Friday, December 31, 2021

Thanks for Listening 2021






As this year closes, let me take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation to all of you that have made this such a great year.

For those patrons that purchased work, you may never truly understand what your support actually means, I work to pay for the necessities so I can continue creating art. Your patronage represents more than a monetary or financial reward, it is encouragement and artistic freedom.

Again, my sincerest gratitude and a Happy New Year!

Jim

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For my loving wife Linda, no words can express my appreciation for you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I am so grateful to have you in my life. Thank you for making me feel like the luckiest man in the world every single day. I love you with all my heart.  Happy Anniversary

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"People need beauty.     They need the sense of being at home in their world and being in communication with other souls."      - Sir Roger Scruton



Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 




 Website - jimserrett.com 
 Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com 
 Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings






Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Lemons in a Bowl - WIP





Lemons in a Bowl, oil on panel, 8 x 10 inches, Jim Serrett

Finished. About time too, the lemons hung in there as long as they could. This piece took far longer to complete than expected, but you must do what is right for the picture to best communicate your intention. Art takes patience. Trusting the process helps me to be patient.







Progress shots, drawing, first pass, color mixing, final pass.







Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 






Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Button Jar






"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." -unknown

I have wanted to paint this jar of buttons for a while now but was always afraid of how it would read to the viewer. How to visualize so much confusion in such a small space. It was more conceptual painting than the optical paint of what I see. For a realist artist this is the balancing act.

Button Jar, Oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches, Jim Serrett










Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 




 Website - jimserrett.com 
 Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com 
 Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings






Friday, October 8, 2021

Bosc Pears with Copper Vase - WIP






Bosc Pears with Copper Vase, Oil on panel, 9 x 12 inches, Jim Serrett


 The Bosc pears barely made it to the end of this painting, the gnats in the studio were a message to finish up this piece. Pears tend to be a theme I repeat, as do many artists. Not exactly sure what attracts us to them, maybe the organic shapes and variety of colors. The little vase came from Italy.

 Progress shots, drawing, first pass, second and final glazing pass.

 







Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 






Sunday, July 4, 2021

Happy Independence Day





Washington Crossing the Delaware.by Emanuel Leutze – 1851, oil on canvas, 149 x 255 in

One of the most recognizable images in the history of American art. The subject is from one of the turning points in the American Revolutionary War. It commemorates General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on the night of 25-26 December 1776.

The Colonial cause appeared exceptionally bleak as the year 1776 came to a close. In a military move that navigated the fine line between brilliance and desperation, George Washington led the Colonial army across the Delaware River shortly after nightfall on 25 December in order to attack the Hessian encampment outside Trenton, New Jersey. Washington and his army achieved an unprecedented tactical surprise and delivered a much-needed military and moral victory.


Happy 4th of July!






Explore - Question - Learn - - Enjoy, Jim


Website - jimserrett.com 
Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com 
Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings





Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Silver Bowl with Apples - WIP







The cloth was an interesting subject to paint. The lace work was challenging to translate. I tried not to overstate it and compete with the apples. I kept thinking about the ying-yang of negative-positive spaces, the play of light and shadow through the open fabric and simple truths. If art is hard work, it is because you are struggling to go beyond what you know and looking for that poetry in your art.







Progress shots, drawing, first pass, color mixing, final pass.
Silver Bowl with Apples, Oil on panel, 8 x 10 inches, Jim Serrett




Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 



Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings




Monday, January 18, 2021

Silver Bowl with Pears - WIP






The silver bowl had several value variations with subtle temperature changes. I used warm and cool color strings of grays working back and forth between the two to model the form and state the reflections. The “palette”, where little piles of colors are mixed and pushed around is mesmerizing to us paint nerds. Those little puddles are storytellers, they are a living chronicle of the painting’s creation.







Progress shots, wipe-out, first pass, color mixing, final pass. 
Silver Bowl with Pears, Oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches, Jim Serrett









Explore - Question - Learn - Enjoy, Jim 





 Website - jimserrett.com 
 Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com 
 Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings