Ewing Fine Art
I'm an oil painter who works from life or from my own photographs.
Landscapes
Landscapes are all about the light and shadow shapes, and how the colors respond. It’s surprising to realize, when painting plein air, how the movement of the sun can change the shadow shapes even before the very next stroke of paint touches the canvas. The challenge is to maintain those shapes of dark and light once they’re established. No easy task! Hopefully, I can return to the initial location at the same time of day to continue working a scene. Otherwise, a photo taken at the spot can be a good fall-back source. I love the challenge!
Wildlife
Painting wildlife is a more recent venture of mine, more interesting to me that portraits of pets. I want the wild, the untamed, the natural. So, since I’m not on safari, I find trophy animals to be the next best option. They hold still, for one thing.
Still Life
Well, there are bowls of fruit, vases of flowers, you name it. It’s not that easy to gather a few things and create an arrangement that feels natural, uncontrived, as if a random happy accident. The set-up can sometimes take a while. The lighting can sometimes take a while. There are usually no persons present in the scene, so how does one give meaning and purpose to painting things? There is more to it than shapes and colors…
The Human Figure
I find the classic nude to be the most challenging, and worth every minute of the struggle along the way. A clothed model is likewise a journey, and also involves the folds of fabric and its textures. I plant my feet, brush or painting knife at the ready, and begin.
The Artist
I grew up in Oklahoma and loved to draw, read and play music, first on the piano, then the violin and viola. After high school, I went to the Juilliard School as a violinist in New York City and stayed to pursue my music career until 2000, performing with many groups as a violist including the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
My last couple of years in NYC, I began studying life drawing, anatomy and pastels at the Art Students League. Upon relocating to Prescott, AZ, I studied more drawing and finally painting at Yavapai College. My art has been included in exhibitions in the Mountain Artists Guild, the Prescott Fine Arts Association, Sundays at Schemer Scottsdale, The Prescott Courthouse Square, Prescott Arts Co-op, the Sedona Art Center, ‘Tis Art Center Prescott. I have been honored with First Place, Second Place, Best of Show, People’s Choice awards.
I have been represented by the Grayleaf Galleria Prescott, Natural Accents Gallery Prescott and Taos, Bearstrap Gallery Camp Verde, Agora Gallery New York.
I like to paint and draw from life whether it is a still life, a landscape, a portrait, or the human figure. My paintings sometimes have a lot of paint on them! For me, part of the meaning and joy in painting is the paint itself.