"Join the Party"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I was enamored with At the Moulin Rouge from the first time I saw it at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was that haunting face on the far right, as if she was looking at me through a window seemingly inviting me in to join the party.  

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted Paris' nightlife like no other.  Caricatures who he knew well, like Jane Avril in the center with the flaming-red hair or the dancer May Milton who stares at you with her painted face.  The painting is two joined canvases, said to have been severed by Lautrec's dealer after his death - hoping the separate canvases were more saleable.  The entire composition was eventually restored.

"Wallflowers"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

Most people know Toulouse-Lautrec for his short stature and his paintings of the Moulin Rouge.  I'll tell you a bit more about this genius, who was also a printmaker and illustrator born in France in 1864.

He was the son in an aristocratic family, his parents were first cousins who, early on, split up and Henri was raised by a nanny until the age of 8 when he went to live with his mother.  He was a budding artist early on.  At 13, he broke his right femur and a year later fractured his left, which never healed properly.  He suffered from several genetic disorders, attributed to a family history of inbreeding.  As an adult, he stood at 4 ft, 8 in tall which most likely was why he immersed himself in art.

Toulouse-Lautrec had a tragic life, contracted syphilis, abused alcohol to deal with his pain, had a nervous breakdown at the age of 34 and died at the age of 36.  He left behind more than 700 paintings, 350+ prints and posters and over 5,000 drawings.  The quintessential suffering artist I'd say.

What stands out to me is he painted real people in real places doing real things.  Not glamoured up but people as they were, warts and all.  Honest and sympathetic.

From the National Gallery of Art in DC, a woman in Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec's painting 'A Corner In a Dance Hall' seemingly looks on at a visitor studying another piece.

"Short Visit"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

A new painting up for grabs, a young couple closing in on Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 'At the Moulin Rouge', one of my personal favorite paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago.

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"Ballet Company"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

A dapper, young man taking a long look at Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 'Ballet Dancers' - from inside the Art Institute of Chicago.

"Side Glances"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I tried something different - by painting on a bright red ground color. The trick is to take advantage of the undertone and allow it to come through in the edges and painted areas. It works particularly well with skin tones - I love the results.

"High Profile"

12 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

The painting that this man is looking closely at is by Toulouse-Lautrec, titled 'Portrait of Jeanne Wenz'. It's one of my favorite portraits in the Art Institute of Chicago and I think it's the grayish palette that draws me in, as well as the strict side profile. The majority of people walk by it without a glance - I don't get that - but they're usually on their way to more recognized works of art.

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"Sisters"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Okay - one more for the show. Being that the title of my exhibition is "The People I See", I must include these two sisters. They were pretty fantastic, as models, I must say. They stand beside Toulouse-Lautrec's haunting painting "At the Moulin Rouge", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville. If you can get to the gallery in July, please do so. Asheville's a great place to spend a couple of days and the opportunity for you to see these paintings in person would make me happy.

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"Under Cover"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Not only do I melt when I approach Lautrec's paintings - seeing this lovely woman standing there, admiring his Moulin Rouge pieces - her hat, the navy blue coat that created this wonderful form, her bare heels lit up by the light - all of it just took my breath away.

Now's a good time to explain my obsession with this subject - people inside of museums. I'm really more obsessed with the human form - especially how we stand, how we balance and how we dress. I view all people, all shapes and sizes, as perfect models. The backdrop of a bare wall provides the definition of the body. A work of art in the background can be more dominant than the figure - or it can be more vague and unremarkable. A lot of times I include works of art that mean a lot to me personally. It's fantastic joy for me to do these paintings for all of those reasons.

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