"These jewel-like paintings intuitively fuse different aesthetic traditions, folk art and old master, with natural grace and an uncanny quality that may be a species of magic." —American Arts Quarterly
by Josef Woodard "Grouping Art" Los Angeles Times August 16, 2001, p 6 Deliciously flamboyant painter Fatima Ronquillo has been showing up in the gallery of late, and hers is a welcome new voice. Here, her none-too-shy portrait “Manileña” screams for attention. It’s another one of her works bursting with unabashed color and lovable decorative…
An oil sketch on copper of a dead bird I found on my morning walk. See the photo here. I thought it fitting to paint this bird on my first copper panel painting. Here's a traditional method of preparing the copper plate with garlic from National Gallery Technical Bulletin Volume 20: Painting in Antwerp and London: Rubens and…
New painting available at Meyer East Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. Somehow two different friends on two different occasions said he looks Russian. Maybe he is. He's not actually a card sharp.
I normally work on traditional gessoed (the rabbit skin glue, marble dust stuff, not the acrylic stuff sold as 'gesso') boards from RealGesso or oil primed Ampersand Hardbord or Ampersand Claybord sealed with thin imprimatura of ochre and M. Graham Walnut Alkyd Medium. However, when I work larger or wish for a change in surface,…
"Was it worth it?" Is perhaps a proper question to ask when one wonders about the relevance of one's work. If there ever was a manifesto on the artist's life, Robert Henri's seminal collection of writings, "The Art Spirit" come immediately to mind. It has been the bible for many a generation of hopeful creators.…
If you like the poem, check out this YouTube video recital. "A Lullaby" by Alfred Lord Tennyson Sweet and low, sweet and low, Wind of the western sea, Low, low, breathe and blow, Wind of the western sea! Over the rolling waters go, Come from the dropping moon, and blow, Blow him again to me;…
"Spring Quiet" by Christina Rossetti (1847) Gone were but the Winter, Come were but the Spring, I would go to a covert Where the birds sing. Where in the whitethom Singeth a thrush, And a robin sings In the holly-bush. Full of fresh scents Are the budding boughs Arching high over A cool green house:…
My most important tools are obviously brushes. Here are my favorites at the moment: Escoda bristle filberts Isabey mongoose rounds Silver Brush ruby satin synthetics rounds and filberts I typically use around two dozen brushes in a painting session. I don't like rinsing them while painting and prefer to have new clean brushes per color.…
Recently I've been exchanging emails with a friend and collector about having that "eye" for spotting good paintings. How do you know if it's good? Is it a gut reaction? The answer is yes, of course. As a painter you know when you need a red color here or when the composition is lacking or…
New painting now at Meyer East Gallery in Santa Fe. This young winged man is the second time I've painted "Wing Clipping." The first was in 2007.
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