Summon Summer’s Warmth

El Niño notwithstanding, winter has just about worn out its welcome. While Mother Nature may still have a few more wallops up her sleeve, Shayna and I would like to suggest one sure way to bring summer into your world a bit early.

Our folks have a glorious new giclée canvas at Gallery One that captures a fleeting moment and radiates warmth and cheer. It’s by award-winning Canadian artist Michael Dumas. Entitled High Summer – Yellow Warbler, this artwork seems to glow from within.
Michael Dumas expresses the simple harmony of the everyday, revealing the beauty in ordinary sights that are often easily overlooked in our busy world. Michael even told Shayna and me all about what inspired him: “It is high summer, a time of green foliage and ripening fruit. A seemingly random movement of leaves in a large russet apple tree marks the foraging of some small bird, and I strain to see what it might be. The complex patterns of sunlight and shadow frustrate my attempts at making a clear sighting, but just as I am about to give up, a sudden burst of bright yellow appears quite close at hand. It is a transient thing though, and just as suddenly as it appears the yellow warbler was once again hidden in the depths of the tree. Gone from sight, but vividly impressed in memory, the act of painting re-creates a brief instant that can be savored at leisure.”

And once you see this little gem, you’ll understand.  (Every time Shayna see it, she just smiles…)

High Summer – Yellow Warbler is now available as a hand-signed giclée canvas published by Gallery Giclées’™ and part of the Michael Dumas exhibit at Gallery One. (When you come in to see it, be sure to stop and see US, too!)

Greatness with a Brush: Artist Jane Jones

artist, Jane Jones

Rose Rhapsody JONRO1  22” x 21”  $375 JONRO2  5” x 7”  Mini $100

Summer JONSU2  32” x 18”  $425 JONSU3  8.5” x 5” Mini $100

Shining Moment JONSH2  20” x 15”  $295 JONSH3 7” x 5”  Mini $100

Crimson Evening JONCR1  24” x 24”  $425  JONCR2  7” x 7” Mini $100

Each giclée canvas is hand-signed by the artist. All artwork © Jane Jones.

It’s a brand new year; a great time to learn more about your favorite artists. (And if it’s cold where you are, there’s no better time to gaze at the exquisite floral creations of Jane Jones and learn a little more about what inspires this extraordinary artist.)

GG: Other than painting, what is your favorite pastime?
Jane: I love living and playing with my dogs and cats. They are always “in the moment” and happy to do anything together. And I love gardening, whether it is weeding or just enjoying the visual beauty, sounds and smells. One of the toughest things that I have to do is cutting the flowers from the plant. But once I get just the right light on them and the glass vase − well, I’m beside myself with excitement at the possibility of translating it into paint.
GG: In addition to your extensive art studies, you have a Bachelor of Science degree. How has this influenced your artwork?
Jane: The elegance of nature, from cells to ecosystems is so magnificent. Looking into the lives of cells, plants and animals gave me a glimpse into the awesome power of living things and an incredible respect for them. One day I decided to investigate flowers with a new close-up lens on my camera and saw a whole new and incredibly beautiful world of shape and movement, much like looking into a microscope. As a result, I began to paint large canvases with magnified flowers. 
GG: When did you know that you were destined to become an artist?
Jane: In 1985 I read the book Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, and as I was reading it, I found so many ideas and thoughts with which I identified. Her life and mine have very little in common, but we share the passion for art and a way of seeing the world, and realizing those things caused me to apply to art schools and make the commitment to follow that path. Or spend the rest of my life wishing that I had!
GG: Who has most encouraged or inspired you?
Jane: My husband has always encouraged me in every way. And having taught Art History for many years, I’ve gotten to know the lives and ideas of so many great artists and learned a lot different things them. Many of the problems and solutions in artists' lives and their work are the same no matter what the century.
GG: What is your preferred medium with which to paint and why is it your favorite?
Jane: I love, love, love oil paint. It is so smooth and sensual to work with, and compared to other media, it is really forgiving of mistakes. And I think it is the most beautiful medium because of the density of the pigment and how it interacts with light.
GG: You often include symbolic elements in your paintings that give them a spiritual dimension. What do you hope that people will discover in your work?
Jane: The beauty and value of nature. Beauty is something that people respond to; it is uplifting and hopeful…the desire for it is universal. Flowers occupy the elevated level of beauty, which moves us and evokes notes of aspiration to vibrate within us. There is something truly celebratory about flowers in sunlight. Light invests them with energy and liveliness.
GG: What do you find to be the single most gratifying aspect of being an artist?
Jane: There are several really gratifying things in my artistic life. I absolutely love the excitement of new ideas. They make the world new and exciting, and it seems like everything is possible. It’s such a great ride! And then it is so wonderful and exciting when new ideas are realized into new paintings, and I am happy with what I have created. The last part is when a viewer understands what I was communicating. Then the communication is complete.


