Figurative realists Sara and Shane Scribner share their inspiration: Sara, for her “Nightfall” series of paintings of women who have found a place of calm and introspection within the looming nightfall; and Shane, for his paintings highlighting light and contrast.
Paintings Inspired by the Cosmos & More
SARA SCRIBNER
The recent paintings I created for my show “Nightfall” at Gallery 1261 in Denver are inspired by a Carl Sagan quote from The Cosmos, “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” What a beautiful thing to hear, that we are made up of the stuff in the universe that has always been and always will be.
It inspired a series in which the subjects have found a place of calm and introspection within the looming nightfall. The stars and moons are literal representations of our universe, the thing that surrounds and unites everything and everyone now and for all eternity.
Their Song Welcomed the Night
Oil on aluminum panel
14×26
2020
Stardust
Oil on aluminum panel
12×12 2020
Pink Moon
Oil on aluminum panel
16×24
2020
Nightfall
Oil on aluminum panel
12×16
2020
Luminous
Oil on aluminum panel
8×11.5
2020
SHANE SCRIBNER
I am obsessed with old cameras and expired film. To have a photo shoot and not necessarily know what the outcome of the colors will be is pretty exciting. From the color story that develops on the film I then enhance certain colors to add emotion/interest to the subject in my paintings.
For my painting “Serenity” (below), I shot Kodak’s Portra 800 film in my 1970’s Mamiya RB67. When I developed the film in my studio the orange cast was slight but I liked the direction so when I set out to paint it I really pushed for intense reds and oranges.
By having graphic areas within the figure, where I have intentionally ignored the form, I am able to draw the viewer’s attention to certain parts of the composition where there is greater detail and contrast. In this case, I wanted the viewer to be transported to a bright sunny day and remember how it feels to come out of the shadows and feel the warmth of the sun hit your face.
Shane Scribner, “Serenity,” 2021, oil on aluminum panel, 10 x 12 in.
Shane Scribner, “Hannah”
11.5×22
Oil on aluminum panel
2019
Private Collection
Shane Scribner, “Freya in Blue”
18×18
Oil on birch panel
2019
Shane Scribner, “Asher in Orange Hues”
10×10.5
Oil on aluminum panel
2021
Shane Scribner, “Angie in Color”
18×24
Oil on birch panel
2016
Connect with Sara and Shane Scribner:
Website | Instagram
Joe Paquet on Landscape Painting en Plein Air
Joe Paquet, “Corner of Kent and Selby,” oil, 24 x 30 in.
By John Pototschnik
Contemporary landscape painter Joe Paquet will lead “A Beautiful Beginning: The Art of the Start” pre-convention workshop at the 11th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo, May 24th, 2024 in the Great Smoky Mountains. Learn about the convention and this amazing opportunity to learn from Joe in person at PleinAirConvention.com – hurry, it’s close to selling out!
“When I was a young student,” Joe said, “Arthur Maynard (a former student of Frank Vincent DuMond) said to me, ‘The better your start is — the closer it will be to a finish.’ It was good advice. I don’t buy into the idea that all paintings must go through an ‘ugly’ stage … It is possible to imply extraordinary elegance and refinement at the block-in stage of your painting and I will show you how.” Learn more about the PACE pre-convention workshop here.
Joe Paquet, “Brutal,” oil, 24 x 30 in.
Joe Paquet on Winter Landscape Painting en Plein Air
An excerpt from “Embracing the Snowman Withing: Painting Snow” by John Pototschnik, at OutdoorPainter.com.
Joe Paquet layers up to the point of overheating before going outdoors for a landscape painting session. He too experienced early damage to his hands, so they get cold faster than normal. Despite this, he still wears only a pair of thin gloves, because he needs delicate control of the brush, and he also carries heat packs.
Paquet “prepares” his white paint for winter painting. Joe mixes cold-pressed linseed oil into his lead white before going out. He uses New Traditions half-inch panels mounted with Clausens Linen (Type 15 for large works) and tones the surface prior to painting. He prefers this surface because it never goes slack, the panels are lightweight and very rigid, and the sun doesn’t shine through them. The downside . . . they can become sails in strong winds.
This is Paquet’s account of a plein air experience: “A rough day . . . two hours of hard snow, then wind. True story: A car pulled up behind me to tell me all about how they were studying the Bob Ross technique. I turned to speak with them and a rogue gust of wind took out my easel and palette, butter side down.”
Paquet says he is careful never to rush in order to finish a painting in the field. “Patience is a real virtue. I endeavor to work the whole canvas together in order to find the specific harmony in front of me.”
Landscape painting collection of works by Joe Paquet; join him for the PACE Pre-Convention Workshop, May 20th, 2024
About the Author:
John Pototschnik is an artist and teacher. Visit his website at www.pototschnik.com, and browse his art workshops at PaintTube.tv.
