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Joann Wells Greenbaum
Fine Art
Blog
by Joann on 11/27/2007 1:13:56 PM
"On The Lookout"
Artist to Watch - Sean Callahan
On a recent trip to New England to pick up supplies for installing radiant heat in our new house construction, whilst wandering north on Rt. 22A, we came to the quaint town of Vergennes, Vermont's oldest city established in 1788. Our friend Ellen Waldman had recommended that we stop for lunch here. Strolling the charming village, we stumbled upon
Dog Tired Studios Gallery.
We climbed the narrow stairs to enter the gallery, where we were greeted by a plethora of soulful eyes gazing back at us. The residing artist, Sean Callahan, a watercolorist who specializes in dog portraits that capture the personality, character and soul of his subject, greeted and welcomed us to explore his gallery and studio.
In this painting "On The Lookout", one can sense the anticipation of the dog waiting for the return of his master even while viewing the back muscles of the animal. The sense of light streaming through the window, catching the transparent curtain and alighting on the wooden door frame, contributes to the mood of warmth and security. Sean's treatment of animals, Vermont farmscapes and Irish cottages, is so sensitively and skillfully examined in his chosen media of watercolor, I recommend a visit to his website, if not to his hometown as well. Our visit to Vergennes, Vermont was highlighted with meeting Sean and enjoying his paintings.
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by Joann on 11/27/2007 1:06:10 PM
Barn Construction
The progression of the barn construction- this view shows the side of the structure. The barn and house will function as a frame for the courtyard area where we'll landscape with a labrynth and plenty of foliage and flowers.
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by Joann on 11/27/2007 12:59:47 PM
Construction of the barn
The progression of the barn is now more evident. Here is the frontal view of the structure, showing the openings for the cars to go into the garage. The upstairs will be for storage and the back will be for a woodworking shop and tractor storage.
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by Joann on 11/18/2007 11:44:58 AM
The first tea ceremony
As tea ceremonies are an important ritual in many cultures throughout the ages, this was an auspicious occasion to have the first tea ceremony in what will be the guest bedroom of our new home. Tricia Adler, dear friend and sculptor, built a makeshift bench from lumber scraps, where we sat sipping our tea and dodging drips of rain coming through the open skylights in the roof. Often I include tea bags in my artwork, a symbol of bringing friends and community together. You may view more images of teabags in East Meets West and Dreamscapes Collections of this website.
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by Joann on 11/18/2007 11:42:57 AM
House construction of the artists' bedroom
David and Joann standing in their future bedroom on a rainy morning in November.
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by Joann on 11/18/2007 11:23:05 AM
House construction of the upstairs rooms
We climbed a ladder, since the stairs haven't been constructed yet, on this rainy morning to view the upstairs bedrooms. It's always fun to witness the progress from the perspective of how it looks now and what our visions are for the future completion of the project.
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by Joann on 11/16/2007 1:40:52 PM
Photo of a charming country home for a house portrait
You may commission an original house portrait painted in gouache watercolor or rendered in pen and ink. You may view other samples of house portraits by going to my House Portrait Collection on my website. A house portrait is an idea for a personal gift or a family heirloom to be treasured for generations to come. This is a charming country home in Barryville, New York. I was contacted through the Barryville Area Arts Association to paint a wedding gift for the couple who spend their weekends here, on retreat from their residence in New York City. This photo was taken on a crisp autumn day, capturing the natural beauty and light of the landscape.
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by Joann on 11/16/2007 1:35:07 PM
Pencil sketch of House Portrait in Barryville, NY
The first step for the house portrait was a pencil rendering. At this step I determine the composition and draw the bare bones outline of the house and landscape around the house.
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by Joann on 11/16/2007 1:31:48 PM
Laying the color for the house portrait
The next phase of painting an original house portrait is to lay in the large areas of color, establishing the shapes and the intensities of the color.
