MOM! There are dead birds in the freezer...again!

Check out this great interview with trompe l'oeil artist Jhenna Quinn Lewis (who is brand new to Lovetts Gallery), produced by Oregon Art Beat in 2010.  And yes, there are dead birds in the freezer...

 

Contemporary realist, trompe l'oeil, and wildlife painter Jhenna Quinn Lewis:  "I was born with a love and appreciation for art and nature, or maybe a better word to describe this feeling is awe. Art is a universal language that can teach us about ourselves and our world. It is a part of all our lives and surrounds us even if we don't notice or understand it.

 

I have created art through images on canvas since I was in kindergarten. My need has been to foster an understanding of nature that is reflective, which suggests the presence of some unacknowledged mystery or spiritual force. A painting is a moment held in time. I strive to capture something in that moment and give it life.

 

For me, paintings have a meditative quality. Through the manipulation of composition, subject matter, color, light, and shadow, I try to bring out a subtle inherent quietness that the viewer can be drawn into. My hope is to create a state of mind that unites the real and the imagined.

 

I endeavor to capture the everyday items and scenes that are a part of our lives, but that we lightly pass over, take for granted, or completely ignore. For example, I use the play of light across a pear or flower in such a way that the observer's senses will remember the image and perhaps delight in seeing an ordinary piece of fruit or a plant in a new way when next they see it. To deepen the viewing experience, I may drape a cloth across the table with a ray of translucent light creating an inner glow to the painting.

 

Finally, the darkness and shadows can beckon us to experience the parts of ourselves that we mask or hide.

 

For me, there is an unacknowledged beauty in all things: in the light, in the dark and in the shadows. We need to bring forth and honor this beauty. Through experiencing the beauty of our ordinary life we are able to create solitude, a mutual solitude." - Jhenna Quinn Lewis

 

 

Oregon trompe l'oeil artist Jhenna Quinn Lewis is represented by Tulsa, Oklahoma Art Gallery Lovetts Gallery.

"Animals are the perfect creation" - Texas Contemporary Artist James W. Johnson

Check out the Lovetts Gallery interview with Texas contemporary artist James W. Johnson, captured during FAMILIAR?, an exhibition featuring James W. Johnson (TX) and Shanna Kunz (UT) on 12/3/11.  We have also, once again, included James' painting timelapse from the same exhibition.

"Trees are my figures" - Utah Landscapist Shanna Kunz

Check out the Lovetts Gallery interview with Utah landscape artist Shanna Kunz, captured during FAMILIAR?, an exhibition featuring James W. Johnson (TX) and Shanna Kunz (UT) on 12/3/11.  We have also, once again, included Shanna's painting timelapse from the same exhibition.

 

Landscapist Shanna Kunz is represented in Oklahoma by Tulsa Art Gallery Lovetts Gallery.

FAMILIAR? Exhibition Time-lapse Vids

Did anyone clock that turnaround?!?!  We've got our two most recent timelapse painting videos from our current exhibition FAMILIAR?, featuring the amazing artwork of James W. Johnson and Shanna Kunz, which opened 12/3/11.  Check out the videos below...and feel free to share them until your hearts content!

In addition, the exhibition runs through 12/31/11, so you still have time to soak it all in!  Did we mention some that there are some great smaller framed works, perfect for holiday gifting!

Contempoaray artist James W. Johnson and landscapist Shanna Kunz are represented in Oklahoma by Tulsa Art Gallery Lovetts Gallery.

Coming Home - Camille Engel, Live Demonstration & Artist Talk

Although Lovetts Gallery has only received a small handful of works from internationally acclaimed contemporary realist (and Tulsa native) Camille Engel, more are coming...we promise!  In the meantime, the artist, often referred to as the backyard bird painter, will once again be wetting collectors appetites during a brief gallery visit on Saturday, December 10th, from 11:00-3:00.

Camille Engel will be at the gallery, with a few new works, and painting live from 11-2.  Directly following her demonstration, Camille will present a brief talk on her work, career, and future direction.  The talk will begin promptly at 2:00.  There is also a hint of something surprising around that time...

Live Demo - Saturday, December 10th, 11:00-2:00
Gallery Talk - Saturday, December 10th, 2:00

 

Born and raised in Tulsa Camille Engel had her own advertising business in Tulsa in the 1980s, where she designed logos for Random House Publishing and album covers for several music icons such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr., etc...Success in her field eventually took Camille to Nashville, TN to found a design group.  In 2000, and after several years of operating a successful design studio in Nashville, Camille decided to heed the advice to “Pursue the dream that burns inside you.” Engel began oil painting, intuitively in a realistic style. She and her husband immediately realized this was where she needed to apply her artistic talent and husband Todd took full control of the design firm.

Since this time, Camille has garnered numerous national editorial features and has won many awards, including wins at the International Guild of Realism and Oklahoma's own People’s Choice award in the Gilcrease Museum’s 2008 American Art in Miniature.  In addition, this is the first time Camille Engel has painted live in Tulsa.

 

Lovetts Gallery is a Tulsa Art Gallery specializing in original art and whom represents contemporary realist Camille Engel

Santa Fe...an excellent adventure!

Did we make a video of our trip to Santa Fe?  Oh yes we did!

 

Time-lapse & Interview: Sculptor Paul Rhymer

Enjoy these three new videos created with footage from our live sculpt and new works exhibition with wildlife sculptor Paul D. Rhymer, held at Lovetts Gallery on 7/30/11. 

The first video is Paul's creation of a Roadrunner (beginning with a fox skull?!?!?)  The second video is Paul's interview.  The third video is Paul working on his Bighorn Sheep maquette, which will serve as the model for his 10' sculpture that was commissioned by NatureWorks, and will ultimately be permanently installed in Tulsa!

 

Paul Rhymer, a wildlife bronze sculptor, is represented in Oklahoma exclusively by Lovetts Gallery, which is a Tulsa Art Gallery that represents over 90 artists from across the nation.

Glass Sculptor, Eoin Breadon, Shows His Stones...

 

You have probably become familiar with the unique Celtic inspired works of blown glass sculptor Eoin Breadon.  Well, we are excited to show you his three newest pieces from the Stone Series.  Each piece is hand-blown glass and sand-carved.  As of 8/8/11, these pieces are en route to the gallery, so contact us before coming by to see them in person.

"Stones:  These objects made of blown glass are inspired by the extant carved stone works from the pre-Christian British Isles.  The objects reference the sinuous imagery of pre-Christian artisans and the illuminated manuscripts of the monastic communities in Ireland.  The images are drawn on the surface of the stone and blasted with sand to reveal the second color." - Eoin Breadon

 
In addition, if you missed them the first time around, check out these three videos of Eoin at work in the glass hot shop...enjoy!

 

Eoin Breadon, a glass blower and glass sculptor, is represented in Oklahoma exclusively by Lovetts Gallery, which is a Tulsa Art Gallery that represents over 90 artists from across the nation.