Hot Off The Press!

NEWSFLASH!!

Watercolor artist Pete Roberts art career beginnings

According to his friend Nancy, Pete did not start his artistic career by visiting galleries and museums. Instead it came as an outlet for boredom as a result of being grounded all the time as a kid! Pete, you're holding out on us! Thanks, Nancy, for setting the record straight.

Pete Roberts - Watercolor Artist

Pete Roberts came to painting about ten years ago. An insurance salesman by day, he felt an affinity with the medium of watercolor and began the process of educating himself through reading and practice. Feeling self-education insufficient he began taking workshops with the masters such as artists Joe Stoddard, Eric Weingardt, Mel Stabin, and Judy Schroeder. Pete's beautiful watercolors are brand new to Chemers Gallery, and we're so excited to have them!

"Crystal Cove Colors"

Pete most enjoys painting landscapes in plein air, but he also paints floral still life when he can't get out of doors. Crystal Cove Colors was painted from a sketch he made sitting at the Shake Shack along the Pacific Coast Highway. The view is instantly recognizable to anyone who's ever enjoyed a milkshake or two on the bluff overlooking the Pacific. This painting, with its vibrant color, brings back the sounds of the surf, the feel of the hot summer sun, and the sweet taste of ice cream.

"Autumn Afternoon, Claremont"

Pete has captured a gorgeous Californian fall day in Autumn Afternoon, Claremont. Claremont has wonderfully unique houses and trees, just right for the inspiration that Pete was looking for. The composition of the painting and the fall colors complement each other wonderfully, and works together to evoke that nostalgia we all feel for a crisp and clear autumn day. Another appeal that Claremont has is a certain absence of people wandering around, which means less distractions for the artist.

Pete related that when he was just starting out in his artistic journey, he felt a little insecure about painting in the open, just as we all do when starting something new. He was painting one day in Cape May, New Jersey where a passerby saw Pete's sketches, and gave an impromptu critique, most of which was negative. Determined and undaunted, Pete simply needed practice. Ten years later, his practice has certainly paid off!

Come visit Chemers Gallery and see Pete's beautifully vibrant watercolors before all of his friends snap them up. They're perfect to bring some of spring's new color into your home!

Art from Travels by Carol Jessen

"Mekong Light"
24 x 36"

We've just received one of Carol Jessen's newest paintings, Mekong Light, and we're not sure when we'll be getting more. Hurry in to see it, we're sure it won't be here long. Out of the six pieces we received from her last month, we have none left! This beautiful piece was inspired by the light coming in through the window on a recent trip to Laos. "I was just walking by and thought, I have to paint that!" She's captured a beautiful moment in time, and we can't wait to see the rest of her work inspired by this trip.

Carol stayed in the town of Luang Prabang, a world heritage site known for its many temples. She compared it to the city of Manhattan because of its proximity to water. It's unique location between two rivers gives Luang Prabang wonderfully misty mornings, something this San Francisco native is definitely familiar with. She's got plans for a series of paintings inspired by that mist.

Carol has also started a monk series based on some of the sights she took in in Laos. Carol rose at 5:30 nearly every morning to watch the monks at the temples preforming their morning oms. She would give them rice some mornings, others she'd just observe and take photographs. We hope that some of these monk paintings make it into our upcoming exhibition of Carol's work in 2009.

For more examples of Carol's beautiful work, visit our website at www.chemersgallery.com.

More postings about Carol Jessen:
Escape to Sonoma Valley and Beyond With Carol Jessen
Evocative Paintings by Carol Jessen

Stories from Gerald Schwartz

"My reason for painting is in two parts. First, the love of the medium and second the need to tell a story about the world around me." -Gerald Schwartz

"Reflections"

Gerald Schwartz
62 x 20"
(top)

Pictured with glass art by Nina Falk

Chemers Gallery is thrilled to have received four new works by Gerald Schwartz. Photographs just don't do them justice. You really have to see these beautiful paintings in person to get the full impact of those flawless skies and minute details. Reflections is hung in our front window and just looks incredible, especially offset with glass art by Nina Falk. "Serenity" is just the word to describe the scene, especially when the sun shines in through our windows. Gerald found the original source image so compelling that he had to paint his own interpretation of it, and we're so glad he's brought it to us!

"Misty"
30 x 36"

Misty tells a story about the landscape after a storm. The painting draws you into its tranquility. It's an incredibly evokative painting - you can almost hear the birds twittering and smell the rain-soaked grass and feel the coolness of the air. It's so easy to place yourself within the painting and create your own story to go with it. As with all of Gerald's paintings, the details are just amazing, as you'll see in the close-up below.

"Misty" (detail)
30 x 36"

Gerald paints in a photo-realist fashion. Guests in the gallery are often stunned when they learn they're looking at a painting, not a photograph. His strict attention to detail is felt throughout his works. Every step he takes in the process of creating is inherently felt - from the layers of gesso he uses to the sanding of each layer, to the love with which he mixes his paints and varnishes. He's often said that the mixing is the best part of painting.

From lakeshores to roadsides, still life to cityscape, Gerald creates beautiful visual narratives on canvas. Although the sky serves as his daily muse, "the sky paintings are only one of many stories to be told."

Read More:

New Works from Oil Painter Gerald Schwartz