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new paintings by lynne rey
Spring Portraits, Spring Cleaning
Portraits! I never felt portraits were my strength, but what better time than the present to improve? Just before we became covid-confined to home, my lovely daughter Sophia and I took a portrait painting class at the Newport Art Museum together. It was brilliant. We loved every minute of it and both markedly improved our skills. Here’s a shout out to our talented teacher, Jeanne Tangney, who was wonderful; we loved her.
Below is one of my many spring portraits, which pales in comparison to Sophia’s works (a truly talented artist). We worked from live models who were a joy to paint. I will continue to pursue my skills, but as with most of my art, time spent painting brings me meditative tranquility, mindful bliss and fulfills my painterly soul. What do you do, that makes your springtime heart sing?
© Lynne Rey 2020
“An artist needs a certain amount of turmoil and confusion.” – Joni Mitchell
Free-lance portrait of Joni, painted for a friend in Istanbul, Turkey. August 2018. 24″x36″ Oil on canvas. © Lynne Rey
Fall Modernism
In the last six weeks, I have visited some great art museums. Mostly modern and contemporary art museums and all in Spain. I feel inspired, looking at and experiencing modern art, and am reminded of the complexity and thought that is required for any serious work.
On Modern Art:
“I frequently hear the question, “What do these images mean?”
This is simply the wrong question. Visual images do not have to
conform to either verbal thinking or optical facts.
A better question would be, “Do these images convey any emotional truth?”
– by American Modern artist, Adolph Gottlieb
Coastal Vistas
Coastal views ©Lynne Rey. 2018 en plein air paintings.
(top: Black Point, Portsmouth RI. Oil on canvas board, 9″x12″) ©Lynne Rey
(lower: Windy Atlantic, outside Newport Harbor, Newport, RI. Oil on stretched canvas, 8″x10″) ©Lynne Rey
Contact me for pricing, lynnerey@gmail.com.
Summer 2018 New Work
Newport is a lovely place to paint! We are so lucky to live here – never a shortage of vistas.
Peaceful Sachuest Point, 6″x8″ Oil on board. 2018
Racing the Windy Atlantic. 8″x10″ Oil on board.
Oil on recycled gesso board, 8″x10″. “Gull’s Rock”
Studio
Warm weather arrives late to Newport. Spring is looooong and cold. So I am still working in the studio, hoping to get outside in the next few weeks. Hurray!
Recent work in progress, using both palette and brush.
*Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Matisse Monday
“The Woman with the Hat” by Henri Matisse. (1905)
Copying a master is impossible to do without learning a great deal about how he (or she) worked his (or her) palette. Much can be learned from copying a painting you admire, and in the process, much is learned about the painter.
Photo above, snapped in progress, showing the order in which I think the original might have been painted. Painted in oil on canvas, 16″x20″.
Fin. The original “The Woman with the Hat” (oil on canvas, 80.6cm x 59.7cm) was painted by Henri Matisse in 1905. The painting is at home in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA), in their permanent collection. The kids and I saw it there last October. It is breathtakingly beautiful in person. My memory of the painting was that it was a bit more vibrant and chunky with paint than the photo I was copying from suggested. I will need to keep adding layers to achieve the texture.
Anyway, a great exercise for a rainy day!
San Francisco MOMA: https://www.sfmoma.org
“Henri Émile Benoît Matisse was a French artist, known for both his use of color and his fluid and original draughtsmanship.” Wikipedia
(1869-1954)
Jammin’ for Jamie Crowley
This lovely painting went to a good home, for a good cause. I painted this after our recent trip through the Gulf of Mexico (January), and donated to the Crowley family fundraiser last night. *It was SO FUN! We chatted, laughed, ate, drank, danced the night away with more dear friends than we can count. We awoke to healthy hangovers made up of blessed and lucky. Our hearts are both broken and full, missing Jaime.
“Calm Waters”
Oil on Clapboard, 8″x 10″, framed in wood with silver leaf
Studio Housekeeping
Crisp fall days are perfect for cleaning up the studio. Also, varnishing, framing and shipping out paintings to new homes. 
En Plein Air, Summer 2017
Finally, I am able to create some new works! This summer got off to a late start with some cold and rainy weather, but the tides have changed! The last couple weeks have been glorious, and I have been lucky to have some good friends to paint with. Some recent en plain air photos below; all are works in progress…
Near the Eisenhower House, Newport RI. Painting with Sadhbh and Sophia, complete with picnic and post-painting critique!
On this over-cast day, I painted with Dan at Beavertail Lighthouse, in Jamestown. Dan rocked his first Rhode Island rocky sea-scape.
Sachuest Wildlife Refuge has never disappointed – it was as lovely as ever! Painting in an en plein air masters class with David Barnes via NAM.
Storer Park off Washington Street on the point was gorgeous as I worked on a modern piece in the style of (some old guy)… 😉 thanks to NAM’s David Barnes for the pre-painting en plein air masters focus for the day! I loved this finished piece.
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