provenance, or history, with appropriate documentation. The Blanchard painting we have available shown above was purchased in 1982 from the Walter Findlay Art Gallery . Entitled “Arc de Triomphe et Rond Point des Champs Elysees en 1900”, it is listed as #88157 on the "certificate d'authenticite" from one Andre Larde, who noted that the painting was registered as Painting No. 23 in Blanchard's inventory book, as well as on the Guarantee from the Gallery.

If there is any doubt about a painting, a collector would be wise to have the painting authenticated by an expert. Rehs will authenticate for a modest fee ($300) and also include the painting, if authenticated, in their Blanchard catalog of works. at www.antoineblanchard.org

There are beautiful Blanchard treasures to be owned and appreciated, but protect yourself and make sure you have an authentic Antoine Blanchard painting.

For more information on the Antoine Blanchard painting shown above, or to buy or sell an authentic Blanchard painting contact J Watson Fine Art at 661 476-7558 or e-mail info@jwatsonfineart.com. For more information about Antoine Blanchard, you can also visit www.jwatsonfineart.com/blanchard.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wildlife Art--Interview with Wildlife Artist Susan von Borstel


Susan von Borstel's wildlife and equine art has graced the covers of magazines and is part of many prominent collections in the United States including the Governor of Idaho, and in collections internationally in Canada, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia.

Susan was also featured in Western Art & Architecture magazine in 2011 as "One to Watch". Her unique paintings on stone (marble, granite, onyx, travertine, etc.) have a wonderful architectural quality to them.

We interviewed Susan to give art collectors an insight behind the scenes with this talented wildlife artist. 

Fine Art Collector: What inspires you? 

Susan: "Inspiration seems to come to me from curiosity, a great appreciation for the world’s abundant beauty, a built in need to create and relationships with creative people."

Fine Art Collector: What do you enjoy most about the process of creating a painting on stone?

Susan: "I enjoy watching the image develop as the stone dictates. When successful it seems about one third of a finished image is supplied by the patterns, textures and colors in the stone, one third by my paint, and one third is from the viewer’s imagination. Translating nature’s patterns and colors into a visual communication is thrilling to me. I also love to hear people’s response to my work! 

 Fine Art Collector: What is the hardest part?
 Susan: "Not painting so I can attend to business."

 Fine Art Collector: What do you want viewers to take away from your paintings?
 Susan: "I want viewers to feel the connection with natural forces that I feel from the stone. I want it to inspire them to positive endeavors." 

 Fine Art Collector: What are some of the features you feel makes a painting great? 
 Susan: "An interesting composition, good eye guidance through the painting. Values, colors and edges all in service to the composition all help to make a painting great. Truly great paintings seem to have some unexplainable quality that keeps artists reaching for better and better. If an image “speaks” to the viewer and feeds their soul it is a great painting to them."

 Fine Art Collector: "Do you have any advice for artists starting out in their careers?

 Susan: "Just do it! Finish at least one drawing a day and regularly produce a painting, sculpture or what ever your medium of choice is. Read about techniques, try new things, and really look at things as you go through your day. I often memorize tree branching when riding in a car."

 Thanks to wildlife artist Susan von Borstel for this interview. Susan is represented by J Watson Fine Art in Valencia, California. To view wildlife Art by Susan von Borstel and other award-winning wildlife artists visit www.jwatsonfineart.com/wildlife. Commissioned paintings may be arranged through the gallery as well. Contact info: 661 476-7558 or info@jwatsonfineart.com.