nature painting
Thank you to Caleb Wiseblood for the wonderful article in the Santa Maria Sun this morning.
READ all about the new exhibition at the Wildling Museum of Art & Nature. Exhibition includes artists Scott Chatenever, Dorothy Churchill-Johnson, Catherine Eaton-Skinner, Lynn Hanson, Karen Kitchel, Maria Rendon, John Robertson, Sommer Roman, Carol Saidon, and Nicole Strasburg.
The Sundance “Winter’s Thaw 2021” catalog is in the post with a couple beautiful rooms, including of few of my paintings. See all availalbe work ONLINE.
Left: Watering Hole 12x12” oil on birch panel
Right: Nestling 12x12” oil on birch panel
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
Click on image to take you to Sullivan Goss!
It is that amazing time of year again when Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara puts on the annual 100 GRAND show. Gathering their stable of artists and a slew of local talent it is always the show not to be missed. It is a great opportunity to see work from new artists and find work from artists you love at an affordable grab. Start your collection or add to a growing one.
My contribution is a trio of gouache paintings representing a koi pond visited on the island of Oahu.
A merry start to the holiday for all. Be well. Stay safe.
Allegro 3.75x4” gouache on arches board frame to 13x11”
Animato, 3.75x4” gouache on arches board
Con Brio, 3.75x4” gouache on arches board
Signs of winter are showing today, the trees are dropping the last of their leaves as the wind blows through the emptying branches and big clouds from the passing storm linger in the blue sky.
Bare Limbs Painting 29.5 x 19.5” oil on birch panel at Sundance
Bare Limbs painting now at Sundance
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.
