Gouache
The River’s Journey group Rose Compass: (artists left to right) Pamela Zwehl-Burke, Connie Connally, Nicole Strasburg, Nina Warner, Holli Harmon and Libby Smith
Bradbury Dam, 2016, original gouache by Nicole Strasburg
Weather Patterns project. 24 included in the Bio/Mass exhibit at the Wildling
Bio: Relating to life and living beings
Mass: A large body of matter crowded together
Artists are observers and interpreters of what they see around them, whether it is a social concern, the natural world, the built environment or their own unique vision. Often artists work in series, exploring a particular topic as they deeply observe their subject over time. For artists, this repetition can serve both as a meditative practice and a means of learning and understanding.
In this exhibition, artists were chosen who create work in series, examining some aspect of nature. They may be examining patterns in nature or the same location over a long period of time. Some combine and recombine singular elements that accumulate into a fascinating and revealing artwork or body of work.
These artists have transformed their fascination with deep observations of their individual environments into works that help us to see the beauty in the details of our world, celebrating both quiet and dramatic moments in nature.
Scott Chatenever, Lynn Hanson, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Karen Kitchel, Maria Rendón, John Robertson, Sommer Roman, Carol Saindon, Catherine Eaton Skinner, Libby Smith, and Nicole Strasburg.
Pronghorn Siesta 1 3/4 x 2 1/2” Gouache on 6x4” arches board
The inspiration for these paintings was a wildflower tour on the backside of the Tejon Ranch two years ago during one of the California poppy super blooms. While on our way to the poppy fields we came across a small herd of pronghorn that reside on the Tejon Ranch.
Gouache is a paint that is heavier than traditional transparent watercolors and is centuries old. Its name, which rhymes with squash, comes from the Italian “guazzo” meaning “water paint.” It was originally used to illuminate manuscripts. Because of its opacity, gouache behaves in a similar way to oil painting with the ability to build layer upon layer of color.
I have always been drawn to miniature images, smitten that something so small could hold a world of information. Small also became important recently while helping out my aging parents. There were many days where long hours working in the studio was impossible, but having something that was fast drying and readily at hand allowed me to keeping my brushes moving and helped me stay centered. Pushing paint around even for 20 minutes reminded me who I was. These wee paintings were all about finding joy, no matter how small.
- Nicole Strasburg
All of the artwork in this online exhibition is available for purchase. For inquiries, please call 310-913-0749 or email at info@craigkrullgallery.com.
Spring Poppies 1 3/4 x 2 1/2” Gouache on 6x4” arches board
Selections from the 2015 Katmai series are also available the CK website.
Katmai 9, 4x6” Gouache on Arches Board
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art is celebrating 10 years with the exhibit 5x5 showcasing work from artists around the country. The small 5x5” format and online auction began on December 3rd and runs through Friday, December 18th. Bidding closes sharply at 5p.m. Now is your chance to bid and take home one of these exceptional pieces.
My own contribution, Morning idyll, is a black bear from Alaska’s Katmai National National Park contemplating a morning bathe.
Don’t wait! Start your bidding now!
Morning Idyll 5x5” gouache on Sommerset Paper
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
5x5 museum installation
I sure enjoy watching the birds in my garden but I have no claim on being someone who can accurately identify the different species. We do have a pair of what I’m saying are warblers in our Grevillea shrub in our front garden. When I search online it seems they are Orange Crowned Warblers, although I have not actually seen the crown. These little guys like to hang out deep inside the shrub and only on occasion pop into view. Still, I’m in love with their twittering sound and their flitting nature.
Three new bitty gouache paintings are added to the shop today.
Grevillea & Warbler, Gouache on Arches Board, 1.75 x 2.25”
New in the Shop!
Read MoreIf you haven’t seen yet, Sundance Online has new collections of my work that went live on their website this month. I have been a regular with them since being featured on the cover in the summer of 2004. Sundance has represented my oil paintings for 16 years and this month they are showcasing two collections of framed gouache paintings. One grouping is a set of miniature paintings depicting pronghorn antelope inspired from a visit to Antelope Valley during the spring poppy bloom. The second is a selection from a series of ocean and sky images.
Wee Bun, California Cottontail, 1.75 x 2.25” Gouache on Arches Board
With the pandemic and our required confinement to home I find my solace at the drafting table creating small portraits in gouache of the local wildlife, mining from images that I have taken from past trips out in the world when the world was a safer place to roam.
As the days and months roll by (or creep or seep, like molasses) I find that my collection is becoming pile after pile of paintings that are taking over my work space. I’ve decided to release them into the world that they my find homes and bring the kind of comfort (and JOY!) that they offered me while making them.
I will be posting new images each week. There are nine new on offer today!
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New landscapes images of mountains and sky by Nicole Strasburg.
Sky Sea framed gouache paintings by Nicole Strasburg.
Miniature gouache of Antelope Valley Pronghorn by Nicole Strasburg.
White Rock at start of the Rey Fire, 2016 2.5x7” Gouache on Arches Board
There is still time to see The River’s Journey in the city of Santa Barbara in our historical City Hall.
This show is a smaller version of the Rose Compass exhibit hosted by the Wildling Museum last Winter.
On First Thursday, March 7 from 5-7pm there will be one last reception to celebrate this leg of our four venue exhbition. You can also see the last iteration of the show at Westmont Ridley Tree Museum on the Westmont campus in Montecito. That exhibit will remain on view until mid June of this year.
Check out the website and stories of the journey at rosecompass.com.
There is also a wonderful exhibition catalog that goes with the show. Find a copy in the shop or at a local bookstore.
at long last
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