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by Joann on 11/16/2007 1:23:44 PM
Original House Portrait of Country Home in Barryville, NY
Here is the completed house portrait of a country home in Barryville, N.Y. The drama of light, color and shading was an exciting process of painting the house portrait. The layers of gouache paint and the play of primary and secondary colors interacting together give the painting a sense of robust dimension.
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by Joann on 11/12/2007 7:40:33 PM
House sheathing from the northeast view
The sheathing as seen from the northeast view. The shape of the house is now more visible than ever. And the house is closed in for the cold weather, so progress can continue. Hallelujah!
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by Joann on 11/12/2007 7:38:29 PM
Southeast view of the sheathing
The house sheathing as seen from the southeast view. Notice the openings for skylights.
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by Joann on 11/12/2007 7:36:06 PM
The barn walls are going up
The barn walls are going up and the progress continues...
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by Joann on 11/11/2007 8:31:07 AM
A snowy morning
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the carpenter, Brian McCarthy was working on this snowy November morning to complete the front porch frame. He was assisted by his son, Cole.
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by Joann on 11/11/2007 8:28:28 AM
Cole and the Snowman
The snowman over our porch frame was built by 14 year old Cole, (the son of the framer) who worked in the snow while his dad worked to frame the porch.
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by Joann on 11/11/2007 8:25:30 AM
The first winter resident of our new house, Snowman
The front view of the porch frame and the view of the snowman made by Cole, builder extroardinaire.
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by Joann on 11/8/2007 7:02:44 AM
The bedroom balcony
Juliette never had it this good with Romeo beckoning below. That is, her balcony wasn't protected with a peaked roof. This view of the balcony off the master bedroom as it appears in it's framed state, is a taste of more to come.
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by Joann on 11/8/2007 6:57:42 AM
Frame of the balcony
Here is another view of the balcony off our bedroom on the second floor. The trenches for burying the electric wires from the main pole at the entrance of the property will be dug today. The trench is a straight line, cut diagonally across the driveway through the woods to the house. David had to move his original wood pile to accomodate this trench.
by Joann on 11/5/2007 9:42:27 AM
The front view of roof rafters
The framers worked all day on Sunday to get to this place of construction. With the roof rafters in place it's beginning to look like the shape of the house. A 12 foot screened porch will be added to the full front of the house in this view.
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by Joann on 11/5/2007 9:39:33 AM
Southern exposure
The southern exposure, as the rafters go up, the house is taking shape, this side of the house will face the garden and courtyard.
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by Joann on 11/2/2007 3:54:53 PM
Quick charcoal sketch
There's been a nice response to seeing works in progress, and so here's another to share. I had painted a Pear Geisha, than felt she was wanting some sisters. So in this very loose charcoal sketch I start with a very quick gesture drawing that takes a few seconds, and it records a feeling of fullness with a calm composure, yet she could take a step forward.
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by Joann on 11/2/2007 3:52:47 PM
Charcoal sketch for Pear Geisha 2
Second time around I quickly sketch in charcoal again, this time adding a few more details for clarity of form and compostion.
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by Joann on 11/2/2007 3:48:58 PM
First pencil sketch for Pear Geisha 2
This is the first pencil sketch where I determine the head shape and patterning for the kimono. I wasn't quite at peace with this patterning as you'll see in the next sketch. But I knew that I wanted to play with bold designs and colors for patterning.
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by Joann on 11/2/2007 3:45:55 PM
The 2nd pencil sketch before painting
This is the final pencil sketch for Pear Geisha 2. In this sketch I worked out the shape and direction for the head and feet. I also finalized the pattern for the kimono.
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by Joann on 11/2/2007 3:38:02 PM
"Pear Geisha 2"
The final painting in gouache (an opaque watercolor) and pen and ink of the Pear Geisha 2. This painting gave me the opportunity to play with patterns and intense colors that play off of each other, creating a very full experience for the senses. All three of the Pear Geisha series can be seen in the East Meets West collection of my website.
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