ARTISTS WE FOLLOW

by JoAnn Frekot

Like many other practicing artists, members of our studio admire and follow other artists.  We learn a lot from them and we simply enjoy looking at their work.  Here are a few who come to mind.

Tom Winterstein

Tom follows an artist named James Gurney on YouTube.  James is best known for his illustrated book series, "Dinotopia."  According to his website, James "specializes in painting realistic images of scenes that cannot be photographed, from dinosaurs to ancient civilizations."

I can see why Tom might follow James; the attention to detail in scenes that come from James' imagination is exceptionally skillful.  His images are lovely.  

https://jamesgurney.com/products/dinotopia-a-land-apart-from-time-signed

Katharine Gotham

I've been following the work of Hannah C. Heyer for a few years now.  She is a very active and prolific landscape painter and I always seek out her work when attending plein air events.  It's really a treat to soak in her paintings in person!  One of the things that I most admire about her work is the way her brushwork and pain application so elegantly create form.  The appearance is that every mark is completely essential to create the whole.

Miles to Go, Plein Air, Hannah C. Heyer

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/hannah-c-heyer-6802/artwork#/Available

JoAnn Frekot

I've been an avid follower of Dan Wiemer's work since I first saw some of his paintings on display at the Sivertsen Gallery in Grand Marais about five years ago.  (I've since learned that Dan's studio is in Red Wing, Minnesota).  

I'm drawn to Dan's use of color, light and shadow, and form as he depicts familiar landscapes in unfamiliar ways.  Dan paints with both watercolor and acrylic in the same painting!  To me, his work conveys a deep spiritual sense in a highly engaging way.  I own a signed print of Dan's, featuring a rocky path surrounded by trees.  I am awestruck at his use of neon green in such a natural, beautiful setting.  How did he pull that off?

Yellow on Blue, Dan Weimer

https://danwiemer.com/paintings/ols/products/yellow-on-blue

Another artist I greatly admire is Catherine Hearding, a watercolor artist in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.  I've been fortunate to take a few classes from Catherine, and it was she who taught me the most about the critical role that values play in a painting.  She also taught me to boldly use shadow in a composition.  Her paintings capture the interplay of color, light and shadow that I seek to depict in my own work.  

Ruffles and Flourishes, Catherine Hearding, Watercolor

https://www.chearding.com/Painting?art_id=9

There are many more artists we could go on and on about...and maybe in a future post, we will.  Stay tuned!