The elegant giclée canvases of Jane Jones are striking whether displayed individually or grouped. Gallery-wrapped and ready to hang, framing is optional. Click the links or call 800.621.1141 to order, and prepare to be dazzled!

Tis the Season

Well, it's Black Friday and everyone's out frantically trying to snatch up their favorite deals.  Things here are much less frantic but still busy as people come in with Cold Nose Warm Art entries, watch the Kinkade Highlighter do her thing with the canvases or take advantage of the 50% off sale.  The holiday season has definitely begun.

Over the last few months we've added some exciting new artists!  Why not refresh your home or work environment with the work of Doug Bloodworth's photorealistic food, Cynthia Decker's fantastic (almost surrealist) fantasies, Craig Kosak's modern wildlife or Ben Steele's blend of Pop Art, Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Rembrandt and neon gas.  These talented artists will stretch your imagination and broaden your artistic horizons.  What a great gift!

Pecan Pie
by Doug Bloodworth

Equilibrium III
by Cynthia Decker

Leap of Faith
by Craig Kosak

Merill Inn
by Ben Steele

That's not to say, however, that all our best selling artists haven't also offered some excitement! New releases by Bateman, Brenders, Christensen, Bean, Ford, Gustafson, Kaatz, Rowenna, Kinkade and Terpning also fill our New Releases page.  Browse now for gifts or your wish list!

Introducing new giclée canvases by Michael Dumas

The art of Michael Dumas is characterized by masterful drawing and an unusual sensitivity to the subtleties of light, detail, form, color and composition. His is a unique style that is instantly recognizable. 

Dumas is attracted to subjects that express the simple harmony of the everyday. His extraordinary paintings of typical sights, such as common sparrows, celebrate how exquisite the ordinary truly is. Subjects also include rural themes and people, revealing an intimate connection based on direct experience. “There is something precious and ultimately profound in the simplest act of being,” he said.

Dumas’s familiarity with the wilderness and its creatures has been reflected in his art ever since childhood, when, day after day, he would draw the chickens his aunt and uncle kept next door. Even then, he was demonstrating his intense desire to know things in a deeper sense by drawing them, aware that his drawings were a measure of how well he understood the world around him.

“There are innumerable things one can choose to paint,” said Dumas, whose preferred medium is oil. “But the underlying purpose of creating has to do with conveying something about why those objects inspire attention in the first place. The greater the connection, the more insightful the work will be, the more truth it will reveal, not just about the thing painted, but about the artist as well.”

Michael is best known to Gallery One collectors through his participation in our annual Masterworks in Miniature show where he is a four-time winner of our Master Palette Award. His originals are always much anticipated and well received as are these very affordable hand signed giclées. Read more about them by clicking their titles.

Casual Balance

Grist Mill

Gypsy

Silence in the Shadows

Kinship

A special introductory offer will run through May 5. Buy three Dumas giclées and select a fourth giclée free.